(Trust me on the) Echo Screen James Robinett Peagram42@aol.com Ladies and gentlemen of the Final Fantasy world - Carry Echo Screen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, Echo Screens would be it. The long-term benefits of Echo Screen on the dark magic of silence have been proved by alchemists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own adventuring experience. I will dispense this advice now. Enjoy the power and beauty of your low levels. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your low levels until your at level 99. But trust me, in 20 levels, you'll look back at screen shots of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fantastic your adventure would be. You are not as weak as you imagine. Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to kill Sephiroth with Cloud's Buster Sword. The real troubles in your life are apt to be enemies that you never thought could have existed, the kind that ambush you when your down on MP and are trying to get to an inn. Fight one enemy everyday that is stronger than you. Summon. Don't be reckless with your casting of magic. Don't put up with people who are reckless with theirs. Limit. Don't waste your time fighting weaker monsters. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The journey is long and, in the end, it's only with your team. Remember good magic spells you learn. Forget the bad ones. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how. Keep your old weapons. Sell your Potions Magic. Don't feel guilty if you finish your journey at Level 40 The most interesting people I know finished their journeys at Level 20 Get plenty of Power Sources. Be kind to Aeris. You'll miss her when she is gone. Maybe you'll beat Sephiroth, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have get Hugh Materia, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll finish your journey at Level 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chocobo before you see the dreadful ending Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your attacks are half chance. So are your enemies. Enjoy your body. When you get to your limit, release you anger. Don't be afraid to do so or what other people think when they see it. It's the greatest attack you'll ever perform. Fight, even if you have nowhere to do it but in the Arena in Gold Saucer. Read the instructions, even if you don't follow them. Do not read strategy guides. They will only make you more frustrated. Get to know your teammates. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your teammates. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future. Understand that teammates come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the ocean between Rocket Town and Wutai, because the longer you journey, the less likely it is you'll return you were young. Live in North Correl once, but leave before its too late. Live in Cosmo Canyon once, but leave before its too early Item. Accept certain inalienable truths: Better items are more expensive. Materia is hard to find. You, too, will get level up. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were still at home, using Potions, monsters were easy, and children didn't join evil corporations. Respect your elders. Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you find gold on a monster's corpse. Maybe you'll use a item duplication bug to get 100 Gystahl greens to sell. But you never know when either one might not work. Don't mess too much with your stats or by the time you're at Level 40, your strength will be too high for your own good. Be careful whose advice you buy, because the Square doesn't necessarily make the best players guides. But trust me on the Echo Screen...