Compiled by the Mall Media Staff. Written by Paul Hansen, Spartan, and other web sources.
The Manual
A better translation coming soon (the other one sucked anyway).
The Story
Coming Soon
Disc 1
The Wall Market- Midgard
It's after you meet Aerith for the first time. It's confusing the gets very confusing. Here's the scoop: You find out that Tifa was taken there in the cart. You need to get
in, but it's a no go, because the guy in front is only letting ladies in. So what do you do? You're going to have to dress up as a lady. Aerith won't go because of all
the perverts hanging around the place.
First off, go to the dress shop. They'll tell you to find the owner of the shop. He's in the bar farther up (not the ramen/sushi shop). Talk to him, and he'll meet you
back at the dress shop. He gives you the cotten dress, but you need a wig or something else. The easiest path is the wig, which is at the boxer hall. Do the exercise
faster than the other guy, and you'll get the wig. You can then go back to the Dress shop, go to the back, and Cloud will go into the dressing room. Flub it, and
you'll have to get the tiara from the guy in the materia shop (he's lying on his side). That guy makes Aerith unhappy, though... You may also have to get the lingerie
from the strip bar, though that may be optional and we believe you get penalized for it, along with pissing off Aerith again. Once you've gotten Cloud into drag, head
for the big bosses place....
Getting Pyramided by the guy on the platform.
Slap the Pyramided characters, and they will be freed. Simple, but took me about 5 save-returns to figure it out...
Shin-ra's tower/skyscraper- Midgard
If you go up the stairs, it'll take a while, but you will avoid several fights on the way to the 59th floor. Plus you can pick up a Hyper-Potion or two. Otherwise, the
fights take time, but you'll have more experience. Just thing of it this way: You're characters will be stronger and you're going to have to do this sooner or later.
You should have picked up the Orb of Stealing earlier in the game, around the wall-market scenario. If you haven't, slap yourself and find a previous save game.
You want this for Shin-ra's tower, because the tougher robots and soldiers have some definite must-have items. The robot with the spinning blades on the bottom
has the Carbuncle armor, twice as strong as anything you can get in the next 2-3 hours. Very useful. And the higher level soldiers with the swords have the
Hard-edge sword, which is the only new/different sword for Cloud in the entire city. It's also twice as powerful as anything you can get for a while. Nice. Also,
earlier on in the train-tracks/wrecked trains, you get attacked by one particular character on a chariot. He's carrying the strike-rod, which Aerith can use. Once
again, twice as possible, 2-3 hour wait minimum to recieve this weapon otherwise. This is after the Wall-market episode. Any large enemy that takes a while to steal
from usually has something nice. But Bosses and Sub-Bosses generally have nothing to steal.
The Chocobo Farm- World Map
This one is confusing, because most people assume they are buying a chocobo itself. That's not it (though you will be able to buy and raise one later), you're buying
a particular orb called the Chocobo-Yose, which means Chocobo-bait. When it's equipped, you can encounter Chocobo's outdoors in areas with Chocobo tracks.
When you defeat the additional enemies with the Chocobo, you can then gain the Chocobo to ride on afterwards.
Two, talk to the Chocobo's in the farm (well, chirp at them). They'll go into an extended dance and chirp sequence, and then you'll receive the Chocobo-materia,
which will call a chocobo during fights for attacks on the enemy.
We recoomend you use a Chocobo to outrun the viper in the swamp. Otherwise, it will catch up with you, and while it's not impossible to defeat, the first time you
meet it, it practically is. UGP Online managed to get passed the snake without any confrontations, but its more toughter this way. Plus chocobo's are fun to ride,
anyway.
The Golden Saucer's Buggy.
Unmentioned (in english ;) is the fact that you can cross shallow rivers with it. That's the point to the buggy, since you still get in random encounters with it.
The Tiny Bronco- Rocket Village
After you meet Cid, you'll end a sequence by crashing the Tiny Bronco plane in the sea. Cid repairs it, but can't fly again. On the other hand, he converts it into a
temporary boat. It will land anywhere there's a beach. It can only go into shallow water also, but not deep sea. It can also go up rivers, which provides some handy
short-cuts. Use this to get to the Mayan-looking temples later on...
The Safe in Nevilheimnd getting Vincent
36 right, 10 left, 59 right. 97 right. This must be accomplished in 20 seconds.
Once you open it, you need to fight a monster. He's a boss but not too tough. Get the key in the safe, and the materia on the floor. Head toward the basement. You
will find Vincent in a coffin inside the room before the library. Remember, not inside the library but the room with the locked door before the library.p>
Getting Yuffi
She can be found in the forest regions. When you find her, defeat her in combat and answer her questions in the following order: 2-1-2-1-2
2= the bottom choicce and 1= the top choice.
Getting The Luna Harp- Bone Village
This village is located to the north in the arctic continent. The forest after the village is called the sleeping forest. While it's sleeping, you can never find the end,
though you can go back. Also, one tip is to walk through it. There's a materia floating at the edges that doesn't show up if you're running. Anyway, if you go back to
the village, one of the characters on the upper level tells you that you need the Luna Harp to wake up the forest, then you can go to the end. But, where's the Luna
Harp, you ask? Well, it's buried in this Bone village somewhere. So you're character asks (top choice on list) "I want the Harp...". The reply is to go down and talk
to the town's boss down in the tent below... the guy who sells you items. After the talk with the upper level guy, his dialogue will change and you can ask him about
the harp. He'll then offer to either:
1. Dig for the Lunar Harp
2. Dig for other misc. items, or...
3. Dig for special items.
Take one, and then he'll explain the system for you, which consists of hiring his guys, one by one, to stand at different spots in the village and set off explosions. It
costs 100 gil per guy. After you place them, they set off depth-sensor explosions, and then read their meters. They will then be looking in the direction of where you
indicate for them to dig. Searching will begin while you're asleep.
The next day, the item that they dug up will be in the chest at the bottem of the village. If you got the location right, the Luna Harp will be there. If you didn't, you
have to do it again and again....
Disc 2
Getting Through the Snowy Passage
After boarding down the hill behind the Snowy Mountain Town, your character's end up in a snowy wastelandish area. Lot's of white-out, very tough, since you
don't know where to go next. I believe I headed left first, and then up, but that's very general since I wasn't paying much attention. If you wander around enough,
you'll get to the big flat icy lakish area, where you keep getting turned around by the blowing wind. You can put down marker's though, so that you know where you
were, and what direction you should be going. In the middle is a little cave with another materia in it. I believe if you then head left (or was it north?) you then start
wandering down one of those endless, looks like the same area over and over again, except after about 3, you're character looks to reach the end, but falls down in
exhaustion.
In general, the level above can be gotten through, it just takes a while, and you may have to retrace you're steps more than once (or twice). Save a lot, and stock up
on tents. There's also probably more than a few secrets/materia, if you *do* go everywhere possible. And it's the only time you get to go through this level (thank
god...).
You then wake up in a Cabin, and the cabin's owner explains (something), and also explains where to go next. After his speech, you can go outside, pick the
character's you want in your party, and then get to climb up the mountainside. The trick to this is to follow the flags at each ledge, since they are the indicator to the
next climbing path. And you also need to press the square button repeatedly to warm your character's up at each ledge. The number's on the right is your
temperature. If it goes below 27, you freeze, get rescued, and have to start from the cabin again. Best strategy is to climb to a ledge, press square repeatedly (and
fast) to get up to 36 again, and then go onto the next ledge. The various entrances lead to caverns, where you don't have to worry about freezing (since you're out of
the wind.).
After clearing this level, you're on to the key event, which I won't spoil, since you'll generally make it through without much worry (other than the usual fight losses,
etc...).
Escaping Cannon Town
After that event, you'll lose Cloud, and be captured by ShinRa (well, you have to, otherwise the party would die...). You'll go through some scenes, and then Tifu
will be gassed. You can't get her out with Barett. Run him to the airship with Caitsith.
The key to getting the key is to first push the foot button down until she slides her body all the way down. Just hold it down. Then, the hard part (to figure out) is to
hold the foot button *and* the head button at the same time.
After that, you get to slap the dickens out of scarlett!
Finding Cloud
Then, you've got the Airship. You can go find Cloud, which is fairly easy. Just search all the towns you can only reach with the airship....it's at the island at the
bottom right hand part of the map.
You'll also get the option to raise/train Chocobo's at this point. It has to do with various purchases/options back at the original Chocobo farm, so realize that 1. It's
expensive, and 2. It's complicated. You may want to wait until somebody really translates the options for this one, because you could just end up wasting your
money, with no practical return.
The Materia Quests
After finding cloud, you've got to find the first 2 Huge Materia (hey, that's what it's called, don't hurt me). The first one (or second, doesn't matter) is in the Control
Tower (eagle's nest). To get this one, you've got to win a big battle in the strategy area. After you've won, the egg will hatch, and the old Phoenix will die(big fmv
scene. cool). You're character's can/will be able to run out the door on the top, and can find the Phoenix materia (useful). Then talk to the old man on the second
level, and he'll give you the Huge Materia.
The second is in Corel, the mining town/entrance to the Golden Saucer. You have to run back along the tracks again, and then you'll get into a train-chase sequence.
As written before:
It was difficult to do this one. You move the train faster by moving the two-levers in sequence one after another, as fast as possible without mucking up. This will
enable you to catch up with the train in front. I managed to do that in two-minutes the second time (8 the first time). You then need to fight to the front, and then
muck around with buttons until you stop the train. If you fail, the train goes through the village. If you don't fail, it stops right in front of the village, and in exchange
you get some additional materia (altima, a major spell that takes 5000 APB *before* you can use it) along with the huge-materia.
After that, you get Cloud back, and the *real* story about what happened in Nevilheim.... (no, I'm not saying. period.)
The next two huge materia are in sequence. The first one is back in the Cannon town... Leads to the sub (yes!) and an interesting sequence (cool arcade, by the
way. Square's development teams are having fun, definitely).
Afterwards, you need to once again run up to the airport on the top of the can0non. Too late, though, and you need to next go back to Cid's home town, Rocket
village.
Rocket sequence is hard to flub, except for the puzzle: This answer will be needed at a certain point: You will know this one when you get there, and boy, was it
difficult. The Code is Circle, Square, X,X.
Materia Combinations and Aerith's Resurrection
After this, (and another cool sequence) you need to head back to the Cosmo Canyon town (red's hometown). You'll get to make some materia from the huge
materia (I only made one, there must be other combo's though). Then it's back to shell village, behind bone village (where you lost Aerith). You're trying to bring her
back to life (I predicted this one would happen when she died...). You need to head to the left at the Shell village, and the old floating fart will explain that you need
to items, a key and something else.
I stopped after this point, and restarted the game (I was getting close to the end, and I want to get the extra character's this time around). So don't ask me where
things are after this point. You are going to have to earn it your'sef, grasshopper.
BTW, at this point (or earlier) if you go back to Midgard, there's a guy hanging around out front, talking about a key and/or getting lost from his tour group. I've got
a feeling that one of the items are in Midgard (if not both) and my best hint/bet is that it's back in Aerith's church (it would fit in their standard plots). Otherwise,
back at mom's place... I don't know, I haven't got in. Finding the key/entrance to Midgard is another thing entirely.
Finding the Key to Midgard
They key to Midgar can be found in Bone Village. Talk to the hakkutsu guy, select "normal treasures" and you'll randomly find the key to the Fifth Slum. I think this
is totally optional, though. All I found in there is an accessory that increases your chance to steal and Yifi's best weapon. Oh, also, Aerith's ghost is in the church for
a brief instant.
Yufi A Traitor?
Go to her village (the Asian looking village to the west) and she'll take off with almost all your Materia. There is a key item called 'mizukami no unko' (you got it from
the sub) which can put out the fire in the caves. There's some cool stuff in there so make sure you go there. After a little chasing around you'll get Yufi and your stuff
back.
The Submarine Adventure
Head to Cannon and take the sub beneath the water. Explore for a while and you'll find the missing Big Materia that you were trying to pursue before when the big
airplane got away. After you get this look around some more until you come across the wreckage of that same plane. The monsters in the plane are pretty tough so
watch out. you'll get some cool weapons for your party here as well as another piece of strong Materia.
Raising the Dead
Get back to the Bone Village and talk to your buddy from Cosmo Town in the main crystal room. He'll start working on Aerith and you'll receive a call from your
buddies. The Meteor is getting closer! Midgard is preparing its main gun for something, but what is it?
Midgard Under Attack!
After starting the resurrection of Aerith, leave the Bone Village and get on your airship. You'll be surprised to find out that another monster has emerged from the
sea and is on a direct course for Midgard! Get in your airship and fly toward Midgard but don't enter the town! Wait on the beach shore for the monster to get there
and then run towards it. You'll find out what happens next....
Infiltrating Midgard
After the monster is taken care of, get in your ship and fly into the city. The final confrontation awaits you there. You'll fight one huge mech boss first (approx.
30,000 HP). Finally, you'll be fighting three tough bosses in a row with no resting period. Be prepared and save your Summoning Materia spells for the very last
boss.
Disc 3
Working Your Way Down to Sephiroth
This isn't too tough. Most of the items suck except for the occation X-Potion or Materia. Watch out though. There's a big dragon that you'll occassionally run into
and he casts Altima! Yuk! Anyway, you might wanna gain some experience and gain some levels before going down too far.
When you finally reach the near bottom, your party will break up into individuals and will rendezvous at the bottom. Along the way they will scour treasure chests
and hopefully bring back something useful. Anyway, you can still have your own team of three so the best bet is to take the left path, which is the first chioce (we
never took the right path).
The place you'll end up is another section where where your guys can either go into a cave that goes up or down. Have EVERYONE there take the bottom cave
(the second choice). After a while you'll reach the bottom and this will be your last chance to make any roster changes before heading to the core.
As you work your way down, you'll run into some very strong opponents. Make sure you heal a lot and use lots of magic. You're almost there.
The Blimp Lady
You'll know what were talking about when you get there. She's quite a tough cookie. Use lots of summoning materia and magic and she'll be toast after five to ten
minutes. Remember to heal alot as well.
Sephiroth
This guy is tough. While he doesn't do too much damage (the most I've seen is 2000 off) make sure you keep everyone healthy. You'll also have to coordinate
attacks between two parties, but make sure the party with Cloud has your best spells and guys. Sephiroth is tough only in the sense that he heals himself 6000 HP at
a time. This can be very discouraging. But if you take out the limbs and keep on taking out his regenerating head, start focusing on this chest, NOT his lower body.
After about 20 to 40 minutes, he'll be dead and you'll be exhausted! Make sure you have lots of Elixers to restore life and magic points.
Sephiroth Part 2?!
After defeating the first version, Cloud's party makes one last attempt at finishing this menace.
This Sephiroth uses his big bang attack to mess up your whole party. Make sure they're healthy. He also likes to use Slow magic on you and occasionally Mute
them from using spells. Be prepared for this. He's not as tough as the previous incarnate, but stay on your toes anyway. Good luck and enjoy the ending.
