Old Game Strategy Guide

Before that old Naruto game review, I wrote an elaborate mini strategy guide for Final Fantasy XII for PlayStation 2 when it was relevant. I think that game had one of the best battle systems but a cheap plot and an uninteresting protagonist and for anyone crazy into voice acting like me, Nolan North (who's from my home state,yay) was also in FFXII as well as Naruto. I played this game for 3 straight days because it was snowing and mostly everything was closed down, back in '09 to write it. This is extremely long.

 Ohmeingott Kyoto Fried Chocobo!
                        A FINAL FANTASY XII STRATEGY

Focus: Hunts and Side Missions, some Esper Information

There's 13 (?) Espers hidden within the game, for old FF players, Espers are just the Aeons, like in this game, Shiva is called Mateus and can be found at the Shrine of Mariam which is located southwest of the Paramina Rift. Some Espers are storyline, like the first Esper, Belias (Ifrit), and Hasmal. Most others though, are all hidden.

- For anyone who has reached the Mospheran Highwaste, there is an Esper there on top a ridge that seems unreachable but fear not, this is my strategy and I have defeated the Esper hidden there called Exodus. You need to solve the puzzle of the floatweeds using the wind shrines, this is actually immensely easy. 
- To reach Exodus activate these shrines
- South Wind, West Wind and NorthEast Wind

Now once you activate the South wind and the Northeast wind, ride the wild chocobo after feeding it some g. greens, provided you have any, up a path where the Humbaba's are stalking around. Keep going until you reach the rocky mountain ridge where the flying birds are. There you will find a side path to the left, dismount from the chocobo and walk down that path until you come to the West wind shrine, activate that and head back to the path that you were just on. If you don't want to fight the birds there, just use Time Magick, Warp spell and warp them all out of battle. The floatweed now connects to the path to the top most ridge where Exodus the Esper awaits. If you're a high level then fighting him is very easy, just Dispel him then cast Slow and attack like there's no tomorrow. If you're at a low level, then I can't help you. Your reward is an Opal Ring which comes in handy in harder battles.

When you obtain 10 Espers, the village elders of Jahara will allow you deeper into the Henne Mines. 
I have 8 Espers myself. So I need just 2 more.

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Some Hunts and Side Missions play important roles in the storyline, most others are just for fun. I'll only cover a few and remember it is important to report back to Montblanc at Clan Centurio in the North End of Rabanastre, every time you gain a new Clan Rank or is in possession of a new Esper, Montblanc the moogle will reward you quite handsomely and some of those items will come in handy later. Also, speaking to Montblanc you will have the option of doing some of the Elite Marks that he has. 

And for the Side Missions such as the Seven Sisters Side Mission, the rewards are pretty good, especially for that one and if you want 100% completion of the game it's best that you complete all side missions.

Seven Sisters Mission

This mission starts in the flying village of Bhujerba, home of Ashe's uncle the Marquis and home of the Resistance against the Archadian Empire. 
- At the Aerodome, take the flight to Balfonheim and in the Sky Parlor you see the Chief Stewardess being harassed by a man. Walk up and speak to both of them to hear their conversation. At the end, Ann (the chief stewardess) asks you deliver a letter to her 6 sisters who all work the same position on different flights.

You're aero-hopping from flight to flight and aerodome to aerodome with this mission, it's fun and relaxing since there are no battles to be fought for once. However tickets to take the flights are expensive, price ranging from 180 to 250 gil so make sure you have enough gil to take all 6 flights to deliver the letter.

Here is the list of the flights you have to take

1.) Bhujerba to Balfonheim (where it starts)
2.) Bhujerba to Rabanastre
3.) Balfonheim to Archades
4.) Balfonheim to Nalbina
5.) Archades to Rabanastre
6.) Archades to Nalbina
7.) Nalbina to Rabanastre

after successfully taking these flights and delivering the letter, you receive the Ring of Renewal as a reward which equips Regan to the user. As a hint, while on the airships, they have 2 shops selling different items, take a look around and buy whatever you need or don't have. 2 notable items is the X-Potion for 650 gil and the Arcane Magick Syphon for 7000 gil.  *learn sumtin' new bitches, Regan is a German word and means Rain*

Another leisure side mission is this one:
  
Viera Randevous

A Viera at Rabanastre's South gate near the chocobo stable is seeking a soulmate, talk to her. Follow her into the Southern Plaza & look for a Lovestruck Man at the fountain, speak to him. She is at Yamoora's Gambits in North End, speak with her again.Travel to the SandSea in East End & look for her on the 2nd fl. (she's sitting on the railing), speak to her again. Return to Southern Plaza and speak to Lovestruck Man, agree to help him, return to SandSea & tell viera about his feelings. Return to Southern Plaza at the fountain and speak to them.

Your reward is a Luxley Bow and a Hi-Potion. Not much but it's fun.

A more important side mission is the one about the sandstorm that prevents movement through the Dalmasca Easter and Westersand.

The Sand Storm

Find a creature (bangaa) named Rimzat at Rabanastre's West gate.
Check the Southern Plaza for a man called Cotze who is sitting a top the fountain.
Locate Northon in the North Sprawl of Lowtown.
(In the WESTERSAND) the Dynast-Cactoids are found in the secluded sec. of the Windtrace Dunes which is accessible from Shimmering Horizons. Inspect them to find the Wind Globe.
Return to the West gate and speak to Northon, Cotze and Rimzat then travel to the Wyrm's nest in the Dalmasca Westersand to face the Earth Tyrant.

This battle is actually pretty hard, make sure that when the battle starts you cast Decoy on the party leader then use Slow immediately, this makes the battle easy and it helps to be at a high level. Using that strategy you shouldn't have much of a problem. Afterwards, the small section that connects the Westersand and Eastersand is available and you can travel through it. 

*Just as a small note, if you've yet to obtain the Time Magick Hastega, it can bought in the Eastersand at the South Bank Villiage, a merchant who is lounging on the beach sells it but beware, it is pretty expensive. *

It is possible to enter through the closed off parts of Lhusu Mines, speak to Monteblanc to do the mission  Antilion Infestation. This battle is easy if you're at a high level, if you're not then I wouldn't even think of doing it.

 A Dark Rumor  Hunt

This is a hunt posted by Montblanc himself, basically there's a giant bird that is creating sandstorms in the Nam-Yensa Sandsea but it's only a rumor, he wants you to investigate it, if you accept the hunt that is. 

What it is really, so you don't waste your time, is a trap to lure out the hunter-stalker, if you talked to the other clan members they will tell you that an unknown person is going around and is attacking hunters while they are on their hunts. 

Enter the Nam-Yensa Sandsea from the teleport crystal in the Ogir-Yensa Sandsea and make your way to the to the Zertinan Caverns, from there, take the path that will lead you to the Withering Shores of the Nam-Yensa Sandsea and if you cannot get through the Caverns without being killed or if you haven't explored the whole map of the place, then needless to say, don't attempt this mission. 

Once you are on top of the metal structure that is there, Ba'Gamnan the bangaa from Lhusu Mines (when visited with Larsa for inspection of the nethicite) appears and a scene rolls, a conversation between Ba'Gamnan and Baltheir. After the scene, the battle starts immediately. Ba'Gamnan has 2 other bangaa with him, one who only does physical attacks and the other only does magickal attacks. Dispatch them quickly so it only leaves Ba'Gamnan. He only does physical attacks and one magick. The battle is fast pace so use Slow on him. After that, you get a lot of gil as a reward and it ends what happened earlier with him in the mines, the confrontation is done. 

Another story-related mission is the Medallions of Nabudis, if you have explored the Nabreus Deadlands which is northwest of the Salikawood, you have seen an old man sitting on the edge of the cliff, talk to him if you haven't already. He tells you about a special item and how he sent his two apprentices to find this item.  Explore the Nabreus Deadlands, defeat the Cyrstal-bug which turns into a Teleport Crystal and even find the hidden area called The Fog Mutters which lead into the area called Overlooking Eternity, there is a small shrine there but don't worry about that now.

If you have done the Adding Insult to Injury hunt successfully than that's very good because even at a high level, that hunt is very hard. If you haven't done it yet, don't until you are at a high level. 

Now the 2 apprentices, Roh'Kenmou and Roh'Kemu are in different places. Roh'Kenmu is in Archades at the Magick Shop, speak to him to learn about the medallion. He is on the 2nd fl. of the shop but on the 1st fl. of the shop is a man and a woman, speak to them to learn about an Archades Gentry man who had fallen in love with a girl in Old Archades, which is a ghetto. Travel on foot to Old Archades and find the youg man, he eventually hands over the medallion with no problem, return that to Roh'Kenmu.

Now Roh'Kenmou is in Lowtown at Old Dalan's Place in Rabanastre. Go there and talk to Roh'Kenmou in which Old Dalan introduces you and asks you to assist in his mission to find the other missing medallion.  Agree to help. The medallion was broken into 4 peices, Roh'Kenmou already has one so you need to find the other 3. The first piece is in the Garamsythe Waterway, you can only do this if you have completed the Lost in the Pudding hunt.

If you have then proceed to the Central Waterway Control: open all gates so that the lights are off. Begin by closing gates # 11 and #4, then open gate # 11 and shut gate #3. Next open gate #4 then walk around to gate #3 and look on the ground to find a "shiny object".

The 2nd piece can only be obtained as a reward for completing the Crime and Punishment hunt which you can acquire from Montblanc.

The last piece you have to speak to several people in order to obtain. First find Filo in the southeast corner of the South Sprawl in Lowtown and speak to her. Go to the Southern Plaza and speak to the Curious Woman at the fountain. Then head to the Muthru Bazaar and speak to the "merchants", really it's a red Seeq. Visit Yugri's Magicks & speak to the Sotted Imperial by the door and tell him about the woman at the fountain. Go to Lowtown's North Sprawl and find Kytes, speak to him. Then find Filo at the location she was at before and ask to see the woman. Return to Yugri's Magicks and speak to the Sotted Imperial again, you obtain the 3rd piece from this ordeal.

Return all 3 pieces to Roh'Kenmou and if you are at a high level and want to, head over to the Nabreaus Deadlands where you saw the two's master. A scene occurs and he tells you about 3 legendary beasts trapped inside the Necrohol of Nabudis. You do NOT have to fight them after you learn about them, take all the time you want or need but for those who want to, I will tell you what happens.

There are 3 locked chambers inside Nabudis which in general is a pretty difficult area. You can take on the 3 beasts in any order but I think its better to take on the beasts' whose chambers are closer to the exit of the area than the one in the middle. 

Entering from the southwest of Salikawood you can flee all the way to the first chamber if you don't want to fight any of the monsters. Once you find the chamber, you will see a large door called the Door of Horrors, if you want to proceed, insert the Medallion of Bravery and enter. The boss here is a creature called the Humbaba Mistant, as soon as the battle starts, Dispel him and cast Slow, if you're high level then this particular battle is actually kinda easy. A good trick is to cast Scourge on him as it inflicts Sap. You gain nothing after defeating him though because he is only 1 out of 3.

Entering from the Nabreus Deadlands, travel to the 2nd chamber in which you will find the Door of Loathing, insert the Medallion of Love. The boss here is called Fury but is actually a purple dreamhare, it looks like a purple Evee from Pokemon but don't be distracted by its cuteness, it is vicious. Cast Dispel on it then Slow.  As the battle nears it ends and its life is low, it casts Beserk on itself, Dispel it every time it does that and use magick that causes a lot of damage to bring the battle to a swift end. A good trick is to cast Scourge on it as in inflicts Sap. 

Now the Chamber in the middle is the hardest battle to be fought here, thus the reason I say to do it last.  Once you get there and use the Medallion of Might to open the door you are faced with the Esper called Chaos. Chaos prohibits you from physical attacks, he is immune to them and items such as water mote, scathe mote, etc. You can only use magick. Dispel him, after you do that because he has cast Faith and Bravery on himself, he then casts, Shell and Protect so Dispel him as many times as you need to. 

He has 4 small elementals helping him, you can attack those. A good trick before entering this battle is to equip the entire part with Rose Corsage as it makes you immune from Silence, Chaos will cast Silence on you over and over again if you do not equip this accessory. However you cannot cast Silence on him, he's immune. The best way to take him out quickly is to first cast Scourge on him as it inflicts Sap. Then to either summon one of your Espers to the battle or use Quickenings. The longer the Quickening chain, the more damage dealt so aim to chain 10 or more Quickenings in a single setting to get the end move called Cataclysm. If you do that over and over, you are sure to win. Another good tip is to have a lot of Ethers or more preferably Hi-Ethers which are randomly found or handed out as rewards for successful hunts and to have a lot of X-Potions. And after you've defeated him, your MP will be completely used up so walk around the room until you have the first rank of the MP back for your party. Ethers are hard to find so I wouldn't waste them if I'm not in a dire battle. 

I defeated Chaos today but as fate would have it, died trying to get out of Nabudis, now I have to fight him again. It's soul shattering. And on a strange note, Chaos is rather fond of Ashe, without Ashe in the party, he slaughters everyone before I have time to even use a Quickening but once I put Ashe into the party, the battle rages on and on. Another good tip is to cast Bubble for a higher HP or have one character wear the Bubble Belt which for me is Ashe. Oh! and after defeating Humbaba and Fury, try to make it out alive and save your progress at the Salikawood and Nabreus Deadlands! It'll be a bitch to have to keep fighting the 3 bosses over and over again. 

end. I find Final Fantasy games are still fun to play even after you've defeated them.