          The Low-Level Natural Magic Game FAQ 2.4
                 By Alex Johnson (Zelgaddis)
                Contact: KSCallin(at)yahoo.com

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*** 1. Table of Contents ***
****************************
1. Table of Contents
2. Statement of Purpose and Special Thanks
3. Version History
4. What We Have, and What We Don't
-4.01 The Rules
5. The World of Balance
-5.01 Narshe
-5.02 Up to Vargas
-5.03 Vargas
-5.04 Up to the Scenarios
-5.05 The Scenarios
--5.05a Terra's Scenario
--5.05b Locke's Scenario
--5.05c Sabin's Scenario
-5.06 The Battle for the Esper
-5.07 Up to the Opera House
-5.08 The Opera House
-5.09 The Magitek Research Facility
--5.09a Ifrit and Shiva
--5.09b Number 024
--5.09c The Minecart and Number 128
--5.09d The Cranes
-5.10 Preparations for Thamasa
-5.11 To the Floating Continent
--5.11a The Banquet 'n' Stuff
--5.11b The FlameEater
--5.11c Ultros Again, Again
--5.11d Leo and Kefka
--5.11e The IAF
--5.11f Ultros and His Fan Club
--5.11g Air Force -OR- Had Enough Bosses Yet?
-5.12 The Floating Continent
--5.12a Atma Weapon
--5.12b The Escape
6. The World of Ruin
-6.01 Edgar, Sabin, Setzer, Cyan, and Gau
-6.02 More Character Retrieval
--6.02a Getting Terra
--6.02b Getting Locke and the Illumina
--6.02c Getting Relm and Offing Dirt Drgn
--6.02d Strago, Shadow, and Gogo
-6.03 Later World of Ruin Stuff
--6.03a Mog and Umaro
--6.03b The Fanatics' Tower
--6.03c The Ancient Castle
-6.04 Final Parts of the World of Ruin
--6.04a Storm Drgn
--6.04b Ebot's Rock
--6.04c Cyan's Dream
--6.04d Red Dragon
--6.04e Doom Gaze
-6.05 Kefka's Tower, For Real
--6.05a Gold Drgn
--6.05b Skull Drgn
--6.05c Atma
--6.05d Inferno
--6.05e Guardian
--6.05f Poltrgeist
--6.05g Doom
--6.05h Goddess
-6.06 The Final Battle
--6.06a First Tier
--6.06b Second Tier
--6.06c Third Tier
--6.06d Kefka
7. Epilogue
8. Legal Mumbo-Jumbo
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**************************************************
*** 2. Statement of Purpose and Special Thanks ***
**************************************************
Anyone can beat this game with a party at level 30+ spamming Ultima after
Ultima on their unsuspecting enemies.  We all know that already.  What this
guide sets out to do is to hopefully debunk the myth that beating this game is
anything other than preparation and smart equipment selection.

This guide assumes you've beaten the game a couple of times, and hopefully have
beaten at least one low-level game, and at least one natural magic game.  Some
of the strategies overlap, others are entirely different.  Most important of
all, improvisation is the key to beating some of the bosses (particularly Storm
Drgn) in this challenge.

All information within this guide is based exclusively on my own experiences
with the low-level natural magic game I completed the morning of Final Fantasy
III's tenth anniversary of its US release.

This guide stands on the shoulders of giants.  Before getting started, I'd like
to thank SharkESP, rjpageuk, and Crinkles for their low-level game FAQs that
got me through my first low-level game.  Many of the strategies in this guide
build off of theirs, or in some cases, follow their lead.  I tried to insert my
own techniques when I felt it appropriate, but for low-level boss-stomping,
neither of these guides can be beat.

I'd also like to thank assassin17 for constantly showing me the folley of my
ways by showing me how to beat a boss or section of the game with a lot more
elegance than I'm able to, MeepleLard for his fine Single Character Challenge
and Natural Magic Game FAQs, and Atom Edge, Terii Senshi, and Master ZED for
their Item Guide, Algorithms FAQ, and Monster Statistics Guide, respectively.
Some strategies contained within this FAQ are based on the information
contained within their amazingly detailed FAQs.

Thanks goes out to every member of the Final Fantasy 3 general board for their
amazingly positive responses to my posting LLNMG run after LLNMG run on the
boards until I finally got it right.

And of course, thanks to Jeff "CJayC" Veasey and all the GameFAQs masterminds,
without whom we gamers would be lost.

So let us raise a glass of Franzia high, and without any further ado, begin, in
my humble opinion, the Cadillac of Final Fantasy 3 challenges.

NOTE:  My method is by no means the best, or the only.  It is simply the one I
discovered worked best for me.  This, like all challenge walkthroughs, is
merely a collection of suggestions.  Please feel free to disregard any advice
this document gives, if you have a battle plan that you think is better or more
fun.  Hopefully, you're doing this because you enjoy Final Fantasy 3, so try
and have a good time every now and then.  And please, if you have a better
method of completing ANY part of this challenge, please E-mail me with it!!  I
will give you full credit for your contribution!!

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*** 3. Version History ***
**************************
Version 1.0 (8/13/04-10/27/04)
FAQ started 8/13/04, my 20th birthday.  FAQ completed 10/27/04.

Version 1.1 (10/27/04)
Assassin17 has graciously provided me with a number of pieces of information I
either forgot, left out, or simply didn't know about.  Most outstandingly, in
sections 5.06, 5.08, 6.04, advising the use of Wall Rings in the latter
battles of the Magitek Facility, and that Float doesn't carry over into the
battle with the Cranes.  He also did a little bit of spellchecking.  Thanks,
assassin17!

Version 1.2 (10/28/04)
A few minor changes for the sake of formatting, grammar, and accuracy.

Version 1.3 (10/28/04)
Special thanks goes out to MeepleLard for the brand-spanking-new strategy for
the final battle (particularly the Second Tier, which always seems to be the
biggest nuisance), as well as assassin17, who also provided me with a strategy
for making the First Tier battle easier.

Version 1.4 (11/1/04)
Expanded the Owzer's House section of the FAQ to actually include strategies
for the Dahling, Still Life, and Chadarnook.  This update also includes a much
more polished strategy for the Number 024 battle.  Special thanks to assassin17
for all the input!

Version 1.5 (11/4/04)
New alternate boss strategies for Hidon and Dirt Drgn, both of which make the
battles much, much easier.

Version 1.5.1 (11/9/04)
Minor tweaks.  Accidentally named Dullahan "Dadaluma," so that's fixed.  Thanks
to DTaeKim for catching this.

Version 1.5.2 (11/15/04)
More minor stuff.  A nice E-mail from Djibriel addressed an error I had
concerning the Colosseum, and corrected the item stolen from Hidon.

Version 1.6 (12/21/04)
Corrections made within the guide.  Some formatting/grammar issues addressed.

Version 1.6.1 (1/3/05)
Minor corrections.  Beginning to get organized for a possible version 2.0.

Version 2.0 (3/18/05)
Significant formatting overhaul and several improved strategies thanks to
Djibriel.

Version 2.1 (3/19/05)
Djibriel corrected me as to the location of the Io enemy.

Version 2.2 (3/23/05)
Updated the Three Dream Stooges boss battle strategy slightly.

Version 2.3 (7/30/05)
Added a possible strategy for Dadaluma

Version 2.4 (2/13/07)
Much improved FlameEater strategy thanks to Novalia_Spirit

******************************************
*** 4. What We Have, and What We Don't ***
******************************************
Before getting started, let's outline some of the rules of our challenge.

In order to preserve the sanctity of our Low-Level Natural Magic Game, we
must never gain experience unless we have to.  Them's the rules.  Furthermore,
we must never use magic that is not earned in the (very few) levels we are
allowed.  If done right, Terra will never learn more than Fire, Cure, and
Antdot.  Celes will never learn more than Ice, Cure, and possibly Antdot.

Fortunately for you Strago fans, his magic falls nicely under the category of
"Natural Magic," but getting many of his Lores may be subject to the
capriciousness of the Veldt, so those doing this challenge on emulator may opt
to use the Veldt Monster Finder (ask for it on the board) to make finding the
monsters with the desired Lore easier.

I, however, defer to assassin17's Lores Acquisition Guide as to how to get
them.  Simply put, his guide outlines the process of getting Lores far better
than I could.

Here are a few things we have on our side:
-Preparation.
-The Veldt in the World of Balance.  This is where we will get all of our money
 for a very long time.
-Cactrots in the World of Ruin.  A couple fights with these guys will make you
 forget all that time spent on the Veldt.  Almost.
-M.Block% raising equipment.  We no longer have the ability to beat certain
 enemies in a straight-up fight (Goddess, the Third Tier, and Kefka, for
 example), so we need to capitalize on our defensive advantage with White Capes
 (or Zephyr Capes, if you're using a patch that fixes M.Block% being used for
 both physical and magical attacks).
-Time.  Enemies have a limited supply of MP, and if you're doing this
 challenge, you, like myself, have too much time on your hands.  We will only
 be able to use Rasp via Rage, and therefore cannot rely on it, but with the
 proper equipment, we don't need it.

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*** 4.01 The Rules ***
**********************
-Run from every single random battle that will earn you experience.  Don't use
 a Game Genie for 0 experience after battle.  We wouldn't want you reaping any
 sort of reward you might receive from winning a battle.
-No using Rods or Shields as items, unless you found it in a treasure chest.
-No save states during battle.
-Obviously, no Vanish-Doom.
-No Game Genie/PAR/hacking of any kind.
-No glitch exploitation (Sketch glitch, especially).
-Do not equip anything that will teach you a spell.  This includes Espers,
 elemental shields, Force Shld, Paladin Shld, Imp equipment (Imp Armor,
 Tortoise Shld, Titanium), and the Cursed Ring.
-No Merit Award.
-Battle Speed must remain at its default.

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*** 5. The World of Balance ***
*******************************
Ladies and gentlemen, fire up your SNESes/emulators now!

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*** 5.01 Narshe ***
*******************
*Remember to encounter a Vaporite here*
The game begins as it always does, with Terra (level 3) and her two captors,
Vicks and Wedge, assaulting the town of Narshe.  Put her in the back row and
have her kill herself off with Fire.

You can opt to accumulate GP in the cave with Vicks and Wedge, but I don't
think it's that important.  don't bother ressurecting Terra for the battle with
Whelk; it's hardly necessary.

When Terra comes to, name her, and send her off, back into the caves with a
slap on the butt and a kind word.  After the scene, Locke (level 5), the game's
ever-present Potion monkey will make his first appearance.

Fight the Marshal's friends with your no-name group of Moogles (the group
without Mog or Locke), and when you have your opportunity, switch to Mog's
group, relieve Mog of his equipment, put him in the back row, and end things
with Marshal.

*************************
*** 5.02 Up to Vargas ***
*************************
*Remember to encounter an Areneid before straying too far from the castle*

If you haven't already, put Locke in the back row and ease on down to Figaro
Castle, where the brewskis are cold and the sand is hot.  Now put Terra and
Locke back into the front row.  Here you'll pick up Edgar (level 6) and he'll
try to pick up Terra (still level 3).  Make sure you get a Noiseblaster here.
It'll be handy for a good, long while.  Oh, and equip the Mithril Shld on
Edgar.

In the 2 M-Tek fight, use Edgar's Noiseblaster right off the bat and use Fire
on one M-Tek at a time.  Have Locke steal every turn, and have Edgar always
ready to use the Noiseblaster again on his turn, and let 'er rip if one of the
M-Teks turns back around.  This should be cake.

Once you dismount the chocobo, put everyone back into the back row.  Run from
every fight and don't touch any of the chests in the cave.  In South Figaro,
be sure to pick up all the random items from crates and barrels.  Upgrade
everyone's armor, but don't bother getting anyone new weapons.  Take this
opportunity to get Sprint Shoes and a Star Pendant to save Terra some MP.  Get
the Runningshoes and put them on Edgar.  The Hyper Wrist should go on Locke.
A lot of people give Locke the Runningshoes, but he's fast enough for our
purposes.  Edgar is the meat and spuds of this party, anyway.  Get the chests
in the area with the stopped clock, talk to Shadow, and leave.  Oh, and don't
bother using the Inn here.  Buy Tonics if you think you'll need them.

If you need the healing, take this opportunity to visit Sabin's old digs before
heading off to Mt. Kolts.  Keep the Star Pendant on someone at all times, and
should anyone else gets Poisoned, swap the Star Pendent onto them.  No muss, no
fuss.  Make sure you get the Atlas Armlet (to be put on Edgar) and the Guardian
knife.

*******************
*** 5.03 Vargas ***
*******************
If you heeded my advice, everyone should be in the back row already, which will
take care of physicals, but Gale Wind will still require that Terra use a full-
party Cure.

Locke should be a full-time utility man.  If anyone loses 50 or more HP, have
him use a Tonic.  If he ever gets a free moment after the Ipoohs are dead, have
him use an attack, but otherwise simply bypass his turn until he's needed.
Terra should single-target her Fire spell.  The idea here is to minimize the
number of enemies hitting your team.  Using a single-target Fire spell should
drop an Ipooh one or two rounds faster than multi-targetting the spell.  Try to
conserve 12 MP for Cure spells.

Edgar should use the Autocrossbow every single turn unless he desparately needs
to heal himself.

When Sabin (level 6) shows up, don't even hesitate.  Pummel Vargas and end the
fight.

********************************
*** 5.04 Up to the Scenarios ***
********************************
Now you get Bannon (level 2).  This guy's in a bad way if you go up against
Ultros, so save yourself the headache and enter a battle outside the Returners'
Hideout, but put him in the back row, first.  Fight some relatively harmless
enemies (Greasemonks fit the bill), kill all but one, and then have your party
beat each other to death.  Have Bannon finish the fight by himself, and level
up.  Continue this until he's level 5 or, preferably, level 6.  At level 5 he
still risks being killed if caught unawares by a Tentacle.  Now may be a good
time to make a secondary save, in case you come to the horrifying realization
halfway through the Lete River that Bannon is still too weak and it's too late
to do anything about it.

Swap the Runningshoes over to Sabin for the Lete River, the Hyper Wrist to
Edgar, and glean what you can from the Hideout.  The White Cape is a nice
aquisition, and an immediate equipment mainstay for it's 10 M.Block%.  If
you're playing a patched ROM with the M.Block% glitch fixed, you'll have to
wait a little longer before you can get defensive equipment this good.  Equip
it on whomever you'd like.  I recommend Terra, because it accentuates her
enviable natural M.Block% and she needs the extra defense the most.

When you get to Ultros, things start getting messy.  Bannon should Heal every
single round, and Terra is probably best served by defending until Ultros comes
onto her with his "Delicious morsel!" line, and strikes her with an aimed
Tentacle. After this, she's probably safe throwing Fire spells, although she
probably will eventually be killed; don't bother reviving her.  Sabin should
Aura Bolt and Edgar should use his Autocrossbow.  Bear in mind that a full-
party Tentacle followed by an aimed one is fatal to any member of your party.
Eventually, though, things will work out.

**************************
*** 5.05 The Scenarios ***
**************************
Take a minute to decide which scenario you'll be doing after Terra's, which
should always be first.  If you opt for Locke's after that, Gau has access to
the Primordite Rage immediately, which will make your fight with Dadaluma a
cinch.  If you do Sabin's first, you'll be able to equip Locke and Celes with
Green Berets for their fight with TunnelArmr.  Also keep in mind that you won't
be able to strip Locke and Celes of their equipment after their boss fight,
so you may want to reconsider giving them some of your more valuble Relics and
your Mithril Shld if you do their scenario first.

******************************
*** 5.05a Terra's Scenario ***
******************************
*Make sure to intentionally mess the checkpoint scene up once so you can
encounter a Lich*

Do this one first just to get it done with.  Make sure to get the Rune Edge.
It sucks, but it sells for a good price.

Once you're inside Arvis' house, strip everyone totally naked, and imagine the
hot Edgar-on-Terra action that's taking place while you're doing the next
scenario.  Little spoiler for you: Bannon likes to watch.

******************************
*** 5.05b Locke's Scenario ***
******************************
*Remember to encounter a Primordite during this scenario!*

Obviously, continue as per usual, and remember to put Celes (level 5) in the
back row.

Make sure you get the Ribbon and anything else you might not have gotten (or
been able to get) your first time through South Figaro.  Now might be a good
time to pick up a few Tonics for the upcoming boss fight.  It can be a doozy if
you're unprepared.  Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to make the money
up later.

Now would be a good time to pick up all the chests you left the first time you
went through the cave.  The Thunder Rod will be an invaluble asset later on, so
don't use it now.

If you feel that you can beat TunnelArmr without too much trouble, replace the
Mithril Shld with a weaker one, and de-equip any Relics, like Earrings, that
you won't need.  RunningShoes might be important for Celes to always have Runic
up in time, but whether or not you feel you need it is up to you.

The battle with TunnelArmr isn't really too much different from a standard
game, but it is important that you play conservatively.  Drill hurts to the
tune of 50 HP in the back row, so make sure both Locke and Celes can survive
it.  Other than that, have Celes keep a Runic up, and have Locke attack and
heal as needed.

******************************
*** 5.05c Sabin's Scenario ***
******************************
*Remember to encounter Stray Cat, Bomb, Hazer, Aspik, and Over-Mind during this
scenario*

Once in control of Sabin, equip him with the best stuff you have.  Give him the
Earrings and RunningShoes.  Recruit Shadow, and purchase about 40 Shurikens and
two or three Invis Edges.  In the first random battle with Shadow, have him use
an Invis Edge, and then run as usual.

If you want the Star Pendant in the first chest, remember to choose "hit it."
Equip the Ribbon (if you have it) on Sabin and fight the Telstar, just Aura
Bolt and Shuriken it to death.  Exit the tent the Telstar was in and go around
behind it to pick up the Barrier Ring, and don't forget to pick up the
MithrilGlove that's next to the Telstar chest, and DON'T sell it.

Once you're in control of Cyan (level 7), outfit him with the Atlas Armlet and
another Relic of your choice, and put him in the back row.  You might consider
the RunningShoes if you didn't put them on Sabin.  You shouldn't have any
trouble putting the Commander down with constant Dispatches.  If you do, just
use a Potion and keep pounding him.  If you don't get a Black Belt, reset until
you do.  Even if you don't ever use it, it's still worth some money.

Once in the Phantom Train, remember that you can run from the ghost blocking
the door.  Also, the monster-in-a-box can be killed with a Fenix Down, so try
that if it's giving you trouble.  No sense being honorable in the Phantom Train
boss fight, either; just use a Fenix Down.

If Shadow is still in your party, strip him and give Sabin his Ninja Gear.

There is very little strategy that can be employed against Rizopas considering
your characters.  Sabin should Aura Bolt and Cyan should Dispatch.  If he hits
either character with Ice 2, bring him back to life.  If he uses El Nino,
you're done for.  Same with a full-party Ice 2.

Once you get Gau (level 7), equip him and get the following Rages:
Hazer, Marshal, Primordite, Stray Cat, Rhodox, Templar, Bomb, Vaporite, and
Over-Mind.

Fight as many Telstars as you can on the Veldt.  Every one you kill banks you a
Green Beret.  If you're itching to move on, try to get at least three Green
Berets.  You can get another one in the Serpent Trench.  If you're not in a
hurry, I recommend spending as long as it takes to get about 40,000 GP.  If you
don't have at least 15 Potions for the upcoming trek through the Serpent Trench
and subsequent boss fight, go buy them in Mobliz.  Also, make sure you have at
least three White Capes.  Don't by any more Potions or Fenix Downs than you
think you'll need, because you'll be able to buy them a lot cheaper in a few
minutes.

In the Serpent Trench, go right at every fork so you can get the treasures.

*************************************
*** 5.06 The Battle for the Esper ***
*************************************
Strip everyone you don't plan on using for the Narshe battle, and equip your
party of four.  I recommend Gau, Celes, Sabin, and Cyan.  If you have the
Primordite or Areneid Rage, refer to the strategy at the very bottom of this
section.

When the battle starts, move down as quickly as possible to below the halfway
mark on the map, to an island of land that looks roughly like an upside-down
triangle.  Move to the middle of it and wait for the green soldiers to pass by.
As the last one moves away, book it to the lower left corner and hide in the
nook in the wall.  Once a brown soldier passes by, move to Kefka, dodge the
soldier running back and forth, and go in for the kill.

Equip Sabin with two Earrings, have Celes Runic, and have everyone but Gau in
the back row, Raging Stray Cat with the Atlas Armlet and a White Cape equipped.
It stacks nicely with his naturally high M.Block%.

A successful Catscratch attack with Gau will deal 4x normal damage, and with
Sabin using Aura Bolt and Cyan using Dispatch, and Celes Runicking every one of
Kefka's spells, you should have a perfect balance of offense and defense.  Cyan
should be your healer if anyone needs it, as you'll miss his damage the least,
and Celes' Runic is too important to let drop for her to heal.  Vaporite is
another good choice for Gau's Rage, if you decide you want Celes to do
something other than Runic, so at least one party member will be protected from
Kefka's Ice and Poison attacks.

If you didn't bring Celes, it might be wise to designate a full-time healer.
Ice 2 is more than enough to wipe out a single party member, and is probably
capable of obliterating your whole party (except Gau, if he's Raging something
like Vaporite).  Other than that, the all-out offensive strategy remains.

Against Kefka, if you have the Primordite or Areneid Rages, use them instead of
Stray Cat.  Once Numblade or Numb (depending on which Rage you use) hits, Celes
can stop Runicking and get in on the action.  Alternately, if you opt for this
strategy, you might consider replacing Celes with Edgar to speed the battle up.
*Special thanks to assassin17 for bringing this to my attention!*

**********************************
*** 5.07 Up to the Opera House ***
**********************************
*Remember to encounter a Mind Candy before completing the Opera House*

In Narshe, loot the house with all the treasure chests.  The Wall Ring is going
to be an asset in Zozo.

Now is also a good time to purchase a Magus Hat.  The +5 to Magic Power makes
it occasionally more valuble than the Green Beret or Bard's Hat (for it's 10
M.Block%, since we probably won't be using the 12.5% MP bonus it bestows).
I suggest a party of Edgar, Sabin, Gau, and either Celes for her ability to
Runic and cure the party, or Cyan for Dispatch.

Put Edgar in the front of the party, and have him purchase himself a Bio
Blaster, Flash, Drill, at LEAST 75 Fenix Downs and 75 Potions at Figaro
Castle.  More is better, as you will NEVER have any other means of resurrecting
dead party members.

Pay a quick visit to the house to the north of Kohlinghen and get the Hero Ring
hidden in a pot.  Now go to Jidoor and get some Ninja Gears, a White Dress, and
enough Mithril Vests to outfit the rest of your team, though the Vests aren't
terribly necessary.

Go to Zozo long enough to encounter a HadesGigas and possibly a SlamDancer, if
you want to be able to use Ice 2, then turn around and go back to Jidoor.  If
you decide to encounter the Slam Dancer, make sure to equip a Wall Ring.  Take
a chocobo back to Figaro Castle, go back to the other side of the mountain
range, and then go back to the Veldt.

On the Veldt, have Gau Leap on the following enemies:
Aspik (!), HadesGigas, Anguiform, and SlamDancer (if you bothered to encounter
one), and Primordite (if you did Sabin's Scenario before Locke's).

Now, go back the way you came, and enter Zozo.  Get the Chain Saw.

Get to Dadaluma, but before you fight him, check your equipment.  Give Gau the
Runningshoes, Sabin should have two Earrings, Edgar should have the Atlas
Armlet, and Celes should have a Hero Ring.  If you brought Cyan instead, give
him the Atlas Armlet, and Edgar the Hero Ring to augment Flash if Dadaluma
calls his goons.

The second Gau gets a turn, have him Rage Primordite.  With any luck, his first
attack will be Numblade, which will inflict the Stop status on Dadaluma.  Now
pound him into a fine mist with everyone's best attacks.  If Gau doesn't manage
to get a Numblade off in his first couple turns, have Celes Runic, so
Dadaluma's Safe spell doesn't work.

If you are having trouble with Dadaluma (he can be hard if you never get a
Numblade off and he keeps using Jump), consider using Edgar's Noiseblaster on
formations of Gabbledegaks.  When they have Muddle status, they will cast
Vanish on members of your party.  Note that it can be very hard getting them to
Vanish your entire party, so if you can get 2 key members or so, that's still
very good, because it will neutralize his ability to damage them for the most
part.  The only thing to watch out for with this strategy is Shockwave, which
is guaranteed to hit characters with Vanish status.  As long as you're able to
use the time Vanish buys you to either kill Dadaluma before he uses it or
inflict Stop via Numblade, you're fine.  Otherwise, Shockwave will certainly
be a very lethal problem.
*special thanks to Jonathan Leung for E-mailing me this strategy that he used
on his latest challenge playthrough!*

Congratulations on getting your first Espers.  You'll never equip them, but
they sure are purdy to look at.

Now choose two people you'd like to take to the Opera House.  I suggest Gau and
Edgar.

****************************
*** 5.08 The Opera House ***
****************************
For many of you, this is probably the first big headache of the challenge.
First of all, equip Locke with the Sprint Shoes and a White Cape.  He's only
level 5 and he doesn't have any outstanding equipment or abilities, so he's not
good for much else other than increasing your movement speed with the Sprint
Shoes anyway.

Edgar should wear a White Cape and an Atlas Armlet.  Chain Saw or Drill will be
sufficiently damaging.

Gau should again have the Runningshoes, but this time he won't need the White
Cape, as the Primordite Rage is immune to Imp status, so consider the Atlas
Armlet as a second Relic.

To minimize levels, it's important that you avoid every single group of rats.
Emulator users, you'll have a much easier time of this.  Console users... good
luck.  If you end up getting into a fight with a set of rats, simply wait for
the timer to run out, then save once you're outside the Opera House.  This
will reset the sequence without you having to watch the opera scene again.

Once you get to Ultros, quickly switch Locke's Sprint Shoes to a more useful
Relic (RunningShoes might be a good idea, as Locke's job is to use Potions).

Against Ultros, have Gau use the Primordite Rage, Edgar should use Drill/Chain
Saw, and Locke defend until he needs to use a Potion on someone.  If Gau hits
Ultros with a Numblade attack, bring Locke out and unleash the level 5 beast
on Ultros.  With any luck, this fight should be over before Ultros can do any
significant damage at all.

Alternately, you are probably just as well off with Gau Raging Aspik with an
Earring equipped.  You'll have an extra attacker, which should compensate for
Ultros not being Stopped.  Either way, this battle is a cinch.
*Special thanks to Mnrogar for first suggesting this strategy, and assassin17
for reminding me of it*

Before continuing any further, buy enough Wall Rings for your entire party in
Albrook.

****************************************
***5.09 The Magitek Research Facility***
****************************************
*Remember to encounter a Pipsqueak before you leave!*

This should be business as usual.  Remember to pick up the Blizzard and Zephyr
Cape hidden away in a tunnel between two crates on the east side of the map, as
well as all the Gold equipment.  Emulator users who don't know where these are
can look around with BG layer 2 off to find it easier.

*****************************
*** 5.09a Ifrit and Shiva ***
*****************************
Your first boss fight will be against Ifrit and Shiva, and will require a
little bit of luck to pull off, because if Ifrit uses a full-party Blaze
attack, you're screwed, since Celes can't Runic it.  Celes should wear
RunningShoes for this fight, and you might consider putting a pair on Locke,
too.  He will be your utility man.

Make sure Celes has Runic up the first chance you get, and always have her
ready to Runic again immediately after she catches a spell.  Edgar should use
Chain Saw/Drill with Atlas Armlet.

Have Gau Rage Bomb.  This will make him immune to Ifrit's Blaze attacks, and
give him one of his own to use on Shiva.  Celes won't be able to Runic Shiva's
Blizzard attack, so make sure Locke is ready to use a Potion on Gau if she uses
it.

************************
*** 5.09b Number 024 ***
************************
Against Number 024, WallChange will really, really suck, but you can't really
do anything about it.  Hit him with everything you have when the battle begins.
I recommend Gau Raging HadesGigas or Stray Cat and Locke possibly trying to
Steal and equip the Drainer when he's hurt, and using any other weapon when
he's not.  Celes can use Ice until the first WallChange, and Edgar can use
Chain Saw/Drill, and have Celes Runic to protect the rest of the party once
Ice is no longer a viable attack.  You might consider giving Edgar and Gau the
Atlas Armlet and Hero Ring, respectively, for this battle.  Make sure Celes has
Runningshoes so she's always got the initiative on Number 024.

Eventually, Number 024 will start using Ice Rabbit to heal itself.  This could
suck.  Once Number 024 WallChanges himself invincible to HadesGigas, kill Gau
off immediately, and bring him back to life, put him in the front row, and
have him use Stray Cat this time.  It might provide Edgar with the oomph he
needs to whittle away the last of Number 024's HP.
*Special thanks to assassin17 for reminding me that it's impossible to Bserk
Number 024*

Conversely, you might consider using Mind Candy with a party full of
RunningShoes-wearing characters (except for Gau, who needs to be as slow as
Possible, so as not to wake it from Sleep status with a stray physical attack)
and fighting it out with magic-based attacks.  Celes can use Ice, Edgar can use
Flash, and Locke can resurrect Gau/try to Steal.
*Thanks to assassin17 for the revised strategy against Number 024*

Get the Break Blade before going into the Esper room.  It could come in handy
on the Floating Continent.

Now get more Magicite that you can't use, and then take a trip on the Mine
Cart.

*****************************************
*** 5.09c The Minecart and Number 128 ***
*****************************************
I recommend giving Locke and Edgar RunningShoes and a Wall Ring, as they will
both be there strictly to use Potions and therefore need to be as fast and as
well-defended as possible.  Give Gau a Hero Ring and an Earring.

To make sure Edgar doesn't level up, kill him off and keep him dead for
the first three fights.  In the fourth fight, Fenix Down Edgar and kill Locke
off, and in the fifth, bring Locke back to life, heal up fully, and get ready.
Use the Templar Rage against the Mag Roaders, since its Safe status will
minimize Potion consumption.

Against Number 128, Gau should use Aspik for its Giga Volt spell.  At no point
should Locke or Edgar ever do anything but heal.  Net is probably the biggest
threat to your survival in this battle, since nothing can be done to protect
against it.  If a character is Stopped, particularly if it's Locke or Edgar,
make sure they aren't killed.  Resurrecting a character with only one item-user
is a very difficult task in this fight.

************************
*** 5.09d The Cranes ***
************************
The Cranes pose a very real challenge for a low-level party, but the Air Force
boss later on is an even greater one, so I suggest not using your Thunder Rod
in this fight.

Keep Gau's Earring and Hero Ring on for the upcoming fight, and give Edgar an
Atlas Armlet/Hero Ring.  M.Block doesn't protect from being hit from behind, so
White Capes aren't as useful here.  Locke should wear RunningShoes and a Wall
Ring, since his longevity is essential to being a good utility man in this
fight.  If you don't mind the power sacrifice, consider taking off an Earring
from Gau and give he and Edgar Wall Rings, if you find that the Cranes' spells
are hurting you too badly.  Conversely, take them off if you find that they're
building each other up too quickly when your party has Rflect status.

Have Gau use the Anguiform Rage, Edgar use Chain Saw on the Crane Gau Aqua
Rakes, and if you have the timing down, have Setzer use Slot anytime someone
doesn't need a Potion.  If you don't feel like you have the timing on Slot
down, have him just Fight instead, preferably targetting the most damaged
Crane.  It is important to try and take one down early, so they can't build
each other up with spells.
*Special thanks to assassin17 for the strategy, and showing me that while
HadesGigas' Magnitude 8 hits both sides of a pincer against him, it does not do
the same for Gau*

*************************************
*** 5.10 Preparations for Thamasa ***
*************************************
*Remember to encounter a Chickenlip before going on to the next section, and
be sure to encounter a Coelecite in the Sealed Cave*

Now that you have the Airship, there are a few options now open to you.  If
you're feeling lucky, you might take this opportunity to steal a few Gaia Gears
from Baskervors near Thamasa.  Equipping Locke with a Sneak Ring will make this
process much, much less painful.  Truthfully, the odds of a successful Steal
are still pretty slim.  If you feel you can tough it out for a bit and just
buy it later, that's fine.

Now go to the Veldt, and Leap a Chickenlip and a Pipsqueak.  These Rages will
be used later.  Fight several battles on the Veldt with Terra in your party.
She needs the Magic Points for her Morph ability.

When you're done, Leap Gau off one last time, so his levels will not factor in
when you get Strago and Relm later.

Now go back to Narshe, and when given the choice of saving Mog and taking the
Gold Hairpin, take the Hairpin, and continue with the story.  You might
consider getting a Flail for Terra in the upcoming fight with FlameEater, but
this is not a big priority.  If you don't mind doing half damage from the back
row with the Break Blade, that is fine.

If you have the money, go to Figaro Castle with Edgar in front and try to get
99 Potions and Fenix Downs, and you will need to buy more before the end of
the game.

Now go about your business in the Esper Cave.  There's really nothing worth
noting, except that you'll never have any use for the Atma Weapon you find
here.

**************************************
*** 5.11 To the Floating Continent ***
**************************************

***********************************
*** 5.11a The Banquet 'n' Stuff ***
***********************************
Here's where the fun begins.  When you arrive at Vector, equip a party member
with the Sprint Shoes and talk to all the soldiers as usual.  Don't kill any
of them if they fight you; they give experience.  Make sure to get the Back
Guard at some point, as it's very useful (especially in a console challenge)
in preventing those damn pincer attacks.  If you don't feel you'll need it,
sell it off.

Don't fight the Sp Forces during the break.  You'll never need their Rage and
they give experience.

When you leave, outfit Terra and Locke and move along to Crescent Island,
stopping only to loot basement of the Imperial Base.

****************************
*** 5.11b The FlameEater ***
****************************
Here's yet another chance to try and steal Gaia Gears.  If you have an Invis
Edge, using one on Shadow might help you get one, since one-third of the time,
the Baskervors will try to hit him.  Other than that, don't bother equipping
Shadow.

When you get to Thamasa, buy an Ice Rod, a Mystery Veil for Terra, and Gaia
Gears for the party (if you didn't steal enough before).  We will not be
breaking the Ice Rod we buy, of course, but it may come in handy all the same.

When you get Strago (level 8), equip him with the Ice Rod, Gaia Gear, Green
Beret, and Mithril Shld.  His Relics should be a Wall Ring and the Gold
Hairpin.  Put him in the back row and don't give him Earrings.  We don't want
him to be too powerful.  More on this later.

Locke should have the Blizzard equipped and an Atlas Armlet and Wall Ring.

Equip Terra with the Break Blade/Flail, Magus Hat, White Dress, Gold Shld, and
two Earrings.

When the fight starts, have Strago cast Aqua Rake on the FlameEater and his
Balloon minons.  Ideally, this will not kill any of them.  Now have Locke and
Strago pick each of them off with Fight, until there's only one left, and then
redirect their attention to fighting the FlameEater.  Repeat this every time
the Balloon dies or uses Exploder.

In the initial part of this fight, Terra should concern herself mostly with
staying alive, since she doesn't have a Wall Ring, though she can take pot-
shots with her Break Blade/Flail if she wants.  Once Locke and Strago have
managed to knock off about 4000 HP from the FlameEater, have Terra equip an
elemental sword, Morph, and break the Ice Rod (single-target it by hitting
right to target a Balloon, then select the FlameEater).  If all goes well, this
should be all she wrote.  If not, and Terra should switch back to her original
weapon and continue pounding it.

Ideally, all three party members should survive this battle to spread the
experience from the Balloons around.

If you're having trouble with this strategy, Novalia_Spirit submitted this
awesome strategy which makes clever use of the Stone spell Strago knows
naturally:
"Terra: Blizzard, Gold Shld, Mystery Veil, Gaia Gear, Wall Ring, RunningShoes.
Locke: ThiefKnife (+10 MBlock%), Mithril Shld, Bard's Hat, Gaia Gear, Wall
Ring, RunningShoes.
Strago: Ice Rod x2, Bard's Hat, Gaia Gear, Genji Glove, Wall Ring.

Things to note:

- FlameEater never casts Fireball while under Reflect.
- FlameEater casts Rflect and Safe after every 6 times you attack it, if it
doesn't have Reflect already.
- FlameEater has 480 MP in total.
- FlameEater counterattacks 1/3 times with Fire 2, which consumes 20 MP.
- When FlameEater makes a particular enemy reappear, it actually "resurrects"
it. Therefore, it saves from gaining experience from those you previously
killed.
- Wait in a sub-menu (e.g., Magic) while a party member is active; it may
somewhat save you from annihilation.

I started the battle by using full-party Stone to Muddle the Balloons, for
various reasons. Next, I kept targeting FlameEater with Fight command so it
casts Reflect ASAP and maybe counterattacks. When a Balloon turned around or
Bomblet was used, I used full-party Stone again; when Strago ran out of MP, I
immediately used a Tincture.

At some point, FlameEater ran out of MP, so it couldn't hurt me anymore (i.e.,
it couldn't reflect its spells onto my party). Then, I disposed of it (note
that I didn't break Ice Rods) once some Balloons had been resurrected.

Hope this helps."

Oh, and don't forget to grab the Memento Ring on the second floor of Strago's
house.

*********************************
*** 5.11c Ultros Again, Again ***
*********************************
For the Ultros battle, equip Strago with the Hero Ring, MithrilGlove, and the
Fire Rod, Terra with the ThunderBlade, an Earring and a Wall Ring, and Locke
with the Flame Sabre, Atlas Armlet, and a Relic of your choice.  I suggest the
White Cape, as Ultros' Stone attack doesn't have a very good hit rate, so the
extra 10 M.Block% will help, and the extra +5 M. Defense couldn't hurt.

If, for some reason, you sold the MithrilGlove, shame on you!  Have Locke
Defend, so he will survive Ultros' Tentacle attack, and can help Strago heal
the party.

This battle should be played conservatively.  Terra should use Fire every turn,
Locke should fight whenever someone doesn't need healing, and Strago should do
the same.  Heal Strago whenever he suffers any damage at all, and heal the
other two as needed.

The MithrilGlove is there to protect Strago after he gets hit with the first
Tentacle attack, so before that, it is very important that you keep Strago's HP
high as that aging hippy got back in his youth, before venturing out with
Gungho for munchies and running into Hidon.  But that's another story entirely.

When Ultros glows red, you're almost home.  Terra's Fire spells now result in
Ultros reflecting a Fire 3 spell off of her and hitting himself.  Tentacles
aren't as big a worry now (in fact, I'm not sure if he uses them at all in this
phase.  Can someone confirm this?), and the battle should break down into a
steady rhythm of attacking and healing.  When Relm (level 6) drops in, do your
best to protect the little squirt while she tries to get a Sketch attack off.

***************************
*** 5.11d Leo and Kefka ***
***************************
This hardly deserves its own section, but keep in mind that there since your
levels are so low, Leo might need a Potion to win this battle, so if you don't
want to see that scene again, play it safe.

*********************
*** 5.11e The IAF ***
*********************
Here is a list of important items:
Relics: 4 Wall Rings, 1 DragoonBoots (either store-bought or from a chest in
the Magitek Facility.  THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF EQUIPMENT)
Armor: 4 Gaia Gears, 4 Bard's Hats (the Bard's Hats are the least important
pieces of equipment; spend your money on these last)
Weapons: 2 Thunder Rods (1 from the chest in Figaro Cave, 1 store-bought)
Items: 99 Potions, 99 Fenix Downs, 10 Remedies, 40 Shurikens, 10 Shadow Edges
(Shadow Edges take priority over the Shurikens)

For many of you--nay--almost all of you, this will probably the first part of
the game that you throw your controller down in frustration and stare blankly
at the Game Over screen with bloodshot, tear-streaked eyes.  And then drinking.
Oh God, the drinking.

For this, you will need Gau, so take a 3-man party to the Veldt and get him
back.

I recommend a party of Terra, Strago, and Gau, all of whom should be equipped
with Gaia Gear.  Terra should have a ThunderBlade and a Mystery Veil, while
Strago should have a Thunder Rod equipped.  For Relics, Gau should have an
Earring and RunningShoes, Strago should have two Earrings, and Terra should
have an Earring and Hero Ring.

In a standard low level game, we would be able to use the Siren Esper to
prevent Absolute 0 from killing the party outright.  Now, all we have on our
side is luck and firepower.

Every battle should begin with either Strago using Aqua Rake on the Spit Fire
(the one who uses Absolute 0; he will always be on the left-hand side of the
screen), or Gau Raging Aspik.  Pray one of these does the job, and mop up the
rest with physical attacks from Strago and Terra's Fire.

Try to keep everyone alive for the end of every fight, to spread the experience
out.  If you're die-hard about getting the lowest levels possible, you need to
have 6 fights with only two foes.  Good luck with that.

*************************************
*** 5.11f Ultros and His Fan Club ***
*************************************
Say hello to why everyone's wearing Gaia Gear: Chickenlip

When Gau Rages Chickenlip, two things happen:
1. All non-earth-based, ground-bound enemies suffer terribly.
2. All allies wearing Gaia Gears are healed completely.

Sounds good, doesn't it?  But wait, there's more!  Chupon, despite his sprite,
doesn't have Float status!  Know what this means?  Quake hurts him too, that's
what.

When Ultros kicks the bucket, have Terra swap to the Blizzard, and Strago to
the Ice Rod, and pound as usual.  If you find that Chupon's Fire Ball attack is
giving you trouble, put a Barrier Ring on Strago.

****************************************************
*** 5.11g Air Force -OR- Had Enough Bosses Yet? ***
****************************************************
Remember that Chickenlip Rage?  It's back, because Air Force is, for some
reason, a ground-based enemy.  So is Speck, but you probably don't need to
worry about it for the moment, since Quake can't be Runicked.

Have Terra Morph the second the battle starts, Gau Rage Chickenlip, and Strago
use Aqua Rake every single turn.  Once Terra Morphs, have her break the Thunder
Rod we've been saving, using the same single-target technique we used on
FlameEater to maximize damage.  Unless luck is totally against you, Gau should
keep the party healed long enough for the cumulative damage from the Thunder
Rod and Aqua Rake to finish off Air Force.

***********************************
*** 5.12 The Floating Continent ***
***********************************
This is going to be assloads of fun, believe you me.  FIRST, you have to make
it all the way to the next save point without fighting a single Ninja, eating
Smirks from the Brain Pans all the way there, THEN you have to contend with the
ruthless Atma Weapon, and THEN you have to do it all over again, after Leaping
Gau.  Sound fun to you?  Me neither.

*************************
*** 5.12a Atma Weapon ***
*************************
First, here's a short list of what Atma Weapon can do that will kill you:
basically anything.

Here's the long list: Unblocked attacks, Full Power, Flare, Bio, Blaze,
Fire 2... all of these things will kill you.  Ironically, Atma Weapon's most
dangerous attacks in regular playthroughs (W.Wind and Quartr) are next to a
non-threat here.  Thank Heaven for small favors.

Equip Wall Rings on all four characters.  Now you're safe from Flare and Bio.
That's all the protection you get.  If you have Bard's Hats, wear 'em, because
at this point, the extra HP you get from Green Berets is meaningless.

Give Terra RunningShoes, as she's your full-time utility woman, Strago should
cast Aqua Rake, and have an elemental rod equipped for when he runs out of MP,
Gau should have the Ribbon equipped, and Shadow should equip the DragoonBoots
and the ThiefKnife.  At no point should someone's ATB bar not be full.  I
cannot overstate this.  You must ALWAYS have someone ready to use a Potion or
Fenix Down.

When the battle starts, have Gau Rage Aspik to maximize his firepower.  The
first time he dies, switch his Rage to Bomb.  Always have somebody ready to
use a Fenix Down.  I'll say it again: do not have anyone make a move unless
someone else can take a turn immediately afterward.  Resurrecting always comes
before attacking in this battle.  Shadow should use a Shadow Edge first thing
in this fight.  Whenever he loses Image status, he should immediately use
another.

Eventually, Atma Weapon will switch into his second attack mode.  You'll know,
because this is the first time in the fight he'll use Fire 2.  If Gau isn't
Raging Bomb yet, you are dead.  In any case, once Fire 2 goes off, have Shadow
Jump.  Everyone else will be pelted with Mind Blast but Shadow.  Once he
lands, hold the confirm button down so he will immediately Jump again once his
turn comes up.

Flare Star will heal Gau, and Shadow will have approximately one turn on the
ground before he needs to Jump again.  Your actions with Shadow should be in
this priority:
1) using a Remedy on Gau (if he needs it)
2) using a Shadow Edge
3) Using a Fenix Down on Strago (if he has enough MP for Aqua Rake)
4) Throwing a Shuriken

The cumulative damage from Blaze, Jumping, and Aqua Rake will eventually send
Atma Weapon into his third phase.  This should be a cinch as long as he
doesn't use a full-party Blaze, leaving only Gau alive.

Things you'll see only in the third phase are W.Wind and Quartr, so when
those start coming, resurrect your entire party, and return to the strategy
used in the first phase (always having one party member ready to use an
item-- I already said I couldn't overstate this).

Before long, the day will be yours.

Now, before you move on to the next section, to maintain minimum levels, go
jump back onto the airship, strip Gau, Leap him on the Veldt, and come back.
I suggest replacing Gau with Edgar, and Terra with Cyan.

</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
************************
*** 5.12b The Escape ***
************************
Equip Celes with the Flame Sabre, RunningShoes, and Sprint Shoes.  Equip
Edgar with the best equipment you have available and the Atlas Armlet, and do
the same for Cyan (if you have an Armlet to spare).  Give Strago the Hero
Ring and RunningShoes and equip the Fire Rod.

Naughties will be a pain in the ass if they use Cold Dust on you, but it's not
like you can do anything about it.  Have Celes Runic, because Ice 2 is capable
of killing your entire party.

Have Cyan Dispatch, while Edgar uses Chain Saw.  Have Strago use Fight.  If you
opted not to Leap Gau away, have him use the Pipsqueak Rage.  When Naughties
are Imped, they tend to flee immediately.

When you get to Nerapa, switch Celes' sword to the Break Blade, and Strago's
weapon to an Ice Rod.  Have Edgar use Chain Saw, and hope it does an instant
death attack.  If it hits, you win (same with Celes' Break Blade hitting
Break)!  Have Cyan Dispatch, and Celes and Strago attack normally.  If you
don't get the instant death attack to work, or if Edgar never uses it, this
could prove to be a difficult battle.

If you opted not to Leap Gau, have him use the Rhodox Rage.  If he uses Snare,
it's game over for Nerapa.

Now wait for Shadow, and into the World of Ruin we go!

Oh, and just a point of information: don't sell those Gaia Gears just yet.
We'll be using them again later.

****************************
*** 6. The World of Ruin ***
****************************
At this point, I'm unsure of what order is optimal for getting characters, so
I'll simply state the order in which I got my characters, and the levels I got
them at.  If anyone can give me a better order to get your characters back in,
please E-mail me.

The World of Ruin is much easier than the World of Balance.
You begin to get some of the most powerful equipment in the game, and battles
become less about skill and simply become long grinds with certain equipment
combinations.  Money is no longer an issue, if it ever was before.  This is
your "reward" for toughing out the World of Balance.  The desert west and
slightly south of Maranda is now the perfect place to harvest GP by one-hit
killing Cactrots with attacks like Drill, Dispatch, and Bum Rush.  Anything
with a perfect hit rate.  Just remember to save often and run from Hoovers.

Remember to Leap Gau on the Veldt before getting a new character.

************************************************
*** 6.01 Edgar, Sabin, Setzer, Cyan, and Gau ***
************************************************
*Make sure to encounter an Osteosaur and a Mad Oscar while in Daryl's Tomb and
a Harpiai on the way there*

Conserve money here.  Your priority right now is having enough money for two
Enhancers (one for Edgar and one for Celes).  You will be able to purchase
Potions and Fenix Downs at a discount price shortly, so don't waste money on
them unless you're seriously hurting.  Once you have the Enhancers, equip them
immediately.

You start out with Celes (level 7) on the Solitary Island.  Save Cid or let him
die, then continue until you get to Tzen to find Sabin (level 9).  Do the
scenario without killing any enemies.  Sprint shoes will help.  If you run from
every battle, you won't need a Ribbon.  Don't open chests that provoke
"Monster-in-a-box!" encounters.  You can't run from them and you can't afford
to waste time fighting.

If you want to go and fight Phunbaba before you go further (there's no real
reason for it, since you won't use the Esper you'll get), give Sabin and Celes
Runningshoes and Wall Rings, always have Celes Runic, and have Sabin Aurabolt.
If one dies, have the other resurrect.  Potion as needed.

Before entering the Engine Room of Figaro Castle, equip both Sabin and Celes
with Runningshoes and a Wall Ring.  Now get Edgar (level 8).  Against the
Tentacles, have Edgar begin with the Bio Blaster.  I recommend having Celes as
a full-time healer, and just have Sabin Aurabolt the Tentacles to death.  Make
sure you get the Soul Sabre.  You will use it later.

Get Setzer (level 8).  If you don't have Enhancers yet, now is a good time to
get them.  Turn the Czarnia Gown you get from Darryl's Tomb into the Minerva
at the Colosseum (equip a Wall Ring to get it easily), then send the party
back into the Tomb.

Against Presenter, just have Edgar use the Chain Saw, and hope for the instant
death attack.  Celes using the Break Blade is also a viable option, but it's
less reliable.  If you want two Dragon Claws for whatever reason, leave the
chest for later.  Come back when you have Gau and use the Osteosaur Rage so
X-Zone will kill both the head and the shell.
*Special thanks to Djibriel and everyone else for this suggestion*

Against Dullahan, give Celes the Runningshoes and have her Runic until
Dullahan is out of MP.  Do not have anyone else attack, as this will provoke
Dullahan into attacking the party.  Have Celes waste some of her own MP after
Dullahan has run out, casting Cure on the party or whatever, then give her the
Soul Sabre, have her attack, and win the battle.

Now get Sabin's Bum Rush.  This will be how you beat a lot of bosses from now
on.  While you're out, get Gau (level 10).

Do the necessary events to get to Mt. Zozo, loot it, get Cyan (level 8), and
don't bother fighting the Storm Dragon.  You aren't powerful enough to beat
it yet.

*************************************
*** 6.02 More Character Retrieval ***
*************************************

***************************
*** 6.02a Getting Terra ***
***************************
Now it's time to get Terra (level 9).  If you haven't fought the first battle
against Phunbaba, use the following strategy twice (omitting the post-
Bababreath strategy for the first battle).

Take Cyan, Edgar, Celes, and Sabin to Mobliz.  Equip everyone with a Wall Ring,
Celes with Runningshoes, and the best equipment you have for each character
(but give Celes the Aegis Shld from Mt. Zozo).  Have Celes Runic, Edgar Drill,
Cyan Dispatch, and Sabin Bum Rush.  When they get Bababreathed out, Terra will
join you.  Unequip her elemental shield if she has one, and continue with the
punishment.  It's generally advisable to always have one character ready to use
a Fenix Down or Potion if the need arises, so only attack if two characters'
ATB gauges are full.  If Celes is blown away, Phunbaba may be slightly harder,
since he can heal himself with reflected Bolt spells, but generally, just pound
away.

********************************************
*** 6.02b Getting Locke and the Illumina ***
********************************************
At this point, I highly recommend going to the Phoenix Cave.  The Illumina will
make a lot of the World of Ruin easy.  Remember that Phases cannot be run from,
so make them top priority if you fight them with other enemies.  If you fight
Phases alone, you'll have to reset.  At this point, it will factor against your
levels too badly to get Mog, so just tough the random encounters inside the
Phoenix Cave out.  You probably aren't strong enough to beat the Red Dragon
yet, so don't fight him.  Get the Dragon Horn, though.  At the end, you get
Locke (level 8).

At this point, you may opt to go turn the Ragnarok into the Illumina.  There
are a couple ways to go about getting it, but for my money, selling off all of
Edgar's Tools except for the Chain Saw, and praying for its instant death
attack works best, especially once you get Gogo, and can give him/her 3 Tools
commands.  The Scimitar is also useful against Didalos, as it, like the Chain
Saw, has an instant death attack Didalos cannot revive from.  Against other
Colosseum monsters (particularly Outsiders), you may find that Setzer's Trump,
Locke's Wing Edge, and other instant death weapons that use an "X" attack
for their instant death more reliable (particularly with the Offering) than the
Chain Saw, but against undead vulnerable to instant death, Scimitar and Chain
Saw can't be beat.
*Special thanks to Djibriel for reminding me that Didalos is undead, so using
the Trump weapon isn't a viable strategy*

***********************************************
*** 6.02c Getting Relm and Offing Dirt Drgn ***
***********************************************
Now go to Jidoor to get Relm (level 8), but first make sure you have the
Debilitator Tool.  You'll have to fight some battles here, so try to make sure
all 4 people are standing at the end of battle to spread the experience out.
If someone other than Gau must level up at the end of the battle, take someone
else instead or kill the person who will level off.

The first manditory battle is against two Dahlings.  Everyone should wear Wall
Rings.  Start the battle off with Edgar's Bio Blaster, and then focus on one of
them at a time.  Have Sabin Bum Rush and Celes follow it up with a Ragnarok/
Illumina attack.  Edgar's Chain Saw can be helpful as well, but Drill is a
better choice, since Dahlings are immune to instant death.  Dahlings are weak
to Poison (hence the reason for starting off with the Bio Blaster), so Gau
Raging Trilium with a Hero Ring could also be helpful.

Against the Still Life, it is advisable to have one party member with the Relic
Ring.  I suggest Celes, and have her resurrect anyone who drops from Condemned
status.  Still Life is weak to Fire, so the Over-Mind Rage could also be
useful.

At this point, if you have Gau, leave the house and Leap Gau off.

Against Chadarnook, give Celes the Ragnarok (if you didn't turn it into the
Illumina), Minerva, Mystery Veil, Aegis Shld, and two White Capes (or a White
Cape and the Relic Ring if you wagered the Ragnarok), and have her mostly run
utility, attacking when she can.  Be sure to bring Edgar along (make sure
everyone other than Celes has Wall Rings equipped) and have him use his
Debilitator against Chadarnook until it's vulnerable to Bolt element.  Wall
Rings will cause Chadarnook's Bolt spells to damage itself.  Have whatever
other characters you have with you beat down Chadarnook.  Bum Rush will be
helpful, but once Chadarnook degenerates into using Flash Rain constantly,
you probably won't be able to keep anyone other than Celes on their feet.
You can try reviving Sabin, though, since Bum Rush should be doing more
damage than whatever other attacks you're using.
*Special thanks to assassin17 for the Chadarnook strategy*

At this point, go get 4 Cherub Downs, and fight the Dirt Drgn.  This should be
child's play.  Bring Celes, Edgar, Gau, and Sabin.  Celes should run utility
and attack with the Illumina when she has the chance, Edgar should use Drill,
Gau Rage Harpiai, and Sabin Bum Rush.  If you find that you're having trouble,
come back after you've rescued Shadow, and have turned the BehemothSuit into
the Snow Muffler.  A floating 255 Defense Gau is good enough to win this fight
by himself.
*Special thanks to assassin17 for advising the much stronger Harpiai Rage*
*Special thanks to MeepleLard for the 255 Defense Gau strategy*

**************************************
*** 6.02d Strago, Shadow, and Gogo ***
**************************************
At this point, you can try to pull the goodies from the Zone Eater if you're
feeling brave.  You can't run from Coverts, and probably can't beat them in a
fight, so I'd recommend saving once inside the Zone Eater, and reloading until
you can get through without a Covert encounter, and Warp Stone out once you've
gotten all the goods.  Don't get Gogo yet, though.

Now get Strago (level 8), and then Shadow (level 8).  Against the SrBehemoth,
have Celes Runic, Edgar Drill, Sabin Bum Rush, and another character of your
choice (not Gau, whom you should Leap before entering the cave).  When the
undead version shows up, dispatch it with a Fenix Down or Revivify.

Now get Gogo (level 10), and clean out the Zone Eater if you didn't before.

*If you want to go for the gold and beat Kefka without a 128+ M.Block% setup,
make sure you encounter a Wart Puck, if you don't already have a Rage that
casts Rasp*

If you're still sane after all the globe-trotting and repitition, there's a
lot more to look forward to more in the next section.

**************************************
*** 6.03 Later World of Ruin Stuff ***
**************************************
Now it's time to accumulate a few more powerful items.  First, now that you
have Gogo, sell off all of Edgar's Tools except the Chain Saw, and then give
him/her all Tools commands, or equip Shadow with the Striker (both work equally
well).  Whichever you choose, this will be the character you send into the
Colosseum, since the items you'll be getting are mostly from enemies that are
vulnerable to instant death.

Now go to the Colosseum and wager all of your Genji Gloves and Gauntlets (at
least wager 2 or 3, if you don't want to lose all of them, although you really
always need a shield in this challenge), then wager all of the Thunder Shlds
you get from them and make Genji Shlds.  Wager some Elixers and the subsequent
Rename Cards for Marvel Shoes, if you want them.  I recommend two of them, but
you don't really need them.

Now go encounter a few important monsters so you can get their Rages, namely:
Mad Oscar, Prussian, Woolly and SrBehemoth.  Gather two more BehemothSuits and
turn them into Snow Mufflers (at this point you should have 1 BehemothSuit and
2 Snow Mufflers)

***************************
*** 6.03a Mog and Umaro ***
***************************
*Make sure you fight a Ceritops in Umaro's Cave*

Now get Mog (level 13... ouch), and fight the Ice Drgn.  Now have Celes, Gau,
Sabin, and Mog waste him.  The Snow Mufflers and Minerva nullify much of the
Ice Drgn's threat.  Then just use SrBehemoth Rage, Dragoon Mog (Dragon Horn
and DragoonBoots with a spear), Celes' Illumina, and the Bum Rush to finish
him.  Do the same to Tritoch, but this time, make sure you have Wall Rings
on.  The Illumina will not be effective in the Tritoch battle.

Now go and bust Umaro's (level 8) lip.  Here's how:
Set everyone up as though you were fighting Ice Drgn again.  SrBehemoth is a
good Rage against Ice-based enemies, and this battle is no exception.  Minerva
is again helpful, and the Snow Mufflers help shut down both Umaro's piddling
physicals, as well as his Ice-based attacks.  If he starts Jumping, don't sweat
it too much.  Take the time to make sure everyone's on their feet.  Once he
touches down, go to town on him.

You might also consider using the Mind Candy or Mad Oscar Rages with a very
weak Gau and having him hit Umaro with SleepSting/Sour Mouth.  Then have Celes
swap to the AtmaWeapon, kill Gau, and trounce the now-sleeping Umaro with Bum
Rushes.  The battle is fairly easy, though, and will probably be faster with
the first strategy.  Only consider this one if you're having trouble the other
way.

For all you Umaro-haters, suck it up, because you're about to see him do
something useful.

*********************************
*** 6.03b The Fanatics' Tower ***
*********************************
Now take Gogo, Celes, Umaro, and Mog to the Fanatic's Tower, equip Mog with
ONLY the Moogle Charm, and give Gogo the Item and Fight (which becomes the
Magic command in the Fanatic's Tower) commands, a Wall Ring, and the rest of
his equipment doesn't matter (although Runningshoes do make the process
faster).  Celes should be naked (the way things should be).  Fight the White
Drgn, have Mog, Umaro, and Celes get killed, and then wait until the White
Drgn runs out of MP.  Now have Gogo cast Ice on it, Mimic, and then hold the A
button down and fast-forward the game (if you're playing on an emulator) until
the Pearl Drgn dies.  DO NOT revive anyone; Mog's Moogle Charm will still work
even though he's dead.

The Pearl Lance will be Mog's weapon of choice for the rest of the game.  Make
sure to pick up the Air Anchor before you leave.

Now go to the top of the tower, get the Gem Box, and fight the MagiMaster.
Have Gogo use an X-Potion on it, and keep Mimicking until the MagiMaster runs
out of MP.  Now resurrect Umaro, and have him pound the MagiMaster to death.
Congratulations, you just got to see Umaro technically solo a boss at level 8.
Before you leave, make sure you encounter a Magic Urn.  You are guaranteed to
fight a formation of them in the room containing the Air Anchor without having
to worry about fighting anything that might potentially hurt you.

********************************
*** 6.03c The Ancient Castle ***
********************************
If you haven't bought your Tools back yet, do so now.

Before you go any further, fight a battle on the Veldt where you have Gau Rage
Mad Oscar and have him use Sour Mouth in front of Strago and win the battle.
Now Gogo can use the Sour Mouth Lore.

Take Sabin, Gogo, Mog, and Gau to the Ancient Castle.  Against the Master Pug,
have Gogo with the Lore command equipped use Sour Mouth, and then have Gogo and
Sabin alternate Bum Rushes on it, subduing with Sour Mouth as necessary.  If
you'd like a guaranteed victory instead, have Gau use Magic Urn.  Now hold down
fast-forward your emulator (sorry console-players), alt-tab out of your
emulator (if you held down fast-forward, it should still be fast-forwarding
without you having to hold anything down.  You can check this by listening to
the background music), and browse your favorite LLNMG FAQ, chuckling to
yourself at its brilliance.  When you return to find Master Pug out of MP,
waste him.
*This guaranteed strategy (and many more of its ilk) brought to you by
Djibriel's Rage FAQ*

Now fight the KatanaSoul.  Give Gogo the Tools command, and have him/her use
the Noiseblaster against it.  Hopefully, KatanaSoul will Slayer's Edge himself,
winning the battle effortlessly.

Finally, fight the Blue Drgn.  Give Gogo the Rage command, and have he/she and
Gau Rage Aspik.  Blue Drgn is weak to Bolt and uses Water-elemental attacks,
which Aspik absorbs.  Gau, with 255 Defense and in the back row literally
cannot lose this battle.  Gogo might not fare so well, but Gogo will at least
add some extra damage before dying.

*********************************************
*** 6.04 Final Parts of the World of Ruin ***
*********************************************

************************
*** 6.04a Storm Drgn ***
************************
First, head back to Mt. Zozo.  It's very difficult to say how to beat
the Storm Drgn, so here is what I did, straight from my notes:

"Fight a battle where the Storm Drgn doesn’t start out with Rage or Wind Slash.
If you can get into a Preemptive Attack, that’s best.  Gogo Bum Rushed for the
one turn he stayed alive (a single physical attack killed him), Gau Raged
Woolly so he could absorb Wind Slash, and I equipped Celes with a Minerva.
Mog Jumped every turn except when he was the only one alive.  If he came down
after a Rage, he immediately used a Phoenix Down on Terra.  With the Red Cap,
Mog could survive a Rage about 10% of the time and a Wind Slash about 60% of
the time which allowed him to be something of a daredevil when resurrecting the
party.  Terra would then resurrect Gau, who would return to Woolly as fast as
possible.  Eventually, the damage from the Pearl Lance, Illumina, and Ice 3
added up, and the fight was mine."

Not a very sound strategy, but a strategy nonetheless.

*************************
*** 6.04b Ebot's Rock ***
*************************
Go to the Veldt and get the Magic Urn Rage.  Now have Mog go and glean
everything from Kefka's Tower that he can.

If you want to get GrandTrain, get four Gaia Gears, and go to Ebot's Rock with
Gogo, Strago, Celes, and Mog and fight Hidon.  There are two ways to go about
this battle: the easy way, and the hard way.

Hard way:  Give Gogo the Rage command have him use Chickenlip.  Everyone should
wear the Gaia Gear, and Mog should have his Dragoon Combo equipped.  Celes
should have Illumina, Aegis Shld, Mystery Veil, Gaia Gear, a White Cape, and
another Relic of your choice.  Strago's equipment doesn't matter that much, but
a Ribbon/Safety Bit is not a bad Relic choice (for everyone in your party, not
just Strago).  After about three or so Quake spells, all the Hidonites will be
gone.  If you want to learn GrandTrain, make sure Mog is in the air after you
kill the last Hidonite, as he will only use the spell when all of his minions
are dead.  When Mog lands, resurrect everyone, and go back to work with the
same strategy as before.  Eventually, you'll do enough damage to win.

Easy way:  If you don't care about GrandTrain, just use a Revivify; X-Potions
if you want to be (slightly) honorable.
*Special thanks to assassin17 for reminding me Hidon is undead*

If you absolutely must have the Mirage Vest (not a bad piece of armor, per se,
as long as you're lucky enough to never have Image status drop), steal a
Thornlet from Hidon (probably more trouble than it's worth, since it is a rare
steal), and bet it at the Colosseum.
*Thanks to Djibriel for reminding me that stealing from Hidon gives the
Thornlet, not the Titanium*

**************************
*** 6.04c Cyan's Dream ***
**************************
*Remember to encounter an Io before leaving Cyan's Dream!*

Go get 99 Potions and 99 Fenix Downs with Edgar's Regal Discount

Finally, it's time for Cyan's Dream.  Take Setzer, Mog, and Gogo, with Mog in
the 4th position in your party so you start with him, into Cyan's Dream.  Get
Gogo and Setzer and fight the Three Dream Stooges.

Give Gogo a Wall Ring and Ribbon, and equip him/her with the Blitz and Tools
commands.  It doesn't really matter what you give the other two, but I
recommend Mog's Dragoon Combo and Setzer with the Offering and Fixed Dice.
Have Gogo Bum Rush until he hits Curley and then Mimic until Curley dies.  Now
use Air Anchor on Larry (the one in the back), causing him to die the next time
he takes an action.  Use Softs on Mog and Setzer and go to work on the
remaining Stooge.
*Thanks to assassin17 for his post on the board that brought this to my
attention*

Against Wrexsoul, if you have the Osteosaur Rage, just refer to the next
paragraph.  Take the Offering off of Setzer, the Dragoon Boots and Dragon Horn
off of Mog, and give all three party members Wall Rings.  Let the SoulSavers
bounce magic off of you until they both run out of MP, then go to work with
Setzer, killing off both Gogo and Mog.  If Setzer is the one with Wrexsoul in
him resurrect both Gogo and Mog and have Mog kill Setzer.  When Wrexsoul comes
out, have Gogo Bum Rush until he hits Wrexsoul, then have him Mimic until
Wrexsoul retreats again.  Rinse, lather, and repeat until Wrexsoul is dead.

Or, just have Gau Rage Osteosaur.  Eventually, he'll use X-Zone and end the
battle easily.
*Special thanks to assassin17 for reminding me that the Osteosaur Rage has the
X-Zone spell*

************************
*** 6.04d Red Dragon ***
************************
Equip Gau with the Wall Ring and have him Rage Coelecite.  With 255 Defense, he
is literally unkillable in this fight, as long as you make sure his level is
not a multiple of 4.  Throw Celes into the mix with 128 M.Block%, a Wall Ring,
and the Minerva and you have two unkillable characters.  Bring along Gogo to
Rage Coelecite and equip him/her with a Wall Ring and he/she can only be killed
with Red Dragon's (rather weak) physical attacks.  Ditto goes for Sabin wearing
a Red Jacket and a Wall Ring.  What else can I say?  This is an easy, easy
fight.
*More guaranteed victory goodness from the master, Djibriel*

***********************
*** 6.04e Doom Gaze ***
***********************
Finally, Doom Gaze.  He's a massive pain in the ass, but totally beatable as
long as you remember to outfit anyone with a level that is a multiple of 5 with
a Safety Bit.

I recommend Celes set up with 129 M.Block%, Mog, Gogo, and Gau for this battle.
Have Gogo and Gau Rage Io.  This Rage uses Flare Star, a nifty spell that deals
damage based on level (Doom Gaze's is quite high at 68).  Compound this with
the fact that he's weak to Fire and you're dealing 9999 per Flare Star.  He's
also weak to Pearl, making Celes' Illumina and Mog's Pearl Lance even more
powerful.
*Special thanks to Djibriel for this strategy which appeared in his Rage FAQ,
as well as for correcting me on where to get the Io Rage*

Before continuing onward, get about 10 Warp Stones, 10 Tents, 99 Potions, 99
Fenix Downs, Tinctures if you feel you need them, and about 20 Remedies.

************************************
*** 6.05 Kefka's Tower, For Real ***
************************************
The following strategies require that you make more than one trip through
Kefka's Tower.

***********************
*** 6.05a Gold Drgn ***
***********************
All you need is Mog.  Set him up with Pearl Lance, Red Cap, Genji Shld, Snow
Muffler, Wall Ring, and DragoonBoots.  Now have him Jump every chance he gets.
If he ever suffers approximately 200 damage from a successful attack, just have
him Potion himself.  Eventually, the airborne attack will win the day.

You can also use Umaro with the Rage Ring (the problem, of course, is getting
him there in one piece), Terra or Celes with a Minerva, or Gau/Gogo Raging
basically any Bolt absorbing/nullifying Rage.  This is not a hard fight at all.
At all.
*Special thanks to assassin17 for providing these non-Potion-consuming
strategies*

************************
*** 6.05b Skull Drgn ***
************************
Terra, Gau, Gogo, and Sabin are the ideal party for this, in my opinion.  As
long as Terra has her 127 M.Block% setup, all she needs is a Safety Bit (with
this, she can easily solo the thing).  With Gau Raging SrBehemoth, and Sabin
and Gogo Bum Rushing, you'll finish him in no time.

For the guaranteed win, have Gau equip a Ribbon and Rage Lich.  Adding a Hero
Ring will make a battle with this strategy go slightly faster.
*Yet another guaranteed victory brought to you by Djibriel's Rage FAQ*

******************
*** 6.05c Atma ***
******************
This may well be the easiest fight of the challenge.  Give Celes her 129
M.Block% setup (make sure she's wearing the Minerva), set the game on fast-
forward, and go do something else for a while.  When you get back, check and
see if Atma's out of MP.  If not, go do something else.  If so, have Celes
waste some MP, equip the Soul Sabre, and deliver the coup de grace.

*********************
*** 6.05d Inferno ***
*********************
129 M.Block% Celes (make sure she has Minerva equipped) with a Ribbon/Safety
Bit owns this fight completely.  Just have her attack the middle portion with
the Illumina.  Be sure not to kill the arms, Striker and Rough.  Killing either
one separately provokes Inferno to use Meteor.

**********************
*** 6.05e Guardian ***
**********************
Terra, Gau, Gogo, and Sabin again.  This shouldn't be that tough.  Have
everyone set up the way they were for the battle with the Skull Drgn, except
now Terra doesn't need the Safety Bit.  Have Gogo and Sabin Bum Rush, and Gau
use Ceritops.  Terra should run utility.  Marvel Shoes make a good Relic
choice for her in this fight, since they protect against attacks like
Tentacle, as well as give her the Haste status for more effective utility.
*According to Djibriel's Rage FAQ, Ceritops is the best Rage for the job, and
I'm inclined to agree*

************************
*** 6.05f Poltrgeist ***
************************
Gogo and Gau should both Rage Primordite in this battle, since Poltrgeist is
weak to Stop.  Sabin and Terra should use the same attacks as they always
have.  Everything should be routine by this point.

******************
*** 6.05g Doom ***
******************
I used Celes, Setzer, Edgar, and Strago in this fight.  Celes is really the
meat and potatoes of this party of left-behinds, but the other three serve
an important purpose.

Be advised this is the ONLY place to learn Force Field, which is necessary for
beating Kefka without a 128+ M.Block% setup.

Initially, have Celes attack as normal.  Edgar, Setzer, and Strago will
probably all get floored from the initial barrage of attacks.  Once Doom's Aura
begins to shake, have Celes bring back as many characters as possible. Don't
bother healing them, because they're only there to bring Celes/each other back
when/if she/they get(s) killed by Demon Rage.  Wow.  That was really convoluted
sentence structure.

**********************
*** 6.05h Goddess ***
**********************
More of the same with Goddess.  Give Celes her 129 M.Block% setup and a Safety
Bit, and wait out Goddess' MP.  Once it's gone, start pelting her.

*****************************
*** 6.06 The Final Battle ***
*****************************
This is it.  The final part of the LLNMG and, surprisingly, not the most
difficult part of the game (it is, however, the longest.  You will spend more
time waiting out your enemies' MP here than at any other point in the game).
128+ M.Block% builds aren't necessary in this part, if you don't have a problem
with constantly using Fenix Downs while waiting out your enemies' MP (although
the same is essentially true of any other point in the game where you wait out
a boss' MP).  Be advised if you go the non-128 M.Block% route, you will almost
certainly have to leave the Tower to max out your Fenix Downs.  Generally,
though, the lazy way is the better way (or at least the quicker one).

Before you initiate the final battle sequence, give Gogo the Lore, Tools, and
Blitz commands.

I used the following setup for my characters (note I didn't bring the full 12-
person roster, because there isn't enough good equipment to go around anyway):

Celes (#1):		Gogo (#2):		Sabin (#3):
Illumina		Magus Rod		Tiger Fangs
Aegis Shld		Genji Shld		Genji Shld
Mystery Veil		Circlet			Circlet
Minerva			Tao Robe		Red Jacket
White Cape		Earring			Earring
Safety Bit		Earring			Earring
(129 M.Block%)		(66 M.Block%)		(24 M.Block%)

Gau (#4):		Terra (#5):		Mog (#6):
<Empty>			Enhancer		Pearl Lance
Genji Shld		Aegis Shld		Genji Shld
Genji Helm		Mystery Veil		Red Cap
Snow Muffler		Minerva			Snow Muffler
Marvel Shoes		White Cape		DragoonBoots
Hero Ring		White Cape		Dragon Horn
(48 M.Block%)		(107 M.Block%)		(42 M.Block%)

Setzer (#7):
Fixed Dice
Genji Shld
Red Cap
Force Armor
Offering
Marvel Shoes
(51 M.Block%)

The rest don't really matter, since if you fall below your #7 man in your
order, you're basically relying on Celes to win you the battle, not the rest of
the team, since equipment is spread so thin as it is.

Without any further ado, the Final Battle!

************************
*** 6.06a First Tier ***
************************
Take out Long Arm, the arm on the left of the screen, (not the left arm) with
Gogo by having him/her use Air Anchor (or hope for Chain Saw's instant death
attack, if you missed/forgot the Air Anchor).

Next, try to do as much damage to the head as possible before your party (sans
Celes) gets snuffed, and have Celes finish it off after they're dead; don't
concern yourself with reviving them until the head is dead.  Now, revive the
rest of the party and pound the remaining hand.

Make sure the arm on the right (Short Arm) is the last one to go.  If you kill
the head last, Quake will destroy your party.  If you kill the arm on the left
last, it will use 2 or 3 Shockwave attacks before dying.

Try to make sure Sabin survives this battle.  The Red Jacket will come in handy
in the next tier, when Tiger uses Flare Star.
*Special thanks to assassin17 who reminded me that Long Arm is vulnerable to
instant death*

*************************
*** 6.06b Second Tier ***
*************************
I advise having Gau Rage Woolly here.  The elemental absorptions will make this
a cinch, for the most part.  He'll still be vulnerable to Tiger's Flare Star,
so you might consider having him use Magic Urn instead, if you're not worried
about your party's offensive capabilities.  Everyone but Gogo should focus on
eliminating Tiger from the onset of the battle.  It uses Flare Star, which can
be devastating if your party is caught off-guard by it.

Gogo's first turn should be spent using the Sour Mouth Lore on the mage on the
far left of the screen (Magic), giving him Mute status and rendering him
useless.  Gogo's second turn should be spent using Air Anchor on the crucified
lady (Tools).  She is vulnerable to instant death, and will die the next time
she acts.  Gogo's third turn should be spent using Sour Mouth on Tiger, who is
vulnerable to Poison status.

Once Tools and Tiger are dispatched, turn your attention to the blue man (Hit).
He will counter with 10 Hits once you kill him.  If this kills any of your
party, revive them, then go after Magic.

Again, keeping Sabin alive is a convenience, since it allows him to help work
on the Third Tier, which likes to use Merton a lot, and Sabin's Red Jacket is
the perfect piece of equipment for staying alive.
*Special thanks to MeepleLard, who came up with a MUCH better strategy for
dealing with this battle than I did*

************************
*** 6.06c Third Tier ***
************************
If Sabin is still alive, it is possible to have he and Gau destroy the floating
head (Girl) part of the Third Tier without having to waiting out its MP.  Have
Sabin Bum Rush and Gau Rage Magic Urn (Gau won't survive Merton without a Rage
that absorbs/nullifies Fire, and the Head absorbs all elements).  If luck is on
your side, Sabin will string together a series of Bum Rushes against Girl,
killing her without having to wait out her 10,000 MP.

However, if Sabin died before reaching this tier, you will have to wait for
Girl to run out of MP so she'll stop using Pearl Wind.  Once she is out of MP,
bring everyone in the party back to life and start chipping away at it.  Next,
attack the Sabin-looking part (Sleep).  No real strategy here, except that you
may lose a character to the non-MP-consuming Calmness Sleep counters with on
death.

*******************
*** 6.06d Kefka ***
*******************
If you have Mog, and feel particularly confident in your timing, you may not
need to wait out Kefka's MP.  If you think you're good enough to Jump over
Kefka's Goner attacks, be my guest.

There is another way to get his MP out without the 128 M.Block% setup, which
MeepleLard brought to my attention:

"If somehow, Strago/Gogo are still alive, and know Force Field, keep casting
it until you null out Fire and Lightning (might take a while), revive Gau (if
he's still around), and have him use a Rage that casts Rasp (note from the
author: I suggest Wart Puck, but any will do). At this point, keep throwing
healing on Kefka when Gau does NOT use Rasp. Might take a while (if you have
Gogo, it'll likly be faster since he can Mime Gau) Remember, Gau is already
immune to Havoc Wing (255 Defense) and Ice 3 (Snow Muffler), so you just need
to make sure Kefka doens't get provoked to Stage 2 of his script (Goner phase).
As soon as Kefka's out of MP, its now a simple war of attrition (basically, Gau
will eventually die.  Revive him, and have him be SOLELY utility in case Kefka
counters Celes with Hyperdrive)."
*Obviously, special thanks to MeepleLard for bringing this alternate method to
my attention*

For the rest of us, this is just more of the same.  Wait out Kefka's MP, and
when he's out, resurrect everyone and trounce him.

My Final Levels:
Terra 9, Locke 8, Mog 13, Edgar 8, Sabin 9, Celes 8, Cyan 8, Gau 10, Setzer 8,
Strago 8, Relm 8, Shadow 8, Gogo 10, Umaro 8

Average Level: 8.756

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*** 7. Epilogue ***
*******************
In my opinion, what this challenge really shows us is the characters at their
most rudimentary levels.  People like Sabin, Gogo, Terra, Celes, and Gau aren't
hurt so much by low levels.  Their skills are all useful because of the
equipment they can use to its fullest potential (Illumina's MP Criticals for
Terra and Celes), or because they rely on Magic's much more lenient damage
calculation.  We also see characters who still function fairly well at this
level, like Setzer, whose Fixed Dice when used in conjunction with the Offering
are a particularly powerful choice at lower levels.

Finally, we see characters who are simply too badly handicapped by the loss of
Espers and/or levels to be effective.  Relm is one outstanding example, as are
Cyan, Shadow, and to some extent, Edgar.  Not to say they're bad characters, of
course.  Not necessarily.  However, they are forced to operate in conditions
that are unfavorable to the abilities these characters offer.

From this challenge, we can also derive that every single boss battle in this
game hinges on one single principal: preparation.  With enough knowledge of
one's foe, victory is nearly assured, except in very scant circumstances (IAF,
Storm Drgn, etc.).  Magic and levels are mere conveniences.  They may make the
game fun, but they are never, ever necessary.  128 M.Block% and 255 Defense are
usually useful, but are seldom actually critical to winning battles.  They only
make things like waiting out boss' MP effortless, rather than actually detract
from the "challenge" of the LLNMG.  Besides, like most low-level challenges,
the challenge is almost entirely confined to the World of Balance.

I know for a fact that these are not the lowest levels with which this
challenge can be completed.  If anyone has any advice for battles, character
retrieval order, or ways to minimize experience that I haven't thought of,
please e-mail me!

****************************
*** 8. Legal Mumbo-Jumbo ***
****************************
I, like most people, don't like being ripped off.  This includes my
intellectual property (like this walkthrough).  Please, do not steal any
information from my guide without first consulting me and receiving my
approval.  Please don't sell the guide, or pass it off as your own.  This was
written exclusively for publication on GameFAQs <http://www.gamefaqs.com>, and
no other website or publisher.  If you want to put my document up on your
website, please link to the GameFAQs website, rather than putting a copy up on
your site.

This document is Copyright 2007, Alex Johnson (Zelgaddis).  All rights
reserved.

FINAL FANTASY and all related articles belong solely to Square Co., Ltd.  No
breach of copyright intended.