               Final Fantasy 3/6j Character FAQ
                            Meeple Lard
                      Date: 7/13/06 Version: 3.0

Table of Contents:
FAQ History
Legal Stuff
1. Overview of the game itself
2. Introduction to the FAQ
3. Summary of the FAQ
4. The characters!
 -Terra
 -Locke
 -Mog
 -Edgar
 -Sabin
 -Shadow
 -Cyan
 -Celes
 -Setzer
 -Strago
 -Relm
 -Umaro
 -Gogo
5. Character Growth Suggestions
6. Character Team Suggestions
7. Equipment Locations
8. Character Rankings
9. Frequently Asked Questions
10. Credits

FAQ History:
Version 1.0
-FAQs Creation.  Nough said
Version 2.0
-Some grammar and content corrections
-Added a few points in arbitrary place
-Started the Character Rankings section
Version 3.0
-Some technical corrections
-Few things added in on content
-Changed a few words here or there to sound more neutral (like changing
one instance of the word "mediocre" to "average" cause I got lots of
complaints saying I was badmouthing said character)
-Added in "Equipment Location" section, due to popular request

Legal Stuff:
This FAQ is a copyright of Meeplelard, and should be found only at
GameFAQs.com.  Should someone want to use Info from my FAQ for some
other source, or post it somewhere else, please contact me at
Meeplelard@Hotmail.com, or ask me directly on instant messenger, either
AIM (DbzFFlord) or MSN messenger (Meeplelard@Hotmail.com)

------------------------------
1. Overview of the Game Itself
------------------------------

Ok, some of you are wondering "WTF?  We all know what this game is;
don't bother with an overview of the game itself!"  True, this game
doesn't need much, but oh well, YOU CAN'T STOP ME!  Anyway, I've also
done this in my other 5 FAQs, 3 of which were for games not released in
the US, so this is really just I being consistent with my other guides.
Anyway, this game has 2 known names.  It's the 6th installment in the
Final Fantasy Series, one of the most famous Series of RPGs, and one of
the most successful of all time as well.  In the US, it was the 3rd
Final Fantasy game of the main series (Final Fantasy Legends was really
Saga, Final Fantasy Adventure was really the first Seiken Densetsu Game
(aka the Mana Series), and Final Fantasy Mystic Quest was just a spin
off using the same name) to be released here, and thus, it was called
"Final Fantasy 3."  Well, most people nowadays call it FF6, since
nearly everyone knows that it's really the 6th one, and to
avoid confusion from FF3j, the REAL FF3.  Anyway, this game was
released for the SNES originally (or SFC if you're thinking Japanese),
and later, re-released on the PSX (or PS1 if you rather) in "Final
Fantasy Anthologies" along with FF5 (The first time the game LEGALLY
came to the US, not including all those imports).

For those who don't, FF6's background is 1000 years before the events
in the game; a great war called the "War of the Magi" occurred, which
was a war between Humans and Espers, Magical Semi Divine beings, so to
speak.  In the end of the war, Civilization was lost and destroyed, the
World somewhat destroyed, and Man Kind forced to Start over, along with
the Espers creating their own world and living away from the war
stricken humans.  1000 years later, Man Kind and the World have made a
full recovery, and peace once again exists.  However, a certain person
named Gestahl discovers the secret behind Magic, a powerful force which
has not existed for 1000 years, and decides to use it to take over the
world.  Thus, another great war is about to ensue.

At one point, Narshe, a neutral coal mine city, discovers an Esper
frozen in their mines, and that gets the whole world's attention.  The
Empire, which Gestahl's force is referred to as, sends out an attack
force using of 3 warriors in Magitek Armor, a giant mechanical suit of
armor infused with magical energy.  2 of these were just normal
soldiers, one of them however was a mysterious young woman, whom we
later learn is named Terra, who apparently has extraordinary Magical
Powers granted to her at birth, and has already wiped out 50 of the
best Magitek Knights (warriors of the Empire infused with Magic) in
under 3 minutes.  Long story short, Vicks/Biggs (Depends version) and
Wedge, the 2 soldiers, die, and Terra gets knocked unconscious.  She
wakes up with Amnesia, not knowing anything what happened in an old
man's house, and learns that she was being controlled DIRECTLY through
the use of the Slave Crown.  Basically, that's the games intro; you
should either know the rest of it, or if you don't you'll find out
through playing the game.  I don't want to get into those boring "A
game of magic, mystery, betrayal, friendship, etc." kind of BS,
so I'll just get to the point of this FAQ.

--------------------------
2. Introduction to the FAQ
--------------------------

Welcome to my Character FAQ for FF6!  I know a bunch of you are
wondering what the point of this FAQ is, so I'll cut to the chase.

Reading a lot of comments about characters in FF6, it got me realizing
one thing; FF6 characters all filled with misconceptions somewhere
along the line, as far as game play goes.  What do I mean?  Some people
will overrate a character based on one concept alone, whether the
reasoning is worth the hype or not is a different story, they'll
overlook any flaws the character has for that one special trait,
despite how numerous and overbearing the flaws are.
On the flipside, some people take one look at a character during a
sequence they are forced to use them, and didn't like how they were, so
automatically say "this character sucks!"  when its really that they
just gave up on them early, or they have no clue how to use them.
Lastly, I notice some admittedly good characters get love for the wrong
reasons.  By that, I mean, someone will rave about something special
the character has, when its not all that great compared to what other
characters have, HOWEVER, the character is still good for reasons not
mentioned at all.

The point of this FAQ is to expose characters for what they are
objectively.  This means I'll avoid trying to take one character's
side, but I won't ignore obvious flaws of a character (such as, say,
low defense, for a random example out of the blue)  Likewise, I'll be
sure to mention their strengths, and of course, I'll mention how to
make characters potentially useful, and some good set ups for them.

I hope that after this FAQ, you understand what each FF6 character is
truly capable of, and end up not making a fool of yourself raving about
a mediocre ability, or calling a rather solid character bad.

---------------------
3. Summary of the FAQ
---------------------

Alright, how am I evaluating the characters now?  First and foremost, I
am assuming REASONABLE levels.  By that, I don't mean "I take it you
never level up" or whatever, rather, I take it you don't go out of your
way to randomly build characters up (EXP wise anyway), and thus,
characters don't end up stupidly high levels to the point where a blind
monkey with his hands tied behind his back forced to play with his feet
can win.

What are reasonable levels?  Tough call.  Yes, you CAN beat the game at
level 6~, lots of people have done this, but that just proves that
leveling isn't necessary.  Most people won't be that low leveled unless
actually trying to be.  Likewise, level 99 is NOT REASONABLE BY ANY
TRAIN OF THOUGHT.  Yes, easy enough to get, but consider the time it
takes, and how you could have easily beaten the game at about half the
level…yeah.  Reasonable is more along the lines of, say, no higher than
30 on the Floating Continent, and you shouldn't be far above 60 by the
final boss (mind, these aren't levels I usually take, just noting that
anything above those levels is likely excessive.  Chances are, you'd be
lower level if you didn't go out of your way)

So…yeah, don't expect me to hype, say, Locke's infamous Genji Glove +
Offering + Atma Weapon + Valiant Knife + Quick = 9999 x 16 damage! Set
up, as that only happens at levels that are far and away unreasonable
by any standards.

Oh, I should warn you right now.  If you haven't read any of my FAQs
for this game yet (The SCC and the NMG FAQs), then please note that I
do try to be humor toned at times (keyword: Try >_>), so don't take
EVERYTHING I say seriously.  Expect some sarcasm and such to be thrown
in.

One last thing: I don't consider Hacked Super Monsters, EVER.  This is
cause its not part of the game, and you only fight them for fun, and in
the end, each are tweaked so that there are only specific ways to kill
them (some absorb all elements while being anti Offering and Anti
Ultima, requiring Meteor or Flare to do good damage, others use some
combo that forces Runic, what have you)  Basically, assume a normal
UNHAKCED Game.  So yes, I'm factoring in that evade = worthless.

If you're wondering where Gau is, check the Frequently Asked Questions
part of the FAQ.

Anyway, ONTO THE CHARACTERS THEMSELVES!

------------------
4. The Characters!
------------------

Alright, heres the actual FAQ itself, so…yeah <_< >_>
I am doing this in order of appearance like my other FAQs.  By
appearance I mean either you get to play as them, or you name them
(This is why Mog appears third)  So yeah, this isn't in alphabetical
order, or order of greatness, or order of who looks prettiest, or
whatever…ok, I'll shut up, lets just get to the characters.

The character section is set up like this:

 ====
|Name|
 ====

Stats: Characters base stats listed below, w/out equipment or Esper
level ups.
Extra HP: The HP gains + This = Raw HP.  Given how FF6's HP system
works, this is the ONLY difference in HP, so don't expect characters to
have varying HP scores
Extra MP: The MP version of the above
Vigor: Stat that determines physical damage.  Generally, 1 point of
Vigor = 2 points of Battle Power, as a quick comparison
Speed: This + 20 = Characters Linear speed, or rather, how fast the ATB
gauge raises.  Just need to note this so you know just how fast
characters are
Stamina: Stat that determines HP healed from Regen and Tintinabar,
damage done from Poison and Seizure, and the hit rate of certain
attacks…yeah, this stat sucks, just listing it for completion purposes
(same with Extra HP)
Magic Power: Determines damage dealt by magic attacks.  All things
considered, this is a raw multiplier
Battle Power: Character's base battle power.  This + Weapon's Battle
Power = True Battle Power.  Note that the status screen will claim its
10 higher than this w/ no weapons.  This is cause you're ACTUALLY
equipped with a weapon that has 10 Battle Power (Fists, or "Empty" as
the game calls it), odd as it sounds.
Defense: Characters base defense.  This + Helmet + Shield + Armor +
Relics (if anyway) = True Defense.  Higher this value, lower damage you
take from physicals.
Evade: Due to a bug, its only there to look pretty.  Only mentioning
this for people curious who are curious about Evade Bug Fix patch
things
Magic Defense: See Defense, more or less, changing what should be
obvious.
M. Block: Evasion vs. ALL attacks.  Note the percentage is ACTUALLY out
of 128%, so 100% M. Block =/= Perfect evasion, but 128% is.
Level Readjustment Factor:  When character joins for the FIRST time,
this is how much a level boost they get compared to the average of all
characters you have recruited thus far, nixing Temporaries (Banon, Leo,
Ghosts, etc.  I believe Shadow DOES count in the WoB, though)
Special ability: What their unique ability is.
Effects: Quick explanation of the special ability.

Character Analysis:
Lengthy look at the character, descriptive and such.  The boring yada
yadas.

Strategies for Character X throughout the game:
Point by point tips for how to make the character effective at
different parts of the game.

Character X's Ultimate and Noteworthy equips:
Weapons:
Ultimate and/or Noteworthy weapons listed here (no particular order)

Helmets:
See above, replace Weapon with Helmet

Armor:
Figure this part out for yourself <_<

Note: I am skipping Shields, since for all characters, ultimate shields
are universal (sans Umaro, whose speshul)  This just saves time, and
makes things look overall cleaner.
Note 2: Some items I'm just listing for completion purposes, even I
myself don't believe they are actually worth using.  This is just to
avoid later complaints like "What about the X weapon!" or "You Forgot
Armor Omega!" and such.  Its mostly just showing they have that option
available.

Ideal End game Set ups for Character X:
Several set ups, and descriptions about them for making a character
useful later in the game.  Things to aim for, per se, in the WoR.

Set Ups are done in this order:
Right Hand (usually weapon)
Left Hand (usually Shield)
Headgear
Armor
Relic 1
Relic 2

Description of Set Up here.

Miscellaneous Info about Character:
Bringing up a few points about the character, be it positive, negative,
non factors or whatever, which just didn't seem to fit anywhere else,
for people to take as they will.

Skillset:
Lists the characters skillset, if they have one.  For Terra and Celes,
this will be their natural magic.  If character has an actual skillset
(meaning not just Steal, for example), and its NOT Magic, I'll give
thoughts about the abilities as well.

Final Thoughts:  quick recap of the character, and my personal thoughts
on them.

The rest is self explanatory, more or less.

All Characters are set up like so

 =======
| TERRA |
 =======

Stats:
Extra HP: 40
Extra MP: 16
Vigor: 31
Speed: 33
Stamina: 28
Magic Power: 39
Battle Power: 12
Defense: 42
Evade: 5%
Magic Defense: 33
M. Block: 7%
Level Readjustment: +0
Special Ability: Morph/Revert
Effects:  Morphs Terra into her Esper Form.  Not usable until when she
rejoins after the Magitek Factory sequence.  When morphed, her Physical
and Magic Damage both effectively double (unless they ignore defense
and are NOT rods), and magic damage (unless defense ignoring) is
halved.  Doubles the healing from Regen, and damage done by Seizure and
Poison.  How long Morph lasts depends on the Magic Points you win from
battle, between Morphs, if Magic Points < 8, then Morph is impossible.
Lastly, the initial Morph (IOWs, the turn she Morphs on) turn does NOT
reset the ATB Gauge.  Revert simply undoes Morph Status, and that turn
follows the same rules as Morph (not resetting the ATB gauge and all)

Character Analysis:
Terra is arguably the best character in FF6, though she might not seem
like it at first glance.  When she first joins, she is nothing special,
proving most useful at that point as the teams in battle healer with
Cure.  Annoying thing about her early on is how she can't do much
damage without using MP, which at that point, actually matters (no
Osmose, and Tinctures are expensive) That, and the existence of Edgar
and Sabin doing considerably more than her for free adds insult to
injury.  However, when she rejoins, some of her better points start to
show, such as now she can apply her high Magic Power with Esper usage,
along with some nice equipment options available.  As the game goes on,
these advantages become more pronounced, making her even a bigger
force.

Her Special ability, Morph, makes her a nasty boss slayer.  In fact,
with enough "twinkage", at level 20, Terra can do 9999 to an enemy, by
breaking a rod and hitting the element, if she's Morphed…and that's
without Esper Boosts.  Useful? Not really, but just fun to point out.

Anyway, judging by her stats, you'd probably write her off instantly as
a mage, and treat her as nothing but that.  Lots of people think this
too, and it's not surprising.  She has good magic defense, 2nd best
Magic Power, starts with the Magic skill set, while, like typical RPG
mages, has low physical stats.  However, this is not entirely true.
Yes, Terra makes a fine mage, but she's not a pure one by any means.
She makes a good fighter in addition to making an excellent Mage.  This
is because of her good equipment draw.  Stat wise, she's a Mage, no
questions asked, equipment wise however, she's a lot more like an FF
Knight.  Being able to use Heavy Armor, Swords, all shields in the
game, etc.  Her low physical stats are made up for quite well.  Swords
in general have good battle power, so her physical damage isn't half
bad, and since most of your defense comes from your equipment, all the
low base defense means is where Terra falls compared to other armor
users.

Due to this, Terra ends up being a nicely balanced character, leaning
more towards the magic side obviously, but a competent fighter.  This
versatility lets her adapt to different situations (as shown by her
SCC, if you've ever tried it), since she can switch equipment or
fighting style to take on most challenges in the game.  This means
she'll fit nicely into pretty much any team.  Its also nice in that it
means you can raise her to be a fighter (Vigor boosts) or Mage (Magic
Power boosts) and not end up disappointed either way.  A nice bonus is
at the end of the WoB, one of her strongest weapons, the Morning Star,
ignores back row, so she can be placed in the back row with no
penalties, to up her defenses.

How you decide to raise Terra is up to you, she ends up being fine
either way.  I personally raise her as a mage, as generally, Magic >
Physicals in FF6, but that's just me.

Getting a bit away of what Terra already has, what doesn't she have?
Well, Morph isn't exactly useful if you keep using it, making it nigh
useless for random encounters.   Again, there is that whole annoying
early game mediocrity (albeit, she's still usable there, just nothing
special) which can be annoying.  Beyond that?  The girl doesn't have
many flaws, no.  One thing that is worth noting, though, is that
besides her special ability, she's almost identical to Celes in
everyway.

What are some of Terra's "kick ass equips" you might be wondering?
Well, for starters, she can use Illumina.  That alone says a lot.  If
you don't like characters who rely on one of a kind equips that can be
given to multiple characters, the Enhancer makes a fine supplement if
you are going the Mage Route for her (hard to argue with +7 to Magic
Power and +20% M. Block for a Mage), or Atma Weapon if you are going
the Fighter Route, possibly swapping Man Eater on against certain foes.
Early on, she gets some nice armor options in things such as the Magus
Hat and White Dress (Both +5 to Magic Power), as well as elemental
weapons (good damage if hitting weakness (especially when the random
casting kicks in), can be supported by Genji Glove if desired, and
gives +2 to Magic Power)  One of the nicest aspects about Terra's
equips is how early she gets some of them.  The Mystery Veil comes to
mind.  The Mystery Veil has a magic defense values that beats EVERY
World of Ruin store-bought helmet except the Oath Veil, and it has a
defense value that is only one point behind the fabled Circlet, along
with giving a nice +3 to magic Power, +1 to Speed, and best of all,
+10% to M. Block…and she gets this as early as Thamasa too.  Pretty
nifty, if you ask me.
Among other things, she can use not only the Genji Armor like half the
cast, but the Force Armor and Minerva, the two arguably best Armors in
the game (up there with Snow Muffler).  Even better is its possible to
have the Minerva when Terra rejoins in the WoR, w/out having to ever
set foot in Kefka's Tower.

One of the nicest features about her equipment is, well, she has
everything she needs, which means she'll never need to waste a relic
slot with the Merit Award for that one piece of equipment that
complements her nicely, as she likely already has is.  That, or the
things she would want (Snow Muffler…) she can't use with Merit Award
anyway.

Yeah, its easy to see where Terra's strength lies; within her excellent
balance.  Yes, her stats beg to differ, but she's clearly what some
would call a "Fighter/Mage", leaning more to the mage side.  Having
Magic for randoms (with Osmose around in case she runs out of MP), and
a great equipment draw, she's ready for most situations.  This is
portrayed further in how she tends to excel well even under most
challenges, she's easily one of the best characters.

Strategies for Terra throughout the game:
-When you first get her, put her in the back row.  Her defense early
game isn't that impressive, and that low HP actually matters a bit
early on (late game, the difference is negligible) Since she's likely
being a healer, it'd be wise to make her fight defensively.  Besides,
with Edgar around, who needs more offense?
-Giving her the Genji Glove or Atlas Armlet (Hyper Wrist aint cutting
it, due to how Vigor works) early on can help her physical damage
somewhat, conserving her MP.  Wouldn't be a bad idea, when its
available, to give her the Rune Edge, but that wastes MP
-For the Narshe Battle sequence, Terra should defiantly equip the Silk
Robe.  The extra Magic Power, and Magic Defense is more useful than the
negligible defense edge the Iron Armor gives, and it doesn't lower your
speed to boot.  Should you not have enough Green berets, Magus Hat is
an obvious choice, should you have enough…decide whether you want more
defenses or higher damage, either works.  Note that due to the Magus
Hat's existence, Terra should be one of the last characters to consider
giving your Green Berets too (no one else has decent supplements,
besides Celes anyway (other Magus hat users))
-When Terra rejoins, start working on getting her spells ASAP.  Those
she should aim for are Cure 2 (fastest via Seraphim), Level 2's
(Fastest NET Gain is via Maduin, though, if you want just one Level 2
ASAP, Ifrit or Shiva work), and Osmose (quickest via Zoneseek)  you can
give her other spells, but these should be priorities.  As a side note,
don't bother teaching her Life; she'll learn that naturally.
-If going on random Veldt hikes for Gau, Terra's probably a good
character take so she can horde Magic Points for her Morph Gauge w/out
gaining EXP.
-Decide when Terra rejoins if you want her to be a mage or a fighter,
and then start raising her like that from then.  This is especially
true for a Fighter, as the Vigor boosts need to be substantial to make
an impact, thus she'll need plenty of levels under Bismark.
-Terra should have the White Dress on throughout most of the WoB.  The
+5 to magic Power is considerably better than any defensive options.
The Exception to this is Gaia Gear, which is arguably better for the
time you get it.
-For WoB weapons…if you have at least one of each elemental (Blizzard,
Thunder Blade, and Flame Sabre), and the Morning Star, she should be
set.  The elemental weapons should be used to hit Weakness or for the
minor magic power boost.  The Morning Star is good if you don't want to
waste relic slots with Dragoon Boots, and thus, it'll let her do
physical damage in the Back Row with no penalty, making it passable
(better if you give her a Hero Ring)
-Terra should pretty much always have the Mystery Veil on.  Its more or
less her best Helmet from when you get it on.  There are cases where
you might prefer other things (Like Red Cap for the Vigor Boost, or
Genji Helmet for the raw defenses), but typically hold onto that.
Thankfully, if you accidentally sell it, its one of the few WoB equips
that are still storebought (in the same place to boot) in the WoR.
-Minerva vs. Force Armor.  Both are arguably the best armors in the
game, and Terra can use both.  If you like to use Locke, Edgar, Cyan or
Setzer (Force Armor users who can't use the Minerva), probably best
with the Minerva, as it leaves Force Armors open for those characters
(assuming you don't have enough), though, it’s a no brainer which to
choose if you want 128% M. Block set ups (Force Armor)…unless you use
Illumina, in which case, you'd defiantly prefer the elemental
protection (128% M. Block guards most stuff, but things like Merton can
still trash you)
-For the most part, keep Terra with an Enhancer in the WoR, UNLESS you
are more or less using her strictly as a fighter.  The 20% M. Block and
+7 Magic Power is considerably better than any attack boost you might
get.  Granted, if one of those options you have at the moment is, say,
Illumina, which is superior to Enhancer in everyway…I'll let you figure
out what the wise idea is…

Terra's Ultimate and other Noteworthy equipment
Weapons (listed in no particular order):
Illumina
Atma Weapon (if you go the physical route only)
Enhancer
Ragnarok (useful if you…uhh…steal it from Girl for the final battle?
maybe?)

Helmets:
Genji Helmet
Mystery Veil
Oath Veil
Red Cap
Circlet

Armor:
Minerva
Genji Armor
Force Armor

Ideal End game Set Ups for Terra:

Set Up #1:
Illumina
Aegis Shield
Mystery Veil
Minerva
White Cape
White Cape

Comments: Potent "Fighter Terra" Set Up.  Illumina's Auto Criticals
means you won't be needing that Offering, and the Minerva lets you give
that elusive Paladin Shield to someone else as she's decked out with
enough elemental defenses as is.  The 128% M. Block makes her nigh
invincible too.  The nice thing about this set up is not only is she a
great fighter, but due to Illumina, Mystery Veil and Minerva's stat
boosts, it raises her Magic Power tremendously, letting her double as
an effective mage as well.  Aegis Shield used here instead of Force
Shield since it opens up set ups for other characters easier.  If you
want, swap Force Shield for Aegis Shield, and you can trade in one of
those White Capes for something like an Atlas Armlet to increase your
damage (Don't use Offering, as Auto Criticals from Illumina make its
damage the same, and the random Pearl Castings make its average Damage
considerably better WITHOUT it), or better yet, a Hero Ring, so she can
raise her Magic Power too.  Nice addition is her physical damage
doesn't take any penalties in the back row. Problems with this set up?
Giving Illumina to Terra means no one else can use it :/

Set Up #2:
Enhancer
Force Shield
Mystery Veil
Force Armor
White Cape
White Cape

If you never plan on using Terra's physical attack, I suggest this set
up over the above.  While inferior, yes, its less costly for the
overall team (since you're not using Illumina, is the main reason).
This set up makes her quite a magic tank, and she still resists lots of
elements, unfortunately, aren't immune to any either.  Still has that
nice 128% M. Block too, and her magic damage is still quite nice.
Probably the ideal set up for her if you plan on using Celes, Locke or
Edgar (or maybe a Merit Award user), since it doesn't hurt them all
that much (still enough Force Armors to go around, and she's not
stealing that Illumina)

Set Up #3:
Illumina
Aegis Shield
Mystery Veil
Force Armor
Gem Box

Yes, I'm missing a relic slot, but that's cause you could fill anything
in that slot, it shouldn't matter.  Yet another 128% M. Block Set Up
for Terra, this one is very restrictive though, as it uses not only
Illumina, BUT ALSO the Gem Box.  This set up is basically the all out
Magic Blitz Set Up for Terra, as she's dodging everything with 128% M.
Block, while nuking everything with X-magic.  Funny fact is despite
this being her "Magic Nukage Set Up", she ends up being an Excellent
Fighter still, blame the overall brokenness of Illumina.

Note that for ANY of these set ups, if you ditch just 10% M. Block
somewhere, Terra will have 127% M. Block…just missing our perfect 128%.
If you feel that 1% away from perfect is good enough for you (and all
likely hood, unless playing an LLG, it is), then be my guest.  I
personally would recommend removing 10% either in the Relics (so you
can keep her options open), OR in the Shield (replace Force with Aegis
(or Paladin, but I prefer to avoid that unless its being used for non
M. Block reasons, since there is only one), or Aegis with Tortoise
Shield), since the Good M. Block Shields (the 40% and 50% Ones) are in
limited quantity, so it'd help economize, per se.  Your call.  These
set ups, as a reminder, are just guides, you can twist them however you
want.
Note that this applies to ANY character.  Should you not care about
missing a few points, best to take it off either from the Shield or the
Relic.

Miscellaneous stuff regarding Terra:
-Terra is one of the easiest characters to get in the WoR.  Personally,
I suggest getting her as one of your first characters, as only Gau,
really, is easier to get.  Its not like Phunbaba is a hard fight, or
requires an painstakingly long dungeon to reach him
-Terra learns Drain naturally, and at a low level to boot.  Wouldn't
bring this up if Drain wasn't taught by only ONE Esper (Ifrit), and it
wasn't at a x1 Rate.
-Rods, despite ignoring defense, do NOT ignore Morph.  Think about what
this would do to the likes of Flame Eater or Ultros who both have
costly elemental weaknesses
-Terra is one of four characters who can get 999 MP at level 99 only
using 3 levels of Crusader, assuming you use Crusader at the right
time, keep that in mind for those who must have characters with
straight 9s at level 99 for whatever reason
-Terra can be Morphed AND Imped at the same time.  Basically, have
Terra Morph, then Imp her.  Handy if you want the Ultimate Dragoon for
Boss Fights, for whatever reason (if you want to take it a step
further, give her Hero Ring/Atlas Armlet instead of Dragoon Boots
(Dragon Horn goes w/out saying), and have someone summon Palidor, then
watch the damage fly!)
-Unlimited Morph!  Yeah, a somewhat known "bug" now a days, but thought
I'd bring it up.  Basically, have Terra use Morph.  When her Morph
Gauge is near empty, quickly cast Stop or Sleep on her (Freeze also
works, but that's kind of hard to apply)  When the gauge runs out, if
she's still under one of those status', she will remain morphed when
the status wears off (if you are impatient, when the gauge wears off,
Cast Dispel or Remedy, or smack her, or whatever undoes the status),
but her ATB Gauge will be normal!  She will thus remain Morphed the
entire fight unless she dies.  Useful?  Not really, as FF6 boss fights
are fast anyway, but fun to mess around with, maybe.
-Morph + Quick Loop.  Another novelty strategy.  Basically, this
combines the "Terra doesn't lose a turn when Morphing" with the cheese
that is the Quick Spell.  Have Terra open by casting Quick.  Use her
first turn normally.  2nd turn, have her Morph.  The game will register
this as a turn used under Quick, so the Quick status is gone, HOWEVER,
the game will also register this as the Morph Turn, so Terra gets that
instantaneous turn right after, thus she gets ANOTHER Turn, one that
since its not under Quick, lets her cast Quick again!  Have her cast
Quick, do the same, only swapping Morph with Revert, and the same thing
will occur.  You can repeat this as many times as you want, more or
less, until Terra runs out of Morph "juice"  Who'd have thunk that
Squaresoft implemented a lesser version Blue's evil Overdrive + Stasis
Rune combo from SaGa Frontier long before that game came out <_<
-Terra is one of the only characters who can max out her Magic Defense!
To do so, she needs the Force Shield, 2 White Capes, Imp Armor and
Titanium.  All those things on, she'll hit maximum Magic Defense!
Granted, the flaw of this set up is that she'll die to a sneeze, but
still fun to note nonetheless (and potentially useful in the fanatics
tower…maybe?)  Only two other characters (Mog and Gau) can pull this
off.

Skillset:
While Terra has no unique set of commands, she does gain magic
naturally, via Levels.  The spells she gains look as follows:
Lv 1: Cure
Lv 3: Fire
Lv 6: Antdot
Lv 12: Drain
Lv 18: Life
Lv 22: Fire 2
Lv 26: Warp
Lv 33: Cure 2
Lv 37: Dispel
Lv 43: Fire 3
Lv 49: Life 2
Lv 57: Pearl
Lv 68: Break
Lv 75: Quartr
Lv 86: Merton
Lv 99: Ultima

Ending thought:
Its easy to see that Terra has many options by the end of the game.
Terra generally starts off slow, picks up somewhat later, and as the
game goes on, she gets better and better.  This, combined with no real
flaws beyond being somewhat lackluster early game make her an
outstanding character, one defiantly worthy of being Top Tier, if not
the games best character.  Once you start having full range of choices
in your team (in Terra's case, this would be at the Floating Continent,
seeing as she's forced into your team for the Sealed Cave.  Imperial
Banquet fails to count for anything <_<), she's always a prime option
to consider.

 =======
| LOCKE |
 =======

Stats:
Extra HP: 48
Extra MP: 7
Vigor: 37
Speed: 40
Stamina: 31
Magic Power: 28
Battle Power: 14
Defense: 46
Evade: 15%
Magic Defense: 23
M. Block: 2%
Level Readjustment: +2
Special Ability: Steal/Capture
Effects:  Steals an item from the opponent.  Chance of success is based
on Locke's current level compared to the level of the monster he's
stealing from.  Chance of success is doubled with Sneak Ring on.  With
Thief Glove on, Steal becomes Capture, which works exactly like the
"Fight" command as if it had an "Add: Steal" attribute to it.  Capture
ignores replacement effects (like Wing Edge's "X-death" ability), but
not addition affects (Blizzard's random Ice spells.)

Character Analysis:
You can probably tell right off the bat, based on Locke's stats, that
he's a fighter.  And truth be told, you are correct.  Sporting Magic
Power tied for third worst with Sabin, and a nice selection of Weapons,
Locke's main suit is melee combat.  Well, fine, its not always melee,
as sometimes he's hiding in the back row throwing boomerangs at people,
which is more long range than melee, but that's besides the point.
However, there is no doubt that Locke does get overrated by a lot of
his fans.  One of the most common things they say about him is
something along the lines of "Offering + Genji Glove + Valiant Knife +
Atma Weapon = 9999 x 8!"  This is true, yes…at level 99 with nearly
maxed out Vigor, and in front row, assuming max HP so the Atma Weapon
doesn't do low damage.  Clearly, that's not saying much, as all this
means is Locke has best damage potential, but only at the point where
things don't matter anymore, since anyone can dish out massive damage
without breaking a sweat.  Don't get me wrong, Locke isn't a bad
character, but he's far from the best like some people might try and
claim.

One thing often raved about by Locke is his "amazing speed!"  Yes, that
speed is the best of any character in the game, and yes, he has the
most speed boosting equips to complement this…but that's where it ends.
On paper, that sounds great, but in practice, due to how FF6's ATB
works, all this means is Locke might lap your OWN characters
occasionally (not the enemies, which matter), as well as getting the
first turn faster (matters only for running, all things considered)
Some people might go as far as to say "Locke gets 2 turns when everyone
else gets one, so he has double his damage!" which is a flat out lie,
unless your purposely giving Locke some "Free Time" by using Long
Animations attacks with the other characters, and Locke is using short
animation.  Yeah, while having game best speed sounds great on paper,
in a game like FF6, it means very little.  Anybody whose actually
played FF6, and wasn't obsessed with Locke will notice high speed means
(conversely, Low Speed isn't noticeable too, making people like Cyan
happy)

When Locke first joins, lets be blunt, he sucks.  He has nothing going
for him besides decent weapons (Guardian and Air Lancet, for example),
but that's about it.  His damage isn't too good, being far behind
Edgar's Tools, and he doesn't have any other special features, like how
Terra can be used for healing.  Locke does have stealing, to be fair,
which is good for money making, or getting some early items (like
Bandana's from Brawlers)  After a certain point, for Locke to show ANY
use in battle, he will basically require the Genji Glove (which to be
fair, fits him the best, as he has the strongest weapons, generally,
and other characters can do damage through other means), and possibly
the Atlas Armlet, for his damage to keep up with the others.  At first
this sounds like not such a bad idea…keep in mind it does force him,
until the Narshe Battle sequence, to go in the Front Row to take full
advantage of his damage, and the loss of the shield does kind of make
things difficult for defense. After that fight, he gets some Long Range
weapons, which help, yes, but not long after that is the Magitek
Factory where enemies have defense values up the wazoo, forcing Locke
to be a mage if you want him to be worth anything (and since he's
forced into your team, that's likely not a bad idea)

Locke's equipment is fairly averages at first, and decent in the WoR.
Yes, he gets Long Range weapons, but…he gets them at the point of the
game when basic physicals are at their worst.  His Armor options aren't
bad, but they aren't special either.  Clothing class in the WoB does
have nice things like Ninja Gear, Power Sash, and Gaia Gear, but none
of them are all that particularly special (and in the case of Gaia
Gear, 10 of the 12 characters can use it anyway, so its more so a
disadvantage to those who can't use it then an advantage to those who
can)  Helmet options like most non Females is pretty average-ish, only
thing that stands out is the Head Band, which is more an on paper thing
than anything else.  He also gets Hawkeyes nearing the end of the WoB,
good as most enemies fly on the Floating Continent…at least, you'd
expect them to be good.  Truth be told, he still needs Genji Glove for
the average damage to catch up, and even then, he's still lower end.
In fact, sadly, Relm's physical actually keeps up with Locke's on the
FC (just as many enemies weak to Fire, Ice and Lightning as there are
floating enemies), on average, due to her random level 2 castings (this
is to say nothing of her just outright casting a level 2)

WoR…Locke gets some nice equipment options.  His main selling point,
the Valiant Knife, he even brings with him!  This weapon ignores
defense and gains damage as he loses HP.  This makes a nice choice for
the offering as the bonus damage (from the HP loss) ignores the
Offering's Damage penalty, making his damage quite solid.  He also is
one of the few Force Armor users, so he can tweak his M. Block to
decent levels.  Not to mention he can use Illumina too.  However,
there's only one Illumina, and four users, and generally, the other
three tend to be more effective overall, for other reasons.

All in all, Locke is an alright character come end game, but he's
nothing particularly special ever.  His WoB lagging is something that's
hard to ignore, since he truly lacks anything that makes him worthwhile
there.

As far as his special goes.  Steal sounds great, yes.  Getting
equipment early can't be a bad thing, right?  This would be true if for
the most part, there were actual things worth stealing.  There are a
few nice things, but for the most part, the stuff you steal you will
either be getting soon enough anyway, is a minor factor, or just flat
out isn't worth bothering over.  Steal does have the nice commodity of
being a means of fattening your wallet though, especially in the WoB
when the Veldt is not available.  So what of Capture?  To be blunt,
that's a DOWNGRADE to Steal.  Yes, Damage + Steal sounds good at
first…but consider that when you are stealing something, you want the
enemies to live as long as possible, and not worry about killing them.
Capture kind of defeats that purpose.

Capture does have a use, to be fair.  In the WoB, paired with the Atma
Weapon, Locke effectively gains a 255 Powered weapon with no flaws that
ignores row, added aspect of stealing.  Makes for some passable damage
for parts of the WoB, I guess.  Hardly a saving grace though.

As far as a mage goes…you could use Locke as one, if you please, as he
could make up for his low Magic Power by equipping Genji Armor (+3 to
magic Power), Illumina (+7), and Circlet (+4), but…then again, lots of
characters can do similar things, and end up better anyway.  Chances
are, if you are using Locke, you are using him for his physical
prowess, not for magic, even though for a brief moment (the Magitek
Factory, is one example), Magic might be his best means of offense.

Strategies for Locke throughout the game:
-When Locke first joins, try to steal as much as possible.  Getting
Tonics early on for free can save a bit of money, as well as an
occasional antidote.
-Speaking about first joining, when you fight Marshall, don't kill him
til you get that Mithril Knife.  You might die a few times, but
remember, dying there =/= game over, just forces you to restart.  Just
keep trying til you succeed, THEN kill him.  Mithril Knife is better
than what Locke already has, and besides, its extra money, right?
-When Edgar joins, give Locke his Mithril Blade.  Edgar has no use for
such a weapon, and Locke likes the extra attack.  Besides, saves money
from having to buy one for him in South Figaro anyway, and its his
strongest weapon until Mt. Koltz anyway.
-Grab the Hyper Wrist in South Figaro, and the Atlas Armlet on Mt.
Koltz, and give both to Locke.  This makes his damage somewhat
passable, though, note that this set up has the flaw of harming Edgar's
damage from Auto Crossbow too, should you think that needs a boost.
-Whether you get the Genji Glove or Gauntlet is up to (though, take my
word for it, you'd be foolish to choose the Gauntlet), either way, it
should go to Locke.  One of those with an Atlas Armlet makes his damage
good enough to kill off a Trooper in the Narshe Battle Sequence in one
hit!
-Steal from TunnelArmr to get a 2nd Air Lancet early on, at least
7/8ths of the time.  This helps make Locke's damage a bit better (Air
Lancet isn't too much stronger than Guardian, but still helps) for
early parts, if you are using Genji Glove.  Mind, if you got Gauntlet,
I would forget about the 2nd Air Lancent unless you plan on selling it
for a bit of extra cash.
-Locke should always be using Full Moon, or when its available,
Boomerang and stay in the back row, throughout the mid sections of the
WoB.  The Little damage boost from the Elemental weapons won't be worth
back row compatibility, unless of course you are hitting a weakness,
which makes using those weapons a no-brainer of course (for example,
Thunder Blade against enemies in the Magitek Factory)  That is of
course until…
-Locke has access to Hawk Eyes.  Without a doubt, this weapon is
Locke's best weapon in the WoB.  Highest attack power (besides Atma
Weapon, which has issues), random ability to do 1.5x damage to enemies
50% of the time, 3x if enemy is flying, and is back row compatible to
boot.  If you are using Locke in the WoB, it should be obvious to equip
two of these on Locke, back them up with an Atlas Armlet, and leave him
in the Back Row.  It’s the only way his damage is going to be worth
anything, really.
-Alternatively, if you want damage that's more consistent (though,
worse on average), equip Thief Glove, and give Locke the Atma Weapon,
and use Capture.  Capture will ignore the Atma Weapon's extra level and
HP factors into the damage, (downside is it no longer is defense
ignoring albeit) for turning it effectively into a 255 Powered Back Row
compatible weapon.  The stealing aspect is icing.  If you wish, throw a
Genji Glove on with a Hawk Eye for more damage, or use Atlas Armlet if
you prefer to keep that Shield on.
-Despite how it might look on paper, the Power Sash is probably not
worth equipping for the FC.  Stay with the Gaia Gear.  Sure, that loss
of 5 Vigor seems bad, but the extra Magic Defense (defense increase Is
negligible), and Earth absorption at that point of the game probably
better investments.
-When Locke rejoins in the WoR, he should always have either Valiant
Knife, or Wing Edge on (or Illumina, if you feel like giving it to him)
Those two weapons are easily his best weapons in the WoR.  Valiant
Knife is his best for raw damage, Wing Edge is just solid for being
Back Row compatible, boosting stats, and the random instant death.
-Locke can use the Force Armor.  I highly suggest you take advantage of
this.  Its arguably the best armor in the game, and only 6 characters
can use it.  Remember, there are several suits around, and 2 of the
characters who use Force Armor have another viable option open, so one
being around for Locke shouldn't be that big an issue.
-If you are using Locke in the WoR, then I have one word to say:
Offering.  Were it not for this one relic, Locke would be very hard
pressed to find use outside being another character who wields Illumina
(Something, again, three other characters who are likely to see more
use can do anyway), which even that wouldn't be enough to save him.
This weapon helps augment the one aspect Locke had going for him; his
good draw of weapons.  This will double Locke's damage with the Fight
command, and if using Valiant Knife, QUADRUPLE the damage bonus from HP
Loss.  It should be pointed out, though, that if Locke is using the
Offering, other characters who benefit greatly from it (like Setzer,
for example) can't use it.  Keep this in mind when making teams
(especially in places like Kefka's tower)

Locke's Ultimate and other Noteworthy Equips:
Weapons:
Valiant Knife
Illumina
Wing Edge
Atma Weapon

Helmet:
Red Cap
Genji Helm
Bard's Hat
Circlet

Armor:
Force Armor
Genji Armor

Ideal Set ups for Locke:

Set Up #1:
Valiant Knife
Genji Shield
Red Cap
Genji Armor
Offering
Atlas Armlet

An ideal physical offense set up for Locke.  Genji Shield and Genji
Armor help make up for the defense loss that Locke will be taking from
using the front row in this set up.  Offering and Atlas Armlet work
nicely together, as its basically a 2.5x damage increase overall.  Red
Cap works oddly nice with the Valiant Knife, as it means since your Max
HP is higher, you have more HP to lose, thus that much more to be added
to your damage, to say nothing of how the Red Cap and Genji Armor give
a net bonus of +9 Vigor.

Set Up #2:
Illumina
Aegis Shield
Bard's Hat
Force Armor
Any two Relics of your choice (I advise AGAINST using the Offering)

This is a standard 128% M. Block Set Up for Locke.  Should you wish to
give him one, you MUST give him Illumina, unfortunately.  I suggest
this one as it leaves those nice Force Shields open for those who don't
have Illumina around for their M. Block set ups, and doesn't really
hinder Locke in anyway.  Illumina smackings should suffice for damage,
if you are afraid Locke's magic damage won't be particularly special,
even with the +7 to Magic Power.

Set Up #3:
Wing Edge
Genji Shield
Red Cap
Mirage Vest
Sneak Ring
Running Shoes

I know you are probably wondering what the heck is up with this set up?
Well, this one is the best possible Set Up Locke can use for speed
(Note you can swap Wing Edge with Illumina, if you desire), should you
want to make Locke an unholy speedster.  This set up has uses of
probably being ideal for saving time in stealing, as it means Locke
gets his turns faster, and with the Sneak Ring around, he's still
getting the nice double steal odds bonus.  Generally, not a very good
set up, but I know there are SOME people who love speed more than
anything else (Why?  Who knows, maybe they think this something like
FF10, where speed mattered >.>), so this is here for all those
speedster fans.

Miscellaneous stuff regarding Locke:
-Offering + Thief Glove…the never ending myth.  Sadly, while this combo
seems excellent on paper…its not as good as it seems.  IIRC, there is a
bug where once you steal, the game will claim you steal that same
object several times in a row, regardless of target, even though you
only steal it once.  Also, I seem to recall that the game doesn't make
the check to steal 4x…its actually only once, and the game just
reiterates the steal message multiple times.  Not certain on this, but
basically, this combo isn't worth it at all.  Better off just sticking
to Sneak Rings for raising steal odds.
-The never ending dungeon of doom!  Well, ok, not really, but Locke is
quite possibly the hardest and most annoying character to get in the
WoR.  He has easily the longest dungeon of any character (Phoenix
Cave), and said dungeon has annoying enemies too, and requires two
parties (though, one party, to be fair, could just be Mog solo w/ a
Moogle Charm).  Granted…
-Locke is needed to get Ultima and/or Illumina, unless you like wasting
time getting Terra to level 99 (at which point, its useless)  Both
Ragnarok AND the Paladin Shield require Locke to obtain.  This is
probably the best reason to get him, as both are quite nasty equips
(Illumina more so since you can get it far easier)
-Sneak Rings DO NOT STACK.  Well, ok, the speed boosts do, but not the
Steal aspect.  Thought I should throw this out, as its an often enough
asked question.  So don't bother equipping a 2nd Sneak Ring unless you
like another +5 to speed or something.
-Locke can hit 9999 x 8!  However, this requires him to be at level 99,
with stupidly high Vigor, more or less, using Atma Weapon and Valiant
Knife.  Yes, this is the best damage potential in the game, no, it
serves no purpose whatsoever, beyond being something random to throw
out.

Skillset: </pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
Locke doesn't have any real skillset, per se.  His Special ability,
Steal, is a single command that's already explained earlier.  Capture
simply replaces Steal, should the Thief Glove be equipped.

Final Thoughts:  Locke in the end isn't a particularly stellar
character, but he can be tweaked to being decent.  He's never really
that good with Magic, given his low Magic Score, and lack of equips
outside of Illumina to compensate for this, and it really does take
time for his unique weapons to actually show anything (first one that
stands out are the Hawk Eyes) He picks up in the WoR, thankfully,
coming with the Valiant Knife, and the existence of the Offering now
around, as well as being able to use Illumina and Force Armor, though,
even Offering + Valiant Knife isn't all its cracked up to be, and other
characters can use that fine sword and nice flashy Armor.  If you like
Locke, continue to use him, though, just know there are usually better
options around.

 =====
| MOG |
 =====

Stats:
Extra HP: 39
Extra MP: 16
Vigor: 29
Speed: 36
Stamina: 26
Magic Power: 35
Battle Power: 16
Defense: 52
Evade: 10%
Magic Defense: 36
M. Block: 12%
Level Readjustment: +5
Special ability: Dance
Effects: Adds "Dance" status to Mog.  Under Dance status, Mog can use
one of four attacks, what attacks vary on each dance.  All Dances have
frequencies spread out between 7/16 for first attack, 6/16 for second,
2/16 for the third, and 1/16 for the rarest.  Dances have a 50% chance
of success upon initial attempt, and once successful, the dance will
never fail again unless Mog dies and then uses a different dance (The
Terrain changes when Mog uses a "Dance" successfully), UNLESS on Home
Terrain, in which case, said dance never fails.  Dances are obtained by
finishing battles on new terrain with Mog in your party (yes, he can be
dead)  All Dances are considered magical.

Character Analysis:
I'll be blunt with Mog; Square clearly wanted a character with no rhyme
or reason, and had arbitrary uses based on the time, and would go
against whatever his stats would claim.  Yes, his stats for the most
part are Mage Like, having above average Magic, game best Magic
Defense, and bad physical stats…except defense where he ranks 2nd only
to Sabin (nixing Umaro since he's special)  However, look at his
equipment when her first joins, as far as what is available to him:
Gold Class equips, Spears, low level mage equips Terra and Celes can
use (Silk Robe and Magus Hat)…the guy makes very little sense, to be
blunt.  Mog is clearly a character who you basically have to DISCOVER
what his use is.  For this reason alone, people will often discount him
for one reason or another, thinking he's bad.  However, with some
knowledge, Mog can be made into quite a force.

When Mog first joins, his best defining feature is clearly his starting
5 levels above everyone else.  This is a blessing and a curse.  This
means Mog starts off with a huge HP advantage, and his damage will
likely be inflated due to it, however, it also means less Esper time
for him (and anybody who joins after him, since now his +5 to levels is
factored into the average), for those who are sticklers about leveling
up with Espers.

Mog when he first joins has one general use: Dances.  Lets be frank.
Dances kick ass in the WoB.  High MT damage, terrains tend to be in his
favor (Wind Song for the IAF sequence, an area where full Free MT
Healing would be nice, as well as a Wind Attack that hits BOTH sides,
in an area where enemies are weak to Wind…and both moves are common to
boot), passable ST damage…dances come in with a bang, make no mistake.
Later on, in the WoR, they die off, yes, but WoB, they are excellent,
their only flaw being unreliable.  Mog's equipment is pretty good then
too.  Spears aren't bad on power, AND they can be paired with Dragoon
Boots for double damage (other weapons only get 1.5x damage), AND it
makes them ignore row…IOWs, Mog suddenly becomes a decent fighter, as
well as a good Pseudo Mage.  Magic stat isn't too shabby either, and
can be boosted to a degree, if you wish, so he makes a fine back up
mage.  Oddly enough, he'll have game best defense here, despite lacking
a certain armor to be named later.  This is what happens when you shove
the Gold Shield (best shield at the time) on someone with 2nd best
defense score.  Yes, Mog can have better defense than the likes of
Edgar, scary, I know, even if the amount is negligible.  More over, he
can use Gaia Gear at the same time, letting him reap the benefits of
that fine armor.  Though, for the most part, if you are using Mog, you
are using him for his dances…he just brings a bunch of other random fun
stuff with him, in the WoB anyway.

While in the WoB, he's quite the offensive Power House, murdering
entire battle fields with ease, and doing good damage on bosses…he's
pretty much the exact opposite in the WoR.  His damage takes a drop,
though it can be tweaked to be good with Dragon Horn + Dragoon Boots,
paired with a decent spear.  On the flipside, Mog as a mage…is fairly
average-ish.  He still has good base magic power, but less time for
Esper boosts can hurt.  Basically, Mog goes from a good Mage character
who is a fine choice cause of his raw offense to a Physical Fighter who
is a fine choice because of his raw defense score.  This is likely the
most drastic change for ANY character in FF6, and the funny thing is,
he does BOTH jobs fairly well.

There is an annoying feature to Mog though.  In the WoR, should you not
bother taking the time to pick up the Snow Muffler (the armor that
makes his defense obscene), Mog's defense will suck.  Mog's next best
armor is…the Diamond Vest…yes, that wimpy universal store bought PoS in
Nikeah.  Without that, Mog drops from a rather solid character to…well,
a fairly bad one.  So if you are using Mog late game, be sure to get
the Snow Muffler first, then use him to your hearts delight.

Either that, or you're using him for another feature: the Moogle Charm.
This is easily what people associate Mog with the most, and lots of
people will claim its his only reason to exist.  Moogle Charm, for
those who don't know, lets you TOTALLY avoid random encounters, and is
something only Mog can equip; nifty for doing things like, say, raiding
the Fanatics Tower early on.

So in the end, if you plan on using Mog, make sure you know how to use
him.  Lots of people will think Mog is all dances, and discount his use
entirely, when in fact, its not so much Mog sucks cause Dances suck now
(they really are unimpressive in the WoR), more so his use has taken a
complete 180, going from an offensive powerhouse to one who relies on
tanking, per se.

Strategies for Mog throughout the game:
-When you first get Mog, in the save Terra sequence, De-equip him.
This way, you can get an early Mithril Shield, and Mithril Pike.  Note
that Mog comes back with this anyway when he rejoins later.
-You should always grab Mog instead of the Gold Hairpin.  Yes, halving
MP costs sounds nice, but consider it takes up a whole relic slot, and
that you can't grab Water Rondo, and Mog loses even MORE Esper levels
than before (when he joins in the WoR, his Level readjustment won't
factor in if you got him early on) if you grab him late.  That, and Mog
is actually a decent character here to boot.
-Shove Mog in the Back Row, and give him Dragoon Boots.  That relic
should be somewhat a staple on Mog.  Early on, Hero Ring is likely the
best option (boosts Jump's damage, AND his dance's damage), later,
better off with Dragon Horn, so his optimal damage (Jump) increases.
-NEVER give Mog the Genji Glove.  Dragoon Boots will result in the same
thing, and doesn't sacrifice a shield.
-Likewise, forget that Mog can use the Gradeus.  Yes, stronger than the
Pearl Lance, but when used with Jump, Pearl Lance does more since it’s
a spear (higher damage boost compared to daggers), AND gets those
random Pearl Castings in.  The +3 to Magic Power can't hurt either
-When you first get Mog in the WoB, I suggest taking a quick dance hike
to grab all the dances you can get (all but Snowman Jazz are available)
ESPECIALLY Water Rondo, as the area coming up (the Sealed Cave)…to be
blunt, its not very fond of that dance, lets put it that way :P
(though, Mog does have 50% chance of failure, being not the home dance)
-For the Sealed Cave, Mog's best option is likely Water Rondo.
Unreliable, yes, but when he hits with El Nino, he hits HARD.  Though,
Dusk Requiem isn't bad if you are fighting nothing but Zombones (Since
the only thing they are immune to is Poison Frog, the rarest of Dusk
Requiem's dances)
-IAF Sequence, Wind Song hands down.  Provides not only consistant
Healing, but Wind Slash can kill those fights in one casting
(Earrings/Hero Rings can help insure this further) Plasma, while rare
and no favorable, WILL kill whatever it hits, and works nicely on Air
Force to boot.  Cockatrice…too rare to consider, be it positive or
negative.  Most evil part is, this dance is the home dance too, so no
real flaws into using it.
-Floating Continent, Earth Blues all the way.  This dance is just
brutal, in general, and it’s the home dance too, should be quite
obvious as far as why to use it (it does have a flaw in that if Mog
uses Sonic Boom on an enemy immune to Instant Death, it’s a wasted
turn, but thems the breaks)
-Be sure to get the Snow Muffler before you are serious about using Mog
in the WoR.
-Mog is one of the few characters, late game, you should consider
raising his defense as high as possible, instead of M. Block.  This is
cause Mog's Defense is high enough that it can potentially max, where
he takes 1 damage from physicals in the Front Row (0 in the Back Row)
Meanwhile, Mog's M. Block, despite being 2nd best, doesn't have much in
equips to raise it.

Mog's Ultimate and Noteworthy equips:
Weapons:
Pearl Lance
Aura Lance

Helmets:
Genji Helm
Bard's Hat
Circlet
Red Cap

Armor:
Snow Muffler

Ideal End game Set ups for Mog:

Set Up #1:
Pearl Lance
Paladin Shield
Red Cap
Snow Muffler
Dragon Horn
Dragoon Boots

This Set up should be quite obvious.  It makes Mog really hard to kill,
all things considered.  Yeah, I know, requires using the Paladin Shield
on him, but I listed it here since it fits him so nicely.  Snow Muffler
gives him Maxed out Defense potentials, so he's got physical immunity,
Paladin Shield covers most of the Magic damage with giving +40% M.
Block, high magic defense, and makes Mog immune to every element in the
game.  Red Cap fits nicely with this "Tank" set up, boosting ANOTHER
defensive Stat (HP), along with giving him a boost to Vigor to
complement the Dragoon Set up here.  More or less, Mog won't be able to
be hit since he'll often be airborne with this set up.  When he is not
airborne, enemies will have a hell of a time hurting him.

Note: IN general, I'll avoid Paladin Shield set ups, UNLESS they have
some actual strategic use, like this one here (covers Mog's lesser
defenses, making him even better at what he does best: hits)

Miscellaneous Info about Character:
-Mog is required for getting Umaro.  This means that if you want
everything, you must use Mog at least at some point regardless
-Moogle Charm only works for one party, as a reminder.  Mind, it helps
turn things like Phoenix Cave into a one party area, effectively, since
only one party is fighting, while Mog runs right through
-When Mog uses a dance, you lose control of him completely, unless he
dies.  Keep this in mind before using Dance with Mog.
-Like Terra (and Gau), Mog can also get maxed out Magic Defense.
Similarly, this has no actual use beyond novelty, given how much it
murders your defense (and since the set up requires White Capes, being
an Imp is out of the question)  Requires the same equipment as Terra to
pull this off.

Skillset:
Below are a list of Mog's dances, how to get them, and what they
contain. (note that abilities are being listed in order of Frequency)
Note that since this isn't an algorithm FAQ, I'm giving a
generalization of abilities only (same goes for any other character
from here on in)

Wind Song
Home Terrain: Plains, Coliseum, the Veldt, and Sky (such as fights on
the Airship)
Abilities:
Wind Slash: Wind damage to all.
Sun Bath: Heals party's HP
Plasma: Lightning elemental damage to one
Cockatrie: Inflicts Stone status on target.  Note the game says it does
damage, however, the move misses entirely if enemy is immune to Stone
status, so that factor is moot.

Evaluation of Dance:  Fairly solid.  Wind Slash is good MT damage, and
Sun bath is effectively full healing.  Cockatrie is a bit mehish,
though, it’s the rarest attack of the dance, thankfully.  Plasma isn't
particularly special, but doesn't hurt either.

Forest Suite
Home Terrain: Forests
Abilities:
Rage: Non Elemental damage to all
Harvester: Recovers party from most negative status ailments
Elf Fire: Fire Damage to one
Wombat: Non elemental damage to one

Comments: Probably the worst dance in the game.  Harvest being a
frequent attack really screws the dance's potential, and it has no real
tricks, beside Wombat which is oddly Mog's strongest damage dance…pity
its also the rarest.

Desert Aria:
Home Terrain: Deserts
Abilities:
Sand Storm: Wind Elemental damage to all
Antlion: Instant Death to one
Wind Slash: Wind Elemental damage to all
Kitty: Grants Haste status to the whole party

Comments: Pure novelty dance.  Not particularly useful, but not scrubby
either.  Main problem is there's no real use for a Desert Dance, in
general (if it had some good skills, that'd be one thing, but…it
doesn't)

Love Sonata:
Home Terrain: Towns and Indoors
Abilities:
Elf Fire: Fire damage to one
Specter: Confuses single target
Snare: Instant Death to one
Tapir: Recovers party from status

Comments: Nifty for the confusion, and chance of instant death, though
quite lacking on damage.  Not much home terrain to take advantage of
this, the places that do its not worth it (Zozo, those few fights in
the Banquet sequence, among other things)

Earth Blues:
Home Terrain: Mountains, and the Floating Continent
Abilities:
Land Slide: Non Elemental damage to one
Sonic Boom: Reduces target's HP by 62.5%
Sun Bath: Heals the party's HP
Whump: Non elemental damage to one

Comments: Nice dance.  Great when you consider the Floating Continent
is its home terrain as well.  Land Slide does some nasty damage (its an
improved Flare, more or less), Sonic Boom is some Gravity damage, and
it has some healing, even if unreliable.  Whump is kind of just there,
though.

Water Rondo:
Home Terrain: Lete River, and Serpent Trench
Abilities:
El Nino: Water elemental damage to all
Plasma: Lightning Damage to one
Specter: Confuses enemy
Wild Bear: Heals party's HP and from most negative status effects

Comments: This dance, frankly, kicks ass, pity the home terrain appears
almost never.  El Nino is quite nasty when you first get it, and Plasma
isn't half bad.  Wild Bear, while rare, is probably the best single
healing ability in the game, having no flaws in and of itself, while
healing ludicrously high amounts along with status.  Specter is mostly
novelty, but isn't bad.

Dusk Requiem:
Home Terrain: Caves
Abilities:
Cave In: Reduces Target's HP by 75%, adds Seizure Status
Snare: Instant Death to one enemy
Elf Fire: Fire damage to one
Poison Frog: Poison Damage to one

Comments: Pretty average, this damage isn't much on raw damage, albeit,
since the only damage attacks are rare.  This dance has a few terrain
areas, but thing is, the enemies there always seem to be geared against
it (high magic defense w/ instant death immunity, fire/poison
absorption, etc.)

Snowman Jazz:
Home Terrain: Snowy Hills behind Narshe
Abilities:
Snowball: Reduces enemy's HP by 50%
Surge: Ice damage to all
Snare: Instant Death to one
Ice Rabbit: Heals party's HP

Comments: Pretty sad, considering how late you get it.  Only one area
is its home terrain, and the only thing worth fighting there (Ice
Dragon)…is immune to all its tricks.  Nothing really worth noting about
this dance at all.

Final Thoughts: Mog is a solid character, all things considered; he
just takes some knowing how to make use of him.  He's also the most
randomly thought out character in the game, as there's no rhyme or
reason for anything what he does (his equipment scheme is the most
inconsistent thing in the game) Granted, its that feature that makes
Mog fun.  He's a decent investment, though, as a reminder, late game,
he really needs that Snow Muffler to see any use.

 =======
| Edgar |
 =======

Stats:
Extra HP: 49
Extra MP: 6
Vigor: 39
Speed: 30
Stamina: 34
Magic Power: 29
Battle Power: 20
Defense: 50
Evade: 4%
Magic Defense: 22
M. Block: 1%
Level Readjustment: +2
Special ability: Tools
Effects: Selects a Tool from a list of ones that are in your current
Inventory.  Only one Tool of that type is needed to use the attack.
Tools can be used indefinably, with absolutely no penalties.

Character Analysis:
Edgar is probably the first character who joins who you will say "Man,
does this guy kick ass" or something along those lines.  Frankly, when
he first joins, he does.  Best damage dealer, which is also Multi
Target, AND it's free, also having Confusion to boot, and your best
defense at that, not to mention his damage ignores the back row.  When
this damage starts to decline, he just gets better damage right after
it.  Edgar is a favorite of new players due to how he comes in with a
bang, and said "bang" never exactly fades, or rather, its fading Is far
slower than other attacks, as Edgar builds up the skill set far faster
than other characters.

But how is Edgar in reality?  Oddly, for all that he is hyped to hell
to the point where you'd think he's overrated, he is actually deserving
of it, in some sense.  Mind, Edgar is a victim of an odd type of
characterization; the one who is a great character, but liked for all
the wrong reasons.  What am I referring too?

Well, yes, in the WoB, Tools kick ass.  No denying this.  Chain Saw and
Drill are among the top damage dealing attacks, and have no flaws
whatsoever, really, besides being single target.  Noise Blaster takes
down randoms by making them unable to attack you in a sense as well.
However, people will rave about these moves being great no matter what
part of the game.  Truth be told, in the WoR, Chain Saw and Drill
aren't special attacks, in terms of damage.  Sure, they aren't total
trash, but there are so many other BETTER ways to do damage later on,
and Edgar himself can even be put to better use than using Tools.

Anyway, enough ranting about how Edgar gets love for the wrong reasons
lets look at Edgar's character.  You can tell by his stats that he's
defiantly a physical fighter, and his equipment would back this up too.
He more or less uses all the same stuff Terra and Celes has, just loses
the Female Specifics, Flails and early game mage equips, and replaces
it with…the Regal Crown, Red Jacket, and Spears.  Ok, he's defiantly on
the losing end of armor, no mistake (come on, Minerva beats Red Jacket
in everything but Vigor, and Stamina), but he wins in weapons quite
cleanly (OH NOES! NOT FLAILS!)  Overall equipment?  Get to that later,
maybe.  Anyway, this means Edgar's defense throughout most of the game
ends up being fairly good throughout.  However, there is a flaw to his
equipment.  In the WoB, he has no armors with anything special
attached.  Sure, he gets the Gold Shield, but that's where the decency
in armor ends, really.  He's restricted to using pure defensive gear,
or totally universal stuff (Bard's Hat and Green Beret, mainly),
meaning his options are quite limited.  He's also one of two characters
who can't use the Gaia Gear, which hurts his Magic Defense, as well as
him being a good candidate for the Floating Continent.  It’s not much
of a flaw, to be fair, but its kind of annoying.

WoR comes in, Edgar's equipment makes quite a jump.  For starters, he
can use Force Armor.  That alone shows how much better his equipment
options are.  He also now gets the option of equipping the Enhancer, a
weapon that gives him some M. Block, AND boosts his Magic Power to the
point where he can have passable magic damage to fall back on, as it
makes up for his low base Magic Power.  Even better is the existence of
the Dragon Horn.  Like Mog, Edgar can use spears, so pairing him with
Dragoon Boots, Dragon Horn, and a decent spear really turns Edgar into
quote the powerhouse.  And Edgar also happens to be one of the four
characters who can use the Illumina, not to mention is tied with Terra
for 2nd easiest character to reach 128% M. Block  (since everything is
done in 10% intervals, that 1% and 7% in this case are effectively the
same)  Yes, Edgar's equipment is pretty nifty, all things considered.
Definatly amongst the best in the game, at least end game, probably
only outdone by Terra and Celes (blame their female equips)

Anyway, Edgar's use basically goes from clearly tools in the WoB to
more so a character whose based around having options in equipment.
Its pretty interesting how Edgar manages to never actually get bad,
despite how his skill set stops getting better early on.  Edgar's best
feature, IMHO, would be that he's a solid choice no matter what part of
the game you are in. Tools make him good early on, his equipment make
him a fine character in the WoR.  All things considered, Edgar's a nice
character to have around.

Strategies for Edgar throughout the game:
-Remember that Spear you took from Mog?  Give it to Edgar.  Even though
he'll likely never use it, it'll let you give his Mithril Sword
directly to Locke and you won't feel like you're are hurting Edgar
either by forcing him to use that Dirk or Mithril Knife.
-NEVER use Edgar's Fight command early on, EVER.  Auto Crossbow is
STRONGER than his weapons, and is MT, and can be used in the back row,
what have you…its just flat out superior in everyway.  However, for a
boss…
-Bio Blaster will often be the better choice here.  See, in random
encounters, Auto Crossbow often comes out on top since it ignores split
damage (the Damage/2 when hitting multiple enemies part), but for
bosses, Bio Blaster is hitting only one target, so it tends to come out
ahead.  Mind, a noteworthy exception to this is Ultros, who has better
magic defense than Defense, so stick with Auto Crossbow there.
-Use Noiseblaster to no end.  Yes, it doesn't do damage, but…it
confuses all enemies.  And thus, they won't attack you.  If you want to
KEEP them that way, have Terra cast Fire, Edgar use Bio Blaster, follow
up with Noiseblaster to reapply Confusion, and Locke steal.  Pretty
insane move early on, really.
-When you get to Figaro a 2nd time, Grab the Drill and Flash.  Should
be obvious, but just reminding you that new stuff is available.
-Not to mention make sure you get that Chainsaw in Zozo…
-For bosses…Drill vs. Chain Saw, the eternal debate…well, if you are
feeling lucky, go with Chain Saw, as its raw damage is better.  If you
want to go by statistics, go with Drill.  Its average damage is better
than Chain Saw's, when an enemy is immune to instant death.  Granted,
if the enemy is not immune to Instant Death, Chain Saw should be an
obvious choice
-For the Magitek Factory, it's not a bad idea to give Edgar two
Earrings/Hero Rings, and let him use Flash.  Its an MT damage attack
that does decent damage for the time, and its magical, so it doesn't
get hit by the enemies high defenses.  Best option for Crowd Control
here by far, especially since confusion doesn't work on enemies here as
well as you'd expect.  If you want single target damage, stay with the
usual two.
-In the WoR, get use to not relying on Chain Saw and Drill.  Yeah,
they're still solid early on, but you'll note that their damage is
slowly declining.  They will eventually fall behind, and end up being
average-ish damage at best.  Its best to start experimenting with
Edgar's options as soon as you get the Falchon, so that you can make
the transition earlier, per se.
-Don't bother with the Regal Crown.  Yeah, looks nice on paper, but…its
really inferior to the Circlet in most ways that matter, let alone
stuff like the Red Cap, or Genji Helmet, or just the Bard's Hat.
-Spear or Sword…this is something you'll likely find yourself trying to
figure out in the WoR.  Depends on how you are treating Edgar.  If you
want Edgar to play defensively, defiantly stick with the Sword,
specifically the Enhancer.  Offensively, go with the Spear, and throw
on some Dragoon Boots and Dragon Horn.  Either way works fine.

Edgar's Ultimate and Noteworthy Equips:
Weapons:
Pearl Lance
Aura Lance
Illumina
Enhancer
Atma Weapon

Helmets:
Bard's Hat
Red Cap
Genji Helmet
Regal Crown
Circlet

Armor:
Force Armor
Genji Armor
Red Jacket

Ideal End Game Set ups for Edgar:

Set Up #1:
Pearl Lance
Thunder Shield
Red Cap/Genji Helmet
Genji Armor
Dragoon Boots
Dragon Horn

Edgar's answer to Mog's dragoon set up. Genji Armor gives him a nice
defense and Magic defense boost, while also giving him a boost to Vigor
and Speed.  Thunder Shield is used here since there's unlimited supply
of them, and gives some elemental resists, something this set up needs.
Red Cap vs. Genji Helmet can go either way; better defense vs. more HP
and a Vigor boost.  Pearl Lance makes the damage not bad, as its quite
a step up from Partisan.  Probably Edgar's best offensive set up
overall.  However, note that this set up is generally inferior to Mog's
version, but the difference is this is ONE of the potential set ups
Edgar can opt for if he wants Damage.  Alternatives to this set up
exist, mind.  Force Armor vs. Genji Armor was a tough call here, mostly
comes down to the shield. For example, if you plan on using an
elemental shield, Genji Armor probably comes better than Force Armor
here, meanwhile, if using Force or Aegis Shield, Force Armor will most
defiantly be better.  This was just a good set up regardless of party,
as it doesn't really interfere with anyone, since both Genji Shield and
Genji Armor come in unlimited quantities, more or less, while there's a
set amount of Force Armors, Force Shields, and Aegis shields each game
(and Elemental Shields tend to be a bit situational too)

Set Up #2:
Enhancer
Force Shield
Bard's Hat
Force Armor
White Cape
White Cape

Edgar's 128% M. block Set up, the one that doesn't require using that
elusive Illumina anyway.  While Edgar's offense will likely be lacking
in this set up (no Dragoon Combo, and his magic isn't exactly stellar),
like all 128% M. Block characters, he'll be really freaking hard to
kill.  A good insurance policy of sorts, basically.  While not the
master of the "Play Defensively in the back row while slinging spells"
strategy, he does do it fine enough, making a decent 2ndary character
for the job should you will it.

Set Up #3:
Illumina
Aegis Shield
Bard's Hat
Force Armor
Hero Ring

This set up can use any relics, really, hence why I didn't list a 2nd
one.  Hero Ring is listed however cause it just fits nicely into making
this setup's offense better (not only does it boost Illumina's damage,
but the Pearl it randomly casts afterwards gets a boost too)
Basically, this is the way Edgar goes if he wants to have that nasty
128% M. Block AND some good offense (Illumina smacks are surprisingly
painful)  Flaw of this set up?  Obviously, there's only one Illumina,
so using it on Edgar here means someone else can't use it, so be sure
you want Edgar wielding Illumina when you consider this set up, as its
possible someone else in your team might want it instead (but this
comes down to what you want, I'm just reminding you only one Illumina
exists)

Miscellaneous Stuff regarding Edgar:
-Edgar gets a 50% Discount if he's in the FRONT of your party at Figaro
shops (IE his sprite is the one being shown), for obvious reasons.  The
game will give the same dialogue if he's in your team, but the discount
won't occur (maybe cause they have less respect for him following the
orders of someone else? Who knows)
-More interesting, in South Figaro, in the WoR, Edgar also gets the
discount, but the game never even hints you are getting one.  Just have
Edgar talk to the guys, and someone else, and notice the price
difference.  You'll be pleasantly surprised :)  Doesn't work in South
Figaro when you first get there, unfortunately (when you could actually
use the discount)
-For reasons unknown, and quite arbitrarily, after Terra speaks to
Edgar for the first time, an Auto Crossbow gets added to your inventory
for free.  This means if you think you are slick in buying an Auto
Crossbow before talking to Edgar, all you did was waste money, as you
are about to get one anyway.  Quite nice how the game outright hands
one to you…possibly so Edgar always has at least ONE option for Tools
(you'll note that Noiseblaster and Bio Blaster are store bought in
South Figaro, but not Auto Crossbow)
-Edgar is one of the only characters forced into your team in the WoR,
so whether you like it or not, you're getting him!

Skillset:
Edgar's skillset, Tools, is based on what Tools he has.  There are 8 of
them, all with unique abilities.  I'll list what they do, and how to
get them, generally (meaning not EVERYWAY)

Auto Crossbow:
Obtained at: Figaro Castle, after Terra talks to Edgar, an Auto
Crossbow will be added to your inventory.  Can also buy one at the shop
in Figaro
Effects: Physical damage to all foes.

Comments: This is really nasty early on, as its STRONGER than his
weapon, hits multiple enemies and ignores back row, having no flaws.
Problems?  It becomes rather weak by the time you finish Narshe Battle
sequence, to the point where its use is no longer practical.

Bio Blaster:
Obtained at: Figaro Castle shop, and the weapon Shop in South Figaro.
Effects: Does Poison Elemental Magic damage to all enemies, inflicts
Poison status

Comments: Nice alternative for damage to the Auto Crossbow, this is
fairly solid early on, and the poison status is nifty too.  Good for
bosses, in general.  This thing single handedly rips apart the Narshe
Battle sequence too.  However, like Auto Crossbow, this too becomes
obsolete.

Noiseblaster:
Obtained at: Obtained at: Figaro Castle shop, and the weapon Shop in
South Figaro.
Effects: Adds confusion status to all enemies

Comments: Really nasty throughout the entire WoB.  Its Multitarget, and
it never fails barring immunity.  Great for taking out randoms.  Loses
use later on when enemies start becoming immune to its status, though,
its an excellent way to find out if an enemy can be confused or not
(since if it fails, you know the enemy is immune), assuming you're too
lazy to check the Monster Statistics Guide <_< >_>

Flash:
Obtained at: Figaro Castle, after the Narshe Battle sequence
Effects: Non elemental Magic damage to all

Comments: Replaces Bio Blaster and Auto Crossbow for Edgar's MT damage
later on.  Decent, though not stellar.  Its best use is in the Magitek
Factory, where enemies have high physical defense, this gives you some
crowd control.  Not bad, but nothing to go crazy about.

Drill:
Obtained at: Obtained at: Figaro Castle, after the Narshe Battle
sequence
Effects: Non elemental physical damage to one foe

Comments: Great tool when you first get, its defiantly one of Edgar's
best.  Does high damage, and ignores defenses so the damage is always
good too.  One of Edgar's prime sources of offense, at least in the WoB
anyway.

Chain Saw:
Obtained at: Zozo, complete the clock puzzle
Effects: Non elemental physical damage to one foe, 25% of the time, it
instead will be turned into an attack that does no damage and just
inflicts instant death, indicated by animation (its basically 2 attacks
on one tool, a damage version and an instant Death version.  The latter
NEVER does damage, for the record.  Its hit or miss, like most instant
death)

Comments: Excellent Tool, no mistake.  Does the best RAW damage of any
tool, and easily his best option if the enemy is vulnerable to instant
death, as the Drill's one advantage over it is gone.  Mind, on bosses,
it’s a bit risky, as any time Edgar uses the Instant Death version,
it’s a wasted turn, you might want to use Drill instead.  Regardless,
this is one of Edgar's selling points early on, be sure to take
advantage of it.

Debilitator:
Obtained at: Stealing from one of the Cranes or Air Force in the WoB,
Figaro Castle in the WoR.
Effects: Adds a random weakness from one of the 8 elements in the game.
IF enemy is already weak to an element, it skips that element, and
chooses an element he's not already weak too.  Weaknesses dealt by
Debilitator override innate resistances

Comments: This tool sounds great in theory.  I mean, what's better than
giving bosses weaknesses, right?  To be frank, this is possibly his
worst tool.  See, most enemies already have a weakness, especially to
the big 3 elements, making it an easy to apply elemental weakness
anyway.  This tool is wasted on random encounters, since its single
target, and your net damage would be higher just using Edgar's turn to
do some damage.  Lastly, unless you are using Shadow and have a healthy
stock of elemental weapons to throw, should it bring up an elemental
weakness to, say, Earth, a hard to apply element, that's just as good
as a wasted turn (especially if the enemy is floating, in the case of
Earth, as now a grand total of 3 attacks hit its weakness (Gravity Rod
physical, Throw Gravity Rod, and LifeShaver))  IOWs, I suggest you
avoid usage of this tool beyond novelty.  It sounds useful in theory
and on paper…but its pretty bad in reality.

Air Anchor:
Obtained at: Secret Room in fanatics tower.  Also gained by betting
Genji Armor at the coliseum.
Effect: Gives enemy a "Status" where after their next turn goes, they
die.  Note that the death does NOT kick in until AFTER their turn, so
should the enemy kill you on their last turn, its game over.  Does some
minor physical damage upon success.

Comments: This tool sounds great.  What's more fun than watching
enemies kill themselves, or threatening them with the words "Move and
you're dust?"  Well, beyond the novelty factor, how good is this tool?
Well, remember how I ranted about the Debilitator being a bad tool,
possibly his worst?  I was wrong.  THIS is his worst tool, easily.  For
starters, its basically a standard Instant Death attack, one that has
perfect accuracy at the cost of letting the enemy live a whole turn.
This means that you could have just cast X-zone, Summoned Odin, or
whatever, and have gotten the same results, or better, as those are MT.
Air Anchor also has the little flaw of not doing damage unless the
enemy is hit with the instant death, so that Damage part is as useless
as Mog's Cockatrie's damage.  The tool has NO use against bosses,
really, since all but the obscure scrub boss here and there are immune
to instant death.  To be blunt, unless you want to laugh at the
enemies, I'd avoid this tool, and just cast the freaking Doom spell if
you want instant death.  Sure, it can miss, but odds say it'll hit
anyway.  Some Ultimate Tool, huh?

Final Thoughts: Edgar comes in with a bang, and keeps that fire
going…or something, I dunno.  He's probably the only character who
starts off kick ass, and continues to be a good character throughout
(unlike characters such as Terra, who may end up better in the long
run, need some time to get going)  Tools are great, but they are
somewhat overrated late in the game, which happens to the time when
Edgar gets a few new tricks to try out anyway from his nifty equips.
Yes, Edgar, similar to Terra, has strength in equips late game, its
best to use him for those.  A very good character to invest in, both
newbies and vets would agree on this alike, even if the reasons are
completely different <_<

 =======
| SABIN |
 =======

Stats:
Extra HP: 58
Extra MP: 3
Vigor: 47
Speed: 37
Stamina: 39
Magic Power: 28
Battle Power: 26
Defense: 53
Evade: 12%
Magic Defense: 21
M. Block: 4%
Level Readjustment: +2
Special ability: Blitz
Effects: Using this prompts the player to enter a button combo.  If
successful, a Blitz is used.  Which blitz is determined by what button
sequence is pushed (For example, Left Right Left is Pummel)  If Button
sequence does not correspond with a Blitz among those already learned,
then it’s a failure.  Failures result in no attack, and a wasted turn.

Character Analysis:
Sabin can be classified quite easily; he's a favorite of new players
(if not THE favorite), and the "black sheep" of vets.  Sabin has a lot
of misconceptions about him, mostly of him being looked up to as the
"Orlandu" of FF6 (sorry for the FFT term), involving such claims as
"Excellent physical fighter with decent magic!" or "Great all
arounder!"  Truth be told, a lot of that is actually false.  I'll get
more specific about it later.  For the most part, though, Sabin gets
the most love for two words; Bum Rush.  Yes, his trade mark attack, the
big massive damage move of the WoR that only he can use.  That seems to
be the sole purpose of why he is praised…at least to a new player.  If
you ask a vet, they'll likely say it's mostly his only saving grace.

Alright, so what type of character is Sabin?  Surely a fighter, right?
I mean, look at Vigor, and Battle Power!  They're #1 in both categories
(nixing Umaro, who fails to count as usual, and Gau for Battle Power
who can't use weapons)!  And he has high stamina and game best base
defense too!  And he's a martial artist, of course he's a fighter,
right?  WRONG!  Sabin is kind of the opposite of Mog, if you remove all
the weird crap surrounding Mog.  See, while Mog ends up being an
effective physical fighter despite crap physical stats and good magic
stats, Sabin is actually more so a mage of sorts.  See, Sabin's weapons
are really not special at all, so that Vigor goes to waste.  And more
over, his Blitzes, besides Suplex and Pummel, are based off his Magic
Power.  This ultimately leads to somewhat of a disaster, as Mage with
low Magic Power finds it harder to come back than a fighter with low
physical stats (Due to how Magic Power > Vigor, for their respective
attacks)

Sabin's equipment is amongst the worst in the game, if not THE worst.
WoB, its alright, only really lacking the Gold Shield.  He gets the
Tiger Mask as an interesting semi-unique option of sorts; Fire Knuckles
are a strong weapon for the time you get them, and he can use Gaia
Gear.  However, come the WoR, you'll notice his equipment woes.  His
Best armor is the Red Jacket…you'll note that everyone but Gogo gets at
least Genji Armor or above for armor.  He has no special helmets worth
noting (Regal Crown, again, isn't nearly as good in practice as it is
on paper) His weapon isn't that bad, as it gives some stat boosts, but
its nothing special in particular, as it has no quirks (no M. Block
boosting, defense ignoring, random spells, what have you)  Yeah,
Sabin's equipment is rather mediocre, no matter how you look at it.  On
the plus side, most of it is somewhat unique, so he doesn't interfere
with other character set ups, and it makes deciding what equips to give
him easier too!  Fine that's not much, but its something…maybe?  Oh,
bah.

Sabin isn't much of a fighter, despite his physical stats.  You'll
notice the Good Fighters end game all either have a weapon that ignores
defense (Valiant Knife for example), an auto critical weapon
(Illumina), spears (Dragoon combo reason), or a weapon that's a class
by itself (Fixed Dice…)  Sabin unfortunately has none of those.  The
only weapons with special effects he has are the Fire Knuckles and the
Poison Claw, which cast random weak spells.  Sabin's Blitzes being
magical, for the most part, support the concept of using him as a
fighter is a waste.  Yes, believe it or not, the little 3 foot Moogle
has better potential as a fighter than the hulking Martial Artist.

So what about Blitzes?  Are they worth the hype?  In Short, no, they
aren't.  Yes, they are good, but they aren't the be all, end all
attacks.  When Sabin first joins, yes, they seem nice, however, they
are single target attacks, until Fire Dance, which isn't gotten til
considerably later.  This makes Sabin more or less the same character
as Shadow and Cyan early on: Good at killing lone enemies.
Technically, he's your best boss fighter early on, but there aren't
that many bosses.  Sabin's first actual attack that stands out is Fire
Dance.  A Nice free MULTI TARGET damage attack with no flaws besides
its element.  This is his main ability in the WoB, really, and his only
actual worth.  Sounds great, right?  Unfortunately, Edgar's Flash is
every bit as good, as is Setzer's 7 Flush, which also Focuses doing
MORE damage than AURA BOLT to a single enemy.  In the WoR, he gets Bum
Rush, which is great damage, make no mistake…alas, other means of doing
high damage exist, such like Shadow is now an actual option and not a
"Come and Go" Character, as well as things like the Gem Box, and
Offering now available.  The nicest thing about Bum Rush, really, is
how early he can get it, and how there's no flaws to it, beyond the
inability to Target.

To be fair, though, if you take time to invest some Magic Power into
Sabin, his damage can be pretty nasty.  His attacks do have high Spell
Powers; it's just his base Magic Power isn't much, so the damage they
do isn't as good as the spell power would imply.  So if you plan on
using Sabin, Magic Power should be his top priority.  As a reminder,
his physical blitzes pretty much never have a reason to be raised
(especially after he gets Bum Rush), since they are typically weaker,
and Vigor does less for them than Magic Power does for his other
blitzes (that, and both MT blitzes are magical, so reasons to raise
offensive stats after he hits the damage limit with Bum Rush STILL
support Magic Power)

To be frank, Sabin comes in with a bang, and at first glance, he seems
great, but the more you look into him, he's really just a lazy man
character.  He seems good if you don't take time to build the other
characters, and at first, sounds like a great damage dealer, til you
actually look into the options of the other characters.  All in all,
Sabin is a flawed character with a few tricks, but overall, you're
likely better off using someone else once you learn how to make them
good.  One nice thing about Sabin, though, is that he will always have,
at worst, passable offense, so having him in your team means you have
at least someone with good damage, handy if you're using characters who
are busy learning their damaging moves (like Relm who requires good
spells to do good damage.)

Strategies for Sabin throughout the game:
-When Sabin first joins, be sure to give him a Shield.  Mog's Mithril
Shield is likely a safe bet, as the other characters at the moment have
Heavy Shields, which while worse, are less of a step down than Sabin's
options (the Buckler)
-NEVER buy any weapons for Sabin.  Trust me, they are a waste of money.
Early on, Sabin's damage comes entirely from Blitzes, are they are flat
out better than his physical in everyway, and later, he'll get Fire
Knuckles, which kicks the crap out of any weapons he can get until the
WoR, when he can finally get the Dragon Claw.  Really, the only use to
Sabin's weapons in the WoB is if you pair him with the Black Belt.
-Speaking of Black Belt, that's not a bad idea to give Sabin, given the
Fire Knuckles IS the strongest weapon in the game for some time, it
means Sabin is likely to make the most use of it.  Unfortunately, the
damage won't be impressive unless he's in the front row, and he
probably prefers defensive Relics or Earrings/Hero Rings anyway
-Speaking of Back Row, Sabin should always be there.  Blitzes > his
fight command, and they ignore row anyway.  Seems like a trivial
decision to me.
-Don't bother with Tiger Mask.  Yeah, +3 to Vigor and +2 to Speed seem
nice, but really, Sabin isn't using his Vigor much, and Speed doesn't
do as much as you'd like in FF6.  Better off shoving a Green Beret or
Bard's Hat, and using their defensive advantages
-Sabin should more or less rely on Fire Dance or Aura Bolt, depending
on Situation.  Pummel is only useful for ST damage when the enemy has
high magic defense or is immune/absorbs Holy (Ifrit and Shiva come to
mind) Suplex never really sees much use in general.
-Mind, in the Sealed Cave, probably best to stick to Aura Bolt.  Ings
there absorb Fire, so Aura Bolt is best option (especially since they
are weak) Zombones can have fun with Fire Dance though, providing they
aren't paired with Ings.
-WoR, use similar strategies as WoB, except when you get Air Blade, use
that instead of anything, and when you get Bum Rush, use that for his
ST damage.  Note that the early parts of the WoR (Figaro Cave/Basement,
and Daryl's Tomb) have lots of Fire Weak enemies anyway, so Fire Dance
will still likely be a better option should you get Air Blade during
those scenarios.  After that?  Yeah, best to stick with that.  Bum Rush
will pretty much always beat Aura Bolt in damage, though, weakness be
damned.
-NEVER use Spiraler.  Killing off Sabin for full healing of the team is
not worth it when you could just do the same thing with Cure 3, and
still keep one a prime damage dealer alive to boot.  And dangerous MT
Status moves aren't common enough to render the Status Healing
necessary either.

Sabin's Ultimate and Noteworthy Equips:
Weapons:
Tiger Fangs

Helmets:
Red Cap
Bard's Hat
Circlet
Genji Helmet

Armor:
Red Jacket

Ideal End game set-ups:

Set Up #1:
Tiger Fangs
Genji Shield
Circlet
Red Jacket
Hero Ring
Earrings

This set up makes the most of Bum Rush and Air Blade's damage, by
maxing out his magic damage.  Genji Shield helps make up for the Red
Jacket's general scrubbiness.  Tiger Fangs and Circlet give some boosts
to Magic Power, so they complement the set up nicely.  This set up
might not be as brutal as the ones listed for the above characters, but
with limited equips, there's not much you can do.  If you are wondering
why Earrings instead of a second Hero Ring…its cause physical boosters
don't stack, so a second Hero Ring is literally just acting like an
earring.  Since Earrings are easier to get than Hero Ring, I figured
I'd just list that.

Miscellaneous Info on Sabin:
-Sabin can kill Vargas before the tutorial.  Just use Pummel right on
the spot, and he dies.  Or you could try and kill him with damage, but
given Vargas' HP, you'd need to be really high leveled…
-Sabin at Figaro also provokes lines from the shop keepers…pity they
don't give him his brother's discount
-For fun, have a confused Sabin use Aura Bolt, and see if he hits
himself.  Or heck, do that with ANY Blitz.  They are all hilarious to
watch him attack himself in nonsensical manners.  Worth anything?  No,
not really, just novelty.
-Sabin is the ONLY optional character you can get before the Falchon.
I suggest you make use of this.
-Sabin is required to start Gau's Father sequence.  Why him? Who knows,
he just is (well, ok, he plays a big part in the scene, but lets not
get into that)
-Sabin is one of the only characters in the game who, should you wish
to max out MP, requires *5* levels, instead of the standard 4, of
Crusader, used at the proper time.  Not a big deal, but noteworthy for
people who obsess over that perfect 999 MP at level 99.  Note that if
you only use 4 levels, he misses by 1 MP, so yeah.

Skillset:
Sabin's Blitzes are all gained at different levels, except Bum Rush,
which can be gained in an optional plot sequence.  All of them have a
special command sequence, though, you can check that up yourself in
game.

Pummel:
Gained at level 1
Effects: Physical damage to one enemy

Comments: Not bad early game, though, kind of obsolete from the get go,
since Sabin will have Aura Bolt, which is generally superior.  Good if
you need a fail safe attack, I guess.

Aura Bolt:
Gained at Level 6
Effects: Holy elemental magic damage to one enemy

Comments: Sabin's best Blitz for raw ST damage for quite a while (until
he gets Air Blade, basically) Besides being elemental (which is a
double edged sword), this Blitz has no flaws, and is about on par with
a Level 2 spell for power.

Suplex:
Gained at level 10
Effects: physical damage to one enemy, fails against some enemies, does
half damage if more than one enemy is alive

Comments: I don't know WHAT Square was thinking but…seriously, a Single
Target attack that does NOT ignore Split?  Well, that's not exactly
what it is, coding wise, but effectively, that's what they made it.
This move CAN be stronger than Aura Bolt, but generally, since multiple
enemies exist often, and Bosses tend to be immune to this, it’s a
pretty bad Blitz.  Heck, if more than one enemy is alive, Pummel will
do more damage.

Fire Dance:
Gained at level 15
Effects; Fire elemental magic damage to all enemies

Comments: Solid Blitz.  Not much for raw single target damage, but its
good for crowd control.  Sabin's only decent means of taking out groups
throughout the WoB, and the WoR prior to Air Blade anyway.

Mantra:
Gained at level 23
Effects: Heals allies for an amount equal Sabin's current HP/party
members excluding Sabin, THIS DOES NOT TARGET Sabin.  Also cures
several status ailments.

Comments: Pretty sad Blitz.  By the time you get it, Status isn't much
of an issue, and you will likely already have Remedy and Cure 2 by then </pre><pre id="faqspan-3">
anyway.  The healing isn't worth much anyway, and Sabin MUST be at high
HP for it to even register as healing.  Its nice, I guess, when you
first get Sabin in the WoR, since if Sabin's at full HP, its free full
healing to Celes, should she just have been hit with something nasty.

Air Blade:
Gained at level 30
Effects: Wind elemental damage to all enemies

Comments: Great Blitz.  This is basically like a "Fire Dance 2" of
sorts, nixing the different element.  Great for crowd control, and not
too shabby (though nothing special) on the raw damage department
either.  One of the few Wind attacks in the game doesn't hurt either,
given how rarely that element is nulled/absorbed.

Spiraler:
Gained at level 42
Effects: Heals whole party for massive amounts, and recovers just about
every negative status in the game, removes Sabin from the battle, and
he is then considered dead (unlike a Sneezed character who is just
considered out of the battle, ala Run)

Comments: Horrible Blitz.  Yay! Fully heal the team at the cost of one
character's Life that you can't recover until the end of the battle!
Chances are, by the time you get this, Cure 3 already exists anyway.
Avoid this Blitz unless you are absolutely desperate and are confident
you can win without Sabin!

Bum Rush:
Gained at level 70, or by meeting Duncan in his Hut
Effects: Non elemental magic damage to one foe

Comments: Sabin's best Blitz by far, at least for raw damage (you could
argue Air Blade is better for overall use.) This attack hurts make no
mistake.  Its this move alone that Sabin gets love.  While it's not as
good as broadcast, likely, it's still pretty damn effective.  Sabin
should be doing nothing but using this whenever he gets a turn once
this move is available, besides maybe some turns he'd rather use Air
Blade.  It's generally his best damage by far until really high levels,
when Offering physical out powers it (though, this goes for ANY
character, mind, not just Sabin)

Final Thoughts:  Sabin at first seems great, but he's a rather average
character all things.  No real tricks beyond some solid damage, and he
has arguably the worst equipment draw of ANY character in the game.
Yes, his Blitzes do good damage, however, with a bit of equipment
working, and some spell teaching (and no, I don't mean teach everyone
Ultima), other characters can compete with him in the only domain he
actually excelled in.  Use Sabin if you like him, there's no real
penalty, but just understand that Sabin really isn't all that stellar a
character, all things considered.

 ========
| SHADOW |
 ========

Stats:
Extra HP: 51
Extra MP: 6
Vigor: 39
Speed: 38
Stamina: 30
Magic Power: 33
Battle Power: 23
Defense: 47
Evade: 28%
Magic Defense: 25
M. Block: 9%
Level Readjustment: +0
Special ability: Throw
Effects: Shadow chooses from a list of "Throw able" weapons.  Throwing
one weapon causes permanent loss of the item.  When a weapon is used in
this manner, its damage is doubled, and it ignores defense, and all
other factors but elemental affinities are ignored.  When throwing
scrolls, the affect is based on the scroll itself.

Miscellaneous extra for Shadow:
Interceptor:  Anytime a "basic physical" is used on Shadow, blockable
or not, there is a 50% chance Shadow will dodge it, via Interceptor.
The block can trigger any evade animation, however, so this might be
credited to the shield or weapon, despite Interceptor being the reason.
When the Dog Block animation occurs, there's a 50% chance of him
countering with Wild Fang or Take Down (equal chance of both), both
attacks being magical and unable to hit flying enemies.  Status is
active on Shadow the entire game unless its on the Floating Continent,
or he is hit with Rippler.

Character Analysis:
Shadow is probably one of the only characters that gets all the love he
deserves, as a whole.  Most people will agree he's a great character,
and only a very few will go as far as to deem him "the best" so the
level of overratedness (yay made up word!) is limited, per se.  Shadow
is indeed a solid character overall, having no real glaring flaws to
hold him back.

So what kind of character is Shadow?  On one hand, he's generally a
physical character, given his skillset is mostly physical.  On the
flipside, he's a versatile one in the sense that he can be made a
decent back up mage in a pinch, and Skeans are good magic damage for
early parts (Effectively level 2.5s for damage)  Mind, don't go
thinking you can suddenly transform him into a mage, and he'll be
performing as good as Celes in the department, I mean his magic is good
enough that should you need some secondary magic damage, he can do a
passable enough job of it.  This ultimately leaves Shadow good for any
offensive situation, really, though for the most part, Throw will be
his best damage.

One nifty thing about Shadow is that he's the only character can
genuinely hit every elemental weakness in the game effectively (meaning
weak attacks like Bismark for Water don't count), due to there being at
least one store bought weapon for each element.  Thus, Shadow can
pretty much ALWAYS apply weakness, should you need it.  Granted, this
aspect is more just a fun tibit in his favor, more so than an actual
advantage, but hey, it's something.

Shadow has another nice feature in having some interesting equips.
Mind, I'll tell you now; his equipment options aren't particularly
stellar.  However, they aren't bad either, like Sabin, lets say.  Thief
Knife for example gives a minor boost to speed, and 10% M. Block, as
well as makes him a 2nd Thief (3rd if you have Gogo), of sorts.
Stunner is a unique random casting weapon in that it randomly uses
stop, a status that works on a surprising amount of enemies.  And
there's the Striker and Assassin, two weapons that add instant death
randomly, and work well paired with offering (doesn't ignore
replacement effects)  His Helmet options are like most males, in that
he gets…well, nothing special.  His best armor is the Genji Armor,
which is a decent set up from Dark Gear, but again, nothing special for
an ultimate armor.  Yeah, Shadow's has some interesting options in
weapons, but overall, his equips are fairly average-ish.  He can use
the Memento Ring though, which is good as there are a limited supply of
(easy to get) Safety Bits, so using him in your party helps narrow down
who to give that Safety Bit too, since Memento Ring is identical
anyway, and doesn't conflict with any characters (but Relm…though,
there are two Memento Rings anyway, so it doesn't matter)

Shadow's main nuisance?  Lack of usage early on.  To be frank, Shadow
would RULE if you could use him in the WoB more often.  His damage is
top notch, and having the little interceptor bit doesn't hurt…not to
mention his damage can be targeted.  Granted, Square probably realized
this, and made him a hard to get character early on cause they hate us.
Also, this means Shadow misses out on some valuable Esper time in the
WoB to get some spells early on (like getting Cure 2 for the Floating
Continent)

Shadow is also quite anti physical.  Interceptor already provides a 50%
chance to shield against just about any physical thrown at him, with a
small chance to counter with some Flaresque damage.  Better yet, he's
the only character (besides Gogo), who can reapply the Image status
consistently in battle, meaning if timed correctly, you can make Shadow
continually immune to physical damage w/out worrying about Magic
attacks screwing it over in one shot, like Invis status causes.
Speaking of that, Shadow gets that as well…early in fact, nice for when
you're running into an area filled with lots of enemies.

I hate to use another character to describe Shadow's use, but its
fitting here.  All things considered, Shadow is an improved Sabin.  His
damage might be a touch below late game, but its close enough that
advantages of better equipment, interceptor, and some versatility in
weapons and attack strategies tend to more than outweigh this.  He's
likely not the best character in the game, no, but he's still a very
solid one, worth using late game when he finally joins permanently in
the WoR.

Strategies for Shadow throughout the game:
-When you first get Shadow, be sure to buy 99 Shurikens.  This way, he
can hurl them to his hearts delight, and you'll never worry about
running out.  What about affording them?  Shurikens cost 30 each, which
means 2970 is needed to buy them (that's 30 less than Drill before the
Discount, if you are curious), which isn't that expensive at all.
Shadow Edge and Invis Edge…you can grab some of those if you want, but
probably not necessary.
-Also, have an extra Buckler handy (likely you stripped from Terra or
Edgar, and didn't sell) for Shadow, as he doesn't come with a shield.
You should also have a helmet ready too, as he doesn't come with that
either.  A little Extra defense can't hurt, no?  This is assuming you
have stuff, of course
-Like most characters, Shadow should stay in the back row.  Throw
ignores back row, as does interceptor, and Shadow almost never uses his
Fight command.
-Shadow should NEVER use his Fight command until late in the game.
Throw is flat out better, and you should always have enough ammo to get
you through a dungeon.  Only weapons that have ample use on Shadow for
a fight command in the WoB are the Thief Knife (random capture), and
the Assassin (Random Instant death)
-Speaking of weapons, don't bother buying any weapons for Shadow
(unless its for throwing ammo), ever.  Similar to Sabin, he's not going
to use his Fight command for damage ever.  Again, both Thief Knife and
Assassin are the only ones you should bother giving him, the former
gives +10% M. Block and +2 speed, the latter gives a minor boost to
Magic Power instead of the M. Block
-Do NOT grab him during the Zozo arc.  This is his favorite place to
leave you hanging dry, and worse, he costs 3000 GP to get.  For all
that he's a great character there, that unreliability makes him more of
a liability, so just leave him alone for now.
-Even worse idea is getting him for the Opera House sequence, if you
skipped the former.  Shadow WILL leave MID WAY through the Opera House,
FORCING you to use 3 characters for the Magitek Factory sequence (2 for
the 2nd fight with Ultros, and the Mine Cart sequence), which isn't
fun.  More proof Square hates us, I say
-Speaking of Shadow leaving, any time he's about to leave, strip him of
his equips.  Don't necessarily sell them, as they may still be his best
stuff, but why not let other characters equip them at the time, right?
Of course, remember to re-equip him when he joins.
-As usual, on the FC, the Gaia gear is your friend.  Sure, he could use
the Power Sash for increased damage, but even with 2x defense ignoring
damage, the +5 to Vigor isn't as high as it seems.
-After you get Shadow in the WoR, you should invest all your money for
him.  Most of the best stuff is not gotten in chests anyway, and items
are dirt cheap anyway (especially in Figaro Castle and South Figaro
with Edgar)  I suggest first getting a healthy stock of Ninja Stars, as
they are cheap, and insure Shadow's damage is always good, then start
working on Elemental Weapons and Falchions.  If you want, try to get
some Imp Halberds, as they are THE BEST throwing weapon in FF6 that can
be gotten in bulk.  If you really want too, spend some time in the
Coliseum getting Tack Stars (bet Ninja Stars), but they aren't worth
it, IMHO, as Falchions do very similar damage anyway.
-What weapons to get for applying Elemental damage you say?  Check the
Frequently Asked Questions section to answer this

Shadow's Ultimate and Noteworthy Equips:
Weapons:
Thief Knife
Assassin
Stunner
Striker

Helmets:
Red Cap
Bard's Hat
Circlet
Genji Helmet

Armor:
Genji Armor

Ideal End game set ups:

Set Up #1:
Thief Knife
Thunder Shield
Genji Helmet
Genji Armor
Hero Ring

Decent well balanced Set up.  Thunder Shield covers some elemental
defenses, Genji Helmet gives that extra defensive boost he might like
using a weaker shield, while Thief Knife adds a bit of M. Block.  Hero
Ring gives him a nice Boost to damage, Best part of this set up is it
doesn't really interfere with any other character's.  As usual, fill
that 2nd Relic slot up with whatever you want (Marvel Shoes, some
status protection, what have you)

Set Up #2:
Assasin
Thunder Shield
Genji Helmet
Genji Armor
Offering

The Defensive gear is the same cause they all share the same purpose.
Offering + Assassin makes Shadow's "Fight" command actually worth
something, as chances are, he'll hit at least SOMETHING with the
instant death, while doing some OK damage in the process. Assassin also
gives him a minor magic boost, so in case you want Shadow to be a mage,
this set up isn't bad, I'd however, give him a Circlet (+4 to magic
Power)  See above set up for what to do with that 2nd Relic slot.

Set Up #3:
Stunner
Thunder Shield
Genji Helmet
Genji Armor
Dragoon Boots
Dragon Horn

This is a great set up for the Coliseum, especially if Shadow knows
little magic.  This lets Shadow hit the enemy several times for decent
damage, AND each shot checks for stop status, which helps a lot in the
Coliseum.  Outside?  Still a decent enough set up, not the greatest,
but hey, can't hurt to do damage and stop on the same turn, right?

Miscellaneous Info about Shadow:
-Most people know this, but anyway, I'll say it still.  Sleep at an inn
with Shadow in your team, and there's a chance you might see a scene.
This scene is Shadow's dream, and a part of Shadow's past.  There are
four dreams seen this way (NOT 7)  Should you lose count, the last
Dream Shadow has is one where he's in Thamasa.
-Also common knowledge, but should be pointed out.  On the floating
Continent, do NOT leave without waiting for Shadow.  If you leave,
something will happen and he'll be gone for good.  Instead, get there,
choose "Wait", and when the clock hits "0:05", Shadow will come, and
all is well :)
-If you are wondering, you can get a 5th Dream by just getting Shadow
in the WoR.  This dream, unlike the others, always happens in the same
place (right after you beat Sr. Behemoth), and it doesn't matter WHICH
dreams you've seen or not, they'll always appear.
-Shadow does not have interceptor on the FC.  Shame too…
-NEVER let Shadow get hit with Rippler.  Or if he is, hope Strago/Gogo
is in your team and let them Rippler the enemy.  Shadow getting
Ripplered loses Interceptor PERMANATLY.  Having antoher ally rippler
interceptor will get him back, maybe not on the right character, but
hey, he's back!  To give him back to Shadow, just have Shadow in a team
with a Rippler user, and have him confuse them just before they use
Rippler (IE have Shadow cast Muddle, before Shadow casts Muddle, tell
them to cast Rippler, but make sure Shadow's spell comes off first, and
only AFTER the Command to use Rippler was issued)
-Shadow is MALE.  I know this is obvious, but so many people, thanks to
one minor text goof up where it’s the same line used for Relm, will
think he is a she, despite all the other Male pronouns used for him the
entire game.  If you've seen Shadow's dreams, you should easily be able
to tell that was a mere typo in the text.  So yeah, ignore that "Take
her back to thamasa!" line, as Shadow is male.  The PSX Version even
fixed that Line, more proof it was a goof up.  Sorry, not important,
but you'd be surprised how many people think Shadow is female cause of
ONE scene.

Skillset:
Shadow's Throw skillset can throw many weapons.  Its hard to evaluate
them, though, I'll mention the "Throw Only" abilities, I guess.

Shuriken:
Bought at various shops
Effect: Physical damage to one foe.

Comments: Cheap, efficient, and easy to find.  The damage is too good
for just 30 GP, and it has no flaws.

Ninja Star:
Bought at various shops
Effect: Physical damage to one foe.

Comments: The WoR's answer to the Shuriken, more or less.  This is
better in everyway, just a bit more expensive, but still easy to horde
lots of.  Shadow's main source of damage, kind of, in the WoR.

Tack Star:
Gotten in a few chests around the WoR, and through betting a Ninja Star
at the Coliseum
Effects: Physical damage to one foe

Comments: The "Ultimate" Star weapon.  This would be good…if they
weren't a bit of a pain to get lots of.  Yes, its easy enough, but
probably not worth your time, better to just buy some Falchions, or nab
some Imp Halberds, and use those instead.

Shadow Edge:
Bought at various shops
Effects: Adds Image status to Shadow

Comments: Nifty little trick.  More fun than useful, likely, but it can
still serve some use.

Invis Edge:
Bought at various shops
Effects: Adds Invis status

Comments: Early on, it's decent.  Later, though, you get the Vanish
Spell, which basically makes this ability kind of worthless, and a
waste of money.

Fire Skean:
Bought at various shops
Effects: Fire Elemental Magic damage to all enemies

Comments:  A bit pricey when you first can get these, but for good
reason.  This thing kicks ass.  Its your best magic damage in the WoB
as far as consistent attacks go, and does massive damage when hitting
weakness.  Think of this as a Level 2.5 for damage (Better than a level
2, but worse than a level 3)  If you can afford these, stock up on lots
of these early, they are quite nice.

Water Edge:
Bought at various shops
Effects: Water Elemental Magic damage to all enemies

Comments: Also a fine item, though, I'd personally get least of these
of the 3 skeans.  These are as strong, yes, but Water weakness is a bit
harder to come bye, so their more situational than the other two
skeans.  Still worth getting a few, though.

Bolt Edge:
Bought at various shops
Effects: Lighting elemental Mgaic Damgae to all.

Comments: This thing is great when you can hit lighting weakness,
especially early on.  The lightning version of Fire Skean.  Probably
more reliable as Lighting Resistance is rarer than Fire resistance
though, on the flip side, far less enemies are weak to it, so it
balances out.  Good idea to get an ample supply of these, like the
other two skeans.

Final Thoughts: Shadow is a fine well-balanced character.  Throw gives
him good damage the entire game, and he can serve as a passable back up
mage should the time be needed.  Some interesting equipment options in
weapons give him some variety, as well as being able to hit every
elemental weakness in the game fairly easily.  I hate to say this, but
the more I think about it, the more Shadow just strikes me as an
improved Sabin.

 ======
| CYAN |
 ======

Stats:
Extra HP: 53
Extra MP: 5
Vigor: 40
Speed: 28
Stamina: 33
Magic Power: 25
Battle Power: 25
Defense: 48
Evade: 6%
Magic Defense: 20
M. Block: 1%
Level Readjustment: +2
Special ability: Sword Tech
Effects: If Cyan is equipped with a weapon that is tagged "Sword-tech",
then he will be able to access this command.  Cyan will then be
prompted to wait for his meter to fill up.  The longer he waits, the
higher level tech he uses.  Bar initially starts at level 1, and
proceeds to whatever his highest level tech is.  Should the bar exceed
the limit, then it resets back to 1.  What tech is currently "ready" is
the highest number currently lit up.

Character Analysis:
There's not much to say about Cyan.  Well, his sword techs, once taken
the time to charge up, do good damage, though whether they are worth
the time or not is another deal.  And his equipment doesn't totally
suck ass.  Then there's the tempest.  But…that's about all I can say
about Cyan.  He is a good example of a character gone wrong.  His
Swordtechs are decent on paper, but the time they take to charge just
really sinks him.  The damage they do…isn't much better than "to go"
attacks, really.

Alright, there is a way to make the charge times more barable, besides
Quick anyway (Which overpowers ANYTHING in FF6)  If you have Cyan
charging his attacks while everyone goes, he won't slow down the team
as much, however, note that this kind of requires the team to first all
fill up their ATB gauge, THEN have them all go, THEN have Cyan start
charging.  Unless you use Long Animation attacks (which tend to kill
things anyway), this often gets him to about Quadra Slam (Level 4) or
there abouts.  However, realize this STILL slows down your team, as you
have to wait for the whole team to get their ATB gauge up, assuming it
doesn't fill up nicely (which is unlikely), so you'll be waiting
anyway.

What about not charging his attack up?  Well, then you are left with
Dispatch, which while sufficient early on, fades away pretty fast.
This ultimately would make Cyan an inferior version of Edgar in
everyway.

Now, good equipment could save a character like this, right?  To be
fair, he gets a nice weapon in the Tempest, and is the only character
who can equip two of them AND the offering at the same time.  Tempest
is the only weapon that has an MT Special effect, hence why it stands
out.  This is about the only real advantage Cyan has for equips.  Well,
that, and the Force Armor, though, that's shared with 5 other
characters, so you could say the same for them, and likely find other
uses.

Worse, Cyan's magic stat is THE WORST in the game, and he has no Magic
boosting equips in the WoB, and nothing besides generic stuff (Circlet
and Genji Armor) in the WoR.  So its hard to say "have him use magic
instead of Swordtechs" since I could throw in, say, Relm, who can also
use Magic, and at much better proficiency. So unlike some characters
who have subpar special abilities, Cyan doesn't make up for it by
performing decently in the area of magic.

One thing often hyped about Cyan is how he makes an excellent Genji
Glvoe + Offering Character, similar to Sabin.  Unless you give him Two
Tempests and/or Scimitars, he's actually a pretty mediocre one, worse
than Sabin in everyway at it, to boot.  Tempest and Scimitar at least
means that the odds of them kicking in will happen more often, so there
is some merit there, especially if you are using two.  However, as far
as raw physical damage goes, your better off sticking with the
swordsmen (Terra, Edgar, Locke, and Celes) or Setzer for Offering set
ups.  Again, Tempest + Offering isn't a bad strategy, though, but dual
Sky Renders (or rather, Dual anything not Tempest or Scimitar) is not a
good Offering set up at all (heck, MOG does comparable damage with 2
Aura Lances and the Offering as Cyan would with 2 Sky Renders)  So
yeah, don't get swayed into thinking that Cyan makes a prime Physical
Fighter with the Offering, as he does not.

In fairness, you can use Quick to remedy the Charge Time issue,
however, it’s a spell gotten rather late, at a slow learning rate
(though Desert of Maranda can take care of that), which improves just
about anyone drastically.  As some people put it, Quick merely makes
Cyan go from somewhat under whelming to usable, instead of good to
better like most characters get.  Its more a case of Cyan gets a bigger
boost relatively than the other characters, but the other characters
still get huge benefits from said spell anyway, Cyan still ends up
trailing behind.

In the end, Cyan is a character with one decent weapon, and some good
moves that take more planning than they are worth to use effectively,
and even then, they slow your team down, and they don't exactly give
you what you want too.  Seriously, as much as I hate to say it, Cyan is
far from an impressive character.

Strategies for Cyan throughout the game:
-When Cyan first joins, give him a Heavy Shield.  You should have
gotten at least bought one extra at South Figaro, or conversely, give
him Locke's Shield, as Locke is likely using Genji Glove/Gauntlet now
anyway.
-Don't bother buying ANY weapons for Cyan, ever.  Dispatch is pretty
much always stronger than his physical.  So yes, keep him with Asura
the entire time, more or less.  His Attacks are not strengthened by
Weapon, so an Asura Dispatch is every bit as strong as a Sky Render
one.
-However, should you pick up a better weapon via non money means, might
as well equip that, especially if its something like the Murasame that
can't be sold for any decent money.  However, its best to just stick
too…
-The Tempest or Scimitar.  These are the ONLY weapons with a reason to
be used over Dispatch.  Tempest can randomly cause MT damage to
enemies, so its good if you want some quick crowd control.  Scimitar,
meanwhile, randomly inflicts instant death, good if you know Dispatch
won't kill an enemy, so you're hoping for a 25% chance to kill with
less damage, instead of 0% chance with better damage.
-Until Cyan gets the Tempest, he should always be in the back row.
Sword Techs ignore row, so that option is obvious.  After Tempest?
Tempest's Wind Slash doesn't ignore row, so where Cyan is placed
actually matters.  Between better MT damage, or better defenses,
really.
-Cyan should equip Power Sash in the WoB.  The stat boosts it gives are
overall better than the defensive edge the Gold Armor grants to Cyan.
Unfortunately, Cyan does not have the choice of Gaia Gear, which hurts
at that point of the game.
-Cyan's WoR weapons, besides Scimitar and Tempest, should all be bet at
the Coliseum and turned into Pearl Lances.  Trust me, the Pearl Lance
is considerably more valuable than any of those weapons, as Cyan isn't
using them ever (Scimitar beats all but Sky Render (gotten too late
anyway) for Raw Power, let alone has instant death, Tempest just has a
kick ass special ability, which owns the damage increase the other
weapons grant)

Cyan's Ultimate and Noteworthy Equips:
Weapons:
Tempest
Scimitar
Sky Render

Helmets:
Bard's Hat
Circlet
Red Cap
Genji Helmet

Armor:
Genji Armor
Force Armor

Ideal End Game Set ups for Cyan:

Set Up #1:
Tempest
Genji Shield
Circlet
Force Armor
Hero Ring
Offering

This set up is based mostly around bashing enemies with the Tempest.  4
hits means 2 Wind Slashes on average, which is passable damage.
Circlet helps up those Wind Slashes damage, as does the Hero Ring.
Force Armor gives him some elemental protection and some M. Block,
Genji Shield covers up some defensive losses, while adding a bit of M.
Block too.  Only problem with this set up, as with any offering set up,
is that it means the other characters can't use the offering, so use
this only if you aren't using other characters who'd like the offering
(or characters who can make due fine without it)

Set Up #2:
Tempest/Scimitar (your choice)
Genji Shield
Red Cap
Force Armor
Hero Ring

Didn't put a 2nd Relic, since anything would fit their nicely (well,
not a Cursed Ring, but that doesn't count), so use your judgement
there.  Red Cap gives an HP boost, Force Armor + Genji Shield serve the
same purpose as in the last set up, Tempest and Scimitar are around in
case you know Dispatch isn't going to cut it, and need a To Go attack
to be good, hence why they are on.  Basically, this set up is the same
as the above, only no Offering, should you want to give it someone
else.

Set Up #3:
Tempest
Tempest
Red Cap
Genji Armor
Offering
Genji Glove

If you REALLY like Tempests, use this set up.  8 Hits of Tempests
around means an average of 4 Wind Slashes.  That's some pretty good MT
damage, all things considered.  Problems?  This Set up lacks defenses,
especially since it requires the front row for Cyan to use this
optimally.  That's why Genji Armor is here, as it helps give Cyan a bit
more defense, though, not enough to make up for a Shield, so the Red
Cap's HP boost is quite welcome as well.  Yeah, if you don't mind the
possibility of Cyan dying often, use this set up.

Miscellaneous Info on Cyan:
-Psycho Cyan Glitch!  Yes, the infamous "Make Cyan a damage god!"
strategy.  Basically, this lets Cyan start a continuous stream of
attacks that never ends, due to *2* bugs playing together, which ends
up killing things.  How do you pull this off?  Simply put, have Cyan
use Retort, Imp Him, Kill him, revive him, and then you or the enemy
use a basic physical attack, doesn't matter who uses it.  Cyan will
then start attacking Offering style, and never end the sequence til all
enemies die.  Mind, if you do this, do NOT equip the Tempest.  Once
Wind Slash kicks in, the loop ends.  Trick is mostly novelty, and most
people don't consider it anyway, for reasons similar to Vanish + Doom.
-Not many people realize this, but Cyan gets a weapon at the end of the
"Cyan's Soul" sequence.  That weapon is the "Aura"  Should be good,
having to go through an entire sequence to get it, and that the game
makes it look great and such, right?  Actually, the weapon is below the
Strato in power (yes, that weapon you get simply by beating Red
Dragon), and its inferior in everyway.
-Speaking of the Aura, that weapon is the Masamune, the infamous sword
that appears in many an FF game (Strongest weapon in FF1 and FF2,
Strongest Katana/Dark Sword in FF3 and FF4, 2nd strongest Katana that
gave "inniative" in FF5, Sephiroth's weapon, etc.), pity it has to suck
here.
-Cyan requires 5 of the required levels, like Sabin, to get Max MP.
Keep this in mind if you are raising Cyan to the max, and want to make
sure he has all 9s in HP and MP.

Skillset:
Cyan's skillset is learned through levels.  HOWEVER, after you beat
Cyan's Soul, Cyan learns ALL Swordtechs at once, regardless of level.
Sword tech's listed in order of level.  So first one is level 1, 2nd is
level 2, all the way to level 8.

Dispatch:
Obtained at Level 1
Effects: Physical damage to one foe

Comments: Probably most useful Sword tech in general, only cause it's
to go.  Beats his fight command for raw damage pretty much always,
unless Genji Glove and/or Offering is involved, late game.

Retort:
Obtained at level 6
Effects: Puts Cyan into a counter mode, of sorts.  When hit with a
physical attack, he counters with a non-elemental magic attack.

Comments: Decent early on, especially paired with a True Knight.  Later
in the game, though, Dispatch out damages it (you heard me)  Good Combo
I heard was to give everyone Wall Rings, have them all in Near Fatal
status besides Cyan, and give Cyan a True Knight, and you're likely
either reflecting a spell, or countering with Retort.  More novelty
than anything else, mind.

Slash:
Obtained at level 12
Effects: Deals damage equal to 50% of enemies HP, adds Seizure Status

Comments: Not particularly useful.  Bosses tend to be immune to it, and
Dispatch tends to kill enemies anyway.  Late in the game, when doing
half damage is more than Dispatch, these enemies like to be immune to
it as well.

Quadra Slam:
Obtained at level 15
Effects: Attacks random enemies with 4 separate attacks.

Comments: Not bad on damage, though, this is the first move where the
charge times start actually becoming apparent.  Also note that unlike
Dispatch, this does not ignore defense, so it's worthless on a high
defense enemy (like those in the Magitek Factory)  Probably the last
Swordtech that's actually worth the wait, all things considered.

Empowerer:
Obtained at level 24
Effects: Magic damage and MP damage to one foe, heals Cyan for an
amount equal to the damage done, both HP and MP wise, restricted by
Cyan's Max Hp and MP.

Comments:  Not particularly useful, really.  Drain and Osmose more or
less do the same thing, this move just puts them into one attack, and
adds an annoying charge time on, and you can't aim it.  For the most
part, its easier to use one of those two moves, as rarely you need to
heal BOTH HP and MP.

Stunner:
Obtained at level 34
Effects: Non-elemental magic damage to all enemies, randomly inflicts
Stop

Comments: Alright, this is where the Charge times start outweighing the
use.  Stunner's effectively an improved Air Blade on paper, but the
charge times really kill its use (as does Cyan's base magic score)  Not
particularly useful, though, if you can get the time up without killing
all enemies and not harming your own team, then by all means, use it.

Quadra Slice:
Obtained at level 44
Effects: Attacks random enemies with 4 separate attacks.  Difference
between this and Quadra Slam is that this Ignores Defense

Comments: Again, the charge times really limit the use of this
otherwise fine move.  Its about as strong as Bum Rush, and due to how
algorithms work, Hyper Wirst actually raises its damage decently.
Besides that?  It's damage is generally matched with a magic spell
hitting a weakness, or Sabin's Bum Rush, or Shadow's Throw, or
whatever.  It's damage, relatively speaking, is just too low to
consider useful, and it loses use on multiple foes since its likely to
spread hits out, let alone has the chance of hitting the wrong foe
several times in a row.

Cleaver:
Obtained at level 70
Effects: Instant Death to all enemies, dicing style (ala Odin, for
example)

Comments: WAAAAY too long a charge time to consider this useful.  With
things like X-zone, and Odin/Raiden around, you're better off just
using those, and enemies will die, for MP cost instead of an annoying
Charge time.  Likely the most useless Sword Tech, as unlike Slash, it
takes a while to build up, and unlike the others, there are very easy
ways to mimic this through Magic.

Final Thoughts:  I know I'm probably going to get Lynched for this, but
Cyan strikes me as a low tier character.  His Sword Techs just aren't
worth the time it takes to build up, especially considering many
characters can match their damage or abilities being set up properly,
or using the right abilities.  His Equipment selection isn't exactly
stellar either, only the Tempest really stands out as a weapon (which
admittedly, it’s a fine weapon), and only Force Armor is his decent
armor option.  To be frank, Cyan really isn't that great a character,
though, thankfully, FF6 is easy enough that you can use him, and there
won't be any real flaws, but just know there is almost always better
options around.

 =======
| CELES |
 =======

Stats:
Extra HP: 44
Extra MP: 15
Vigor: 34
Speed: 34
Stamina: 31
Magic Power: 36
Battle Power: 16
Defense: 44
Evade: 7%
Magic Defense: 31
M. Block: 9%
Level Readjustment: +0
Special Ability: Runic
Effects:  Celes can only use this ability if she is equipped with a
weapon tagged "Runic" (pretty much any edged weapon falls in this
category)  When this is used, it puts Celes in "Runic" status until her
next turn.  Under this status, she'll absorb the next spell, regardless
of its source, providing the spell can be hit by Runic.  If spell can
not be hit by Runic, then it is ignored entirely.  Once one spell is
absorbed, Celes loses this status until she uses Runic again.  When
Runic absorbs a spell, Celes regains MP equal to the amount of its MP
cost.  Note that the elemental absorption rules apply here in REVERSE,
so absorbing a spell with Runic while you absorb that element resorts
in MP DAMAGE, for example.

Character Analysis:
Celes is, to be blunt, a clone of Terra, of sorts.  The only difference
those two has is a few stats subtracted In some places, and added in
others, their special ability, and their naturally learned spells.
Obviously, this means this section is going to be short, as most of
what is said about Celes was already mentioned with Terra, so for the
most part, it might just be easier to check back at Terra's section and
apply any of the non morph/natural magic related aspects to Celes as
well, rather than to retype all that junk out.  For the most part, I'll
be working with what's differences Celes has compared to the other
female "Knight"

Anyway, Celes' has better physical stats than Terra, period. However,
this comes at a cost of 3 points of Magic Power.  Odd as it sounds, 3
points of Magic Power is a bigger loss than 3 Points of Vigor, Stamina,
2 points of Defense, and 4 points of Battle Power is combined.  This is
mostly cause for the most part, those stats have quite a bit less
impact on their damage than Magic Power does on its damage.
Regardless, the differences in both stats aren't too big, so Celes
pretty much can be used in the same vain as Terra.

Celes' Special, Runic, is quite possibly the worst in the game.  This
special is sometimes hyped to be a "life Saver" except that it hardly
helps at all.  Most of what Runic can cover, Wall Rings cover nicely
too, AND they don't hamper your offense by forcing one Character to
stay in a defensive stance the entire game, as well as they don't force
you to slow down your team for the purposes of timing attacks so Celes
never ends up absorbing your owns spells.  Runic has use in about 3
boss fights the entire game, and really, that's about it.  Its
seriously a lackluster skill all things considered.

One suprising advantage Celes has is that 2% M. Block over Terra.
Normally, it doesn't matter, but it falls in just the right spot, IE
she breaks a benchmark, allowing her to use 10% less M. Block to get
perfect M. Block.  Yeah, this is only if you are paranoid about that 1
out of 255 chance of hitting Terra when she has 127%, but in all
seriousness, this is likely Celes' biggest advantage over Terra.

Though, it seems Square did make Terra and Celes nigh identical on
purpose, if only cause of the structure of the WoB.  When you first get
Celes, the only time you use her the same time as Terra is the Narshe
Battle Sequence…when you split up into 3 parties anyway.  Terra leaves,
Celes kind of existed to be her replacement of sorts.  When Celes
leaves, its right before Terra rejoins too.  Then the two can be used
at the same time for the Floating Continent, then it’s the WoR, where
you have Celes for a shortwhile without Terra.  Due to this, Celes
never really becomes "worthless" except for the FC and once you get
Terra back, which is nice points in her favor, as a general agreement
is that Celes is Terra-lite (though, that sounds a bit harsh)

Mind, considering that besides Morph, Celes does get just about
everything that makes Terra nice, she still ends up a really nice
character to have.  In fact, her only real flaw is existing in the same
game as Terra, whose generally better.  Still an excellent character,
all things considered, as she can use all that nice equipment Terra
has, with a good magic stat for some magic damage, as well as being
flexible enough to be a fighter if you desire her to be.

Strategies for Celes throughout the game:
-Don't bother buying any equips for Celes in South Figaro.  She comes
with a Hairband (and you likely have several Plumed Hats from stealing
from Merchants anyway, so getting the next step up isn't an issue), and
there's a RegalCutlass, Heavy Shield, and Iron Armor in the basement
anyway.  Mind, good idea to shove her in the back row so she doesn't
die instantly, but still.  If you have any "left over" equips before
then, wouldn't be a bad idea to give them to her.
-Give her the Silk Robe for the Narshe Battle Sequence.  Slight defense
loss for better Magic Defense and +1 to Magic Power is worth it,
especially considering Iron Armor lowers your speed (by a negligible
amount)
-If you don't have enough Green Beret's for the Narshe battle sequence
(this depends on how many Telstars you fought on the Veldt), get a
Magus Hat for Celes too.  Slight Defense is nothing compared to +5 to
Magic Power at the time
-Wouldn't be a bad idea to give Celes one or both of those Earrings you
got during the Scenario sequence.  In fact, one of them is outright
found in Locke's scenario, you might as well give her that one.
-Celes should be taken to beat Kefka in Narshe.  His Ice 2 STINGS like
nothing else at the moment, so having Runic there is quite helpful,
along with stopping annoyances such as Muddle or Drain.  Best paired
with someone with high Offense like Sabin or Gau w/ Stray Cat Rage.
-Remember to Re-equip Celes after the Opera house sequence, as for some
reason, they decide to strip her naked for that sequence.  This
includes her Esper too, as a reminder
-Celes should stick with the White Dress for the Magitek Factory.  +5
to Magic Power and higher Magic Defense is a lot more useful than a
minor defense boost from the Mithril Mail, especially considering Magic
is going to be quite helpful in the next area.
-Giving Celes Ramuh for the Magitek Factory can be pretty mean.  With a
Blizzard/Flame Sabre/Thunder Blade, Magus Hat, and White Dress, along
with Two Earrings/Hero Rings, summoning Ramuh is incredibly brutal
there, so long as you don't mind the MP cost.  The enemies here have
considerably worse Magic Defense than physical defense, and most are
weak to Lighting to boot.
-Try to get a Minerva BEFORE Dullahan, if you don't mind leaving
Daryll's Tomb.  If Celes has Wall Ring, and a Minerva, and you never
attack the guy, he literally can't hurt Celes, at all.  You could use
this to wait him out so he loses all his MP, and then kill him with a
Rasp casting, and not take any damage (well, ok, Celes will be
untouched, the other characters I can't say the same for)
-When using Celes in the WoR, apply similar strategies to her as you
would Terra, unless they involve Morph.  Yeah, cheap shot to end this
section faster, but I really don't feel its necessary to retype all
that junk about Terra for Celes, when its easier to just say that.
What about Copy and Paste?  Still too much work <_<

Celes's Ultimate and other Noteworthy equipment
Weapons (listed in no particular order):
Illumina
Atma Weapon (if you go the physical route only)
Enhancer
Ragnarok (useful if you…uhh…steal it from Girl for the final battle?
maybe?)

Helmets:
Genji Helmet
Mystery Veil
Oath Veil
Red Cap
Circlet

Armor:
Minerva
Genji Armor
Force Armor

Set Ups:
Due to laziness, just refer to Terra's section for her set ups, they
are all pretty much the same.  I will state that, however, you can take
off 10% from any of those 128% M. Block Set Ups, and Celes will still
have perfect M. Block.  I suggest taking them off either in the Relic
slot (For some more options), Helmet Slot (Red Cap), or the Shield
(Aegis over Force Shield, or Tortoise Shield or Aegis Shield, depends
on set up)

Miscellaneous Info on Celes:
-The ONLY piece of equip Celes can't use but Terra can is…THE COTTON
ROBE!
-Of all the weapons Celes can use, only three of them don't work with
Runic.  Those are the Flail, the Morning Star, and the Atma Weapon.  So
yeah, chances are, if Celes has a weapon, she can use Runic.
-Celes gets some extra Dialogue if you bring her to Locke's Past
sequences in WoB Kolinghen, at the Opera House.  Sure, its only one
more line, but still.  Also gets one more line if she's in your party
for when you meet up with Locke.
-Saving Cid does NOTHING gameplay wise.  Unless you have some moral
side of you forcing you to save him, or just like to see that raincoat
weirdo whenever you want, its likely easier to just kill the bastard.
That, and it adds to Celes' character more, oddly.
-Celes is NOT related to Edgar and Sabin in anyway.  Sure, the three DO
use the same set of palettes, but that's more so a programming quirk
than anything else.  This is in reference to the line from the woman in
Albrook who says "the look in your eyes…looks just like a man who
passed by here" or whatever the line is.  Some people think Celes is
related to those two due to this line, however, she is not.  The line
simply means that the look of HOPE in Celes' eyes was similar to that
of Sabin's, the only other person who was actually trying to find
others to rebel against Kefka at the time.  The line is a badly
written, yes, and no, this serves little purpose in this FAQ, but
thought I'd throw that out.
-Celes, like Terra, can max out MP using only 3 levels of Crusader,
instead of the standard 4, assuming you use Crusader at the right time.
Again, only nifty if you want you want a perfected MP score at level
99.
-Celes is the first character gotten in the WoR!  This means she can
get some more Esper time in.  Note that at the beginning of the WoR,
Celes' level is refactored to be equal to whatever the average of all
the characters you have thus far (if Gau is on the Veldt, he doesn't
count, for example.  Nor does Mog if you missed him in the WoB), so
don't think of doing something like "Raise Characters, and ignore
Celes, so can abuse the WoR!"  As its not going to work.

Skillset:
Like Terra, Celes has only one special ability that has no set of
skills.  However, also like Terra, Celes has a bunch of spells she
learns simply by leveling up.  The list of those spells is as follows:
Lv 1: Ice
Lv 4: Cure
Lv 8: Antdot
Lv 13: Imp
Lv 18: Scan
Lv 22: Safe
Lv 26: Ice 2
Lv 32: Haste
Lv 32: Muddle
Lv 40: Bserk
Lv 42: Ice 3
Lv 48: Vanish
Lv 52: Haste
Lv 72: Pearl
Lv 81: Flare
Lv 98: Meteor

Final Thoughts: Celes is a pretty darn good character, with one
annoying thing against her; the existence of Terra.  Due to that, you
may find yourself not using her often as you could use Terra in the
WoR, and she'll likely be just as effective as Celes in all regards,
and has Morph as a bonus.  Mind, this just means Celes can't be the
best character, of course, but she's defiantly up there.  Worth raising
as she's a very impressive character trained correctly, and in and of
herself, there's little wrong with her, besides her suspect special.

 ========
| SETZER |
 ========

Stats:
Extra HP: 46
Extra MP: 9
Vigor: 36
Speed: 32
Stamina: 32
Magic Power: 29
Battle Power: 18
Defense: 48
Evade: 9%
Magic Defense: 26
M. Block: 1%
Level Readjustment: +0
Special Ability: Slots/GP Rain
Effects: When used, slots will appear.  You are prompted to then press
A three times row.  Depending on timing, a different object will
appear.  Whatever is in the middle is the object of concern.  If the
three items match, then an attack based on what that is (for example, 3
Diamonds = 7 Flush) occurs.  If they don't match, the attack
"Lagomorph" is used.  Some attacks are rigged in your favor, others are
rigged against you.  In some cases, the game flat out doesn't allow you
to use certain abilities against some enemies.
If Setzer has "Coin Toss" relic equipped, Slots is replaced with GP
Rain.  GP Rain does damage based on how much gold is thrown.  The
amount of Gold thrown is users Level * 30.

Character Analysis:
Setzer is, without a doubt, one of the most underrated characters in
FF6.  Many people will discount him for having a bad special in Slots,
and bad mouth him in other ways like "having weak weapons" and such.
All things considered, a lot of this is false.

For starters, Setzer's weapons aren't THAT bad, maybe not very special,
but saying "they are weak" is discounting things entirely.  First off,
I'll get this off my chest; NEVER use Dice.  That weapon DOES suck.
Example?  2 6s (best possible roll and somewhat rare) at level 99 (when
things are breaking 8000 consistently) does only 7128 damage.  Yeah,
pretty bad, all things considered how high that level is.  Anyway,
Setzer's weapons aren't all total trash.  Dart's are pretty strong for
a WoB store-bought, and they are long range to boot, granted, they are
gotten when Physical damage is at its worst, so its more a "neat fact"
than anything else.  Besides that, Trump is nifty for instant death
early on (good in the Coliseum), and Doom Darts aren't totally bad.
Granted, these weapons are still not much, Setzer's TRUE power in
weapons comes from Fixed Dice.  See, this weapon might be random, but
the randomness makes it do, on average, more than most other weapons.
And it ignores back row, defense, evade, AND the Offering's damage
reduction to boot (Flip side, it ignores Atlas Armlet, pity too) This
lets Setzer turn into a good physical damage dealer end game, a bit
risky of one, but still a solid one nonetheless.  Mind, Fixed Dice are
gotten in Kefka's tower, but its within one of the earlier rooms, on a
path with no bosses to boot, so you could always do an "early Tower
Raid" to get them.

Setzer's armor isn't bad by any means.  Actually, its…basically a
combination of whatever Cyan and Locke can equip, along with adding a
few things here and there, with removing the Power Sash, Headband, and
Bandana (despite how he comes INNITIALLY equipped with it O_o) from
that list.  This leads to a rather interesting set of equips.  He's one
of the only characters who can use Gold Shield AND Gaia Gear (Terra,
Celes, and Mog being the other three), for example, in the WoB.  Also
another person who can use that nifty Force Armor at that.  Setzer's
equipment might not be the best around, but the armor options aren't
bad by any means, they're pretty solid, and by definition (unless you
put a lot of emphasis on the Power Sash) better than Cyan and Locke's
in the defensive department.

So what about Slots?  Surely this special sucks, right?  I mean, its
completely random!  Actually, that's false.  It might take a bit of
time, but you should at least be able to learn the timing for 7 Flush
and Chocobop.  Both moves, despite being easy to get, are nastier than
you'd expect.  7 Flush, for example, is basically a Non Elemental Fire
Dance that focuses, making just as good for Crowd Control (nixing
elemental concerns) as Fire Dance, and STRONGER than the fabled Aura
Bolt against a single foe (elemental concerns aside)  This move is
often labeled "Weak" mind, and yet, you'll note all the people rave </pre><pre id="faqspan-4">
about Fire Dance and Aura Bolt, when this move is equal to or better
than both in everyway.  Really, to be blunt, these people are more
annoyed they can't get the timing down, so from a "random move" its
nothing special.  If you learn the timing, its quite effective really.
Chocobop, meanwhile, is actually a Meteor Clone, with one flaw; can't
hit floating units.  Beyond that point, its identical to Meteor in
everyway; ignores evade, ignores defense, ignores split damage, same
spell power, magical, and non elemental.  No one seems to call Meteor
bad when its hitting multiple targets, now do they :P

For the other moves?  H-bomb is the only one I'd consider going for.
Learning the timing of this isn't hard, though, the game will rarely
rig it against you, which can be annoying (Chocobop and 7 Flush the
game normally rigs FOR you), however, it doesn't rig it enough to make
the move unreliable.  Note the timing for this is harder than the other
two, but still doable.  H-bomb is…well, its basically a level 3 in the
WoB, making it incredibly nasty for the time.  The other moves are…just
too unreliable to work with, since they are more often rigged against
you (or in 3 Bars case, too random by its nature)  However, you'll note
that 7 Flush, Chocobop, and H-bomb are sufficient enough for Setzer in
the early parts, and you'll likely not use Slots later in the game
anyway.

However, do not expect much from GP Rain.  For one relic slot, you're
basically trading in a nifty skillset for a less than stellar one.
You're basically throwing away GP that you could probably put to better
use spending on buying Falchions and such for Shadow, and again, it
costs a relic slot too.  I'd avoid that if I were you, beyond the humor
value of killing things with money.

All things considered, Setzer is a character who looks unimpressive at
first, though, taken some time to learn how to use him, he's fairly
good.  Sure, I would not go anywhere near as far as to say he's the
best character, or heck, wouldn't even say he's top tier, but he's not
bad by any means.  Learning how to use Slots, and how to make use of
his equipment, you'll find he outperforms a lot of characters you
wouldn't normally expect (avoiding names for certain lynching purposes)

Strategies for Setzer throughout the game:
-When Setzer first joins, start teaching him Healing magic.  He has
enough offense from the get go with Slots, might as well have him able
to cover another area
-Put Setzer in the back Row.  Besides the Gradeus and Man Eater,
EVERYTHING Setzer has does the same damage in the back row.  There's no
reason to put him in the front row, EVER.
-Probably best to ignore Setzer's weapons for the most part, as Slots
tends to be better almost all the time, and his weapons are just a
waste of money (unless you're buying them for throwing purposes.  In
the WoB, actually, Darts are the strongest Storebought weapon around)
-As with most characters who have this option, stick with Gaia Gear for
Setzer's armor in the WoB
-And as with most male Force Armor users, Setzer should use that as his
choice of armor, at least if you have enough available.  Chances are,
though, you won't be using an Edgar, Cyan, Locke, and Setzer team
though (Celes and Terra have a much better "Consolation" option in the
Minerva (which is arguably better, but lets not get into that), hence
why this is the only team where it really matters THAT much)
-Setzer should use the Man Eater once you get it.  It'll likely
outdamage all his storebought weapons, and be on par with Doom Darts
for damage, though, isn't long range, but can hit double damage against
humans.  The main reason for using this, though, is the +10% M. Block,
fits nicely with him using slots.
-As soon as you get Fixed Dice, give them to Setzer, and never give him
anything else.  They are his best weapon by far.  It’s a good idea to
raid Kefka's tower early for these alone (They are gotten fairly early
in the tower, to boot.  3rd room in the first path)
-Setzer, like Celes, Sabin and Edgar, has the advantage of being
obtained BEFORE the Falchon in the WoR, meaning he can get some quick
extra work in.  Use that time for him to your advantage.

Setzer's Ultimate and Noteworthy Equips:
Weapons:
Fixed Dice
Man Eater
Doom Darts
Gradeus

Helmets:
Bard's Hat
Circlet
Red Cap
Genji Helmet

Armor:
Genji Armor
Force Armor

Ideal End game set ups for Setzer:

Set Up #1:
Fixed Dice
Genji Shield
Bard's Hat
Force Armor
Offering
Ribbon

A typical End Game Setzer Set Up.  Fixed Dice + Offering is pretty much
a canon combination for Setzer, as its his best means of damage.  Force
Armor covers some elemental defenses, and M. Block, Genji Shield helps
give his physical defense that extra umph he needs.  Bard's Hat
complements the M. Block.  Ribbon was kind of just thrown on there for
extra defenses, though replace if it you want too, I just felt it fit
for some reason.

Note that you can mess around with the defensive gear if you want too,
I recommend this here since most are easy to get, and don't hurt other
characters, but be my guest to play around.  The important part is
Fixed Dice + Offering

Set Up #2:
Man Eater
Aegis Shield
Bard's Hat
Force Armor
White Cape
White Cape

This is Setzer's best defensive set up, nixing Aegis Shield can be
swapped for Force Shield, if you prefer (I used Aegis shield as it
gives Setzer better physical defense for anything that gets through,
leaving him not totally defensless)  He has 111% M. Block here, so
hiding in the back row, and using Slots or Magic, his goal is to
outlast people here.  Thing is, I wouldn't exactly Recommend this set
up, personally, for a few reasons.  For starters, Setzer doesn't have
very good damage to fall back on in the WoR, especially in a set up
like this, and the M. Block isn't perfect.  This…is mostly only useful,
I guess, if you are using Setzer and Locke in the same team, and want
to give Locke the Offering.

Set Up #3:
Fixed Dice
Tortoise Shield
Titanium
Imp Armor
Offering
Any Relic that doesn't protect against Imp

Alright, if you want Setzer to be at his best both offensively, and
defensivly, and don't give a rats ass about variety, THIS is the set up
to use.  This optimizes his Defenses to be ALMOST maxed, and gives him
a higher Magic Defense score too.  Wait, how does it work?  Simple,
turn Setzer into an Imp, and keep him that way.  Now the Imp Equips
will grant him his defenses.  But wait, there's more!  Fixed Dice
IGNORE just about everything…including the Imp's penalty.  This makes
Fixed Dice STILL as useful as ever, so you can not only use an Imp Set
Up on Setzer, BUT one that only he can really apply well.  This is more
a novelty set up than anything else, as you shouldn't need it, but
still, a rather effective one at that.

Miscellaneous Info on Setzer:
-Setzer comes equipped with a Bandana…despite how he can NOT equip this
normally.  I think Square made a goof here…
-You can actually rig slots so to speak.  Or rather, unrig the slots
that are rigged against you.  Basically, use a very specific
Combination of moves in a fight, and now slots won't be rigged against
you, ever.  Yes, this includes JOKER DOOM.  Mind, you still have to
know the timing, but hey, its nice, innit?  I believe the easiest
unrigging method is just use an Echo Screen.
-A way to cheese out slots is to press Start while they are rolling,
and when you finally see the thing you want ABOVE the marker, hold the
A button, and unpause the game.  Unless the slots are rigged against
you, this will pretty much always get you what you want.

Skillset:
Setzer's slots are all based on what you get.  I'll be listing the
options in order of difficulty (so first is easy to get, the last is
nigh impossible), per se.

Lagomorph:
Obtained From: Any Failure
Effects: Negigible Healing to whole party, recovers from Blind, Poison,
and Sleep

Comments: Uhh…it’s a failure, you expect them to reward you with
something?  Yeah, basically, you get what you earned, more or less.

7 Flush:
Obtained From: 3 Diamonds
Effects: Non Elemental Magic damage to all

Comments: Rather decent, actually, for one of the easiest Slots to get.
Good for ST damage, due to hits high Spell Power, and MT damage isn't
too shabby either (Fire Dance level)  Should be Setzer's primary
Offense in the WoB.

Chocobop:
Obtained From: 3 Chocobos
Effects: Non elemental Magic damage to all

Comments: A variation of 7 Flush.  This one is centered more around
crowd control, having much lower spell power, but ignores defense AND
Split Damage.  It's basically Meteor, actually, which is rather nice.
Its main flaw is that it misses anything that has float status
(annoying on the FC), though.  Pretty solid move, though, considering
how easy it is to get.

H-Bomb:
Obtained From: 3 Airships
Effects: Non Elemental Magic Damage to all

Comments: Nasty move, if you can learn its timing.  This move is
SOMETIMES rigged against you, but more often than not isn't.  Can be a
bit hard to learn its timing, but it'll pay off in the end.  The move
is easily one of the most damaging attacks in the WoB, and isn't half
bad in the WoR (Though, not stellar)

Random Summon:
Obtained From: 3 Bars
Effects: Summons a random Esper except Odin, whether you have the Esper
or not doesn't matter.

Comments: This is when getting moves is harder than its worth.  This
likely isn't that hard, but…it's too unreliable to be worth using.  Its
only real use is for morphing, actually, as it'll let Gogo Mime
Ragnarok's summon over and over again (something he can't do with
Magicite item due to how it works), if you want to morph some hard to
get items (like the Cursed Ring!)  Generally speaking, I wouldn't
bother with this beyond novelty.

Sun Flare:
Obtained From: 3 Dragons
Effects: Non Elemental Magic damage to all

Comments: This is, to be blunt, Setzer using the Bahamut Esper for
Free.  The attack in and of itself is fine…its just the odds of getting
are too low for it be useful.  Shame, too, as this move is basically
his best Slots for raw damage, and a weaker version of Ultima at that.

Joker Doom (Good Version):
Obtained From: 3 7s
Effects: Kills entire enemy party, regardless if immune to instant
death or not (yes, this works even on the final boss)

Comments: This is the best Slots, hands down…at least as far as effects
go.  What's its problem?  The chances of getting this are incredibly
low, and the game even sometimes doesn’t let you use it in some fights
at that.  Though, should you be lucky enough to get this, your
opposition is gone.  This is nice if you are patient enough to dual
abuse slot tricks (the Pause + Accept method combined with Derigging
slots)

Joker Doom (Bad Version):
Obtained From: 2 7s and a Bar
Effects: Kills both the enemies side and your own

Comments: This has the same likely hood to happen as the above…only
it’s a good thing too.  This being used is a game over, period (unless
you have Life 3, maybe), you want to avoid this like the plague.  Yeah,
basically, this is a NEGATIVE slots.

Final Thoughts:  Setzer is just one of these characters who doesn't
show off much when he first joins, though, with a bit of playing
around, and learning how to use him, he can be made effective.  Not the
greatest character, no, but he's far from deserving the hate he gets
from casual players.  He's a solid character whose worth a shot, and
somewhat fun to play as, though, again, while I am supporting him here,
I will restate that Setzer is NOT one of the best characters by a long
shot.  There are still better options around, Setzer's just a viable
one who you shouldn't overlook instantly as a "bad character"

 ========
| STRAGO |
 ========

Stats:
Extra HP: 35
Extra MP: 13
Vigor: 28
Speed: 25
Stamina: 19
Magic Power: 34
Battle Power: 10
Defense: 33
Evade: 6%
Magic Defense: 27
M. Block: 7%
Level Readjustment: +2
Special Ability: Lores
Effects: Basically, this is the magic skillset, with different spells,
and learned in a special way, but otherwise identical (costs MP,
affected by Silence, etc.)  Anytime Strago witnesses a new Lore (be it
used by the enemy, Relm's sketches, or Gau's rages), he will learn it
at the end of the battle, so long as he "sees" the attack.
Essentially, that means Strago must be in your party and not under one
of several status' (Blind, Petrify, Wounded, and Freeze are a few)
However, note that if the spell is cast, and THEN he gets hit with the
status later in the fight, he will still learn the spell.

Character Analysis:
Strago, FF6's Blue Mage, one of the most versatile characters in terms
of attacks, is likely the case of most wasted potential.  At first, he
starts off good, make no mistake.  Aqua Rake is a nice strong attack he
starts off with, and he can grab a few other nifty Lores (such as Pearl
Wind) from the get go.  However, all things considered, most of what
Lores can cover, the Magic Skillset already covers adequately enough,
if not better, than Lores.

See, Strago's an interesting case.  He's likely the one character in
the game (besides maybe Gogo) who if there's a challenge (meaning
there's some restriction), he pretty much is guaranteed to get better.
Well, ok, he's not necessarily "Better", more so just lots of other
characters are hit far harder, and Strago manages to keep most of his
goodies.  Regardless, this more or less shows how Strago's potential is
wasted.  He does have a rather great skillset, however, thanks to the
universal use of Magic, most of it ends up obsolete in the end.  Worse,
despite being a mage, his magic stat isn't all that stellar.  It can be
boosted with his equips, to be fair, but even then, there are
considerably better choices for a magic damage (the Girls, for
starters, pretty much always have better magic)  Worse off, Strago is
gotten late, so his "esper time" is limited, and unlike, say, Setzer,
who mostly doesn't care about Esper time (Damage is independent of
Stats), he actually misses that time of Esper usage.

As far as equipment goes…Strago's equips are fairly average-ish.  He
has some nice looking options in his "Suits" as well as having a few
good store-bought here and there (Tao Robe, mainly), but nothing that
stands out.  Even his Ultimate armor, the Behemoth Suit, doesn't have
anything that really makes it look that great besides its +6 to all
stats (which is better on paper than it is in practice), albeit, its
not a trash Ultimate Armor, as its solid enough by its own right,
just…out classed by some other options character's have (Minerva, Force
Armor, and Snow Muffler, mainly)  He does get a rather nifty weapon in
the Magus Rod, though.  Remember how I said the Enhancer was a kick
butt weapon?  Magus Rod is better in everyway, as it ALSO grants +7 to
magic Power, but 10% more M. Block than the Enhancer, and higher battle
power (which is negligible, as Strago's damage is condemned to suck
physically, later on)

Should be obvious what kind of character Strago is.  He's the first
character you get who is clearly a dedicated Mage…for all that his
physical won't be bad, oddly, due to him having the right weapons at
the right time, but that's a different story.  His physical stats are
the worst in the game, besides Gogo, and he uses all the weakest
weapons, and none of them have any special quirks besides random Spell
casting, something Spear users and Swordsman get too.  This makes
Strago's physical be really bad 75% of the time, and decent that 25% of
the time when Pearl kicks in.  Doesn't save his Physical, but eh, could
be useful as a last resort…or not.

So what are some of Strago's noteworthy skills?  Well, Aqua Rake
absolutely rocks when you first get it.  It's an improved Level 2 that
hits several key weaknesses early on (Hi IAF sequence!)  Big Guard
casts both Protect and Shell on the ENTIRE time, which is rather nifty.
Grand Train is solid damage, and L? Pearl can be a nice weapon in the
final dungeon if you go in with your last digit of your GP at 1.  Pearl
Wind is also solid, though a bit pricey, healing early on (kind of
worthless besides healing through reflect late game due to Cure 3,
though, at the point of the game where MP doesn't matter)  Aero is, for
intents and purposes, a non elemental level 3 given how few things
actually are immune and/or absorb Wind damage late in FF6.  Yeah, these
things are useful on paper, but mostly, Magic out classess them in some
manner.  Granted, its because of these things that make Strago suddenly
a contender for MVP (well, that might be strong, but he's up there), in
Challenges.

For the most part, Strago is a character who looks really good on
paper, but in practice, most of what he can get can be done by some
other character better.  This really hurts his overall use.  He starts
off rather excellent, but when he rejoins in the WoR, he's pretty much
taken a decline to the point where its hard for him to recover.

Strategies for Strago throughout the game:
-Strago first joins, give have at least one of each elemental rod
around.  It helps for saving MP in the game.  Note that you can get a
Thunder Rod as early as the Scenario branches (South Figaro Cave), and
to save money, you get a Fire Rod and Ice Rod in the Burning house.
Strago hitting weakness with a rod does oddly good damage, and it
becomes quite nasty if the random level 2 kicks in…that's assuming he's
in the front row anyway.  Speaking of which…
-For the most part, like you'd guess with a mage, Strago should stay in
the back row.  Lores are magical, so they ignore row, obviously.  Has
no reason to be in the front row unless you feel like smacking the
enemy with the rods.  Note that Strago can equip the Morning Star,
should you actually care about a back row Physical…
-If you want to optimize Strago's Magic damage, keep the Mithril Rod on
him, the +2 to magic power is rather nifty.
-Strago should have two Earrings (or better yet, a Hero Ring) on, for
the most part.  Optimizes his damage, and makes him quite a powerhouse
early on.
-Strago is possibly one of the only characters who might want to use
something over Gaia Gear in the WoB.  That being the Tabby Suit.  It
gives a bit of a boost to Magic Power, though, its got worse Magic
Defense, and no Earth resistance (The latter being generally useful
only at the moment you get Gaia Gear)  What you take is your call.  I'd
ignore the Chocobo Suit, though, as its just not worth it for Strago.
-Try to get as many of Strago's Lores ASAP.  I'd list the easiest way
to get Lores, but…there's already a nicely written FAQ by Assassin
dedicated to that, so I'll just point you to his direction, should you
need to see when the earliest you can get some Lores are.  I recommend
nabbing at least Pearl Wind, the others can wait, for the most part.
-When you get Strago in the WoR, try to get the Magus Rod ASAP.  You
can get this by beating Dirt Dragon, or betting a Heal Rod at the
Coliseum.  Its Strago's best weapon by far.
-Behemoth Suit should be Strago's choice Armor for the most part,
though, if you want to tweak out M. Block, the Tao Robe isn't that bad
an option.  Besides those, there really isn't many other options Strago
will want for Armor, in general, late game.
-If you want Force Field, make sure Strago is in whatever Team you have
to face off against Doom.  S/he is the ONLY monster in the ENTIRE game
that uses Force Field, so you have one shot at it.
-Try to do the Grand Train sidequest ASAP.  Getting Grand Train early
really helps Strago out tremendously.

Strago's Ultimate and other Noteworty Equips:
Weapons:
Magus Rod
Gradeus

Helmets:
Circlet
Bard's Hat
Genji Helm
Red Cap

Armor:
Behemoth Suit
Tao Robe

Ideal End game set ups for Strago:

Set Up #1:
Magus Rod
Thunder Shield
Circlet
Behemoth Suit
Hero Ring
Earring

Set Up made to optimize Strago's damage.  This is all the best magic
boosting gear, in general, Strago has so it raises his Magic Damage to
their highest potential.  Thunder Shield was thrown in cause this set
up needs Elemental Defenses, and that's always a nice shield to use if
Elemental Defense is something you lack (Covers 4 elements, and has no
weaknesses) If you want a bit more defense (and MP at that), go with
Bard's hat over Circlet for some M. Block.

Set Up #2:
Magus Rod
Force Shield
Bard's Hat
Tao Robe
White Cape
White Cape

Strago's overall best defensive set up.  This gives him 127% M. Block,
and gives him a good magic defense score too, and the Force Shield
covers the elemental resists that every set up should at least have
SOME of.  Magus Rod and Tao Robe still give Magic Power boosts, so his
Offense isn't totally shafted either.  Decent Set up overall, so long
as you have a Force Shield to spare anyway.

Set Up #3:
Magus Rod
Thunder Shield
Circlet
Behemoth Suit
Gem Box
Hero Ring

Similar to the first set up, if you like Strago using "Magic" more than
Lores, DEFTINALY use this set up, unless you have someone else who
wants the Gem Box.  This is the best possible set up Strago can have
(besides equipping a Magus Hat which is moronic, as its 1 Point of
magic Power for loss in all other stats) for magic damage, if he's
using the Magic Skillset.  Thunder Shield, again, is there for the
Elemental Resists that a set up like this really wants.

Miscellaneous Stuff regarding Strago:
-As a Reminder, Strago can STILL learn things if he is dead.  Rather,
if he's seen the attack while he was alive, and then is killed, he'll
still learn the Lore.  So don't start getting annoyed when Strago gets
killed midway in the fight, if he's seen the Lore, as he'll learn it.
-Strago is the ONLY character in the game who is affected by Blind in
some manner.  Granted, all it means is he can't Learn Lores, which is
kind of worthless, but hey, its something!  It proves that Blind isn't
a TOTALLY useless status afterall…maybe?
-Strago has one spell that's cost actually RAISES with the
Econimizer…that spell being Reflect ???, which costs initially 0.
Econimizer raises it to 1.
-Strago can actually get some obscure status' easier than others!  With
Rippler, he can nab Morph, Interceptor, Rage, among other things if
used in odd ball fashions (used on an enemy who just ripplered a
different character, in conjunction with Confuse, what have you)  Yes,
you can see Strago suddenly undergo a sex change and look exactly like
Esper Terra.  Pity he can't use her equips >_>
-Strago can help with stealing!  Dischord halves the enemies levels, so
using this raises the chances of stealing a bit.  Handy for getting
annoying things like stocking up on Imp Halberds and such.

Skillset:
Strago's Lores are all gotten from monsters, besides the initial 3 he
starts with (Stone, Revenge, and Aqua Rake)  It'd be annoying to go
through EVERY enemy and see who uses which Lore, and again, there's
already a very well written FAQ dedicated to obtaining Lores written by
Assassin, so I'll just point you there to finding the Lores.

Condemned:
Effects: Adds a Counter to the enemy.  When the counter reaches 0, Doom
is cast on the enemy, in a form that never fails beyond immunity to the
status.

Comments: Not particularly useful.  By the time the counter hits 0,
Doom is likely to have hit by then.  Probably better to not bother with
this outside of completion purposes.

Roulette:
Effects: Starts off selecting every target, and prompts the user to
press "A"  When pressed, the Cursor slows down til it stops on one
target.  This target is then hit by Doom in the same manner as
Condemned's.

Comments: Kind of worthless, though, at least it can be used as a
theoretical last resort, as it WILL work the turn it's used, unlike
Condemned and its delay, so if you are going to die anyway, and the
enemy is vulnerable to Instant Death, why not, right?

Cleansweep:
Effects: Water elemental Magic damage to all enemies

Comments: Against a Single Foe, its inferior to Aqua Rake in everyway
unless they absorb/null wind.  However, it ignores split damage, so its
better than Aqua Rake for crowd control.  Decent enough, but nothing
special.

Aqua Rake:
Effects: Wind/Water Elemental magic damage to all enemies

Comments: This is quite nasty considering its one of Strago's initial
Lores, and when you first get, its in a dungeon with Water Weak
monsters.  It's stronger than a level 2, to boot.  Quite a good spell,
for when you first get Strago, and it’s a combo of two rarely resisted
elements.

Aero:
Effects: Wind Elemental magic damage to all enemies

Comments: This is the only Non Grand Train spell worth using throughout
the WoR.  Its on par with level 3's for damage, and its element is one
that's rarely ever a factor.  Solid Spell overall, really.

Blow Fish:
Effects: Does 1000 damage to one enemy, regardless

Comments: Umm…er…this spell would be good if you got it and Strago much
earlier.  As is, by the time Strago joins, he's breaking 1000 easily
enough with Aqua Rake as is.  USELESS, except MAYBE in an LLG…maybe…

Big Guard:
Effects: Adds Safe and Shell status to whole party

Comments: The one spell in the entire Lore skillset that isn't matched
by anything in magic at all.  This is rather nifty, as it set ups a
full defensive layer for your team in one casting.

Revenge:
Effects: Damage damage equal to Strago's Current HP subtracted from his
Max HP.

Comments: Worthless.  This is basically Locke's Valiant Knife with a
base damage of 0, and thing is, Strago's almost always got better
things to do with his MP than use it on a move that does "good" damage
only when he's about to die.  Granted, this is one of Strago's initial
Lores, not surprising it really isn't worth much.

Pearl Wind:
Effects: Heals whole party for an amount equal to Strago's current HP.

Comments: An interesting healing spell.  Never really bad at any point
in the game, though, its worthless if Strago has low HP.  Eh, probably
better to just use Cure 2/3, which will heal a sufficient enough amount
at any point of the game, and you won't have to worry about the
caster's HP.  Probably best quality of this spell is it’s a Healing
Spell that ignores Reflect AND Runic.

L.5 Doom:
Effects: Instant Death to all enemies whose level is a multiple of 5
(5, 10, 15, 20, etc.)

Comments: Pretty meh, as there isn't really much worthwhile that can be
hit with this.  Requires you to use Scan, or to actually look up the
enemies level, and its generally easier to just use straight out
instant death, or just knock off all their HP.

L.4 Flare:
Effects: Non Elemental Magic damage to all enemies whose level is a
multiple of 4 (4, 8, 12, 16, etc.)

Comments: Similar to L. 5 Doom, this is too situational for any real
use.  Its theoretically better than Grand Train for MT damage If all
enemies can be hit by this move, but…usually, that's not the case.
Easier to just use other damaging Spells to kill enemies.

L. 3 Muddle:
Effects: Adds Muddle status to all enemies whose level is a multiple of
3 (3, 6, 9, 12, 15, etc.)

Comments: Like its brethren, just too situational to really care about.
Besides, the existence of Noiseblaster, and the Stray esper hurt this
things use as well, since both are also MT Muddle abilities, and both
never fail barring immunity.

Reflect ???:
Effects: Adds Blind, Silence, and Slow to any enemy who has Reflect
status.

Comments: Well, it’s the only spell in the game that has NO MP COST!
There's a reason for that; it sucks complete and utter ass, this move
serves pretty much NO purpose whatsoever, as not only is reflect status
rare (outside of the Fanatics Tower where you can't even use the darn
move), but the enemies also have to be vulnerable to the Status' as
well.

L. ? Pearl:
Effects: Pearl Elemental Magic Damage to all enemies if level is a
multiple of whatever the last digit in your GP is (so if your GP is
238497, then it'd be a L. 7 Pear, per se)

Comments:  The best Level based spell, ONLY because it can be tweaked
to hit anything.  Good on Kefka's tower if you go in with a L1 Pearl,
as NO enemy gives GP that would effect that slot.  Beyond that?  Its
not very reliable.

Step Mine:
Effects: Does damage equal to Number of Steps/32.  MP Cost goes up by
one point every 30 minutes.

Comments: The MP Cost thing really hurts this move.  That, and the
damage is very disappointing.  End game, its doing, oh I dunno, 3000 at
best, when Grand Train is able to hit nearly double that easily enough,
and its likely costing less.  Only thing you could argue about this
move is that its "easily built up" by running around a town senselessly
for hours, making it do massive damage early on…but I don't consider
that something standard AT ALL.  Granted, if you are playing an LLG,
this move is GREAT, as its one of the few attacks whose damage is
independent of the casters level, letting you do some actual damage
late game!

Force Field:
Effects: Nulls out a totally random element for the rest of the fight
on every.  This type of "protection" from the element overrides all
elemental features (weakness, absorption, what have you)

Comments: This move may have had some theoretical use…maybe…if it
wasn't gotten so damn late.  Since you can only get it from Doom, a
point at which only the final boss is left, more or less, the move is
thus pretty bad.

Dischord:
Effects: Halves an enemies level.

Comments: The only use this move has is for raising Steal odds.  Why?
Cause it fails on all the same things Doom does, and that hits more or
less just as often, meaning why bother weakening the enemy when you can
outright kill them?  Yeah, only useful for speeding up the process of
stealing by raising their odds.

Sour Mouth:
Effects: Hits one enemy with Poison, Sleep, Mute, Imp, Confuse, and
Blind Status.

Comments: Fun spell, however, should be noted that its no more
effective than Imp, Sleep, or Muddle hitting an enemy solo, all things
considered, as all those status' are brutal by themselves.  Eh, decent
if you don't want to bother guessing/looking up status resistances.

Pep Up:
Effects: Heals Target's HP and MP fully, and recovers from most
status'.  User is then removed from battle, and HP and MP is reduced to
0.

Comments: Uhh…this move sucks, as its basically fully restoring someone
at the cost of someone else.  Not really worth it, as a Remedy + Elixir
more or less would do the same thing, and its only an extra turn, for
the cost of that person not dying.  Avoid this move.

Rippler:
Effects: Swaps status of user and Target, both positive and negative.

Comments: This spell isn't all that useful, but it’s a lot of fun to
mess around with.  Also the cause of lots of bugs, glitches, and other
odd mishaps (none of which are serious)  Yeah, don't expect much of
this spell, beyond novelty.

Stone:
Effects: Non Elemental Magic damage to one/multiple enemies.  Does 8x
damage if enemies level is equal to the casters.  Adds Muddle status.

Comments: This spell is weak unless you hit enemy whose level is equal
to Strago's, which to be blunt, happens almost never.  Besides that?
It’s a damage spell with below 100% Accurracy, that adds confusion, and
its damage isn't anything special either.  Easier to just use some
other damage moves.  To be fair, its one of Strago's starting Lores, so
you shouldn't expect much.

Quasar:
Effects: Non Elemental Magic Damage to all enemies

Comments: This spell is like the Lore equivalent of Meteor.  What do I
mean?  Well, look at it this way; Meteor is to Ultima as Quasar is to
Grand Train.  The spell is not bad by itself, but its completely
outclassed in everyway by Grand Train, and since its likely gotten
later, you'll probably never use this spell, beyond its nifty animation
anyway

Grand Train:
Effects: Non Elemental Magic Damage to all enemies

Comments: Lore's answer to Ultima…only its about half as strong, making
it just plain solid instead of totally overpowered.  Strago's more
source of offense, late in the game, really, best to get this spell
ASAP.  Does good damage, both for single targets and for groups, and
ignores everything that matters too (defense and reflect, mainly)

Exploder:
Effects: Does damage equal to the users Current HP, the caster dies as
a result of this.

Comments: Umm…well, seeing as this game isn't Pokemon, the move is
likely going to suck, right?  Guess what, IT DOES!  Strago's Worst
Lore, BY FAR.  You do more damage with just about all the other damage
Lores, and they don't have this huge downside.  At least Pep Up had a
nifty effect with its sacrifice, Exploder doesn't even grant THAT much.
I guess its good if you like watching old men go BOOM!

Final Thoughts:  Strago's got a lot of variety…on paper at least.
Problem is, most of what Strago can do, again, is covered by Magic
Skillset, and despite who he is, he's not stellar in that regard, as
others can be made equally as good, or better, Mage's for the Magic
skillset.  Lores have a few decent moves that are good regardless of
Magic or not, but for the most part, are just for show.  Sadly, Strago
isn't a very useful character in the end, as he's easily replaceable.
Granted, as soon as you start putting some restrictions on the game
(for Challenge purposes), don't be surprised if Strago all of a sudden
gets a huge spike in usefulness, even if its for the oddest reasons at
that.

 ======
| RELM |
 ======

Stats:
Extra HP: 37
Extra MP: 18
Vigor: 26
Speed: 34
Stamina: 22
Magic Power: 44
Battle Power: 11
Defense: 35
Evade: 13%
Magic Defense: 30
M. Block: 9%
Level Readjustment: +0
Special Ability: Sketch/Conrtol
Effects: Relm will make a "copy" of the enemy, and then one of two
commands will be used.  These commands vary depending on enemy, and
aren't always the most sensible either (Example: Ice Dragon's sketch
can yield Fire 3) Relm's chance of success is based on her level
compared to the enemies (if her level > the enemies level, then she
will never fail).  Equipping a Beret increases chances by about 33%.
Not all enemies can be sketched.  If FakeMustache is equipped, then
Sketch becomes Control.  Control uses same chances of success for
Sketch, and chances can be increased by equipping a Coronet.  When Relm
uses Control on an enemy, Relm forfeits all her turns for the enemies.
When an enemies turn is prompted, one of up to 4 actions can be used.
Control is broken when either the controller dies, or the one affected
by the status is hit with a physical attack.  What attacks can be used
from a controlled enemy vary from enemy to enemy, and are the same as
those the enemy can use in the Coliseum or under Confusion status.  Not
all enemies can be controlled.

Character Analysis:
Relm, believe it or not, is somewhat of Strago's complete opposite.
Yes, their equips are almost identical, and they're both used as mages.
However, that's kind of where the similarities end.  See, while Strago
cried about how Magic Skillset kicked ass, Relm adores it.  This is
part to her having good equips, combined with the best Magic Power
score by a good deal (5 points above Terra…)  However, she has no
special abilities worth noting, so she is somewhat completely reliant
on Magic to be worth something, hence why in most challenges she takes
quite a hit (meanwhile, Strago was annoyed at how Magic outclassed
Lores, so when Magic is removed from the picture, he takes quite a
jump)

Relm is easily the most underrated character in FF6.  You'll find very
few people who actually give her credit, but most will deem her as
"Bad" instantly, usually for reasons like "Sketch Sucks!" and such.
Yes, Relm's special is bad, quite possibly the worst in the game (its
up there with Runic, that's for sure), unlike Setzer where its just a
case of people not knowing how to use it, Relm's special ability is
outright trashy.  The Alternative, Control, isn't much better.  Yes,
most random encounters are NOT immune to it, and a Coronet raises the
chances to nearly 100%, however, note that Control does not undo
counters, and its stopping one enemy for the cost of an ally, and that
enemy can't be hit with physicals either.  Worse, most abilities you
can use through Control or Sketch, even the good ones, just aren't as
good a damage as you'd expect (Example is Kefka's Ultima from Sketch
does less than 3000 damage)  End result?  You have one really bad skill
innately, and another slightly better skill that requires a whole relic
slot to use, making it arguably worse.  Its easy to see how people can
get a first impression about Relm sucking ass.

However, Relm DOES have redeeming qualities.  As mentioned before, she
has the game's best Magic Power.  Unlike Vigor, high Magic Power is
somewhat noticeable, so this means Relm can do considerably more damage
with the Magic skillset than any other character besides of course
Morphed Terra.  Better yet, Relm's equipment tends to give good Magic
Power boosts, so her high magic power is inflated further, making her
damage that much better.  Taken time to teach Relm spells, she can be
made into a solid party member, really.  Granted, when she first joins,
she's somewhat useless knowing no spells, though, giving her a
Fire/Ice/Thunder Rod will let her do good damage…25% of the time…in the
front row.  Mind, a fun fact is in the WoB, Relm's physical with an Ice
Rod does more than Locke's damage, on average, with a Hawk Eye (the
damage boost against Flying enemies 50% of the time is cancelled out by
the ability to hit weakness 100% of the time), which is just funny as
Locke is a Fighter, while Relm is a Mage (flip side: Locke's damage can
be done in the Back Row, Relm's must be in the front)  Beyond that?
Relm needs to be trained from the get go to be made good.  Without
Magic, she struggles to be worthwhile, really (especially since Strago
can use all her (worthwhile) Weapons, so if you're using Relm's
physical, you might as well use Strago's, who has similar damage, AND
all his Lores.  See why Relm hates challenges?)

Speaking of Relm's weapons, that segues nicely into her equipment…well,
maybe not, but shut up.  Well, considering she could use all of
Strago's equipment, and his stuff was average-ish, that must mean
Relm's equipment is above average, right?  Logic dictated correctly
here.  Relm can, as I said, use all of Strago's equips; Animal suits,
rods, robes, what have you.  However, she also can use a few things
Strago can not use, namely Female Specifics, and a few unique things.
Sure, some of the stuff is just useless padding, such as the Brushes
and their utter scrubbiness (lower attack power than Rod's in general,
and no real special points besides some MINOR stat boosts, and humor
value of smacking an enemy with a Brush), though a few stand out.  The
White Dress is a nice WoB equip for turning Relm into an especially big
powerhouse, if you don't mind some defensive losses from not using
Tabby Suit or Gaia Gear.  Also she can use the Mystery Veil, which is
the flat out best helmet in the WoB, and would be one of the best in
the WoR…if she didn't get something better.  Yes, remember my raving
about the Mystery Veil for Terra and Celes?  It looks somewhat tame to
one of Relm's options, that being the Cat Hood.  That Cat Hood grants
high defensive boosts for a helmet (2nd overall only to the Genji
Helmet), along with giving Circlet like stat boosts (Well +4 to Magic
Power and +2 to Speed, no Vigor and Stamina boosts…mind, Relm is a
mage, so Vigor = moot, and Stamina is just laughable as always), and
10% M. Block (the only reason Bard's hat is actually considered for end
game set ups is for that 10% M. Block alone) That's not all, though, as
it also halves every element but Poison and Water, and as an added
bonus, it doubles the GP you get from battles (which is more a time
saver than anything useful, but hey)  This is easily the best helmet in
the game, by far, and only Relm can use it.  Should you want to use
Relm, make sure you get this.  Beyond that, Relm's equips are more or
less the same as Strago's (mind, female Equips and Cat Hood make all
the difference), so treat them accordingly.  Yes, there are a few OTHER
things she can use that Strago can't, but they are pretty much
worthless (like the Czarina Gown!)

One of the nice things about Relm is she the ONLY Character in the game
who doesn't use a sword and can hit 128% M. Block without the Merit
Award.  This makes her a decent consideration should you want another
128% M. Block character for areas like, say, Kefka's Tower where you
need multiple teams.  Granted, it does limit her offense a bit (mostly
cause she can't use things like Earrings or Gem Box), but hey, at least
she's nigh unkillable.

All in all, Relm is a character that at first glance, will seem pretty
bad, but once you learn how to use her, and actually put a bit of
effort into raising her (IE teach her some worthwhile spells like Level
2s or Bio early on), she can be quite a nice addition.  Her equipment
options are always decent throughout the game (though, nothing outright
stellar until the Cat Hood), and her game best Magic Power makes her a
good damage dealer no matter what point of the she's in, so long as you
actually bother to give her some spells.  To be blunt, Relm takes a bit
of work to make worthwhile, but after that part, she's a pretty decent
character in general.

Strategies for Relm throughout the game:
-When Relm first joins, give her an elemental Rod (doesn't matter which
one, as long as its not Poison) Since she knows no magic at the time,
she has no use for the Mithril Rod, and the average damage from an
Elemental Rod is considerably better than her damage from the Morning
Star.
-Never bother with Sketch, except in a very select few cases, after the
fight with Ultros.  Its just not worth it, trust me.
-Relm should start off learning some level 2's before anything else.
If you want to get a decent spell on her fastest, Shoat, with its x8 to
Bio is the way to go, though, note that Bio is of a rather subpar
element, and its damage is worse than the Level 2's.  If you want
fastest "Net Gain", go with Maduin (fastest means of learning all 3
Level 2's), but if you just want a level 2 ASAP, not caring about how
many, or which ones, go with Ifrit or Shiva (preferably Shiva, as
she'll teach Osmose and Rasp with a few more fights after she teaches
Ice 2.  That, and Ice 2 is negligibly Stronger!), both giving x5 to
their respective spells.  Try to get Relm all 3 level 2's, though,
before you get to the FC, should you plan on using her then.
-Or if you prefer, you could teach her the level 2's on the way TO the
FC, and in the IAF sequence, give Relm a Genji Glove, Hero Ring, and
two Thunder Rods, and watch her smite.  You'd be surprised what a
little 10 year old girl built to be a mage can do with that combo when
smacking an elemental weakness when using a physical attack.
-Relm has a few Armor options for the WoB.  Helmet is obviously Mystery
Veil, as that flat out kicks every other options ass, but armor is a
bit different.  Tabby Suit is best balance between Defenses and stat
boosts, Gaia Gear gives best defensive boosts, while White Dress is
likely most useful if you want offenses.  So…its between higher
defenses (and earth absorption), higher offenses, or a balance of both.
-Ignore the Czarina Gown in the WoR.  Yes, you'd expect the armor to be
good, what with it being an Armor that only RELM can use, it must be
special, right?  Truth be told, the Tao Robe, obtainable at the same
time (both are basically restricted to when you get Relm, as both are
gotten, potentially, before), is likely overall more useful.  All
things considered, Czarina Gown's BEST use is to turn into a Minerva
for the adult women to use.
-Never give Relm a Brush.  They, for the most part, are just for show,
and a Rod is better pretty much always.
-Attempt to get a Cat Hood for Relm ASAP.  It's not hard, just need to
nab an Imp Halberd (easiest to get by stealing from Mantodea's, just
kill off all enemies, except them, then cast Vanish on your stealer(s))
This will make the consideration of using Relm a bit more serious
-Grab a 2nd Magus Rod ASAP, that way, you won't have to fear problems
about using Relm w/ Strago or Gogo.  Only method of getting more than
one Magus Rod is by betting Heal Rods (which are useless anyway) at the
Coliseum (the first Magus Rod is gotten from Dirt Dragon)
-Don't bother with the Gradeus.  Yes, its Relm's strongest weapon…but
on average, Pearl Rod out damages, and if against a "Human", Man Eater
is flat out better.  All its good for is making Relm's Battle Power
look almost decent…
-Also should try to nab a 2nd Behemoth Suit, so Relm and Strago don't
have to fight over it.  Until you get that 2nd Behemoth Suit, use
either a Nutkin Suit (at that point, its likely easiest to obtain in
the Coliseum), or Tao Robe.
-Be sure to keep Relm's magic up to date.  Don't think her high Magic
Power is going to save Level 2's throughout the whole WoR, as those
will eventually teeter off.  Make sure to at least give her one high
end spell (Pearl, level 3's, or Flare comes to mind.  Meteor for some
MT damage if you gave her Pearl or Flare only)
-Relm, like the moogle and other girls, can get max MP (999) by using
only 3 of the required levels with Crusader, instead of 4, like most
characters.

Relm's Ultimate and Noteworthy Equips:
Weapons:
Magus Rod
Gradeus

Helmets:
Cat Hood

Armor:
Behemoth Suit
Tao Robe

Ideal End game set ups:
Set Up #1:
Magus Rod
Genji Shield
Cat Hood
Behemoth Suit
Gem Box
Earrings

This set up, obviously, turns Relm into a magical power house.  Gem Box
lets her cast two high powered spells at once (instead of just one),
and her equipment all augments her magic damage in some way.  Genji
Shield thrown in for the extra defense, as she has enough Elemental
resists as is, thought she could use a bit more defense.

Set Up #2:
Magus Rod
Force Shield
Cat Hood
Tao Robe
White Cape
White Cape

This set up is Relm's 128% M. Block set up, which has obvious use.
Nice quirk about this 128% M. Block set up is it also resists 7 of the
8 elements, the only element not resists is Poison, where all attacks
from it are blockable anyway.  Use this if you wish to play it safe,
obviously.

Miscellaneous Info on Relm:
-Sketch Bug.  This is a very famous thing regarding Relm.  Basically,
whenever she fails a sketch, or does an illegal one, sometimes the game
glitches.  There's been extensive testing to see when exactly the bug
happens, and when it doesn't, and unfortunately, I don't know the exact
odds on this.  However, note that the glitch can cause anything from
getting lots of random items (Good thing!), to some graphics glitching
(annoying, but nothing serious) to screwing up your file completely
(bad)  Due to this risk, its another reason to just avoid using Sketch
entirely.
-If you did NOT save Shadow, remember that you must go to the Veldt
Cave BEFORE doing Owser's house in the WoR, to get Relm.
-Also remember Relm is needed to start the Hidon Side quest.  I believe
you don't actually need to bring her to the dungeon itself, but unsure
on this, she is required to actually start it, however.
-If you did not get Shadow, Relm will have her own dream in his place,
proving further an already obvious aspect (not saying what that is,
since it’s a spoiler, and by now, you should already know <_<)

Skillsets:
Since Relm's skill set is based off the enemy she's fighting, I'm not
going to bother saying much here.  Should you wish to see what enemies
can do with Control or Sketch, check the "Monster Statistics Guide" as
it explains fully, and coherently, what each monster has.

Final Thoughts:  Relm at first glance won't seem like much at all, but
she's defiantly not an outright bad character.  With some effort, and a
bit of raising, Relm can be made effective enough.  She really likes
how the FF6 Magic skillset is strong, as it makes her High Magic Power
actually worth something.  Granted, the instant a Challenge is brought
up, there's a good chance Relm will sink to rock bottom.  Regardless,
don't give up on Relm instantly, as actually putting some effort into
her, she'll end up a fine character, albeit, do not expect something
outright stellar.

 =======
| UMARO |
 =======

Stats:
Extra HP: 60
Extra MP: 0
Vigor: 57
Speed: 33
Stamina: 46
Magic Power: 37
Battle Power: 47
Defense: 89
Evade: 8%
Magic Defense: 68
M. Block: 5%
Level Readjustment: +2
Special Ability: "Rage"
Effects: When Umaro is in battle, you lose all control over him ala
Rage or Dance.  He will then only use Fight or "Tackle" commands.  If
he has the Rage Ring equipped, then "Character Toss" may sometimes be
used, providing he actually has allies.  If he has a Blizzard Orb
equipped, he will randomly use "Storm" at times.

Character Analysis:
I know you're all waiting for me to do this setting.  I know you're
probably saying, "how can you make UMARO look good?"  or something
along those lines.  And, well, I'll be blunt, I WON'T TRY.  Umaro is
hands down the worst character in FF6.  Basically, take the FF5
Beserker, and make him have a forced Weapon and Armor, and let him do
some other moves, based on equips.  And the thing is, Umaro just
doesn't get better ever.  He's gotten late, and the only way to make
him "better" is to level him up, something you could be doing with
another character and get more out of them.
</pre><pre id="faqspan-5">
So what does Umaro actually have?  Well, he has high base stats, and
when he joins, he's already got pretty much everything he's going to
have, meaning he requires no extra training or equipment (besides
Blizzard Orb.  You will likely have the Rage Ring by then) beyond
leveling up, so I guess he's the character who needs the least
training.  Also nulls out the big 3 elements without much difficulty,
which…is worth something, I guess.  Also, due to starting with a Snow
Muffler, he comes in with some pretty obscene defense, and it can't
ever get possibly worse.  Tackle and Character Toss aren't that bad on
damage either, the latter is also quite comical.  That, and Umaro is a
character who can make use of the Gauntlet with no downsides.  And he's
a decent choice in the Fanatics Tower as none of the enemies there have
any real defense against his moves.

Beyond that?  Umaro has nothing.  Everyone else can outdamage him quite
easily, most characters can gain better defensive set ups, and they can
use Espers and have variety, not to mention aren't permanently
uncontrollable.  All in all, Umaro is a bad character.  He's basically
Gau with locked on equips, better stats, and forced into one Rage that
isn't very stellar.  Yes, that's basically saying "He's Gau with better
stats, and none of the other stuff that makes Gau good"  I suggest you
stay away from Umaro.  He's really not a useful character at all.

Due to Umaro lacking any equips beyond Relics, and any variety of any
kind, I won't bother with a Strategies, Equipment, Ideal Set Ups, or
Miscellaneous section for him, as there's really not much to say.
So…I'll skip to the final thoughts!

Final Thoughts:  Umaro is a bad character, its really hard to justify
him otherwise.  In challenges, he's not quite as bad, but he's hardly
much better.  His main selling point, sadly, is that he's a 4th
character to bring to the Fanatics Tower in an NMG.  Yeah, unless you
like watching characters getting tossed randomly, I suggest you not
bother with the Yeti.  Can't we all shed tears for the big smelly one?

 ======
| GOGO |
 ======

Note: For simplicity purposes, despite how its never actually been
officially stated who/what Gogo is, I'll just refer to Gogo with male
pronouns.   So don't start e-mailing me about "Gogo isn't necessarily
male!" as its just easier to do it this way than to say "s/he/it"
everytime.

Stats:
Extra HP: 36
Extra MP: 12
Vigor: 25
Speed: 30
Stamina: 20
Magic Power: 26
Battle Power: 13
Defense: 35
Evade: 10
Magic Defense: 25
M. Block: 6
Level Readjustment: +2
Special Ability: Mimic
Effects: Gogo will use the same action as the one used by the character
immediately before him.  Should the action either be one that can't be
mimicked (Morph for example), or no action has been used yet, Gogo will
default to using "Fight"
Other: Gogo can use any skillset of any other character in FF6, with
the exception of Morph, Leap, Shock, Health, Magitek, and Possess (note
that Health = Cure 2, Shock can be used via Retainer Rage, and Magitek
can be used if Gogo has "Fight" and is in the Magitek Armor section of
Cyan's Soul) Gogo's skillsets with these are based off of the skillset
of the "home" character (IE Gogo will know only Blitzes that Sabin
already knows), Magic command is based off whatever Magic the current
party has (IE if your team is Gogo, Terra, Gau, and Sabin, Gogo will be
able to use any spell that any of those characters know)  Gogo can only
use skill sets of characters that you have been "properly introduced
too" (IE seen their Naming Screen)  If Shadow was not rescued on the
Floating Continent, Gogo can not use Throw.  For moves like Jump, X-
Magic, Control, Capture, and GP Rain, Gogo must equip the proper Relic,
and have the proper skillset equipped, to use those abilities (for
example, if Gogo wants Capture, he needs to equip the Thief Glove AND
have the "Steal" skill on)

Character Analysis:
Gogo is more or less the polar opposite of Umaro, in terms of his set
up.  He has all the variety in the world, and yet, his stats are just,
for lack of a better word, aweful.  Easily the worst overall stats of
any of the final 14 in FF6.  These two aspects end up balancing out
completely, more or less, leading to make Gogo a useful, though overall
average character.  Gogo tends to be the "I can do everything, but not
as good as the original" character, though, sometimes, he does it the
job well enough that you don't care about him being technically
inferior.

To be blunt, you use Gogo when you want several abilities, but can't
decide which you want for that 4th slot, and feel confident enough that
the lackluster equipment and stats won't be that big a hinerance.  Want
tools? You got it.  Want another Bum Rush user?  He can do that.  Need
more universal elemental and status protection from Magic Urn?  He can
use Rage's like Gau as well.  Essentially, Gau is basically just
grabbing everyone else's special (besides Terra's), and putting them on
who would otherwise be a really bad character.  This versatility makes
Gogo a passable character, though, not a stellar one.

Because you can outright change Gogo's commands on a whim, this makes
him an ideal Coliseum character.  One often used strategy is to make a
totally defensive set up that the enemy can't break through, and give
Gogo nothing but "Fight" in all his slots, letting him win the battle
without any chance of loss.  That's probably Gogo's selling point is
that he's a safe character to use in the Coliseum, though, he might
require a merit award for taking down some opponents.

How are his equips you might ask?  Basically, take anything Strago can
use, add on the "Gear" class equips, and remove the Animal Suits…yeah,
obviously, it’s a losing trade.  Yes, this means Gogo's BEST armor is
the storebought Tao Robe, which has laughable defense and magic defense
(For an ultimate armor), though, it does raise M. Block by 10% and
magic power by 5, so its not TOTAL trash, just the worst Ultimate armor
in the game.  Gogo's weapons aren't too bad, I guess, as when he joins,
you can get a Magus Rod for him pretty much instantly, which helps make
up for his low Magic Power, and gives him +30% M. Block to boot.  All
in all, Gogo's equips are some of the worst in the game, though,
calling it the worst is a tough call (Magus Rod really helps him out
there, and he gets an easy to obtain M. Block Armor), with some other
characters having bad options themselves.

All in all, one should never be reliant on Gogo for…well, anything.
He's not a fall back character, per se.  He's good for fulfilling
secondary duties, whatever that maybe, and helps in team split
situations when you really want a certain skill for both teams, he'll
help make decisions easier.  Not exactly a great character, though, not
a bad one really either.  Can be made somewhat useful.

Strategies for Gogo throughout the game:
-When you get Gogo, buy a Tao Robe for him, and then make sure he
always has it on.  That's his best armor, sadly.
-Gogo should be using the Magus Rod if you have one available, UNLESS
he's using Sword Techs (yes, oddly, the Magus Rod works with Runic)  If
you're using Swordtech, then find whatever weapon gives him the best
stat boosts that he can with Swordtechs, and use that (since Swordtechs
ignore Battle Power, stat boosts are all that matter)
-Like most characters, Gogo should be in the back row, especially since
he should never be using his fight command, ever.
-What skillsets to give Gogo?  Well, Magic is good if the current team
has a good selection spells, Blitz and Throw are always solid for
damage options.  Lore is nice for some variety, and good if the magic
selection in the team isn't much.  Other abilities have some uses here
and there, but for the most part, those are likely the most useful.

Gogo's Ultimate and Noteworthy Equips:
Weapons:
Magus Rod
Gradeus

Helmets:
Circlet
Genji Helmet
Bard's Hat
Red Cap

Armor:
Tao Robe

Ideal End game Set ups:

Set Up #1:
Magus Rod
Force Shield
Bard's Hat
Tao Robe
White Cape
White Cape

Gogo's defensive set up.  Simply put, Gogo has 126% M. Block here,
being near unhittable.  Magus Rod and Tao Robe give decent boosts to
magic, so he can use stuff like Bum Rush in this set up for good
damage.

Set Up #2:
Magus Rod
Thunder Shield
Circlet
Tao Robe
Hero Ring
Earrings

Gogo's offensive set up.  Basically, his physicals are going to suck
anyway, this set up weighs him down with all the best magic boosting
equips, so Gogo can go Bum Rushing the enemy, or casting Grand Train,
or whatever on them, for good damage.  Thunder Shield chosen for the
fact that Gogo wants Elemental Defense in this set up, though, you
might want more physical defense, so at times, Genji Shield or Aegis
Shield might be better ideas.

Miscellaneous info on Gogo:
-If you want to use Gogo in the Fanatics Tower, give him the FIGHT
Command, NOT Magic.  See, the game erases the magic command, actually,
and then replaces the Fight command with Magic.  Weird? Yes, but just
take my word for it.  Should be noted that Gogo can still use Mimic in
the Fanatics Tower, so he's not totally unusable if you forget this.
Item stays, however, as a reminder
-Gogo is your only means of summoning Espers over and over again in a
battle consistently!  Good for metamorphing, I guess.  Note that this
works with the actual Esper Summon, or the "Random Summon" slots (3
Bars)  This does NOT work with Magicite, so to speak.  While in "Random
Summon" slots, he'll mimic whatever Esper was used, in the case of the
Magicite item, Gogo is mimicking the ITEM being used, not the attack,
so he'll just summon a totally random Esper (be it the same or not, is
a different story, chances are against you however)
-Gogo can mimic X-magic!  To do this, have someone use "X-magic" then
have Gogo use "Mimic" immediately after.  Gogo will then cast those
same two spells in a row…for free!  Closest thing you'll get to 2 Gem
Boxes, besides the "Quick" spell anyway.
-Unfortunately, this does not work with X-fight.  If Gogo Mimics X-
fight, he'll use a regular physical, with whatever weapon he has.   Oh
well.  That is unless Gogo is mimicking himself using X-fight…
-Same applies to Multi hit Jumps.  If Gogo mimics someone using Jump,
he will use Jump himself, yes.  However, he won't use the "Multi Hit"
part UNLESS he himself has a Dragon Horn equipped.  So yeah, no cheap
shots in getting 2 Dragon Horns for the price of one relic slot (mind,
you still save a Relic Slot on Dragoon Boots :) )

Final Thoughts: Gogo is, well, a character who balances everything he
has with something bad, and vice versa.  Not what I'd call the
"definition of average" though, he's pretty much smack in the middle
for overall use.  Amazing Versatility like no one else, with no stats
(which are static to boot from no potential Esper usage), and bad
equips to offset this, Gogo is your guy you choose for whatever 2ndary
jobs need fulfilling.  And not surprisingly, like Strago, Gogo gets a
nice boost in usefulness in most challenges, where he's basically
Strago with Bum Rush <_<.

And so ends the full character analysis for all the Non Gau characters
in FF6!  Now for all the random junk that just didn't fit into this
part of the FAQ in the next sections!

------------------------------
5. Character Growth Strategies
------------------------------

This section will help discuss how to raise characters, in terms of
Espers, and such.  Pretty self explanatory there.

Anyway, first off, an ideal method of raising a character is to choose
one stat to boost, and keep at it.  Should that stat hit 128, then go
to a different stat, as that stat is now maxed.  By "one stat" I mean
between Vigor or Magic Power, as those ones boost damage.  Speed is
from one Esper, and grows too slowly, you'd be better off going for the
offensive stats first (That, and having the speed boosting Esper means
no Quick spell, by definition)

Now, what stat to raise between those two is dependant on character.
That's what this section is about!  I'll get to that later though,
first some things to clear up.

Note: Gogo and Umaro are excluded from this for obvious reasons, that
being they can't use Espers at all.  While I did neglect Gau in the
FAQ, I'll make sure to mention him here, since this part of him is
rather simple :)

First off, every character in FF6 at level 99 have at least 9783 HP and
966 MP, so if you plan on getting to level 99, ignore the HP and MP
level ups.  However, if you are a perfectionist, and want to make sure
your characters have perfect 9s, well, then you should know when
exactly to use those level ups.  The Earlier you use the HP Boosting,
the worse, as HP boosts are pretty lackluster until after level 40
(where HP growth spikes somewhat)  MP Growth…is kind of grows steadily
til level 50, then starts getting worse.

The highest HP levels are 69, 70, and 71 (meaning when you level up TIL
those levels), so when your character hits level 68, equip Bahamut (HP
+50%, the highest boost), and have it on til the character is level 71,
then take it off.  This applies for every character.

For MP, it’s a bit different.  The highest MP levels are level 48 thru
50, same vain as in HP, per se.  However, note that these 3 levels will
ONLY be sufficient for Terra, Celes, Relm, and Mog to get 999 MP.
Everyone else will need at least one more level of MP, best use it with
some other consecutive level, to be safe.  To make things even more
complicated, Cyan and Sabin will need yet ANOTHER Additional level to
get that perfect 999 MP, so have the esper on then too.  Wait, what
Esper?  That would be Crusader (MP +50%, highest MP Boost), of course.

Beyond that?  I would ignore HP and MP boosts when possible, as they
just aren't worth it.

Next, ignore Stamina.  It's generally a worthless stat.  Yeah, it'll be
odd that there's one low stat compared to all the others, but trust me,
Stamina raising is not worth it.

Now, if you wish to keep Odin, after you've maxed out Vigor or Magic
Power, I suggest you put the rest of your stats in Speed.  You
shouldn't need 2 high offensive stats, might as well raise speed, no?

Mind, this is assuming you're getting to level 99.  if you are not
getting to level 99, just raise one stat, generally, when possible.
What Espers boost what stats you say?  Here's a list of the following
Espers and their stat boosts (only listing Espers with stat boosts):

Siren: HP +10%
Shoat: HP +10%
Terrato: HP +30%
Bahamut: HP +50%
Phantom: MP +10%
Fenrir: MP +30%
Crusader: MP +50%
Ifrit: Vigor +1 (note that it says Strenght, it means Vigor, this
applies for all appropriate Espers)
Bismark: Vigor +2
Raiden: Vigor +2
Ramuh: Stamina +1
Golem: Stamina +2
Starlet: Stamina +2
Odin: Speed +1
Maduin: Magic Power +1
Stray: Magic Power +1
Zoneseek: Magic Power +2
Tritoch: Magic Power +2

Yeah, obviously, you want to gain levels with Tritoch or Zoneseek (For
Magic Power), Odin (for speed), or Bismark and Raiden (Vigor)  Should
any of those not be available, go for another stat, or use one of the
+1 to said stat Espers to compensate.  Granted, that should only occur
if 2 characters are working on the same stat and about to level up.

Now, with all THAT junk out of the way…how to raise characters?  Note
that I'm assuming all speed boosting comes AFTER the stat I'm
mentioning is raised, and that HP/MP is being raised at levels
mentioned above (if then).  So yeah, I likely won't be mentioning speed
boosts due to this.

Terra: Vigor or Magic Power, its your choice.  She's a fine fighter and
a good mage, so it depends on what you want from her.  Just be sure to
stick to whatever you start raising her as.

Locke: Vigor.  He's all about his good weapon selection, and his magic
power isn't much, so instead of trying to compensate for one low stat,
why not focus on making the most of what he's already good at, right?

Mog: Vigor.  Yeah, at first, Magic Power might seem the right way to
go, with his dances being magical, but remember, late game, he's likely
being a Dragoon, so make the most of his physicals with Vigor.  Note
that if you're going to be level 99, it MIGHT be better to go for Magic
Power, as Jump WILL always hit 9999, providing high defense monsters
don't rear their ugly head.

Edgar: Vigor.  Similar reasons to Mog, though, more importantly, most
of Edgar's tools are physical.  Even if you plan on getting to level
99, its best to go for Vigor, if only cause Auto Crossbow then becomes
a free 9999 to all enemies.

Sabin: Magic Power.  Yeah, I know, he's the big bad ass monk of FF6,
and has game best Vigor, but frankly, Vigor means little when most of
your skillset is magical.  Best raise his Magic Power to beef up the
lion share of his skillset, even though it doesn't seem to fit, but
hey, if its between "what feels right" and "what's more effective", I
think the answer should be obvious (if that doesn't give it away, the
answer is the latter, which is magic power)

Shadow: Vigor or Magic Power.  Most of his throws are physical, yes,
but they do enough damage as is, so you could either work on making
them stronger, or try to make the Skeans worth something.  Note that if
you plan on getting to level 99, defiantly go with Magic Power, as
Shurikens will do VERY CLOSE to 9999 at level 99.

Cyan: Vigor.  Yeah, a few of his Sword Techs are magical, as is Wind
Slash, though, the Sword Techs that are worth something (Dispatch and
the Quadras) are physical, and the Quadras get an especially large
boost from Vigor do to how they work.  If you really want to make
Windslash from the Tempest stronger, raise Magic Power, though that's
generally the only reason to raise Magic Power for Cyan (Retort,
Stunner, and Empowerer just aren't worth it)

Gau: Both.  No, not "either or", I said both.  Gau doesn't really need
speed, since he's not limited by human reactions like everyone else is,
so he can deal with lower speed.  Thus, raising Magic Power increases
the power of most of his good rages, Vigor increases the weak physical
he's forced to use in all of them, and Cat Scratch in the infamous
Stray Cat Rage.  Magic Power also helps out Wind God Gau, if you didn't
know either.

Celes: See Terra, more or less, its easier than retyping that whole
thing out.  Personally, I'd raise Celes however you are NOT raising
Terra (or raise Terra however you are not raising Celes, if you want to
view it THAT way) This way, you can make the two characters at least
somewhat different instead of making two very similar characters more
similar…

Setzer: Magic Power.  Alright, yes, he primarily fights physically late
game…except that his Fixed Dice totally ignores any logical physical
equation except for Multipliers, meaning raising Vigor does nothing,
might as well increase his damage from slots, no?

Strago: Magic Power.  Every single one of his Lores are magical, and
weapons suck ass…this should be an obvious selection here.

Relm: Magic Power.  See Strago, only instead of "Lores being magical",
replace that part with "you’d be insane to raise Relm as a fighter"

And there, now you should have no problems deciding how to raise your
characters…well, ok, a few characters can be raised either or, but for
that…uhh…flip a coin.  The coin is all knowing, and never lies, DO NOT
QUESTION THE COIN!

-----------------------------
6. Character Team Suggestions
-----------------------------

Look for this in a later update.  Just putting this section here for
now so people know what to look forward to in the future.  If its not
obvious, this is for what characters to use at different points in the
game, which will require some thought (maybe?), so…yeah, keep a look
out for this.

----------------------
7. Equipment Locations
----------------------

This section tells you where to get equips I listed in this FAQ.  I
might miss a few since I'm mostly speaking from memory, so contact me
if such happens <_<  I'm leaving out silly trades that grant you
something far inferior, like trading the Illumina -> Scimitar or
Paladin Shld -> Force Shld at the Coliseum (well, ok, the latter has
some theoretical use, maybe?) Also ignoring Metamorph cause frankly,
that tends to be the most annoying way to get items, and it really
isn't any easier than the methods I'm listing below due to its nature.

Weapons:
Illumina: After getting Locke back in the WoR, go to Narshe's Weapon
Shop, and talk to the guy there.  Choose to make the Stone he has into
a Sword (which is Ragnarok), and then bet that at the Coliseum.  Your
reward will be Illumina.

Enhancer: Store bought in Nikeah and South Figaro in the WoR

Atma Weapon: Found in the Sealed Cave in the WoB.  There's a switch you
must press somewhere in the second half of the dungeon, which opens a
little room with 4 chests, Atma Weapon is in there.  Normally, I
wouldn't go into THIS much detail, but it seems lots of people somehow
miss this item, and its permanently missable too.  You can get a second
by stealing from Girl(?) on Tier 3 of the final battle, but that's not
worth it given how late it is.

ValiantKnife: Receive this automatically when Locke returns in the WoR.
Note that, from what I understand, in the Japanese version, you get 2
Valiant Knives due to some bad coding.

Wing Edge: Found in chests in both Phoenix Cave and the Cave to the
Ancient Castle.

Pearl Lance: Win won after beating White Dragon in the Fanatics Tower.
You can get more by betting the Strato at the Coliseum.  If you're
curious, Strato can be gotten by betting the Tempest, Murasame or the
Aura, and continually betting what you win there (I advise against
Tempest though), as well as gotten by beating Red Dragon in the Phoenix
Cave.

Aura Lance: Gotten by beating Poltrgeist in Kefka's Tower.  You can get
another by betting the Sky Render (gotten from beating Doom in Kefka's
Tower) at the Coliseum.

Tiger Fangs: Gotten by beating Allo Ver (not sure if I spelt that
right) in the Veldt Cave, a monster in the Box.  You can get more by
stealing from GtBehemoth's in Kefka's Tower

Thief Knife: Gotten in the house in Narshe with all the Treasure
Chests.  You can get more by stealing form Slam Dancers in Zozo

Assassin: Found in a chest in the Sealed Cave

Striker: Found in a chest in the Veldt Cave

Stunner: Found in Fanatics Tower, I'll let you figure what its in.

Tempest: One can be stolen from Number 128 in the Mine Cart ride at the
end of the Magitek Factory.  The other is gotten in a chest in the
Sealed Cave

Scimitar: Gotten by beating Blue Dragon.

Sky Render: Listing this only cause people will kill me for ignoring
Cyan's STRONGEST (not best) weapon.  Anyway, got by beating Doom in
Kefka's Tower, and can also get another by betting the Aura Lance at
the coliseum.

Fixed Dice: Found in Team 1's route of Kefka's Tower

Doom Darts: Found in the Cave to the Ancient Castle.  Note that in FF6
Anthologies, these are called Trump (and vice versa)

Magus Rod: Gotten by beating Dirt Dragon.  You can get two more by
betting Heal Rods at the Coliseum

Gradeus: Gotten by beating Master Pug, a Monster in the Box in the Cave
to Ancient Castle

Imp Halberd: Gotten as a rare drop from Tyranosaurs (found in a forest
west of the Veldt), or by stealing from Mantodea's (found in a variety
of standard terrains in the WoR, like outside of Doma, Narshe, Maranda,
etc.)

Shields:
Thunder Shld: There are 2 in chests, located at Zone Eater's Cave and
Mt. Zozo.  You can also bet Genji Glove or Gauntlet at the Coliseum to
get this.  Lastly, you can steal this from Stereodites in Kefka's Tower

Genji Shld: One is found in Fanatics Tower.  You can get more by
betting Thunder Shlds at the coliseum.  Note you can bet the Genji
Shlds to get that Thundrr Shld back

Aegis Shld: One is found in Mt. Zozo in an easy to find chest.  Another
can be found in Kefka's Tower in a diverted off secret path.  In Team
3's path, when you first get to the conveyor belt area, inspect the
southern wall for a secret path, and follow that around (there's a few
minor twists and turns) til you reach a room.

Paladin Shld: In Narshe, have Locke unlock one of the northern houses.
In there, there will be a man resting bed, and he will give you the
Cursed Shld.  Fight 256 battles with this equipped on any character
that isn't Gogo, and it'll become the Paladin Shld.  As an side note, a
famous and typically recommended strategy is to give the Cursed Shld
character a Ribbon, to deal with most of the negative status effects.

Force Shld: One is found in Kefka's Tower, the other is gotten by
beating Ice Dragon in Narshe Snow Fields.

Tortoise Shld: Gotten by betting the Imp's Armor at the Coliseum for
this.  For how to get Imp Armors, check the Armor section.

Helmets:
Mystery Veil: Store bought in Thamasa, both WoB and WoR.

Oath Veil: Store bought in Maranda WoR.

Genji Helm: Found in Daryll's Tomb.  You can a few more by betting the
Regal Crown for this at the Coliseum, which is gotten by betting the
Coronet at the Coliseum (gotten in Kefka's Tower, or by betting the Red
Cap, but I recommend against the latter), and by finding it in the
Figaro Castle Basement.

Red Cap: Found on Mt. Zozo and Kefka's Tower

Cat Hood: Gotten by betting Imp Halberd or Titanium at the Coliseum.
Check those specific items on how to get those.

Bard's Hat: Store bought in a variety of places.  Earliest point is on
the Southern Continent (the one with Vector and such) in the WoB.  Want
me to name a place in the WoR so you don't have to go hunting? Fine,
Albrook has them, happy?

Circlet: Store bought in Jidoor in the WoR.

Titanium: Gotten by betting the Tortoise Shld at the Coliseum.  See
above for how to get those.

Armor:
Minerva: Found in a chest in Kefka's Tower.  Bet the Czarina Gown at
the Coliseum for another, or fight Pugs (NOT Pug; I mean the Monster in
the Box in Umaro's Cave), who have them as a rare drop AND a rare steal
(you fight 3 at a time, so the net chance is about 33% to drop it.)  If
you're wondering, you can refight Pugs on the Veldt, though typically,
its just easier to use the other methods for the Minerva <_<

Genji Armor: One can be gotten in Zone Eater's cave, more can be
obtained by betting any of those Animal Suits that only Strago and Relm
can equip (like Moogle or Chocobo) at the coliseum, and continually
betting what you win.  If you're curious, you can get more of those by
stealing from various monsters in Owser's House.

Force Armor: One is gotten by beating Storm Dragon on Mt. Zozo.
Another can be gotten in the Fanatic's Tower, as well as in Kefka's
Tower.  A 4th can be gotten by stealing from Guardian in Kefka's Tower,
though this is a bit of a pain due to the thing's high level, and note
that it has an alternate steal in the Ribbon, so no, a successful steal
won't guarantee you it.

Behemoth Suit: Gotten by beating SrBehemoth in the Veldt Cave.  You can
get more by fighting SrBehemoth on the Veldt after you beat him
initially.
Note: This isn't as hard as it sounds, since the Veldt Formation Pack
he's in tends to have few alternatives, so your chances of finding one
are pretty good, at least, per cycle.  Also, if you fight an
SrBehemoth, you are insured to fight another in the next battle on the
Veldt, and then have a 100% chance to fight one SrBehemoth per Veldt
Cycle from there after.  Also he's undead, so actually killing him fast
isn't a big deal either.  Do note that if you killed the LIVING
SrBehemoth through Vanish/X-zone or some other "Stalls Final Attacks"
move like Odin or Snare, you won't fight the original Undead
SrBehemoth, and he'll never appear on the Veldt (Vanish/Doom works,
mind, since it doesn't stall final attacks, thus, the monster
replacement kicks in normally)
Talk about a mouthful for one item :)

Snow Muffler: Umaro comes with one initially equipped!!! Though you
can't remove it, so joking aside, bet the BehemothSuit at the Coliseum
for this.  If you want to see how to get those, you clearly haven't
been reading the whole FAQ <_<.  I'll give you a hint; look one equip
up.

Red Jacket: Gotten in Zone Eater's cave.  You can get another in the
Colloseum by betting Mirage Vest (requires getting Thornlet, which
isn't easy so you can skip that) or, in a much easier and preferable
manner, bet the Bone Club.  You can get that by buying a Ninja Star at
Thamasa in the WoR and continually betting what you win.  Naturally, if
you want to skip steps and bet something latter in the chain, be my
guest.

Tao Robe: Storebought in Maranda in the WoR

Imp's Armor: Steal from Tyranosaur's (see Imp Halberd), or as a rare
drop from Sprinters, found in the same places as Mantodea's (see Imp
Halberd)

Relics:
Gem Box: Find at the end of the Fanatics Tower.

Economizer: Rare drop from Brachosaur (see where Tyranosaurs are, only
MUCH rarer…also harder <_<)  You can also steal these from Aquilla's
which are found in the later areas of the non lava parts of Phoenix
Cave.
Note: You can make your life easier with the Aquilla method by using
the Colloseum instead.  Do the Pearl Lance <-> Strato loop, and you'll
fight one Aquilla each loop.  Best strategy would be send Gogo in with
3 Steal Commands, Thief Glove (So the fight actually ends), maybe a
Sneak Ring, and as much M. Block as possible.

Offering: Gotten by beating KatanaSoul, a Monster in the Box in the
Ancient Castle.

Hero Ring: One can be gotten in the WoB from the house north of
Kolinghen, hidden in a pot.  If you don't get this before the WoR, its
gone for good.  If you didn't open the chest earlier in South Figaro
Cave, that chest in that lone room becomes a Hero Ring (it’s a Tincture
initially, and if you grab it anytime during or after Locke's scenario
in the WoB, it’s a Thunder Rod)  Also found in chests in Kefka's Tower
and Zone Eater Cave, as well as one found in the Auction House.
Lastly, you can get it by betting Pod Bracelet in the Coliseum.  Pod
Bracelets are gotten by winning from Wrexsoul (only if you beat him
legitly; using X-zone strategy nets you nothing), or by stealing from
Doom Dragon, if you're curious, as well as a chest in Narshe becomes a
Pod Bracelet if you don't open it until the WoB.
(As a side note, yes, its annoying to have to write out all these
potential ways for universally good equips, but its even more annoying
to write stuff like this out for equips good for one or two characters
like the Red Jacket >_>)

Earrings: Storebought in a variety of places, earliest being Albrook in
the WoB. They are also found in chests earlier in the game in South
Figaro, Phantom Train and the house in Narshe with all those chests.
Stolen from Brainpan and Veteran, but at that point, its just easier to
buy them.

Atlas Armlet: Store Bought wherever Earrings are.  Can be stolen from
Hadesgigas in Zozo, and there's one early in the game in Mt. Koltz,
hidden in a path in the first indoor area.  Check the east wall for a
bit of a hidden path; remember, you CAN walk behind walls sometimes.

White Cape: First Found in Returner's Hide Out hidden room.  In the
northern room, check the eastern wall for a hidden path.  Can be bought
at Mobliz (WoB only) and Nikeah.

Dragoon Boots: Can be stolen from Harvesters in Zozo and Wyverns on the
Overworld in the Southern Continent (both rare steals with an alternate
in the common slot, mind)  One is found in Magitek Factory via chest,
and you can get unlimited later in the game by just buying them, be it
WoB Thamasa or WoR Tzen

Dragon Horn: Gotten in a chest in the Phoenix Cave.  Said chest is
located right near Red Dragon (note that some people say it’s a reward
for beating Red Dragon, but this isn't true; you can actually get the
Dragon Horn BEFORE Red Dragon; your reward for Red Dragon is a Strato.)
You can get more by betting Economizer (see above), Safety Bit (see
below), Charm Bangle (ultimate prize in the Imperial Banquet sequence),
or Gold Hairpin (one is gotten in Mt. Zozo and Ancient Castle, you can
get another instead of Mog in the WoB.  There are other ways, but at
this point, I'd just say "Use Economizer Strategy" <_<)

Merit Award: Bet the Cat Hood at the Coliseum.  See above how to get
that.

Marvel Shoes: Bet the Rename Card at the Coliseum.  Rename Cards can be
gotten either by betting the Merit Award (see above) or Elixir (gotten
in a bunch of ways I don't want to get into) at the coliseum.

Safety Bit: Gotten in a chest in Fanatics Tower.  You can get another
by stealing from Doom in Kefka's Tower. If you really want more, you
can use Metamorph on L90 Magic, White Dragon, Boxed Set, Trixter, Wooly
or L60 Magic.  Don't expect this to be easy though.

Memento Ring: Relm comes initially equipped with one.  You can find
another in Strago/Relm's house by inspecting the little crevice thing
in the western wall upstairs.  If you want a 3rd (why, I don't know,
there's only two users <_<), you can get one my by stealing from
Wrexsoul (pity this wasn't a Safety Bit)
NOTE: From what I understand, this is called "Safety Ring" in FF6
Anthologies.  No real gameplay changes, just noting that if you find
something that isn't Memento Ring, its cause they changed its name.

Rage Ring: Found in Veldt Cave.

Blizzard Orb: Found in Ancient Castle.

Ribbon: Ok, get ready for another complex item!  Anyway, first one can
be found in a hidden room in the South Figaro Basement.  In the area
with random encounters, after winding the clock, when you walk under
the ceiling and lose visibility of your character, check the left wall
until you start walking through it.  You should come to a hidden
stairway.  In there, go around to the right side of the stairs and
inspect that wall to the south right next to the stairs, you should
find an invisible crevice.  Inspect to the right, and you'll find a
Ribbon.  Two easy ones to find are in Phoenix Cave and Kefka's Tower as
ordinary chests.  If you didn't get the Rune Edge in WoB Narshe, it'll
become a Ribbon in the WoR.  Lastly, you can steal it from Atma Weapon
(rarely; you'll usually get an Elixir) on the Floating Continent,
Brachosaur in the Forest West of the Veldt, and Guardian in Kefka's
Tower.

Phew, that should cover most of the equips mentioned in this FAQ.

---------------------
8. Character Rankings
---------------------

This section is going to be done in two ways.  First, the objective
part, which is just listing characters and how they rank on numerical
statistics, and the average, so you can really see who is "low" in a
stat and such.  The 2nd part is the subjective part, which is basically
me incorporating all that analysis mumbo jumbo into rankings and
such…yeah…I'll just post rankings.

Note: While Gau isn't listed in this FAQ, I am going to list his stats
in the objective section, for those curious to where he falls.
Note 2: For simplicity reasons, I'm just going to round to the nearest
whole point.

Extra HP:
1. Umaro 60
2. Sabin 58
3. Cyan 53
4. Shadow 51
5. Edgar 49
6. Locke 48
7. Setzer 46
8. Gau 45
9. Celes 44
10. Terra 42
11. Mog 39
12. Relm 37
13. Gogo 36
14. Strago 35
Average: 46

Extra MP:
1. Relm 18
2t. Terra 16
2t. Mog 16
4. Celes 15
5. Strago 13
6. Gogo 12
7. Gau 10
8. Setzer 9
9. Locke 7
10t. Shadow 6
10t. Edgar 6
12. Cyan 5
13. Sabin 3
14. Umaro 0
Average: 10

Vigor:
1. Umaro 57
2. Sabin 47
3. Gau 44
4. Cyan 40
5t. Edgar 39
5t. Shadow 39
7. Locke 37
8. Setzer 36
9. Celes 34
10. Terra 31
11. Mog 29
12. Strago 28
13. Relm 26
14. Gogo 25
Average: 37

Speed:
1. Locke 40
2t. Shadow 38
2t. Gau 38
4. Sabin 37
5. Mog 36
6t. Celes 34
6t. Relm 34
8t. Terra 33
8t. Umaro 33
10. Setzer 32
11t. Edgar 30
11t. Gogo 30
13. Cyan 28
14. Strago 25
Average: 33

Stamina:
1. Umaro 46
2. Sabin 39
3. Gau 36
4. Edgar 34
5. Cyan 33
6. Setzer 32
7t. Locke 31
7t. Celes 31
9. Shadow 30
10. Terra 28
11. Mog 26
12. Relm 22
13. Gogo 20
14. Strago 19
Average: 31

Magic Power:
1. Relm 44
2. Terra 39
3. Umaro 37
4. Celes 36
5. Mog 35
6t. Gau 34
6t. Strago 34
8. Shadow 33
9t. Edgar 29
9t. Setzer 29
11t. Locke 28
11t. Sabin 28
13. Gogo 26
14. Cyan 25
Average: 33

Battle Power:
1. Gau 99
2. Umaro 47
3. Sabin 26
4. Cyan 25
5. Shadow 23
6. Edgar 20
7. Setzer 18
8t. Mog 16
8t. Celes 16
10. Locke 14
11. Gogo 13
12. Terra 12
13. Relm 11
14. Strago 10
Average: 25 (yeah, Gau kind of destroys this average…without him,
average is 19)

Defense:
1. Umaro 89
2. Sabin 53
3. Mog 52
4. Edgar 50
5t. Cyan 48
5t. Setzer 48
7. Shadow 47
8. Locke 46
9t. Gau 44
9t. Celes 44
11. Terra 42
12. Gogo 39
13. Relm 35
14. Strago 33
Average: 45

Evade:
1. Shadow 28%
2. Gau 21%
3. Locke 15%
4. Relm 13%
5. Sabin 12%
6t. Mog 10%
6t. Gogo 10%
8. Setzer 9%
9. Umaro 8%
10. Celes 7%
11t. Cyan 6%
11t. Strago 6%
13. Terra 5%
14. Edgar 4%
Average: 11%

Magic Defense:
1. Umaro 68
2. Mog 36
3. Gau 34
4. Terra 33
5. Celes 31
6. Relm 30
7. Strago 27
8. Setzer 26
9t. Shadow 25
9t. Gogo 25
11. Locke 23
12. Edgar 22
13. Sabin 21
14. Cyan 20
Average: 29

M. Block:
1. Gau 18%
2. Mog 11%
3t. Shadow 9%
3t. Celes 9%
3t. Relm 9%
6t. Terra 7%
6t. Strago 7%
8. Gogo 6%
9. Umaro 5%
10. Sabin 4%
11. Locke 2%
12t. Edgar 1%
12t. Cyan 1%
12t. Setzer 1%
Average: 6%

And that's it for the boring objective stuff.  Subjective stuff to come
in a later version <_<

-----------------------------
9. Frequently Asked Questions
-----------------------------

The title is self explanatory.  This will be done in a Q&A session.

Q.  Where is Gau?  Isn't he a character in FF6 too?

A. Yes, Gau is indeed a character, and a good one at that.  However,
Gau is the most in-depth, and complicated character in FF6, he'd
require a whole FAQ himself to do him justice.  I believe someone is
actually working on a FAQ dedicated to Gau as we speak, so be on the
look out for it.  Yeah, don't worry, I don't hate Gau or anything, its
just he'd make this already large FAQ MUCH larger.

Q. Why do you emphasize so much on equipment, and Magic Power more than
anything else?

A. Alright.  First off, Vigor is an oddly disappointing stat.  Yeah, it
does help damage, but not as much as you'd like.  At higher levels, it
makes a bigger difference, but at lower levels, its not enough.
Example?  At level 40, on a defense ignoring attack (So damage increase
is less with one that isn't), a Hyper Wrist(+50% Vigor) on Edgar with
no Vigor boosts of any kind does only 350 more damage, hardly a 10%
increase in damage, really.  Raised in bulk, Vigor helps, but again,
not as much as Magic Power does.  Stamina was ignored cause it sucks
ass, and Speed cause unless raised in even bigger bulk than Vigor, its
even less noticeable due to FF6's ATB.  Magic Power helps augment,
meanwhile, not only the stronger attacks in FF6, but also makes the
Magic skill set, probably the best overall skill set in FF6, stronger
at that, so having High Magic Power can really save a character (see
Relm, for example)

Why equipment vs. Skill sets?  Well, with good equipment, you won't
need a good skill set.  Mog is a good example at how Dances are under
whelming in the WoR, but with a good spear, and the Dragoon Combo, he
does enough damage to out power most specials anyway to the point where
you don't care that he's missing a decent unique skill, especially
factoring in his ability to hit 255 Defense fairly easily.  Meanwhile,
someone like Sabin who relies on one or two attacks seems nice at
first, will start looking fairly lack luster as soon as other
characters start gaining comparable damage (usually with Magic), and
they'll have other noteworthy reasons to be used.  In the end, unless
the skill is truly magnificent, chances are, it will be outdone by
Magic or by variations of the Fight command, since both are more
"Twinkish" than any skillset out there.  As an interesting side note,
its for these reasons that Morph is never truly obsolete, since while
other commands start getting outclassed by Fight (or variations of it),
and Magic, Morph simply augments both :)

You'll really find that a decent skill really doesn't make up for a
good equipment set up at all.  The only skill set that can really
offset bad equipment, somewhat, is Rage, but lets not get into that.

Q. How big an influence to Vigor and Magic Power have on characters?

A. Alright, someone requested I give raw numbers just for an idea.  The
following below are damages done at level 40, and before factoring in
defenses, weaknesses, random variance, Hero Rings, what have you, since
they are ALL multipliers of sorts, so everything gets affected equally
(meaning while the raw damage might change, proportionately speaking,
they'll remain the same)

Vigor's Difference:
The following involves an Imp Sabin with his base Vigor (47 which is
game best, nixing Umaro) against an Imp Gogo with his base Vigor
(game's worst Vigor at 25), both using Imp Halberds (this gives both
255 Battle Power.  Yes, this shouldn't happen normally, but that's not
the point here.  To show vigor differences, battle power ideally should
be equal)  The Vigor difference is 22, if you're curious (47 vs. 25)

Sabin's Damage: 3500
Gogo's Damage: 3090

400 damage difference…considering that Sabin has nearly double Gogo's
Vigor, he only manages to do about 12% more damage at level 40.  Given
this, you can probably tell that Hyper Wrist would only make Sabin's
damage go up by another 500 damage at best, meaning with a 45 point
edge on Gogo, having nearly TRIPLE Gogo's Vigor at that, he does
roughly 30% damage more.  Those aren't very good ratios, considering
the numbers we're using.

Note that with weaker equips, the damage difference won't change, so
proportionately; Sabin's damage would be higher.  Granted, Sabin and
Gogo should never really have equal battle powers, so this is just pure
hypothetical.

Magic Power Differences:
For this, I'm using Relm with her base Magic Power (44, game best)
against Cyan with his base Magic Power (25, game worst), both casting
Flare (60 Spell Power).  Note this is a 19 Point Magic Power
difference.

Relm's Damage: 3514
Cyan's Damage: 2099

That's a 1415 Damage increase, or proportionately speaking, 67% more
damage than Cyan did.  Yes, that means even if Cyan uses 2 Earrings,
his damage will STILL be worse than Relm with no magic power
augmentations.  If we were to factor in Relm's magic power boosting
equips (Magus Rod, Cat Hood, and Behemoth Suit) against Cyan's (Circlet
and Genji Armor), the difference would grow even further (now Relm has
just gained 10 more Magic Power on Cyan, effectivly)
You'll note Relm's base Magic Power is 176% that of Cyan's, which isn't
too far off from the proportional damage increase Relm gets

Unlike Vigor, though, you can change any spell for Flare in this case,
and the damage won't change proportionately much at all.  This is cause
Magic Power is a multiplier of Spell Power, so every spell gets the
same proportional increase in damage with Magic Power (flip side is
that Magic Power is going to have a bigger impact on Ultima's raw
damage than that of Flare's, while a weaker spell like Poison is going
to have a less noticeable increase, assuming none of these moves hit
the damage limit)  Meanwhile, Vigor is more or less just added onto
Battle Power, in a sense, so lower battle power = higher proportional
increase in damage.

Ok, now that I've made you sick of the word "proportional", I hope this
answered you're question.  You'll note that despite Relm's Magic Power
edge on Cyan being lower than Sabin's Vigor edge on Gogo, it makes a
FAR bigger impact on the attacks in question.  End result is that
higher base Magic Power means a lot more than higher base Vigor, same
rule applies for the ability to augment those stats.

Q. Why didn't you include the Merit Award here?

A. Merit Award starts creating character clones, really, and then it’s
a "use who you like" concept.  See, yes, you can make Sabin a great
Mage with 128% M. Block using the Merit Award to give him Illumina and
Force Armor, along with a Gem Box, but…what does this prove about
Sabin?  Absolutely nothing, its more so explaining just how good the
set up is in general.

However, the Merit Award does help some characters out in ways that
others can't really take advantage of.  For example, Merit Award on
Terra lets her use Fixed Dice, which leads to a mean combo of Offering
+ Fixed Dice + Morph for some really nasty damage on bosses (remember,
the only thing Fixed Dice don't ignore are Multipliers) That's a
combination that no other character can really apply (for all that,
beyond novelty, its not worth it, likely) Another example is the
infamous "Wind God Gau" set up, where you use Stray Cat Rage with the
Merit Award to equip a Tempest, and now you get the potential of Wind
Slash at *4x* damage, should it kick in during a Catscratch.  Or
conversely, pair that combo with the Primordite Rage, you effectively
get an MT Stop Attack at times.  Note that the "Wind God" Set ups could
be given just as easily to Gogo, but that should go without saying.
Basically, Merit Award can help a character, but it's rare that it
actually gives a unique use to that character.

Q.  Why didn't you list X Relic in any set up?  Don't tell me you have
some beef with that like the Merit Award!

A.  *Smacks Self*  Yes, I can't believe I forgot to point this out…so
I'll point it out here!

Basically, a lot of the "Good" relics are well, filler.  No, I don't
mean filler in the bad sense, I mean it more along the lines of that
their use is universal that it works well in just about any set up, if
you have room for it.  Example?

Take this set up for Shadow:
Thief Knife
Thunder Shield
Red Cap
Genji Armor
Hero Ring

Alright, obviously, it’s a good set up for Throw, hence why Hero ring
was there naturally.  However, as we saw above, Vigor doesn't make
enough of an impact to merit the use of the Hyper Wrist in that second
slot, but for a damage set up like this, nothing else really fits well.
Solution?  Think outside the box!  Use some other good relic that,
while not really part of the set up scheme, fits nicely anyway!

See, that's what I mean by "Filler" relic.  Its not a negative
thing…more so the reverse.  It means the relic is not reliant on set
ups to effect their worth (usually, anyway.  Ribbon, for example, loses
a lot of value on a 128% M. Block set up), so they can be used for just
about any set up.

The following Relics are what I deem "filler" relics.  If you're
curious to what any of these do, check Atom Edge's Item FAQ.
Marvel Shoes
Ribbon
Safety Bit (in Relm and/or Shadow's case, preferably Memento Ring)
Wall Ring
Economizer (for all that I find this Relic overrated, thought I'd
mention it anyway)
White Cape
Hero Ring (or Atlas Armlet/Earrings work just as well, if you're using
one source of damage (physical or magical, respectively))

Note some of these MAY have been listed in some set ups already, but
that likely means you can remove them FROM the set up, if you wish to
alter it slightly (again, relics tend to be flexible, unless they are
absolutely crucial for a specific set up.  Example?  Dragoon Boots
and/or Dragon Horn on Mog for a physical set up is one that's relic
dependant)

Yes, other good relics do exist, but they are either:
A. Too situational (Dragoon Boots/Dragon Horn, I'm looking at you)
B. Too Elusive (Offering and Gem Box…)
C. typically a worse version of something already up there (Gold
Hairpin is an inferior Economizer, for example, or Pod Bracelet is
Marvel Shoes w/out the Regen or Haste, etc.)
D. Just flat out aren't worth wasting a relic slot on in general (Back
Guard comes to mind)

So yeah, don't worry, I didn't forget about them (ok, yes, I did, but
lets not get into that <_< >_>), nor do I hate them, its more like I
was too enwrapped in thinking of relics that fit set ups nicely that I
just didn't feel that mentioning "filler relics" was worth it.  That,
or it was a tough choice to choose what relic would work best, so I
took the lazy way out, and just listed them here, and mentioned a "fill
that spot with whatever you like"  Truth be told, it is hard to decide
which of the above relics work best, so I'll let you decide, based on
your playing style.  Still can't decide?  Then pick them out of a hat
or something, or just blindly choose the first one that comes to mind,
though, at least try to apply SOME common sense when choosing the relic
(like White Cape would obviously be useless if the character in
question already has 128%+ M. Block)

More to come in later versions <_< >_>

----------
10. Credits
----------

First, I'd like to thank Squaresoft for making such a fine game.  Even
after many years, it remains one of my favorites (and I've played 60+
RPGs…not to brag >.>)

Next, I'd like to thank CjayC for making Gamefaqs, and letting this FAQ
be posted there.

Another message of gratitude (Does that make any sense?) given to those
who supported me on this FAQ, mostly those from the FF6 General Board.

I'd like to thank Master Zed and NeoElfboy for helping me with a few </pre><pre id="faqspan-6">
random things (be it reading my random snippits, giving some opinions,
etc.) in this FAQ.  Sure, wasn't needed, and I know it was annoying,
but still, its nice to get some outside opinions from other experts.

Thanks to Nephrite making the first attempts at "De-meeping" the FAQ

And lastly, I'd like to give a really cliché and silly thanks to you,
the reader, for reading this FAQ…ok, I'll shut up.

Well, that's it for the Character FAQ of FF6.  I hope you enjoyed it,
as it took me a long time to write this, and I put a lot of effort into
this.  Anyway, should you need help, contact me in the ways I mentioned
earlier.  I hope this FAQ helped give you insight on the characters of
FF6, and that you'll not get drawn in by some misconceptions (whatever
those maybe) again.

Anyway, this is Meeplelard saying good bye, and good luck in the
future.