Final Fantasy VI Perfect Stats Guide
June 23, 2009
By Leviathan Mist
Version 1.03

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Disclaimer
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This FAQ is the sole work of Leviathan Mist. You are allowed to post
this document in its entirety, you are not allowed to change any
content in this document and then present it to others. If you have
any questions regarding this FAQ, you may e-mail me at:

LeviathanMist (at) gmail (dot) com

Side note: I have a complete overhaul of this guide planned. I'm
aware it's not absolutely flawless but at least it's accurate now.

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Complete version history
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Version Alpha 0.00 - Initial file.
        1.00 - Completed document
        1.01 - Initial Release
	1.02 - Fixed most of the discrepancies people have been
	bugging me about - guide still needs an overhaul though.
	1.03 - Fixed a few more minor details

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Table of Contents
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1   - INTRODUCTION
1.1 - Notes on espers and stat increases

2   - WALKTHROUGH
2.1 - The Beginning to Narshe Battle
2.2 - Zozo to Vector
2.3 - Sealed Gate to before Floating Continent
2.4 - Floating Continent and leveling
2.5 - World of Ruin and extra information
2.6 - Summary

3   - STAT INCREASING GUIDE
3.1 - HP and MP maxing
3.2 - General stat information
3.3 - Individual character strategies
-TERRA-
-LOCKE-
-EDGAR-
-SABIN-
-CELES-
-SHADOW-
-CYAN-
-GAU-
-SETZER-
-STRAGO-
-RELM-
-MOG-

4   - EXTRAS
4.1 - Psycho Cyan glitch
4.2 - Vanish/Doom and other tricks
SPECIAL THANKS

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SECTION 1 - INTRODUCTION
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Final Fantasy VI - What do you think of when this game comes to mind?
Moogles, espers, the infamous rages list... I'll let you decide. This
game has been quite ingrained into my memory since I first picked up
a copy of Final Fantasy III for SNES about 10 years ago. There is one
aspect which is highly overlooked, however: Stat increasing. Yeah,
it's there, but most people don't even know about it until halfway
through the game. Some espers produce stat increases every time you
level, which means the lower level you are when you get access to
stat-increasing espers, the better potential for higher stats you have.
If you're looking for any information on stat increasing, and ways to
efficiently build your stats, this guide is for you.

This is my first completed walkthrough. Yay me! ^_^

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1.1 Notes on espers and stat increases
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Here is the first thing you need to know before planning your stat
boosts, certain espers grant stat boosts every time you level. The stat
boosts from espers are divided into six categories, and 1-3 levels per
category. These are:

Category   Level    Esper     Loc. of esper

HP Boost -
           +10%     Shoat    - (WoB) Magitek Research Facility
                    Siren    - (WoB) Received during first trip to Zozo
           +30%     Terrato  - (WoR) Umaro's cave
           +50%     Bahamut  - (WoR) Doom Gaze drops it

MP Boost -
           +10%     Phantom  - (WoB) Magitek Research Facility
           +30%     Fenrir   - (WoR) Mobliz
           +50%     Crusader - (WoR) Defeat all eight dragons

Vigor -
           +1       Ifrit    - (WoB) Magitek Factory
           +2       Bismark  - (WoB) Magitek Research Facility
                    Raiden   - (WoR) Ancient Castle (Basement)

Speed -
           +1       Odin     - (WoR) Ancient Castle

Stamina -
           +1       Ramuh    - (WoB) Received during first trip to Zozo
           +2       Golem    - (WoB) Auction house in Jidoor
                    Starlet  - (WoR) Owzer's house in Jidoor

Magic Power -
           +1       Maduin   - (WoB) Magitek Research Facility
                    Stray    - (WoB) Received during first trip to Zozo
           +2       Tritoch  - (WoR) Narshe hills
                    ZoneSeek - (WoB) Auction house in Jidoor

Overview: The best increases you can have in one level up is one of the
following:
+2 Vigor         -  Bismark, Raiden
+1 Speed         -  Odin
+2 Stamina       -  Golem, Starlet
+2 Magic Power   -  Tritoch, ZoneSeek
+50% HP          -  Bahamut
+50% MP          -  Crusader

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SECTION 2 - WALKTHROUGH
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Now that you have an idea which espers produce the best stat increases,
you may be interested on when or how early you can obtain these espers,
or if you already know, how to get the most efficient stat increases.
This walkthrough will guide you through the game in a way so you can
gain the absolute maximum in stat increases.

The perfect stat increases walkthrough will be considered a challenge.
We will call it the "perfect stats challenge" because it runs almost
exactly like a low level game all the way up to the beginning of the
Floating Continent. We will do some things differently, however, because
as soon as you get all the characters and a good amount of the
stat-boosting espers, you will be allowed to level to a certain point.
Also, there is one exception (GAU) who will be allowed to level earlier
than anyone else, which will eliminate the IAF challenge completely,
if you're familiar with a LLG. If not, just read on and you'll learn
some things.

This guide will be assuming you are playing on a console, so for those
of you LLG purists who wish to complain about fighting unnecessary
battles, this guide assumes save states are not available to the player,
and some battles are either unavoidable completely or just take too
long to get perfect without save states. In each case, I have found
alternative methods which still allow the maximum increase in stat gain,
and most likely keep the lowest level possible until you have reached
the Floating Continent. Also, since this is not a challenge of how hard
of a boss can you defeat, but a challenge of how perfect you can get
your stats, there are no limits on glitch abuse. Use Psycho Cyan,
vanish/doom, even the sketching glitch if you feel like it. You can also
treat it like a LLG and not use these if you wish. Your choice.
The only major rule is you aren't allowed to edit your level or stats by
hacking, Game Genie, or any other cheating device.
This guide will also be assuming you wish to have a perfect game, so all
rages will be accounted for. It is possible to get every rage up to
Gigantos in the Floating Continent without gaining any excess levels.

This walkthrough will most likely not get you through the game if you
have never beaten it before. I suggest you either beat the game or use
this alongside another walkthrough before attempting this challenge.
I will not be going over how to find important items, unless they are
necessary to complete this challenge. Consult other walkthroughs or
item lists for that information.

If you already know the boss tactics and just want to find how to get
the max possible stat increases, refer to section 2.6 - Summary.

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2.1 The Beginning to Narshe Battle
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Here are some general tips before you get started:

1. You will run from every random battle unless otherwise noted.
2. All new party members should be placed in the back row immediately.
3. Take advantage of level averaging. When your level is averaged out,
your experience points are reduced to the lowest for that level. This
will allow you to occasionally take experience you must receive into
some party members.

You will start in your usual MagiTek self. Do not go to the right first,
go straight. This is for convenience purposes, since it's easier to lose
to two Guards than one Lobo. Let the two Guards kill Terra while healing
Biggs and Wedge with Heal Force before continuing on. (For those of you
who are confused right now, Terra is "??????" and Biggs is Vicks if you
are playing the SNES version.) With Terra dead, she won't gain any
experience. Go through the mines and kill Whelk. You can hang around and
gain some Gil here if you must, since you won't be able to again until
the Veldt.

You will wake up as Terra again, talk to Arvis, leave the house, then go
into the mines. Run from every battle, and eventually you will reach the
point where you get Locke and eventually the moogles. Let either moogle
team fight all the guards, I like using Mog's team because he has dance.
Then, use Mog's team to go fight the Marshal, making sure to unequip Mog
beforehand, because the shield and pike are the best you're gonna get
for a long time.

When you leave Narshe, put Locke and Terra in the back row. From now on,
every new character you get will be placed in the back row. Go to
Figaro, go through the story part. This part of the game is pretty much
self-explanatory. Note the two MagiTek Armors you fight give no
experience. Next, go to South Figaro through the Figaro Cave and up
through Mt. Kolts. (When you go through Figaro Cave the first time,
don't pick up any of the treasure chests.) Again, this shouldn't be a
problem. To beat Vargas, make sure you attack or use tonics with Locke,
cast Fire or Cure with Terra and use Edgar's AutoCrossbow until Sabin
appears.

Now you reach the Returner's Hideout, and you have an optional
opportunity to gain some spare cash here and there. If you kill off
everyone but Banon and level him a few times, it will make the
forthcoming fight with Ultros 10 times easier. To kill Ultros, use
Health with Banon, use Sabin's AuraBolt, Fire with Terra and
AutoCrossbow with Edgar.

Now you have a choice between three party members. The order you should
choose is first Banon's group, then Locke, then Sabin. This way, Banon
will have left the party and his level not factored into anyone else's,
and you can get every rage up to this point.

In Banon's scenario, when you reach the maze part of the Narshe cave,
make sure you fail and let the light surround you, and run into a battle
until you get the Spectre, Rinn and Dark Side, these are missable rages.

In Locke's scenario, run into the HeavyArmor to get that rage, and
either run or die. If you die you'll just have to start over and still
get the rage. Get Celes then go through Figaro cave. Grab the treasure
chests that you didn't get the first time through, you'll get a Thunder
Rod, which you'll need later on. Beating TunnelArmor isn't too hard,
just  Runic every round and have Locke attack or heal when necessary,
and eventually you'll win. Do not waste the Thunder Rod on TunnelArmor.
Although you can kill it with one hit with this, there is a later battle
which is much more difficult which will need it.

In Sabin's scenario, get Shadow on your team and buy some shurikens from
the chocobo merchant man. (20 or 30 should be enough.) Now at the
imperial base, when you go into the tent directly to your right there is
a locked chest, and you can either hit it or kick it. Make sure to kick
it so you get the Doberman rage, and then later you'll get the Telstar
rage from another monster-in-a-box. Before you have a chance to get the
other treasures, you'll be forced to fight the Leader of the troops with
Cyan at Doma. Just use Retort once to make quick work of this officer.
Now, back to your main party, and while you're chasing Kefka, explore
all the tents. Eventually you will come across a tent with a
monster-in-a-box, containing a Telstar. Telstar won't give you any
experience, so kill him using AuraBolt and Shurikens. Keep on your toes
though, I almost died during this battle. After the Imperial Base you'll
have to go through the Phantom Forest and have an unfortunate encounter
with the Phantom Train... It's a shame the Phantom Train decided to be
an undead monster, one phoenix down will do away with it. At Baren
Falls, just attack normally until you get to Rizopas (each fish has such
low life that even in the back row at minimum level they still only take
one hit) and then go all out with AuraBolt and Dispatch. Don't waste a
turn healing or you may find yourself in a deadly El Nino just before
you make the finishing blow. On the Veldt, spend some time working up
and gathering up some rages, most importantly Templar, Hazer, Pterodon
and Stray Cat. The Serpent Trench isn't a big issue, just run and hope
you don't get AquaRaked by an Anguiform. Make sure to buy a few Smoke
Bombs at Nikeah.

On a side note, in the PS version, I noticed the Stray Cat rage seemed
to be dumbed down a bit. Don't bother getting the Stray Cat rage if
you're playing the PS version, there are many better options available.

Time to fight the evil Empire and Kefka at Narshe! Here's the rule: You
can't have Gau, Cyan or Locke gain any experience during this battle,
and the only person who is allowed to gain any levels is Terra, up to a
maximum of level 6. The reason for this plan is that you will be using
Gau, Cyan and Locke for the Mag Roader battle later on, and you will
need to gain as few levels as possible in that battle to keep your level
average at 6. Also, because Terra will be leaving your party right after
this, and won't join you again until the first level re-averaging, it is
safe to let her level from 3 to 6 here. Your main group should consist
of Terra, Edgar, Celes and Sabin.

It is possible to walk all the way to the bottom without encountering a
single soldier, here's a short explanation on how to do it. With your
main party, walk right until the first passage leading down, then walk
down 3 spaces, left 1 space, down 5 spaces, right 3 spaces, down 3
spaces, left 1 space, down 1 space, left 2 spaces. Do this quickly so
you  avoid the guards to your right, then wait for all the green guards
to your left to pass.  Now walk straight down between the opening to the
left of the lineup of brown guards. You will fight two battles here. To
get the minimum amount of experience, fight one group of one Fidor and
one Trooper, then fight one group with a HeavyArmor and two troopers,
kill the troopers and run. Next, you'll fight a Rider, use AutoCrossbow
and AuraBolt  to kill him, while healing with Terra and Celes. Now, use
one of your other groups to initiate a battle with one of the green
soldiers you skipped. You will need the BountyMan rage to complete your
Rages list. Once you run into a battle with a BountyMan and Trooper,
die. Now go back to your main group and kill Kefka! Use Runic, heal with
Terra, AuraBolt and AutoCrossbow to take him out.

Character levels at this point:
Terra: between 3 and 6
Locke: 5
Sabin: 6
Edgar: 6
Celes: 5
Gau: 7
Cyan: 7
Average: 6 (Not counting Terra)

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2.2 Zozo to Vector
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Your next stop will be Zozo. Make your party Edgar, Sabin, Cyan and Gau.
At Figaro, make Edgar your leader, and use up some of your gold on cheap
items. If you buy too many of one item, it's okay because you can sell
it back to the item shop for the same price you bought it for. Also, buy
the Flash and Drill tools.

At Zozo, go pick up the Chainsaw. The combination is 6:10:50. To beat
Dadaluma, use Gau's Templar rage, the Drill tool, AuraBolt and Dispatch,
and don't bother with his pets when they appear, just kill him off. Go
through more story stuff and get your first magicite.

If you want you can go back to the Veldt now, gather up new rages and
learn new spells. You will need to learn Imp if you want to use Psycho
Cyan to get through the MagiTek Factory (Refer to section 4.1 for more
information on the Psycho Cyan glitch.) You can get to the Veldt the
same way you got there the first time. I suggest you go to the veldt and
teach Locke all the spells you can, they will come in handy for many
battles to come.

You can now get your first stat point for Shadow. First, go to the
Veldt, and leap Gau off. Having him in the party will skew the level
average and cause Shadow to join at level 6 instead of 5. After Gau
is leapt, head back to Kohlingen and purchase his assistance. Give
him Stray and let him gain a level by himself. You can make him leave
the party by returning to Narshe. (Note: This is the LAST time you can
get Shadow at level 5!)

Before going to the opera house, make your party Locke, Celes, Cyan and
Gau. In the opera house, after Celes does her show, you will need to
prevent Ultros from dropping the 4 ton weight onto her. On the way
there, you'll find rats. Run into one group and die. You'll be kicked
out of the opera house and have to try again. (Though I seriously don't
think anyone could survive after having a 4-ton weight dropped on their
head.) Now that you've cleared the Sewer-rat and Vermin rage, go back
through and skip all three groups of rats. It's entirely possible
without save states, if the first two rats don't immediately move to a
position where they can easily be passed, walk out and walk back into
the room. It only took me two tries to be able to pass all the rats and
get to Ultros.

To kill Ultros, have Gau use the Hazer or Templar rage, Cyan use
Dispatch during free turns and heal otherwise, and Locke constantly
heal. Eventually Gau will finish him off. If you have White Capes on all
your members, you will be immune to Ultros' Imp Song.

After more of the story passes, you will arrive at the Empire's
continent via Airship. The Airship is good for free healing, and there
is also a free healing place in Vector. There's a little building with a
woman who asks if you pledge allegiance to the Empire. After you refuse,
you'll fight guards which you can run from, then be able to heal there
instead of wasting money at the inn. Make sure you buy some Wall Rings
at Albrook before you continue your journey onward. Go through the
MagiTek Factory like normal until you reach the place where you fight
Shiva and Ifrit. Ifrit can take your entire party out instantly if he
uses Blaze, but if you have the SlamDancer rage and two Earrings on
Gau you should be able to kill him in a couple rounds if you get lucky.
After you get these summons, you'll have to fight Number 024. He
constantly changes his weakness, so it's best to just use the Catscratch
rage, Dispatch and heal with Locke until he dies.

Before you go into the esper room, equip Celes with the Stray esper and
let her gain one level. She will be leaving the party after this, and if
you don't let her level now, when you get her back her level will be
recalculated from 5 to 6 anyway, and that level would be wasted
otherwise. Make sure everyone but Celes is dead when you finish the
battle, so only she gets experience, and make sure she only gains one
level.

The mine cart ride and the following two bosses will no doubt be the
hardest part of this challenge. Besides that, you will not be allowed
to use the save point they give you right before the mine cart ride,
because that will effect which battles you will fight on the cart. You
will have to go back to the save point near where you got Shiva and
Ifrit and save there before going into the esper room. Then, you'll have
to have Celes in position 1 of your group before she leaves. As soon as
she leaves, you will have to move Locke to position 1. This will assure
you that you fight 8 Purple Mag Roaders and 1 Red.

I noticed, at least on the PlayStation version, that the encounter order
was random, but it still gave me 8 Purple and 1 Red Mag Roader. Anyway,
if you have followed my plan exactly so far then Locke, Gau and Cyan
should all have the same amount of experience they had when you first
got them, and you should be able to finish this battle with only gaining
two levels total. Since you only have one +2 esper (Bismark) you want
the same person to gain both levels with Bismark equipped. Since Locke
is level 5 and would have his level averaged to 6 after this anyway,
Locke will be the one who levels from 5 to 7 here.

On the mine cart, if you followed my steps, you will fight (in no
particular order) one battle with 1 Purple and 1 Red, one battle with
one Purple, and 3 battles with 2 Purple Mag Roaders. To allocate the
experience so that you gain no levels with Gau and Cyan and one
level with Locke, here is the method I used:

-Two of the battles with two purple Mag Roaders must be finished with
only Gau and Cyan alive.
-The other three battles must be finished with only Locke alive.

If you do all of this correctly, you will now have Locke level 7, Cyan
level 7, and Gau level 7, all very close to leveling. If you taught
Locke all the spells from the original four espers, you should be able
to get through this. Cast Bolt 2 with Locke when you have to use him
alone, and when you have to use Cyan and Gau, use Dispatch and the
Templar rage. It will take a few tries, but you should get through it
eventually. Make sure your guys all have Wall Rings equipped, and the
Carbunkle esper on someone, for when you have to revive someone
in-battle. (They won't be protected by Reflect when they have to be
revived in a new battle.) Use up your Tinctures on Locke here as well.

Now you have to do battle with Number 128. Try to steal his Tempest
sword, and use Gau's Templar rage. You will have to get lucky here, if
Gau casts Fire 2 on the arms too much, you may have to reset. An
alternative would be to use the Psycho Cyan glitch to do away with him
easily. After all that hard work you spent getting perfect experience
gains, I think using the glitch is only fair here.

After that battle, right before you leave on the airship, you get
ambushed by two cranes. Remember that Thunder Rod I told you about? Use
it on the crane to the right to kill it instantly. Now the other crane
shouldn't be too hard, if you use Gau's Pterodon or Templar rage,
Dispatch, Slots and heal up with Locke.

Character levels at this point:
Terra: 6
Locke: 7 (+4 Vigor!)
Sabin: 6
Edgar: 6
Gau: 7
Cyan: 7
Setzer: 6
Average: 6.43 (rounded to 6)

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2.3 - Sealed Gate to before Floating Continent
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Next is the Cave to the Sealed Gate. If you want you can spend some time
learning extra spells now, but it's not required. The northeast Triangle
Island has the Intangir which you can cast Doom on and kill instantly,
offering 10 AP to everyone other than the caster who will most likely be
Meteo'd to death.

Just explore this cave thoroughly, there are some important items here.
When you reach the part with two switches on the same rock, hit the left
switch. The right switch will cause you to enter an unescapable battle
which will probably kill your party anyway.

After you finish the Sealed Cave and are shot down near Miranda, go to
Vector with the party of Setzer, Terra, Sabin and Edgar.

NOTE: This section needs a rewrite! It is definitely possible to get
the Charm Bangle here without gaining too many levels, but I haven't
done all the calculations. Remember that the remainder of your level
average is always rounded DOWN, and you'll be able to gain a few levels
here if you need to. You HAVE to fight every battle and win to get
the charm bangle. You can get unlimited Charm Bangles at the coliseum
later by betting BehemothSuit->Snow Muffler->Charm Bangle
(BehemothSuits are won by SrBehemoths on the Veldt).

Getting the charm bangle:
-You have to find 24 soldiers. 4 of them initiate battles.
-You have to fight the SP Forces and win.
-During the banquet, answer the questions the following way to get the
best result:

Question 1 - To our hometowns...
         2 - Leave him in jail.
         3 - That was inexcusable!
         4 - Celes is one of us!
-----Ask all three questions------
         5 - Yes, the Espers have gone too far.
-----Take a break, beat the guards-----
         6 - That your war is truly over.

Having the Charm Bangle will make your life in the Floating Continent
later much easier. At this point, you will have Terra and Locke in your
team, and everyone's experience will now be rounded down. Here is a
quick level overview of all characters, the first number being the level
they were when they first joined your party, the second number being the
level they are now, and the third column explaining why the change
happened, if there was one.

Terra:  3  =>  6  -  Rounded before espers were available.
Locke:  5  =>  7  -  Mag Roader battles (+2 Vigor per level)
Sabin:  6  =>  6
Edgar:  6  =>  6
Celes:  5  =>  6  -  Only +1 espers available (+1 MagPwr)
Gau:    7  =>  7
Cyan:   7  =>  7
Setzer: 6  =>  6
Shadow: 5  =>  6  -  Only +1 espers available (+1 MagPwr)

Now, all your characters will be at base experience for their level,
which will be important later on for taking in excess experience at the
Floating Continent. First, go east to the Imperial Base, and raid the
treasures. The gold you get there will come in handy in a bit. Then, go
to Albrook. Once you arrive at Thamasa, go to the weapon shop, buy 4 Ice
Rods and spend the rest of your gold on Fire Rods. (If you have more
than enough gold for Fire Rods, only buy about 8 maximum, you'll need
that many to kill Ultros later. It's also fine if you can't afford many
Fire Rods, just make sure you have 4 Ice Rods.) If you have a Back Guard
on, you will be able to avoid any annoying fights in the burning house.
When you first have a choice of doors, enter the one on the right to
avoid an inescapable battle. The next two rooms you should also enter
the door on the right first, to pick up those rods in the chests. Before
the battle with Flame Eater, equip the Siren esper, so the Balloons
don't explode and you gain no experience. Also, equip Earrings on all
your guys if you have them. As soon as the battle starts, use Siren then
start throwing your Ice Rods. You can redirect the Rods to only target
Flame Eater by pressing right then left during the targetting process.
They are set to target all by default but you must redirect them. Flame
Eater should go down after you use 4 or 5 Ice Rods.

After this, you will have to go to the Esper Mountain to the southwest
of town. If you have the Phantom esper, equip it before Ultros, or if
you have the Vanish spell, cast it on all your guys before entering the
Esper Mountain. Ultros will not be able to hurt you while you are
vanished, at least he never did all five test battles I had with him. He
will just try and tentacle you and miss, and you should be able to kill
him with the Fire Rods you bought, or if you run out of Fire Rods, with
the Templar rage and any Fire or Thunder-based attacks you have. When
Relm appears, cast Vanish on her if you have it, otherwise you may have
to dish out some Phoenix Downs if she is killed before she can sketch
Ultros.

After this you will go back to Thamasa and a fun storyline twist occurs.
Just remember, with Leo, Shock is your friend! You will be disappointed
if you try to attack normally. Too bad you can't steal his Offering
relic like in the beginning when you could rob Mog of his pike and
shield.

Character levels at this point:
Terra: 6
Locke: 7
Sabin: 6
Edgar: 6
Celes: 6
Gau: 7
Cyan: 7
Setzer: 6
Strago: 8
Relm: 6
Average: 6.5 (rounded down to 6)
Average without Gau: 6.44 (rounded to 6)

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2.4 - Floating Continent and leveling
===================================

Now you are just before the Floating Continent, with two characters left
to factor in the low level average of 6 to. These are Mog and Shadow.
Mog starts as (Level Avg.) + 5, while Shadow starts at (Level Avg.),
therefore you should get Shadow first, since getting Mog first may cause
your level average to break 7.

However, there is good news, and it has nothing to do with saving money
on car insurance. (Ha ha ha, old joke. Yeah I know, I'm lame.) Anyway,
when you leap Gau off on the veldt, his level does not factor into the
average. And because the only two characters left who you don't have,
who can equip espers, can join your party with Gau leapt off, you can
now level Gau up a huge amount and still get perfect stat increases. On
the PS version, you can level Gau up to at most 68 here if you still
want perfect HP gains. This is because on the PS version, Gau can get
999 MP naturally and will never need to equip Crusader. However, on the
SNES version, you can only level Gau up to about 46 before you have to
stop. Either way, even 46 is insanely high for a WoB character, and you
should have no trouble taking out the IAF by yourself by around level
25-30, especially if you let Gau boost his Magic Power with ZoneSeek
every level.

I will not add any more boss tactics here, because now that you have a
way to level, there will be many ways to beat forthcoming bosses. I
myself have never completed a LLG because of the IAF. There is still one
more challenge to overcome though. After you beat the IAF, skip Shadow
and go through the entire Floating Continent with only Gau alive. Equip
the Charm Bangle to make walking around easier. Make sure to grab all
the treasures with Gau, because he can fight and gain experience here.
Also, keep ZoneSeek or Bismark on him for every level up. Vigor and
Magic Power are the only two stats you should focus on right now, I
prefer Magic Power for Gau. Once you get back to the airship, go to the
Veldt and leap Gau off, then go back to the Floating Continent with the
party Strago, Locke, and Cyan. Equip the Charm Bangle and Back Guard
relics, and now you can pick up Shadow, who will join at level 6. Now
you have to get all the way through the Floating Continent again. There
is one battle which will cause you problems, the Ninja. You can't run
from them, and they can kill you in one shot if they use a Fire Skean,
Water Edge or Bolt Edge. It's okay to finish off one or two Ninja
battles without gaining any levels, if you even survive. You should be
able to make it through after a few tries at most, though. Once you make
it back to your airship, before getting Gau back, go to Narshe and get
Mog by going to the treasure house in the southeast, and then following
LoneWolf to the mountains where Tritoch was moved. When LoneWolf has Mog
captive and tells you to back off, go into the menu and wait about 3
seconds, then Mog will throw LoneWolf to the edge, and in turn get
thrown to the other edge himself. Talk to Mog and not LoneWolf here, and
he'll join your party at level 11. Now you can go get Gau back from the
Veldt.

Now that you have gotten every character with the lowest possible level,
you can start leveling all your characters at this point. On the
Playstation version, the highest you can level to is 25, because some
characters will need to equip the Crusader esper by level 26 to obtain
max MP from just one level up. (I will go over HP and MP maxing
for both versions in section 3.) In the SNES version, the highest you
can level to is 46. In any case, make sure you level every character one
at a time, so you can control their stat growth with the right espers,
and when you finish, all of your characters should be the exact same
level. You will have to level Shadow on the Floating Continent. Just
take Gau up with you and have him do all the work. One should have
ZoneSeek and one should have Bismark. Both can be efficient fighters
as well as casters, so it doesn't matter too much. Level here until
Shadow reaches the same level as everyone else.

Make sure when you go to finish off the Floating Continent that you leap
Gau off beforehand, unless his level is the same as everyone else's,
then you won't need to do this.

Character levels at this point:
Terra:  Between 11 and 46 (PS version: Between 11 and 25)
Locke:  Between 11 and 46 (PS version: Between 11 and 25)
Sabin:  Between 11 and 46 (PS version: Between 11 and 25)
Edgar:  Between 11 and 46 (PS version: Between 11 and 25)
Celes:  Between 11 and 46 (PS version: Between 11 and 25)
Gau:    Between 11 and 46 (PS version: Between 11 and 68)
Cyan:   Between 11 and 46 (PS version: Between 11 and 25)
Setzer: Between 11 and 46 (PS version: Between 11 and 25)
Strago: Between 11 and 46 (PS version: Between 11 and 25)
Relm:   Between 11 and 46 (PS version: Between 11 and 25)
Average: Everyone but Gau should be the same level, thus, the average
should also be the same as everyone's level.

===================================
2.5 - World of Ruin and extra information
===================================

There are a few things you have to do in the WoR before you can start
leveling again:

1. Get all 12 characters. (Get Gau last.)
2. Beat all 8 dragons. (To get Crusader.)
3. Beat Doom Gaze. (To get Bahamut.)
4. Go under Figaro to the Ancient Castle and get Odin. (Do not get Raiden
yet.)

Consult other walkthroughs for information on how to do all this if you
are stuck. You won't need any advanced tips since you aren't forced to
be extremely low level anymore. I completed all of this without dying or
resetting once. Just make sure you get the Moogle Charm as soon as
possible from the spot where Mog was standing in Narshe.

===================================
2.6 - Summary
===================================

This section is a quick checklist of the most important things you need
to do to achieve a perfect stats game. I only added the things which
will directly affect either your experience level or your stats in
general.

1. This game is to be considered a LLG up until the Floating Continent.

2. Narshe Battle - Your party should be Terra, Celes, Edgar, Sabin.
At the Narshe Battle, skip the Green guards with your main party, then
walk straight down into the gap between the wall and the Brown Soldier.
Make sure one battle is with a HeavyArmor and two Troopers. Kill the
Troopers and run. The other battle should be a Fidor and a Trooper.
Finish that battle and kill the Rider. Switch to another group and run
into a battle with a BountyMan and Trooper. Die, then kill Kefka with
your main party.

3. After getting espers in Zozo, leap Gau on the Veldt then get Shadow
at Kohlingen without Gau in your party. Level him from 5 to 6 with the
Stray esper equipped.

4. At the opera house, run into a Vermin and Sewer Rat battle. Die. Next
try, walk through without running into any battles.

5. Before Celes leaves your party in the MagiTek Factory, equip her with
the Stray esper and level her once. Her level will be averaged to 6 the
next time you get her anyway, so you might as well give her a stat boost
for it.

6. Before the MagRoader battle, have Celes as your person in slot 1.
Move Locke to Slot 1 when she leaves, and skip the save point. Equip
Locke with Bismark, and do the following:
-Two of the battles with two purple Mag Roaders must be finished with
only Gau and Cyan alive.
-The other three battles must be finished with only Locke alive.

7. Getting the Charm Bangle at the banquet isn't necessary for a
perfect game, but it is possible to do in this challenge and will make
the Floating Continent easier.

8. In the burning Thamasa house, don't kill any of the Balloons, cast
Siren when fighting FlameEater to prevent them from exploding.

9. You can start leveling Gau up before the Floating Continent, up to a
maximum of level 46 (SNES) and 68 (PS).

10. Make sure you have leapt Gau off on the veldt before getting Shadow
on the Floating Continent, and Mog at Narshe. Get Mog last.

11. Everyone should be the same level before entering the WoR, except
Gau, who can be higher but must be leapt off before the WoR if so.
Everyone should be equipped with either Bismark or ZoneSeek for each
level-up, preferrably ZoneSeek. The highest you can level everyone who
is not Gau is 46 (SNES) and 25 (PS) before the WoR.

12. Before leveling in the WoR, get all 12 characters (Gau last),
Crusader, Bahamut, and Odin.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
======================================================================
SECTION 3   - STAT INCREASING GUIDE
======================================================================
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

So you want to know how to make an incredible character stat-wise? This
is the place to go! I will start by explaining HP/MP then go on to the
main stats.

===================================
3.1 - HP and MP maxing
===================================

Final Fantasy VI uses the same HP/MP formula for every character,
however, there is a difference in the MP formula between the PS version
and the SNES version. I will not bother posting the formula, but I will
post which levels I recommend for using the HP and MP boosting espers.

(IMPORTANT NOTE!! If I say equip this esper for level 50, that means you
equip that esper AT level 49 and then level to 50 with that esper
equipped. It does not mean to equip the esper at level 50 and level to
51.)
--------------
HP - Either version
Any character will end with 9999 HP if they equip Bahamut for levels 69,
70, and 71.
--------------
MP - SNES version
This formula gives the highest MP boost around level 49. Some characters
will need to equip Crusader for 3 levels, some for 4 levels and some for
5 levels to max out MP. Here is a short guide:

3 - (Equip Crusader for levels 48, 49, and 50.)
4 - (Equip Crusader for levels 48, 49, 50, and 51.)
5 - (Equip Crusader for levels 47, 48, 49, 50, and 51.)

Here are the individual characters and how many levels it will take to
max their MP:

Terra - 3
Locke - 4
Cyan - 5
Shadow - 4
Edgar - 4
Sabin - 5
Celes - 3
Strago - 4
Relm - 3
Setzer - 4
Mog - 3
Gau - 4
--------------
MP - PS Version
In this version, the MP formula has been recalculated. You will gain
more MP overall than you did in the SNES version, but the best MP gains
will happen at earlier levels. The  highest MP gains happen at around
level 16, but because you gain so much, you will not need to use the
highest MP gain to get max MP for everyone. In fact, half the characters
will never need to equip Crusader at all, as they will max MP naturally.
These characters will need to equip Crusader once before they reach
level 26 to max MP:
Locke
Cyan
Shadow
Edgar
Sabin
Setzer

===================================
3.2 - General stat information
===================================

Ok, so now that you have HP and MP out of the way, you have four other
stats to choose from. Which ones are worth boosting, and for which
characters? I will go over individual characters in the next section,
but first I will go over all four stats which can be raised by Espers
and which ones I think are useful and which I think are pointless.

Vigor:
Vigor is calculated into the damage formula for physical attacks.
However, Vigor in general doesn't affect physical attacks as much as
MagPwr affects magic attacks, so it's recommended to only use Vigor on
characters whose special attacks don't have magic properties, like
Locke. Another note is that raising Vigor beyond 128 via equipment
bonuses has no effect, so it's generally not recommended to raise your
Vigor all the way to 128 by stat boosting. 110-120 should be enough for
any character.

Speed:
The most you can raise Speed per level is +1, so I consider it a waste
of a level, unless +1 speed is the most effective stat to raise for that
character at that time. This can be when a fighter character has 110-120
Vigor or when a caster character has reached 128 MagPwr.

Stamina:
The most useless stat. It is supposed to affect defensive properties,
but the only thing it really does is make Regen and the Tintinabar relic
heal more. Stamina sucks, don't waste a level raising it.

MagPwr:
For characters whose special attacks include magic attacks, this is
important. I will go over this more in the individual characters
section, but basically this will be the most important stat for most of
your characters. Also, MagPwr affects magic attacks even when it's
higher than 128 via equipment bonuses, so it's smart to level this
all the way to 128.

===================================
3.3 - Individual Character Strategies
===================================

I am considering the maximum for Vigor as 110. You can technically get
to 128 Vigor, but since having over 110 Vigor generally allows you to do
9999 damage with anyone's ultimate weapon, and because having over 128
Vigor via equipment bonuses has no effect, I consider it a bad idea to
level Vigor beyond 110. Note: Some characters start with an odd number
of stats, their strategies will go to 127 instead of 128 MagPwr, and 111
instead of 110 Vigor. Not many characters can max Speed, and since it
goes up by 1 every level, it's not recommended to put that many levels
in Speed as opposed to MagPwr or Vigor. Stamina just plain sucks, and
was not included in any strategies.

Gogo and Umaro have no strategies, since they can't equip espers. Their
former glory will be outshined when you are done maxing out your stats
on everyone else, and you most likely will never use Gogo or Umaro
again, save for in a LLG.

TERRA
-----
Base Stats:
Vigor:      31
Speed:      33
Stamina:    28
MagPwr:     39
Most possible levels for stat increasing:
With HP/MP maxing -
Version           PS - 90 levels
                 SNES- 87 levels
Without HP/MP maxing - 93 levels

Leveling strategies:
Terra is both an efficient fighter and mage. Her Morph ability doubles
both her attack power and her magic power, and it costs nothing to use.
The only problem is it seems if you use it in one battle, you won't be
able to use it again for a few more battles. Either way, I love using
Morph for boss battles. I generally consider Terra a caster first, then
a fighter. I don't like using speed on my casters, since I'm taking the
time to use a magical attack anyway.

My pick:
1- Level MagPwr to 127, then level Vigor

Alternate strategies:
2- Level Vigor to 111, then level Speed
3- Level MagPwr to 127, then level Speed
4- Level Vigor to 111, then level MagPwr
5. Level Vigor to 111, then split between MagPwr and Speed
6. Level MagPwr to 127, then split between Vigor and Speed
7. Level Vigor, MagPwr and Speed evenly

LOCKE
-----
Base Stats:
Vigor:      37
Speed:      40
Stamina:    31
MagPwr:     28
Most possible levels for stat increasing:
With HP/MP maxing -
Version           PS - 90 levels
                 SNES- 87 levels
Without HP/MP maxing - 94 levels

Leveling strategies:
Locke is definitely a fighter, and shows it with his ValiantKnife,
AtmaWeapon, Illumina and other fine choices of ultimate weapons. The
only thing magical about Locke is the ability to equip Espers and learn
magic, and use items in battle that have magical properties such as
rods. I would generally raise Vigor and Speed with Locke.

My pick:
1- Level Vigor to 111, then level Speed

Alternate strategies:
2- Level Vigor to 111, then level MagPwr
3- Level Vigor to 111, then split between MagPwr and Speed
4- Level MagPwr to 128, then level Vigor
5- Level MagPwr to 128, then level Speed

EDGAR
-----
Base Stats:
Vigor:      39
Speed:      30
Stamina:    34
MagPwr:     29
Most possible levels for stat increasing:
With HP/MP maxing -
Version           PS - 89 levels
                 SNES- 86 levels
Without HP/MP maxing - 93 levels

Leveling strategies:
Edgar can be both a fighter and a caster, I like to give him MagPwr and
Speed though, so he can take out anything with the Flash tool and be
fast at the same time. Alternately you can level Vigor and Speed and
take out anything with AutoCrossbow instead.

My pick:
1- Level MagPwr to 127, then level Speed

Alternate strategies:
2- Level Vigor to 111, then level Speed
3- Level MagPwr to 127, then level Vigor
4- Level Vigor to 111, then level MagPwr

SABIN
-----
Base Stats:
Vigor:      47
Speed:      37
Stamina:    39
MagPwr:     28
Most possible levels for stat increasing:
With HP/MP maxing -
Version           PS - 89 levels
                 SNES- 85 levels
Without HP/MP maxing - 93 levels

Leveling strategies:
Sabin may look like a fighter, but he can Blitz out some strong
magic-induced moves if you boost his MagPwr. I prefer MagPwr over Vigor
because some of his easier Blitzes (Fire Dance, AuraBolt) rely on MagPwr
for damage, and can attack all as opposed to just one enemy. Not saying
it's bad to make Sabin a fighter either, Sabin is just a good character
overall, so you have to make a choice between two types of good
characters. Also, Sabin can reach both 111 Vigor and 128 MagPwr.

My pick:
1- Level MagPwr to 128, then level Speed

Alternate strategies:
2- Level Vigor to 111, then level MagPwr to 128, then level Speed
3- Level MagPwr to 128, then split between Vigor and Speed
4- Level Vigor to 111, then split between MagPwr and Speed.

CELES
-----
Base Stats:
Vigor:      34
Speed:      34
Stamina:    31
MagPwr:     36
Most possible levels for stat increasing:
(Note: Celes can equip a +1 esper from level 5 to 6, so I consider it
half a level worth of stat boosting. I usually give her a +1 MagPwr
esper, so her max MagPwr will now be 127 instead of 128, but she will
get 2 more Vigor or 1 more speed than normal.)
With HP/MP maxing -
Version           PS - 90 1/2 levels
                 SNES- 87 1/2 levels
Without HP/MP maxing - 93 1/2 levels

Leveling strategies:
Celes is a good caster, but can be a good fighter as well. She can
absorb MP with Runic, but normally not very much. I usually make her a
caster though, because it just seems right.

My pick:
1- Level MagPwr to 127, then level Vigor.

Alternate strategies:
2- Level MagPwr to 127, then level Speed.
3- Level Vigor to 111, then level MagPwr
4- Level Vigor to 111, then level Speed
5. Level MagPwr to 127, then split between Speed and Vigor

SHADOW
-----
Base Stats:
Vigor:      39
Speed:      38
Stamina:    30
MagPwr:     33
Most possible levels for stat increasing:
With HP/MP maxing -
Version           PS - 89 1/2 levels
                 SNES- 86 1/2 levels
Without HP/MP maxing - 93 1/2 levels

Leveling strategies:
Shadow has many options available. His skeans and edges have magical
properties, but those alone can prove to be his most useful items.
Shadow is another versatile character, and any good fighter or
caster method works well for him.

My pick:
1- Level MagPwr to 127, then Speed

Alternate strategies:
2- Level Vigor to 111, then Speed
3- Level MagPwr to 127, then Vigor
4- Level Vigor to 111, then MagPwr
5- Level MagPwr to 127, then split between Vigor and Speed
6- Level Vigor to 111, then split between MagPwr and Speed
7- Level Vigor, MagPwr and Speed evenly

CYAN
-----
Base Stats:
Vigor:      40
Speed:      28
Stamina:    33
MagPwr:     25
Most possible levels for stat increasing:
With HP/MP maxing -
Version           PS - 88 levels
                 SNES- 84 levels
Without HP/MP maxing - 92 levels

Leveling strategies:
I usually make Cyan a caster with good speed. If you wish to take
advantage of his SwordTechs, you won't need speed, since the SwordTech
bar goes up the same speed regardless of Cyan's speed. I think the best
way to use Cyan is to give him the Tempest sword and raise his MagPwr
and Speed. Cyan + 127 MagPwr + Tempest = Wind God Cyan. Good stuff.

My pick:
1- Level MagPwr to 127, then level Speed.

Alternate strategies:
2- Level Vigor to 110, then level MagPwr
3- Level Vigor to 110, then level Speed
4- Level MagPwr to 127, then level Vigor

GAU
-----
Base Stats:
Vigor:      44
Speed:      38
Stamina:    36
MagPwr:     34
Most possible levels for stat increasing:
With HP/MP maxing -
Version           PS - 89 levels
                 SNES- 85 levels
Without HP/MP maxing - 92 levels

Leveling strategies:
Gau rocks. He has the largest selection of abilities in the game, and
makes an excellent anything. Since his base stats are so high, and the
rage command works like a berserk command, you will get nice high stats
and won't even need to boost speed. Gau is the only character who I
would level above 110 Vigor. I believe most of Gau's good rages are
magic attacks, so leveling MagPwr on Gau is a must.

My pick:
1- Level MagPwr to 128, then Vigor to 120, then Speed

Alternate strategies:
2- Level MagPwr to 128, then Vigor to 110, then Speed
3- Level MagPwr to 128, then Vigor to 128
4- Level MagPwr to 128, then Speed.

SETZER
-----
Base Stats:
Vigor:      36
Speed:      32
Stamina:    32
MagPwr:     29
Most possible levels for stat increasing:
With HP/MP maxing -
Version           PS - 89 levels
                 SNES- 86 levels
Without HP/MP maxing - 93 levels

Leveling strategies:
There are countless Setzer strategies out there. I like to give my
Setzer lots of MagPwr, but with Fixed Dice he can become a neat fighter.
I generally don't give Setzer any speed, since his slots take time
anyway.

My pick:
1- Level MagPwr to 127, then Vigor

Alternate strategies:
2- Level Vigor to 110, then MagPwr
3- Level Vigor to 110, then Speed
4- Level Vigor to 110, then split between MagPwr and Speed

STRAGO
-----
Base Stats:
Vigor:      28
Speed:      25
Stamina:    19
MagPwr:     34
Most possible levels for stat increasing:
With HP/MP maxing -
Version           PS - 88 levels</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
                 SNES- 84 levels
Without HP/MP maxing - 91 levels

Leveling strategies:
If Stamina was more important I'd say Strago had abysmal starting stats.
Fortunately, Strago's best stats are the ones that matter most. Strago
makes a great mage.

My pick:
1- Level MagPwr to 128, then Speed

Alternate strategies:
2- Level MagPwr to 128, then split between Vigor and Speed

RELM
-----
Base Stats:
Vigor:      26
Speed:      34
Stamina:    22
MagPwr:     44
Most possible levels for stat increasing:
With HP/MP maxing -
Version           PS - 90 levels
                 SNES- 87 levels
Without HP/MP maxing - 93 levels

Leveling strategies:
Relm has one of the best stat potentials in the game. Unfortunately, her
special sucks. I only use Control for gathering Lores for Strago. Better
make Relm your best mage, she can get amazing MagPwr boosts from her
equipment.

My pick:
1- Level MagPwr to 128, then Speed

Alternate strategies:
2- Level MagPwr to 128, then split between Vigor and Speed

MOG
-----
Base Stats:
Vigor:      29
Speed:      36
Stamina:    26
MagPwr:     35
Most possible levels for stat increasing:
With HP/MP maxing -
Version           PS - 85 levels
                 SNES- 82 levels
Without HP/MP maxing - 88 levels

Leveling strategies:
Mog has the lowest possible levels available to him for stat
increases. You won't see a difference in his performance though, Mog
is still just as good as anyone else. I usually make Mog a caster.

My pick:
1- Level MagPwr to 127, then Speed

Alternate strategies:
2- Level MagPwr to 127, then Vigor
3- Level Vigor to 111, then Speed
4- Level Vigor to 111, then MagPwr
5- Level Vigor, MagPwr and Speed equally

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
======================================================================
SECTION 4 - EXTRAS
======================================================================
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

===================================
4.1 - Psycho Cyan glitch
===================================

Some of you may be wondering what this glitch is, and why it is so
great. The Psycho Cyan glitch involves Cyan's SwordTech "Retort" and a
bug involving Imp status and Wounded status. When Cyan uses Retort, and
then is killed and revived, he will then retort the next attack targeted
at one of his party members. If he is then set to Imp status, he will
retort to the next attack regardless of who is targeted and who uses it.
This will result in Cyan retorting his own attack until the enemy dies.

When can this glitch be useful? I think you should use it to kill Number
128 in the Mining Cart at Vector, especially if you are trying for
perfect stats. It will be hard enough to have the right guys alive in
the battles with the Mag Roaders beforehand, I think it's fair you
should be able to use the bug to kill the boss too, because no one likes
to reset over and over again.

===================================
4.2 - Vanish/Doom and other tricks
===================================

This section is for other information which will help the average gamer
understand the game better.

--Vanish/Doom trick--
Most people know about this already, there is a spell called Vanish
which will allow that character to be targeted by any spell, including
instant death spells. If you cast Vanish on almost any boss, you can
then cast Doom on them and they will be defeated. This includes the
final boss.

--Evade Bug--
There's a bug which makes Evade% worthless, and also makes blindness
status do nothing. If you're blind, enjoy the cool sunglasses and don't
bother to remove them, cause it doesn't make a difference. Also note
that M. Evade% counts for Evade as well, so put on any M. Evade%
equipment you can get your hands on. Having 128% M. Evade% makes you
invincible to anything except unblockable spells like Ultima.

--Rippler Bug--
You know the spell and Lore "Rippler"? The one that switches statuses
with the enemy party... well, this skill switches things it shouldn't,
like Shadow's dog block. If Shadow gets hit with Rippler, you will
never see Interceptor again in your game in a battle, so do your best
to avoid this.

--Slot Techniques--
Normally, Slots will rarely give you what you want, but you can control
it by using an Echo Screen then hitting the third slot during the Echo
Screen animation. You will have to learn the timing though so you can
pull it off quickly.

===================================
SPECIAL THANKS
===================================

Here's a list of people I'd like to thank for various things.

For making the game:
Squaresoft and all their developers

For making walkthroughs, FAQ's, and other guides for the game, which I
used to get me through this challenge myself:
Djibriel
Master ZED
Atom Edge
mog255
rjpageuk/Crinkles
Novalia_Spirit
Terii Senshi

Final Fantasy VI (c)1994 Squaresoft
Perfect Stats Guide (c)2006 Leviathan Mist