==============================================================================
Final Fantasy 3 Speed Walkthrough
==============================================================================

If you have questions, comments, or tips (especially tips), please contact me:
mondogecko33@hotmail.com

This guide is copyright 2004-2005 Peter Tiernan.

This may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal,
private use.  It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed
publicly without advance written permission.  Use of this guide on any other
web site or as part of a public display is strictly prohibited, and violation
of copyright.

Final Fantasy III is copyright 1994 Square Co., Ltd.

All trademarks herein are acknowledged as property of their respective
copyright holders.

==============================================================================
Contents
==============================================================================

Miscellaneous
General Tips
Walkthrough
Credits

==============================================================================
Miscellaneous
==============================================================================

This is a walkthrough for beating Final Fantasy 3 (AKA Final Fantasy 6) as
quickly as possible.  How fast you should expect to complete the game with
this walkthrough depends on how much experience you have with the game, and
how often you intend to reset when things don't go your way.  My best time is
5:37.

Console:
I have FF3 for the Super Nintendo.  In this walkthrough, I refer to Super
Nintendo controller buttons.  If there are differences between the SNES
version and the PS version relevant to this walkthrough, I don't know anything
about them.  If anything works differently on emulation, I don't know anything
about it.

Version:
12/22/2004
-Original submission.
12/31/2004
-Addition of Joker Doom trick to General Tips.
-Addition of Joker Doom trick to Walkthrough.
-Addition of my times throughout the game.
-Changes in Floating Continent section of Walkthrough.
-Deletion of many Frequently Asked Questions that I felt were redundant or
 self-explanatory.
-Other minor changes.
1/18/2005
-Addition of skipping the intro to Walkthrough.
-Addition of avoiding the second and third battles to the Narshe section of
 the walkthrough.
1/27/2005
-Changes in Tunnel Armr section of Walkthrough.
-Changes in 3 party battle section of Walkthrough.
-Changes in Zozo section of Walkthrough.
-Changes in Factory section of Walkthrough.
2/14/2005
-Very minor changes.
-Corrected misinformation that Smoke Bomb does not work in Pincer Attack.
-Corrected instructions to give Celes 2 Earrings before acquiring second
 Earring.
3/22/2005
-Eliminated "FAQ" and "Areas of Difficulty" sections.
-Changes in Celes's and Setzer's late game functions.
4/26/2005
-Added Sniper Sight/Valiant Knife strategy for Cactrots.
-Noted that Vanish isn't necessary to Doom Hoover.
-Fixed various small errors.

Detail:
Feel free to ignore little details, like what items to skip and what weapons
and armors to equip in what order.  Those things make exactly as little
difference as you would suspect.

Levels:
Whatever level you're on naturally should be fine.  Usually, this is how it
goes for me: Terra is on level 6 when Locke shows up.  Sabin hits level 15 on
the Mag Roaders.  In the WOR before the dinosaur forest, I'm around level 18.
I get to level 33 or so in the dinosaur forest.

Exploitable Bugs:
Evade doesn't do anything: M Evade counts for both physical and magic attacks-
anything with the word "Force" in the name is good.  Dark status doesn't do
anything- don't bother healing it.  Clear status ignores instant death
protection- casting Vanish and then Doom on an enemy is often a good tactic.

About the Times in This Walkthrough:
The times listed in the walkthrough are recorded from a game I played a while
back.  The final time is 5:51, which is a bit slower than my best time.

Cheap Tricks:
I'm not above using Joker Doom and Vanish/Doom.  They make the game faster.

Succeeding Without Aforementioned Cheap Tricks:
There's no reason you have to use them- they just speed the game up by about
30 minutes.  If you consider these tricks cheating and don't want to use them,
learn and exploit elemental weaknesses, mainly by using Rods as much as
possible until you know level 3 magic.  You also probably want to pick up
Sabin (AFTER the dinosaur forest), Umaro (along with the Gauntlet in his
cave), and Bum Rush: I don't think Mog can beat Goddess by himself without
cheap tricks.  I got Sabin and Umaro in my first couple speed runs, and I
don't think it added muchy more than 5 minutes to my time.  Although I've
never done a speed run without using Vanish/Doom, I did my first several
without Joker Doom, and it wasn't a problem.  Without Vanish/Doom, AtmaWeapon
and Dullahan could prove difficult.

==============================================================================
General Tips
==============================================================================

Money:
Provided you don't buy extra stuff, you should always have enough.  The only
things I ever buy are the things I say to buy in the walkthrough.  Tents in
particular are expensive and usually unnecessary.  Your HP and/or MP will be
automatically restored in several places, and there are free heals in various
places.  You shouldn't need to use a single Tent in the WOB.  In the WOR, Tent
in the dinosaur forest whenever your MP runs out, Tent before and after
Fanatic's Tower, Tent in Kefka's Tower after Poltergeist and after Doom.  8
Tents should be enough for the whole game.

Saving:
The only times I take even a single step out of my way to step on a save point
are: Mount Kolts, the first save point on the Floating Island, and in Kefka's
Tower before Inferno.  Save at your discretion.  I save after every battle in
the dinosaur forest- I recommend doing this.

Don't spend a lot of time in menu screens.  Beating the game fast requires
knowing what you're going to do ahead of time.  Don't look at all the options
and think about what you need to do.  Also remember that you can cycle through
your characters with the R and L buttons while equipping.

Don't re-equip every time you get some new item.  If somebody's naked, equip
him optimum.  Unless it's something you'll be wearing for the final battle,
don't go out of your way to get equipment.

After the Opera House you won't be using the "Fight" command, so don't bother
with weapons apart from the Break Blade, rods, and ones that raise M Evade.

The fastest way to get through dialogue in the combat screens and in the first
scene with Terra, Vicks and Wedge on the cliff is by holding down the A
button.  Everywhere else, just keep hitting the A button.

Runic:
When you tell Celes to Runic, she will take a step forward and hold up her
sword.  Once she does this, she is "Runicked."  While Runicked, she will
absorb any spell anybody tries to cast.  She becomes un-Runicked when a) she
catches a spell, or b) you tell her do something else.  In the battles where
it makes sense to Runic (only Tunnel Armr and the Espers), tell her to Runic.
After that, don't do a thing with her, not even tell her to Runic again, until
you see the name of a spell appear at the top of the screen.  Then tell her to
Runic again.  If she is still Runicked and her screen comes up, push X to make
it go away.

Slot:
You can control what Slot Setzer gets by repeatedly pausing the game until the
picture you want is just above the center.  Then un-pause and immediately push
A.  Repeat three times.  This alone will allow you to 7-Flush or Chocabop at
will.  Some attack animations (both yours and the enemy's) during combat
affect whether you can get the other combinations.  An Echo Screen sets you up
to do any winning combination, including Joker Doom- 7-7-7- which wins the
battle.  This makes the game much easier, and I don't have much trouble
getting it to work (although I did at first).  If you are having trouble with
it, this is a list of things that could be going wrong:
1) You didn't hit the button to stop the slot at the right time.  (Basic, but
it happens).
2) Another animation has altered the setup.  The list of animations that will
do this is pretty short considering the number of attacks in the game, so this
doesn't happen often.
3) You didn't wait for the Echo Screen animation to finish.  Just selecting
Echo Screen isn't enough: the Echo Screen animation needs to have happened
before you lock in the third slot.  If Battle Mode is on Wait, which it should
be before you start using Joker Doom, this means the Echo Screen animation
needs to happen before you select Slot from the combat menu.
4) You paused during the Echo Screen animation and confused the game.  I used
to do this all the time, and I couldn't figure out what was going wrong.  If
you pause while the Echo Screen animation is happening, there's a chance it
won't register right.
5) You are fighting an enemy that cannot be Joker Doomed: for the purpose of
this walkthrough, Ultros, Chupon, and the final battle.
I learned the Joker Doom trick from MasterZED's Slot page:
http://masterzed.cavesofnarshe.com/GameDocs/slotfaq.html.  It has all the
technical information about Slot you could possibly need.

==============================================================================
Walkthrough
==============================================================================

Don't push any buttons when you turn the game on: the introduction will play
through.  Once the introduction starts playing, you can hit buttons again.
(Use the A button to get through the dialogue as usual).  Then pick New Game.
It will not show the introduction, and the clock starts when Terra, Vicks, and
Wedge enter Narshe.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Narshe
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

First, go into Config.  Set Battle Mode on active, set Battle Speed on 6, set
Message Speed on 1, set Cursor on Memory.  (Battle Speed does not affect you;
it affects how quickly enemies attack you.  Slower means you will have to heal
less, and it also gives enemies less time to mess up the Echo Screen/Joker
Doom combo).  (The Memory cursor setting is annoying at first, but it doesn't
take long to get used to).  Put Terra in the back row.  In the first battle,
have Terra group Fire spell your own party, then single Fire spell Vicks and
Wedge.  Have Vicks and Wedge Fire Beam one of the guards and heal Terra before
they die.  Skip the next two battles by going around the square that triggers
them: if you walk straight up, the trigger square will be one square before
the two lines of grating cross.  Cure spell after the pincer attack, and Cure
spell if one of the Mammoths uses Blizzard on you.  In the cave, if you're
attacked by multiple rats, Fire spell the group.  (If you're out of MP, run).
If you're attacked by multiple anything else, Bio Beam.  Any beam lone rats.

Whelk:
Tek Missile until he goes in his shell.  When he says "Gruuuu," Tek Missile
again, targeting the head.

In Arvis's house, talk to Arvis until he moves up next to the door in the
upper right.  Then go out the door and across to the mines.  Skip the
treasures and the save point.  Whenever you're attacked, Fire the group.

Multi-party battle:
Switch parties.  Equip Mog empty.  Switch parties twice.  Send Locke's party
down to just above the last island before Marshal.  Stand in the middle.  When
a party turns in towards you, go out the other side, then back through the
middle, and down to fight Marshal.  You shouldn't have to fight anybody else.

Marshal:
Have Locke and the bottom moogle attack the dogs and have the two middle
moogles attack Marshal.  Then just hold down the A button.

On the way to Figaro Castle, if you're attacked by a single Leafer or Dark
Wind, have Locke fight it.  If you're attacked by multiple Leafers and Dark
Winds, Fire them.  Stay next to the mountains until you're straight across
from the castle.  If you're attacked in the desert, run.

Time: 0:17

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Figaro Castle
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Go to Edgar and talk to him.  Then go to the woman in the tower to the left
who tells you about Sabin and talk to her.  Then go back to Edgar and talk to
him.  When Kefka comes, have Edgar talk to both soldiers and then Kefka, then
go back and talk to Locke.  As soon as you have control of Terra, have her
move down and into the door to the right.  You should be able to get through
the door ahead of Locke.  From there, just follow Locke to the tower and talk
to him.  When you have control of Edgar, don't talk to Kefka: just go straight
up and talk to the guard in the door.

Armors:
Auto Crossbow twice and they'll die.  Don't use Fire or else you will see a
long dialogue.  Have Locke steal if you want- you won't get anything useful,
but he has nothing else to do.

Take the Chocabo to the cave to South Figaro in the southeast.  Equip Edgar
optimum, then equip Locke optimum.  Put Locke and Edgar in the back row.

In the cave, don't get any chests.  Auto Crossbow everything.  Don't cast
Fire or you will see a long dialogue.

Go to South Figaro.  If you're attacked, Auto Crossbow.

Time: 0:28

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
South Figaro
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Go straight to the relic shop.  Talk to the shopkeeper over the right side of
the counter to avoid talking to the merchant.  Buy three Sprint Shoes.  Give
Terra Sprint Shoes.  Go into the big house at the top, go through the secret
passage, and get the Hyper Wrist and Running Shoes.  Give Edgar Running Shoes/
Hyper Wrist.

Go to Mount Kolts in the northeast.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mount Kolts
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Use Terra's Cure spell to keep HP up: if somebody dies you won't be able to
bring him back to life, so make sure nobody does.  Before you have the Atlas
Armet, have Edgar crossbow, then have Locke and Terra fight.  In the second
underground room, go through the wall to the right and get the Atlas Armet.
Give Edgar Atlas Armet in place of Running Shoes.  Edgar should be able to
take out anything but the mammoth things with a shot from the Auto Crossbow.
Have Terra Fire the mammoth things and have Edgar crossbow everything.  At the
save point, have Terra cure Locke and Edgar full, then Sleeping Bag Terra.

Time: 0:32

Before you fight Vargas, Cure and put Locke in the front row.

Vargas:
Auto Crossbow/group Fire/fight the bears to death.  Make sure Locke attacks
whichever bear has taken less damage.  Auto Crossbow/Fire/fight Vargas until
Sabin shows up.  Pummel Vargas immediately.  You shouldn't have to heal.

Give Sabin Running Shoes/Sprint Shoes, Cure spell if you have the MP, put
Sabin in the back row.

You should be equipped as follows:
Terra- Sprint Shoes
Locke- (no relics)
Edgar- Atlas Armet/Hyper Wrist
Sabin- Sprint Shoes/Running Shoes

If you're attacked on the way to the hideout, Auto Crossbow, then Aura Bolt.

Time: 0:39

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Returner Hideout
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Talk to Banon.  When you have control of Terra get all the items except the
antidote in the upper left pot and the Green Cherry in the pot above Sabin.
Make sure you get the White Cape through the wall in the room with the Air
Lancet.  Talk to Locke, Sabin, and Edgar.  Go outside.  Say "No" to Banon
three times.

On the river, Crossbow/group Fire anything that's not a Pteredon.  Crossbow/
single Fire/Aura Bolt Pteredons.  Health when HP gets low.  At the first fork
go straight.  At the second fork go left.

Time: 0:45

Ultros:
Aura Bolt/Fire/Auto Crossbow.  Have Banon Health when you need it and fight
when you don't.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Banon Scenario
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Walk to Narshe, fighting lone enemies and Crossbowing groups.

Time: 0:49

Go through the secret door Locke showed you.  Auto Crossbow should kill
anything in one hit.  Don't get any chests, just go straight to Arvis's house.
Strip Edgar of relics and Terra of equipment before you go through the door
inside Arvis's house.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sabin Scenario
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Get Shadow.  Give Shadow Genji Glove/Atlas Armet and let him equip himself
optimum.  This is a good time to save- if Shadow tries to leave with your
stuff, you want to be able to reset.

Go right and then down between the mountains and the water to the imperial
camp.  If you're attacked by more than two enemies, run.  Fight/Aura Bolt
small groups.

Time: 0:54

When you have control of Cyan give him Sprint Shoes/Hyper Wrist and go
straight to the Commander.

You should be equipped as follows:
Sabin- Sprint Shoes/Running Shoes
Shadow- Genji Glove/Atlas Armet
Cyan- Sprint Shoes/Hyper Wrist

Commander:
Use Retort and wait for Commander to hit you.

Don't get any of the chests in the base.  Just chase Kefka, hold down the A
button when he tries to fight you, and Aura Bolt/fight the Templar/Soldier
party.  When you have control of Cyan, run straight to the king and then
straight to the room with Elayne and Owain.  When you have control of Sabin,
talk to Cyan to join in each fight.  Aura Bolt with Sabin, fight with Shadow.
In the armors, go back to the entrance of the camp.  Fire Beam everything.

Time: 1:06

Outside, put Cyan in the back row.  Go straight to the Phantom Forest.  Fight/
Aura Bolt/Dispatch all enemies.

In the Phantom Forest, go right in every screen: if you can go up, go up.  If
you can't go up, go down.  Aura bolt/Dispatch/fight.

On the Ghost Train, Aura Bolt/Dispatch/fight everything.  You shouldn't need
to save or Tent at all.
First car: Walk back to the door and push A; leave the car to the left.
Third car: Go two steps in, then fight the Ghost in the door.
Fourth car: Push the lever.  Go back in and push the lever again.  Exit to the
left.
Fifth car: Go in through the left entrance and get the Earring.
Seventh Car: Go in through the right entrance, go through the second door, and
get the Fenix Down in the second chest and the Sniper Sight in the third
chest.
Engine: Push the switches on the left and right, then go out to the
smokestack and push A.
Avoid going into the other cars when possible.
Don't bother to heal before fighting the train.

Ghost Train:
Fenix Down it.  Hope the Train doesn't use Evil Toot to muddle the character
using the Fenix Down.

Just wait for the platform scene to fade.

Time: 1:16

Go to the falls, strip Shadow, if you have Black Belt give it to Cyan in place
of Sprint Shoes.  Don't bother healing: the game does it for you.  Jump.
Fight until Rizopas shows up, then Aura Bolt/Dispatch.

On the Veldt, run if you can until you get to Molbiz.

In Molbiz, buy Dried Meat.  Sleep in the relic shop if you need to.

Leave town and head south.  Aura Bolt/Dispatch in all the battles until Gau
shows up.  Hopefully you'll get Gau on the way to the cave.  (Dried Meat him
when he shows up).  If you don't have him when you get to the cave, just walk
back and forth in front of the entrance.  You might want to save here: a
poorly-timed Aqua Rake or a pincer attack involving Giga Volt could kill you.

Time: 1:24

In the cave, go up, across the bridge, and straight down for the helmet.

In the trench, run from Aspiks, Aura Bolt/Dispatch/Rage M-Tec Armor everything
else.  Dispatch or Tek Laser might not kill an Aguiform, so against parties
with Aguiforms, have Sabin Aura Bolt before you give Gau and Cyan their
commands.  Go left at the forks.

In Nikeah, buy 21 Smoke Bombs, remove Running Shoes from Sabin (and the Sprint
Shoes too if Cyan is still wearing his), go to the ship captain.  Hop aboard.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Locke Scenario
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Time: 1:29

Choose the Locke scenario.  Give Locke Sprint Shoes/Running Shoes, equip Locke
optimum.  Go to the items shop and talk to the merchant.  Steal.  Go through
cider guy's house, across the water behind the roof, and into the cafe.  Go
across through the soldiers and down the stairs to where the other merchant
is.  Talk to him.  Fight.  Take the Cider back to the cider guy, tell the kid
courage, and go through the secret passage.  Get the Fenix Down in the barrel
and the Elixir in the clock on your way to Celes.  Change clothes.  Talk to
Celes.  Take the key from the guard.  Get all the chests except the empty one
(bottom right) in the clock room.  Wind the clock in the upper right.

Skip all the chests except the Earrings (bottom left).  Smoke Bomb all
encounters.

Leave South Figaro and go to the cave in the west.  If you intend to try
Tunnel Armr without using Runic, save.

Smoke Bomb all encounters, don't get any chests.  Heal at the spring.  Several
steps before the exit, give Celes 2 Earrings, give Locke Atlas Armet/Genji
Glove, let him equip himself optimum, equip Celes optimum.

Tunnel Armr:
Safe strategy: have Locke fight and Celes runic.  (See "Runic" under "General
Tips" if you don't know how to Runic effectively).
Slightly risky strategy: have Locke fight and Celes use Ice.  More often than
not, you'll be fine.
Either way, it's a quick fight that doesn't involve healing.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Narshe
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Time: 1:41

In the multi-party battle, make the first party Edgar, Sabin, Cyan, Celes.
Put Locke in one of the other parties, and someone else in the third.
Immediately move Edgar's party down and a little to the right, as far as you
can get without running into soldiers.  There is a gap you can stand in where
none of the green soldiers will attack you.  Switch to Locke's party and
remove Locke's Atlas Armet.  Switch back to Edgar's party.  Give Celes Sprint
Shoes/nothing, give Cyan Atlas Armet in place of Black Belt, give Sabin 2
Earrings, equip Edgar optimum.  As soon as the green soldiers are past, hide
the Edgar party in the dead-end passage in the lower left until the brown
soldiers go by.  Stand in front of Rider, wait until he goes by to the right,
and go down and fight Kefka.  You shouldn't have to fight anybody besides
Kefka.

You should be equipped as follows:
Edgar- (no relics)
Celes- Sprint Shoes
Sabin- 2 Earrings
Cyan- Atlas Armet/Hyper Wrist

Kefka:
Auto Crossbow/Dispatch/Aura Bolt/Ice.  You shouldn't have to heal.

When you regroup in Narshe, form a party of Edgar/Celes/Cyan/Sabin with Edgar
in the lead.  Get the Elixir in Arvis's clock.  Clear out the treasure house
below Arvis's house.

On the way to Figaro Castle, fight lone Leafers or Dark Winds, Auto Crossbow
anything else.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Figaro Castle
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Buy a Flash and a Drill, get the Soft behind the items guy, buy 4 Tents and 11
Fenix Downs.  Go to the basement and have the engineer take you across the
mountains.

Give Sabin Sprint Shoes/nothing, give Edgar two Earrings.  Go to the little
hut on the peninsula to the north.  On the way there, Flash will take out Mind
Candies, Red Fangs, and Iron Fists by itself.  Aura Bolt/Drill/Dispatch
parties that don't have these monsters.  Get the Hero Ring in the pot.  Go to
the Chocobo stable in the forest next to the hut.  Ride a Chocabo to Zozo.
Before going into Zozo, give Edgar Hero Ring in place of an Earring, give
Celes 2 Earrings.

You should be equipped as follows:
Edgar- Hero Ring/Earring
Sabin- Sprint Shoes/any
Cyan- Atlas Armet/Hyper Wrist
Celes- 2 Earrings

Time: 1:52

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zozo
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keep HP up with Celes's Cure spell.  Tincture her when her MP runs out.  Smoke
Bomb Hades Gigas, Aura Bolt/Drill/Dispatch lone enemies, Flash/group Ice
everything else.  Go to the relic shop in the bottom left and go up, jumping
between buildings whenever you have the opportunity.  Don't get any of the
items on the way.  Before fighting Dadaluma, heal, give Edgar Hyper Wrist in
place of Earring, give Celes Sprint Shoes in place of Earring, give Sabin 2
Earrings.

Dadaluma:
Dispatch/Aura Bolt/Drill/Ice.  Ignore his backup.  You shouldn't have to heal.

Get the chests in Terra's room, talk to Terra, get the Magicite, remove Cyan's
relics, talk to Locke in the doorway.  When prompted to make a party, put in
Edgar and Sabin.

Remove Celes's Earring, give Edgar Earring in place of Hyper Wrist, give Locke
Sprint Shoes, equip Locke optimum, give Locke Kirin, give Edgar
Siren, give Sabin Ramuh, give Celes Stray.

You should be equipped as follows:
Edgar- Siren- Earring/Hero Ring
Sabin- Ramuh- 2 Earrings
Locke- Kirin- Genji Glove/Sprint Shoes
Celes- Stray- any/any

Time: 2:05

Flash Iron Fists, Mind Candies, and Red Fangs, Drill/Aura Bolt/Fight the
Vultures.  Go to Jidoor, go to the item shop, buy 31 Echo Screens.  (See the
"Joker Doom" section if you don't know why).  Go to the big house at the top,
talk to Impresario, read the letter, go south to the Opera House.  Have Celes
Cure spell everyone to full HP before you go in.

Time: 2:08

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Opera House
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Have Locke go straight to Celes's room.  Have Celes go straight to the stage.
The lines are "Oh my hero;" "I'm the darkness;" "Must I."  Have Locke get the
note, talk to Impessario, and then go to the right and up.  Push the switch on
the far right.  Go back around to the left and over the stage.  Try to dodge
the rats, but don't worry too much about it.  If you get attacked and there is
only one red rat, Flash the group and immediately have Sabin Aura Bolt.  If
there are two red rats, Flash the group, have Sabin Aura Bolt and Locke fight,
and wait until more gray rats come.  When they do, Flash again.  I always run
into almost every rat, and that used to annoy me.  However, several times I've
had Sabin learn Fire Dance from the last battle before Number 128, so I've
become appreciative of the experience the rats give.  Before you fight Ultros,
give Edgar Hyper Wrist in place of Earring.

Ultros:
Aura Bolt/Drill/fight.  You shouldn't have to heal.

When the Airship lands, go northwest to Vector.  Smoke Bomb everything.

Time: 2:28

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vector
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Go into the skinny building, don't pledge allegiance, kill the guards, and
talk to the lady again for a free heal.  Go to the armor shop to the left, buy
2 Bard's Hats.  Give Sabin Atlas Armet/Hyper Wrist, give Celes 2 Earrings,
give Locke Peace Ring in place of Genji Glove and let him equip himself
optimum, equip Celes optimum, put Locke in the back row.  Go to the right and
talk to the guy behind the crate.  Jump up on the crate and go into the
factory.

In the factory, get Thunder Blade and Remedy (second and third chests you pass
close to).  First go down and through the portal that leads to the ladder,
then just follow the conveyor belts to Kefka.  Flash Pipsqueaks and multiple
Flans, on single Flans (which increase in numbers when you kill them), Pummel,
then Flash, then call Ramuh.  Ramuh DOES NOT retarget, so make sure you don't
choose Ramuh until the Flans he will hit are on the screen.  Ramuh/Flash all
other encounters.  Before fighting the Espers, remove Sabin's Esper, give
Celes Ramuh, and Cure.  Talk to the Esper on the left.

Espers:
Have Locke summon Kirin his first turn and then Cure when necessary, have
Celes Runic (see "Runic" under "Miscellaneous" if you aren't familiar with the
command), have Edgar Drill, have Sabin Pummel.  If you're feeling risky, Celes
can Ice Ifrit every now and then, but you do run the risk of being killed if
you don't have Runic guard.

Talk to the Esper on the left and then the one on the right.  Pick up the
magicite that's blocking the door, but don't bother with the other one.
Flash/Ramuh any party that has at least two non-Rhinox monsters.  Aura Bolt/
Drill Rhinoxes.  Make sure you get the Break Blade inside the wall of the
bottom left platform in the room right before Number 024.  Before fighting
Number 024, remove everybody's weapons.

Number 024:
Have Sabin Suplex, have Edgar Drill, have Locke try to Steal, have Celes start
by summoning Ramuh, then use Ice once unless somebody is muddled or almost
dead, then Cure and punch anybody who gets muddled.

After Celes leaves, go down on the elevator, make sure everybody's healthy,
give Edgar Shoat, give Locke Phantom, give Sabin 2 Earrings, put Sabin in the
lead.

You should be equipped as follows:
Sabin- (no Esper)- 2 Earrings
Edgar- Shoat- Hero Ring/Hyper Wrist
Locke- Phantom- Sprint Shoes/Peace Ring

Time: 2:44

Talk to Cid.  Fire Dance will take out any number of Mag Roaders, Flash will
take out any number of red Mag Roaders, Aura Bolt and Drill will take out
single Mag Roaders.  It helps a lot to know Fire Dance when you fight Number
128.  During combat, when it won't slow the battle down (generally while the
animation for the attack that finishes off the opposing party is on the
screen), put Echo Screen in the top space in your item inventory.

Number 128:
Have Edgar Drill the middle section, have Sabin Fire Dance, have Locke group
Cure every turn.  If you don't know Fire Dance, Aura Bolt: it averages out to
about as much damage to the middle section as Bolt, and it's nice to have the
blades go away for a little while.

Don't bother to heal before the battle against the Cranes: you get your HP and
MP filled for you anyway.  Set Battle Mode to Wait.

Cranes:
Have somebody other than Setzer use an Echo Screen, then have Setzer Joker
Doom.  (See the Joker Doom section under "General Tips" for more detail).

Maduin Scene:
1) Go to the gate.
2) Talk to Madonna.
3) Go to the gate.
4) Talk to the Elder, then the Esper in the door, then go to the gate.

Make a party of Terra/Edgar/Setzer/Sabin with Setzer in the top right spot,
unequip those not now in your party.  Put Setzer in the back row, give Setzer
Phantom, give Setzer Running Shoes, give Terra Sprint Shoes/Running Shoes,
equip Terra optimum.  Fly to Narshe.  Take a few steps in, and you will be
taken to the Elder's house.  Take the Elixir from the Elder's clock.  Fly to
the sealed cave in the southeast corner of the map.  Go in through the
imperial camp.

Time: 2:59

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sealed Cave
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Before the banquet, Setzer needs to have at least 55 magic points towards
Vanish and Edgar needs to have at least 70 magic points towards Doom.  This
means you want to pick up 19 magic points in the Sealed Cave.  Therefore,
don't run and don't be afraid to go a little out of your way to get chests.
However, I wouldn't suggest getting the chest in the first room because it is
useless and sells for 1 GP, and the enemies in the first room all give 1 magic
point.  I usually get X-Potion, Elixir, Tempest, and the three buried
treasures near the bottom of the staircase.  Aura Bolt/Drill single Zombones,
Echo Screen/Joker Doom everything else.  (FYI, single Zombones and any party
with Ings give 2 magic points, everything else (including, strangely, two
Zombones) give 1).  To get through the cave, start by going down and then go
right.  Don't push any switches unless you can see a dead end and there aren't
any more switches between you and that dead end.  When you enter combat with
Kefka, just fight.  If you've been keeping track of how many magic points
you've picked up, get up to 17 before go out through the extra door that has
appeared in the last room.

Buy 41 Smoke Bombs on your way out of the Airship.  Get Edgar up to 70 magic
points towards Doom and Setzer up to 55 towards Vanish, then take a Chocabo to
Vector.  (If you have nowhere close to enough magic points, just walk to
Vector).  (FYI, there are a couple of random battle formations that will give
2 magic points here, the best of which is a bunch of Chicken Lips, because
they can be taken out with one double-Earring boosted Fire Dance.  A group of
Chicken Lip, Ralph, Joker, Wyvern will give 3 magic points).

Time: 3:11

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Imperial Banquet
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Talk to all 24 soldiers, Drill/Aura Bolt the ones that want to fight, and get
all the chests.  My method is to go around to the left first, up over the top,
back down on the right side, and then out front.  The only red guard you need
to talk to is the one in the library.  Don't go into the last door as you're
going back down the right side.  Equip everyone but Terra empty, give Terra
Gale Hairpin/Sprint Shoes, equip Terra optimum, give Terra Break Blade.  You
should have plenty of time to do all of this before the timer expires.  (I
generally have about a minute left after I talk to the last soldier).
Ironically, this is the only part of the game when you are NOT pressed for
time, since you have to wait for the timer to expire anyway.  At the dinner:
toast hometowns, leave Kefka in jail, Celes is one of us, ask all 3 questions
once each, tell him which one you asked first, the poison was inexcusable, the
war's over, the Espers went too far, take a break and go to the right around
the table and talk to the first red guard you come to, agree to fight them,
Fire Dance/Flash/Slot them, go back to your seat, say yes when Ghestal asks to
borrow Terra.  You'll know you did everything right if you get a Charm Bangle
from the guard when you're leaving.

Time: 3:21

Give Locke Phantom, give Locke Charm Bangle/Sprint Shoes, equip Locke optimum,
give Locke Thief Knife, organize your items, put Locke in the lead.  Go to
Albrook.  Smoke Bomb all encounters.

You should be equipped as follows:
Locke- Phantom- Charm Bangle/Sprint Shoes- Thief Knife/any/Bard's Hat/any
Terra- (no Esper)- Sprint Shoes/Gale Hairpin- Break Blade/any/Bard's Hat/any

Go southeast to Albrook.  Talk to General Leo at the dock, then go to the inn.
After the Locke/Celes scene, go talk to Leo again.  The first time you have
control of Terra on the boat, talk to Leo.  The second time, talk to Leo, then
Locke.

Go to Thamasa, Smoke Bombing all encounters.

Time: 3:28

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thamasa
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Go to the weapons shop.
You will still need the weapons and armors you have equipped, which should
include 1 Break Blade, 1 Thief Knife, and 2 Bard's Hats.  Guardian, Drainer,
and Thief Knife only fetch 1 GP.
You will still need 1 Drill.
You will still need 3 Sprint Shoes, 1 Charm Bangle, 1 Back Guard, 1 Gale
Hairpin, 1 Hyper Wrist, 1 Hero Ring, 3 Earrings, 2 Running Shoes, 1
Tintinabar, 1 Sniper Sight.  Genji Glove only fetches 1 GP.
Sell all weapons, armors, relics, and tools not listed above.
Buy 5 Ice Rods and as many as 13 Thunder Rods.  It's fine to spend all of your
money, but 13 Thunder Rods is plenty, and if you have some money left over you
won't need to sell anything later.

Go to Strago's house and talk to Strago.  Go to the inn and sleep.

In the burning house, give Strago Running Shoes/Back Guard.  Whenever you have
a choice between two doors, pick the one on the right.  Try to dodge the
flames.  If you're attacked, Aqua Rake or Smoke Bomb.  While Aqua Rake or
Smoke Bomb animation is on the screen, arrange the top spots of your inventory
to be Smoke Bombs, Echo Screens, Thunder Rods, and Ice Rods, in that order.
Get both chests- a Flame Rod and an Ice Rod.  Give Terra 2 Earrings, give
Strago Earring/Hero Ring (or vice versa).

Flame Eater:
Have Strago and Terra single target Ice Rod him once each and he will die.

Time: 3:41

Go to the cave in the west, Smoke Bombing everything.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Esper Cave
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Go right whenever you can.  Often it won't look like you can go right , but
you can squeeze in next to the wall.  Smoke Bomb everything.  Skip the chests.
When Relm jumps out, you should be able to get through the door ahead of her.

Ultros:
Have Strago single target Thunder Rod once, have Terra morph and single target
Thunder Rod once.  When Relm shows up, sketch until she doesn't miss.  If you
spent almost all of your money, have Locke try to steal a White Cape.

Continue through the cave, fall in the closest hole in the ground and go up
and right across the bridge to the Espers.

When you control General Leo, go straight to Kefka and use Shock until he
dies.

Time: 3:56

Get in the Airship, make a party of Edgar/Setzer/Celes.  Have the guy unequip
those not now in your party.  Give Edgar Shoat, give Setzer Phantom, equip
everybody optimum, give Celes Running Shoes/Sprint Shoes, give Edgar Back
Guard/Gale Hairpin, give Setzer Running Shoes/Earring.  Find the Floating
Continent, making the same party with Celes in the top left spot, Setzer in
the bottom right, and Edgar in the top right.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IAF
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Echo Screen/Joker Doom.  Have Celes Cure between battles to keep HP up.
Absolute Zero in particular hurts quite a bit, but if you equipped, you make
your commands quickly, Battle Mode is on Wait, and you start each battle with
full HP, you should be able to make it by them.  Edgar ought to learn Doom and
Setzer ought to learn Vanish shortly before Ultros shows up.  When this
happens give Setzer Carbunkl, give Edgar Unicorn, give Celes Shoat.

Ultros:
Vanish him, then cast Doom on him.

IAF:
You should be able to Echo Screen/Joker Doom him.  I believe he has an attack
that can mess this up: if it fails, just Thunder Rod his middle section until
he dies.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Floating Continent
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Time: 4:04

As soon as you get to the Floating Continent, give Celes Charm Bangle in place
of Running Shoes, give Setzer Earring in place of Running Shoes.  Cure, save.
Don't get Shadow.  Push every switch you come to, and to go in the bottom left
transporter when you come to a place where there are three transporters right
next to each other.  If you don't know how to navigate the Floating Continent,
my best advice is to save at the beginning and just reset every time you get
lost.  If you do everything right, the Floating Continent isn't particularly
long.  Smoke Bomb everything except Ninjas.  One Thunder Rod from Setzer will
kill a party of Ninjas.  If it's a preemptive attack, you should have time to
Joker Doom them.  There are two reasons I can think of to Joker Doom rather
than Rod: 1) They are accompanied by a Wirey Dragon (which Thunder Rod won't
kill); 2) You have less than eight Thunder Rods left.  Two Skeans will wipe
out your party.  Don't get any chests, don't go to the second save point, keep
HP up, and just go straight to Atma.

AtmaWeapon:
Vanish/Doom.

Don't worry about the chest.  Have Setzer single target Thunder Rod Naughties.

Nerapa:
Have Setzer single target Thunder Rod once.

Don't wait, just jump.  You should have about 4 minutes left on the timer.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Solitary Island
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Give Celes Shoat, give Celes Charm Bangle/Sprint Shoes, equip Celes optimum.
Feeding Cid should be faster than letting him die: every time you go to the
beach, pick up all of the fast fish, as well as all the medium fish you can
get to quickly.  Don't touch the slow ones.  Get on the raft.

Time: 4:25

Don't even go into the town where Sabin is.  Smoke Bomb all encounters.  Go
north to the forest near the Phoenix Cave and get a Chocabo.  Ride it to
Nikeah.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nikeah
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Go to the merchant in the upper left.  Sell stuff (Thunder Rods and Czarina
Ring get good money) until you have 20000 GP.  Sell 1 GP items (Magicite,
Guardian, Genji Glove, Memento Ring, Thief Knife (keep one Thief Knife),
X-Ether, X-Potion) until the units digit of your GP total is not a factor of
Edgar's or Setzer's level.  They should be between Celes's level and two
levels higher- for me they're always between 16 and 18.  You have some margin
for error, and if you're worried, just make the units digit 0.  (You're doing
this because Dullahan, in Daryl's Tomb, immediately uses Level ? Pearl on you.
Level ? Pearl Pearls (and, considering the level you're on, kills) any
character whose level is divisible by the last digit in your current GP.  If
it kills Edgar or Setzer, you will need to bring him back to life before you
can Vanish/Doom Dullahan.  While you're doing this, Dullahan will start doing
other annoying stuff.  Neither your level nor the units digit in your GP total
will change between here and Daryl's Tomb, so you have the opportunity to
ensure that the battle against Dullahan will be quick and easy).  Buy 2
Enhancers.  Go to the cafe and talk to the bandits.  Talk to Edgar until you
sneak aboard the boat- he starts right above the cafe.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
South Figaro
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Go into the inn by way of the cafe and talk to Edgar again.  Leave town.

Go to the cave to the west, Smoke Bombing all encounters.

Time: 4:30

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cave to Figaro Castle
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Smoke Bomb everything, but if you get Muddled, run: the Smoke Bomb might have
no effect.  Don't get any chests in the cave.  In the castle, in the room with
three doors, get the Gravity Rod and the Crystal Helm that are right below
where you enter.  Skip the other chests.  Go through the middle door, and
before you talk to Edgar, give Celes Earring/Running Shoes, put her in the
bottom space, and equip her optimum.  (Running Shoes are very important: they
not only increase speed, but they also protect against the Tentacles' primary
method of attack).  Talk to Edgar.

Tentacles:
First have Edgar Gravity Rod the bottom left Tentacle.  After that, if Edgar
gets a chance to do anything, have him Cure Celes.  Group Fire Rod the
Tentacles once with Celes.  The bottom left one will die.  Group Ice Rod the
Tentacles four times with Celes.  The rest will die.

Give Celes Sprint Shoes/Charm Bangle, give Edgar Running Shoes/Gale Hairpin,
put Celes in the lead and Edgar in the second space.  Fenix Down Edgar if he's
dead, Cure up to full health.  Go to the engineer, Smoke Bombing all
encounters.  Have the engineer take you across the mountains.

Go to Kohlingen, Smoke Bombing all encounters.  Talk to Setzer in the inn.
Give Setzer Running Shoes/Back Guard, give Setzer Carbunkl, give Edgar
Bismarck, equip Setzer optimum.  Go to Darryl's Tomb, Smoke Bombing all
encounters.

Time: 4:38

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Darryl's Tomb
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Smoke Bomb all encounters.  I'll call the room with six doors the entry room.
When you get there, go through the top right door first.  Push A at the
tombstone, go through the door, hit the switch.  Go back to the entry room.
Go to the bottom right door.  Get the chest.  Go back to the entry room.  Go
to the bottom left door.  Skip the Czarina Gown at the bottom of the stairs,
but get the other chests.  The Experience Egg is through the wall to the
right.  Push the switch.  Go back to the entry room.  Go through the bottom
middle door, push the switch, go across on the turtle.  Skip the save point
and the chest above it with the monster in it.  Get the Man Eater.  Go up to
the tombstone and push A.

Dullahan:
Vanish/doom.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With the Airship
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bahamut would be nice if you were to get him before the dinosaur forest, but
he isn't necessary.  If you're attacked by Doomgaze, Vanish/Doom him.  I write
assuming you don't get Bahamut because I never do.  If you do, though, then
teach Edgar Flare in the dinosaur forest, and then when you fight Kefka, have
him Flare rather than Drill.

As soon as you have the Airship, go to the Coliseum in the northwest.  Equip
Edgar optimum, give Edgar Break Blade, equip Setzer optimum.  Save.

Time: 4:45

Go in, bet Tintinabar, choose Edgar.  Wait for Edgar to attack and Break Dark
Force, cast Break on Dark Force, or cast Doom on Dark Force.  If you lose
(odds are good that you will), reset.

Fly to the dinosaur forest north of the Veldt.

Equip Edgar optimum, give Edgar Experience Egg in place of Gale Hairpin, give
Setzer Experience Egg in place of Back Guard, give Celes Back Guard/Gale
Hairpin, give Celes Maduin, give Setzer Stray.

You should be equipped as follows:
Celes- Maduin- Back Guard/Gale Hairpin
Edgar- Bismarck- Experience Egg/Running Shoes
Setzer- Stray- Experience Egg/Running Shoes

Time: 4:46

Since your goal in each fight is to get off two moves before dying, Back
Guard, Gale Hairpin, and Running Shoes are your most helpful relics.
Generally, I almost always beat single Tyrannosaurs, but I'm about 50-50
in Pincer Attacks and against Brachosaurs.  Fight Tyrannosaurs and
Brachosaurs, Vanish/Dooming them, until you run out of MP.  Tent.  Repeat.
Save alot- I save after every battle.  If you're pincer attacked, try to get
off a Joker Doom.  To ensure that everyone gains levels at the same rate,
twice you will have to switch which character does not have an Experience Egg.
You want to get everybody to about level 33, which should take about eighteen
battles.  If nobody dies and everybody starts with the same experience, you
want to switch around equipment after the sixth and twelfth battles.  You do
not want Celes and Setzer to both be on level 35 in Kefka's Tower, so try not
to get them higher than level 33.  MAKE SURE YOU GIVE CARBUNKL BACK TO SETZER
AND SHOAT BACK TO CELES TOWARDS THE END OF THE FOREST LONG ENOUGH FOR CELES TO
LEARN DOOM AND SETZER TO LEARN WARP.

When all of your characters are around level 33, Setzer knows Warp and Celes
knows Doom, fly to Narshe.  Make Edgar the leader and equip your party as
follows:
Edgar- Charm Bangle/Sprint Shoes
Celes- Running Shoes/Gale Hairpin
Setzer- Running Shoes/Back Guard
(Celes's and Setzer's setups are interchangeable).

Time: 4:56

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Narshe
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Go to the moogle village via Locke's secret entrance.  Smoke Bomb or Warp all
encounters.  Talk to Mog.  Push A at the wall behind him for the Moogle Charm.
Give Mog Moogle Charm/Sprint Shoes, remove Celes's Esper, give Mog Shoat, put
Mog in the back row.  Warp.

Time: 4:59

Fly to Phoenix Cave.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phoenix Cave
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Make party one Mog and party two everybody else with Edgar as the leader.  Mog
should be the one to stand on the first switch.  (The party that stands on the
first switch takes more steps in the cave.  Since Mog has the Moogle Charm,
you want this to be him).  Skip the chests, Echo Screen/Joker Doom parties
with Phases in them, Smoke Bomb or Warp everything else, don't fight the
dragon, send Mog to get Locke.

Make a party of Locke, Mog, Setzer, Celes.  Fly to Narshe.

Time: 5:06

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Narshe
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Go to the weapons shop.  Sleep in the bed unless your MP are full.  Get the
Esper Ragnarok.  Give Celes Ragnarok, give Locke Phoenix, equip Locke optimum,
equip Mog optimum.  Go back through the caves to Tritoch, dodging the dragon.

Tritoch:
Vanish/Doom.

Give Setzer Tritoch.  Go back to the dragon.

Dragon:
Vanish/Doom.  If he freezes one of the pieces of this combo, you can try to
Echo Screen/Joker Doom him.

Warp.

Fly to the desert near Maranda.  Remove the Moogle Charm from Mog, give Locke
Sniper Sight.
</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
Time: 5:10

Walk around the desert.  Have Locke fight Cactrots.  (Chocobop is your only
other attack that can kill them).  If you choose, you can save after every
battle, and reset the game whenever you're attacked by a Hoover.  Hoovers can
be Doomed, but it will only hit 2/3 of the time.  You can Vanish them first to
avoid missing.  Once Mog learns Doom, though, it's not worth your time to use
Vanish.  Cure spell when your HP get low.  When Mog knows Doom, give him
Phantom.  Fight until Setzer knows the 3 spells, Locke knows Life3, and Celes
knows Ultima.  (Setzer should come last).  When Locke knows Life3 and Mog
knows Vanish, give Locke Phantom.

Give Mog Moogle Charm.  Tent.  Fly to Fanatics' Tower.

Time: 5:17

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fanatics' Tower
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Skip the first and third doors.  Get the Genji Shield and the Force Armor in
the second and fourth doors and the Gem Box in the room at the top.  Give
Celes Gem Box/Earrings, give Setzer 2 Earrings, give Locke Back Guard/Gale
Hairpin, give Setzer Man Eater/Force Shield/Force Armor/Bard's Hat, give Locke
Thief Knife.

You should be equipped as follows:
Celes- (any Esper)- Gem Box/Earring- Enhancer/any/Crystal/any
Setzer- (any Esper)- 2 Earrings- Man Eater/Force/Bard's Hat/Force
Locke- Phantom- Back Guard/Gale Hairpin- Thief/Flame/Bard's Hat/any
Mog- (any Esper)- Sprint Shoes/Moogle Charm- any/any/any/any

Magi Master:
Have somebody (ideally Mog) Berserk the Magi Master before you do anything
else to him.  Have Locke Life3 himself.  Have Mog Bio, have Locke Fire3, have
Celes Ultima, have Setzer Bolt3.  You shouldn't have to heal.

Leave the tower.

Time: 5:22

Save, give Locke Unicorn, Tent, fly to Kefka's Tower.

Mog should know Vanish/Doom, Locke should know Vanish/Fire3/good heal magic,
Edgar should know Doom, and Celes and Setzer should have good attack magic.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kefka's Tower
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Make party one Edgar/Locke with Edgar (who should still have Charm Bangle/
Sprint Shoes) in the lead, party two Mog, party three Celes/Setzer with Celes
in the lead.  (Mog is party two rather than party one because party two takes
more steps, and Mog has Moogle Charm).  (If Celes and Setzer are both on
levels divisible by 5 and Edgar is not, switch Edgar and Celes).

While in the tower:
Edgar and Locke should Vanish/Doom Gt Behemoths.  I've never had them run into
a Land Worm, but if they do, Drill/Fire3.  Smoke Bomb everything else
(including Gt Behemoth's buddies after Gt Behemoth is gone).  If one of them
gets Imped and you have less than 2 Green Cherries, between battles, equip
White Cape, go back to the main menu, and then re-equip the previous relic.
Celes and Setzer should Echo Screen/Joker Doom Land Worms and Gt Behemoths,
and Warp or Smoke Bomb everything else.
Do not fight dragons or Atma.
Do not get any chests I don't specifically say to get.

Remove Charm Bangle from Edgar.  Switch parties.

Have Mog get the Minerva (first chest he comes to).  In the room with conveyor
belts, two chests, and three doors (including the one you came in through),
get both the chests (force stuff), go in the middle door first and step on the
button to move the platform.  Then go back out and into the door on the right.
Go stand on the button by the big door.  Switch parties.

Give Celes Charm Bangle/Sprint Shoes, equip her optimum.  Don't go into the
first door you pass on the left.  In the room that looks like it's from the
Magitek factory, get the Hero Ring only if Edgar knows Flare.

Inferno:
Echo Screen/Joker Doom.

Two rooms after Inferno, there will be a chest on the right with a Megalixir.
Get it.  Go to the chest with the red star and push A.  Continue on, Go to
the switch near the big door and step on it: the door will open.  Go back to
the stairs.  Remove the Charm Bangle.  Switch parties twice.

Go to the stairs across from Celes.  Switch parties twice.

Give Edgar Charm Bangle, give Locke Thief Knife/Force Shield/Force Armor/
Bard's Hat, equip Edgar optimum.  Just go through the tower, through the door
that the other two parties opened, go left and then down, push the anvil over
the edge.  Go back and step on the switch.  Remove the Charm Bangle.  Switch
parties.

Go through the door Edgar went through, go right, push the anvil over the
edge, go back and stand on the switch.  Switch parties.

Give Celes Charm Bangle.  Go through the door, step on the switch in the
middle.  It will make passages going both up and down.  Go down first, step on
the switch, then go up.

Guardian:
Echo Screen/Joker Doom.

Time: 5:31

Go to Poltergeist.

Poltergeist:
Echo Screen/Joker Doom.

Tent.  Stay on the save point.  Switch parties.

Give Edgar Charm Bangle.  Go fight Doom.

Doom:
Vanish/Doom.

Tent.  Stand on the button.  Give Locke Running Shoes/White Cape, give Edgar
Hero Ring/Hyper Wrist.  Switch parties.

A few steps in front of Goddess, give Mog Gem Box in place of Moogle Charm.

Goddess:
Vanish/Doom

Give Mog Moogle Charm in place of Gem Box.  Don't heal- the only way Mog
should show up in the final battle is if you get hit by Calmness right before
Kefka.  Kefka always opens with Fallen One, so healing Mog is useless.  Stand
on the button.  Switch parties.

Give Celes Gem Box/Earring, save, step on the button.

Time: 5:36

This is how I'm equipped for the final battle:
Setzer- (any Esper)- 2 Earrings- Man Eater/Force/Bard's Hat/Force
Celes- (any Esper)- Gem Box/Earrings- Enhancer/Genji/Crystal/Minerva
Locke- Unicorn- Running Shoes/White Cape- Thief Knife/Force/Bard's Hat/Force
Edgar- (any Esper)- Hero Ring/Hyper Wrist- Enhancer/Flame/Genji/Crystal
Mog- (any Esper)- any/any- any/any/any/any
(If you have Bahamut, Edgar gets 2 Hero Rings, and Flares instead of Drills).
This setup works quite well, and if you're careful and a tiny bit lucky, you
won't be seeing Mog.  Basically, you want Locke and Setzer to have very high
M Evade, you want Edgar to have Flame Shield (mostly because Tier 3 uses
Merton) and the best defensive equipment you have left over, and you want
Celes to have Minerva.  The Running Shoes are usually unnecessary: they don't
make much of a difference when you have more than two characters active.
If people start dying, though, it's nice to have Locke's turn come up more
quickly, so that's why he gets them.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Final Battle
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It can take as little as 12 minutes from the final save until Kefka starts to
crumble.

Have Setzer/Celes/Locke/Edgar be your starting party.  You should be able to
get this party by just selecting "End" without choosing any characters as long
as Mog is on the bottom.  You always want Celes to be casting two Ultimas,
which means you will have to Elixir her every other turn.  Have Edgar or Locke
do this.  When everybody is running low on MP, Megalixir.  Mog isn't much
good, so try to keep everybody alive.  You may be hit by any of the following
status ailments: Imp, Petrify, Frozen, or the numerous effects of Train.
Green Cherry imps, Soft statues, Fire magic frozen characters, and have Locke
call Unicorn after Train.  If you get hit by Train a second time, use
Remedies.  Edgar should also know the spell Remedy.  Echo Screens will also
do, as Mute is the only effect of Train that you really need to worry about.

Tier 1:
Have Edgar Break the open hand, have Celes Ultima, have Setzer Fire3 the face,
have Locke Fire3 the face when he's not healing, have Edgar Drill the face
once the open hand is petrified.  Once the face dies, Ultima/Bolt3/Drill the
fist.  Because of your M Evade you might not have to heal, but don't count on
it.

Tier 2:
Have Edgar Mute the thing in the back.  If Mog came in (which would indicate
that you're doing extremely poorly), have him Doom the thing in the top
middle, then use Bio.  If you didn't lose anybody, have Edgar Doom instead.
Have Celes Ultima, have Setzer Ice3 the bottom right thing, have Locke Fire3
the bottom right thing when he has a spare moment, have Edgar drill the bottom
right thing once his other duties are completed.  After the bottom right thing
is dead, focus on the top right (having Setzer Bolt3), and then the thing in
the back (having Setzer Bolt3).  Locke will probably still be using Fire3 more
often than healing.

Tier 3:
If Mog is in, have him Bio the thing in front.  Have Celes Ultima, have Setzer
Bolt3 the guy in the front, have Locke Fire3 the guy in the front if he has a
spare moment, have Edgar Drill the front thing.  If Celes and Setzer are both
Muted, have Locke call Unicorn.  As a precaution, you can have Locke Life3
Celes- if she gets hit by Calmness, Kefka will take several times as long.

Kefka:
Bio won't hurt Kefka- Mog can only use items and fight.  The best thing to
do with him is to have him Elixir anybody who is running low on magic.  If you
have Thunder Rods left, he can use them.  If Mog dies, don't bother to
revive him.  Love Sonata (for Elf Fire) is the best dance you have, but don't
use it unless you're desperate and you know Kefka only has about 1000 HP left.
Megalixir or Cure3 after Fallen One.  Have Celes Ultima, have Setzer Bolt3,
have Locke Fire3 if he has a spare moment, have Edgar Drill.  If Celes and
Setzer are both Muted, have Locke call Unicorn.

Time: 5:51

==============================================================================
Credits
==============================================================================

MasterZED's Monster Statistics Guide was a great resource while I was putting
this together.  Also, MasterZED's Slot guide taught me how to Joker Doom at
will, which probably knocked about 15 minutes off my game time.

Proscientia's 10-hour Challenge Walkthrough was a useful resource.  It gave me
the idea of killing off Vicks and Wedge, and it was good to have something to
check my strategies against.

Thanks to everyone on the GameFAQs message board who told me what Battle
Speed did.  I believe The nOOb Avenger was the first.

Thanks to beaubeitscher for telling me about waiting at the title screen to
skip the intro, and about avoiding the second and third battles in Narshe.

Thanks to MeepleLard for the idea of using Ramuh in the factory.

Thanks to my friend Josh for suggesting how to skip the relic tutorial.

Thanks to assassin17 for help on various points, especially the Valiant Knife/
Sniper Sight combo for Cactrots.


                 ZELDA II: THE ADVENTURE OF LINK
                              FAQ
                          Version 1.0
                        By Tim Connolly

	A lot of people have the old NES game "Zelda II: The Adventure
of Link" out there. However, if you're like many people, you haven't
gotten through the game yet. Well, fear no more, because this FAQ will
help you through it all. Take note that right now this FAQ won't go
over a lot of the necessary things that you need to know, but in time
this thing will grow.

	Here's what'll be covered in the FAQ as of now:

		-Locations of Heart & Magic Containers (as well as
	other important items)
		-Palace Maps
		-Boss Strategies (as well as other tough enemies)
		-Levels and Experience
		-Magic Spells
		-Frequently Asked Questions
		-Other General Tips
		-Basic Itinerary
		-Game Genie Codes

	With all that said, here we go!

=======================================================================

   PART 1 - LOCATIONS OF HEART AND MAGIC CONTAINERS AND OTHER ITEMS

	Link starts out with 4 Heart and Magic Containers with the
potential to get 4 more of each kind in the game. They are all fairly
spaced out in the land, but usually you'll get a set of 1 Heart and 1
Magic Container fairly close to each other.

	HEART CONTAINERS:
		1: Due south of the first palace, you'll find a road
leading to a small forest. (One of the road squares is a battle square
with numerous pits and bubbles. Shouldn't be a problem.) Go to the
patch of grass in the middle of the woods. The Heart Container will be
to your right, guarded by an Orange Goriya. (I highly advise dealing
with the Goriya first - the Container will heal you anyways!)
		2: After you get the Hammer, Go to the road from which
you'd head west for the second palace. Instead of going west, though,
walk east. Whack the rock guarding the cave, and a Heart Container will
be at the end.
		3: When you get the Boots, walk into the sea as you
would to get to the fifth palace. After some walking, however, move
north four spaces, then continue east. You'll come across a "battle"
square with a mountain holding Heart Container #7.
		4: Search the beach around the sixth palace, around the
south-east corner of the world. The final Heart will be in that area.

	MAGIC CONTAINERS:
		1: Go south from where you start the game. You'll find
a cave to the south and slightly to the east of the castle. I suggest
going here before the first palace, even if you don't have the candle.
After beating up on some Lowders and Octoroks (in the dark, you'll be
able to see the Lowders crawling around if you keep a close eye on the
ground. The Octoroks should be dead ringers - they're in the gaps!),
the Magic Container is at the end of the cave.
		2: After getting the Hammer, immediately use it on the
rock right next to the cave from which you emerge. The Container is at
the bottom.
		3: In Maze Island, when you're given a choice between
two L-shaped corridors, choose the outer one. One of the road squares
is a hidden pit, leading to your seventh Magic Container.
		4: In the hidden town of Kasuto (which can be found by
traversing the north-east cave in the vicinity of the sixth palace and
using the hammer on the second tree from the first row of four), be
sure to talk to an old lady dressed in blue. She'll say something to
the tune of "You'll need my help" and let you in. You'll find the last
Magic Container in the back room of her house.

	There are numerous other items to look for in Hyrule. Most
notable of all is the Hammer, and here's how to get it:
	From Death Mountain, make sure that whenever there's a fork in
the road and you have to choose between two or more caves, CHOOSE THE
ONE ON THE RIGHT. This is the road to the hammer. When you come across
a cave with an up/down elevator, leave it alone and continue straight.
When you get to the last cave, (The one next to the rock that reveals
your sixth magic container. Remember?) Take the elevator down then head
right. After beating some Dairas, the Hammer will be yours.
	BE SURE that your Life Level is at AT LEAST 4, and that you
have the Life Spell, or I will guarantee you that YOU WILL NOT make it
alive!

	Other items of interest are -
	TROPHY (Jump Spell requisite): Go to the cave in the desert
just north of the castle. Brave the dangers inside, and the Trophy is
yours. Now go to Ruto and trade it in for the Jump Spell. (Note: I
suggest beating the first palace and getting the Candle first - the Red
Goriya guarding the trophy can get pretty nasty in the dark.)
	MEDICINE (Fairy Spell requisite): After exiting the cave south
of Ruto, you'll notice a cave blocked by a boulder. This is where
you'll find the Medicine. (Of course, you'll need the Hammer to crush
the rock before you can get to the cave anyway.)
	CHILD (Reflect Spell requisite): In Maze Island, go to the dead
end that's just south of the fourth palace. Defeat the Lizardman by
TILAI (Treating It Like An Ironknuckle - check the palace strategies),
and you'll rescue the child (which is to the right - the left is the
exit)
	MAGIC KEY: When in Hidden Kasuto, check out the empty house
with the fireplace. Enter the hearth, and you'll receive the Spell
of... well... Spell! Now go to the end of town (To the right, where
there's a dead end) and cast Spell. A house will rise up from the
ground, and the Magic Key is yours. Remember: without the Magic Key,
YOU CANNOT get through the sixth palace.

	I'm not going to get into detail regarding P-bags, Red Jars, or
Fairies, largely because they aren't really crucial to the game. Here
are some basic things to remember, though:
	-Red Jars like to hide in large clumps of a certain terrain.
They'll hide out in a big desert or swamp.
	-P-bags usually stick out like a sore thumb. If you see a large
plain and see a block of forest in that plain, check it out.
	-Fairies, well, are just hard to find. There is one in the
forest next to the exit of the cave south of Ruto.
	-Remember: Fairies and Red Jars reappear when you reset the
game. P-bags don't.

=======================================================================

			PART 2: PALACE MAPS

	There are a total of six palaces in the game (Not including the
Great Palace, of course). For the first four, you'll have to go through
every room to get the necessary item and beat the boss. (Some cases you
don't HAVE to get the item, but it's a darn good idea.) In this part,
I'll map out each palace, cluing you in on where to find keys, locks,
the item, and the boss. Also, I'll tell you the quickest path to follow
to cover all the bases. Note that each room is numbered for your
convenience as well as mine. Get it? Got it? Good.
	A couple notes to remem

	PALACE 1: CANDLE (Lights up caves)

	     1       2 - 3
	     |       |
	 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8
	             |   |
	     9 -10 -11  12 -13 -14

	Keys can be found in rooms 2, 3, and 4.
	Locks are in rooms 6, 9, and 13.
	The Candle is in room 6.
	The Boss is in room 14.
	Best Path: 1-5-4K-5-6L-7-8-2K-3K-2-8-7-11-10-9LI-10-11-7-8-12-
		13L-14B.

	Other special rooms:
8: Continue right when you come across the elevator, and you'll find a
	fairy. Enjoy it; there aren't any other regular palaces with
	one.
9: Say hello to your first Ironknuckle. Here's how to beat it: Jump up
	and strike the guy when you land. It helps to do this in a
	narrow corridor so that you don't jump too high. Continue the
	process until the bugger goes bye-bye. By doing this, you're
	faking the knight into moving his shield down, thus allowing
	you to strike high. (This is what TILAI means.)
10: Watch for the collapsing bridge. Remember that only squares that
	you step on crumble. The P-bag is a bit of a decoy, but if you
	want to gamble for the 50 points, go ahead.

	PALACE 2: POWER GLOVE (Allows you to break stones with your
sword)

	                         1
                                 |
                 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6
                 |               |
	 7 - 8 - 9          10 -11
                 |               |
                12 -13 -14 -15  16 -17
                         |
                        18 -19 -20 -21

	Keys can be found in rooms 4, 10, 15, and 17.
	Locks are in rooms 5, 7, 9, and 20.
	The Glove is in room 7.
	The Boss is in room 21.
	Best Path: 1-6-11-16-17K-16-11-10K-11-6-5L-4K-3-2-9L-8-7LI-8-9-
		12-13-14-15K-14-18-19-20L-21B.

	Other special rooms:
1: Be sure to stab the Ironknuckle statue at the start - a Red Jar lies
	inside.
5: The flying heads will give you a problem, largely because they also
	steal your hard-earned experience as well as life when they hit
	you. However, do your best to kill them: Though it looks like
	they pile in ad infinitum, there's only two of them, going out
	one side of the room and coming in the other. Defeat both of
	them, and they won't show up again.
8: Beware of those falling blocks. They can do two things: first,
	getting hit by them causes an Excedrin headache, and also they
	have a nasty habit of trapping you inside their created walls.
	My hint for you on the way in is to blaze through without
	abandon, but once you have the glove, take it easy. Wait until
	the blocks are stacked three high, then break the ones at your
	height and walk through the tunnel you create.

	PALACE 3: RAFT (Gives access to West Hyrule)

	 1
	 |
	 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7
	                 |
                 8 - 9 -10 -11 -12
                     |
                    13 -14 -15 -16

	Keys can be found in rooms 5, 7, 8, and 11.
	Locks are in rooms 9, 10, 12, and 13.
	The Raft is in room 12.
	The Boss is in room 16.
	Best Path: 1-2-3-4-K5-6-7K-6-10L-11K-12LI-11-10-9-8-9-13-14-15-
		16.

	Other special rooms:
1: Again, Red Jar in the Ironknuckle statue. (Watch out, though: there
	is a chance that the statue may come to life.)
6: You don't *need* to use the Jump Spell to get over to room 7. If you
	get up enough momentum on that small step, you can jump onto
	the upper step and go on.
12: Ah, the Blue Ironknuckle. These guys are major PITAs. Actually,
	they don't start out bad, but once you hit them they get MAD.
	And they start throwing their sword like it'll win them
	something. Best bet is to use the Shield spell.

	Also, remember that you need the Fairy Spell to even get to the
third palace. South of Mido, you'll find a graveyard, and the grave
that's separate from the rest is the King's Tomb. Head directly south
of the King's Tomb, and you'll fall down a hole to the passage to the
third palace. The third palace is to the right, but you'll need to use
the Fairy Spell to get over that big wall.

	PALACE 4: BOOTS (Allows you to walk on certain blocks of water,
Gives access to fifth palace)
	Note: A passage marked as V is one-way.

	         1
	         |
	 2 - 3 - 4 - 5
	     |       |
	 6 - 7 - 8   9 -10 -11
	 |           |   V
	12 -13 -14  15 -16 -17
                     |   V
                18 -19 -20 -21

	Keys can be found in rooms 2, 3, 8, 11, 17, and 21.
	Locks are in rooms 3, 4, 7, 12, 17, and 19.
	The Boots are in room 17.
	The Boss is in room 14.
	Best Path: 1-4-5-9-10-11K-10-16-17LI-16-20-21K-20-19L-18K-19-
		15-9-5-4L-3KL-2K-3-7-8K-7L-6-12L-13-14B.

	Other special rooms:
1: Surprise, surpise! Another Red Jar in the statue!
4: Note the Magicians. The spell of Reflect will be absolutely crucial
	should you want to get through this palace. It's also a good
	idea for these Magicians - the 100 points you get for beating
	them is a good find.
8: Remember the nature of the flying heads. They'll knock you into the
	pit below unless you deal with them. (And don't forget - the
	statue next to the key has a Red Jar.)

	PALACE 5: WHISTLE (Clears away River Devil, gives access to
palace 6)

	         1
	         |
	         2 - 3 - 4 - 5
	                     |
	     6 - 7   8 - 9 -10 -11
	     |       |
	    12 -13 -14 -15 -16 -17
	     |   |               |
	18 -19  20 -21 -22 -23 -24
	         |           |
	    25 -26      27 -28

	Keys can be found in rooms 3, 9, 16, and 18.
	Locks are in rooms 5, 6, 27, and 28.
	The Whistle is in room 27.
	The Boss is in room 7.
	Best Path: 1-2-3-4-3K-4-5L-10-9K-8-14-13-20-21-22-23-24-17-16K-
		17-24-23-28L-27LI-28-23-22-21-20-13-12-19-18K-19-12-
		6L-7B.

	Other special rooms:
1: I think I better warn you: there ISN'T a Red Jar in the statue here.
11, 15, 25, 26: These are extraneous rooms. There is nothing to be
	found in these rooms, so stay away from them.
3: You must revisit this room to get the key. You need to use the Fairy
	Spell to get over the wall, but you need to be able to use your
	sword in order to get the Key.
16: If you want the key in this room, you can't approach it from the
	left. A wall separates the two sides of the room, and the key
	is on the right side.
22: The wall behind the Blue Ironknuckle is FAKE. It might look real,
	and it might seem real if you try to walk through it, but if
	you jump into the wall you'll reveal a secret passage.

	PALACE 6: CROSS (Reveals hidden enemies)

	     1
	     |
	 2 - 3
	     |
	     4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9
	         V       |   V
	        10      11 -12
	         V
	        13 -14 -15 -16 -17 -18 -19
	         V               |       V
	        20              21      22 -23
	         V               |       V
	         5          24 -25 -26 -27

	A Key can be found in room 9.
	Locks are in rooms 4, 5, and 9.
	The Cross is in room 9.
	The Boss is in room 23.
	Best Path: 1-3-4L-5L-6-7-8-9LI-8-7-6-5-10-13-14-15-16-17-18-19
		22-23B.

	Other special rooms:
1: Just guess.
2: There's a 200-point P-bag in this room. Though it isn't necessary,
	you might want to check it out.
4: Hope to God you have a Magic Key. If you don't, this is as far as
	you're going to get. Check the Locations of Items to find out
	how to get the Magic Key.
8: Beware of the False Floor. It's located just after the third
	Ironknuckle Statue.
9: You'll have to fight another Ironknuckle to get the cross. This one,
	however, is on a horse, like the third palace's boss. Check out
	Boss Strategies if you're having trouble.
16: No, there's no invisible bridge over the pit. Only your Fairy Spell
	will get you over this lava lake. (And try to avoid getting hit
	by the Skull Balls!)
19: Don't drop down the hole immediately. On the other side, a blue
	Ironknuckle guards a 1-up doll. Take it - you don't want to
	leave in the palace once you've cleared it.
22: Be sure to have the Fairy Spell ready to use when going down here.
	It's the only way to reach the corridor leading to the boss.

	PALACE 7

	No, I'm not going to map out the ENTIRE palace. To do so would
be a total waste of time, since you don't even have to explore half of
it! I will instead give you directions as to how to get to the end.

	Down one room, Left 1, Down 1, Right 2, Down 1, Right 1, Down 3
(The second one down has a big skull ball - avoid it), Right 1, Down 1,
Right 2, Down 1, Right 1, *Down 3, Left 1, Down 1 (False floor under
the fifth block to the left), Right 1 (Watch for the big Bot!), Down 1
(Through that tiny hole), Right 2.

	Of course, here are some general tips for this palace:

	-Most of the rooms are pretty similar. Using this knowledge, it
should be easy to figure out such things as false floors, Red Jars,
etc.
	-If you come into a room that looks like it's just a small
elevator passage, try pushing against the left wall. If it's fake, then
there should be a Red Jar in the Knightbird statue.
	-Be aware that all enemies that you've seen before are harder
than before. Likewise, they'll give up more experience. (Except for
skull balls, which give up less.)
	-Knightbirds. As Geena Davis put it, "Be afraid. Be very
afraid." These guys are just like Blue Ironknuckles except that they
can jump, they take more hits, and they are major hemorrhoids. Shield
spell is a must when trying to tackle these guys. (The real sad thing
is that they give less experience than Ironknuckles! Waaa!)
	-See where that star is in the directions? Well, two screens
down you'll come to an area where there's a fairy (chances are you'll
need it) and a 1-up doll! The fairy is on the right, the 1-up is one
screen to the left.

=======================================================================

                 PART 3: BOSS AND ENEMY STRATEGIES

	In this section I'll teach you how to defeat every boss in the
game, as well as some of the other difficult enemies in the game.

	HORSEHEAD (Palace 1 boss): Jump up and hit him in the head,
then jump back to dodge his club. Repeat until dead.

	HELMETHEAD (Palace 2 boss): Same thing as Horse Head, except
you don't need to jump as high and you also have to watch for the other
heads shooting at you.

	IRONKNUCKLE (Palace 3 boss): Downthrust the area between the
Ironknuckle and the horse a few times to get the guy off. Then TILAI.

	CAROCK (Palace 4 boss): Cast the Reflect Spell, go to the left
end of the screen, and duck. Carock does the rest for you!

	GOOMA (Palace 5 boss): Hit him in the midsection, then jump
away from the mace. It'll take a while to get the timing down, but it
shouldn't be a problem if you can cast the Life Spell once.

	BARBA (Palace 6 boss): Stay on the right island. When Barba
rises up, get in close (and I mean CLOSE - almost hugging the thing),
jump up, and hit him in the head. You'll need the Jump Spell to reach
him.

	THUNDERBIRD (Palace 7 boss #1): Use the Thunder spell to expose
his head (Note - you have to do this when he shows up - NOT just when
his life bars appear. Remember, if you screw up you're out half of your
magic!). His head is the weak point (natch). The fire he throws
shouldn't be too hard to dodge - just make sure that you don't wind up
directly ON Thunderbird's head. It's a sure hit there.

	LINK'S SHADOW (Final Boss!): Well, I would say TILAI, but that
doesn't always work. However, keep a good rhythm going, jumping and
striking, jumping and striking, and eventually the shadow will make a
mistake. Just remember: With 8 Magic Containers, you should be able to
use the Shield Spell and have enough for 2 doses of Life, so you really
have 14 Heart Containers! Another thing to watch for is when the shadow
jumps - you can get a good hit in when he lands if you're quick.

	And now, here's how you deal with other non-boss enemies that
may give you a headache:

	STALFOS: Hit them in the legs. Easy once you know what to do.
	DAIRA (Axe Weilders): It depends. For the Orange ones, it's
simple: Strike and move nack, strike and move back. For Red ones, use
TILAI, jumping up when the Daira throws an axe.
	IRONKNUCKLE: (This is TILAI, folks) Jump up to fake out the
Ironknuckle's shield placement, then strike as you're landing. Even the
Blue ones fall for this.
	SKULL BALLS: Strike. Strike. Strike some more. Even at Attack
Level 8 it takes 11 hits to beat him! It helps if you have downthrust
to beat him.
	LIZARDMEN: TILAI. Especially the Orange kind - it's just an
Ironknuckle for the outdoors. Blue ones should be done as you would a
Red Daira.
	DOOMKNOCKERS (Palace 4 Magicians): Reflect. Duck. 'Nuff said.
	GORIYAS (Boomerang throwers): If you have downthrust, use it!
Theses guys can't throw their boomerangs straight up. Otherwise,
strike constantly, moving your shield accordingly.
	Also remember that certain enemies (such as the field enemies
around Nabooru) can only be hurt with the fire from the Fire Spell.

=======================================================================

                   PART 4: LEVELS AND EXPERIENCE

	Zelda II incorporates a Role-Playing-like facet to its game:
experience. Most enemies give experience when you beat them allowing
you to get stronger in three areas: Life, Magic, and Attack. Their
explanations are:

	LIFE: The higher this level, the less damage you take from a
hit.
	MAGIC: The higher this level, the fewer magic points it takes
to cast a specific spell. (Each magic container has 16 magic points,
BTW)
	ATTACK: The higher this level, the fewer hits other enemies can
take.

	Here is a table of each level and the experience needed to
raise each attribute:

	 LV | LIFE | MAGIC | ATTACK
	----|------|-------|-------
	  2 |   50 |  100  |  200
	  3 |  150 |  300  |  500
	  4 |  400 |  700  | 1000
	  5 |  800 | 1200  | 2000
	  6 | 1500 | 2200  | 3000
	  7 | 2500 | 3500  | 5000
	  8 | 4000 | 7000  | 8000
	Anything developed past 8 (which requires 9000 points) is worth
a 1-up.

	In other words, barring a cancel (see below) the level up
schedule will be (L=Life, M=Magic, A=Attack)

	L, M, L, A, M, L, A, M, L, A, M, L, A, M, L, A, M, L, A, M, A.

	Also remember that you can cancel level-ups. If you have enough
experience to bring up one trait yet don't want to do it, select Cancel
on the level-up screen and you'll skip to the next level. Once that's
gone up, you'll go back to the level on which you skipped. (You may be
wondering how I managed to figure out magic requirements for ALL spells
and ALL levels... see below)

=======================================================================

                           PART 5: MAGIC

	Link can learn a total of 8 spells in the game. While the first
spell (Shield) is pretty much a freebie, you'll have to work for the
other 7. Here I'll tell you how to get each spell, what it does, and
the Magic Point requirement for each spell. First, here are the
requisites:

	SHIELD: Find the house in Rauru that offers it. That's all.
	JUMP: Find the Trophy in the cave north of the starting point.
Take it to Ruto for the spell.
	LIFE: In the third "open" house of Saria, check under the
table. You should be saying "I found a mirror." Take it to a woman who,
alas, lost her mirror. She'll let you in her house for the spell.
	FAIRY: Get the medicine in the swamp cave (The one blocked by a
boulder) and take it to Mido Town. The spell will be yours.
	FIRE: In Nabooru, you'll meet a woman who is thirsty. Not too
far away from her is a fountain. "Talk" to the fountain and go back to
the woman, and she'll let you in for the Fire Spell (Ironic how giving
someone water gets you fire! :) )
	REFLECT: Save the child from the cave in Maze Island. Go to
Darunia, and you'll be rewarded from your heroic efforts with the
spell.
	SPELL: In hidden Kasuto Town, Find an empty yet large home with
a fireplace. Press up at the niche, and you'll go into the room where
you find the Spell Spell (Yes, I MEANT to do that).
	THUNDER: Go to the other, not-so-hidden town of Kasuto. Enter
the first house and get the Thunder Spell. (After that, just leave.
There's nothing else of interest there.)

	Now, for the cost and effect of each spell:

                                                Magic Level
SPELL  |            EFFECT            | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8
-------|------------------------------|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---
Shield |1/2 damage for one screen     | 32| 24| 24| 16------------->
Jump   |2x jump height for one screen | 48| 40| 32| 32| 32| 20| 16|  8
Life   |Heals 3 Heart Containers      | 70| 70| 60| 60| 50--------->
Fairy  |Turn into fairy for one screen| 80| 80| 60| 60| 40--------->
Fire   |Shoot fire for one screen     |120| 80| 60| 30| 16--------->
Reflect|Reflect magic for one screen  |120|120| 80| 48| 40| 32| 24| 16
Spell  |Random effects                |120|112| 96| 80| 48| 32| 24| 16
Thunder|Hurts all enemies on screen   |120|120|120|120|120|120|100| 64

=======================================================================

                PART 6: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

	Well, these aren't really FREQUENTLY asked, but you might be
stewing these questions over and so I feel I ought to address them here
and now.

	Q: Why can't I get to Death Mountain?
	A: The bridge in Saria connecting Death Mountain to the rest of
the world can only be deployed if you've talked to Bagu. He's located
in the upper forest just to the east of the swamp. Talk to him, then go
back to Saria. Talk to the river guard, and he'll let you cross.

	Q: How come I can never get past the second palace or get the
Hammer?
	A: Many players get stuck after the first palace, simply
because they rush through the game and don't take the time to build
levels. If you're hitting a speed bump around this area, try getting
some experience and building levels. That'll help quite a bit.

	Q: Cool! I found a 1-up doll in the field! Should I take it?
	A: NO!! LEAVE IT ALONE!! There are only 5 1-up dolls in the
entire game. One is in the west swamp, one square down and to the left
of the rock that blocks the cave to the medicine. Another is in the
desert near Maze Island, in a small dead end just north of the ocean.
A third doll is in the swamp of southeast Hyrule. The other two are in
the sixth and seventh palaces.
	If you find a 1-up doll early in the game, DON'T TAKE IT! Like
most other items, dolls do not reappear when you reset the game. Once
they're gone, they're gone. It is much better to save them up for the
last palace, when you'll no doubt need them!

	Q: Where's the best place to build experience?
	A: Early game, fight the weak enemies of the swamp in West
Hyrule. Mid-game, go for the strong enemies in the desert south of
Mido. Late game, do the weak enemies in the forests of southeast
Hyrule. The first will rack up about 50 points a screen, the second
yields 66 points a screen (with high potential for P-bags), and the
third one gives you around 310 points a screen.

	Q: Oh, no. It's my last life, and I'm at the palace boss, but
I only have enough magic for either a Life Spell or a Shield Spell, but
not both. Which one do I do?
	A: Shield Spell, hands down. By using Shield, you're
effectively doubling the amount of life you have. This is very
important to know. (However, you should be using the Shield spell when
fighting ANY boss.)

	Q: I'm entering a screen I have no clue about. Should I use the
Shield Spell?
	A: No. Not yet, at least. Never use magic until you see a
reason to. Imagine that you used Shield in that unexplored area only to
find it was completely empty. Not a good thought, huh?

	Q: Drat! I just lost my last life. But I don't want to have a
really high play count. What should I do?
	A: I follow the 2-accomplishment rule. If you did two or more
things in your game that added to your progress (Getting a Heart or
Magic Container, Clearing a palace, going up a level, etc.), then go
ahead and save your game. If you didn't, don't bother. Reset and keep
your play count low.

=======================================================================

                       PART 7: GENERAL TIPS

	-If you come across a Red Jar, make sure you milk out the rest
of your magic bar with as many Life Spells to heal yourself, then take
the Jar to get the most out of it. If you don't have enough magic to
cast Life, but you're still not all that healthy, then highlight the
Life Spell, take the Jar, and press SELECT like mad. You'll not only
refill your life, but your magic will fill up almost to full!

	-To get the downthrust, go to Mido and use the Jump Spell to
get to the upper door of the church.

	-To get the upthrust, go to Darunia. Find a house with a
chimney and use the Jump Spell to reach it. (You'll have to jump on the
roofs of other houses to get to it.) Pull a Santa Claus, and you'll
learn the upthrust.

	-Don't always rely on your ability to throw your sword when you
have full life. Especially late in the game, enemies won't be hurt by
the thrown sword. Learn how to fight in close quarters.

	-Remember that whenever you make contact with an enemy, you're
going to recoil a bit. Keep this in mind, especially when fighting
Skull Balls. Also, remember that if you hit an enemy, you'll stun it
slightly, and you won't take damage from it while it's stunned.

	-If and when you beat the game, you'll have the ability to
replay it. When you do so, notice that while all tangible items (palace
items, Heart Containers, etc.) will be reset and you must find them
again, you'll still know all the spells and have the same high level!
At this point, the beginning of the game is a breeze. (Also, beating a
palace pretty much means an extra life!)

	-If you want to experience this superiority without beating the
game, then do this: Play the game as you would, but take care NOT to
clear the palaces. Take the item, but don't beat the boss. Once you've
found all the items, learned all spells, and developed your attributes
to 8, start playing the game over again. It'll be so easy!

=======================================================================

                         PART 8: ITINERARY

	Here's a basic walkthrough of the steps to take in order to win
the game with the most efficiency. Remember, however, that this doesn't
cover level-ups - you should stop every so often to build experience on
your own. Also, this walkthrough assumes you know where to get
everything. (If you don't, consult the necessary places.) I've divided
the game into Early, Middle, and Late areas. So, here goes!

	START-EARLY GAME
	Get Magic Container
	Go to Rauru
	Get Shield Spell
	Take cave to Northeast desert
	Get Heart Container
	Clear first palace (Get Candle)
	Take cave to mainland
	Get Trophy
	Go to Ruto
	Get Jump Spell
	Take cave to swamp
	Talk to Bagu
	Go to Saria
	Find Mirror
	Get Life Spell
	Go to Death Mountain
	Get Hammer
	Get Magic Container
	Get Medicine
	Get Heart Container
	Go to Mido
	Get downthrust
	Get Fairy Spell
	Clear second palace (Get Power Glove)

	MIDDLE GAME
	Go to King's Tomb
	Take cave to southern island
	Clear Island Palace (Get Raft)
	Go to East Hyrule
	Go to Nabooru
	Find Water
	Get Fire Spell
	Take cave to north mainland
	Go to Maze Island
	Save Child
	Go to north mainland
	Go to Darunia
	Get Reflect Spell
	Get upthrust
	Go to Maze Island
	Get Magic Container
	Clear fourth palace (Get Boots)
	Get Heart Container
	Clear fifth palace (Get Whistle)

	LATE GAME
	Defeat River Devil
	Take cave to mid-east forest
	Go to Hidden Kasuto
	Get Magic Container
	Get Spell Spell :)
	Get Magic Key
	Take cave to mainland
	Get Heart Container
	Go to Kasuto
	Get Thunder Spell
	Clear sixth palace (Get Cross & 1-up)
	Retrieve all 1-up dolls
	Take caves and lava to palace
	Clear seventh palace
	GAME END

=======================================================================

                       PART 9: GAME GENIE CODES

	Okay, for all you cheaters out there, here's a list of Game
Genie codes to help you out. The codes here are the same ones you'd
find in the Game Genie codebook.

	SZKGKXVX	Infinite lives
	PASKPLLA	Start with 1 life
	TASKPLLA	Start with 6 lives
	PASKPLLE	Start with 9 lives
	AZUOLIAL	Higher jump
	OYKEEVSA+NPKEOVVA	Swap Shield Spell for Fire Spell
	LYKEEVSA+VAKEOVVE	Swap Shield Spell for Spell Spell :)
	LZKEEVSA+OPKEOVVA	Swap Shield Spell for Fairy Spell
	IIKEEVSE+VAKEOVVE	Swap Shield Spell for Life Spell
	VTKEEVSA+OPKEOVVA	Swap Shield Spell for Thunder Spell

	The "Swap Shield Spell" codes mean that when you learn the
Shield Spell, you'll really be learning the spell desginated by the
code. While the menu will still list it as the Shield Spell, and it
will take the same amount of magic as the Shield Spell, it will have
the effects of the new spell. You will learn the true Shield Spell in
the town of the new spell.

=======================================================================

                             Written by
                            TIM CONNOLLY

                 E-mail: loogaroo@nethosting.com