Final Fantasy XII – Vaan Solo Low Level Challenge Walkthrough

Walkthrough

Introduction

Hello and welcome to my Vaan Solo Low Level Challenge walkthrough! First of all, it is expected of you to have played through this game at least once; any knowledge about how a LLC plays out is also a welcome bonus. I should also note that this guide is NOT spoiler-free, and will fire away spoilers with no warning.

So this is how it's going down: you get Vaan and keep him in your party without leveling him up. Simple, right? Here are the restrictions:

• Vaan may be the only party member that is allowed to take action at any given time.
  • The exceptions to this are guests and when you need to revive Vaan against Zodiark (explained later).
• Vaan will stay level 1 for the entire game.

If you'd like to give yourself a bit more of a challenge, try any of the following:

• No guests
• No Quickenings (I only use them in this challenge for the extra MP)
• No Nihopalaoa

And now here are some common acronyms you should be familiar with while browsing this FAQ:

• LLC = Low Level Challenge (also known as 122333 or LLG)
• CT = Charge Time
• CET = Change Equipment Technique
• DEG = Dead Esper Glitch (not needed in this challenge, but noteworthy)
• DCG = Dead Character Glitch (impossible to use in this challenge, but also noteworthy)
• PD = Phoenix Down
• KoR = Knot of Rust
• DM = Dark Matter
• GA = Golden Amulet
• DA = Diamond Armlet
• Niho = Nihopalaoa

CET

How it works: Each time a character takes an action, there is a brief "pause" between actions. This can be avoided by changing a piece of your character's equipment, which will reset his or her action bar. Since we'll be using guns for the majority of the game, I'll use them as an example. So you shoot an enemy, then go into the equipment menu and equip a different Shot (i.e. change Onion Shot to Silent Shot); your action bar will now reset and you just saved yourself some time. Every little bit helps, especially with magicks and items.

DEG

As the name entails, you cannot perform this glitch until you command an Esper. How it works: (1) Summon an Esper. (2) Let the Esper die. (3) Advance one frame at a time by constantly opening and closing the party menu by pressing triangle. For the best results, cast Decoy on your Esper before it dies so your foes will always target it. This is, however, an extremely tedious glitch and very easy to mess up if you get distracted. But, like I said above, it is not needed in this challenge. I thought it was for Exodus, but, as it turns out, there is another possible method that unfortunately relies on luck.

DCG

I am not going to fully explain this glitch, but I must say one thing: you cannot activate this glitch at any point during the challenge. Why? Because Vaan will be unable to take any actions since he'll be Stoned!

Charging Dark Matter

Once you have obtained the clan rank of Knight of the Round, Knots of Rust will be available for purchase at the Clan Provisioner's shop. At this point, you'll want to cast Bubble on Vaan and go around throwing KoRs at random stuff. It's really a nice change of pace. Anyway, the maximum charge a DM can have is capped at 60000. The damage added to this charge per KoR is:

It doesn't take long at all as long as you keep Bubble up (and for goodness's sake - don't get lazy and try to equip a Bubble Belt; you can't get any exp from your foes!). I'd say, on average, it takes about 20 minutes to fully charge a DM.

...But Is Dark Matter Really Necessary?

I used them multiple times, actually, so I would say yes. It is more convenient to use the DMs obtained at the Necrohol of Nabudis than to waste time (and most likely gil and potions) on a boss or mark that may be a pain to finish off. Plus, they're free, and it's not like you can't obtain more later on. Actually, I never even used all of them.

The Beginning

If you'd like to stay true to this challenge while in control of Reks, make sure you don't kill any of the soldiers that give exp. Don't want to fail the challenge already! Not that it matters; just hurry up and send him to his death.

In the waterway, steal from the rats if you want then kill them and be on your way.

#1 Rogue Tomato

Slice up a tomato that can breathe fire and run away from the scary wolves!

Abusing Penelo

Right then, straight to the point. Since her level resets when she rejoins the party in Dreadnought Leviathan, you can take this as an opportunity to chain Dustia, and really kill anything your little heart desires with her as long as you kill off Vaan first. It's really up to you as to whether you decide to do so or not; however, this does significantly, if not entirely, cut down on the amount of time spent stealing items to sell for gil. And stealing is much harder with only one character, as you will see. Take my advice here: just go ahead and chain Dustia, and get over it.

If you decide to chain Dustia and level up Penelo, you'll soon realize that not having Gambits will make chaining a tad bit more monotonous. You'll have to manually toss a PD for every kill. With a little practice, you'll be able to do so with the battle setting set to Active, which will save you some time. Be sure to set the battle speed to slowest!

Pre-Palace Checklist

Before heading off to the palace, you can bag a couple of marks, if you wish (using Vaan, of course).
*Note: motes used on these marks are not included in the pre-palace estimates!

One last thing, do NOT get the chest in front of Old Dalan's place because, while the Zodiac Spear is worthless when wielded by a level 1 character, the 14 Dark Matters contained in the other chests are not. Just be sure to have a Diamond Armlet equipped when getting the chests (minus the one containing the ZS, if you want it for some odd reason). No worries, I'll be sure to remind you later.

#2 Thextra

HP: 380
W: Aero

Couple of motes = DEAD WOLF

#3 Flowering Cactoid

HP: 755
W: Aero
AB: Earth

How convenient - this little guy spawns near the Aero Mote chest! Don't take too long to kill him or else he'll use 1000 Needles and you'll get your first game over (hopefully you didn't die before this, unless you forgot to change your battle speed to slowest when chaining Dustia ^_^). A couple of Holy/Aero Motes will do the trick.

Storming the Palace

Flee all the way through unless you feel the need to grab any treasures or heal along the way. Do the cute little puzzle and watch some nice scenes. Don't get any of the chests in the palace cellars. As soon as Balthier and Fran join up, REMOVE THEM FROM THE PARTY! Now flee all the way through once again.

Imperials

How exciting... You actually get to kill something now! Toss an Aero Mote and wave goodbye to the Imperials. Exhilarating, am I right?

Flans

Steal from them if you feel inclined to do so (you might be rewarded with a Caramel or two), and then a couple of Aero Motes will end them.

Firemane

HP: 3571
W: Water
AB: Fire

Ah, such an enjoyable battle--especially if you don't use any Water Motes. Lure the boss into the water so your attacks do more damage. And by your attacks, I mean Amalia's, because Vaan is pathetic for now. All you have to do is keep Amalia healed up and you'll have him beat, which means you absolutely have to revive her if she dies. Just make sure Vaan's health is always topped up when the boss teleports to the center of the room (this usually means it's about to use Bushfire). I would save as many Water Motes as you can for the next boss, as they will be much more useful then than now. Save at least 8.

An Improper Dungeon

Now is a great time to stock up on KoRs. Get 99 unless you really hate farming chests. But, quite frankly, this is nothing compared to what you'll have to do later on. 20-60 of these will probably be used in the next battle (with random damage taken into consideration). Learn White Magick 1 before moving on.

Seeqs

Daguza (w/club) HP: 232
Galeedo (w/stick) HP: 158
Gwitch (unarmed) HP: 142

Turn Balthier's Gambits off and have him just stand there and spectate. Use only KoRs to end this battle with graceful speed (or not, depending on your luck with KoR damage). Target Gwitch first since he is capable of healing, then Galeedo, then lastly Daguza. Use Cure if Vaan's HP falls below 45.

Don't grab any of the chests in "the prison repository of wrested relics and raiments" aka the Confiscatory. Further in, an Aero Mote and a Water Mote can be picked up along the way to the oubliette if you're lucky (I wasn't). Just don't let yourself get swarmed by the Imperials.

Feels Like Another Dungeon...

Purchase a Headband and a Leather Breastplate and unlock the Light Armor 2 license. You might want to consider stocking up on more Potions for the gauntlet that awaits. Flee all the way to Special Op Sector 3. Head right, past the Flans, into Op Sector 37. Revive Basch, if needed, and switch out Vaan for Balthier and Fran. Sadly, we have to kill the Battery Mimic in this room, so just have Balthier shoot it and Fran cast Blizzard. Switch the duo out for Vaan once it's dead and be on your way.

Capella & Silent Shot

Vega & Aqua Shot

Why'd I just show you those recipes? Oh right, because you're going to steal a good bit of this loot right now. Make absolutely sure you have stolen a total of four Green Liquids and three Dark Stones before moving on.

Mimic Queen

HP: 4073
W: Ice
AB: Thunder

To avoid an extremely frustrating battle, follow these guidelines:

• Keep the battle speed on the fastest setting unless Basch falls or if you see either the "Ground Shaker" or "Shockstorm" captions.
• When Basch dies, IMMEDIATELY REVIVE HIM! I cannot stress this enough.
• If you notice the boss is casting Thunder, toss a Holy Mote if Vaan's HP is above 100 (if the spell is directed at Vaan, equip the Goddess's Magicite immediately after the mote's animation, then switch back to the Orrachea Armlet after the spell hits). You should also try to use a Holy Mote when the boss readies Shockstorm and Ground Shaker, although it is a bit harder to time it before the ability is used.
• Don't be afraid to use up your Water and Holy Motes; you farmed them for a reason!
• One last tip: CET will be your best friend on this battle.

Back in the Desert

Time to cross the desert (again) and head back to Rabanastre (again). But first, let's go get those Fish Scales and Water Stones. Head to the Banks of Nebra zone in the Estersand and steal the necessary loot from the Ichthon. Don't forget to sell the loot required for the Capella & Silent Shot upon returning to Rabanastre.

Pre-Bhujerba Checklist

I know this is a lot of chest farming, but it's just like Ashe once said: "There is a place for all things, even farming such as this." Not sure if I remember her EXACT words but it's close enough.

A City in the Clouds

Don't waste time in the shops yet... there will come a time for this and now's not the time. Head straight for Ba'Gamnan & co. in the mines. What we're about to do is highly recommended, as it will save you much grief in the future. I should note that, while it is entirely possible to complete this challenge, and more, without chaining the bangaa, the difficulty spikes will be more extreme, and you'll essentially be playing what is called OBLPLLC (Only Boss License Points LLC) up until you defeat Mateus and possibly Bergan as well. Since you can obtain a Firefly before these two battles, we're going to grind some LP now so we can immediately slap that bad boy on as soon as we get it to gain as much LP as we want!

How It Works

Don't know how to chain the bangaa? Good thing I'm about to explain! First things first though - I have to thank pRoJect-Z on YouTube for devising the original strategy for chaining the bangaa with a full party. I had to switch things up a bit here since Vaan has to go it alone.

To begin, run from the crew until you reach Transitway 1, and immediately hide behind the other side of the barrier. Toss an Aero Mote targeting Ba'Gamnan (special note: be sure to move Vaan out carefully so that ONLY Ba'Gamnan notices him). After it hits all four of them, zone to the previous area (Shunia Twinspan) and repeat this until the three henchmen are in HP Critical, or low enough in health so that you know if you toss another Aero Mote, one would die. We don't want to kill Gijuk, so take out Bwagi and Rinok with Water Motes. The reason for this is because we'll be chaining Gijuk since he is less capable of quickly hurting Vaan. Take out Rinok first, because Jump is a OHKO. When they fall, make sure their LP pops up on the screen before you zone out.

With that accomplished, we can start chaining Gijuk. Unfortunately since Vaan doesn't have enough LP to obtain the Guns 1 license yet, we'll have to start by killing Gijuk with the few Water Motes we have left (see why I made you farm so many motes now?). Before tossing the Water Mote, walk to the other side of the barrier (yes, right next to Ba'Gamnan and Gijuk) and then toss it, using CET afterwards to zone out quickly. Every time Gijuk dies, zone before his LP pops up on the screen. This will cause him to respawn in critical health in the next zone. Do NOT kill him here, as this will force him to respawn in the next zone with full health! Instead, zone back to the area you were just in (the area where you first killed him) and hide behind the barrier once again. Now he'll be back here, along with Ba'Gamnan, and ready to be killed again. After you get enough LP for the Guns 1 license, get it and equip Vaan with the Capella you just recently purchased (go through the Daggers 1 license to do so). Once your action bar is about halfway charged, walk to the other side of the barrier and shoot Gijuk, using CET afterwards, just as you did before. Lastly, always remember to top up Vaan's HP if he takes a couple of hits. When and if you run out of Potions, use Cure.

Below is a list of the recommended licenses you should look to acquire while chaining, or in the very near future (listed in order of importance):

In order to reach Accessories 8 and 12, you can do either of the following:

(after unlocking Time Magick 2) Black Magick 3 > Quickening > Accessories 8 > Accessories 12 [190 LP]

Accessories 2 > Accessories 4 > Accessories 7 > Accessories 8 > Accessories 12 [195 LP]

Any augments are also a welcome bonus, especially the HP, Battle Lore, and Potion Lore augments. Do NOT ever get the Spellbreaker augment.

Now I know what you're thinking. Truth is, a lot of time will be spend chaining Gijuk if this is your first time doing so. I was done in about an hour and a half. Worry not though, as you'll soon get the hang of it and will surely feel like a pro at the end.

Back in Bhujerba, it's time to go shopping. Purchase a Horned Hat, Ringmail, Reflect, Protect, and Shell. Do the notoriety "game" and head to Ondore's Estate. This brings us to...

Dreadnought Leviathan

I love saying that name, which is why I didn't come up with a more creative title for this section. Anyway, back to business. It is a good idea to get your hands on a Reflectga Mote or two before leaving this place. After doing so, save your game, then aim to reach the Central Brig Access without being overwhelmed. Cast Protect before the next battle.

Judges

HP: 2245
All elements halved except Dark

Gather all of the Imperials together and use one Warp Mote. If it misses one, you'll have to reset or pray Vossler doesn't kill that Imperial. The other mote will be needed shortly, so don't use both of them here. Obviously, the Judges won't be affected by Warp, so take them down one by one, focusing on whichever one Vossler is targeting. Don't be afraid to use Hi-Potions to heal.

Free Ashe, flee all the way back, and trade Vossler for Penelo (not a fair trade, IMO). Cast Protect and Reflect and replace your Silent Shot with Onion Shot.

Judge Ghis

HP: 4120

Immediately turn around and toss your last Warp Mote at the three Imperials. If it misses one, no big deal; you'll just have a slightly harder time with the battle, but it's nothing you aren't prepared to handle. With that accomplished, the battle becomes very simple. Just shoot him up while healing occasionally and let him reflect Aero on himself. Poor guy.

Head back to Rabanastre after all of the scenes and buy a Balaclava, a Windbreaker, Berserk, and Warp.

Sand, Sand, and More Sand

Head straight for the Nam-Yensa (go the route where the Gate Crystal and Dyce are located). We need to steal one Yensa Scale from the Yensas that spawn by the map urn in Augur Hill. Got one? Good, then it's time to sell your loot and purchase a Vega & Aqua Shot.

Urutan Eater

HP: 8015
W: Wind
AB: Earth

Let it kill off all of the Urutan-Yensa, and also Vossler. This guy can be kited easily. Shoot and kite it with Vaan and you'll walk away without so much as a scratch. :)

Oh, and don't forget to pick up the Eksir Berries! Now make your way to the Valley of the Dead.

Garuda

HP: 6754
W: Dark
W: Holy

Toss the Eksir Berries at the outrageously PO'd bird and turn a mildly frustrating battle into a breeze. Shoot it out of the sky. That's what it gets for being a poor host.

2nd Demon Wall

HP: 10322
W: Holy

Cast Berserk and Protect on Vossler prior to entering the boss room (so, by the doorway in the 1st Demon Wall's room). Use a Hastega Mote when you reach the boss and be sure to put those flame pedestals to good use! Also be sure to always keep Vaan out of range of the boss's physical attacks; this also makes Vossler the target of Telega. Once the inevitable occurs (Telega), you have two options. Either hammer away at the boss like you've been doing, or go for broke with Berserk if you're already at the next to last flame pedestals. A good rule of thumb here is if it's already in HP Critical (or anywhere close to about 1/4 of its HP remaining), you'll be fine to keep on attacking without Berserk. However, if its HP bar is in the 30-40% range (this would only happen if you were terribly unlucky with the flame pedestals, or if you wasted too much time doing something I apparently didn't advise you to do), you'll want to Berserk Vaan. By this time, you'll have to refresh Haste and Reflect and also add in Berserk if deemed necessary. You'll need to use items and CET here since you won't have enough time (or MP) to use the spells. If you decided to Berserk Vaan, good luck - I hope that the Demon Wall will be nice and not combo you into oblivion. If not, then continue to stay out of range of its attacks and use CET. I finished it off in plenty of time, just before reaching the last set of flame pedestals (and without having to Berserk Vaan).

Belias, the Gigas

HP: 15943
W: Water
AB: Fire
All other elements halved

Before I say anything else, be sure to bring handkerchiefs!!! I made a huge mistake of not having any and paid the price. Anyway, have Vaan and Vossler buffed with Protect and Haste, with Berserk on Vossler as well. Equip the Manufacted Nethecite. All you have to do to win easily is make sure Belias targets Vossler as much as possible (and bring Handkerchiefs) and keep Vaan's HP nearly full at all times (and bring Handkerchiefs). You never know when a Firaja might come your way, but when it does, you'll be happy you kept Vaan's health up high. After Firaja hits, revive Vossler and use Handkerchiefs, if needed. You'll see one more Firaja later, so do the same for this one as well. I didn't bother to re-Berserk Vossler after he was revived; Vaan is the main damage-dealer in this fight anyway.

Before retrieving the Dawn Shard, make a quick trip back to Rabanastre. Pay Montblanc a visit to be rewarded with a beautiful Warp Mote for killing the Demon Wall. Now head to Amal's and purchase a Sirius.

Want to get more use out of Vossler? You better! So let's go kill the Wraith now.

#4 Wraith

HP: 5146

Berserk Vossler. Will be over in less than a minute.

Vossler

HP: 9318

To my dismay, any buffs cast before the scenes will be removed before the battle begins. So, start off by tossing the Warp Mote at the Imperials and hope it hits them all. Then cast Protect on Vaan and simply Kite Vossler, while stopping to heal occasionally. Use a Hastega Mote if you feel inclined to do so. Such a fun and relaxing battle.

Dangerous Shopping

Head to the Mosphoran Highwaste to pick up a pair of Thief's Cuffs and a Golden Amulet. You know the drill, ride a chocobo up to the Imperials guarding the path and you're in.

Now start and complete the side quest where you find the missing cactuar (Dran) and are rewarded with Wyrmfire Shot.

Time for some marks.

#5 Nidhogg

HP: 6079
W: Fire
AB: Water

I heard this guy can be Immobilized, but that was too much work for me. Just walk up to the thing and shoot it a few times. You might have to lure it away from the deadly Steeling...

#6 Rocktoise

HP: 17548
W: Wind
AB: Earth

Very, very simple. Lure it towards the tunnel so that it will only cast weak spells at you. Cast Reflect. Win. You may have to Warp any Skeletons that pop up, but none did for me. None should pop up, anyhow, as long as you don't Warp anything on your way in.

Pick up Larsa in Jahara and purchase a Red Cap and Brigandine while you're there.

#7 Croakdile

HP: 19449
W: Fire
AB: Water

This mark can be beaten easily once you have Larsa. First off, you may have to wait until the giant frog's Bravery status wears off, as it has a chance to start the battle with it active. While you're waiting, cast Protect and Break on Larsa. If you want, you can toss a Hastega Mote, but it's really not necessary for this fight. Once Larsa dies (if he dies, that is) you can summon Belias to ensure victory. This mark can be Immobilized, but I found that this will cause him to use Renew after a certain point, since he won't be able to reach you.

#8 Enkelados

HP: 18709
W: Wind
AB: Earth
All other elements halved except Dark

I wasted a LOT of recovery items while fighting this guy so early. I would highly suggest you wait until obtaining later gun upgrades to take this mark on. Or, you can do what I did, if you're crazy about killing marks as soon as possible (like me).

Gather multiple Wus together and Warp them all out. Those with Shell will take a couple of tries to Warp. Now that the mark is here, you'll soon notice how frustrating this battle can be if you decided to do this early. Have Protect on Vaan before you begin (Larsa dies in one hit regardless). Equip the Silent Shot to make it waste time using Purify every time Silence connects. You'll be using many PD's to revive Larsa, and also quite a few Hi-Potions healing Vaan. One more thing, Restore sucks. Expect it to use this many times throughout the battle. For some reason, the mark randomly went Berserk for a while (literally, it activated Berserk status without casting it or using a Bacchus's Wine). It wasn't pretty. Just outlast it and you'll be fine.

More Mines and a Frozen Tundra

Try not to die on the way to Tiamat. Those bats can be somethin' fierce when they're in packs. Have Protect up at all times, and if Vaan does happen to fall, well, it's not too long of a walk back... I'd recommend setting a HP<70% - Hi-Potion gambit, just in case you need a quick heal in the midst of your fleeing.

Tiamat

HP: 49997
W: Earth
AB: Wind

Have at least 50 Hi-Potions and 70 PDs just to be safe. Some Ethers and Gold Needles will also be used, most likely. Teleport to Jahara and stock up, if necessary. Almost all of your PDs will be used to revive Larsa, as usual. Have Protect on Vaan at all times to almost ensure his safety (Breath may target him if Larsa has just fallen). It is vitally important to note that Tiamat has the Gambit, Foe: Nearest - Attack. So as long as you keep Larsa or Belias in front of Vaan, he'll never get targeted.

The first half of the battle is fairly straightforward. Just shoot, heal, and revive for what seems like an eternity, then when the boss's HP reaches approximately 50%, be prepared to switch up your strategy. The next time Larsa dies, summon Belias; he'll be acting as your new decoy (much more durable than Larsa, eh?). Immediately after each summoning, you should always use an Ether, then cast Protect on Belias. Trust me, it makes the battle SO much easier, and I'm not being sarcastic. As you might imagine, this is the point in which you'll start using up your Hi-Potion stock. At HP Critical, Tiamat gets a huge boost in defense, so taking off the last 20% of her HP will take nearly as long as the first 80%. Just keep firing away and she'll go down in about 30 minutes.

Want to fight Elder Wyrm? Good luck if you do, but I didn't feel like it just yet. Let's take a stroll through the Feywood instead. Unfortunately, this journey can be just as dangerous and frustrating, and can take a bit of luck to safely reach the Paramina Rift. The good news is that we won't be in the Feywood for very long, as all we have to do here is take the first left (watch out for the trap upon entering the first zone) and keep left until we reach the next zone.

Kiss Larsa and his Hi-Potions goodbye, and drown out your sorrow with some shopping. Buy a Headband and a Jujitsu Gi (mainly for survival for the stealing we're about to do).

Chakra Band & Power Vest

*Not the best source, but aim to steal a Salamand Halcyon here as well; save all excess Fire Crystals for later. Cast any magick after you steal to prevent it from killing you outright with Firaga; set battle speed to slowest for safety. Lastly, equip Thief's Cuffs!

You'll need an upgrade in armor for this next part.

The Shrine and the Ever-Elusive Firefly

Time to farm for the Firefly accessory. First, run all the way through until you reach the Walk of Prescience. The chest we're looking for is near the center of the area, guarded by a pair of Balloons and Facers. This chest (it's the middle one BTW) has a 55% spawn rate, a 55% chance to contain an item, and a 50% chance to contain the Firefly. That's a whopping 15.1% chance to obtain the Firefly. Excited yet?! Reset and repeat until you get one. I actually got lucky on this playthrough, as I got it on my second try. If it makes you feel any better, it took me 14 tries on my first LLC. Anyway, good luck! Swear it's worth it.

FREEDOM!!!

Now that you have the [arguably] most important item in this challenge, you are free to do as you wish in terms of killing foes that give exp. It is advised to fill out the top half of the license board (once again, do NOT get the Spellbreaker augment), all guns, light armor, and shields licenses, and lastly the Daggers 3 license. I know it sounds like a lot of work, but the good news is that you can go about doing so however you please. You could chain Dustia again, which is probably the fastest method of getting this accomplished, or you can simply explore and kill anything that moves/breathes/rubs you the wrong way. I personally loathe chaining Dustia, so I opted for the latter approach, and had a great deal of fun doing so. The choice is yours to make.

In case you get bored, here are some objectives to work towards (note: when I say "rare steal," that is your cue to equip Thief's Cuffs when stealing):

Arcturus

*You must kill the rare game Bull Croc in the same area in order to cause Aeros to spawn. Wyvern Wings can also be stolen from Wyvern Lord, but it's quite frankly a waste of time walking all the way to where it spawns for an abysmal chance of actually getting what we need. For Aeros, you are guaranteed one wing per encounter.

Crown of Laurels & Rubber Suit

Stone Shot

As you can see, much time will be spend in the Feywood and Lhusu Mines. Happy hunting!

It is vitally important to have the following for later marks, bosses, etc. It will be in your best interest to acquire them now to save yourself the trouble later.

The Shrine, Revisited

Wow! Such a difference in difficulty since your first visit, eh? Piece of cake.

Vinuskar

HP: 15138

Shoot him a few times. Win. Move on.

Mateus, the Corrupt

HP: 37596
W: Thunder
AB: Ice
All other elements halved

Start off by thinning out the Ice Azers (with Firefly equipped). Since they're resistant to guns, you might want to use Gil Toss, but I wasn't too keen on wasting so much gil this early. I just took my time and shot them down one at a time, then focused on Mateus for a very quick finish.

Judge Bergan

HP: 17200

This battle was pretty enjoyable. Kill off the lesser Judges first (with Firefly equipped), then shoot Bergan down. It's exciting if he combos you a view times. Niho + Remedy if you want, but it's honestly a waste of a good Remedy. Use Bubble if you're the type that likes to err on the side of caution.

Another Adventure Begins...

Lotsa new areas to explore now. If you want/need some more LP or gil, go ahead and do some more exploring. If not, then let's move on to the next boss battle!

King Bomb

HP: 37596
W: Water
AB: Fire
All other elements halved

This guy's easy enough, so we might as well get him out of the way early. Have Vaan initially equipped with a Main Gauche and a Flame Shield. Niho + Remedy the boss to completely trivialize an ordinarily near-mind-blowingly-frustrating battle. He will be plagued with a multitude of status ailments, with the most important being Disease. Now he'll never cast Renew! So Warp the lesser Bombs, then shoot the poor invalid King Bomb (FF logic: gun shots do not make bombs explode). You'll have to refresh the ailments with another use of Niho + Remedy.

Now that the scourge of the Salikawood is gone, you could visit the Necrohol of Nabudis and the Nabreus Deadlands, but there's really nothing to do there yet. I guess if you want to be an overachiever, you could farm Silver Liquids from Foobars for the other two remaining shots from the bazaar, or you could do some more chest farming (explained shortly). Anyway, do NOT grab the giant mass of chests in the Vaddu Strand zone of the Phon Coast. I'm not completely certain which particular chest causes the Nabudis chests to disappear (such has been the case for all of the other chests as well, when there were multiples...sigh).

Here are the recipes for those special gun shots I keep talking about:

Aldebaran & Mudshot

*Get 5 Silver Liquids and sell the loot required for both of these recipes all at once to avoid wasteful farming.

Spica & Windslicer Shot

After careful consideration, I have deemed this next section optional. This is not at all necessary for progression at this point in the challenge, as a Diamond Armlet can be purchased after Giruvegan in the Estersand South Bank Village; however, having access to it now cuts back on the difficulty of many encounters in the near future (some bosses, mostly just marks and normal foes). So, skip to the next section of the guide if you wish to move on right away. PLEASE NOTE: It is recommended to still go to the Cerobi Steppe and farm 50 X-Potions for Ahriman, since this will save you 90000+ gil! It is doable without them, because I have tried it with just Gil Toss (and won), but having the X-Potions to use not only saves you the gil mentioned above, it also trivializes an otherwise lengthy and somewhat stressful confrontation.

Optional Excursion - The Long (and Pointless?) Haul

Fight or flee your way to the Nameless Spring in Tchita Uplands. Save at the crystal and be prepared to reset a LOT. In the next zone (Garden of Life's Circle), there is a chest that may contain a DA to the southwest of the area. The problem: this chest has a 10% spawn rate, a 50% chance for an item, and a 50% chance for the DA. That's a paltry 2.5% chance for our desires to be partially satisfied. Got it? Good. Hopefully it didn't take you as many resets as it did for me (84).

Cerobi Steppe - Time to Farm More Chests

Use an accompanying map to pinpoint the locations of all of the chests that contain X-Potions. ff12maps is great as long as it's not down...again.

The following is a list of the optional chests you should look for and their respective areas (Note: use a map to locate these chests as well):

*Don't feel obligated to farm for Dark Shot here. Remember, defeating Piscodaemon will reward you with this shot.

I will use my prophetical powers to tell you that there will be many resets involved here, if you choose to farm for those nice shots and the Ribbon.

Onward to Archades!

Now that you have 50 X-Potions (and some more shots, maybe), it's finally time to move forward again. Onto the next battle...

Mandragoras

HP: 9069
W: Varies

No point in explaining this one, but I will anyway. Each one will go down in two shots if you hit them with their weaknesses (bar Pumpkin Head, since it's weak to Ice). Allow me to break it down for you:

Or just shoot them all up with Stone Shot. I don't really care what you do, as long as you don't quit the challenge.

Equip Stone Shot for the Crystalbug ahead, and that's all there is to it. It's fun being temporarily overpowered, isn't it?

Ahriman

HP: 62149
Clones HP: 700
W: Holy
AB: Dark

X-Potion + CET. Nuff said. Actually, not really. Buff up with Protect, Shell, Bubble, and Haste before heading in, then start throwing your X-Potions away. Everything will be fine until the boss decides to make clones of itself. Then you'll have to keep an eye on where the main boss is at all times. I ended up using Gil Toss just a few times to thin out the clones a bit. Then I just went back to spamming X-Potions on the real one. Niho + Remedy is pointless here.

Archades, City of Snobs

In Old Archades, purchase a Pheasant Netsuke from the Seeq merchant in the first zone. This is a vitally important accessory that will be used throughout the remainder of the game! Stock up on X-Potions in the actual city. 70 should get you through Giruvegan and some more marks. "Earn" your 9 chops, and head off to Draklor Laboratory.

Now inside Draklor, make your way as quickly as possible to Floor 70 so you don't get overwhelmed. Since I like to live on the edge, I let Adrenaline do the killing for me so I wouldn't have to bother with healing constantly. However, if you decided to do the same, watch out for when an Imperial readies Tri-Attack. When you see this, you should do one of two things: either immediately cancel your current action and target them (if you're not already) or equip some armor other than Light Armor and toss a Hi-Potion. This will allow you to survive through it since it will do less damage because of your lower HP; plus, you just healed.

Dr. Cid

HP: 72898
W: Holy
AB: Dark
All other elements halved
Rooks (x5) HP: 9859

Come prepared for a very enjoyable battle with Stone Shot equipped, since both Cid and his Rooks halve all elements of your shots. While killing the Rooks, be sure to have the Firefly equipped, as they give exp. After they're gone, Dispel Cid and just shoot him. Simple. Don't bother casting Dispel again after he recasts Haste; it's not worth your time. Or you could be an overachiever and use Niho + Echo Herbs on him.

Delving Into the Ancient City

There's literally nothing to do at Balfonheim, unless you want to check the notice board or steal the Muramata fishing rod (if you're into that sort of thing). If you've been diligently taking down marks as they become available, you must know that you're getting pretty close to Knight of the Round. And you know what that means: KoRs for sale! You'll be able to quickly charge DMs once you can purchase these, so stay focused on the goal.

So yeah, the Feywood. You've been there already. S.S.D.D. Up next is an interesting encounter that will last anywhere from 30-60 seconds.

Raflessia

HP: 73393
W: Wind
AB: Earth
All other elements halved

Joke's on you if you didn't get Windslicer Shot! Just kidding, it's still incredibly easy. Niho + Remedy, then kite it from afar. It should only use Nectar Volley now. Poor thing, it only had a chance to use it 3-4 times on me. Gotta love reprieves.

The denizens of the areas from this point forward can be particularly nasty and fierce if you're caught with your pants down, so don't go picking fights until you're certain that you're prepared--meaning either buffed up defensively or having Adrenaline, Haste, and Bravery active. Be warned, though, as the Preying Mantises can target you from a distance when you are in HP Critical, for some reason. This goes for all mantises, in general.

Daedalus

HP: 65644
W: Holy
AB: Dark
All other elements halved

Niho + Echo Herbs will do the trick for this battle, as it'll prevent the boss from recasting Haste. Niho + Smelling Salts if he begins readying Rage. You'll have to heal every now and then (especially after combos when he's in HP Critical), but only a few times.

If you're set on killing everything as you travel towards the Great Crystal, then allow me to break down every foe here for you (Note: It is a good idea to stay in HP Critical with at least Bravery active at all times):

• Behemoth - Should go down in two shots. Don't let them hit you.
• Gargoyle Baron - One shot, one kill.
• Mythril Golem - These can be tricky. Shoot them once (use Aqua Shot) to force them to walk up to you and use physical attacks. Most of the time they'll just slowly walk towards you, but on rare occasions they'll use Wild Charge, which hits about 500 (when Vaan is in HP Critical with Last Stand active). This spells Vaan's death. Keep Bubble and Protect active to avoid this.
• Diakon Entite - If it sees you cast magick, zone out then back in. Don't let it see you casting magick. And also, don't attack it unless you feel like blowing most of your X-Potion stock, then having to go back to Balfonheim to restock for Tyrant and Shemhazai.

Tyrant

HP: 180248
W: Ice
AB: Thunder
All other elements halved

Niho + Remedy is useless, since it will just inflict Confuse. You'll have to heal a good bit here, but the battle itself is easily manageable. Once Vaan has <50% HP, it is a good idea to heal to prevent Piercing Graviga from killing him. With this in mind, there's really no chance of losing, except if you get hit with Sonic Fangs' small chance of instant death. Having a Rubber Suit equipped will protect you from the only other magick it uses, Thundaga.

Onto the Great Crystal's foes (once again, Adrenaline + Bravery):

• Ose - Avoid Hell Blaster at all costs (two of these = death, plus a medley of ailments if you don't have a Ribbon and are unlucky). Will die in one shot, though, so try to always get the drop on them - Hell Blaster is painfully quick.
• Mythril Golem - Same plan as before.
• Reaper - two shots will take them out. May cast Death, so Shell will improve your odds of survival. Or just avoid them altogether for a 100% survival rate.
• Mom Bomb - Cast Death, or ignore.
• Necrophobe - Ignore.

Shemhazai, the Whisperer

HP: 91136

Buff up (most importantly with Shell), then Niho + Remedy her for Immobilize. You can summon an Esper to tank spells (move Vaan out of range if you choose to do so; this is what Immobilize is for) or just let Vaan take the heat and run out of range of her spells should things take a turn for the worse. Nothing threatening about this fight. Don't bother with elemental shots.

Prep for the Next Long Haul

Now is your cue to head to the Estersand's Southbank Village and purchase a Diamond Armlet if you don't have one from Tchita already, and flip back to the optional section to see which items you want from the chests in Cerobi. At the very least, pick up Mudshot and Windslicer Shot either from the chests or the recipes, and, as always, a Ribbon is recommended but not necessary. Stock up on X-Potions (99) and head to Rabanastre's Lowtown to purchase a Mirage Vest (Renewing Morion is bad). While you're at it, pick up a Demon Shield and those Dark Matters (using a DA) from the Necrohol of Nabudis, and an Aegis Shield from Balfonheim.

Before moving on, I would highly suggest that you enlist Reddas' aid for taking down some marks (namely Catoblepas and Piscodaemon - especially the latter). As of right now, the only other plausible strategies I know of for Piscodaemon involve using a DM, Zodiark, or allowing it to use Soul Etude.

Ridorana

I bet you read that title in Al-Cid's voice. Anyway, this is a pretty relaxing place until you meet packs of Deathclaws. Enemies:

• Deathclaw - Adrenaline + Bravery + Haste to reliably kill them in two shots. Watch out for packs of these; sometimes "discretion is the better part of valor."--Balthier. In other words, it's okay to flee from these.
• Cassie - A fleeting encounter if you happen to have Windslicer Shot, which you should.

Hydro

HP: 203800
W: Holy
AB: Dark
All other elements halved

Buffs, Niho + Remedy, and equip Wyrmfire Shot. If you have a Ribbon, there's nothing to worry about for this fight except for the chance of death from Crushing/Sonic Fangs. However, if you don't have one, then hopefully you can time your Remedies well for when it uses Curse, or just unequip your gun and have Vaan punch himself once.

Before moving on, make sure you have both Mudshot and Windslicer Shot. I cannot stress this enough, as it will make your battles with Pandemonium, Fenrir, and Hashmal much more bearable.

For convenience's sake, I'll break the Pharos down into five sections.

1.) First Ascent - Breaking the Seals

Your goal here is to get three Black Orbs, but ideally more for the Pharos Subterra. You can always farm the massive black orbs later on, but I got 30 here to get a nice start on Penumbra.

As always, let Adrenaline work its magick. Aaaaand here we go, opposition breakdown:

• Chimera Brain - Easy two-shot kill. Their Ember Breath is a long-ranged attack, so watch out for it.
• Mistmare - These are tricky. Send Reddas in to fight them and make sure they have less than 10000 HP when you go to shoot them (with Wyrmfire Shot), or else you'll be in trouble...possibly.
• Mimeo - Examine it, step back quickly, and let it use Leech on Reddas. Now you have time to shoot it twice.

Pandemonium

HP: 116678
W: Wind
AB: Earth
Immune to all other elements

Buff up, then Dispel him. Niho + Remedy will inflict Silence, Confuse, and Oil, but since he's immune to Fire, there's no point, really. Send Reddas to his death, then summon your strongest Esper to (hopefully) guard some hits for you. This'll keep the pressure off of Vaan (Flash, Stone Gaze, Power Spin), and will allow you to stay on the offensive. When it uses Perfect Defense, this is your cue to pull the ol' Reverse + Stop maneuver to pass the time safely. Be cautious when the boss is in HP Critical; its combos may be slow, but they're numerous. Use an X-Potion when Vaan has less than 1800 HP just to be safe.

2.) First Ascent - Follow the Green Brick Road

Down to business:

• Chimera Brain - Same as above.
• Aeronite - Cast Death only if it doesn't have Shell active. If Death misses, run like crazy.
• Brainpan - I've found that the most efficient method of taking these down rapidly is to have Mirror Mail equipped on Vaan and cast Death on yourself just as they turn hostile. It'll never miss once, thanks to the Underflow Glitch.
• Deidar - Same as Brainpan; just don't kill these until you build all of the green bridges, obviously.

Helpful hint: If you're in a tight spot with an enemy closing in on you (namely the Chimera Brains), you can always equip a Main Gauche and a good shield and hope you block as you're shamefully running away, I mean employing a tactical retreat, or cast Reverse on yourself if you have the MP. Oh, and Reddas is an excellent momentary diversion.

Slyt

HP: 92661
W: Fire
AB: Water
Immune to all other elements

Buff up just to be safe if you want. Niho + Remedy is helpful this time, since it inflicts Disease, Confuse, and Oil, meaning the boss is now even more vulnerable to Fire! Send Reddas to his death again, then the boss will just swim around for a while until it decides to hit you a few times. Then it'll die.

An Undin Entite may be waiting for you on this floor after you defeat Slyt. Equip a Viking Coat and you automatically win as long as you heal the return damage.

3.) Second Ascent - Pick Your Poison

The most obvious choice here is the Altar of Knowledge, since you kinda need all of the other things that can be taken away (although I've tested and beat this ascent with all others except for the Altar of Wealth; I didn't even bother to try that one, so feel free to give it a try and let me know if you beat it).

The safest approach to this ascent is to not fight anything. You. Will. Get. Owned. If you decide to fight. I'd suggest coming back later with Chaos/Ultima/Zodiark and plenty of X-Potions if you want to complete the bestiary for this locale.

Tip: Try to map out where you're going before you just casually waltz over to a dead end - this more than likely spells a dead Vaan, but not always.

Fenrir

HP: 189992
W: Earth
AB: Wind
Immune to all other elements

Lots of X-Potion chugging going on in this battle. Buff up before you enter, and I personally would suggest killing Reddas so he doesn't wake the oversized cat from its slumber. Stay vigilant with healing and you'll bring him down in no time. Use Niho + Alarm Clock on the boss whenever you need to recuperate, or if you just need to relax for a bit.

4.) Third Ascent - The Way of the Stone

Equip a Demon Shield or a Black Mask and you've tamed this area (just stay away from the Cataract Aevises). I skipped all enemies in this place and just fled straight through; we can always come back later, right?

Here's the order of waystones, since we do NOT want to mess up:

Black --> [Fool's Façade] Green --> Red --> Sigil of Sacrifice* --> [Fool's Façade] White

*Sigil of Sacrifice:

Before boarding the elevator, buff up with your normal enhancements, and add Float to the mix.

Hashmal, Bringer of Order

HP: 209060
W: Wind
AB: Earth
Immune to all other elements

Dispel him, then shoot him. Heal when necessary. This was...surprisingly easy.

5.) Third Ascent - The Battle on Distant Shore

Cast any buffs you want for the upcoming bosses. You should still have plenty of X-Potions.

Judge Gabranth

HP: 64049

Niho + Handkerchief and wreak havoc with Wyrmfire Shot.

Dr. Cid

HP: 82093
W: Holy
AB: Dark
All other elements halved

Try to have Bubble up for the entirety of the fight; Protect is also beneficial. You should follow this plan for the remainder of the battles. Niho + Handkerchief once again and shoot him up until his HP = 50%. Now it's time to switch up our strategy.

Famfrit, the Darkening Cloud

HP: 149060
W: Fire
AB: Water
Immune to all other elements

Niho + Handkerchief on Famfrit then summon your Esper(s) of choice constantly. Mateus is a nice little healer, but he doesn't last long. You will also have to heal almost constantly until Famfrit is gone, so try killing him quickly. Equip Viking Coat for Waterja and Briny Cannonade.

Once Cid is alone again, you'll notice that he's now resistant to guns. Instead of wasting gil with Gil Toss, I KoR'd him to death. Regardless of which method you choose, his gun shots are a lot stronger now, and his criticals will hit 2000+, so always keep Vaan's health above 2500, just to be safe.

Bahamut, This Is It!

It would be wise to have at least 300000 gil at your disposal, a fully charged DM (optional), and a full stock of X-Potions before heading out. In the first room, buff up for the next fight then head straight for the central elevator.

Judge Gabranth

HP: 70719

Niho + Remedy, then just shoot him to death, twice (he uses Renew, remember?). He's very weak, so you'll have no trouble bringing him down.
Note: You'll have to refresh Niho + Remedy after the in-battle cutscene, which will be a commonality between this battle and the following two with Vayne.

Vayne Solidor

HP: 76755

He is extremely slow, and will simply walk slowly towards you the entire time. Kite him. Niho + Remedy if you want, but he'll only hit you once, immediately after the cutscene with a weak special attack.