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Part One: Baron and the Mist Cave

Kaipo

- After the horrors of Mist you’ll be left with only Cecil in your party. Head northeast from the mountains and into the desert, and, shortly, you’ll come across the oasis-bound town of Kaipo. The enemies along the way are pretty easy, and Cecil’s Dark command will make short work of them if you’re in a hurry.

- Cecil will immediately seek out an Inn when you enter town, and you’ll be put up for the night free of charge. During the night you’ll be attacked by a General and three Baron Soldiers; taking out the Soldiers will cause the General to flee. Two uses of Dark will do it.


- Saving the girl will cause her to join your party. Her name is Rydia, and she broadly specializes in Black and White magic. She’s not well-versed in a whole lot of spells right now, but she’ll grow as she gains levels. Rydia can also Summon, a command which inflicts heavy damage but usually takes quite a toll on her MP (especially at level one). Stick Rydia in the back row by moving her one slot closer to Cecil, as she won’t survive long in the front row.

- You can now explore Kaipo. There’s an Item Shop in the Inn, and to the left of the Inn is an Armor Shop that’s also home to a Namingway. To the right of the Inn is a Weapon Shop; check the pot outside it for an Ether. You can purchase a Bow for Rydia to boost her attack power if you wish, though you’ll have to put up with a diminishing stock of arrows. (She’s better off using her magic anyway.)

- The top-right house contains a problem about which you can currently do nothing, so leave town - but stick around for a bit. You should do a little levelling to upgrade Rydia’s level, as she starts out preeeeeetty much useless. Getting her up to level three at a minimum will teach her Cure and Blizzard, a decent pair of spells that will work nicely for your initial trials. Levels six or seven are more ideal, though not a necessity. (Don’t bother grinding too much. In the long run these levels really won’t matter, to Cecil or to Rydia.)

- Once you feel confident enough to carry on, head northeast. You’ll find a small cave in the mountain range.


Waterway - South

- This area is largely populated by aquatic monsters. If Rydia knows Thunder going in here she can mop up by targeting everything on the screen. She’s about to get some help in that department, as well. The main exceptions here are Gigantoads, which you can kill with Blizzard - and should quickly, as they can turn your party members into useless toads - and Zombies, which deserve a dose of Fire. Cecil is damn near useless against the latter.

- Start by going across the northern bridge from the entrance. You’ll find chests up here containing a Potion and a Maiden’s Kiss. Backtrack, then go west. To the south across the next bridge is a Tent, and to the north is… an old man. Going by the name Tellah, he will join your party. Tellah is basically a stronger version of Rydia who lacks her Summon ability. He has the Recall ability, which allows him to use a random spell free of MP. Sometimes great; usually useless. Tellah also belongs in the back row, constantly casting spells. Have him use Osmose on enemies if his MP gets low.


- Head northeast and then east from where Tellah joins. Stairs will take you down into the water. Go up the waterfall next to the stairs to find an iron Ring, then head southwest and look for a large waterfall. You can slip into the waterfall and find a chamber containing an X-Potion, a Dry Ether, and a Phoenix Down. Return to dry land, cross the western bridges, and head to the next screen.

- B2. Head north and down into the water. If you go up the stairs on your left you’ll find a Potion in a chest nearby. Head back down into the water and run as far west as you can to find an Ether. Then go back east and follow the path beyond the southern bridge until it hits a room with a save point. Tellah will set up a Tent in here to restore everyone’s health and trigger a cut scene.

- Back to B2. Across the eastern bridge and to the north is an Ice Rod. Dip into the water back into the south and take a right. This will take you to a door.


- B3. Follow the walkways to the south until you hit a bridge intersection. Go right and you’ll find 580 gil and a Bomb Fragment. Go left and you’ll find another door out of here.

- A new B2. This area is patrolled by Red Mousses, and their colour betrays their weakness: Fire. You’ll run into other Mousses while you travel that have weaknesses in a similar manner.

- This passage looks fairly short, and if you head north you’ll find a rather obvious Potion near the exit. Check the wall directly to the left of the exit, though, and you’ll find a secret path. Follow it north, east, and south to emerge in a small side area. You’ll find a Feathered Cap out here. Backtrack and go up the stairs.


- Waterway - N. Head north along the chasm. There are two chests to your left, one containing an Ether and the other an Antarctic Wind. Continue north and cross the bridge to the east side of the chasm, then look south for two more chests, these containing an Hourglass and a Shadow Blade that’s specifically for Cecil. Head north from here to emerge outside. You may want to use another Tent out here, as a boss is upcoming.


Waterfall

- Wander south and plummet down the waterfall. No going back from here. Once at the bottom, climb out of the water and wander south. You’ll find stairs in the far south; these lead to a Hades Helm and Hades Gloves. Wander back north and then northwest to leave the area.

- B1. Head east across the bridge to find two more chests, these containing Hades Armor and Hermes’ Shoes. Dip down into the water from here and head north and, in short order, you’ll have to face a boss.


Octomammoth

Though Octomammoth looks like a multi-target creature, it’s a single boss, and a fairly easy one at that Octomammoth… likes to attack. Over and over and over. Meh. The more you hit it, the less tentacles it has. Eventually it will disappear. Then it dies. Yay! Cecil will probably be your best hitter here with that Shadow Blade you picked up earlier. Rydia can summon her Chocobo or use Thunder, while Tellah just uses Thunder or heals the party with Cura.

- Beyond? The world! Success! Damcyan is just a short trip away from the Waterway’s exit.

Part Three: Antlion Cave