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With the return of Terra to the party you also get another new addition: Your own airship! The Blackjack can ferry you to any town and location on the planet, making this a good time to explore what few places you haven’t visited before. The Blackjack also allows you to swap between characters much more readily than having to trek back to Narshe whenever you want a change, and if you speak to the NPC near the ladder he'l allow you to unequip characters both in your party and out.
There are a few things you can look into before pushing onward with the plot:
- The Veldt now has a ton more potential Rages for Gau. If you’re not satisfied with your current repertoire you can head over and set him loose.
- If you visit Tzen and check the northeast corner of town, you’ll find a pacing man in the trees. He’ll sell you the Seraph magicite for 3,000 gil. Alternatively, if you wait until the game is halfway done, you’ll find this man in the same place - though he’ll sell the stone for a paltry 10 gil. Your call. (I recommend getting it now, personally. It offers some amazing regenerative spells.)
- South Figaro and Doma are both still occupied by the Empire. There’s no point visiting these areas just yet.
- Vector has been locked down since your departure. Attempt to visit and you’ll meet a nasty machine known as the Guardian. You can’t beat it. Just run.
- To the far east is a small village called Thamasa. The enemies in these parts offer a lot of experience and some cool Steals, notably Gaia Gear from the Briareuses. The people of Thamasa, by contrast, are quite cryptic - and they won’t sell you anything, to boot. You'll be headed to Thamasa within the next few hours.
- Far to the northeast is a triangular island with no notable fixtures. It is home to the Intangir, creatures of ridiculous power that start out invisible. Intangir can easily kill your party in a single hit if disturbed. They’re very difficult to kill in the first half of Final Fantasy VI, and trying to fight one now is not a good idea. Avoid this island.
After you’re done wandering about and enjoying the freedom afforded by the Blackjack, visit Narshe. Once there you’ll hit a cut scene, and this cut scene establishes your next destination as the Sealed Base in the eastern half of the southern continent. Terra is a snecessity for this journey... though if you want to see all there is to see at this point in the game, there’s a side quest to undertake first.
Mog
Head to the small shack on the east side of Narshe, the one containing a slew of treasure chests. Inside is Lone Wolf, a bandit whom you may have met in Figaro Castle’s dungeon. He’s popped open the sole locked chest in this shed.
Follow Lone Wolf north through Narshe and into the Narshe Mines. Take a right once you enter the Mines and you’ll find a passage leading to the snow fields where you fought Kefka and his soldiers earlier in the game. Near the Frozen Esper you’ll find Lone Wolf holding a lone Moogle hostage. Stay still for a moment and the Moogle will go nuts, dropping captor and captive to the edge of the cliff. You have a choice to make:
- If you save Lone Wolf he’ll give you a Gold Hairpin. This Relic cuts its bearer's MP expenses in half, making it quite a valuable item.
- Save the Moogle and he’ll join your party, his default name Mog. (He should be familiar by now.) You can still recruit Mog later in the game if you take the Hairpin, but he’ll be unavailable during your early journeys.
Which should you get? It depends on your priorities. If you like some specific characters and don't swap your party around, then you may want the Gold Hairpin. Otherwise, you should get Mog. Aside from the fact that he’s a pretty solid character, Mog has a unique special move set, Dance, that relies on fighting in a variety of different environments across the planet. You’ll have an easier time collecting his Dances if you get started now.
And, you know, since you can collect most of them right now...
Mog’s Dances put him into a Berserk state, similar to Gau and his Rages. Use one and, assuming Mog is successful, he’ll spend the rest of the battle performing scripted moves. The moves change depending on the Dance used, and can range from single hits to area attacks to powerful healing moves. Dances can be very powerful when deployed properly.
Each Dance is learned by fighting in the game’s many environments with Mog in your party once. You can find them in the following places:
- Wind Rhapsody - Any grassy area outdoors. Most of the world map teaches Mog this Dance.
- Forest Nocturne - Any forested area. Step into the woods on the world map and you’ll learn Forest Nocturne.
- Desert Lullaby - Any desert area, such as Figaro Castle’s original location.
- Love Serenade - Any urban indoor area. The buildings of Zozo will do.
- Earth Blues - Mountain ranges. Wander the outside of a mountainous dungeon, such as Mt. Kolts, and you’ll learn this Dance.
- Water Harmony - Any watery area. There are only three places where you can learn this Dance, and two of them aren’t available after the game’s halfway point (and they aren’t available at all if you’re playing the original Final Fantasy VI). At this point you’ll either have to travel down the Lethe River or the Serpent Trench again with Mog in the party. Both are accessible from the same points as before. (The Serpent Trench makes for a slightly faster ride.)
- Twilight Requiem - Any sort of cave. The Narshe Mines will do just fine. If you fought using Mog while saving Terra at the beginning of the game, he’ll already have this Dance.
- Snowman Rondo - Any snowy area. This is the only Dance Mog can’t learn at this point in the game. Once you reach the halfway point of Final Fantasy VI you can learn Snowman Rondo along the snowy bluffs outside Narshe.
Done tinkering with party members both new and old? Fly the Blackjack to the eastern edge of the southern continent with Terra in your party. A rather punishing dungeon awaits.