Final Fantasy VII owned by Square Enix.
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Part Eighteen: Mt. Nibel and Rocket Town

(NOTE: This next section is entirely optional, and you can’t trigger it unless you’ve recruited Yuffie. You’ll lose a huge chunk of your items temporarily, so don’t take this place on half-heartedly.)

That Damned Thief

- You’ll wind up in the Wutai area immediately after the Little Bronco crashes into the sea. Debark on the beach to your left and start trekking northward…

- … and, after a quick, easy battle, all (or most, if you have a lot in your stores) of your materia will be missing. So will Yuffie. Three guesses who took it? You’ll have to chase Yuffie down to get your stuff back.

- Head north along the world map towards the town of Wutai, at the far end of the continent. The trip is long, and without your materia your options are limited. Put your best fighters up front and rely on Limit Breaks and items to make the trek. It’s not too bad, so long as your team is in the high 20s / early 30s. Aeris is a good choice, as her Healing Wind will keep everyone healthy. Make sure to go southeast from the second bridge or you’ll hit a dead end. Stupid weird geography.

- (Once you have Steal back, check the beaches near Wutai. The massive Adamantaimai enemies here carry Adaman Bangles. Their slots are pathetic, but Adaman Bangles offer ridiculous defence boosts.)


Wutai

- The people ‘round these parts aren’t currently helpful, so you’re best off looking for Yuffie. Poke into the large building in the west and you’ll find the Turks inside; talk to them for a revealing little cut scene. This pub is Turtles Paradise, the subject of the Turtles Paradise flier hunt, and you’ll want to come back here after finding them all.

- North of Turtles Paradise is an item shop, and they’ll actually sell you stuff. Stock up if necessary. You’ll find a MP Absorb materia in here, which is… better than nothing? Unfortunately, Yuffie will steal it immediately and rush out of the store. Rats.

- Take a left from the store to find the northern half of Wutai. Enter the large manor on the right, then check the room in the east wing with the dude flopped on a bed. Speak to him four times and Yuffie will appear, prompting a cut scene. Before you leave, check the next room over for a secret door (it’s pretty obvious), behind which you’ll find a Hairpin. You can rest in the single room in the west wing, and if you check behind a wall decoration here you’ll find a Magic Shuriken.


- Return to the south of Wutai and check the house near Wutai’s entrance. Check the folding screen on the left side of the house to drive Yuffie out of hiding, then follow her out into the street. You’ll see a conspicuous, moving pot near Turtles Paradise; check it, then smack it a few times, to bring her out. She’ll agree to give back the materia…

- … but it’s a trick. Surprise. Follow her upstairs and out of her hiding place, then head towards northern Wutai again. There’s a shrine across from Godo’s house. Hit the gong to reveal doors at the base of the shrine, then pop inside. Along with a Swift Bolt and an Elixir you’ll find.. Corneo?! Bastard! Chase him, beat up some Shinra soldiers in the next room, and return to the street. You have one more place to visit, and it’s the only one you haven’t yet checked.


Da-chao

- The massive mountain-statue of Da-chao, in the northeast of Wutai, is your destination. You’ll find it north of the save point outside the item shop. There are random encounters here, so be cautious. (You’ll also find the Turks here, but they won’t bother you right now. Rude is a bit creepy.)

- Follow Reno up the statue and around the back of Da-chao’s head. Rude will have found a fiery cave. Inside is a Dragoon Lance. There’s more to the cave, but it’s inaccessible without a key item you’ll find a fair bit later in the game. Remember it for later.

- Head south from the cave and you’ll corner Corneo. Unfortunately, he has another pet that’s happy to make your acquaintance…


Rapps

This is a tough battle without materia. Rapps has some strong physical attacks, one capable of poisoning your team, and its Aero 3 spell can hit one character for 1,500+ HP, depending on your magic defence. That’s an auto-kill for weaker parties. Lacking spells you’ll have to use Limits to eliminate Rapps, and your gauges will charge quickly. Cloud’s Climhazzard, assuming you know it by now, will be a primary weapon, as will any Limit that hits one opponent. Barret’s Mindblow can eliminate the threat of Aero 3, though it’s better to just go after Rapps’ rather so-so HP. Aeris is by far your most useful party member here, as Seal Evil will freeze Rapps in place and allow you to decimate the thing with normal attacks. Cross-Slash from Cloud can also freeze Rapps, though there’s a chance of failure. You’ll get a Peace Ring for defeating Rapps…

- … and, after all’s said and done, Yuffie will rejoin the party, as well as give you back all your materia. (Though, uh, in the wrong order. Close enough.) Completing this quest will also make a battle with the Turks later in the game optional, though you’ll probably want to fight them anyway. You’ll also also be able to purchase weapons at the weapons shop, and if you check the house with all the cats you can now climb the stairs in the rear of the house to find an HP Absorb materia.


The Pagoda

You’re not done with Wutai yet. Put Yuffie in your party and head to the Pagoda, the massive structure next to Godo’s house in the north of Wutai. Here Yuffie can take part in a series of one-on-one battles against boss-level enemies. Put her in the back row, load her down with strong materia - Restore, Barrier, Time, Counter Attack, and Enemy Skill are all good choices - then take the plunge. You won’t get a Game Over for losing any of these fights.

Gorky

An easy enough start. Gorky begins by casting Barrier on himself, then swaps between physical attacks and other utility spells. Eventually he’ll use Reflect on himself, which will deflect Barrier onto Yuffie and deaden his attacks. Use normal attacks / Limits or magic until Gorky puts up Reflect, then change to normal attacks until he goes down. This can be a lengthy fight, mainly because Yuffie won’t be hitting at full power, but it’s not very hard. You get an X-Potion for beating Gorky.

Shake

Shake is a rather one-note enemy. Either she hits you normally, which is bad, or she hits you with Rage Bomber, which is worth. Shake’s primary strength is her speed, allowing her to attack often, so expect your HP to take a battering. At the same time you’ll probably get rage status, allowing your Limit gauge to blast through the roof rather quickly, so Limit Breaks will probably spell Shake’s doom. You’ll get a Turbo Ether for beating Shake.

Chekhov

Another simple, but very dangerous, fight. Chekhov has the Stare Down attack, and if it sticks Yuffie will be paralyzed for a little while. In this time she’ll absorb Yuffie’s HP over and over, possibly ’til death. Equip something to prevent paralysis (a Jem Ring, most likely) and Chekhov can only put off defeat for so long. You’ll win an Ice Ring for beating Chekhov.

Staniv

Another very simply fight. Staniv hits you… and hits you… and hits you again. His typical attacks do 300+ damage. Not too bad, but Yuffie doesn’t have a ton of HP. Throw up Barrier and beat him down with magic. Heal often. War Cry is annoying because it will cut down on the number of Limits you can use, but it’s not worth healing. You’ll gain an Elixir for beating Staniv.


Godo

Now for a real boss battle. Godo is as strong as a three-person boss, and, sadly, Yuffie has to face him solo. Godo’s attacks alternate with the turning of his faces: either he uses a normal attack (Beast Sword), an absorbing attack, and Bio 2. This last is the most annoying for poisoning Yuffie. He can also inflict mini status, something you should protect against with the appropriate accessory, and when you do enough damage he’ll add Cure 2 and Trine to his repertoire. Cure 2 is very annoying; Trine can be fatal if you have less than 800ish HP. Use Bio to drain Godo’s attacks over time, then whittle away at Godo with normal attacks. If you can, use Reflect on Godo so his Cure 2 attempts will go to Yuffie instead. If you can’t plow past his healing, you’ll have to wait until Godo’s MP runs out - it’ll happen eventually - and then finish him off. Aside from Beast Sword, Godo needs MP for all of his attacks. You’ll get an All Creation for beating Godo, as well as so much freaking gil.

- After you defeat Godo he’ll hand over Leviathan materia. This will bring your Wutai trip to an end.

Part Twenty: Temple of the Ancients