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- Pretty straightforward. Follow the winding path through the Ravine until you hit a split in the path. Ignore the slight ramp leading up the rocky bluffs and continue a short ways west to another split. Ignore the southern route (it's a dead end with nothing to show for it) and take the western route, onto the next screen (which is also a dead end, but leads to a chest containing a Potion).
- Return to the previous split and take the northwestern path onto the next screen.
- There's another split ahead. If you go south you'll see the chest you couldn't reach previously; inside is 200 pg. Backtrack.
- The path winds ever upward. At the next split you'll see another robed man waiting, and he'll save your game if pressed. Make sure you talk to him, as he'll give you the Strange Hourglass. It will allow you to use Bravely Second, which freezes time so long as you have Sleep Points (SP) to spend on the ability. Pretty cool. Sleep Points accumulate while your machine is in sleep mode, and they only accumulate once every eight hours, so... occasionally useful, often not. (You can also purchase SP Drinks with real money which will allow you to enter Bravely Second, but, pffffft. You don't need them to beat the game.)
- To the right of the robed man is a cut scene waiting to happen. Poor Tiz. Once he's done wallowing, though, he'll gain a new party member: Agnès! She's another Freelancer at the moment, and won't be as strong as Tiz. No worries, she'll get leveled up.
- Run back south. Various cut scenes ensue. Soon you'll be fighting Eternian soldiers, which really aren't much more difficult than normal enemies. Use Default to save up your BP and Brave it up if you think it necessary. Treat is moderately handy for restoring HP if you start to run low; just don't use Default too often.
- Return to the entrance of Norende Ravine. The Eternians will give up, and you'll gain the opportunity to Party Chat between Tiz and Agnès. These chats will pop up occasionally, and it's not a bad idea to partake of the conversations.
- Head back to the first screen. More cut scenes ensue, explaining the backbone of the plot to come. There will be another Party Chat immediately after Agnès is done talking.
- Eventually you'll be allowed to leave this stupid Ravine. Trust me. Mind that there's another Party Chat on the way.
World Map
- Once you hit the world map, Tiz will notice Agnès' Pendant. Using this you can summon friends on your friend list to help in battle. (Y'know, assuming they have the game.) These summons are quite powerful, and can prove rather useful in boss battles. Note that StreetPass guests can also be registered as friends, so it's easier to accumulate summons than you might imagine.
- Head back south to Caldisla, assuming you've accumulated enough experience for Agnès to make her a viable party member.
Caldisla
- Back to the big city. Assuming you returned at night, muck about on the main map and get into a few fights to bring back the sun. Once it's daytime, return to the castle and talk to the king.
- Once you're done talking you'll gain the ability to rebuild Norende Village. Norende's reconstruction is tied to StreetPass, and every time you gain a new guest via StreetPass your Norende will gain a new resident, allowing you to complete construction tasks more quickly. Sweet. (Reconstruction of Norende Village will be detailed in another walkthrough.)
- Check out the Party Chat in the wake of the convo before heading out. Once you're on the streets, Agnès will determine the next destination. Another Party Chat ensues. Back to the map!
World Map
- Your destination was more or less spelled out for you earlier: the Lake to the southwest. Gear up and follow the shoreline south of Caldisla to find the Lake. Try to work your characters up to level four or five minimum, as you're about to face your first legit boss battle.
Barras, Holly
Not a terribly difficult battle, but slightly more difficult than you'd expect for the first of the game. The roles of your two assailants are pretty much what you'd expect: Barras delivers a physical beating while Holly keeps them both healthy. They'll both buff Barras, Holly using Protect to raise his defense and Barras himself raising his attack power with Invigorate, turning him into quite the tank. Holly will also use Cure on Barras if you do significant amounts of damage. If Holly isn't helping Barras, she'll respond with normal attacks and occasional castings of Aero. As his HP goes down Barras will also hit everyone when using Invigorate, which is bad for both sides of the battlefield.
Your path here is pretty clear: beat on 'em both. What else can Freelancers do? Start by wiping out Holly, as she'll make Barras too much of a nuisance to whittle down even with Brave attacks. She also has less HP, and her defenses are generally poorer, even when she casts Protect on herself. After she's gone, focus your all on Barras. Heal as necessary.
- After wiping out Barras and Holly you'll gain the Monk and White Mage asterisks, allowing you to reclass your two characters (and any others who may come along) into these new jobs. A series of tutorials back on the World Map will teach you all about jobs; reclassing your characters now isn't a bad idea. (Though bear in mind that Freelancer is, in its own way, not a terrible job.)
- Airy suggests snagging the airship Holly and Barras used to attack Agnès, but it seems to have wandered off somewheres. Return to Caldisla to track it down.