Figaro Castle
When you're done shopping and treasure hunting in Narshe, your next move is to head south to Figaro Castle. None of the enemies have changed on the way, and all can be easily dispatched with normal attacks or Edgar's AutoCrossbow. I recommend bringing a full party of four, but if you bring three or fewer, you'll be able to recruit Shadow during the trip. This will cost you 3,000 GP and he is liable to leave at any time, though. You can't rehire him if he does decide to leave. You'll have to return to Narshe to refill your party if that happens (or just go on with a smaller one), so it may not be worth the effort. You should bring a party capable of surviving a long adventure. Celes is one of the weaker characters at this point, offensively speaking, but her Cure Spell can save you a lot of Tonics and Potions. Gau may also be highly useful if you've taught him some good Rages. Edgar's Tools are always useful, and will be getting an upgrade shortly. All that said, pretty much any party will do.
There are a few special cutscenes available during the next segment of the game, depending on which characters are in the party. You can still view these cutscenes later if you miss them now, so you don't necessarily need to build your party around seeing them. The first of these involve Edgar and Sabin's return to Figaro Castle. If Edgar arrives at the castle before Sabin ever has, he'll lament that Sabin isn't here. On the other hand, if you do bring Sabin, he'll run off and explore the castle. If you have both brothers in the party and sleep in the West Wing, you'll see a cutscene explaining why Sabin originally left the castle.
A bit later on, there are also two cutscenes available in Kohlingen if Locke is in the party. Celes has a brief appearance in one of these as well if she's in the party. This cutscene can only be viewed once, though it need not be right now.
Aside from cutscenes, you may also want to bring Edgar along because he gets a 50% discount at the Figaro Castle shops, though only when he is the lead character. The shops have a bunch of new goods, including two expensive new Tools (the Flash and Drill), so this discount can come in very handy. The only new Item available is the Revivify, which heals Zombie. No other battle items, not even a Remedy, can do this, so be sure to buy a few. (Zombie can also be healed with a Tent or Sleeping Bag.) You'll be running into an enemy that can inflict Zombie in the very near future.
Once you've explored the castle and finished shopping, head down the western stairs to Basement 1 and ask the old man to take you to Kohlingen. The castle will dig under the sand and head northwest, appearing in the Kohlingen Area. You can ask him to return you to the Narshe Area at any time.
Kohlingen Area
The Kohlingen Area features much tougher monsters than you've seen on the World Map so far. You'll start in the desert, where most of the encounters are with Sand Rays and Areneids you've seen before near Figaro Castle. However, about 1/3 of the time you'll run into a FossilFang, a powerful foe with 1,399 HP and three nasty attacks. Its basic attack is quite powerful, and it can also use Bone to inflict Zombie on a character. To top that off, it can use Sand Storm to deal heavy damage to the entire party. FossilFangs can even counter normal attacks with Sand Storm. They are vulnerable to Ice and AuraBolt and relatively weak against physical attacks, but with that HP total you may want to consider running if you see one. You can often steal a Remedy from FossilFang, and they are worth a lot of GP if defeated.
On the plains near Kohlingen, you'll fight Vultures and Red Fangs. Vultures like to use Shimsham to halve your Characters' HP, and will start inflicting Dark with Blinder if there's only one left on the battlefield. Red Fangs will also start using a special ability, Rabies (which causes Poison but deals no initial damage), if they're left alone. In mixed groups, it usually pays to take out the Vultures first, even though they have more HP. Both are vulnerable to physical damage.
The forests also feature the occasional Vulture, along with several other new enemies. The Over Grunk is a hardier version of a Red Fang, with a Poison attack they will only use if their allies are dead. They also carry Remedies and have the most HP (492) of any enemy in the area aside from FossilFang. Iron Fists like to mix in a double-damage Knee Kick with their basic attacks, and will use the Muddled-inducing Stone attack if they're the last remaining enemy. They are highly vulnerable to physical attacks. Mind Candies are the least individually-threatening enemies, who can inflict Psyche with SleepSting They can even counter with it, albeit only in response to Steal and when solo.
Kohlingen
| Mithril Shld | 1,200 GP |
| Magus Hat | 600 GP |
| Bandana | 800 GP |
| Head Band | 1,600 GP |
| Iron Helmet | 1,000 GP |
| Silk Robe | 600 GP |
| Iron Armor | 700 GP |
Kohlingen is a small village with very talkative residents. A man outside the inn will mention that Terra went south, and another villager talks about Jidoor and the Opera House in that direction. That gives you a new destination. An old man also mentions his brother's Cabin to the north, though this is not a necessary destination.
The main event here, story-wise, are Locke's two special cutscenes. They won't be available if he isn't in the party, but you can always check them out later. In the northeastern house, a kooky old man in the basement will talk about preserving Locke's lost love, Rachel. You can enter his house from the north and open a treasure chest hidden behind the statue on the left for a Green Beret. The other cutscene occurs when you enter Rachel's house in the northwest, and gives context for why Locke is the way he is (particularly about Terra). You can also find an Elixir in the clock here.
All three shops in Kohlingen are found in the General Store in the center of town. The Item Shop sells goods you've seen before, and you're better off using Edgar's discount at the Figaro Castle Items for most of them, if he's in the party. The Weapon Shop likewise has a number of Weapons you've seen before. What's new here are the Elemental Thrown Object items for Shadow, who you can recruit in the Inn if your party is not yet full. These items are powerful but expensive. Given that Shadow will most likely leave before long, they can be a risky investment (though you can always use them later in the game).
The Armor Shop does have a new entry, the Head Band. It's not quite as powerful defensively as the Iron Helmet, but with small bonuses to Vigor, Speed, and Stamina, they can be useful for Locke, Sabin, Cyan, or Gau. The two Green Berets you may have found so far probably outweigh them due to the HP bonus, but if you want to focus more on outputting physical damage, the Head Band is your best bet.
Optional: Dragon's Neck Cabin
While there's no plot reason to head north instead of south, you'll find a nice Hero Ring in the lower left pot in the Dragon's Neck Cabin, so it may be worth the trip. The man here talks about opening a colosseum, a promise which will be paid off much later in the game.
Conveniently, there is a Chocobo Stable in the forest just beyond the Cabin. If you want to avoid fights on your way to Jidoor, this is actually the easiest way to make the trip. You might prefer to earn the Exp and GP from the battles along the way, though.