Gamer Corner Guides

First things first. Celes automatically removed all of her equipment and her equipped Esper before the opera, so make sure to re-equip her now!

The Blackjack

While you can't fly the Blackjack anywhere else, you are free to board it and check out its Item Shop and free inn. A man in the Casino area, just below the Deck, offers to remove the equipment from the otherwise unreachable party members you left in Narshe. This includes any Espers they may have been using. (He can also unequip everyone including current members, if desired.) You can speak to Setzer here as well, though he doesn't have anything important to say.

You'll notice a new item for sale here, the Warp Stone. They allow you to run from combat like a Smoke Bomb (also sold here), but their real value is in letting you leave dungeons and other locations entirely and return to the World Map. This doesn't work everywhere, and is usually blocked when you're stuck in a location for plot reasons. You'll be able to learn the Warp Spell in the near future, but it's nice to have a Warp Stone or two around just in case.

Albrook

While you are not actually required to visit Albrook, Setzer lands the Blackjack right next to it, so it makes sense to explore and resupply. Speaking with the locals, you'll learn about the imperial occupation. You'll see a number of imperial troopers all over town, including a group partying in the cafe. One armored trooper will prevent you from going to the Docks, but the rest of the town is easily accessible.

There are a few interesting hints here, though nothing relevant to your immediate goal of infiltrating the MagiTek Research Facility. One old man will mention that nice Weapons and Armors can be found in Tzen and Maranda, two other occupied cities on this continent. You'll also learn of a man painting Emperor Gestahl's portrait, and hear rumors of something powerful the empire is guarding at the Imperial Base. Finally, one scholar mentions two Atma Weapons—a sword and a monster.

In addition to information, there are a few Treasures to find in Albrook. The path between the Cafe and Relic Shop features a clock that contains an Elixir. The pot in the top right corner of the Weapon Shop has a Tincture hidden in it. Sadly, both chests in the Armor Shop are empty, but you can find a Potion in a barrel next to the Inn.

Albrook has a few new weapons for sale. The Poison Claw is not nearly as powerful as Sabin's Fire Knuckle, but can be useful as a second Weapon (if Sabin is using a Genji Glove) or against Monsters weak against Poison (or if you just missed the Fire Knuckle in Zozo). The Epee is a nice upgrade for Celes, though it won't let her attack from the back row like the Flail. It is technically an upgrade for Edgar, but he's not likely to get much use out of it. Finally, there's the Blossom, a nice upgrade for Shadow…who also isn't in the party. You'll want one eventually, though you'll have other chances to pick it up if you want to save GP now.

There is one new piece of Armor available in Albrook, the Bard's Hat. Similar to the Green Beret, it grants a 1/8 bonus to maximum MP (rather than HP) and offers the same Defense. It offers better magic protection than the Green Beret, making it a solid choice for anyone slinging spells in the back row. Granted, that doesn't describe anyone currently in the party, but the Bard's Hat isn't bad if you like to use a lot of Magic.

The Item Shop has the usual array of items, including Warp Stones, and is notable for being the first place you'll find Remedies on sale. They are pricy but nice to have around, though the only thing they cure that cheaper items do not is Seizure. Finally, there are many solid Relics available in the Relic Shop, including two you haven't previously seen. Wall Rings are expensive but give a continuous Reflect effect, which can completely cripple the offense of some Monsters. Be aware that you can't directly heal Reflecting characters with Magic. Having four of these can make some tough battles later in the game trivial. The other new relic is the Amulet, which protects against Poison and most importantly, Zombie. (And least importantly, Dark.) This is a nice situational defense to have available.

The Southern Continent

The southern continent consists of the Albrook Area in the south and east, and the Vector Area to the north and west. Both have similar sets of encounters. It's a short walk to Vector, but if you decide to explore the other towns in the area you'll be seeing a lot of these encounters.

The Encounters differ between the areas only on the plains. Nearer to Albrook, you'll fight trios of Jokers and Ralphs paired with Jokers and Wyverns. You'll occasionally see a pack of five ChickenLips. As you head towards Vector, you'll still see Ralphs with Wyverns, but now you'll also find pairs of Ralphs and trios of the new WeedFeeders instead of Jokers.

Jokers like to use Acid Rain, and they use it more often as battle goes on. It's not very powerful, and while it does cause Seizure, that Status doesn't get any worse if you get hit with it multiple times. A lone Joker will start casting Bolt 2, however, which is a much greater threat. Fortunately they're relatively weak and vulnerable to both Thunder and Poison. Ralphs are tougher, with more HP and no obvious vulnerabilities. Fortunately they offer little threat, with their most powerful attack being a measly ×1.5 damage special, Tackle. Leave them for last to prevent their allies' nasty solo attacks. If you get lucky, you can steal a Tiger Mask, a nice upgrade for Sabin or Gau, from Ralph.

Wyverns have a lot of HP and only one vulnerability which only Celes can exploit right now (Ice). Their basic attacks are reasonably powerful but are only a minor threat. Slip Wing inflicts Seizure but deals no initial damage. However, left alone, a Wyvern can use Cyclonic, which puts anyone it hits into Near Fatal status. It is not an accurate Ability, but don't give them a chance to try it. WeedFeeders are no-nonsense Monsters whose only point of interest is that they use Flap to cause Berserk. This shouldn't make it any harder to kill them.

The continent's deserts, found mostly to the east, are home to the same FossilFangs that you saw in the Kohlingen Area, though they no longer appear alone. They can show up in pairs or alongside Bugs, a new monster that also appears in its own groups. FossilFangs are still dangerous, though you're now in a better position to exploit their many vulnerabilities (to Fire, Ice, Water, and Pearl). Bugs are no threat at all until there's only one left, at which point they can use StoneSpine to Petrify party members. With only 310 HP, you should have no problem taking out groups of them before that happens.

Finally, there are the forests, which are concentrated in the central, northern, and western parts of the continent. You'll find ChickenLips here, usually accompanied by a Ralph and a Wyvern but sometimes in groups of five. Similar to Bugs, they are little threat in a group. Their Lash special causes Mute, but won't be used until at least the third round. They can, however, cast Quake if there's only one remaining. Don't save them for last in mixed groups, and try to take out the last few with a single attack otherwise. The good news about dealing with ChickenLips is that the average Magic Points, Exp., and GP are much higher in the forests than other locations on the southern continent.