Gamer Corner Guides

Recruiting Gau

With Dried Meat in hand, take Sabin and Cyan to the Veldt and fight battles until Gau appears again. This time, use the Dried Meat on him and he'll join the party. He starts with no equipment, and while he cannot use Weapons, he can use Armors, so equip him with the best you can spare. Make sure to give him appropriate Relics as well. Gau will direct the party south toward Crescent Mountain with the promise of treasure, and that's where you should head next.

Gau has a list of Rages that can only be expanded by fighting on the Veldt. He will start with a decent list: Brawler, Whisper, Were-Rat, Rhinotaur, Lobo, Hornet, Trilobiter, Exocite, and M-TekArmor. (He doesn't learn the Rages of the monsters you were fighting when he first joined.)

Using a Rage not only gives Gau access to the special attack associated with each Rage (which is used half the time; the other half of the time, Gau will simply use Fight), it also gives him the Monster's Elemental and Status affinities. He will inherit both immunities and weaknesses, and even permanent effects. For example, using the M-TekArmor Rage gives Gau access to the Tek Laser attack while also applying the Safe Status, making him immune to a number of other Statuses, and giving him a weakness to Thunder. The Rage will continue automatically, and you'll lose control of Gau after choosing one, so choose wisely for any given battle.

Crescent Mountain

Crescent Mountain is a small cave area found in the southern part of the Veldt. There are no encounters inside, and only four points of interest (all of which require Gau to be present). Just north and one square east of the entrance, there is a short cutscene. If you explore the square plateau west of the entrance, Gau will find a Tonic. If you explore the westerly path at the north end of the cave, he will pull a prank that will cost you 500 GP. It's amusing, but perhaps best skipped. The real prize is the diving helmet found in the southeastern part of the cave. Once you approach it, you can't return to the Veldt for a while, so make sure you learn any Rages you want now before moving forward.

The Serpent Trench

The Serpent Trench features a nonstandard encounter system similar to the Lete River. The good news is, you'll only fight encounters during the odd Mode 7 underwater passage sequences. The bad news is, the monsters here are tough. This area differs from the Lete River in that your directional choices must be made quickly, or they will be made for you, and there are no loops. There are two intersections, and in both cases going right leads to treasure while going left leads to more encounters. (I recommend always going right.)

Actaneons are the least dangerous and most common Monster in the Serpent Trench. They don't have any dangerous attacks and are vulnerable to both Fire and Thunder. (Note that all of the Monsters in the area absorb Water attacks.) Anguiforms are far more dangerous. Every third turn they can use the powerful Garrote attack, and even worse, they can use Aqua Rake when alone. Since they sometimes appear as the only Monster in an encounter, you'll want to kill them quickly with special attacks. They are vulnerable to Thunder and have more HP (315) than the other Monsters in the Serpent Trench.

Finally, there are Aspiks, which aren't that threatening outside of their devastating Giga Volt counterattack. This will be used 1/3 of the time in response to any attack other than Fight, even if the attack kills the Aspik. (Giga Volt will most likely kill the character that attacked.) They will also occasionally inflict Stop with NumbSpines. They are vulnerable to Fire, but it's recommended to take them out with normal attacks to avoid Giga Volt. Gau's Rhinotaur Rage is also a smart option, as it can exploit the Aspiks' Thunder weakness with Mega Volt and absorb the damage from Giga Volt as well.

You'll begin your trip with a battle against Monster Set 1. After that battle, you'll be given a choice. Whichever direction you choose, you'll enter a battle with Monster Set 2. After that, your choice determines your next destination. If you went left, you'll fight Monster Set 3, while if you went right, you'll end up in a small cave. You can find an X-Potion in a chest to the east. Leaving the cave will return you to the Underwater Passage.

After your second encounter after going left, or upon emerging from the cave, you'll be given another left-right choice. This time, your next battle will differ depending on which way you go. Going left leads to encounters with Monster Set 2 and then Monster Set 3. On the right you'll encounter Monster Set 3 before ending up in a cave. You'll have to head up the stairs then loop around to find a tile that drains the nearby pool. Once you jump in the hole where the pool was, you'll find a valuable Green Beret. The exit to the cave can be found by heading south. Either way, you'll fight no more encounters before washing up on the Docks in Nikeah.

Nikeah

You can immediately leave Nikeah and end Sabin's scenario by speaking to the ship captain near where you wash up, but it pays to spend some time shopping before you do. Whether this is your last scenario or not, this is your best chance to gear up your party for the encounters ahead.

Nikeah's shops are well-stocked, but you've seen most of these items before. The Armor Shop has Magus Hats in case you want to get them for Terra and Celes and didn't do so in Mobliz. You may also want to buy the pair Silk Robes, a cheaper alternative to Iron Armor that sacrifices 1 point of Defense for 2 extra Mag.Def, no Speed penalty, and a +1 Mag.Pwr bonus. The only new weapon available is the Mithril Pike, which is an upgrade for Edgar but not one he is likely to get much use out of.

The Smoke Bomb is a new item available in Nikeah. It lets you immediately run from a battle, and can be useful to have on hand. The Relic Shop features a number of Relics you've seen before, including White Capes, and also offers the new Fairy Ring. This combines the effects of the Goggles and Star Pendant (also on sale here), which would be useful if Dark had any effect. As it is, the Fairy Ring is just a more expensive version of the Star Pendant.

Aside from shopping, there are a few points of interest in Nikeah. You can find an Elixir in the clock in the Inn's east room. There's also a cutscene in the Cafe that can be triggered by speaking to the serving girl. If you need to earn more money, you can leave town and fight battles similar to those in the South Figaro Area. Once you're satisfied, talk to the ship captain at the Docks to end the scenario.

Use one of the links below to proceed to the guide for the next scenario:

• Locke's Scenario
• Terra's Scenario
• All Scenarios Complete