Gamer Corner Guides

Occupied Vector

When you reach Vector, there isn't an imperial citizen in sight. The Inn and Cafe are abandoned (though the other shops are still running as normal), there are Returners and Narshe guards everywhere, and the place is on fire. You'll find Banon and Arvis near the entrance to the Imperial Palace.

Enter the palace where a sentry leads you to Emperor Gestahl. He asks you to speak to his soldiers for four minutes leading up to a banquet. This isn't just a formality, you will be graded on your performance, both now and at the banquet. If you have Sprint Shoes, use them, because four minutes does not give you any time to waste.

Talking to Soldiers

There are 24 soldiers in the Imperial Palace, and you get one point for each one you talk to. Four of those soldiers will attack you when spoken to. Defeating them earns you 5 points apiece, for a maximum total of 44 points. If you want to get every possible reward, you can't afford to miss more than 3 points, so you'll need a strategy. Three of the battles are against Commandos, which should be immediately defeated with powerful Magic (especially Bolt 2). The other battle is against a Mega Armor which has the usual machine weaknesses to Thunder and Water. It will counter both Fight (with Tek Laser) and Magic (with Missile), wasting your time in either case, so hit it with Bolt 2 or something equivalent that will defeat it in one shot.

The sentries in the throne room don't count, so head south immediately. I recommend heading outside first and speaking to the soldiers there, then following the west side of the Palace and entering every door as you go up the stairs. Don't worry about the Treasures, as you can pick them up later. There are no soldiers inside the bottom-level door on the west side, but don't miss such out-of-the-way locations as the Toilet or the Device Room on the Roof. Once you reach the Roof, descend down the east side and follow the same process. The door on the bottom level on the east side leads to the jail where you can speak to Kefka, but you get no points for this so it's best to wait until after the banquet.

The Banquet

When your time is up, you'll automatically be seated for the banquet. You'll be scored here as well, and your cumulative score will determine your rewards. You can earn a maximum of 49 points at the banquet, and you'll need to earn at least 90 of the 93 total available points to earn every possible reward. Fortunately it's much easier to maximize your points at the banquet than when speaking to soldiers. You'll be asked a series of questions, and each answer has a point value from 1 to 5. At one point you will be allowed to ask Emperor Gestahl questions. Each of the three you ask him earns you 2 points, while repeating any question results in you losing 10 points. He will later ask which one you asked first, so don't forget! Answering correctly nets you another 5 points. When Cid asks if you would like to take a break, do so and talk to Gestahl's sentries. You'll be challenged to a battle with 3 Sp Forces. This battle has a two-minute time limit, and if you win within that time you earn 5 points. (It's a very easy fight, and there's no reason not to go all-out with your best Spells and Abilities.) Finally, when Gestahl asks if you will accompany him, say yes the first time to earn 3 points. Here's the breakdown of the point values for possible answers to his questions:

When the banquet is over and you have agreed to board the freighter in Albrook (whether you want to or not), you will automatically be left with a party of Terra and Locke. All of your other Characters will stay behind to keep an eye on the Empire. You can track them down and speak to them all over Vector and the Imperial Palace. But first, you will receive rewards based on your performance. These are cumulative, so if you receive a higher-tier reward, you will also get all the rewards on the tiers below it.

The Tintinabar is nice, and the Charm Bangle can be useful if you're trying to avoid gaining too much experience, but neither is vital. The most immediately useful reward is unlocking the Treasures in the Imperial Base. It's quite a cache, and you should head there at the first opportunity if you earned this reward. You can't reach South Figaro or Doma Castle at the moment, so you gain nothing in the immediate future from their liberation. The citizens are presumably appreciative, though.

For now, you have plenty of time to search for Treasures in the Palace and speak to Kefka. The lowest-level door on the west side of the Palace leads to the Back Guard, a Relic that prevents back and pincer attacks, and an X-Potion. The Barracks on the next floor up has a chest with a Tincture. The Bedroom on the second floor of the east side contains a Gale Hairpin, sort of the reverse of the Back Guard in that it increases the chance for a preemptive attack. Finally, you'll find a Revivify in the Bathroom connected to that Bedroom.

Imperial Base

If you convinced Gestahl to unlock it, you should head east toward the Imperial Base. You may only have a two-Character party, but you should be sufficiently powerful to deal with southern continent Monsters. In the previously locked room in the Imperial Base you'll find a total of 41,000 GP, Cherub Down, a Wall Ring, RunningShoes, another Back Guard, a Cure Ring, a Flame Sabre (in the stove), two Elixirs (one in a hidden chest at the bottom right corner of the room), an X-Potion, and an Ether. The GP alone was probably worth the effort, but this is quite a haul with a lot of useful but otherwise expensive Relics.

While it wasn't mentioned during the banquet, Tzen and Maranda (though not Albrook) were also liberated. There's nothing new to find in either town, but you can visit and check up with the locals if you like. While you're in the vicinity, there is a fun cutscene between Setzer and Cid to be found in the Blackjack Engine Room. This may be the first Cid in the series who isn't initially involved with airships, but that doesn't mean he can't tinker from time to time!