+++++++++++++++++++++ 6. Time Compression +++++++++++++++++++++ [Lunatic Pandora] If you observe carefully, you'll notice a structure to the right, which leads to the upper regions of the Pandora in the next screen. Ascend the first ladder, followed by a second one to reach a Draw Point. Or just head left after the 1st ladder to run up the tilting white pole. Take a right when you reach the top, then proceed into the opening in the next screen. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BOSS: Adel HP: 65,000+ Draw List: Fire 3, Bolt 3, Ice 3, Flare ALLY: Rinoa HP: Variable Draw List: Esuna, Despell, Regen You'll have two targets to choose from here, and you MUST NOT let Rinoa die in this battle. Adel has quite a formidable arsenal of magical attacks, and occasionally she'll drain Rinoa's HPs. Counter this by junctioning spells to Rinoa's HP parameter prior to this, and casting Regen on her at the start of the fight. You can't use spells such as Ultima, Squall's Renzokuken or any G.Fs here as they'll also damage Rinoa, so stick to physical attacks on Adel. A 'Merton' spell on her before that should make your task easier. Heal Rinoa when needed. Side note: Actually, I had no idea about the Renzokuken damaging Rinoa, and sorta used it on Adel. Strangely enough, even though the finishing blow (Blasting Zone) did 9,999 damage to both Adel and Rinoa, I didn't get a Game Over. I took Adel down with this move though. Apparently, as long as Adel is defeated, the game doesn't bother to check if Rinoa's still alive. This method's a bit risky, though. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [Beginning Room] Eluone will initiate time compression here... after a nice FMV you'll find yourselves in the Beginning Room. Save, then trudge your way through the numerous save points that appear. Head for the door in the background. Squall and company will have to combat the witch of each era, and every fight takes place on a different battlefield, cumulating in a show-down with the Final Sorceress. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BOSSES: Sorceress A x6 HP: 3,000+ Draw List: Fire 3, Bolt 3, Ice 3 BOSSES: Sorceress B x5 HP: 5,000+ Draw List: Haste, Double The battles are continuous here, but fortunately these witches are quite easy to take down. Both physical attacks and spells which affect all targets (i.e. Ultima, Meteo) should allow you to breeze through them. BOSS: Final Sorceress HP: 100,000+ Draw List: Flare, Holy She can hit you pretty hard in a single attack, which takes away roughly 1,000 HPs from one character. Also, when she finishes her count-down, she'll unleash 'Ultima' on your party, something which you won't want. In any case, hit her with a Merton-Aura-Renzokuken combo, and have the remaining cast heal or summon powerful G.Fs such as Bahamut and Eden. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [Edea's Orphanage] Head up, take a right, then proceed up again for a cool FMV introducing Artemisia's Castle. Make your way north still, and along the way you should come across a thick metal chain. There should be a total of 3 doors to the left; press 'Circle' near them to leap towards them. Just head for the one to the upper-left to get out first. Here's where they lead to: Upper-left portal: Region near the Chocobo Holy Shrine Middle-left portal: Region near the Sentra Ruins Lower-left portal: Region near Deling City [Overworld] (note: Although optional, I highly recommend you at least recover the Ragnarok) You'll emerge at the shoreline near the Chocobo Holy Shrine (the forested cliffs north-east of Esthar). Head inland and locate the camouflaged dome-like Shrine. Once you've got that free chocobo, ride it south across the shallow waters towards Sabotender Desert. There's a beach south-east of the desert; get your Chocobo onto the continent via the shore, and head towards the center of the desert to find the Ragnarok. You'll notice that with the exception of dungeons and chocobo forests, all other areas are blocked off. There's not much you can do about the strange barriers surrounding each town, so don't bother about them too much. Still, I suggest you take a trip down to the Heaven and Hell Islands to stock up on spells first. Once you've done that, try taking a look inside the Ragnarok. [Ragnarok] Here's where you can complete your collection of rare cards, as well as purchase supplies. Just press 'Triangle' and hold 'X' when piloting the Ragnarok (method courtesy of Scott Ong's Final Fantasy VIII FAQ). You should meet up with Sue at the haul of the ship. And as for the rest of the CC Group, they're scattered all over the Ragnarok, but shouldn't pose a problem in locating them. Note that the Joker near the elevator sells you items, in addition to providing weapon upgrading services. The CC Group holds virtually all the rare cards you've yet to collect, so take time off to win them. However, they won't be your only source of cards in Disc Four, as the Card Queen can still be found on the Overworld itself. She's located at one of the southern tips of the Esthar continent. You can't see her on the Overworld directly; you'll need to actually run into the specific area to enter a field screen. Btw, this is the same field screen where you re-discovered Piett in Disc Three. [Returning to Artemisia's Castle] When you're ready, fly over to Sabotender Desert and look for a portal in the north-west. This opens up yet another door to the right of the metal chain leading to Artemisia's Castle. Run up from there to reach the final dungeon of ff 8. Save before you enter. [Artemisia's Castle] Upon your entrance, Squall will have 8 commands sealed off: Item, Magic, G.F, Draw, Command Abilities, Desperations, Revive fallen companions and Save. This handicap is temporary; you can either leave the castle to get back your abilities, or defeat the 8 bosses hidden within the dungeon to reclaim them. In addition, you have to work in 2 parties here. Here're my recommendations: Main Party: Squall, Rinoa, Zell Secondary Party: Quistis, Selphie, Irvine Here's where you have to divide and junction G.Fs evenly among your party members. For me, I used Diablos' 'Encounter Zero' party ability most of the time here, so you may have to exchange Diablos each time you switch parties. Throughout the castle you'll find spinning green Switch Spots. Stepping onto them produces 3 options: - Switch between parties. - Swap characters between parties (both parties must be standing at the same Switch Spot). - Ignore. Now that you have a rough idea of what's going on, it's time to start: (walkthrough of Artemisia's Castle and all bosses stats - with the exception of Artemisia's - courtesy of Scott Ong's Final Fantasy VIII FAQ Part I) Main Party: You should start in the Main Hall. Head north and climb the stairs to face Andro. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BOSS: Andro HP: 16,000+ Draw List: ???? Since you'll only have the 'Attack' command available here, make sure your party is properly junctioned when it comes to their HP and Attack parameter. Just beat on Andro using physical attacks (Squall's R1 Gunblade trigger comes into play here), and ignore the monsters he summons. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Choose to unlock 'Magic' after the fight. Remember to add this command to your command list immediately in the menu screen! Magic lets you heal your characters, plus you now have access to (hopefully) various powerful spells that you've stocked up. Main Party: Head up the stairs. Ignore the door in front of you and make your way right instead. Go through the door in the south-east. In the Eastern Wing of the castle, run to your right and descend the stairs. You should see a string attached to a bell at the foot of the stairs. Ringing it with the 'Circle' button produces a timer in the top-left corner of the screen, but you won't be needing that now. Just keep the location of this bell in mind. Proceed through the door in the background, past the green Switch Spot. You should be in the Painting Gallery now. First, take a look at each of the 4 paintings on the 1st floor of the Gallery (ignore the largest one to the left), then climb the steps to the right. View the other 8 paintings on the 2nd Floor (there's a 'Shell' Draw Point here, btw). Now return to the large painting to the left on the 1st floor, the one which I told you to ignore previously. Examine it and enter 'Vividarium', 'Intervigilium' and 'Viator' in this order. I won't bother with explaining how this puzzle is solved ^_^ Either way, Dolmen should appear now. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BOSS: Dolmen HP: 28,809 Weak: Wind Draw List: Flare BOSS: Mini-Dolmen HP: 2,518 Weak: Wind Draw List: Esuna, Despell Cast 'Merton' on Dolmen, then bash away at him using physical attacks. You can also use 'Tornado' coupled with 'Triple' to do damage, but I advise you ignore the Mini-Dolmens he summons; they come in unlimited numbers. Junction 'Tornado' to Elemental Attack if you can. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Choose to unlock 'Desperations' here. You're pretty much a powerhouse now with Squall's Renzokuken usable. Proceed into the background and step through the door. Further up ahead you'll find a Switch Spot. Now take over your secondary party. Secondary Party: Equip Diablos over to the party members here for his 'Encounter Zero' ability if you wish to. Head up the stairs and into the door in the north. Run onto the chandelier; it should fall, and you'll wind up in the Banquet Room. Examine the nearby hatch in the floor to descend into the Wine Cellar. Triedge will be waiting for you here. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BOSS: Triedge HP: 22,000 Weak: Fire Strong vs.: Lightning Draw List: Haste, Tornado, Bio Triedge counters with a very damaging Bolt Strike each time you attack it (takes off about 3,000 HP from everyone), so make sure you junction 'Bolt 3' to Elemental Defense before the fight. Then just hit it with 'Fire 3' or physical attacks (cast 'Merton' and junction 'Fire 3' to Elemental Attack) for an easy victory. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Release the seal on 'G.F' or 'Save' here. Climb back up to the Banquet Room, and head through the door in the background to reach a Switch Spot in the Fountain Garden. Back to your main party. Main Party: If you chose to unlock 'Save' after defeating Triedge, you can climb the stairs to the left and head through the left opening to reach a save point at the end of the corridor. Otherwise, just go through the door in front of the Switch Spot to reach the Basement (remember to swap Diablos over). Go for the door to the left in the basement. It should shut behind you. Take the key from the skeleton's hand. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BOSS: Ulframiter HP: 30,000 Strong vs.: Physical attacks Draw List: Gravite This guy has a ridiculously high defense, but that's easily countered by casting 'Merton' on him and whacking him with a Renzokuken. Also, summoning both Diablos and Sabotender work well in addition to casting 'Gravite'. Other than the above 4 methods, there's no other way you can hurt him. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Choose to unlock either 'G.F' or 'Save' here, depending on which you have yet to release. Return back to the Switch Spot leading to the basement (you can save if you want to beforehand at the save point mentioned above). Change your party. Secondary Party: You should be at the Fountain Garden. Head for the door in the background (ignore the path leading to the right). The Church offers a playable organ in the upper-left corner. You can bang on it all you want first, but remember its position. Climb the staircase to the right of the screen. Eventually you'll reach a wooden bridge. Notice a sparkling object on it? RUN towards it to get it to fall off. Now return to the Switch Spot in the Fountain Garden. Main Party: Go back to the Basement again. Examine the canal to the right of the screen to pick up the Armoury Key. Use it on the door to the right and enter. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BOSS: Galganture (Head) HP: 10,626 Weak: Holy Draw List: Esuna, Haste, Bio BOSS: Galganture (Left Hand) HP: 6,884 Weak: Holy Draw List: Shell, Protect BOSS: Galganture (Right Hand) HP: 6,884 Weak: Holy Draw List: Bio, Gravite, Quake, Regen Summon 'Siren' to halt their magical spells, then follow up with 'Alexander' to take them out. You can cast 'Holy' on them if you want. The full version of Galganture will appear after you defeat the 3 parts. BOSS: Galganture (Whole) HP: 15,000 Draw List: Flare, Bio, Quake, Libra He likes to cast various status maladies, so make sure your party members are properly junctioned for Status Defense. Take him out with a Merton-Aura-Renzokuken combination, and remember to heal when needed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Remove the seal on 'Items' or 'Revive fallen companions'. Now return to the Switch Spot outside the basement (save if you want to first). Important: For the upcoming section to play out correctly, your main party has to consist of more males than females, and vice versa for your secondary party. It's okay if you followed my recommendations for both parties straight from the start. Secondary Party: From the Fountain Garden, head back one screen, move left, transverse down the corridor and through the door at the end of it to get back to the Main Hall. Climb the stairs again, but this time head left towards another door. Descend the stairs to the left, head past the Switch Spot into the door, and keep moving into the background in the next screen. Take the left Switch Spot at the elevators. Main Party: Climb the stairs to the left, into the left opening and past the save point. Step onto the elevator and switch over to the other party. Secondary Party: You'll be elevated to the 2nd floor. Proceed left into a room. Check around to find a 'Water Gate' key. Return back to the elevator and switch. Main Party: Head all the way back to the Basement. There should be a switch next to the door on the left. Have Squall examine it to drain the water. Now head for the Fountain Garden and look for a sparkling object in the fountain. Pick up the 'Store Room' key. Go back into the Banquet Room and step onto the Switch Spot to the right. This prevents the chandelier above from falling temporarily. Side events: Before you return to the Banquet Room, try heading into (Main Party) the Church. At the organ, press all 8 keys simultaneously. Now back-track to the Fountain Garden and take the right path. A new route (previously blocked by a steel gate) should've been opened up; follow the one-way trail. At the end you'll find a Rosetta Stone, plus open up a shortcut to the Basement. Secondary Party: Head back a screen to the dark corridor. Look for a door to the left (it's partially hidden). It's somewhere down the middle stretch. Inside the Store Room will be 4 coffins. Just open all of them up to get Katoblepas to appear. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BOSS: Katoblepas HP: 31,500 Weak: Earth, Water Strong vs.: Lightning Draw List: Meteo Summon G.F. Brothers or Leviathan to do damage (or junction either 'Quake' or 'Aqua' to Elemental Attack). The Merton-Aura-Shoot (Irvine's desperation) combination works nicely too. His attacks consist of mainly single-target spells, so don't worry too much about it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Unlock either 'Item' or 'Revive fallen companions' (depends on your previous selection after downing the Galganture). Now head back to the Main Hall, climb the stairs again, through the door to the north, over the now stable chandelier and into the door over at the other end. Kokytos awaits at the Balcony. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BOSS: Kokytos HP: 12,000 Strong vs.: Ice Draw List: Holy Kokytos has a few pretty nasty moves, and has the ability to counter every attack you throw at it. Just use a (you guessed it) Merton-Aura -Shoot combo to take care of it. Kokytos will cast 'Ultima' as a last resort after you finish it off, so take note. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You'll have only 'Draw' and 'Command Ability' left unlocked. I suggest taking the latter. You won't be needing the 'Draw' command much here anyway. Besides, commands such as 'Level Down' and 'Recovery' will come in useful. Return to the Switch Spot in the Main Hall. Main Party: Proceed into the Church, and head up the right staircase. Cross the wooden bridge and enter the door to the left. The ladder to the right leads to a dead-end, btw. On the very 1st floor of the Clock Tower should be an invisible save point (use Siren's 'Uncover Hidden Points' ability to see it). Climb up the extensive winding path until you reach a swinging bell. Position yourselves at the edge opposite to the lone ledge the bell swings to, and press 'Circle' to jump onto the bell. Enter the opening on the ledge to reach the exterior parts of the Clock Tower... and your most powerful adversary thus far in Artemisia's Castle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BOSS: Tiamat HP: 89,800 Strong vs.: Fire, Lightning, Wind Draw List: Flare Tiamat has an above average magic defense parameter, and his 'Dark Flare' does a pretty hefty amount of damage (about 4,000+ if you're properly junctioned) to everyone. Try to minimise this by casting 'Shell' at the start of the fight, then quickly attack him using a Merton-Aura-Renzokuken combination. You probably need to have Squall unleash his desperation twice to actually take Tiamat down. Likewise, if you do it fast enough, Tiamat won't get a chance to pull his 'Dark Flare' off, so you might want to have Squall equipped with a high offensive and speed rating. Cerebrus' 'Auto Haste' character ability works well here. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Unseal your final command here, and you're left with only the last boss to face. Head back into the Clock Tower, leap onto the bell, then travel up the remaining winding path to the top. When the path splits, go up for a 'Stop' Draw Point, then head south. Main Party (still): Run across the hands of the clock face, climb down the ladder and move right to reach another ladder, which you'll have to descend using. The bridge thereafter leads to Artemisia's Room. Save at the save point outside, recover all 6 of your characters, stock up on supplies (Tonberi's 'Call Shop' ability comes into play here) and do a final check on your junctioning and spells. Enter Artemisia's Room when you're ready. Side events: Artemisia's Castle holds virtually all the enemies you've ever encountered. Try fighting in different regions of the castle to face all of them, and pick up any rare items you may have missed. Another special side event I'll like to highlight here is finding and taking down the Omega Weapon. Unlike its cousin, the Ultima Weapon, this guy has the ability to kick your butt so hard, it'll be sore for months to come. So unless you really want to test your skills, I suggest you leave him for now, and come back later when you're properly prepared. For those who feel confident enough, here's what you'll need: 20 Hero's Medicine (change Laguna's card), 'Death' junctioned to Status Defense if anyone in your main party has a level which is a multiple of 5 (i.e. lv. 65, 70 or 100), a 'Merton' spell, 10 Aura Stones (or 'Aura' spells), and a high offensive-cum-HP rating (255 and 9,999 respectively) for Squall. That's for the cheap way to defeat him though ^_^ I'll detail the other traditional method below. Saving before the fight helps too! First off, take your main party and position them at the Switch Spot in the Fountain Garden, outside the Church. Have the secondary party make their way to the Eastern Wing of the castle, outside the Painting Gallery where the bell is. Ring it once, then quickly step into the nearby Switch Spot. Proceed into the Church as your main party, where you'll find Omega Weapon waiting for you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SPECIAL BOSS: Omega Weapon HP: 750,000+ Strong vs.: Holy Draw List: Flare, Holy, Meteo, Ultima The Omega Weapon has several kick-ass attacks at its disposal, some of which include the Torture Flare (9,998 damage to everyone), the Omega Beam (9,999 damage to a single character) and the all-powerful Megido Blast, which hits everyone for approximately 12,000 HP worth of damage. Fortunately, the Hero's Medicine should render all these attacks useless, as it puts a single party member into 'Invincible' status. You'll get a 'Decoration of Omega' in your Tutorial screen after defeating it. Cheap method: Omega will use 'Level 5 Death' at the start, so make sure everyone is protected from that. Have the party use Hero's Medicine on Rinoa and Zell, with Squall casting a 'Merton' spell on Omega. Your opponent will hit you with the 'Meteo' spell now, so recover Squall's HPs back to 9,999 (Leviathan's 'Recovery' command works fine here) using a character. You can let the other cast 'Haste' on Squall if you want, but leave Squall with a full time bar. Omega Weapon should launch its Torture Flare now, reducing Squall's HP to only 1. Have him unleash his Renzokuken, while another party member uses a Hero's Medicine on him. Now your main task will be to keep everyone in 'Invincible' status, as Squall repeatedly launches a flurry of desperation attacks to take Omega Weapon down. You don't have to bother with the rest of Omega's moves. Should Squall fall in this battle later on, I suggest using Aura (Stones) on him instead of waiting for his HP to be reduced back to critical status (after reviving him 1st, that is). The 'Other' method: This is for those who find themselves lacking the Hero's Medicine. You'll need (as many as you can get) G.Fs with a high HP rating (i.e. Eden), everyone in your main party with maximum HPs (9,999) plus a ton of recovery spells and items. I suggest changing Bahamut's card to obtain 100 Mega Elixirs. Omega always begins a fight with 'Level 5 Death', so ensure full protection against that in your party. Summon Cerebrus now to put everyone in 'Triple' status, then follow this up with a Merton-Aura -Renzokuken combo. Recover everyone's HPs back to 9,999 after Omega's 'Meteo' spell. The Torture Flare should reduce that back to only 1, but don't heal just yet. Unleash your desperations until he casts 'Gravite', then quickly repair the damage done. Next, summon G.Fs with high HPs, and let them absorb some of the damage when Omega uses his Megido Blast (12,000+ damage to everyone). Unleash your desperations if possible; Omega will cast 'Gravite' again, followed by his Omega Beam which WILL take a member now. Use an 'Araise' spell to get him or her back, followed by a flurry of recovery items (a single Mega Elixir works nicely here) to restore everyone's HP back to maximum. Omega will settle into a random pattern of attacks from here on; your tasks will be to hit him hard with desperations while predicting what he'll try to do next, and curing with a Mega Elixir when needed. Good luck! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Now back to the main quest... Artemisia will express her fury at SeeD for interfering with her plans of time compression, before she engages you in combat. The participants are picked randomly here (and that includes Squall as well), so make sure your G.Fs are evenly spread out. Artemisia will remove fallen companions in battle with her 'Angel' move, but if you're quick enough you can beat her to it with a well-timed 'Araise' spell. She comes in 5 (well, 4 and a half to be more accurate) forms, which you'll need to fight consecutively. You can use Hero's Medicine for a way too easy victory if you want to (it's the final battle, anyway). Here's a list detailing the specific attack method for each character: Squall: Have him unleash his Renzokuken (duh). Rinoa: Her 'Combine' desperation works okay, but keep her primarily as a healer of sorts. You can try using 'Varly', but seeing how you'll lose control of Rinoa, I advise against it. Zell: His 'Duel' should be his main offense. Quistis: Support the party with her 'Mighty Guard' and 'White Wind' enemy skills. For offense, use 'Shockwave Pulser' if you have it. Otherwise, stick to 'Ray Bomb' or 'Gatling Gun'. Irvine: Go trigger-happy with his 'Shoot' desperation. His 'Armour Piercing Bullets', 'Destruction Bullets' and 'Hadou Bullets' work fine. If you're a quick tapper, and have a full stock of 'Rapid Fire Bullets', try using them against Artemisia's final form. Selphie: Her 'Slot' desperation won't help much here, and it isn't worth it cycling through the list to try to get the rarer spells... make Selphie a healer instead. It's pretty obvious you need a chunk of Aura (Stones) for this last battle. However, should Squall be chosen as one of the participants (this occurs quite frequently, actually), I suggest letting him do all the attacking instead. The rest should simply support him by casting 'Merton' to destroy the enemy's defense, and healing Squall when needed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BOSS: Artemisia HP: 43,000 Weak: Poison Strong vs.: Holy Draw List: Haste, Slow, Reflect, Gravite The 1st form of Artemisia can be taken down effortlessly with a single Merton-Aura-Renzokuken combination. However, I suggest you make use of this one to prepare for the upcoming battles; put everyone in 'Triple', 'Protect', 'Shell', 'Haste' and 'Regen' (Quistis' 'Mighty Guard' Enemy Skill comes in handy here), followed by 'Aura' status if possible. Artemisia will attempt to spoil the party with 'Quake' and her 'Meiru Shutoroomu' (causes status maladies and heavy HP damage to all), but counter that with a Mega Elixir (change Bahamut's card). BOSS G.F: Grieva HP: 120,000+ Strong vs.: Earth, Poison Draw List: Bio, Quake, Tornado Grieva has a status ailment attack, tends to cast 'Gravite' and 'Death Sentence', and has an annoying habit of drawing spells from your party. Counter 'Death Sentence' with either a Remedy Plus or a Mega Elixir, and hit him repeatedly with Renzokukens (remember to reduce his defense to zero with 'Merton' 1st). Casting 'Ultima' coupled with 'Triple' works decently too, but I suggest you learn Eden's 'Triple Consumption' character ability first. Also note that from Grieva onwards, the bosses have the ability to kill off any of your G.Fs in a single blow, so don't bother with summoning them. Grieva will use his Shockwave Pulser at the end (or earlier if you aren't quick enough in taking him out), which takes off about 3,000 HP from everyone (that's if you have a decent Magic Defense rating -- try junctioning 'Reflect' to it and having 'Magic Defense +60%' equipped), or 1,500 if you're under a 'Shell' condition. BOSS: Artemisia-Grieva HP: 180,000+ Draw List: Fire 3, Bolt 3, Ice 3 SUB-BOSS: Herikkusu HP: 25,000+ Draw List: Esuna, Despell Artemisia will junction with Grieva for a truly nasty package. This 3rd form likes to cast 'Tornado' and 'Meteo', plus she'll occasionally remove an entire set of spells (i.e. a 100 Araise spells) from your magic list, thus forcing you to lose that junction (i.e. if you've junctioned Araise to HP, it'll fall back to its original value). She's also capable of casting the Shockwave Pulser at anytime now, too. Other than that, tiny cronies will appear to help in the duration of the fight. If you stall for too long until 2 Herikkusus appear, watch out for Artemisia's 'Great Atorakutaa', a (visually stunning) physical attack which does 4,000+ damage to the entire party. Stick to your tried-and-proven Merton-Aura-Renzokuken combination to take her down. If she de-attaches a part of herself, it means she's close to defeat -- keep it going! FINAL BOSS: True Artemisia HP: 250,000+ Draw List: Holy, Flare BOSS: Artemisia (Lower half) HP: 16,000+ Draw List: Apocalypse Artemisia, in all her final form glory, now has more offensive moves at her disposal; her Hell Judgement can bring everyone down to 1 HP (easier desperation moves though; in fact, you can just use a Hero's Medicine on Squall, and have him launch his Renzokuken repeatedly). She'll also cast 'Ultima' and 'Flare' on you, and when her lower body appears in the course of the fight, she'll draw 'Apocalypse' from it, which hits the entire party for roughly 3,500+ worth of damage. Take note that you can do the same to her, by beating her to drawing 'Apocalypse'. Artemisia will retain the annoying ability to remove an entire set of spells from you, too. Simply keep the Merton-Aura-Renzokuken combinations (I think you've gotten tired of that already ^_^) going, and heal immediately when she hits you with a Hell Judgement -- she might cast 'Ultima' as her next move. Try to dispose of her lower body first when it does appear. When Artemisia is near defeat, she'll start uttering lines in battle. During this period, you have to pound on her until she finishes what she has to say; each attack usually results in her speaking another line. Only when you've seen all she has to say then can you strike the finishing blow. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Enjoy the ending! *major spoiler here... skip this section if you want to see the ending for yourself* As an added bonus, I'll translate the following dialogue in the ending sequence. It's kinda amateurish, so I hope you'll bear with it: Irvine: Has it ended? Let's go back to our time then! Zell: Quiet! We'll have to recall the route back. Selphie: Don't get mixed up~! Quistis: Try not to get caught in the rifts between time itself. Rinoa: (Time... Places... Wanting to be with someone...) (Let's go there! Where I promised Squall we'll meet.) Rinoa: Squall! Squall! Let's go together! Where are you? Squall: (Where...?) (turns to see young Squall, and Edea) Edea: Squall! Where are you going? Young Squall: I'm gonna look for big sister! (runs off) Edea: Squall! Squall: (... Mama Sensei) (nanny in Japanese) Edea: I'm sorry -- did you see a young boy run past here? Squall: Don't worry. He can't go too far. Edea: That's what I thought. I can't really do much to help him. (Artemisia appears) Squall: .... still alive? (draws his Gunblade) Edea: ... she's a sorceress, isn't she? Squall: Yes, Mama Sensei. We should've defeated her already... Mama Sensei, please step back. Edea: There's no need to fight. She's merely looking for someone to inherit her powers. A sorceress cannot die unless she passes on her skills... I know that because I'm one of them. Let me inherit hers -- I do not want the children to get hurt. Artemisia: I.... won't... die... yet. (Edea goes over to her) Squall: Mama Sensei! Edea: Is it... over? Squall: ... maybe. Edea: You called me Mama Sensei. Just who... are you? Squall: SeeD. Balamb Garden's SeeD. Edea: SeeD? Garden? Squall: Both Garden and SeeD were Mama Sensei's ideas. Garden cultivates SeeD members, and the latter are responsible for defeating the witches. Edea: What are you talking about? Are you... a child from the future? Squall: ... Mama Sensei. Edea: Alright, that's enough. Go back to your own time now. You don't belong here. Young Squall: ... I couldn't find big sister. ... Am I, all alone? (notices the older Squall) Who's that? Edea: It doesn't matter Squall, you don't need to know. There's only one Squall here. (turns to the older Squall) You do know how to go back, right? Will you be alright by yourself? Squall: (... I'll be fine.) (I'm not alone.) (the screen fades) (... I'm not alone at all.) (... I have my companions waiting for me.) Squall: Where's everyone? Rinoa! Are you there? Zell! Selphie! Quistis! Irvine! Rinoa! (... Am I the only one left?) (Rinoa? Please answer me.) (Where should I go?) (I can't... go back by myself.) Squall: Rinoa? (Am I... alone again?) (Where is this place?) *end spoiler* You should see the ending FMV now... and don't turn the power off until the words 'The End' appear on your screen. Thanks for reading my walkthrough. ======================================================================== VIII. MISCELLANEOUS ======================================================================== Basically, the Miscellaneous section is a quick reference guide for all the locations of the G.Fs, magazines, rare cards, Blue Magic and weapon remodeling lists. It's still under construction though, so don't expect anything major. Quezacotl: Study Panel at Balamb Garden 2F Classroom Shiva: Study Panel at Balamb Garden 2F Classroom Ifrit: Defeat Ifrit at Fire Caverns (Disc One) Siren: Draw from Elvoret in Dollet (Disc One) Brothers: Defeat Brothers at Tomb of Unknown King Diablos: Summon using 'Lantern' given by Cid, and defeat Diablos ('Lantern' item --> Disc One) Carbuncle: Draw from Iguion in Deling City, Presidential Residence (Disc One) Leviathan: Draw from NORG in Basement of Balamb Garden (Disc Two) Pandemona: Draw from Fujin at Balamb Hotel (Disc Two) Odin: Locate and defeat Odin at Centra Ruins Cerebrus: Defeat Cerebrus at Galbadia Garden (Disc Two) Alexander: Draw from Edea at Galbadia Garden (Disc Two) Ghoulish / Doomtrain: Have 6 Steel Pipes, 6 Molbor Tentacles, 6 Remedy Pluses, find and use Solomon's Ring at Tear's Point Bahamut: Defeat Bahamut at Warship Island (Disc Three onwards) Sabotender / Cactuar: Defeat giant Cactuar (Sabotender) at Cactuar Island in Centra region Tonberry: Defeat 20 plus Tonberries at Centra Ruins, then take down subsequent Tonberry King Eden: Draw from Ultima Weapon at bottom of Warship Island (Disc Three onwards) Once you miss a drawable G.F, you've lost it forever. 1. At Balamb Hotel 7. At the Factory in F.H 2. At Timber Maniacs Building 8. At F.H Hotel 2F 3. At Timber Hotel 2F 9. At the Inn of the Shumi Tribe 4. At Hotel Dollet 2F 10. At Trabia Garden's cemetery 5. At Dollet Bar 11. At Edea's Orphanage 6. At Galbadia Hotel 2F 12. On the White SeeD View these magazines on the Study Panel of the 2F Classroom at Balamb Garden. March: Defeat the Elvoret at Dollet (Disc One) April: On Squall's table in his single room dormitory at Balamb Garden May: In the Deling Sewers June: Defeat BGH251F2 at the Missile Base (Disc Two) July: At Balamb Garden's Training Center (Disc Three) August: 5 steps south of gargoyle statue at Trabia Garden Debut: Lunatic Pandora Research Center (Final Laguna Scenario) These are also purchasable from the Esthar Shopping Mall using G.F Tonberry's 'Familiar' menu ability. Issue 1: On train en route to Timber (Disc One) Issue 2: On Resistance Base during Timber Kidnap Operation (Disc One) Issue 3: Timber Pet Store Issue 4: Timber Pet Store Issue 5: Esthar Pet Store Issue 6: Esthar Pet Store These are also purchasable from the Esthar Shopping Mall using G.F Tonberry's 'Familiar' menu ability. 001: D-District Prison, Floor One (Disc Two) 002: Defeat Raijin and Fujin at Balamb City (Disc Two) 003: Random event triggered by resting at Balamb Hotel 004: Esthar soldier during Lunatic Pandora invasion event? (Disc Three) 005: Lobby of Lunatic Pandora These are also purchasable from the Esthar Shopping Mall using G.F Tonberry's 'Familiar' menu ability. Volume I: In Library bookshelf at Balamb Garden Volume II: In private room of Master Card Player at 2F Dollet Bar Volume III: Apologise to Master Fisherman at F.H. after Balamb Garden collision (Disc Two) Volume IV: In Presidential House at Esthar; talk to Estharian within after event at Lunar Gate (Disc Three) These are also purchasable from the Esthar Shopping Mall using G.F Tonberry's 'Familiar' menu ability. ======================================================================== IX. CREDITS ======================================================================== This walkthrough wouldn't have been possible without these great people; I'll like to thank them here: CJayC (gamefaqs@gamefaqs.com) for hosting this FAQ on his website. Scott Ong (kangning@mbox5.singnet.com.sg) for his permission to use Disc Four of his Final Fantasy VIII FAQ Part I. It's at www.gamefaqs.com, under Final Fantasy VIII. Also check out his website at http://members.xoom.com/scottong (The Round Island). Heero Yuy (kanketsu@usa.net) for his permission to use his Final Fantasy VIII Walkthrough. It's at www.gamefaqs.com, under Final Fantasy VIII. Most of the decision points you see were referred from his guide. Steven Bruck (stevenbruck@bigfoot.com) for his permission to use his Guardian Force FAQ. It's at www.gamefaqs.com, under Final Fantasy VIII. The majority of translated abilities were taken from his guide. The Webmaster (tomo1657@aol.com) of http://ffmusic.vovoid.com (Musical World of Final Fantasy) for the lyrics to "Eyes on Me". "Eyes on Me" is composed by Nobuo Uematsu and sung by Faye Wong. John (kiros@ff8.org) for his translation guide. It's located at http://oro.simplenet.com/ff8 (The Unofficial Final Fantasy VIII Translation Homepage). Kao Megura (kmegura@yahoo.com), whose ff 7 FAQ prompted me to re-organize the format of this FAQ somewhat. GamePlayers Magazine from which most of the material in this guide was referred from. Buy this if you can read Chinese; they offer some of the most comprehensive guides, reviews and previews for games. The trio of Jon Chang, Hodaka Tsyuchida and Mark Gilson for letting me use their translation guide for reference purposes - thanks people! Btw, if you're looking to find it, it's at www.gamefaqs.com, under Final Fantasy VIII Demo. Final Author's Notes: Comments, criticism, additions or corrections? E-mail me at cephiroth@yahoo.com. Anyway, I'll appreciate whatever feedback you guys have to give, but try to keep gameplay questions to a minimum -- I think most of them would've been covered somewhere in the guide already. Disclaimer: This FAQ is intended for private and personal use, and can only be re -produced electronically if you contact me via e-mail and receive my permission to do so. This FAQ cannot be used for profitable purposes. All copyrights and trademarks that are not specifically mentioned in this FAQ are acknowledged. No parts of this FAQ may be altered in any way; please give credit where it is due. "Final Fantasy VIII" (c) 1999 Squaresoft "PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. "An Unofficial Final Fantasy VIII Walkthrough" (c) 1998-1999 Cephiroth