[PS2] Final Fantasy XII

Originally Posted by Freddy Krueger

There are tons of different enviorments so don't worry, and there is more gameplay then story but the gameplay is FUN and addicting to where you wanna keep playing.

Agreed. While playing this at DigitalLife, the four days I went, I practically become a License Point fiend, not even actually "leveling" so much as I was hunting down points for the next magick/technick or equipment license.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Damn, I preordered mine over at EBGames.com and it still says 'processing'. Ah well, I'll get it soon enough. Kain, it might be a DVD-9 if the game really is that big.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Simo

You still might be in luck as those who preordered on EBgames/GameStop.com and received their copies still have a status of "Processing" on their order.

1UP.com now has their review up for FFXII:
http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3154731

Whoa, seriously? I preordered way back in August, so there shouldn't be any problem right? I might get it on Monday, I doubt there will be a delivery during the weekend.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Simo

Doesn't matter when you ordered, it seems like EB/GS are trying to get the shipments out ASAP due to demand as they mentioned. You might get it tomorrow as it's just another postal day. One member on GAF who received their copy even had 2nd day shipping and it still arrived today so there's a very good chance you'll receive it either tomorrow or Monday.

Keep us posted.

Saturday's another shipping day? I was able to preorder it because it a treat from the old man, so he went all out and got Overnight shipping. IIRC, a few friends of mine were able to get a good amount of car detailing equipment (claybar, for example) and went to work.

Hopefully it gets here soon so I can let you guys know. I don't have a camera though. =/

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I'm actually a little worried about my in-store preorder after some information from an ex-GameStop employee who let out some info on preorders and their policies...

Hmm, hopefully it all goes alright. What exactly did he spill?

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Simo

Yep it is which is why you may have it tomorrow fingers crossed.

That would make my day. Let's hope, though after my initial post here after getting it, you won't see me for a while, heh.

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Just that GameStop prefers to make money from "walk-ins" rather than holding reservations because their argument is that there's a certain percentage of people who don't pick up their copy on release date and another percentage that don't pick it up at all. That way these "reserved" copies could be sold to walk-ins, or basically those without a preorder/reservation, as more copies arrive the next day and when customers do come to pick up their reserved copy they're none the wiser.

So basically if you've got an in-store preorder then it's best to pick it up ASAP or you may lose out altogether.

Wow, I can see their reasoning for it (trying to get as many sold as possible), but it does screw over those who preordered if a lot of walk-ins happen that day.

Most amazing jew boots

Originally Posted by Freelance Wolf

Can someone answer my question? :3

I have work on Tuesday, so I can't pick it up til like, 4pm. Should I be worried? : /

Not unless you expect there to be a considerable turn out of people walking in to buy the game, and the store's inclination towards just selling them preordered copies then and there.

It'll be fine, that much is certain.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

This game is pretty fun, now that I've pulled ToA's claws out of my back. I was wondering though...

Spoiler:

How do you beat the 1st Demon Wall? I've already beat the second, and I'm trying to get the Demonsbane sword behind it that people say is real nice. Unfortunately, this clown manages to banish one of my party members and put another to sleep by the time his health is down to around half. Penelo, Vaan and Balthier are all level 30, and P + B have their first quickenings. The rest are 14-18.

I've heard folks say use quickening combos, but this shit confuses me. I pick the quickening and this is what happens:

1. Shows Penelo and Basch's names/moves

2. Rarely has the buttons to press

3. Shuffling only makes the ridiculously fast bar fall even faster.

4. Bar is depleted by the time the button does appear.

Any tips on how to make this work, or if I'm too weak to take on this thing?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Dear GOD, I finally managed to get the hang of the Quickening system. Now all I need to do is get the rest of them for each character. Anyway, I finally managed to kill the first wall at level 31.

Good Quickening chain + Crap + Belias barely got me a win, but it did the trick. Unfortunately, both times when I went to go check the chest, I either got 7 gil or there wasn't a chest at all.

Anyone know the probabilty of the Demonsbane even appearing the chest? I'm level 37 now, grinding at the Ozmone Plain/Golmore Jungle and finally killed the gil snapper.

My Sandsea trip (two and from the lowest part of the tomb back to Rabanastre) left me with 1500+ LP, so I'm well off there. Any marks I can take down easily? The ones I have now are these:

- Ring Wyrm (III)
- Othros (V)
- White Mousse (V)
- Milithas or Malithis (it's a serpent/viper monster, V)

Which one of these is worthwhile, or should I just grind some more and continue the story?

Note: Also, why on earth do the bows/crossbows miss so much against certain enemies? Often times, against skeletons/toads/wolves I'll get consecutive misses. So much so that I switch to the character's secondary weapons (Penelo's bow swapped for dagger, Ashe's Xbow swapped for partisan, or my spiffy heavy lance).

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Dr. Uzuki

Well, I have no idea, but something else about bows. Since speed is a contributing factor in the damage rate, why do they make Fran out to be a bow user when she is the slowest character? Vaan plus longbow equals win. Gave Fran a pole. Also, I like how Penelo is wielding a goddamned katana that is nearly bigger than she is.

Those are simply the starter weapons, that's all. You don't really have to keep them. Personally, I just made two teams with differing setups, as one is 2 range + 1 melee and the other is 2 melee + 1 range. Each of them is a refreshing change from the other as the battle flow is different (even when I put the same gambits on them, which is a bad decision given the differing speeds of the weapons they have).

What's even more amusing than that, though, is giving Fran the katanas as they simply make her look completely ridiculous due to their massive size (adds to her already large stature).

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Spatula

I was afraid after looking at this guys massive HP amount, but he's not that bad.

Spoiler:

I had all six characters at full MP, and started just knocking him around with regular attacks. Cast slow and try poison on the guy. He'll shoot out breath which is a fire attack, but it's great if you have Belias out to help you, since he'll do about 3000 dmg per hit. Keep your summoner focused on healing both him/herself and the summon, not fighting. I had Ashe as the summoner and she had 3 full bars, so I summoned Belias three times.

After that, I switched out my active party with my reserve and got them all the quicken with level 3 quickenings, and this took off quite a bit. After I switched back to my first party, then continued fighting and healing where needed. Make sure you have Esusna on your active party. After that just quicken with your active party.

Wow, looks like I won't have a problem then as long as I go and get all three Quickening levels. To put my license board in perspective, my Augment section is completed for each character, Magic is almost done, accessories too, Technicks is a wait-and-see approach and I've gotten the two levels of armor and weapons for my characters in anticipation of said weapons.

What do you do to lure him out? The petitioner said he only comes out when the elementals are to his liking, but that isn't very clear at all.

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If youre having trouble with the aiming and missing (which Balthier was terrible at) then switch back to guns. Guns are weaker but have basically 100% accuracy, and can deal equal damage regardless of enemy class or armour, I think, but Guns are slow, and even if you have haste, it'll be slightly slower than your melee comrades.

Heh, it's like you read my mind. This first came up when I bough the Bowgun and Sirius and I tried out the former for a bit. Balthier couldn't it the broad side of a fucking Slaven for heaven's sake, it was ridiculous. The extra speed boost was being negated by what I call "Blind Man's Aim". Even if it is slower, armor piercing, consistent and reliable damage is the way to go. He's on this team:

- Balthier: Sirius
- Penelo: Elfin Bow
- Vaan: Lohengrin

So the battle flow goes something like, Penelo, Vaan and then Balthier. He works in this team as the time between each attack is very short and it really helps against monsters with high defense that weaken the other two's attacks. So, I learned my lesson and kept the guns on him.

Penelo's lost this problem as she's leveled, as did Ashe but they miss every so often. Penelo rarely, Ashe seems to need a little warming up time, in which case I just give her a heavy lance and then the bowgun works just fine again. =/

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Speaking of hunts, most of the 16 I've done so far haven't been anywhere near hair raising. Going to the Feywood is about three times more challenging than the most difficult hunt so far, maybe the Gil Snapper would be the hardest, but not too hard. I like how the dudes in Clan Centurio are basically acknowledging my hunting skills now. GOOD JOB SON, YOU'RE LOOKING MORE LIKE A HUNTER NOW!

Whoa, so Gil Snapper was supposed to be hair raising? The bastard was irritating, though I can see how it'd be difficult to bring down at a few levels lower than I was. What the... they say the same thing to me and I have about half as many marks killed as you.

Thanks for the info though, now I'm going to grind on some more Panthers. Oh, do you know how soon I'll be getting new guns/bows/crossbows? I already got a nice katana from a Wu, so that's not necessary.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by ashaman

They are sold in Archades.

@Metal Sphere
It took me 5 times to get the Demonsbane. I saved after defeating the wall, then opened the chest. If it was gil, I reloaded the game and tried again. Technically, the probability is 50% but it doesn't always happen that way.

Damn, I've been killing the 1st wall for no damn reason every time I reload then, heh. I'll keep trying to get it, thanks for the heads up.

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As for the hunts:

Spoiler:

Try the Wrym first. He only comes out during sandstorms in the westernmost area, so enter and exit the area until it has sandstorms. Use the Belias esper you received as the Wrym can't hurt it. For a rank III the wrym was pretty tough since he has twice the hp of those rank Vs. Once you have the quickenings, try the mousse. It may seem impossible at first but after casting berserk on it and using quickening chains, its not so bad. Plus you get a really good bow for defeating it. Then try the Orthos. If everyone uses only Fira the fight will go very fast. Then try the Marilith. I didn't fight it until I was super overpowered so I don't know how hard it was. Blinding it helps, and then use the same techniques above.

Whoa, Fira? None of the magick shops have the second level elemental spells in, does this mean I have to advance the story? Everything else is doable, since I Blind + Silence + Slow + Immobilize in mark battles, as well as having cast protect and shell before hand. Is level 37-40 good enough? I have no real way of figuring out what levels correspond with each mark level. Also, how do I get back down into the Waterway?

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by ashaman

Fire should work, but the second level magicks are not that far from you storywise. I think they show up when you reach Nalbina which is the next stop after Mt. Bur (finish the Shrine first). To get in the waterway, you have to use the right (east) gate, the left one is locked. They are right across from each other. In the water room with all the exits, take the west exits and walk south (some steps are hidden from view) and go due south, then east until you reach the Mousse. The map is confusing but you will eventually memorize the area.

With the help of panthers and the gold amulet, I was able to get everyone their 2nd and 3rd quickenings. After a little bit, I'll be off to fight him, so wish me luck. Yoichi Bow, as I've found out what you get, is nothing to pass up at this point.

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Level 37-40 is actually pretty high for where you are so it should be no problem. At those levels, I recommend advancing the story a little more so you can go to the Necrohol of Nabudis to the west of the Salikawood. The Elvorets there drop the penultimate heavy armor, and if you didn't open the 3 chests earlier in the game you can get the Zodiac Spear which is the strongest weapon in the game (+150). Otherwise stick to using Deathbringers from Barheim passage. After getting those weapons/armor, try getting the optional espers. At least 6 of them are open to you by the time you reach Phon Coast, although only 4 are really defeatable. You need to be in the 50-60 range for the other two.

I don't think I've ever been to Nabudis before, and if you mean the fortress at the beginning of the game, I didn't open a single chest there during that little part of the game.

Are the monsters there unbearably difficult, since this sounds a bit too good to be true at level 40. BTW, thanks for the info Spike. Looks like the odds for that sword aren't all that good.

BTW, can someone clarify the monograph situation? I'm supposed to enter/exit each shop and the clan provisioner 40 times each to get all the monographs available? Will this get me more shots/bolts?

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Cobalt Katze

Nabudis is a completely optional side-dungeon accessible through the Salikawood about halfway through the game.

If you remember from the intro: "Basch: Nabudis has fallen!" etc.

Nice, I'll drop by there and see if I can snag some of the things ashaman mentioned. Now... about the Monographs. Do I seriously have to talk to each of the merchants 40 times?

FELIPE NO

I've finally reached Bur-Omisace, and I have to go to the shrine nearby. Anyone know a good leveling spot at this point in the game? The Panthers have exhausted their usefulness as training material, and they have a somewhat slow respawn. That and the awkward/boring layout of the maps they appear in, and it kind of wears on you.

Maybe Henne for a bit? Back outside to Ozmone? Or should I try the shrine itself?

Also, I managed to get the bamboo arrows and firey arrows, but I'd still like some new shot. Anyone know how rare "Yensa Scale" is, as well as what drops Ice Stones? I think I only need 2 of the former, and one of the latter in order to get the long bolt and water shot.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Dr. Uzuki

If you can afford all the armor, magic, and weapon upgrades and your characters are around the high twenties, I'd say to go for the shrine. I gained about 3 levels per character plus 70,000 gil just going through the thing. You'll end up double backing a lot just by natural progression and there's a teleport crystal right out front.

I bought all the newest equips and weapons at Bur-Omisace, and my characters are level 40 and 38. I alternate between two teams, the current one I'll leave alone once they reach 40 in order to work on team #1.

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If not, as burned out on it as you may be, I like the jungle for grinding because the area is a line you can just plow through. Much better than wide open fields in my opinion. The snowy area not only has a lot more travel to it but those dark skeletons bug the hell out of me. Maybe the mines as well, I dunno, but the jungle is a lot more dense with enemies.

I think the main reason why I'm getting bored of the jungle is that they don't respawn nearly as fast as I'd like them to. The Zaghnals, in Ozmone Plain, respawn much faster than Panthers.

Try this: Berserk one or both of your party members, and run right through bunches of panthers and malboro. You kill them so fast it takes a while to respawn. Until then, the map is literally vacant except for me running through it.

Anything in the shrine drop ice stones?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Spatula

HELL YES.

I got to Ancient Egypt Stillshrine of Mblahblah. that's not the HELL YES part. When I fogut the three dragons all at the same time, I just did some quickenings, not expecting much, but then DAMN, my concurrence was the Black Hole. I think I got everyone to do all three levels of their attacks, ESPECIALLY the 3rd final attack, and that's what triggered it. DRAGONS BOW DOWN TO THE ADVENTURERS GREATER THAT YOU!

Wait, you mean that thing that made "your party's equipment weigh them down"? Vinuskar or whatever it's name was? I just Berserked Vaan, threw Haste and Bravery on him and he went to town. It was actually hilarious how quickly it died.

Originally Posted by Dr. Uzuki

Metal Sphere: Oh, level 40? Psh, yeah, that's plenty high enough for the shrine. You could even check out the Feywood, maybe? About ice stones in the shrine (minor gameplay spoiler).

Damn, that Doc's on the money. The Shrine was cakewalk. It didn't seem like it at first, but when I faced off against two specific enemies it was pretty clear. Oh, and you're right about the Stones/Magicite thing. The wolves drop the stones, though it's easier just to steal them with the cuffs and the larger monsters drop magicite in spades. Monographs help here quite a bit.

I popped into the Feywood, and it seems like a nice enough place to level, except that the shades are somewhat irritating (at least until I'm strong enough to dispatch of them fast enough).

That's what the Morbid Urn does? Sounds like a case of satisfaction, though after buying the equips before going to Archades, I could drum up enough cash. BTW, do new marks appear after the event that points you in the direction of said city?

Spoiler:

Oh, and speak to the Nu Mou just outside the temple after the Gran Kiltias is killed and you'll get a stone needed to fight Zeromus (which raped me, badly). Nice reference/throwback there, heh.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by ashaman

Black hole is awesome, I think you have to do nine level 3 quickenings before it shows up. I've only done it once in my 60 hours. And what are these 3 dragons everyone mentions? Are they optional? I don't remember them, but I have all of the extra Espers except the final one and I am pretty sure I fought the optional bosses but I don't remember any dragons.

They're in the shrine, it's three dragons in a room. I had Vaan berserked the whole time I was in the shrine, and with the Yoichi bow and Balthier's new Aqua Shot, it was a breeze. Quickening them would've been a tad overkill.

I did, however, enjoy chaining against the Trickster. Owned his sorry, FFVII-runaway ass.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by seanne

And this isn't the only peice of equipment that can be 'lost forever'. More important things than this too.

Damn. You're kidding, right? The Zodiac Spear is one thing, but having a good number of other things that you can miss without knowing is pretty fucking annoying.

The rest of your points were spot on.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Spatula

I thought of two points I wanted to address. The first being lost forevers. As hard as it might be to have the notion of almost in a way "forfeiting" a special weapon without knowing about it can be pretty nerveracking, I think so far FFVII's Vincent as being a lost forever is much more "heart breaking". I wouldn't honestly have found out about Vincent if I weren't reading the guide. I don't remember ever seeing any notes around the ghost mansion when you entered in, but it's been a while since I've last played FFVII so bear with me. But losing out on a character is FAR worse than a weapon, in my opinion, and from what members have been saying here, isn't all that great and flashy and there are other more viable weapons available later in the game.

The second point is when Ashe and company visited the old elf guy at Mt Bur Omiscene, I have to say the character animation really did show how much it progressed since FFX. Sure some parts were a bit jerky and the like, but the textures, shading, and hair were dramatically improved from the previous FF game, so that's a big kudos to this game really bringing out what the PS2 can do for character models.

Compare that to the laughing scene featured in FFX, which did try to invoke some human emotion in the faces, but is quite jerky compared to FFXII. I'll try to find a FFXII cut scene to help with the comparisons.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU8-e-C4Uy0

Oh, the models in this game are downright amazing. I still can't believe they have far fewer polygons per model than FFX, yet they animate and look far better. Heck even the faces do a damn good job emoting, something that couldn't be said about FFX. One area that does need work is the lip sync, as it was off sometimes. A lot of this can simply be explained with an improved understanding/execution of textures and animation.

The areas are also impressive, like the Rift and the frozen river. I mean, that got a little grin out of me when I first saw that, same thing happened when I move the camera down to get a better look of the surroundings. Ogir and Nam were also well done, with the rigs dotting the coast.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Freelance Wolf

Man...I only cake-walked through Ranks I and II. Once III sprang up, I've been having big trouble. I start off fine, but then all goes to hell

Spat, I was at level 30/31 when I fought that Ring Wyrm or whatever it was called, with everyone over 2000HP. No guest character (would've liked those hi-potions or phoenix downs!). I had crappy armour, which probably explains my failures. Even with Belias, it was hard going for me. For such giant monsters, they sure can run fast!

Wow, Freelance, you definitely mentioned something that's been at the back of my mind since I started playing. I've noticed that even after a minor armor refresh/renewal, enemies that were once handily whooping your ass become much more reasonable. I was at 37ish when I fought him, and it's easily one of my favorite marks so far. I just used Blind, Slow, Silence, Shear and then kept hitting him with magic (Balthier too), while Vaan distracted him, again with Berserk status.

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I discovered last night that I missed out on a sidequest b/c I went too far ahead, and it only works if you haven't gone that far yet. Puuu....it's apparently the only one though. *whew*

I like how there's multiple ways to get the same location, some faster than others.

Whoa, what sidequest is that!?

Rank IV marks are piss easy right now (level 49). BTW, has anyone managed to get to the big monsters in the Necrohol in their first trip in there? I couldn't get past the Baknamys and their fucking instantaneous spawning/mobbing.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Cobalt Katze

Float makes you immune to Earth attacks, as well as make it so you can't activate traps at all.

Barheim Passage for the motherfucking win. Float is a godsend there, especially with the deadbones doing their little irritating attacks. It helps not having to worry about your characters wandering/getting knocked into a trap. Some of which are especially brutal, I might add.

Well, here's what I did today:

- Took down Aegha in Salika
- Needled/Drained Vorpal Bastard in Golmore
- Took down Bloodwing in Barheim (after a long sidequest or two in order to gain access =/)

I'm not sure I mentioned this, but I wandered into the Zertinan caverns near Jahara when I was around ~32. Had some trouble with the Mallicants there, and after the second cave I discovered another Esper. Didn't catch his name then, but today I went back at level 49 to see if I stood a chance. Surprisingly, it was pretty easy, didn't need to use quickenings or anything.

Don't know if I should spoiler tag or not, but just in case:

Spoiler:

His name's Adrammelech, or what not. I wasn't even sure what element he was until after I beat him and summoned him later on (I'll get to that in a minute). I loved the whole atmosphere of that fight, with the perpetual sandstorm going on, fuzzy radar, hordes of shambling corpses and shittons of magic flying every which way. He even did his limit thing, which is apparently Ark Blast.

Well, I had no clue what kind of attacks he'd do until I wandered to the end of Terminal Junction#7 in Barheim and saw the signs of an Esper nearby (Mist effect, seemingly empty room). I was on the money because I ended up fighting Zalera inadvertently, and under a time limit which my sister pointed out to me halfway through the fight. Definitely much more of a challenge than ole Adra, and when I tried summoning him and Mateus, he was immune to the former's and took 0 damage from the latter.

After neither worked, I went back to fighting normally and when his HP dipped past a certain level, he started using Death/Level 3 Reverse/etc and then his own technick which was some sort of death spell complete with skull and all. Don't know what it was based on, but it never hit. Maybe it based on multiples just like Reverse, that would explain it.

Well, for anyone who wants to go and fight him, I was level 51/52 when I took him on, don't use Espers and just use a Quickening chain. Vaan got KO'd before I could start the first and even with Penelo and Balthier, I wiped out a big chunk of his health (Ark Blast). Those of you with better chaining skills than me could probably manage a Black Hole with all three alive and bring him down to 1/4th or maybe even OHKO.

Don't know what he is, but I'm guessing Dark? Has that whole evil/demon lord thing going, but that'd make 2 espers of that element (Zeromus, apparently, being the other, given his intro).

P.S. - Maybe someone can give me some advice as to where to level, but the Barheim Passage is really good, especially the Zaivha span. On the last parts of the bridge and all the way to the save point the enemy spawn rate is insane.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Dr. Uzuki

Float never has been all that useful in the history of the series, only certain situations that warrant it. Same with this game. Most spells have their place and while they may be used infrequently, when they do need to play their role, they are a godsend. Black magic really doesn't play any sort of role until you hit two, but mainly three.

Agreed. I didn't even use black magic until I got the second level spells, and I've yet to get things like Aerora yet. Arcane spells, on the other hand, are awesome if the enemies aren't immune to their effects (unfortunately, a lot of them are). Technicks are easily the best, IMO. 3 Shears and your hasted "mage" character will be dishing out some serious damage. It also increases the amount drained from said enemy, a good thing to know when your magic is missing, something that rarely happens with drain.

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I went back to the hunt in the forest intending to berserk the bunny per your suggestion, Soapy, but to my dismay I found that the spell only targets allies! I remembered that there was a dagger available gave berserk on hit, but I was already there. I just hunted that asshole down, train of enemies be damned. The mess I had to clean up after I finally ended that fucker.

Not really all that hard. Just debuff him, and Drain + Needles until he dies. When he runs, hold R2 to stash your weapons and give chase. He's actually slower than you when you do this, which forces him to double back, right into the range of Drain + Needles.

Has anyone been able to get Charm to work? Every, and I mean every, single enemy I've tried it on has been immune to it. It's the "immune" syndrome that renders a number of technicks/spells unusable or unreliable.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Hachifusa

Wait.

How can I get into Barheim Passage, again? I want to kill the Bloodwing or whatever he is.

Yeah, that was the same question I had when I got that mark to go hunt. Basically, if killed the Cactoid that Dantro wanted you to kill (with the flower on it's head), go to the village in the Estersand, north of the Barheim Passage. There, go to the house nearest the shore and talk to Dantro's wife to give her the flower. After that, the next item on the list is 3 shells that can be found glinting in the water near the shore (village or outside, it doesn't matter). Next, she'll ask you to go back to Dantro (at the Estersand outpost) and get the phial by examining the crates nearby. Head back and give it to her and she'll ask for a flower which you can get over in the Broken Sands map near the south entrance (it's a poking out of a crevasse with white flowers). Take this back to her and reenter the village 2 times and then go speak to her. After some chitchat, the healed hunter that she was caring for will give you the key to reenter Barheim.

But before you can do this, you have to give her the flower for Step 1, then go over to the shore and speak with the people in the crowd. This takes you on a short sidequest where all the work you'll be doing is going behind the house after you're told to find Dran. Examine the flower and head back to the ship to wrap this up. After this is done, you'll be able to do the rest of the errands she gives you.

Hachi, what level are you at? Bloodwing's all the way in the West Annex of the mines in the new area open now. Remember that split in the path with all the mimics around a rock formation in the middle and along the walls? Take the path to the left and just follow that. I asked your level because the enemies go from level 8-9 to 40-42 in an instant. Not just that, but somewhere on the Zaivha span map, Deadbones and Bogeys start to appear. Oftentimes they've got some combination of Protect, Haste and Shell on and an inclination towards mobbing you. Keep Libra refreshed as there are traps everywhere here, none of which I triggered since I had Float active.

New mimics appear here too, Mimeos, and their Leech is irritating if your blows aren't heavy enough.

And Bloodwing himself isn't too bad, but his Leech-spamming is a pain in the ass, especially given where he spawns. The West Annex has an elevated strip that has Bogey x 1, DeadBones x 2 teams spawning every few steps. Worse case scenario is you get tangled up in that while 'Wing's tearing you up.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Dr. Uzuki

The question I have is how to get to the spot in the waterway for the white mousse hunt. Seems like I need a key for the device to drain the water levels on the east central side and I have no clue how to go about finding that, if that's even what I need to do.

You're in luck, U, as that has nothing to do with it. Basically, you go down into the Waterway, and of all those paths, choose the one on right from when you enter. This one should have a level 40 Lizard running around in it. Follow the path from their (pretty straightforward, remarkably) and in the West Sluice Control get close to the edge to lure him out. Don't go to the corner or a Lizard will join the fray too.

Malboro Kings will fight you along the way, along with the Lizard (looks like a Gigan Toad/Suriander/etc) I mentioned before.

Aaand if anyone's interested, in the Southeast, follow the wall and you'll find a doorway that leads into Barheim Passage, but from the OTHER side of the room with the Esper in it. Blew my mind to find that I'd gone from 3 or 4 maps away from Rabanastre to right under it.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Dr. Uzuki

Ah, okay, I see. Yeah, thought I had taken all the paths, I ran around that area for awhile, guess that must of been the only way I overlooked. Kinda funny that I thought I needed that key when that's part of the reward for completing the hunt, heh.

Hey, don't sweat it. When I got down there and saw those pedestals, I wondered if I had to use them as well. For all those that haven't beat White Mousse, please do. The Yoichi Bow will make life easy for your bow user and it'll save you a mountain of gil in the process.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.