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              FINAL FANTASY X 'Yet Another' FULL FAQ/WALKTHROUGH
                    Written by Rebecca Skinner AKA Karpah
                        Version AU, 26th January 2005

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 .---.  _              .-.    .---.            .-.                     .-..-.
 : .--':_;             : :    : .--'          .' `.                    : `' :
 : `;  .-.,-.,-. .--.  : :    : `;.--.  ,-.,-.`. .'.--.   .--. .-..-.   `  ' 
 : :   : :: ,. :' .; ; : :_   : :' .; ; : ,. : : :' .; ; `._-.': :; :  .'  `.
 :_;   :_;:_;:_;`.__,_;`.__;  :_;`.__,_;:_;:_; :_;`.__,_;`.__.'`._. ;  :_;:_;
                                                                .-. :        
                                                                `._.'        

              'It is better to die in hope than live in despair'




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                          YE OLDE TABLE OF CONTENTS

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                 - 1.0 -   INTRODUCTION
                   1.1     The Game
                   1.2     Why another FFX guide!?
                   1.3     A little bit about me
                   1.4     Revision history

                 - 2.0 -   GAME BASICS
                   2.1     The story
                   2.2     Battles
                   2.3     Menus
                   2.4     The Sphere Grid Explained

                 - 3.0 -   CHARACTERS
                   3.1     Tidus
                   3.2     Yuna
                   3.3     Wakka
                   3.4     Auron
                   3.5     Kimahri
                   3.6     Lulu
                   3.7     Rikku

                 - 4.0 -   THE WALKTHROUGH

                 - 5.0 -   FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

                 - 6.0 -   MONSTER ARENA  *COMING SOON!*

                 - 7.0 -   CELESTIAL WEAPONS
                   7.1     Caladbolg
                   7.2     Nirvana
                   7.3     World Champion
                   7.4     Masamune
                   7.5     Spirit Lance
                   7.6     Onion Knight
                   7.7     Godhand
    
                 - 8.0 -   SIDE QUESTS
                   8.1     Omega Ruins  *COMING SOON*
                   8.2     Cavern of the Stolen Fayth
                   8.3     Baaj Temple
                   8.4     Chocobo Racing
                   8.5     Luca Sphere Theatre
                   8.6     Lightning Dodging
                   8.7     Butterfly Catching
                   8.8     Cactuar Village
                   8.9     Airship Co-ordinates and Passwords
                   8.10    Remiem Temple
                   8.11    Locations of...
                   8.12    Returning to Temples

                 - 9.0 -   OVERDRIVE INFO
                   9.1     Swordplay
                   9.2     Grand Summon
                   9.3     Slots
                   9.4     Bushido
                   9.5     Ronso Rage
                   9.6     Fury
                   9.7     Mix
                   9.8     Overdrive Modes

                 - 10.0 -  A BEGINNER's GUIDE TO STAT MAXING

                 - 11.0 -  AEONS

                 - 12.0 -  STANDARD RPG LISTS
                   12.1    White Magic
                   12.2    Black Magic     
                   12.3    Blue Magic
                   12.4    Skills
                   12.5    Special
                   12.6    Items  *COMING SOON*

                 - 13.0 -  CUSTOMIZATION
                   13.1    Armour
                   13.2    Weapons

                 - 14.0 -  CLOSING





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                             1.0     INTRODUCTION

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Every guide has an introduction. This, is my introduction.



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                               1.1     The Game
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If you've ever played a video game in your life, chances are that you've heard 
of the Final Fantasy series. Created by Square, it is perhaps the most 
famous video game series ever created.

The dynasty started in roughly about 1987, with the game Final Fantasy, for 
NES. It was named Final Fantasy for a reason - it was Square's last big shot 
at creating a game, if it had failed, Square would have been doomed.

Just the opposite, it didn't fail. It was phenomenally successful, and went on 
to spawn a whole series of similarly-themed, but very individual, games.

Final Fantasy X is the latest new game in the FF series, and the first to have 
a direct sequel. Released in September 2001, for the PlayStation2, it gained a 
reputation for being one of the best video games EVER created. I'm not joking 
when I say that. It's my personal opinion, but also one agreed upon by 
industry heavyweights. 

Why is it so good? You'll have to play it yourself and see.



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                       1.2     Why Another FFX Guide!?
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Enough serious history talk. My turn! Welcome one, welcome all, to my latest 
and greatest guide, for the absolutely breathtaking game, Final Fantasy X. If 
all goes well, this will be THE most comprehensive, detailed, in-depth guide I 
will ever write, it'll be able to measure up with those fabulous FFX guides 
already written by the likes of Psycho Penguin, SinirothX, and Split Infinity. 

If things don't go well, this will end up in the junk pile and no-one will 
ever know that I tried to embarrass myself by writing a guide for such an 
amazing game.

So, I guess I better answer the question. Why on earth am I wasting a good 
period of my life writing another FFX guide? Well, there's a number of reasons 
for that, really.

One - I am totally in love with this game. It's not my favourite game, and 
never will be (FF6 will always hold that place in my heart), but it is, 
without a doubt, the best game I have ever played. I want to, I don't know, 
show the world just how much I love this game by writing this full-length 
guide for it.

Two - I think I can write a moderately good guide for this game. Anyone who's 
ever read anything I've written before knows that, while my guides end up 
inevitably being huge, they're packed full of detail in the walkthroughs. 
That's one comment I get from readers, time and time again. SUPERB detail in 
walkthroughs, excellent guides, keep it up. Sooo, let's put my so-called good 
walkthrough skills to an incredible game like this, and see what comes out.

Three - Unlike other people, I don't have a goal to write for all the games in 
the series. Not knocking their goals or anything, but that's just not for me. 
I write for the games I love, for the games I know best. If I'm gonna dedicate 
a large chunk of my everyday life to writing a guide as epic as I know this 
one's gonna be, the game better bloody be worth it.

Okay, that last one's not a reason, it's just me rambling.

I write my guides not just to help readers in their quest through the game, 
not just to inform, but to entertain. Another comment I've heard, especially 
with my FF6 walkthrough. I love the idea of doing that, with a game like this, 
so I'm gonna try my hardest to produce a good quality guide. We'll see what 
happens.



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                        1.3     A Little Bit About Me
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*prepares myself for writing guide, boxing-style*

Okay. Before I get into the serious stuff, a little bit about me. Hi, my name 
is Rebecca Skinner...

*waves hello*

...but you already knew that from the FAQ header. Before I start, I'd just 
like to say a few words. I'm not a game expert, in any sense of the word. I'm 
not one of those people that can sit down and argue pros and cons about 
different game genres, games in the same genre, etc. That's not me at all. I 
can count the number of games I've seriously played on two hands. 

While I may not be a general game genius, I do know what I like. And what I 
like, I tend to get to know very well. Like FFX. While I can't sit and debate 
about RPGs in general, FF games in general, or anything of the sort, I'm 
qualified to write a guide on this, one game in the series, one game in the 
genre. And that's what I'm gonna do.

I got off track again, didn't I? Ack. *slaps self*

About me. Right, I can do that. The name's Bec, the age's 18 (as of 30/09/03), 
the current obsession is FFX. I like to spend my hours in front of my PSX or 
PS2, being the antisocial person I am, listening to rather loud music. You 
know how it is. Or maybe I'm just weird.

Contact information and stuff should go in this section too, I suppose. If 
anyone wants to e-mail me, you can e-mail me at traybaby@gmail.com. 
Alternatively, if e-mail's not your bag baby, you can IM me on AIM as 
spiritfall freak. I did have all the other IM programs once upon a time, but 
they all got too clogged up, so AIM it is.

This guide is (c) to meeeee, Rebecca Skinner AKA Karpah, 2003. You can read 
it, download it, print it off, e-mail it around unaltered, whatever. But you 
wanna post it on your own site? That's a no-no, sorry.

This guide can ONLY be found on the following sites:

--- http://www.gamefaqs.com
--- http://www.neoseeker.com
--- http://www.ign.com

Any other sites you find it on, lemme know so I can send some nasty e-mails to 
webhosts. I like doing that.

I'll shut up now. On with the guide!



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                           1.4     Revision History
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Version 1.0 - 29th November 2003
    - 'Ello. My new guide!
    - Let's see... introduction, game basics, characters, walkthrough, some 
      FAQs, celestial weapons, (almost all) side quests, overdrives, aeons, 
      (almost all) lists, and customisations complete.
    - Next update: Monster arena, blitzball, Omega Ruins, dark aeons, 
      bestiary, and items. I think that's it.

Version 1.1 - no idea what date
    - Yo yo yo, I updated this thing.
    - Added in stat maxing section, prizes for returning to temples, and some 
      more details on Jecht Spheres.

Version 1.2 - 27th August 2004
    - It's been almost a year o.O I planned to have this finished by 
      Christmas!
    - A minor reformat for the whole guide
    - More boss statistics added

Version AU - 26th January 2005
    - A year, and I STILL haven't finished this thing. Sigh.
    - May as well update it with what I've added in the last year... someone 
      get me off my ass to work on it again!!





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                             2.0     GAME BASICS

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Always important, y'know. Especially important here.



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                              2.1     The Story
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Welcome to Final Fantasy X.

You are Tidus, the star player for the Zanarkand Abes, the local blitzball 
team. One night, in the middle of the championship game, Zanarkand is attacked 
- and completely destroyed - by an unknown creature, named Sin.

Tidus washes up, after the event, in the Baaj Temple - not knowing where, or 
when, he is. After being saved by the Al Bhed, and attacked by Sin once more, 
he meets up with Wakka, a fellow blitzball player, and captain/coach of the 
Besaid Aurochs. From there, Tidus is on a quest, to destroy the being that 
ruined his life, and to get back home, to Zanarkand.



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                               2.2     Battles
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Battles in FFX certainly are unique, and different to any other FF game. 

Similarly to all other RPGs (well all that I've seen), battles are turn-based. 
When you get into a battle, you will notice your current characters' details 
on the bottom right of screen - their HP, MP, and overdrive bar. At the top 
right of screen, you'll have the CTB - the Conditional Turn Bar.

The CTB is an entirely new introduction into FFX. No longer do we have to wait 
ages for ATB bars to fill up, we can see whose turn is next, and we can see 
the order of everyone's turns in advance, including your enemies'. Depending 
on the action one character takes in battle, the CTB can change markedly. For 
example, if a character casts Haste on themselves, their next turn will move 
up the list, or if they successfully cast Slow on an opponent, that opponent's 
next turns will move down.

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                    Battle Menus
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When a character's turn comes up, they have three menus, and a number of 
options at their disposal. Some of these options may not be available to some 
characters, it depends on the development of your characters.

Menu #1 (the main battle menu):

Attack: Selecting the Attack command, then selecting an enemy, means your 
character deals out a normal attack with the weapons they have equipped. If 
they have no weapons, they can't attack.

Summon: Only available for Yuna, no matter what, this command lets her summon 
an aeon into battle. Once an aeon has been summoned, they have a similar set 
of three menus to deal with on their turn: left menu (Overdrive), main menu 
(attack, aeon-specific secondary attack, skill, special, white magic, black 
magic), right menu (shield, boost, dismiss).

Skill: Some characters can learn special skills over the course of the game, 
to assist in battle. Examples of these are Auron's Breaks, or Wakka's Busters. 
Usually associated with inflicting a negative status attack, these cost MP to 
perform. Only skills listed in white are available. Select Skill, then a skill 
to use, and then a target, and confirm to perform the skill.

Special: The Special section lists all the job-specific non-magic skills. 
Before you go yabbering that FFX doesn't have a job system (which is true) you 
can't argue that Rikku's Steal, Yuna's Pray or Kimahri's Lancet aren't sort-of 
job-specific. Although all characters can learn and use them, they're unique 
to, to use the examples, a thief, a summoner, and a Ronso. To use a Special 
move, select the name then the move to perform, and a target (if any).

White Magic: This option will always be available for Yuna, or for any other 
character that has learnt a white magic spell. Selecting White Magic will 
bring up a list of spells the character has learnt. If you don't have enough 
MP to cast the spell, it will appear greyed out. To cast magic, select a 
spell, then choose the target/s for the spell.

Black Magic: This option will always be available for Lulu, or for any other 
character that has learnt a black magic spell. Selecting Black Magic will 
bring up a list of spells the character has learnt. Only spells in white are 
available to cast. To cast magic, select a spell, then choose the target/s for 
the spell.

Item: As the name would suggest, this option allows the character to use an 
item. Selecting it brings up a list of items you have in your inventory. Only 
items listed in white are usable in battle. To use an item, simply select it 
from the item list, then select the target of the item (if applicable). eg. 
For a Phoenix Down, select the item Phoenix Down then choose whom you want to 
revive.

Menu #2 (special commands):

The second menu is only accessible at certain points of the game. Say, if your 
character's overdrive bar is full, or if they have a prescribed trigger 
command for a battle. This menu is only accessible when the words "Overdrive" 
or "Trigger command" appear above the main menu.

To get to the menu, press left on the D-pad when a character's turn comes up. 
Accessible selections on this menu will be white, the rest will be greyed out. 
 A character's particular overdrive (eg. Swordplay) will always be listed, 
along with any trigger command (eg. Talk). To use a special command, highlight 
it and press X.

Menu #3 (boring stuff):

The third menu holds the administrative stuff that you won't be using very 
often. Here you can change your weapon, or your armour, or you can escape from 
the battle. 

Weapon: This changes your weapon, obviously. Selecting it brings up a list of 
available weapons for that character. To change your weapon, just select a new 
one from the list.

Armour: Similar to Weapon. Selecting it brings up a list of available armour 
for that character. To change your armour, just choose a new one from the 
list.

Escape: This option lets that character only escape from the battle, leaving 
only two to do the fighting. Note that you can't escape from all battles, eg. 
bosses you kinda have to fight. And even if you do select Escape, sometimes 
your character will not be able to.

There is one more option, not listed in any menu. Final Fantasy X is the first 
FF game in which you can change your characters in and out of battle. No 
longer are you stuck with the same three characters for the whole battle. When 
a character's turn comes up, press L1 to bring up a list of inactive 
characters (those not currently in your battling party). To switch them in 
instead of your active character, just select them. 

You'll find yourself switching characters a lot, depending on the type of 
enemy you face. For example, you meet a flying enemy, and Wakka is not in your 
party. Just switch him in to attack, then switch him out if need be.

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                    Basic Battle Strategies
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Okay, that covers the boring stuff of the options in battles. A good strategy 
for winning battles is to know each character's strengths and weaknesses, and 
to use them accordingly. If you're fighting a bunch of Flans, for example, a 
group of physical attackers is not going to be useful, nor is having Kimahri 
or Auron against a group of flying fiends.

Each character who takes a turn in battle will receive AP at the end of it, 
should you survive it and successfully kill your opponents. Therefore, it's 
recommended that for larger battles, you bring all your characters in to take 
at least one turn, before switching them out, so they all gain AP. AP is not 
split between your party, each member will gain the same amount of AP 
regardless of how many characters actually participated.

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                    Status Effects
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Yes, we all know these from previous Final Fantasy games, right? They can be a 
pain in the ass, if your enemies know all the bad ones to use on you. Here 
they are, in all their glory:

Berserk: You lose control of your character, and they just perform physical 
attacks on random enemies automatically. Your character's strength will 
increase while they are Berserk, but it's generally not a good status to have. 
You can pick Berserk if your character appears bright red. Cure it with a 
Remedy or the Esuna spell.

Confusion: When a character's turn comes up, they will attack people randomly 
automatically, be it friend or foe, a Confused character doesn't really care. 
A very bad status effect to have, because your party members can quite 
possibly kill each other like this. Pick Confusion by little diamonds circling 
your character's head, and cure it by using a Remedy on the affected 
character, casting Esuna on them, or hitting them with a physical attack.

Curse: When your character gets Cursed, their overdrive bar ceases to fill up. 
Nothing you do in Curse status will get that bar filled, so it's generally a 
really bad thing. You can tell Curse if your character is fading in and out of 
black, and cure it with a Holy Water or Dispel.

Darkness: If a character suffers from Darkness, their accuracy stat will be 
markedly lower than usual, meaning that far fewer of their physical attacks 
will actually connect with the target. For magic users, Darkness is no threat. 
You can spot Darkness if your characters head is surrounded by a black mist, 
and cure it by using Eye Drops, a Remedy, or casting Esuna.

Doom: I hate seeing a timer over my character's heads. If they've been hit 
with Doom, the timer will count down over their turns, and when it gets to 
zero, they die. The timer is the only thing signalling the status, and there 
is no way to stop the countdown. Simply bring them back to life, should they 
KO.

KO: Wow, we get killed in battle and it's considered only a status effect. If 
your character is lying in a heap on the ground, not moving, and their HP is 
zero, it's safe to say they've been KO'ed. Bring them back to life by either 
casting Life spell (Life or Full-Life) or using a Phoenix Down (or 
Mega-Phoenix) on them.

Petrification: If your character is Petrified, they're turned to stone. That's 
it. They can't take turns any more, they're just... stuck. And if a character 
gets hit with a physical attack while Petrified, they will dissolve into dust 
and be removed from battle entirely, leaving you with one less member to fight 
with. You can pick Petrification by, understandably, your character turning 
into a marble statue representation of themselves, and cure it with either a 
Remedy, a Soft, or the Esuna spell.

Poison: Another nasty one that people will be familiar with. If a character is 
Poisoned, they will lose 1/4 of their total HP for each turn they take under 
the status. Meaning, even at max HP, four turns under Poison will kill you. 
You can pick Poison by a little green splash over your character's head, and 
cure it with an Antidote, a Remedy, or Esuna.

Silence: If your character is Silenced, they are unable to cast any magic 
spells. For physical attackers, this effect doesn't really make a difference. 
Spot it by a little speech bubble next to your character, and cure it with an 
Echo Screen, a Remedy, or an Esuna.

Sleep: Well, understandable, your character goes to sleep under the Sleep 
status. They don't take any turns, they just crouch there snoozing. Pick it by 
the little Zzz coming from your character's head. You can wake a character up 
from Sleep with a physical attack (always works well), or by using a Remedy or 
casting Esuna.

Slow: If your character is Slow, their agility stat goes wayyyy down and they 
receive turns in battle less often. It's kinda hard to pick, but your 
character's movements as they wait for turns will be slower. Cure Slow with 
either casting Haste or Esuna, or using a Remedy.

Zombie: Dude, your character becomes undead! This can be both positive and 
negative, depending on the battle. Death spells will have no effect on a 
Zombified character, but curative spells or items will hurt them big time. 
Using a Phoenix Down on a Zombified character (should you use a Mega Phoenix 
or something) will kill them. You can spot Zombie if your character turns 
bright green (ooooh), and cure it with a Holy Water or a Remedy.

Well, that's enough of that.



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                                2.3     Menus
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The menu is an amazing thing, with a lot of options for you to choose from. 
Knowing exactly how it works is key to playing the game properly.

Some items on the Menu screen are only available after certain points, eg. you 
can only get the "Aeons" option after getting Yuna in your party, with 
Valefor. 

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                    Sphere Grid
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You all know what the Sphere Grid is, right? If not, you'll have to check out 
section 2d, the Sphere Grid Explained. This option allows you to enter the 
Sphere Grid, and customize your characters. In the Sphere Grid, you can Move 
spaces on the Grid, Use spheres to activate nodes, or press L1/R1 to 
quick-switch between characters.

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                    Item
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Again, pretty much self-explanatory. Here you can see all the items you have 
acquired in the game so far. There are four options here:

1) Use. To actually use an item, you'll have to select Use, then the item, 
then a person to use it on (if applicable).

2) Sort. When you pick up items in the game, they'll just be placed in your 
inventory in the order you collect them. To sort them, i.e. to list all the 
recovery items first in order of strength, etc. select Sort. Manual means you 
can set them in the order you like by switching the positions of any two items 
in the inventory. Auto sorts them automatically, like I stated previously.

3) Equipment. Here you can simply view your equipment, or sort it. Select 
Equipment, and then Manual to have the option to scroll down the list. 
Selecting Auto will sort it automatically, into a group of weapons for Tidus, 
then armour for Tidus, then weapons for Yuna, etc. You get the drift.

4) Key Items. Here you can view the designated Key Items you've picked up in 
the game. There's a limited number of these, and they include things like 
Crests, Sigils, and Al Bhed primers. Once you've selected it, you can just 
press up and down to scroll through the list and see what you've got and what 
you haven't.

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                    Ability
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With this sub-menu, you can view/use abilities your characters have learnt. 
Only curative white magic abilities are usable outside battle, the rest will 
appear greyed out. Selecting Ability, then a character, will bring up a list 
of all abilities learnt, including Special moves, Skills, White Magic and 
Black Magic, sorted into their respective groups. Once in the Ability screen, 
you can press L1 and R1 to quick-switch between characters.

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                    Overdrive
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This is a really important section. Here you can view the overdrives each 
character has learnt, view their overdrive bar, and view and set their 
overdrive mode.

Most of this stuff is covered in more detail in section 9, Overdrives, but 
I'll explain it a little here. After selecting Overdrive and a character to 
view, you have two options:

1) View. This is where you get a list of all the overdrives a character has 
learnt, eg. the different types of Swordplay Tidus has. You can also see the 
character's overdrive bar and how full it is, plus the mode of overdrive they 
are using.

2) Set Mode. Here you can change their mode of overdrive to whatever other 
mode the character has learnt. Different modes mean the overdrive bar fills up 
when different things happen, eg. for Stoic, the bar fills when the character 
takes damage, and for Warrior, the bar fills when the character inflicts 
damage. You start off with only Stoic, but over time your characters can learn 
up to 16 different modes. Select Set Mode, then the mode, to change it.

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                    Equip
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here you can set the weapon and armour each character has equipped in battle. 
Fairly standard, really. Select Equip, and then a character to equip. Use L1 
and R1 to quick-switch between characters.

Weapon: Selecting Weapon brings up a list of available weapons for that 
character. Moving up and down the list shows you the abilities each weapon 
has, and to change weapons, just select the new one.

Armour: This works similarly to Weapon. Selecting Armour brings up a list of 
available armour for that character to equip. Moving up and down the list 
shows you the abilities each piece has, and just select the new armour to 
change over.

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                    Status
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here you can view just about everything about your character. Choose Status, 
and then a character to bring up a dazzling array of information. Press L1 and 
R1 to quick-switch between characters.

You can view all of a character's stats here, as well as their armour and 
overdrive info. Pressing X will cycle you though the ability screens, of 
auto-abilities (on weapons and armour), skills, special moves, white magic, 
and black magic.

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                    Aeons
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here you can view your aeons and their stats and abilities, as well as 
customizing their attributes.

1) Status. Similar to character status, you can view an aeon's status. Their 
stats, their overdrive and special attack, and you can cycle through their 
abilities as well.

2) Abilities. This option is only available after receiving the Summoner's 
Soul from Belgemine. After selecting an aeon, you can teach them abilities, 
using items. This is covered in more detail in the Aeons section, but I'll 
detail it a bit here. To teach an ability, select an available ability (listed 
in white).

3) Attributes. This is also covered pretty well in the Aeons section. It will 
only be available if you have the Aeon's Soul, obtainable from Belgemine. To 
increase an aeon's attributes, select the attribute to increase from the ones 
listen in white, and confirm it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Formation
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You can change your line-up of characters using this option. The first three 
go into battle by default, so use the Formation option to switch characters 
around into your particular preference.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Customize
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This section is only available after Rikku joins your party after the 
Moonflow. Using items, you can customize auto-abilities on your weapons and 
armour. For a full list of different abilities and stuff, you'll have to check
the Customisation section of this guide. For a brief explanation of how to do 
it, select the option, then the weapon/armour to customize, then the ability 
to customize onto it. Only weapons/armour/abilities listed in white are 
customisable. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Config
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Heres where you get to tamper with all the nitty-gritty details of the game 
that you can tamper with.

Sound: Set to either Stereo or Mono. Not much difference, ya?

Subtitles: If you're like me, you'll leave these On, because sometimes it can 
be hard to make out the words a character says. Turn them Off if you're too 
lazy to read.

Names: In the subtitles, do you need each character's name displayed? If so, 
turn them On. If not, turn them Off. If Subtitles are Off, it doesn't make a 
whit of difference what this is set to.

Cursor: This is an interesting one. You can set it to Default or Memory, 
depending on if you want the cursor to "remember" where it last was in battle. 
For example, if one character used an item, the next character would start 
their turn with the cursor already on Item. If this sounds good, set it to 
Memory.

Help: If you're a lazy sod like me, you'll like the Help menu, as it displays 
interesting stuff during battles, including tips on defeating your foe/s. 
Leave it On, or switch it Off, your choice.

Aeons: This has to do with the length of the aeon summon animation. Some of 
them get pretty long, and if you don't want to see the entire thing every time 
you summon one, select Short, otherwise, leave it as Default.

Map: Also a very useful function, the Map function is the overhead radar 
screen always present in the top-left corner of your field screen. Turn it Off 
if you don't need to be told where to go, and where the doors and save spheres 
are.

Vibration: Standard, really. Do you want your controller to go bzzzzzzzzzzzzt 
at you when random things like aeon summons occur? Select your option 
accordingly.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Help
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is actually a really useful section, giving you heaps of good 
information. I didn't discover the usefulness of this section until it came to 
writing this. There's three options:

Basic Controls: Details the controls for the field, for battles, and for the 
menu. Fairly standard.

Basic Terms: Gives nice definitions for a number of terms that might be 
familiar or might be new to you. These terms are: Battle Mode, CTB Window, 
Damage Indicators, Switch, Overdrives, Trigger Commands, Elements, Status 
Ailments, The Info Window, Change Weapon/Armour, Defend, and Overkill.

Reference: The best section. Lots of good reference material here. Four 
sections to it:
     
     1) Overdrives: Here you can learn the basics about each character's  
        overdrive, what it does, how to use it.

     2) Overdrive Modes: Gives you the basics on what it means to have 
        different modes. Doesn't give you many of the different modes, just 
        Stoic, Warrior, and Healer, but my guide's here to explain the rest, 
        right?
     
     3) Auto-Abilities: Long list here, covered in more detail in the 
        Customisation section. As that previous section would suggest, these 
        are lists and details of all the abilities you can customize onto your 
        armour and weapons. Doesn't tell you what's required to customize 
        each, though.
 
     4) Command Abilities: A list (with details) of all the abilities your 
        characters can learn. These details are the ones I've used in my 
        abilities lists.

And that's it! Once you've got all that, you've mastered the menu.



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                      2.4     The Sphere Grid Explained
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The Sphere Grid can be a tricky thing to wrap your head around. It's the 
method of upgrading and customising your characters, in Final Fantasy X. No 
longer do we get AP to level or characters up from 1 to 100, and get stat 
increases accordingly. Nuh-uh. No way.

I'll try to explain this as simply as possible. After battles, instead of EXP, 
we now collect AP. AP and EXP sorta work similarly, when you get enough AP, 
you'll go up one Sphere Level. Sphere Levels could be seen as equivalent to 
levels in a normal RPG, but in FFX you spend these Sphere Levels to move 
around the Sphere Grid. When you spend the levels, your Sphere Level goes 
downnnn. 

So, what exactly is the Sphere Grid? It's like a giant board game board, with 
circular paths winding all around the place. Each of your characters starts in 
a different section of the board. Every time you get a Sphere Level, you can 
use it to move one space on the board, in the direction of your choice (the 
path is linear, though). Each space you can land on is called a 'node'.

Got that so far? We spend Sphere Levels to move around the grid, from node to 
node. Some of these nodes we land on are empty nodes, which are pointless to 
us. But most are not empty, and they can be stat nodes or ability nodes. 
Examples of these are HP +200, STR +4, MAG +2, Steal, Dark Buster, or Cure. 
Still with me? The paths around the grid contain nodes. While the nodes are 
just plain, and boring, they're no fun; but when we activate each of them, our 
characters get the stat bonuses or learn the abilities that are on the node. 

Each character travels along the board, activating each node they pass as they 
spend Sphere Levels. Each node activated only boosts the character that 
activated it, and two people can activate the same node to both receive the 
stat bonus. This is how our characters become more powerful. The more battles 
you fight, the more AP you get, the more Sphere Levels you will obtain, and 
the faster you can move around the grid activating nodes and powering up. Make 
good sense? Okay, that's the tricky bit out of the way.

Now, how to activate nodes? Activating nodes is done with spheres. On your 
travels, before you even get to see the sphere grid, you will have picked up 
items from battles like ability spheres, mana spheres, or power spheres. These 
are what we use to activate nodes. Logically, ability spheres are used on 
ability nodes, and so on. 

You don't actually have to be on a node to activate it, but you do have to be 
only one step away, following the path. Meaning, you can activate a node one 
step ahead of you, or one step behind. For a complete list of spheres, and 
what they all do... (do not be daunted by this list pleeease)...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Basic Spheres
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

These are ones you will use to activate nodes you meet along the way, such as 
abilities and stats.

->  Ability Sphere:  Activates ability nodes, such as white magic, black 
                     magic, skills, or specials.
->  Fortune Sphere:  Activates luck nodes. These are indeed rare.
->  Mana Sphere:     Activates MP, Magic, and Magic Defence nodes
->  Power Sphere:    Activated HP, Strength, and Defence nodes
->  Speed Sphere:    Activates Agility, Accuracy, and Evasion nodes

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Key Spheres
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Key Spheres are used to unlock Key Locks found randomly throughout the grid. 
These Key Locks usually seal off very rare skills, or separate one character's 
section of the grid from another. Once you've unlocked a Key Lock, it turns 
into an empty node that all characters can pass.

->  Level 1 Key Sphere:  Unlocks a Level 1 Key Lock.
->  Level 2 Key Sphere:  Unlocks a Level 2 Key Lock.
->  Level 3 Key Sphere:  Unlocks a Level 3 Key Lock.
->  Level 4 Key Sphere:  Unlocks a Level 4 Key Lock.

Well, those made perfect sense, right?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Stat Creation Spheres
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stat creation spheres get used on empty nodes, to turn them into stat nodes. 
Once you've created a stat node using one, you can activate it normally with 
one of your basic spheres. Any stat node created from an empty node using a 
stat creation sphere can be activated by any character passing it, not just 
the one who created it.

->  HP Sphere:             Turns an empty node into a HP +300 node.
->  MP Sphere:             Turns an empty node into a MP +40 node.
->  Strength Sphere:       Turns an empty node into a STR +4 node.
->  Defence Sphere:        Turns an empty node into a DEF +4 node.
->  Magic Sphere:          Turns an empty node into a MAG +4 node.
->  Magic Defence Sphere:  Turns an empty node into a MDF +4 node.
->  Agility Sphere:        Turns an empty node into an AGL +4 node.
->  Evasion Sphere:        Turns an empty node into an EVA +4 node.
->  Accuracy Sphere:       Turns an empty node into an ACC +4 node.
->  Luck Sphere:           Turns an empty node into a LUK +4 node.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Complimentary Spheres
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No, not spheres that will spend all day telling you how pretty you are. 
Complimentary spheres are used to activate nodes for one character that a 
different character has already activated. These need not be on the same sort 
of path or anything, you can just use one to activate any other node already 
activated.

A good example of how to use complimentary spheres: Say you've gotten one of 
your characters to the point of learning Ultima, and they activate the Ultima 
node. Using Black Magic Spheres, you can then get each of your characters to 
learn Ultima (even if they are nowhere near, off in their own parts of the 
grid), because one character already did. Capiche?

->  Attribute Sphere:    Activates a stat node that was already activated by 
                         another character.
->  Black Magic Sphere:  Activates a Black Magic node that was already 
                         activated by another character.
->  Master Sphere:       Activates ANY node that was already activated by 
                         another character.
->  Skill Sphere:        Activates a Skill node that was already activated by 
                         another character.
->  Special Sphere:      Activates a Special node that was already activated 
                         by another character.
->  White Magic Sphere:  Activates a White Magic node that was already 
                         activated by another character.

Make all good sense? These spheres are rare, and should be used wisely. Moving 
on...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Other Random Spheres
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

These are the rarest of the lot, and each have their own unique function.

->  Clear Sphere:     Turns any stat node into an empty node. Useful if you're 
                      into serious stat maxing, you can do things like clear a 
                      STR +1 node and replace it with STR +4. If you clear a 
                      node, any character that had activated that node will 
                      lose the stat bonus from it.
->  Friend Sphere:    Moves a character to any other character's current 
                      location on the sphere grid. Say you've just started 
                      Wakka into Auron's section of the grid, you can send 
                      another character there to travel that same path using a 
                      Friend Sphere.
->  Return Sphere:    Returns a character to any node that they themselves 
                      have previously activated. If you get to the end of a 
                      long path, you can use one of these to take you back to 
                      the start so you can go another way, or back to a 
                      branching point so you can head off a different way.
->  Teleport Sphere:  Moves a character to any activated node on the grid, 
                      regardless of who activated it. 
->  Warp Sphere:      Move one character to any other node on the grid, 
                      activated or not.

As you can see, the Warp Spheres would be the rarest of all, because with them 
you can skip your characters around the grid at will.

Mostly, you'll be dealing with basic spheres and key lock spheres, which is 
why I listed them first. So, if you understood all that, you now know the 
basics of how the sphere grid works. To sum it up...

1) Fight battles to get AP.
2) Use AP to gain Sphere Levels.
3) Use Sphere Levels to move along the path on the grid.
4) Activate each node as you pass it, to learn abilities and boost your stats.

For the most part, each character's path is linear. Small subsections will be 
separated by Key Locks, you can choose to travel through them or just to keep 
going. Each character has their set path, and at the end of that, their path 
will usually connect to the start of the path of another character, with a 
high-level Key Lock in between. Theoretically, you could spend forever sending 
your characters around the grid. If you want to get perfect stats, you will 
have to send each of your characters around the ENTIRE grid (and do a lot of 
clearing and stat creating). 

A safe guideline for the sphere grid is to get each character to the end of 
their path before you beat the game. If you want to go kung-fu, start each 
character on a second path.


--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--
                2.4.1     The Standard and Expert Sphere Grids
--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--

If you're playing the International/PAL version of Final Fantasy X, you will 
be given a choice of sphere grids at the start, from the Standard and Expert 
sphere grids.

What's the difference between the two? I'm glad you asked. Like the names 
would suggest, the Expert Sphere Grid is tailored for more expert players, who 
want to have greater power in controlling the customisation of their 
characters. While the Standard grid starts each character off in separate 
sections with their own path to follow, the Expert grid starts all characters 
in the same central spiral (with the exception of Rikku, who starts one Level 
1 Key Lock away). 

The Standard Sphere Grid is a lot easier to understand, as you just plod along 
activating nodes. The Expert Grid requires planning and preparation, as it's 
full of branches where you choose the path to take. Each character has the 
option of following any path, should you decide to customize them that way. If 
you want to have a whole party of black mages, or power hitters, you can. 
That's the beauty of the Expert Grid.

To all you people playing the bring old NTSC version, you're stuck with the 
Standard Grid, which is still exciting and all, but not as fun as the Expert 
Grid. Currently I'm training all my characters to be power hitters like Auron, 
in the Expert Grid. You can't do that now, can you, NTSC people?

Stat maxing is more difficult on the Expert Grid, as there are approximately 
50 fewer nodes to fill. But unless you're willing to spend a few hundred hours 
getting perfect stats, this makes little difference.

Enjoy your travels on the sphere grid, and power all your characters up to be 
whatever you want them to be. It's fun.





=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-

                              3.0     CHARACTERS

=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-


This section's kinda important. You wanna know who you're taking to save the 
world, right?



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                                3.1     Tidus
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Age:               17

Tidus is our fun-loving main character of this here game. A star player for 
the Zanarkand Abes, he's thrown into the future by Sin and is desperately 
seeking nothing more than a means to get home. 

Tidus uses swords marked light-blue in the menu as weapons. His great strength 
at the beginning of the game is his agility. He takes turns fast, and works 
best against grounded enemies, preferably those without a shell. Over the 
game, he'll also learn white magic such as Haste and Slow.

Base Stats:        HP: 520     MP: 12
                   STR: 15     DEF: 10     MAG: 5      MDF: 5
                   AGL: 10     LUK: 18     EVA: 10     ACC: 10



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                                 3.2     Yuna
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Age:               17

Yuna is our female lead of this game. She's a summoner, on a pilgrimage to 
pray at every temple at Spira, to hopefully gain the necessary tools to 
defeat Sin.

As well as being the only character to have the power to call forth aeons, 
Yuna is a dedicated white mage, arming herself with staves marked magenta. She 
does jack all in the physical attack department, having basically zero 
strength, but she has the highest magic stat. She will learn white spells like 
Cura, Protect, Shell, Regen and Holy on her trip through the sphere grid.

Base Stats:        HP: 475     MP: 84
                   STR: 5      DEF: 5      MAG: 20     MDF: 20
                   AGL: 10     LUK: 17     EVA: 30     ACC: 3



---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=--
                                3.3     Wakka
---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=--

Age:               24

Wakka is captain-coach of the Besaid Aurochs, brudda. One of the worst 
blitzball teams in history, Wakka quits it to become one of Yuna's full-time 
guardians.

Being a blitz player, naturally Wakka uses blitzballs (marked grey) as 
weapons. He has remarkable accuracy, and works best against flying fiends, or 
ground-based ones without a hard shell. He'll also learn several 
status-inflicting skills to use.

Base Stats:        HP: 618     MP: 10
                   STR: 14     DEF: 10     MAG: 5      MDF: 10
                   AGL: 7      LUK: 19     EVA: 5      ACC: 25



---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=--
                                3.4     Auron
---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=--

Age:               35

Auron is the mysterious figure that draws Tidus to Spira. He was a guardian of 
Yuna's father, Lord Braska, and now he accompanies Yuna. His past is a 
mystery, much like everything else about him.

Auron will be, without a doubt, the strongest person in your party. His 
strength is unrivalled, and he carries huge swords (marked navy blue) as 
weapons. All of his weapons are piercing, meaning they will cut through a hard 
shell, but he doesn't work so good against flyers. Over the grid, he'll also 
learn Break skills to decrease your opponents' stats.

Base Stats:        HP: 1030    MP: 33
                   STR: 20     DEF: 15     MAG: 5      MDF: 5
                   AGL: 5      LUK: 17     EVA: 5      ACC: 3



---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=--
                               3.5     Kimahri
---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=--

Age:               25

Kimahri is a member of the Ronso tribe, a pack of big blue beasts with horns 
poking out of their foreheads. But Kimahri was disgraced, as chose to become 
one of Yuna's guardians, and now finds nemesis in his brothers.

Kimahri is an interesting character to fight with, because you can customize 
him almost any way you want. His section of the sphere grid is in the centre, 
surrounded by starting points to everyone else's section, so you can customize
Kimahri as you see fit. He uses piercing lances, marked violet on the weapon 
screen.

Base Stats:        HP: 644     MP: 78
                   STR: 16     DEF: 15     MAG: 5      MDF: 17
                   AGL: 6      LUK: 18     EVA: 5      ACC: 5



---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=--
                                 3.6     Lulu
---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=--

Age:               22

Lulu is seen as an older sister to Yuna, and is another of her first group of 
dedicated guardians. She also has a mysterious history with Wakka, and his 
now-deceased brother Chappu.

As Yuna is a white mage, Lulu is a black mage. She uses moogle dolls, marked 
light green, as weapons, believe it or not. Like Yuna, her strength is 
virtually non-existent, but she makes up for it with very high magic and magic 
defence, and a barrage of spells like Watera, Blizzaga, Flare, and Ultima.

Base Stats:        HP: 380     MP: 92
                   STR: 5      DEF: 8      MAG: 30     MDF: 20
                   AGL: 5      LUK: 17     EVA: 40     ACC: 3



---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=--
                                3.7     Rikku
---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=--

Age:               15

Rikku's our bright and cheerful Al Bhed contingent, and our resident 
pickpocket. After saving Tidus in the Baaj Temple, she's washed away in Sin's 
attack, and then rescued by Tidus later on. Does she also bear some 
resemblance to Yuna?

As a thief and an Al Bhed, Rikku has a whole host of relevant Skills such as 
Mug, Bribe, Nab Gil, Use and Spare Change. Her other stats are fairly 
ordinary, except for a sky-high agility stat. She'll be taking turns fast, but 
not doing a lot of damage.

Base Stats:        HP: 385     MP: 85
                   STR: 10     DEF: 8      MAG: 8      MDF: 10
                   AGL: 16     LUK: 18     EVA: 5      ACC: 5





=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-

                           4.0     THE WALKTHROUGH

=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-=-=+=-


The important bit. Here we go! Chuck your FFX DVD into the PS2, and select a 
new game. If playing International, you'll be prompted to select a Sphere Grid 
to use for the game. Check my Sphere Grid section for details on the different 
ones, and which you should choose. Once you've picked one (or completely 
bypassed the choice if playing NTSC), you'll get the most beautifulest opening 
scene ever.

Seven characters, sitting around a campfire, in the ruins of a once-great 
city. What's happening? We wouldn't have a clue. So just watch. When we see 
this scene a second time, as we will late in the game, it will all make sense.



---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=--
                                  Zanarkand
---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=--

It's night time, in Zanarkand, a pretty cool-looking place. I love the 
colours used here. People are all gathering around, and then run to see 
someone approaching... followed by a small boy in purple.

Who have the people flocked to see? You. The main character of this here game. 
Tidus. Once you get control of Tidus, run him down into the group of people, 
and start talking to them. Sign the balls of the two girls on the right, and 
input a new name for Tidus if you wish. Once Tidus has dedicated his goals in 
the game to the girls, talk to the three children on the left. He signs their 
balls too. After you've done, keep heading forward past the children and a 
scene will take over.

The kids want Tidus to teach them how to blitz. He's a star blitzball player 
you see, which is like the world's national sport. He says he'll teach them 
tonight, but the boy in purple interrupts, saying he can't. Okay, tomorrow 
then. Promise!

Now we get an awesome scene of the city. Doesn't it look cool? Tidus is 
walking along the road, and he sees a man on a giant billboard. The man is his 
father, Jecht. Once the announcer starts talking, just run straight down the 
road. The announcer will talk about how Jecht, the greatest blitzball player 
the world ever saw, disappeared into thin air, and now, ten years later, the 
Jecht Memorial Cup is on! That's the game Tidus is playing in. 

At the end of the road, you'll reach the blitzball stadium. Fight your way 
through the hordes of gaggling girls to get into the stadium. And now we have 
the coolest movie in a video EVAR. Blitzball!

This is undoubtedly the coolest sport ever seen. Played in a giant spherical 
pool, two teams battle it out, while an unknown man watches from far above the 
stadium.

The man seems to have power, as he commands a wall of water into the city. It 
sucks buildings in, and destroys everything, but the people in the stadium 
remain oblivious... Until Tidus jumps out of the water for a special shot, and 
the water overtakes the arena.

Watch as the beautiful Zanarkand is destroyed. What a way to open a game, eh?

When Tidus gets up outside the stadium, we'll see the map screen for the first 
time, in the top left corner. Use it well, as it makes navigating things 
pretty easy. Tidus is the yellow triangle (of course), and the way he has to 
go is shown by the red arrow. At the bottom of the walkway, you'll see the man 
who was watching before. Tidus knows who he is. "Auron!" Auron was here 
waiting for Tidus. Wha? What's happening? Follow him as he walks off.

As Tidus looks around hopelessly, not having a clue what's going on, time 
stands still. Yes, really. The boy is back again, with some cryptic words for 
you. It begins. Don't cry. (Okay.) Just who the hell is this kid, anyways?

When time turns back to normal, Tidus begins to realize the enormity of what's 
happening. The entire town is being destroyed. And Auron is walking straight 
towards the giant blob of water that came to wreak the havoc. Tidus tries to 
warn him, not this way. But Auron will not be dissuaded.

They called that giant thing "Sin". Cool, eh? Evil. Sin's not done blowing 
shit up yet, he sends a giant tentacle, covered in scales, into the side of 
the building. The scales jump onto the roadway, and come to life! Tidus, being 
the smart kid he is, tries to defend himself against them with his bare hands. 
Auron, being the clever old man he is, gives Tidus a sword, a gift from Jecht. 
(But Jecht died ten years ago... what on earth is happening here?) And we 
enter battle mode, the first of the game.

Auron's got the right idea, cut through these ones and run. So start 
attacking. Keep attacking until the two of you break free and head for the 
hills.

Unfortunately, you don't make it to the hills. You make it over the crest in 
the road to find another of the giant tentacles, and the first boss of the 
game. You get a tutorial on overdrives, and then you have to fight.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             Boss: Sinspawn Ammes
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Points:            HP:  2400 (1000)        MP:  400
Rewards:           AP:  0    (0)           GIL: 0
Stats:             STR: 1      DEF: 1      MAG: 5      MDF: 1
                   AGL: 9      LUK: 10     EVA: 0      ACC: 0
Immunities:        Sleep, Poison, Petrification, Zombie, Threaten, Death, 
                   Doom, Scan, Demi, Eject
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay. First boss. Lucky, he's an easy one. It's kinda really hard to die on 
this boss, for reasons which will become painfully clear as the fight goes on.

Follow the instructions first of all, to use Auron's Dragon Fang overdrive by 
following the key combination listed (left up right down L1 R1 circle X). That 
will take out all the Sinscales in the picture, as well as doing some nice 
damage to Ammes. Once you've done that, start attacking the thing.             
                                                        
With each hit, you'll knock off one of it's little dangly tentacle things on 
top. Obviously, we want to kill all of them, then it. After an attack or two, 
you'll see Ammes' big move: Demi. Too right, his only attack wipes off half 
your current HP each time. Meaning, it can't kill you. See how I mean, it's 
impossible to die?
    
Use Tidus' Spiral Cut overdrive when it comes up, following the instructions 
from before on how to access them. Stop the moving bar when it's in the centre 
section for maximum effect of the move, then just keep attacking until Ammes 
dies.                                               

------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Damn that Ammes looks cool, with that blue and purple, as he melts down. You 
won't get anything from that battle, though. Follow Auron past the dead 
Sinspawn, and save your game at the save sphere on the right if you wish.

Keep running, and a scene will take over. Tidus thinks Jecht, on the big 
screen, is laughing at him. (Haha Tidus.) He wants to leave, to run the other 
way, but Auron informs him that "they're expected". 

Uh oh, more Sinscales come onto the screen. Hundreds of them. Thousands of 
them, littering the road. And you've gotta fight. Attack and kill the three in 
front of you, and Auron will realize that this could be a bad situation. He 
spots the tanker on the side of the road - aim for that! So beat up the poor 
innocent defenceless tanker a bit. After five or six hits it will go down, 
taking all the scales with it.

Of course, that's not all the tanker blew up. The roadway's in a shambles, but 
you're gonna keep running anyways. Tidus blindly follows Auron through the 
flames, then defies gravity to jump and catch the end of a rising patch of the 
bitumen. Why is the bitumen rising? Sin is overhead, sucking you up into it!

Auron questions Sin, are you sure? (Umm wha?) Obviously, Sin gives an 
affirmative response, because both Tidus and Auron are drawn into the light, 
and all goes black.

When we come to, Tidus is underwater, yet it looks like he's swimming high 
above Zanarkand. Press circle to go down, and when you get as low as you can 
go, you'll see a blue platform behind Tidus. Swim there, and you'll find Tidus 
as a little boy. He does a little bit of soul-searching as he narrates what 
happens next, that he had a dream of being alone. What's happening to him?



---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=--
                        Underwater Ruins (Baaj Temple)
---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=--

I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Dorothy.

Tidus wakes up alone, on a bit of driftwood, in the middle of a dark grey 
ocean. There's nothing around him but water, more debris, and the odd loon. 

When you get the chance to swim, follow the red arrow, but take a detour. On 
the overhead map, on the squares on the right side of screen, you'll find 
steps leading up to a plateau. Head up to find 200 gil in a chest and some 
weird writing that poor Tidus can't decipher.

Back in the water, head north-west. Just north-west of the six little squares 
on the map, you'll find another area, with two Potions and an Al Bhed 
compilation sphere. If you've played FFX on your memory card before, load your 
Al Bhed dictionary here. If not, ignore the previous sentence.

Once you've got all that, head back in the water and follow the arrow to find 
the stairs outta there. We still have no clue where we are, but save on the 
left, then follow the path up. Take the path on the left to find a chest with 
a Hi-Potion, then go back and keep going north.

Watch as the path crumbles out from underneath Tidus, and he falls back in the 
water. Just swim for a bit, in any direction, and a scene will take over. Some 
Sahagins approach, and perform some tricks for Tidus, but we have to fight 
them. Kill two of them, and then a bloody big thing comes along and eats up 
the last one. And we have a boss on our hands.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               Boss: Geosgaeno
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Points:            HP:  32267 (-)          MP:  128
Rewards:           AP:  0     (0)          GIL: 0
Stats:             STR: 36     DEF: 50     MAG: 40     MDF: 50
                   AGL: 48     LUK: 15     EVA: 0      ACC: 50
Elements:          Fire/Ice/Lightning/Water/Holy (x1.5)
Immunities:        Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Petrification, Slow, Zombie, 
                   Power Break, Magic Break, Armour Break, Mental Break, 
                   Threaten, Death, Provoke, Doom, Scan, Demi, Delay, Eject
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay. Those stats look scary. Especially that whopping 32,000 HP. But don't 
worry. We're gonna hit and run here, we don't have to worry about killing him 
until much, MUCH later.

Your attacks are pretty piss weak here, my Tidus is hitting for 29. And this 
thing's attacks hurt too. After your first hit, he'll hit you, and knock off, 
you guessed it, half your current HP. Can anything actually kill you in this 
game? Not yet, it would seem.

After three hits, he'll get mad and go after Tidus. Tidus will swim for his 
life, and spot a doorway into a temple. He swims, the Geosgaeno chases... and 
Tidus makes it in the nick of time. End of battle. Woo.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Okay, so NOW where the hell are we? Still no clues. So just ignore that fact, 
and head into the temple.

Scary looking place, eh? Big totems all around. The place is a wreck, and 
Tidus is about to freeze his buns off unless we can get some fire. In the 
centre of the hall, we find the remains of a campfire, now we just need the 
tools (eg. a flint and some tinder) to light it up again.

Lets start exploring, shall we? Head through the door on the north-east side 
of screen, and up the stairs. Halfway up the stairs, the screen will change 
and you'll find a Withered Bouquet in a vase on the wall. Take it, and there's 
your tinder. Keep heading up, and in a chest on the balcony you'll find a 
Hi-Potion. Back to our main hall, and dump the bouquet on the campfire.

In the south-west corner (corner? In a round room?) of the hall, you'll find a 
save sphere. Save up, and head through the doorway. There, in a box on the 
floor, you'll find a flint, so go back and start a fire.

Wow, our boy Tidus must have mad survival skillz, cos he gets a decent fire 
going. He stretches out for a rest, and straight away starts bitching about 
food. (Whiny little sod.) We see Tidus daydream - he's with Auron. Auron made 
a bad call, and your team lost because of you. (Of course, dreams aren't 
supposed to make sense.) It's been ten years, and he thought Tidus would be 
crying. Who, him? The little boy in purple from Zanarkand appears. You cried.

(For some reason, that "you cried" line made me laugh, the first time I played 
this. I'm a tad odd, I know.)

Tidus snaps back to his present world, and his campfire's gone out. He tells 
the fire to hold on, he'll get more wood, but before he gets the chance, he 
gets ambushed by a creature that has the power to walk on walls. Cool.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 Boss: Klikk
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Points:            HP:  1500 (400)         MP:  5
Rewards:           AP:  5    (7)           GIL: 50
Stats:             STR: 14     DEF: 1      MAG: 1      MDF: 1
                   AGL: 4      LUK: 15     EVA: 0      ACC: 50
Immunities:        Sleep, Poison, Sensor, Scan
Steal:             Grenade x1 (normal), x2 (rare)
Drop:              2x Ability Sphere (normal/rare)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We have to kill this one, unlike the last one. And this is the first thing 
we've found so far that can actually kill us. (Woo.) 

Because we don't exactly have a lot of options at the moment, attack the 
bugger. You'll alternate turns attacking, so when your HP gets low, use a 
Potion, you should have a dozen of them by now. After a while, the battle will 
stall.

The other door to the room blows open, and behind it are a bunch of weird 
looking guys with some heavy artillery, led by a little blonde girl. She 
approaches you, and she's going to fight with you. She has the Special ability 
"Use", and the game runs through a tutorial of how to use Grenades. After it's 
done, select Special, Use, Grenade, and you'll hit the thing for a fair bit of 
damage.

Keep Tidus attacking, and have the girl Steal (another Special ability) 
another couple of Grenades. Use them, and attack some more, and the Klikk will 
be out of your way before you know it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------


And we get AP for the first time! Cool! Take the 5 AP, the two ability 
spheres, and watch the scene. The girl takes off her mask, to reveal a pretty 
set of blue eyes, and Tidus is relieved. Don't relax just yet, pal. The 
cronies of the girl pick him up, and hold him hostage, speaking to each other 
in the same language you read on the totem pole outside. It's Al Bhed, in case 
you didn't know. And with one blow from the girl, Tidus is down and out for 
the count.



---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=--
                           Al Bhed Ship/Sunken Ship
---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=--

Poor Tidus is getting his head knocked off his shoulders, and he can't 
understand what the goons are saying. The girl helps him to his feet, and 
laugh yourself stupid when you see the Al Bhed guy miming what he wants Tidus 
to do, with appropriate grunting sound effects. Seriously, it's hilarious. 

When Tidus has no clue what's going on, the guns get drawn. Quickly, the girl 
whispers, you can stay if you make yourself useful! She speaks English! But 
now Tidus knows the score, he has to work.

Talk to the Al Bhed guy closest to the save sphere (even though you can't 
understand him) to get three Potions. In the back right corner of the boat, 
take the Al Bhed Primer Vol I, and start learning the Al Bhed language, one 
letter at a time. (Guess how many of these there are to collect?). Save your 
game at the save sphere, then head back and talk to the girl.

She'll give you a tutorial here, on how to use the sphere grid. If you didn't 
read my above section on it, this might be useful to you. Or not. Either way, 
read it, absorb the info. If you don't know how to use the sphere grid 
properly, you're gonna be in a spot of bother rather soon.

Once the tutorial is done, do what it says and improve Tidus now. You can get 
him the Cheer ability, so far. Saving up sphere levels isn't really necessary, 
unless you're waiting to get the spheres to activate one node before you move 
on. Anyways, just get Cheer for Tidus, mmkay? :)

Talk to her again, and you'll find out the work you are to do. There's a 
sunken ship underneath, that you have to go in and investigate. Seems like 
these Al Bhed people are salvagers, scouring the sea for everything they can 
find. 

Once you're in the water, follow the arrow. If you get into any battles with 
Piranhas on the way, have the girl steal some more Grenades from them before 
you kill them. Take the AP, and move on. 

Inside the ship, in the close-right corner, you'll find a save sphere, so use 
it. Then bang on the computer terminal a bit, and the door will open. 
(Mechanical skills to boot! I like this guy!) Follow the tunnels along, and 
you'll get ambushed by a bunch of Piranhas. Meh, no big deal, kill the things, 
stealing a couple more Grenades first. 

After you've done that, examine the thing the girl is pointing to, and Tidus 
will bang on it, making it work. (Incredible.) Unfortunately, while it's 
working and all, an octopus has swum into the ship to make life difficult for 
you. 

Head back yo the ship entrance after the scene, and in the main circular 
cavern, you'll get into a fight with Tros.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  Boss: Tros
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Points:            HP:  2200 (600)         MP:  10
Rewards:           AP:  8    (12)          GIL: 100
Stats:             STR: 10     DEF: 1      MAG: 1      MDF: 1
                   AGL: 12     LUK: 15     EVA: 0      ACC: 20
Immunities:        Silence, Darkness, Petrification, Zombie, Threaten, Death, 
                   Provoke, Doom, Demi, Eject
Steal:             Grenade x1 (normal), x3 (rare)
Drop:              2x Power Sphere (normal/rare)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ba, bada, bada da da da.... <3 battle theme. Anyways, let's focus on killing 
Tros. This is what we've been stealing Grenades for.

Have the girl keep using grenades (mine had eight of them here), while Tidus 
attacks. Should either of you reach Overdrive, even better, use it. 
Eventually, Tros will get fed up and move out of attack range.

Now we get a tutorial on trigger commands. If you've read my battle section, 
you already know what they are too, special commands that become available in 
certain battles. Here, the trigger command is Standby, meaning you won't take 
your turn but recover 50 HP. Put both Tidus and the girl in Standby, and then 
Tros will come and charge, hitting you for a fair bit of damage.

Keep yourself cured up, because Tros can do quite a bit of damage. Steal 
another Grenade from Tros and turf it at him, if you want. When he ducks away 
the second time, you get the Pincer Attack trigger command, so use it to 
surround the guy. Now he can only hit one of you at a time, shweet.

Attack him some more, and after a while, Tros will have had enough, and die.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Once the battle's over, follow the girl and the red arrow out of the ship. Its 
power will come on, so take the girl and follow the arrow (I bet you'll get 
sick of that phrase real soon) back to the Al Bhed salvage ship. Watch the 
pretty underwater scene, as we fade to black.

Back on dry land. (Well, dry ship.) The Al Bhed are talking about an airship 
(that word stands out, at least), and when Tidus tries to follow them inside, 
they kick him out. (Aww.) As he moans more about food, the girl appears, with 
a plate of what looks like tomato pasta or something. Him, being the pig he 
is, eats so fast he chokes, luckily the girl is there with a flask of water 
for him.

Tidus is overjoyed to talk to the girl, who identifies herself as Rikku. But 
why didn't she say something earlier, about the fact she spoke English? She 
didn't get a chance to, they thought he was a fiend! She tells him that they 
are, in fact, Al Bhed, and Tidus doesn't even know what an Al Bhed is. He 
relates with pride that he's from Zanarkand, and tells her all about life 
there, blitzball, and Sin's attack, which shocks Rikku a tad. Why does it 
shock her?

Because there is no Zanarkand anymore. Sin destroyed it a thousand years ago.

Tidus is sputtering, not understanding. He's been thrown a thousand years into 
the future? What the? When the scene's over, talk to Rikku again for another 
scene. She says you should to go Luca, you might find someone you know there. 
Luca? Rikku groans at Tidus' lack of knowledge. But leave it to her, she'll 
take you to Luca, promise.

And one thing. Don't tell anyone you're from Zanarkand, Yevon says it's a holy 
place, so you might upset someone.

Yevon? Sin? Luca? Zanarkand, some sort of holy place? Tidus can't come to 
grips in this. He thought Sin just sent him to a distant place, that he could 
go home in a day or two. But a thousand years into the future?

He kicks the side of the boat, in sheer frustration. And it seems to be the 
catalyst for something to rise up out of the water nearby... it's Sin! The Al 
Bhed are out, ready to fight Sin off, but as the boat lurches violently Tidus 
gets knocked overboard, sucked down into a swirling vortex of water....

Save your game here, please, in the unknown sea.



---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=--
                                    Besaid
---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=--

When Tidus wakes up, he's floating in a clear blue sea on what looks to be a 
beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky, quite the contrast from the Al Bhed 
ship. Again, no clue where we are now. He calls out for Rikku - but she's 
nowhere to be found. As he turns around in the water, searching, he gets 
conked in the back of the head... with a blitzball!

There's people standing on the beach nearby, apologizing profusely, led by a 
big guy with orange hair. Tidus is ecstatic to see a blitzball, and he picks 
it up and performs his signature shot, the Sphere Shot (no other shots 
available, yet ^_^) The ball narrowly misses the guys on the beach, and sails 
up into the air... the leader is impressed, really impressed.

When you get control of Tidus, don't swim up to the beach just yet. Head 
right, around the heads, to a secret beach, and pick up the Moon Crest (not 
useful till much much later.) Then head to the guys on the beach.

A scene will take over, where the big guy with orange hair will approach you. 
He doesn't believe the shot Tidus just made, so Tidus demonstrates other 
skills. The guy wants to know who Tidus plays for, so he happily replies, "The 
Zanarkand Abes." You silly boy, remember what Rikku told you? So he uses the 
toxin excuse you will get sick of hearing rather soon. The big orange-headed 
guy introduces himself as Wakka, captain-coach of the Besaid Aurochs. (We 
already knew we were in Besaid. We're clever.) Tidus reacts rather negatively 
to this revelation, so Wakka offers to take him back to the village for food. 
Follow him off the beach, and watch the scene.

Tidus asks Wakka if Zanarkand really was destroyed a thousand years ago, and 
Wakka settles in to tell a story. There were a whole lot of big cities in 
Spira once, with machina running them. Sin came and destroyed the cities, and 
is now in Spira as a punishment to the people for letting things get out of 
hand. Now, they have to repent for their sins, and everyone is suffering "for 
what some goofballs did way back when".

Tidus wants to find Sin one more time. Everything started with Sin, and he 
figures it will end with Sin. The poor kid just wants to go home. Is that so 
wrong?

Save your game, then head inland to find Wakka. Follow him to the edge of the 
cliff, then laugh as Wakka sneaks behind Tidus and pushes him in the water. 
Once in, just follow the river along, starting heading down on the map. You'll 
get into battles with Piranhas along the way, and notice Wakka's weapon - a 
blitzball! Baha.

On the way, if you swim around underwater, you'll find a few treasure chests 
containing a Hi-Potion, 2x Antidote, and eventually a scene will take over.

Wakka's got a favour to ask Tidus. He wants him on the Aurochs! There's a 
blitz tournament on soon, all the best teams in Spira will be there! 
Tonelessly, Tidus agrees to play with Wakka in it. Seems he's not too keen on 
the idea, ya?

Out of the water, the two are on a plateau, overlooking a small village. 
That's Besaid, and Wakka's lived there all his life. In the conversation, he 
reveals himself to be 23 years old (wonder how old Tidus is? Looks to be about 
sixteen) and tells that the Besaid Aurochs never won a game in ten years. So 
he quit, and got a new job. But he's back, for one last shot, he wants to go 
out with a bang, so to speak.

After the scene, which ends with Tidus telling Wakka that the goal is always 
victory, head down the path. You'll meet up with Gatta and Luzzu, two 
Crusaders. Yes, Tidus forgot who they are too. So, after pledging to ask about 
them in the village, keep running down the path.

On the next screen, you'll get to the village. Tidus just wants food, but 
Wakka tells him to look around first. (Must Tidus think only of his stomach?) 
The Crusaders' lodge is over yonder, and, before Wakka forgets, he asks Tidus 
if he knows the prayer. Choose a response that seems most appropriate and 
Wakka will show him how to pray to Yevon. What's the prayer? The blitzball 
sign for victory.

Now, Tidus is on his own in the town. He has to go present himself to the 
temple summoner, but we're gonna check stuff out first. Start from the bottom 
left side of town (town, hah, I made a joke) and work your way around. There's 
a chest on the left with a Phoenix Down, and an item shop in the first house. 
Before the second house, you'll notice a tiny grey offshoot on the map, 
leading to a hidden area, so head through the grass. There you'll find 2x 
Potion, 400 gil, and a Hi-Potion.

The second house on the left is the Crusaders' lodge. There you can save your 
game, access an information booth, grab Al Bhed Primer Vol II from the bench, 
and talk with Gatta and Luzzu. They'll tell you all about the Crusaders, and 
Tidus is shocked that they've been fighting Sin for 800 years without 
defeating it. They direct you to the temple, to regain your memory.

So go and enter the temple, the really big thing at the end of town that you 
kinda can't miss. Inside, Tidus realizes that Spira is so much different from 
his own world. Listen to the song, the Hymn of the Fayth. I love it. You'll 
hear it several times, in several incarnations. Head forward, and a scene will 
take over with Tidus, the statues, and the temple summoner.

It was ten years ago, that High Summoner Braska defeated Sin. Summoners are 
people that protect the people of Yevon using entities of great power - aeons. 
Once you've heard that, and Tidus displays his great ignorance saying he's 
just respecting some great men, head out.

I bet Tidus is still kinda hungry, so go find Wakka's hut, it's the middle one 
on the right side. Talk to Wakka, and he'll tell you its not time for lunch, 
but take a nap. Do it, and another scene will take over.

The summoner is in to see Wakka, asking him to see how they're doing. But 
Wakka is adamant, they can't interfere. (What's happening NOW?) And Tidus 
switches from there into a dream... people are on a boat, telling a woman it's 
been nearly a day already, and people are out searching for him. Searching for 
who? For Jecht. Mini-Tidus doesn't give two hoots either way, really. He hates 
his father, wants him to die. But if Jecht dies, Tidus will never be able to 
tell him how much he hates him.

Tidus wakes up, alone in the hut. No Wakka in sight, he went to the temple 
with the summoner, so go there. Yes something's wrong, the summoner hasn't 
returned from the trial. When Tidus is bemused, Wakka explains. Beyond the 
doors is the Cloister of Trials, at which the apprentice summoner must pray. 
If the prayer is heard by Yevon, they become a fully fledged summoner. But 
it's been a whole day, and they haven't returned. When Tidus hears it might be 
dangerous in there, and that the summoner might die, he heads in to help them 
out, despite Wakka's warnings that it's forbidden.

Tidus has his first logical moment ("Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after 
all") as we're faced with the first of the Cloisters of Trials.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                          Cloister of Trials: Besaid
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

These things start off simple, get tricky real fast. The mini-tutorial tells 
you, examine objects with X. So examine the glowing glyph on the far wall, and 
another glyph will appear on your right. Tough it, and the wall will rise to 
reveal a doorway. Head through, and down the stairs.

At the bottom examine the glyph to learn about spheres. Glyph spheres open the 
way to the Chamber of the Fayth, Destruction spheres open the way to hidden 
treasure. Besaid spheres are also necessary. Tidus will take the sphere from 
the wall, so take it down the stairs and insert it into the hole on the door. 
Once it opens, take it out and keep walking.

Around the next corner, you'll see brightly-lit markings on the left wall. 
Insert the sphere from the door here. A secret room will be revealed, but 
ignore it for now and keep on going.

Around the next corner, touch the glyphs on the right wall to reveal another 
secret room. In the room, you'll find a Besaid sphere on the far wall, so take 
it. Put it in the pedestal opposite the door to the room, to dissolve the wall 
behind it. 

Head back to the hidden room you opened before, the one I told you to ignore. 
Take the Destruction sphere from the wall, and insert it into the wall of the 
room that had been glowing bright blue. One line of purple will appear, and 
blow a hole in the next wall. Head out and to the room behind that wall, and 
grab a Rod of Wisdom.

Now, back to that pedestal. Walk into it to push it. Got the hang of that? 
Okay, push it in a straight line down the hall. Eventually, it will stop and 
sink into the floor. And you're done here in this temple.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------


There's a number of these Cloisters of Trials, and they can be just plain 
icky. That was the first, and easiest. Wakka will appear once the pedestal has 
sunken down, wondering what's gotten into Tidus. Only summoners, apprentice 
summoners, and guardians, can come down here, it's tradition, very important. 
But he'll take Tidus along for the ride anyways.

Summoners go on pilgrimages, to pray at every temple in Spira, and guardians 
go with them to protect them. There's two guardians in there with the 
apprentice summoner at the moment. Better make that three, plus Tidus.

The woman guardian questions Tidus - who are you? Before he can reply, the 
door to the Trials opens, and our apprentice summoner appears. A young girl, 
about Tidus' age. She trips down the steps, but the big blue guy catches her. 
She's done it! She's become a summoner!

Here Tidus was thinking summoners were all old geezers. Not so, my friend. 
Once you get control, walk him out of the temple. Wakka will call him over, 
the girl is about to prove that she is a summoner, and summon an aeon.

Watch the awesome sequence as a giant birdy aeon appears. Tidus is impressed 
with the creature and its gentleness. Name Valefor, and get on with the game 
;)

Wakka is introducing Tidus to the rest of the Besaid Aurochs. It takes a while 
to teach them the idea of the goal of victory, it does, but then once you do, 
they won't stop chanting it! The summoner was watching you, smiling, so go 
over and introduce yourself.

You're warned to stay away, but who cares. Her name is Yuna, as we see here, 
and she thanks Tidus for his help earlier. Sure, what he did was wrong, but 
she was overconfident and needed the help. Tidus expresses his amazement at 
the 'aeon thing', and the two get into a short conversation. Once she's 
convinced to go play with the kids some more, Wakka asks you if you think 
she's cute. Answer appropriately (or close your eyes and simply pick an option 
if you're female and don't have an opinion on such things.) Either way, Tidus 
questions, but what if she comes on to me? Won't happen. Hmm, why not?

After the scene, talk to Wakka to get some sleep. And Tidus will go to dream 
land again. In this one, we control him (sorta). When Tidus stands up, run him 
along the pier to your left. At the end, you will find Yuna.

It appears the two of them are sneaking off to Zanarkand! If the boat doesn't 
arrive, people will find them soon! But Rikku appears, mad at Tidus because he 
said he'd take her to Zanarkand. (What's with Tidus jogging on the spot here? 
It looks weird.) Yeah, Wakka told you not to get any ideas about Yuna. So you 
have to go with Rikku, to Zanarkand.

Out of nowhere, Jecht appears, telling Tidus to stop dreaming. Tidus, with a 
woman? He can't even catch a ball! And suddenly, Tidus is a little boy, head 
in his hands, crying. Cry cry, taunts Jecht. That's all you're good for! But 
mini-Tidus hates Jecht, and is trying to work up the guts to tell him so. 
Rikku and Yuna are behind Jecht, cheering Tidus on as he utters the words. I 
HATE YOU!

As Tidus wakes up, screaming the words, he becomes aware of people outside. 
It's the female guardian with the humongous chest, from before (Lulu), and 
Wakka. Of course, Tidus has to eavesdrop. He isn't Chappu, she says. (That 
would be you they're talking about, Tidus my man.) Apparently, you look a lot 
like the guy, but Chappu is dead. Wakka shouldn't have brought you here, and 
he's all sheepish about the fact that he did. She storms off in a huff, 
leaving Wakka there morosely. Temperamental one, she is. (Kinda like me.) 

Tidus gently asks Wakka, who's Chappu? He was Wakka's little brother, but now 
he's dead. So the two sit down to have a heart to heart talk.

Chappu was with the Crusaders when they fought Sin last year. He didn't make 
it back. Wakka heard about it on the day of the last blitzball tournament, 
which is why he couldn't focus. That's why he became a guardian, to help 
defeat Sin, for revenge. After the next blitz tournament, Wakka will be a 
guardian full-time. He's not using Tidus, and Tidus owes him for helping him 
out, and he thanks him, embarrassing Wakka.

After another snooze, Tidus wakes up on another perfect day. Save your game if 
you want, then head outside. Wakka's got a present for you, a huge-ass sword 
that once belonged to Chappu. Chappu never used it, so now it's yours. They're 
there waiting for Yuna to get ready, so they can make the journey to the boat 
together.

Wakka explains, Yuna's been here in Besaid since the Calm started, and she's 
like a sister to him and Lulu. She was an apprentice, now she leaves as a 
summoner. And here the lady herself is, lugging a giant suitcase. She won't 
need it, so she's talked into leaving it there.

And now you're leaving Besaid village. Don't worry, you'll be back.

Follow the road out of Besaid, and the arrow. (Arrow knows best.) You'll get 
into a number of predetermined battles, that you can't get out of, and in them 
you'll learn different things. In the first, Wakka wants Tidus to try out his 
new sword, so smack the dingo one and be done with it. Apparently, Tidus could 
make a pretty good guardian one day. Then a condor appears, and flying fiends 
are Wakka's specialty, so use him to kill it.

Further up the slope, you'll run into a water flan. Wakka thinks it's trouble, 
but Tidus is confident. Attack it once, and you'll find it actually is 
trouble. Flans are elemental, so in comes your black mage Lulu to give you a 
tutorial on elements. It's all pretty simple, read through it all. You have to 
use the opposing element. It's a water flan, so use Thunder and fry it's ass.

Then you'll reach the top of the mountain. Tidus wants to keep going, but they 
have to wait. Save your game again if you want, then examine the statue they 
are all praying at. It's supposed to be good luck to pray there, for a safe 
journey, and Chappu never prayed there the day he left. So pray along with 
them for big bonus points with everyone.

Keep following the path and the arrow along. On the next screen you'll pass 
under some big pillars, and get ambushed. Uh oh.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                Boss: Kimahri
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Points:            HP:  750 (300)          MP:  10
Rewards:           AP:  3   (4)            GIL: 100
Stats:             STR: 10     DEF: 15     MAG: 8      MDF: 5
                   AGL: 15     LUK: 15     EVA: 0      ACC: 10
Immunities:        Threaten, Sensor, Scan, Eject
Drop:              2x Ability Sphere (normal/rare)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey, it's that big blue guy from before! The one in the temple! Wait, isn't he 
supposed to be a good guy? But he wants to fight? Oh well, your loss, pal.

It's only Tidus fighting in this battle, so it's a bit like the Klikk, you'll 
just have to trade blows with him. Use Cheer in your first turn, because 
Kimahri is a big tough guy with big tough attacks like Jump, which will hit 
you for like 100 HP. So Cheer, then hit hit and cure up when your health goes 
yellow, and the fight will be over in no time.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Eventually, Wakka will come in and call the battle off. Cos Kimahri really is 
a good guy. Tidus wants to know what the mark is up with him, and Lulu 
explains. He's from the Ronso tribe, and he's learnt the fiends' way of 
fighting. He's one of Yuna's guardians, and sometimes they don't understand 
him either, cos he doesn't like to talk much. But he did protect Yuna, so 
brownie points to him.

Once you've beaten Kimahri, keep on cruising. You'll get into a fight with a 
Garuda, and Wakka will want Yuna to show you what she's made of. You'll get a 
tutorial on switching members in battle, but bah you already know how to do 
that. Skip through the tute, then press L1 and get Yuna in there. Now you get 
another tutorial on summoning aeons, so guess what you have to do. Summon 
Valefor in, or Fanta as I named him. 

Now you get to play around with using aeons. You'll see that they fight just 
like regular characters do, with attacks, a special move, magic, etc. If you 
keep blasting this thing with Sonic Wings, he'll get maybe two turns at best, 
so do so, and wipe the floor with its candy-ass.

You get one more tutorial battle, this time using Wakka's Dark Buster on 
another Garuda. Once you've done that, dispose of it as you wish. Then keep 
running along until you get to familiar territory, and go down to the beach. 
On the beach, follow the people to the right, towards the pier. Don't get on 
the boat just yet, but talk to all the people on the pier to get some items. 
Namely, an Ether, 3x Phoenix Down, a Seeker's Ring, 400 gil, and a Remedy.

After you've picked up all that, get on the S.S. Liki. Everyone's distressed 
to see Yuna go, but they all realize that it is for the best.



---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=--
                                   S.S Liki
---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=--

And now we're on our way to Kilika. We still have no idea how we're going to 
get Tidus home, or where the hell he is, really. But we're loving our 
adventure. Tidus is, anyways. He's jumping all over some poor guy, stealing 
their binoculars. First he looks at the water, then at Lulu, giving her a 
once-over... then Yuna appears, so he stares at her. Yeah, smooth man, using a 
 pair of binoculars to look at a girl a couple of metres away. Real smooth.

You like the girl, right? So go and talk to her. You can't get to her, though, 
because the Aurochs are surrounding her, all ogling her. Word is, Yuna has 
noble blood, that she's Lord Braska's daughter! Tidus is confused, so take him 
over to Wakka to ask him about this.

She IS the daughter of High Summoner Braska. He was the last guy to defeat 
Sin, ten years ago. Tidus can relate, it's tough when your father's famous. 
After that scene, the Aurochs disperse, so you can get to talk to Yuna. 
But we're gonna explore this here fine seaworthy vessel first.

Head down into the lower cabin (near the little captains room) and you'll 
be approached by O'aka the XXIII, Merchant Extraordinaire. He doesn't like 
the look of Tidus, or his clothes, but he wants to borrow some money. As 
you don't have a lot to spend your Gil on right now, give him every last 
penny you have. (I gave him 1752 Gil, right about here.) Once you've paid 
him, head south into the power room, to find some chocobo power. After 
seeing the scene in which Tidus doesn't even know what a chocobo is, take 
the Al Bhed Primer Vol III from the south-east corner of the room.

Back in O'aka's room, take the left exit. You'll find Keepa huddled in a 
corner, and a suitcase on the floor. Examine the suitcase, and Tidus will 
kick it. For your efforts, you'll get a Potion. Keep kicking it, and 
you'll keep collecting Potions, until you have 20 in your inventory. 
Sweet, eh? Then save at the save sphere back in the previous room, and only 
now should you go and talk to Yuna. Head up to the very front of the boat, and 
another scene will take over.

Tidus does the old arm-stretching trick, but he doesn't casually throw his arm 
around Yuna. Instead, the two start giggling like hyenas, making you go, what? 
Anyways, Yuna asks Tidus if he really is a blitzball player from Zanarkand, 
and when he replies in the affirmative, Yuna goes off on a tangent about how 
she heard that there's a great stadium in Zanarkand, all lit up, even at 
night. Great tournaments are held there, and the stands are always full! How 
did she know that? A man named Jecht once told her, he was her father's 
guardian.

Okay, pick your jaw up off the floor, and continue watching the scene. Jecht? 
Tidus' father? In Spira? As Braska's guardian? WTM!?!? Tidus is stunned and 
angry, and he and Yuna work out that they are in fact talking about the same 
Jecht. Because, you see, Jecht disappeared from Zanarkand ten years ago, but 
Yuna first met him in Spira, ten years and three months ago!

Tidus isn't convinced - how could Jecht get here? Yuna's reply totally pwns 
poor Tidus - you're here, are you not?

Before the two get to chit-chat any further, the boat launches violently to 
one side, and the music turns nasty. Guess whooooooooooooooooo! Sin is here! 
Watch the awesome scene. Tidus tries to grab hold of Yuna and save her, but he 
can't, so Kimahri comes in to save the day. Where is Sin heading? Straight 
towards Kilika. Some of the crew members are distraught, their families are in 
Kilika! They have to distract Sin, so forgive them, Lady Summoner, as they 
shoot harpoons into the thing. 

Smart move boys, now your boat's connected with the bloody thing. So you get 
to go on a wild ride as Sin drags you through the water.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                       Boss: Sin's Fin (and Sinscales)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sin's Fin:
Points:            HP:  2000 (1000)        MP:  100
Rewards:           AP:  10   (15)          GIL: 100
Stats:             STR: 1      DEF: 1      MAG: 1      MDF: 1
                   AGL: 6      LUK: 15     EVA: 0      ACC: 0
Immunities:        Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Slow, 
                   Zombie, Threaten, Death, Provoke, Doom, NulFrost, NulSpark, 
                   NulTide, NulBlaze, Shell, Protect, Reflect, Haste, Regen, 
                   Eject
Drop:              Mana Sphere (normal/rare)

Sinscale:
Points:            HP:  200 (400)          MP:  0
Rewards:           AP:  2   (3)            GIL: 22
Stats:             STR: 13     DEF: 1      MAG: 1      MDF: 1
                   AGL: 12     LUK: 0      EVA: 0      ACC: 0
Immunities:        Threaten, Doom
Drop:              Power Sphere (normal/rare)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, we've got three Sinscales on the boat (Sinscales seem to be a given in Sin 
fights) and a whopping huge fin poking out of the water. Where to start? 
Firstly, the fin doesn't attack you, it's one big 'move' is to move around in 
the water, not hurting you one iota. Wow, scary, that one.

Second thing to note is, the Sinscales are regenerating. Every time you kill 
all three, another three will appear. And for each Sinscale you kill, your 
party gets 2 AP. Are you thinking what I'm thinking, B1? I think I am, B2. If 
you keep killing Sinscales, without actually hurting the fin, you can just 
gain more and more AP, with no limit whatsoever.

This is commonly known as the first AP trick of the game, where you can very 
easily get large amounts of AP. So here's what I suggest you do. Bring each of 
your characters in for a hit or two (so each character will get the same 
obscene amount of AP), then bring your power hitters in, namely, Wakka, Tidus, 
and a third character. Start pummelling away on Sinscales like there's no 
tomorrow. The goal here is to fight until both Wakka and Tidus are at 
Overdrive, you'll see why shortly. 

You can keep fighting Sinscales indefinitely, but it gets rather boring rather 
fast. Try to kill, at the very least, 20 of the pesky things, but get Tidus 
and Wakka both to Overdrive while you do so. Their Overdrive mode is Stoic, so 
you'll have to let them sustain damage to get there.

Once you've got them there, you can ignore the Scales (or kill two and leave 
one there, for minimal damage) and go for the fin. Seeing as it's at a 
distance, you can only use long range attacks, such as magic, or Wakka's 
blitzball. Or Valefor. Summon Valefor, and get him to Overdrive for a quick 
1000 damage or so, then hack the rest away with Lulu's black magic.

An easy battle, but rather time consuming if you want to maximise your AP.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Once you've killed the fin, Sin will go nuts, ripping out the harpoons, and 
generally making a big mess with water over the whole boat. When everything 
calms down, your party regroups, but there's one character missing. Where's 
Tidus?

Cut to underwater scene. Oh there he is, motionless, sinking slowly, being 
eaten by a bunch of Piranhas. Wakka's dived in after him, and beats up the 
Piranhas, snapping Tidus out of his funk. Of course, saving the bugger wasn't 
that easy. Another Sinspawn is after you.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                           Boss: Sinspawn Echuilles
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Points:            HP:  2000 (400)         MP:  20
Rewards:           AP:  12   (18)          GIL: 115
Stats:             STR: 10     DEF: 1      MAG: 15     MDF: 1
                   AGL: 5      LUK: 15     EVA: 0      ACC: 15
Immunities:        Sleep, Petrification, Zombie, Death, Provoke, Eject
Drop:              2x Ability Sphere (normal/rare)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

See, we have only Tidus and Wakka to fight this guy. And he can be TOUGH. 
Which is why I suggested getting these two to Overdrive in the last battle. 
Just goes to show, there's a method to my madness ^_^

And if one boss wasn't enough, he's surrounded by pesky regenerating Piranhas. 
If you were really rebellish, you could milk these for AP too, but with a boss 
like THIS (as opposed to one that just moves in the water, causing you no harm 
whatsoever) I would not recommend it.

First things first, in this battle, use Tidus' Cheer, and Wakka's Dark Attack. 
He's susceptible to Dark, and all his horrid attacks like Blender (which is as 
painful as it sounds) will miss if he's got the black cloud over his eyes. The 
Dark will last three turns once you land it, so use those three turns well. 
Attack, and use Overdrives if you have them, all on the boss. Ignore the 
Piranhas.

Once the Dark wears off, do it again, and Wakka will be out of MP. Keep 
attacking, stopping to use Potions from that fantastic suitcase on the boat 
should your health get to yellow. Hopefully, he'll cark it soon.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Now, and only now, do you get your AP from the two battles. Each of my 
characters got 200 of them here, giving them 5-6 Sphere Levels each. See what 
I mean by AP smorgasbord?

Once you've gotten them (and your abnormally large amount of power spheres), 
Sin will approach Kilika. Seems your distractory measures didn't work too 
well. And Kilika is in BIG trouble. Watch the havoc that one creature can 
cause, including the guy that gets sucked up as he's running along the pier :(

And in the end, a lone blitzball floats.

So Tidus got his wish, to meet Sin again. He hoped what had happened would 
work in reverse, that the next encounter would send him home. Not so, sorry 
bud. So he started to give up hope. He was in a foreign world, and he wasn't 
going home.



---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=--
                                    Kilika
---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=--

Yuna steps off the boat, introducing herself as a summoner to appease the 
people. She will perform the sending, if there's no-one else to do it. And off 
she goes, to see the dead.

Save your game, and play with your sphere levels. If you're like me, you would 
have run out of certain types of spheres to use, before using all your sphere 
levels. Don't keep moving on the grid if you need a certain type of sphere, 
wait and clock up the sphere levels until you get them, okay?

Once you're done, save again, and follow Yuna into town. There isn't exactly a 
large number of choices of where to go, follow the pier and hang a left at the 
end. There you'll find a group of people gathered around, as Yuna prepares for 
the sending.

Tidus shows his ignorance for like the bazillionth time and asks - what's a 
sending? Are we going somewhere? Gotta love Lulu here, putting the kid in his 
place. ('Are you sure it's not just your memory that's the problem?') Anyways, 
the dead need guidance. Filled with grief over their own death, they refuse to 
accept their fate. They yearn to live on, and resent those still alive. They 
envy the living, and in time that envy turns to anger, even hate. Should their 
souls remain in Spira, they become fiends that prey on the living. Yup, it's 
pretty sad. So the sending takes them to the Farplane, where they can rest in 
peace. Summoners perform these sendings, so watch as Yuna performs her first. 
Tis a pretty, but sad, scene.

It must be tough being a summoner, Tidus remarks. You got that right, kid. But 
Yuna chose her own path, so all you can now is protect her until the end. 
Until the... end? Until she defeats Sin, silly. Tidus stops to narrate here, 
wishing there would never be a 'next time' to perform a sending. Horrifying, 
how everyone was watching Yuna. Okay then.

In the morning, Tidus wakes up from his sleep in the hotel. Note how the girl 
running around wants to be a blitzball when she grows up. Save your game and 
head out. Captain Wakka's been waiting for you, so you can follow Datto to get 
to him. But that's no fun, let's explore Kilika first mmmkay?

Just left of the hotel, you'll find a girl sitting in a sort-of big bowl, just 
off the pier. Check it out, and you'll notice that it isn't too stable. As it 
crashes into the water, Tidus will jump in and rescue the girl. 

In the hut just behind where the bowl was, you can find three Potions in a 
treasure chest. Now head back to find Wakka. Back past the hotel, past where 
the sending was. Enter the bar, and you'll get an Ether as a reward for saving 
the little girl, also examine the counter for Al Bhed Vol IV. You'll find 
Wakka just right of the bar, so approach him and he'll call the Aurochs into a 
huddle. You're going to Kilika Temple, to pray for victory. High Summoner 
Ohalland used to live here, and Wakka goes on a spiel about that, but Tidus is 
unsure about whether this is really right. Praying for victory and all. Is 
this the time? It's the only time, as blitzball takes the people's minds off 
their pain and suffering. Once the conversation is over, head back around to 
the left, and into Kilika Woods.



---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=--
                                 Kilika Woods
---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=--

Save at the save point, and then approach your group. Yuna's got something to 
tell you, Tidus my man. She wants you with them, as a guardian. No-one else in 
the group seems to like the idea, Wakka proclaiming "this isn't the time for 
jokes. He may be a blitzball whiz-kid, but against fiends, he's a newbie." 
Yuna doesn't really give a rat's toss about that, she just wants him nearby. 
Before she gets the chance to explain herself, Lulu urges the group on to the 
temple.

Yuna apologizes, and Tidus is just confused as to what's going on. After that 
scene, we get to roam Kilika Woods. Not a lot to see here, but some nice 
levelling up can be done. In a treasure chest along the right path, you can 
get 2 Mana Spheres.

In your first battle (with a Ragora), Lulu will prompt Kimahri to use Lancet. 
Normally, it just transfers health from the enemy to the user, but when a 
Ronso uses it, they can sometimes learn a fiend's abilities. As you don't 
exactly get a choice, use Lancet and Kimahri will learn Seed Cannon. Then, use 
Seed Cannon as a Ronso Rage straight back at it. Attack as normal for the rest 
of the battle, remembering to bring everyone in for a turn to get maximum AP.

If you explore the woods, you'll also find a Scout, and a big creature sitting 
in the middle of the main path upwards. If you approach it, Gatta and Luzzu 
will inform you that the creature is Ochu, lord of the wood. You don't have to 
fight it, as you can quite easily take a path around it, but hey, it's here, 
we're here, why not.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               Boss: Lord Ochu
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Points:            HP:  4649 (800)         MP:  39
Rewards:           AP:  40   (60)          GIL: 420
Stats:             STR: 15     DEF: 1      MAG: 23     MDEF: 1 
                   AGL: 8      LUK: 20     EVA: 0      ACC: 10
Elements:          Fire (x1.5)
Immunities:        Darkness, Poison, Provoke
Steal:             Potion (normal/rare)
Drop:              MP Sphere (normal), HP Sphere (rare)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well okay now. Where to start? Don't be intimidated by his high HP... or his 
strong attacks... might be hard, but do try, okay. Lord Ochu is quite 
intimidating, and he has a number of attacks at his disposal - the Poison 
Claw, or the Earthquake, just for starters. If Yuna has Esuna, and pray that 
she does, you'll be using it and Cure quite a bit here.

Similar to the Ragoras you've fought so far, Lord Ochu is weak against fire, 
so you know what that means - bring in Lulu, and let'er rip. Other than that, 
keep your physical fighters in and attack, using Wakka's Dark Buster, and 
bring in Yuna to cure and recover when needed.

If using Fire, the first half of the battle will go by rather quickly, and 
Lord Ochu will fall asleep. While this might sound good, the thing is, he 
regains HP while sleeping, more HP than you'll be taking off. Ergo, wake him 
up ASAP. When he wakes, he'll counter with Earthquake, which will hit your 
party for a hundred or so HP each. Not pretty, put it helps with the Overdrive 
gauge and all. If any other Overdrives come up, use them. Keep using Fire, and 
he will go to sleep for good shortly.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------


That's actually the toughest battle you would have had so far, and it wasn't 
really very tough. But you do get a HP or MP sphere for your efforts - those 
are quite rare, use them wisely. After the battle, Luzzu will be impressed, 
and Gatta will want to fight too. Soon enough, says Luzzu, as Gatta walks away 
singing "young Crusaders gather round, we'll beat Sin into the ground..."

Head back down to the save point and save, then keep heading up through the 
woods, exploring as you go. Just north of where you fought Ochu, you can get a 
Hi-Potion from the girl in purple, and follow that same path to the very end 
to find a Luck Sphere. Once you've looked around, head right (on the map) at 
to the intersection in which you found Lord Ochu, and follow the path up to 
Kilika Temple.

Wakka tells of the history of these stone steps - Lord Ohalland used to train 
there in his blitz days. As Tidus looks around and sees the Aurochs warming up 
and snickering, he realizes that they too are going to be racing there. As 
Yuna goes to start them off, she instead cheats and runs up the steps, 
giggling, making everyone chase her. So follow her up, saving at the save 
point.

Halfway up, most of the Aurochs go pelting back down. Wakka cries, Sinspawn! 
These bloody things appear everywhere! So your party runs up to the top, and 
prepares to fight once more.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Boss: Sinspawn Geneaux (and Tentacles)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sinspawn Geneaux:
Points:            HP:  3000 (900)         MP:  30 
Rewards:           AP:  48   (72)          GIL: 300
Stats:             STR: 15     DEF: 1      MAG: 10     MDF: 1
                   AGL: 7      LUK: 0      EVA: 0      ACC: 100 
Elements:          Fire (x1.5), Water (+)
Immunities:        Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Zombie, Provoke, 
                   Doom, NulFrost, NulTide, NulBlaze, NulSpark, Shell, Demi, 
                   Eject
Drop:              Power Sphere x2 (normal), x3 (rare)

Tentacles (each):
Points:            HP: 450 (500)           MP: 10
Rewards:           AP: 5   (7)             GIL: 30
Stats:             STR: 14     DEF: 1      MAG: 1      MDF: 1
                   AGL: 10     LUK: 10     EVA: 0      ACC: 20
Elements:          Lightning/Ice (1/2), Water (+)
Immunities:        Silence, Sleep, Darkness, Poison, Petrification, Zombie, 
                   Threaten, Death, Provoke, Doom, Eject
Drop:              Ability Sphere (normal/rare)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's that time again, boss time. First thing to notice - you might be looking 
at the help screen going "sweet, the thing is vulnerable to magic, this is too 
easy". Then you cast a spell, and realize that the tentacles absorb magic. 
Grr. So you need to take those out first.

The tentacles should each go down in two or three hits from your physical 
hitters (Wakka/Tidus/Kimahri), so take those out before they do too much 
damage. They'll get two hits in each, and the boss might get one, but nothing 
to worry about. Now, focus on the Sinspawn himself. (Or herself, who knows.) 

As it says, it's vulnerable to magic, especially Fire, so get Lulu is and 
toast it a bit. While she does that, use Kimahri as an attacker to supplement 
the damage. Wakka and Tidus are no good on the boss until it comes out of its 
shell, as piercing weapons are required. Once it comes out, bring in your 
biggest hitter, and switch Yuna in whenever someone needs to be healed or 
recovered. 

Pretty easy, this one.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Tidus is exhausted after the battle, and Wakka is apologetic, saying he'd 
hoped to break Tidus in a little slower. So anyway, what exactly are these 
Sinspawn? They're fiends that fall from Sin's body, being left behind in its 
wake. You gotta kill them before Sin comes back for them. Tricky, eh?

Tidus reflects about seriously considering being a guardian. He has the 
talent, Wakka already said so. Can you kinda tell where the story of this is 
going to go?

After all that, cure up (yay ability spheres!) and keep going. Wakka asks 
Tidus, do they have fiends in Zanarkand too? Halfway through his answer, Tidus 
twigs and says hey, since when did you believe me about Zanarkand anyway? 
Wakka has been thinking, maybe people that get killed by Sin don't die, maybe 
they just get thrown through time, and one day they might pop back. Of course, 
he only has this theory to give himself hope that his brother, Chappu, might 
still be alive, and Lulu can't believe it. Wakka won't accept the truth, and 
he won't accept that no-one can take Chappu's place, or Sir Jecht's, or even 
Lord Braska's.

She sure put him in his place, ya? Tidus knows that something happened between 
Wakka, Lulu, and Chappu a long time ago, that he doesn't know about. One day 
you'll find out, kid.

At the temple, you'll come across the Luca Goers, a rival blitzball team. 
They're not there praying for victory, this year they're praying for some 
competition. Yeah yeah, laugh it up big, we'll see who's laughing after the 
tournament. These guys are real knob jockeys, teasing the Aurochs - "you gonna 
'do your best' this time? Too bad your best isn't good enough!" It's gonna be 
fun teaching them a lesson.

Now, head into the temple. Save, then pray with Wakka at the statue of Lord 
Ohalland. As you pray, another summoner will exit from the Cloister of Trials. 
 This is Dona (pronounced "Donna"), and she holds Yuna in much contempt. She 
compares the 'rabble' of Yuna's guardians to those of Braska, and even her 
own. She only needs one, see Barthello. But Yuna puts Dona in her place, 
saying that having so many guardians is an honour, a joy... she would never 
think of questioning Dona's ways, so please leave them is peace. Yeehaw! You 
go, girl! 

As Tidus reflects on Yuna's comments that she could trust her guardians with 
her life, he notices Yuna smiling at him. What's she smiling about? (Hehe.) 
Head up into the Cloister of Trials. The fayth is down below, so the real 
guardians and Yuna head down on the elevator, leaving Tidus there.

Wait until the elevator comes back up, then get on, you're not staying up 
there by yourself. Like you have a choice, really. Dona reappears, and when 
she hears that Tidus isn't actually a guardian, she deliberately disobeys the 
precepts and sends him down. As you don't have a choice, follow the hallway 
and enter the Trials.


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                          Cloister of Trials: Kilika
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Another one to have fun in! This one is trickier than the one in Besaid, but 
not much more so. Ready?

First room is pretty standard, take the Kilika Sphere from the pedestal, and 
insert it in the slot next to the door. Lo and behold, it opens, but it's 
filled with fire, so take it out, and keep going (taking the sphere with you).

Second room, a few slots, another pedestal, a glyph sphere. Insert the Kilika 
Sphere in the recess on the far wall, and a glyph will appear. Go put the 
Kilika Sphere somewhere else (so we can get to the glyph in amongst the fire), 
and touch it to reveal a doorway. Oooh...

Third room. Lots of fire here, and a Kilika Sphere on the right wall. Take the 
sphere, leading to the line of fire, and replace it with the Glyph Sphere from 
the pedestal in the previous room. A doorway is revealed, and all the fire 
goes out. (Good thing.) In the little room is the Destruction Sphere, but we 
don't need it just yet, what we need is the pedestal, with a Kilika Sphere in 
it. So put one in it, then push it into this room.

On the right side, near the Destruction Sphere, you'll notice a shining patch 
on the floor. This is used to move pedestals back to their original positions 
(in caser you posh one into a corner or something, and can't get it out) but 
in this case, we need to push the pedestal onto it, so do so. That whole 
section of floor will sink, revealing another Kilika Sphere with a line of 
fire.

Take that new Kilika Sphere, and replace it with the Destruction Sphere from 
the little room. (a good resting place for that Kilika Sphere is on the right 
side of the doorway, at the top of the stairs.) Once you've placed the 
Destruction Sphere, take the Red Armlet, your Kilika Temple treasure. Then, 
remove the Kilika Sphere from the door to make the fire die down, and head 
through. You're done here.

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Wakka is not pleased to see you down here, but Tidus explains, it was Dona and 
that big muscle head man. Now, Yuna will have to suffer the consequences, she 
might be excommunicated! Well, we're not sure what that means, so ask Wakka, 
and Tidus will ask what's in there. The fayth, remember? Oh yeah, that all 
makes sense now. (Not.) So Lulu explains, the fayth are people who gave their 
lives to battle Sin. Yevon took their souls, willingly given from their living 
bodies, and now they live forever in statues. The soul of the fayth emerges 
when a summoner prays, and that is what we call an aeon.

Yuna's in there, praying with all her heart. Only summoners may enter the 
chamber not even guardians. Talk to Wakka and Lulu until they have nothing 
more to say, then go to leave the cloister. Yuna will appear, spent. And Tidus 
realizes that he knows that song, there in the temple, from his childhood. 
Proof that Spira and Zanarkand are connected. But how?

Name Ifrit, your new aeon (two now!), then leave the temple. All the people 
will praise Yuna, while Tidus watches on. He's daydreaming again, of what it 
was like to have people praise him, his fans in Zanarkand. He's upset now, and 
he can't tell Yuna what's wrong. What does he want to do? Scream real loud, so 
he does. Did that feel good, man? I bet that felt good.

Now, back in Kilika Woods, we have to go back to Kilika. So trace your steps 
back through the forest to get to the town. Once there, head all the way back 
to your boat. If you've done everything you want to do in Kilika, embark and 
you will depart for Luca.



---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=--
                                  S.S Winno
---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=---=---=*=--

It's night on the S.S Winno, and the Goers are also unfortunately on board 
your ship. Wakka and Lulu sneak away for a private talk, while Yuna is 
entertained by more of the people. Tidus is inside, with the rest of the 
Aurochs, but that's no fun, so head outside.

Again, you can lend O'aka gil. Lend him everything you've got (it'll pay off 
later, trust me), then save your game. Outside, you'll find Yuna talking with 
the Goers. They're not real nice people, Graav and Bickson calling Tidus an 
idiot. Yuna jumps to Tidus' defence, telling them he used to be a star player 
for the Zanarkand Abes, which draws a laugh. While Yuna is adamant that there 
is a city in Zanarkand, not just ruins, the Goers disperse, leaving you to 
explore the rest of the ship.

Talk to Yuna first, for a scene. She got mad at the Goers, because she knows 
Zanarkand exists, Sir Jecht used to tell her stories. She wants to visit your 
city, and Tidus jokingly narrates "so, Yuna, wanna come over to my place?" 
After that, now it's time to find out what Wakka and Lulu are up to. They're 
lounging around, just up the stairs, so go there.

They're talking about Tidus, and what happens if he doesn't know anyone in 
Luca. Wakka says maybe he can stay there, and join a blitz team, but Lulu 
doesn't like that. He'll just leave Tidus in Luca? It's better than leaving 
him in Besaid, fair point. But remember, Yuna wants to make him a guardian. 
Whose fault is that?

Keep going up the stairs, to eavesdrop on more conversations. Yuna wants to 
make Tidus a guardian because he is Sir Jecht's son, at least, that's what 
Yuna believes. It's now up to Yuna and Tidus whether or not Tidus becomes a 
guardian - Wakka is right, for once. Next conversation, Lulu thinks Wakka 
should tell Tidus to become Yuna's guardian. Yuna can't, because she knows 
Tidus hates his father, and she can't just turn around and say 'be to me what 
your father was to mine'. So Wakka will talk to him after the tournament. 

Fourth convo. Wakka can't believe Tidus hates his father, its a luxury Wakka 
never even got the chance to have. He doesn't know his parents. Lulu knows 
hers, a little, she was five when they were taken away. When Sin took them 
away. It makes Wakka angry.

Whew, that's all for convos there, now, explore the rest of the ship. (Save 
first.) Downstairs in the cabin, take Al Bhed Primer Vol V. On the north side, 
you'll find a blitzball sitting in the middle of the deck. Kicking the 
blitzball between his feet, Tidus gets lost in memories of a similar scenario 
from when he was a child. Him trying to kick a blitzball, and failing, and 
Jecht taunting him about it. He shows Tidus how to perform the shot, the Jecht 
shot. (Note that the little boy in purple is in the background. What's with 
him, anyways?) But don't worry, you're not the only one who can't do it, 
no-one can.

Now, on the S.S Winno, Tidus has the chance to see if he can perform the Jecht 
shot, in the Jecht Shot Challenge. He has to shake off the memories of Jecht 
being an ass, to perform it successfully, and here's how it works. Wherever 
the memory of Jecht appears on the screen, shake it off by pressing that 
direction on the D-pad, and X. The game runs through a few examples, up-left 
and X, up and X, down-left and X, and when it appears in the centre, just 
press X. Of course, in the real thing, it will go faster than this. 

Now for the practice. Go through it, pressing the buttons, and now for the 
real thing. The words and the voice come thick and fast, so j