Hey pizanos, it's the Jabu-Jabu                             -

         FINAL FANTASY I - Low Levels Guide!
                  v 0.97

                   contact me at <jabujabu@zeldaclassic.com>

I. BORING "ABOUT" CRAP
II. PREPARATION
III. WALKTHROUGH
  i. "Four warriors, each holding an ORB..."
  ii. "Oooo, Garland!  THAT'S a sinister name!"
  1. "No need for brdiges!"
  2. "I WANT THE SEXY DWARVE."
  3. "Hurray!"
  4. "THE MARSH CAVE! (dunh dunh dunh!)"
  5. "The Dreaded Marsh Cave, part II."
  6. "RUN, RUN, OR YOU'LL BE WELL-DONE!"
  7. "Dwarves can see in the dark!"
  8. "They're happy because they eat LARD."
  9. "My name is Inigo Montoya.  You killed me father.
Prepare to die."
  10. "Why can't the Ice Cave be as easy as the Ice
Cavern from FFIX?"
  11. "Gulug?  What were they smoking?"
  12. "It wasth a robot, I sthwear!  I sthwear!"
  13. "Oh boo hoo..."
  14. "... lu pa lu pa?"
  15. "Will we all turn into bubbles?"
  16. "TIAMAT is the Fiend of Wind."
  17. "Let our powers combine!  Earth!  Fire!  Wind!
Water!  Heart!  GO PLANET!"
  iii. IN CLOSING
IV. ALTERNATE PLANS
   1. Other parties
V. OTHER QUESTS
  1. "Three Kings"
  2. "Solo"
  3. "No HEALs"
  4. "WarMech"
  5. "That's TREASURE HUNTER!"
  6. "Self-mutilation"
  7. "Necromancer"
  8. "Brute Force"
  9. "Four Bandits"
  10. "Cheerleaders"
VI. THANK YOUS

I. BORING "ABOUT" CRAP

   If you've frequented any Final Fantasy message board (or
any RPG board in general), you've probably heard about FFI's
infamous difficulty and the various whining from gamers
about how impossible it is to beat the game without insane
levelling.  Having played the original game back in 1990
(when I was a mere 7 years old, no less), I have to wonder
what the dilly-yo was all about; true, it was my first RPG,
and I had trouble, but anyoiliar with RPGs could smite
that game with little more than minimal level-building.
   I recently pulled the game from my Holy Box O' NES Games
so I could bask once again in its greatness.  I set out to
prove, once and for all (in that wonderful macho-geek way),
that FFI could be beat without insane amounts of level-
building.  I was quickly proven wrong.  However, in that
session I managed to beat the game with a level 18 party
(within a period of 24 hours, no less.)  Impossible?  Hardly.
   So now, you have this FAQ.  The next time someone
complains that FFI cannot be beat until your party reaches
level 35, you could show 'em this instead of telling them
how WRONG they are.  It saves precious typing time.

   This FAQ was created by me, Jabu-Jabu, but honestly I
don't care what you do with it.  You can print out this FAQ
and use it for toilet paper, or claim that it's Communist
propaganda.  You could also take the wimpy way out and
copy it for your own use, but where's the fun and
originality in that?  All of the copyrighted crap is the
property of its respective owners, Final Fantasy belongs
to Square, and please oh please don't make a lawsuit
against me Square legal dudes.  Thank you.

   By the way, I like feedback.  Feedback is fun, because it
lets me make the FAQ bigger without thinking of content.  If
you'd like, submit your commentary on this FAQ to my email,
and I might put it in future versions of the FAQ.  Might, as
long as it doesn't involve the words "retard", "FAGOT", or
"All your base are belong to us."

II. PREPARATION

   *cues that nifty Final Fantasy opening theme.*

   As any FFI veteran knows, choosing your characters' jobs
is one of the most important things.  (Second only to "Don't
get killed!")  You're probably familiar with some of them.
For the purposes of this FAQ, the strengths and weaknesses
may be different - for example, Black Belts/Masters aren't
nearly as strong with these low, low levels.

   Fighter/Knight

   Pros: Excellent choice of equipment, highest HP and
attack power, mad defense, and general cheapness.
   Cons: Expensive to max out, minimal magic ability,
somewhat slow, they make the game too damned easy.

   What, are you crazy?  Any party that does NOT include a
Knight is asking to be monster meat, especially if you want
to beat the game below LV 20.  You'll want at least one, but
with your limited resources it would be hard to maintain two.
Don't worry about buying the Silver Sword immediately; you'll
find weapons that are nearly as powerful fairly early in the
game.

   Thief/Ninja

   Pros: Can run from pretty much anything, mad speed, lots
of equipment (as a Ninja)
   Cons: Crappy equipment and no magic (as a Thief), lack of
massive attacks.

   You can usually play through the game without touching a
Ninja.  You could play through this challenge without one,
either.  However, being able to run from dangerous random
encounters is a valuable asset throughout the game, and that
alone makes the Thief a keeper.  As a Ninja, he doesn't have
bad attack power and defense either.

   Black Belt/Master

   Pros: Cheap to equip, fairly good attack power.
   Cons: NO magic, low defense.

   I will say this here: BLACK BELTS ARE NOT GODS!  Not in
FFI, and not in ANY FF game.  Thank you, I had to get that
off my chest.
   If you had the time to build these dudes up to Level 50,
they could smite anything.  If you're below level 20, don't
expect them to do much of anything except absorb blows at
the endgame.

   Red Mage/Red Wizard

   Pros: Great equipment selection, decent magic, really
nifty all-around.
   Cons: Can't get the best equipment, somewhat expensive,
kind of weak defensively.

   What?  You doubt the Red Mage's power?  Once you reach
Level 25 or so, you begin to see that RM's and RW's suck.
For the short-term, tho, they have EVERYTHING you want
from a fighter; a decent attack, access to powerful magic,
and nice HP.  Because they can learn the almighty LIFE
spell, they make a good substitute for the White Mage.

   White Mage/White Wizard

   Pros: Healing magic, good speed.
   Cons: Pretty much everything else.

   Alot of players seem to think WM's and WW's are a
necessity.  Personally, I think they suck.  Most of their
useful healing magic can be used by the Red Wizard, and
their agility makes no difference if they can't do
anything.  The only reason for White Wizards is their
HARM magic and Level 8 spells; the former takes away from
your precious healing magic, and you'd probably won't be
able to use the latter.  I suppose that learning LIFE
earlier and their slight HP boost gives them some value,
but it depends on whether or not you want offensive magic
early on.

   Black Mage/Black Wizard

   Pros: Powerful offensive magic.  Need I say more?
   Cons: Incredibly weak defense, paltry attack.

   The pointy-hatted hero is excellent.  Even if the Red
Wizard can use alot of their spells, the Black Wizard can
use them sooner, and with more power.  It wouldn't be the
same if I didn't have a "pyntie-hat" along for the party,
so I'm obligated to use them.

   I can't tell you which is the best party, since we all
have different tastes.  Some of you love Black Belts as
much as I love Black Wizards.  (...poor fools.)  The cool
thing about FFI is that any job can be used effectively,
and there's lots of combinations.
   For this FAQ, I used a Fighter, Thief, Red Mage, and
Black Mage.  The Fighter gives the party lots of strength
and absorbs most of the physical damage, and the Thief
permits escape from underlings.  (As you will see, random
encounters can cause more fear than the bosses!)  The Red
Mage is a good healer, and can substitute with black magic
or physical attacks should the need arise.  And the Black
Mage?  Like I said, I couldn't live without the pointy
hat.  His offensive magic is the most valuable asset in
the early legs of the game.  You can (and should!)
experiment with other combinations, as there are some
that could work better than this.

   SOME GENERAL TIPS:

   - Take every treasure you can.  This is a given, but
I must state it for those who are too damned lazy to get
everything.  You can run from some of the forced
encounters near treasure chests, and even if you have to
fight, the enemies aren't usually too strong.

   - In the early part of the game, magic is king.  Later
on, physical attacks become more useful - the best weapons
is found, so use your early cash for learning the
essential spells - FIR2, LIT2, and FAST are excellent
choices for black mages, and CUR2, MUTE, and AFIR are
good white magic choices.

   - Buying good armor is a pain, isn't it?  For most of
the game, you'll have to suffice with using what you find.
My black mage had cloth for a while. A long while.  Magic
is a better investment - if your enemeies are toast, how
are they going to hurt you?

   - Short on cash, but can't get in a fight?  Try playing
the sliding puzzle game.  You'll get 100G; not much, but
it helps in a pinch...

   - In later dungeons, you should use your low-level CURE
magic before using HEAL potions.  It will save you money,
and you probably won't use those levels for anything else.
That's a given, isn't it?

   - A note: If you play through the game at a low level,
it is quite possible that you will NEVER learn EXIT, quite
possibly the most useful spell in the game.  You'll have
to do things the old-fashioned way - likely, crawling out
of a cave bloodied and half-dead.

   - Early in the game, you will probably die.  ALOT.  If
you don't like that, I suggest that you do not try this.
It will result in many bloody corpses.  Using this method,
the game will be MUCH easier, but not certain.  I expect
someone trying this for the first time to die at least 15
times, mostly at the Marsh Cave, Ice Cave, and ToF.

   - If you don't know by now, you can use your equipment
during battle for nifty effects by using the ITEM command.
I believe this is the full list of effects:

   ZEUS GAUNTLET - Casts LIT2 on the enemy party
   HEAL STAFF - Casts HEAL on your party
   MAGE STAFF - Casts FIR2 on the enemy party
   LIGHT AXE* - Casts HRM2 on the enemy party
   POWER GAUNTLET - Casts SABR on the user (increases
attack power tremendously)
   DEFENSE SWORD - Casts RUSE on the user (increases
evade% tremendously)
   WIZARD STAFF - Casts CONF on the enemy party
   HEAL HELMET* - Casts HEAL on your party
   THOR HAMMER - Casts LIT2 on the enemy party
   BLACK SHIRT - Casts ICE2 on the enemy party
   WHITE SHIRT - Casts INV2 on your party (gives you MAD
EVADE% SKILLZ)

   * indicates that there are two of this item.

   Later in the game, you'll stockpile ALOT of weapons
and armor.  Armor is difficult to manage, as each party
member can only hold four items.  You'll have to pass up
on most of them or sacrifice your Knight or Ninja's DEF.
You should heep the Power Gauntlet, White Shirt, and one
of the Heal Helms at the least; the Black Shirt has the
same defense as the Gold Bracelet, so you'll probably
keep that too.  Once you get the Thor Hammer, dump the
Zeus Gauntlet.
   Most of this equipment has crappy stats (although the
Defense is the 4th-strongest sword in the game, which is
a Good Thing).  Note that if you opt to use Fighters and
Ninjas, you'll have very little room for the special
armors.
   Also, certain items provide special protection when
equipped.  The Ribbon is the best of these items, as it
protects against status ailments and has the same effect
as a permanent WALL.  ProRings and ProCapes prevent
instant death attacks, but have cruddy defense.  You
can't equip a gauntlet if you use a ProRing, or a shield
if you use the ProCape; since most characters can't equip
shields, you should use ProCapes whenever possible.  There
are two ProCapes in the game; one in the Floating Castle,
and the other in the Temple of Fiends.

   - Do NOT buy the Silver Sword or Steel Armor.  They
are not all that powerful, and the Rune and Were swords
are almost as strong as the Silver Sword.  The Steel
Armor actually kind of sucks, since you could easily grab
the Opal stuff once you get the airship.

III. WALKTHROUGH

   i. "Four warriors, each holding an ORB..."

   Once you've picked your jobs, you know the drill.  Buy
equipment in Coneria; It's a good idea to get rapiers for
your fighter, red mage, and thief and a dagger or staff
for the black mage.  This leaves you with 360 gil for
armor, spells, and items.  You should buy FIRE and CURE
for your mages before anything else, as these spells are
your best healing and offensive skills at level 1.  With
the remaining 160 gil, buy some chain mail for your fighter
and red mage.  Hurray!  Now you're a penniless bum, and
your thief and black mage are defenseless.  You'll thank
yourself for getting the chain mail, since wooden armor
and clothes are worthless.
   Let's rock.

   ii. "Oooo, Garland!  THAT's a sinister name!"

   Conventional FFI wisdom tells us to build at least one
level before tackling Garland.  Bah!  Level-building is for
sissies!  (Let's ignore that the next time we have to build
levels.)  If you rush through, you shouldn't have any
trouble with Garland at Level 1.  The hard part is GETTING
there.  That's what the thief is for.  Run from everything
except the easiest encounters.  If any character takes
severe damage, use CURE to bring them back up.  If one of
your characters die, you are screwed.  Aren't I the master
of the obvious?

   TEMPLE OF FIENDS
   Treasures: Cap, CABIN, HEAL potion

   If you're lazy, just walk up to Garland and lay the
smackdown.  If you want to make your job easier, grab some
of the treasures; however, don't cry to me if you get
killed.  At level 1, you'll have a hard time winning any
battles, unless you happen to be fighting a lone spider.
I opted to ignore the treasures until later, but you might
want the cap.

   GARLAND
   HP: 106
   Weaknesses: FIRE, SLEP
   Recommended Level: 1

   "I, Garland, shall knock you all down!"  What is this, a
Punch-Out reject?  Garland is weak.  Really weak.  A
blindfolded imp could fight better than Garland.  If I didn't
know any better, he was a prototype Edward.  Weak.
   Slap him with plain ol' attacks and the black mage's FIRE
spell.  If one of your guys reaches critical, cast CURE.  Get
experience.  Party.

   1. "No need for bridges!"

   YOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUU!

   So now you saved Princess Sara.  Instead of giving you a
peck on the cheek like a normal princess, she gives you a
LUTE.  Yay.  Sure, it's necessary for completing the game,
but... a LUTE?  Oh well.  She is completely dispensible to
the plot, and doesn't even have a unique sprite.
   Talk to the King, and he builds a bridge in your honor.
Thus, one of the Great RPG Cliches is born.  Before you
cross the bridge and listen to the MOST EXCELLENT song that
plays during that scene, you should get some stuff in
Coneria.
   After fighting Garland, you should have at least 255 G.
Use this money to buy the wooden armor for your thief, and
some cloth if you want to waste 10G.  If you need to buy one
spell in Coneria, learn LIT; if you want another, learn SLEP.
Both of these spells will be useful in the near future.  Use
the remaining money to pay for the inn.  You'll want to use
the inn; if you need more money, pick a fight outside Coneria
and earn a quick buck.
   The road to Pravoka is long and arduous.  You will
encounter stronger enemies, including Ogres and Iguanas.
Your party is only at Level 2 - fighting a Ogre takes more
endurance than Garland.  Like before, you'll want to escape
everything but the easiest battles.  If you're fighting
many weak enemies (like, say, six wolves), use SLEP to buy
some time.

   PRAVOKA
   Treasures: Nothing, unless you buy stuff.

   Things aren't as nifty in Pravoka as they were in
Coneria.  Pirates have taken over the town and used it
for their pirate parties or whatever.  Personally, I
think Bikke and his merry men are just trying to find
someone who UNDERSTANDS how weak and pathetic they are.
You should have a little bit of cash on hand; use it to
stay at the inn.

   PIRATE [x9]
   HP: 6
   Weaknesses: Everything
   Recommended Level: 2

   Although the recommended level is 2, you should have
no trouble tackling the pirates at level 1.  I listed
level 2 because you're likely to reach this level, and
it's generally easier.
   Pirates are weaker than imps, but their sheer numbers
make them a pain in ye arse.  Use the black mage's SLEP
spell to diffuse the enemy attack - with some luck, half
of the pirates will fall asleep.  If you don't have SLEP,
this fight is considerably harder, but not impossible.

   Upon defeating the pirates, Bikke will give you his
SHIP.  Apparently, he thinks a ragtag team of puny
warriors - excuse me, LIGHT WARRIORS - deserves a SHIP
for handing his merry men their asses.  This is a good
thing, since it lets you progress with the plot and the
ship is nifty in itself.  Before leaving, you should
spend your newly acquired 360 G on some better stuff.
   WEAPONS - Don't bother with short swords yet.  They
aren't significantly better than scimitars, and cost
almost 3x as much.  You'll find a short sword very soon
anyway.  Axes are completely worthless, as only the
fighter can equip them and their accuracy sucks sponge
nads.  Buy scimmies for your fighter at the least, and
preferably one for your thief.
   ARMOR - Honestly, the armor in Pravoka is worthless.
Gloves only add a little defense, and the wooden shield
is quickly replaced by equipment in Elfland.  You might
want Iron armor, but it costs too much at this point.
You'll find a suit soon enough.
   SPELLS - Again, there's not alot to buy here.  ICE
is a powerful offensive spell, and INVS gives a little
extra protection.  SLOW can bring down those pesky
multi-hitters and magic users, but there are only a
few at this point in the game.

   2. "I WANT THE SEXY DWARVE."

   By now, you should be at or close to level 3.  You
will NOT be able to fight with the paltry equipment
you have right now, but it's difficult to earn money
through battles.  Fortunately, there's plenty of
treasure for the whole bleepin' family.  The Dwarves
carry around some good money - that would be a great
place to start.  Unless you fight wolves or something
that's too tough to handle, pick whatever fights you
can.
   With this money, you can head over to Coneria and
learn some more spells.  Teach your RM FIRE at the
least, and preferably LIT.  These spells will allow
you to tackle much stronger enemies, even at your
low levels.

   3. "Hurray!"

   On the way to Elfland, pick fights with weak
enemies.  Kyzokus are especially nifty - even tho they
have some pesky defense, each one nets you 120 G.
   Most of the equipment in Elfland is far too
expensive.  The iron staff is a BIG FAT BUNDLE OF SUCK
- the mages can't use it, and everyone else has better
weapons.  You might want to buy some defensive gear for
your fighter - it's not too expensive, and furthers his
role as an ogre-smacking, wizard-bashing fightin'
machine.  Bracelets are too expensive right now.
   You should be at level 3 now.  You won't be able to
use LV 3 magic until level 5, alas.  But, where does
one go to find treasure?  There's only one place left;
a place men, women, children, and even disgusting
aliens fear.  That place is...

    4. "THE MARSH CAVE!!!! (dunh dunh dunh!)"

   Before you leave, you will DEFINITELY want to
purchase some HEAL and PURE potions.  10 HEALs and
a few PUREs should last you well if you can escape.
Also, buy at least 2 TENTs - saving is your friend.
You should have 4 uses of CURE, provided you don't
use the red mage's FIRE or LIT spells.  Stay at the
inn if you haven't already.  If you don't have the
money for any of this stuff, you have no choice
but to build some gold the old-fashioned way.
   The trek to the cave will be tough.  Arachnids
will likely poison you, and wolves can do some
serious damage.  The worst fears, however, are
scorpions and geists.  The former have VERY strong
attacks and poison, and the latter can stun your
whole party with no problem.  If your party is
stunned, you will likely die a slow, horrible
death.  Save outside the cave, unless your party
is nearing death.  In that case, pray that you
can survive, but don't save.  You will be vastly
screwed.

   THE MARSH CAVE, part 1
   Treasures: 680 G, Large Dagger, 620 G, Short
Sword
   Recommended Level: 3-4

   Didn't I tell you that you'd get a Short Sword
soon?  This quest will involve making several
trips to the Marsh Cave, incidentially boosting
your levels a bit.  Since you don't have any power
magic, you won't have alot of luck against the
monsters.  If you have a white mage (which we don't
in this scenario), HARM will serve you very well.
   Upon entering the cave, travel north until you
come across some stairs.  There are four treasure
chests on this floor; groups of gargoyles defend
them.  You can and should avoid these encounters
like a disgusting, atrocious member of the opposite
sex, because goyles will eat you like the pathetic
rat you are.  If you happen to get in such an
encounter, you can escape, but goyles can inflict
80 damage a round.
   If you encounter scums or mucks, you should run.
If you have some L1 spells in your mages' reserves,
feel free to attack them, but remember that you'll
rely on those spells for the trip back.
   Be careful about enemies that can cause poison!
If you're poisoned more than a few times, your party
is effectively dead.

   5. "THE DREADED MARSH CAVE, part II."

   Travel back to Elfland once you've grabbed the
treasures.  You should be around level 4 when you
come back, and much, much wealthier.  If you want
to put caps on your weak defense characters, you
can; the 80 G you spend on them might save your
hide.  Restock your HEAL and PURE potions, but
buy some more HEALs this time.  You'll venture
deeper into the cave next time.  Unless you've
reached level 5, don't bother with LV 3 magic.
If you haven't bought INVS yet, buy it now; the
added defense will help you very much.  If you
have reached Level 5, have your black mage learn
LIT2.  NOW.

   THE MARSH CAVE - part deux
   Treasures: Iron Armor, 295 G, Copper Bracelet,
House, 385 G, CROWN
   Recommended Level: 4-5

   With your new weapons and magic refilled, you're
ready to venture deeper into the dungeon.  If you
have reached Level 5, you could skip ahead and kill
the boss after grabbing the treasures.  If not,
you'll have to come back for a third trip.
   Get everything you can on the bottom floor.  Duh.
When you have a charge of LIT2, fight the wizards.

   WIZARDS [x2-6]
   HP: 84
   Weaknesses: LIT2
   Recommended Level: 5

   This battle relies on some luck - wait, that's
ALOT of luck.  You only have one use of LIT2 -
use it right away.
   The number of wizards is random; however, I do
believe that there will generally be less wizards if
your characters are at a low level.  I lucked out
and only had to fight two wizards, but you could
take on four if you prepare.
   Cast LIT2 right away.  Your fighter should do
what he does best, and the thief can supplement the
fighter's attack.  After the first round, your RM
should do his best to heal a weakened character
(assuming he isn't already dead).  If none of your
characters need to recover, cast INVS on your
fighter.
   You know, since they ARE wizards, you'd think
they had some magic.

   Beat the wizards?  Nifty!  You have proved that
the Marsh Cave does NOT require level-building.
Wouldn't the world be a nicer place if everyone could
complete the Marsh Cave at these levels? ... I
thought not.

   6. "RUN, RUN, OR YOU'LL BE WELL-DONE!"

   Once you grab the crown, RUN LIKE HELL!  Hrmm...
that is, if Hell ran.  You know what I mean.  Run
from every battle, no matter what; likely, half of
your party is dead.  Even if everyone is alive, head
back to Elfland; you'll want some more spells.

   ASTOS
   HP: 168
   Weaknesses: Not much of anything.
   MAD SKILLZ: RUB, SLO2, FAST, FIR2, LIT2, SLOW,
DARK, SLEP
   Recommended Level: 6

   You're in for a tough battle.  Astos has high
defense and powerful magic; if you're not careful,
he'll wipe out your party.  He starts with RUB,
which only luck will prevent.  Your fighter's
attacks are next-to-worthless unless you manage to
land a critical hit, and INVS doesn't protect against
magic.  AFIR and ALIT are great spells, provided that
you could afford them; however, all of this defense
means nothing if you can't hurt him.  Your magic is
not very effective, but it's all you have.  Keep
throwing your attacks at him, and you should be able
to defeat him.

   7. "Dwarves can see in the dark!"

   YATOR: "What's up with him?
   HALZAMON: "Oh, he's just high on something."
   - From Daniel Seltzer's FFI MST

   Once you beat Astos, do the large-ass fetch quest
and fight a few battles if you're bored.  Honestly,
I don't think you'll need to pass level 7, but you
might.
   You'll probably want to get the treasures that
require the KEY.  Even if you can't use them, they
can be sold for quite a bit of money.

   KEY TREASURES
   -------------
   Temple of Fiends: Were Sword, Rune Sword, SOFT
   Marsh Cave: Silver Bracelet, Silver Dagger,
1020 G
   NW Castle: Power Staff, Falchion, Iron Gauntlet
   Dwarf Cave: Cabin, Iron Helmet, Dragon Sword,
Silver Knife, Wooden Helmet, Silver Armor, House,
575 G
   Coneria Castle: Iron Armor, Iron Shield, Iron
Staff, Sabre, Silver Dagger
   Elfland Castle: Silver Hammer, Copper Gauntlet,
730 G

   Most of this stuff is useless.  You could make
a good 10000-15000 G selling off this crap.  Use the
money to complete your LV 3 magic list (snag FIR2 for
both of your mages, and CUR2 for your RM at the
least), and make sure that your black mage learns
FAST.  If you opted to include a WM in your party,
FEAR could come in handy, but again, we didn't.
Don't bother with a silver sword; the Were or Rune
swords are just as powerful, and the Were sword is
actually useful against undead enemies.

   [A note about specialty swords: Contrary to
popular belief, the specialty swords DO work.  When
used against the proper class, specialty swords
have a higher chance of attaining a critical hit
than other swords.  Since some of the most annoying
enemies are undead, the were sword will be quite
nifty until you find something better.]

   You might want to buy a silver bracelet for your
thief; his escape ability will be essential in these
dangerous situations.  Buy caps and gloves for your
party; the slight gain in defense helps.  Stock up
on HEALs, PUREs, and buy a few SOFTs if you can
spare the money.  You'll want them for the Earth
Cave.

   THE EARTH CAVE
   Treasures:
   (First Floor)
   1975 G, 880G, Heal, 795 G, Pure
   (Second Floor)
   Coral Sword, Cabin, 330 G, Wooden Shield, 5575 G
   (Third Floor)
   Tent, Heal, 3400 G, 1020 G, RUBY
   Recommended Level: 6

   The fights here are tough.  You will almost ALWAYS
run, if you manage to survive.  On the third floor,
the treasures are guarded by Earths; only FIR2 will do
reliable damage against them.  The rewards for slaying
them are great, but they can inflict a good 100 damage
per hit.

   VAMPIRE
   HP: 156
   Weaknesses: Everything.
   MAD SKILLZ: Uh... DAZZLE?  Feh.
   Recommended Level: Ah hell, you could beat this
guy at level 2 if you wanted.  He's that easy.

   After the vampire's little spiel, you'll realize
that he sucks.  No, sucks is an understatement; if there
were a weaker enemy than Garland, this would be it.
I've seen him killed by a single blast of FIR2... FIR-
freaking-2, fer cryin' out loud!  If he manages to attack
you, he'll hit for a *massive* 70-90 points; since he'll
probably only hit once, this should be no problem.

   8. "They're happy because they eat LARD."

   With your shiny RUBY, you can now pass the Giant's cave.
It would probably make more sense to sell the damned RUBY
and kill the stupid giant.  Unfortunately, Square was too
lazy to allow the player to do that.  You can get some items
in the Giant's Cave, but none of them are particularly
useful.  Sell the cruddy "great" axe for some good cash,
and get the ROD from Sarda in his sacred chillin' grounds.
   Once you return to Melmond and fight some random enemies,
you should be around level 7.  You still can't use level 4
magic, so don't bother.  Fill up your LV 2 and LV 3 spells;
AFIR is very useful in the next few places, and HOLD is
a lot better than the ultimately cruddy LOK2.  Learn SLOW
and TMPR - DARK isn't incredibly useful, but TMPR is good
for giving your fighter a little boost.  As usual, stock
up on potions; you should have a few left over from last
time, but if you want to go this deep you'll need to max
your supply.

   EARTH CAVE (part two)
   Treasures: Wooden Staff, 11825 G, Silver Shield,
Cabin, 1250 G.

   I should remind you about those Wizards.  You'll fight
more of them in the cave, and this time they're random;
the deeper you go, the more they appear.  Unlike most
battles, you CANNOT escape from them, no matter how hard
you try.  This is a Very Bad Thing, as you want to save as
much of your LV 3 magic as possible.  Fortunately, your
physical attack power should be good enough to emerge alive
without resorting to LIT2.  If you're afraid of wizards,
you could substitute your RM's AFIR for LIT2.  Stick with
LIT if you can.
   Most of the treasures on the fourth floor really suck.
The G is very useful, however, so you'll want to grab it.
The Silver Shield will save you some G later on, but isn't
essential.  It might take a few tries before you can get
all of the treasure.

   EARTH FIEND: LICH
   HP: 400
   Weaknesses: FIRE, HARM
   MAD SKILLZ: ICE2, SLP2, FAST, LIT2, HOLD, FIR2, SLOW,
SLEP
   Recommended Level: 7

   There are two strategies for fighting Lich.  The first
involves throwing every FIR2 you have at him; each blast
can inflict a good 70-110 damage, and you can kill him in
a few rounds.  However, this strategy does not take ICE2
and SLP2 into account; if these spells kill your magic
users, prepare for the worst.
   The second strategy demands that you use your
elemental defense spells wisely.  ALIT and AFIR are
useful here; unfortunately, you can't use AICE at this
point.  Later in the battle, Lich uses some very nasty
effect magic.

   YOU HAVE REVIVED THE EARTH ORB!  Hurray!

   9. "My name is Inigo Montoya.  You killed my father.
Prepare to die."

   A well-known dirty trick among veteran FFI players is
to get the class change as soon as possible.  It's not a
bad thing was you think about it, except that the Ice
Cave is incredibly frustrating.  Scratch that.  The Ice
Cave is the MOST ANNOYING DUNGEON IN RPG HISTORY if you
try to tackle it at low levels.  However, there are a few
things that make the Ice Cave easier.
   You might want to clear out the second floor of the
Gurgu volcano.  The treasure will be of assistance very
soon.
   We will finish the Castle of Ordeals first.  What,
you want to do THAT first?  True, you cannot get the
class change without the FLOATER, but the Castle of
Ordeals is much easier than the Ice Cave; also, the items
you find in Ordeals will be VERY useful in the Ice Cave
(especially the Zeus Gauntlet, which makes the wizards
much, much easier).  You should buy better armor at
Crescent Lake before tackling the castle, and (do I need
to remind you?) BUY LOTS OF HEAL POTIONS.
   Get the CANOE from Lukhan, and ride your ship to the
northern part of the world.  A small ways north of the
Castle of Ordeals, there will be a river where you can
park your ship; isn't this better than taking the
airship?

   CASTLE OF ORDEALS
   Treasures (of note): Heal Staff, Zeus Gauntlet, Ice
Sword, Gold Bracelet, House, 8795 G, TAIL.
   Recommended Level: 8

   I never understood why that old geezer on the first
floor of the Castle of Ordeals wanted the CROWN so damn
much.  I mean, if you're there, you MUST have found the
CROWN.  That's because I did the stupid thing and tried
to fight through Gurgu and the Ice Cave first.  Square's
brilliant geniuses knew that giving the Castle of Ordeals
a high number on the map would deter the stupider players
(read: me :) from realizing that you should really go
there first.  Fortunately, I caught on to the plan, Sam I
am... wait, that doesn't rhyme very well...
   Whenever you're presented with a choice, always choose
the lower column-thingy.  That's what my valuable NP guide
taught me (the same NP guide that told me to slug through
R. Ankylos and Hydras on my way to the castle.)  If you
forgot the proper order of the pillars, just try again.
The third floor is fairly easy.  You are forced into an
encounter with 2-3 Nitemares; their physical attacks can
cause harm, but they tend to use snorting more often.
If you're desperate, FAST can cause some good damage
against them.  This is the hardest fight in the castle...
not much, eh?

   ZOMBIE DRAGONS [x2]
   HP: ~240
   Weaknesses: Everything
   MAD SKILLZ: Sucking
   Recommended Level: This is almost as pathetic as the
Vampire...

   Hoo boy.  FFI seems to have a thing for weak enemies.
Since the ZombieDs are undead, FIR2 should toast them with
little trouble.  Attack, attack, attack.  The ZombieD's
strongest attack could stun a character and inflict around
90 damage - nothing overly difficult.

   10. "Why can't the Ice Cave be as easy as the Ice Cavern
from FFIX?"

   After completing the Castle of Ordeals, you should have
the TAIL, the Zeus Gauntlet, and a heal staff.  The last
two items have special effects in battle - they are your
friends.  Give the gauntlet to your thief, and the heal
staff to your black mage; even though they cannot equip
these items, they're the best people for using the items'
abilities.
   You should have a sizable amount of gold, and should
have reached level 9.  Your RM STILL can't use level 4
magic.  If you haven't bought ICE2, buy it now; CONF will
also be useful in the future, although it can be replaced
by an item.  SLP2 sucks, so don't bother.
   Stock up on SOFTs; you want to, trust me.  Prepare some
stress-management sessions; they shall do your body good.

   ICE CAVE (the cold hell)
   Treasures (of note): Flame Sword, Ice Armor, ~70000 G,
Ice Shield, FLOATER
   Recommended Level: 9

   There are many encounters here that you will NOT want,
and that you can NOT escape from.  Wizards are back, and
come in groups of 6-8.  You can escape from sorcerors,
but their mere touch can kill.  Mages will cast LIT3 if
you are not careful.  You can't run from Frost Giants,
which is a Very Bad Thing if they are with wolves.  Any
encounter here can be fatal; you will probably try to
proceed through this area 10-15 times before you finish.
   The Zeus guantlet is great against wizzies and more or
less everything; you should usually use that instead of
the thief's normal, sucky attack.  Try to run whenever
possible; the only exception to this rule is a lone
sorceror.  You should kill it in one round, just to
assure that it won't kill you.
   Despite this, you'll want to grab all of the booty.
Once you get the 70000 G, money becomes no problem.
There is a pre-set encounter with 7-9 undeads; use the
Zeus gauntlet and FIR2 to disperse this group.

   THE EYE
   HP: ~160
   Weaknesses: FIR2
   MAD SKILLZ: STOP, GLANCE, BRAK, XXXX
   Recommended Level: 8-9

   The Eye is actually pretty weak.  The only thing
you have to fear are his instant death attacks; if
you avoid them, he can be brought to his knees in two
rounds.  FIR2 works very well, as does the Zeus
Gauntlet; you'll also want FAST on your fighter.
   By the way, you'll have to traverse half the
dungeon again.  Don't you just LOVE Square?

   11. "It wasth a robot, I sthwear!  I sthwear!"

   With the FLOATER, you can now grab your AIRSHIP.
Flying the airship is nifty.  It makes you a friggin'
god or something.  The first thing you should do is get
the class change; head to Bahamut's 'hood and take
their money.  (Pfft, and these dragons are supposed to
be capitalist pigs?)  You've reached the half-way mark
of the game, and you're only at level 9.  Bask in your
brand new, shiny skillz.

   THE KNIGHT - He's still your brawn, and he'll only
get better as you progress.  Having CURE magic at his
disposal is a nice bonus; you can't use it now, but
after a few levels your spells will open up.  Very
soon, he will acquire a new sword which brings up his
attack power tremendously.

   THE NINJA - Yay, the thief is actually useful in
combat!  He can equip most of the game's armor and
weapons, and he can still escape.  Eventually, low-
level black magic can come in handy.  His weakness is
a glaring lack of any power attacks; nonetheless, his
strength is decent, and better than a cruddy Master of
the same level.

   THE RED WIZARD - Formerly your star player, the RW
begins to show his age.  His magic is still useful,
but his physical attacks don't match the Ninja's or
Knight's.  He can learn LIFE, however, and that alone
makes him a worthwhile choice.

   THE BLACK WIZARD - Ah hell, you know that BWs rule.
Unfortunately, you probably won't access his higher
magic, which sucks; however, he has far more charges
than an RW, and his level 5 magic opens up once he
reaches level 10.  For the next few dungeons, the BW's
magic will be a necessity.

   Before we go off to the Gurgu volcano, there's one
more area we should clear; the Waterfall.  This area
is insanely easy - there's only one floor, and most of
the enemies couldn't fight their way out of a paper
bag.  However, there are a few enemies there who are
capable of using RUB-like attacks.  Buy as many
ProRings as you can, and make sure to protect your
RW and Ninja.  Learn LIFE and CUR3 if you have the
money (you should) for your RW.

   THE WATERFALL
   Treasures: Defense, Wizard Staff, Ribbon
   Recommended Level: 9

   Usually, you don't visit the waterfall until late
in the game, but there is no reason why you must. The
items here are VERY useful; you should have no trouble
defeating Kary with this gear.
   The waterfall is straight-forward; reach the end,
get the items.  You'll also want to grab the CUBE from
our little robot friend, so you don't have to make a
trip back.  There is a fight with a large group of
enemies, mostly WzMummies and Cockatrices.  Use your
strong magic to burn out the most threatening enemies,
and pick off the leftovers.
   The Defense is one of the strongest swords in the
game, and will allow your Knight to score 3 hits in a
round; the Wizard Staff casts CONF, which will be a
Good Thing; and finally, the Ribbon grants protection
against all elemental attacks and status ailments.
It is most nifty.  Without WARP, you'll have to leave
the hard way; once you leave, you should reach level
10.

   12. "Gulug?  What were they smoking?"

   Once you leave the waterfall, make sure to finish
your level 4 magic list; your Ninja should be able to
use 1 spell from each of the four levels.  Learn the
essentials, and LOK2 if you're bored.  Don't worry
about your weak armor; there's plenty of treasure in
the volcano to bring your Ninja's armor up to speed.

   GURGU VOLCANO
   Treasures (of note): Flame Armor, Flame Shield,
Ice Sword, Giant Sword, 2 Silver Helmets, Silver
Shield, Silver Axe, ~25000 G, House
   Recommended Level: 8-10

   I allow a low level because it is entirely
possible to beat the Gurgu volcano at lower levels.
However, with the items you have, there should be
no problem.  You should grab the armor for your Ninja
if you haven't already, but the rest of the weapons
are worthless junk.
   The lava here will decrease your HP, but you will
not have to worry about random encounters as long as
you're on the lava.  Stock up on HEAL potions and
avoid fighting through this cheap tactic.  None of
the enemies here should cause any problem if you have
ProRings on your party.

   FIRE FIEND: KARY
   HP: 600
   Weaknesses: Status effect spells
   MAD SKILLZ: FIR2, DARK, HOLD
   Recommended Level: 9-10

   Every FF needs a boss that is susceptible to
status effects, and Kary epitomizes that.  Her power
is devastating unless you slow her down; one of her
attacks will most likely slay anyone.  Your Knight
should use the Defense at least once to increase his
Evade %, and one of your spellcasters should use FAST
on him.  CONF, HOLD, SLOW, and other effect spells
have a success rate of ~15-20% - not much, but if
you keep using them she'll eventually be affected.
SLOW is the most useful of these spells, which bring
her mighty attack to nothing.  CONF is good for laughs,
as she does 40 damage to herself and won't recover
easily.  Keep in mind that NO elemental attacks will
work against her.

   Hurray!  The toking dwarves thank you for reviving
the FIRE ORB!

   13. "Oh, boo hoo..."

   Things are not nifty in Onrac.  The mermaids have
been waiting for a savior, but alas, you don't have
any OXYALE.  Because the BOTTLE (and thus, the OXYALE)
costs 50000 G, it wouldn't have been wise to get it
earlier; hopefully, you have enough G.  Uh... you DID
have enough money, right?  If you sell off your old,
useless equipment, you'll have more than enough.  By
now, you should have ProRings on your RW and BW - if
you like, you can drop the Ninja's ProRing in favor
of a gauntlet, as none of the enemies in the Water
Temple have instant-death attacks.  Also, drop the
Flame and Ice equipment if you haven't already; not
only does it sell for quit a bit, but it's next-to-
worthless once you have three ribbons.

   WATER TEMPLE, part I
   Treasures: Opal Armor, Opal Gauntlet, Opal Shield,
Opal Bracelet, SLAB, Mage Staff, Light Axe, ~22500 G
   Recommended Level: 11

   Our mission here is simple - grab the SLAB and
whatever other treasure we want.  There are some tough
enemies here, but the only ones you NEED to fear are
ghosts.  You cannot run from ghosts, they have lots of
HP, and their attack causes paralysis and 70-130 damage.
If you run into any ghosts, you're pretty screwed.
   Once you get the Opal equipment and the special
items (Mage staff casts FIR2, Light Axe casts HRM2),
normal fights will become much, much easier.  The
problem is not that your levels are too low, but that
you want to complete the game with the lowest level
possible.  Once you have this equipment, I suggest you
win more fights instead of running, but make sure that
your level doesn't rise too high; you want to surpass
my record, don't you?  Place your Mage Staff and Light
Axe on your RW and BW.
   Once you have the stuff, move out.  You will
probably be at level 12, and your level 5 magic is
now available.  Learn FIR3 and WARP at the least.

   14. "...lu pa lu pa?"

   With the SLAB in your hands, you can now translate
the ancient Lefeinish language and reveal all sorts of
fun stuff about the plot.  Contrary to 31337 m3d13v4l
d00dZ, the dudes in the togas tell you about their age
of high technology, and how it came crashing down.
Head to Lefein, and snag the CHIME.  Now, you can enter
the Mirage Tower and grab its treasures.

   MIRAGE TOWER
   Treasures: Sun Sword, Dragon Armor, Thor Hammer
Vorpal, Aegis Shield, Heal Helmet, ~90000 G, House
   Recommended Level: 12

   I'm starting to be lenient with levels, simply
because beating on enemies is fun.  There is not alot
to fear in the Mirage tower, provided you have the
Aegis shield and some SOFT potions.  Guards can stun
you if you're not careful; fortunately, the Zeus
Gauntlet and Thor's Hammer can make quick work of
them.  You can opt to press on to the Floating
Castle, or wuss out and finish the Water Temple.  I
chose the former.

   BLUE DRAGON
   HP: 454
   Weaknesses: FIR3
   MAD SKILLZ: Thunder
   Recommended Level: 12-13

   This fight can be dangerous if you let him use
Thunder.  He also has plenty of HP.  Your RW should
cast FAST on the Knight and Ninja, and your BW's
FIR2 deals decent damage.  Don't use FIR3 yet;
you'll fight this one again on the return trip.

   FLOATING CASTLE, part I:
   Treasures: Bane Sword, Ribbon, White Shirt,
Black Shirt, Heal Helmet, ProRing x2, ~81000 G,
Opal Gauntlet, Opal Shield, ADAMANT, Katana,
ProCape
   Recommended Level: 13

   The enemies here have tons of HP and defense.
Chances are that you won't stand a chance against
anything other than a group of GrMedusas.  Because
of this, we're only going up to the third floor.
You'll get all the treasure, or at least as much as
you can get.  The Katana is the Ninja's best weapon
(aside from the Masamune), and the ADAMANT will let
your Knight kick very much butt with the XCalber.
   Run from almost every encounter.  You cannot run
from eyes, but with ProRings, the eyes suck.  Beware
of Evilmen, who will cast NUKE and XFER early in the
battle, and Badmen, who have a strong attack.  Once
you've grabbed the valuables - you only need the
katana from the third floor - run like hell.

   15. "Are we all going to turn into bubbles...?"

   Your first task is to grab the XCalber from the
Dwarf Cave.  While you're there, you can toke with
the dwarves and sing "Hurray!"  You should buy magic
for your Knight and Ninja if you haven't already; in
particular, CURE, CUR2, ALIT, and AFIR are good for
the Knight, and FIR2, LIT2, ICE2, and FAST are good
buys for the Ninja.  Sell off any excess equipment;
get rid of any caps you may have from before, and
whatnot.  Your armor screen should look something
like this...

   Kn: Opal Armor, Aegis Shield, Opal Gauntlet,
Opal Helmet
   Nj: Zeus Gauntlet, Ice Armor, Flame Shield,
Heal Helmet
   RW: Opal Bracelet, Ribbon, ProRing,
White Shirt
   BW: Black Shirt, ProCape, Ribbon, Heal Helmet

   As you can see, you've been full for awhile.
You should sell one of the Heal Helments you
acquired on the mirage tower/floating castle, if
you didn't dump it already.  You might want to
consider selling off the Opal Gauntlet, as you'll
find the Power Gauntlet soon.  Since SABR is a
great boon to your attack power, you'll want it
on either your Knight or Ninja; they can also
equip it.  The Black Shirt is not very useful as
an item, but it provides as much defense as a
Gold Bracelet.  You DEFINITELY want the White
Shirt; it's almost a necessity against Kraken.
If you'd like, buy LIT3 for your BW; however, I
wouldn't buy any other level 6 magic, as you
will most likely not be able to use it.

   WATER TEMPLE (part deux)
   Treasures: Power Gauntlet, Light Axe, Ribbon,
~ 40000 G
   Recommended Level: 13

   You should have no trouble clearing out the
Water temple with your levels.  Likely, you'll
reach level 14-15 while doing so, as ghosts are
far more frequent at the lower levels.  Drop the
opal gauntlet for the power gauntlet (or, as I
call it, the Power Glove... 'cause it's so baaad.)
There's also an additional ribbon that you'll want
to have.  Drop your ninja's heal helmet for it.
Now that your most vulnerable characters have good
elemental defense, most spellcasters won't stand a
chance.  Try to conserve HEALs by using the healing
items during battle.  You could easily make it to
Kraken.

   WATER FIEND: KRAKEN
   HP: 800
   Weaknesses: LIT
   MAD SKILLZ: LIT2, INK
   Recommended Level: 13-15

   You could have fought Kraken earlier, but you
would have had trouble.  With the best equipment,
you will have no trouble whatsoever.  Use the White
Shirt, Power Gauntlet, and Defense to bring up your
defense and offense, and cast FAST on your knight.
If Kraken manages to attack, he could ruin your
plans.  Fortunately, his magic attacks are junk.
Smash him with your fighter's beefed-up attacks,
and your BW's LIT3.  Use whatever CUR3 you have
left to recover.

   The third orb has been revived.  Only one more
to go!

   16. "TIAMAT is the Fiend of the Wind..."

   You now have most of the game's treasure.  You
should be at level 15-16, and have ample skills to
win the game at this point.  The goal, then, is to
AVOID fighting if at all possible.

   FLOATING CASTLE, part deux
   Treasures: None (you got them all, remember?)
   Recommended Level: 15

   Rush through this place.  Immediately.  Don't
stop to fight.  Take the shortest route.  You will
have to fear Sorcerors at the highest floor; pray
that you don't encounter them, but if you do, kill
them IMMEDIATELY.
   You should know about WarMech.  If you encounter
it, you are dead.  NUCLEAR will devastate everyone
but your strongest characters, and none will be able
to penetrate the mech's defense.  You can try, but
I'd be surprised if you could pull it off.  Consider
it an extra challenge.

   WIND FIEND: TIAMAT
   HP: 1000
   Weaknesses: BANE, BRAK
   MAD SKILLZ: Thunder, Poison, Blizzard, ICE2,
Blaze
   Recommended Level: 15-16

   Don't waste your time attacking him; BANE or the
Bane Sword will probably kill him faster.  Use your
knight's ALIT and AFIR spells to create a wall of
protection against Tiamat's deadly attacks, as well
as the RW's AICE.  If you want to do it the hard
way, cast FAST on your fighter and use the power
gauntlet.  You'll kill him eventually.  CUR3 is
necessary for any long battle; INV2 doesn't hurt,
because his attack can do 200-300 damage.

   After long last, the ORBs shine again!

   17. "Let our powers combine!  Earth!  Fire!
Wind!  Water!  Heart!  GO PLANET!"

   This is it.  The big kahuna.  The impossible
dungeon from Hell itself; the Temple of Fiends,
revisited.  By now, you should have completed your
ranks of spells; you'll definitely have the money.
If you fought like I did, you'll be around level 18;
I've heard of people making it at level 16, tho,
and to be honest, I didn't follow this strategy to
the letter. :/  Nonetheless, you should be here,
unless you gave up back at the Ice Cave.  In that
case, j00 r l4m3 d00d.

   Weapons:
   Kn: Xcalber
   Nj: Katana
   RW: Sun Sword, Defense
   BW: Catclaw

   Armor:
   Kn: Opal Armor, Power Gauntlet, Aegis Shield,
Opal Helmet
   Nj: Zeus Gauntlet, Ice Armor, Flame Shield,
Ribbon
   RW: White Shirt, Opal Bracelet, Ribbon,
ProRing
   BW: Black Shirt, Ribbon, ProCape, Heal Helmet

   THE TEMPLE OF FIENDS
   Treasures: Katana, ProCape, ~110000 G, Masmune
   Recommended Level: 16-19

   You'll pull out more hairs than ever at this leg
of the game.  This party works well with short-term
fights, but many of the fights here will drag on for
a long while.  There are quite a few fights that you
can't escape; Worms and Gas Dragons are difficult
enemies.  If you encounter more than two Gas D's,
you're screwed.  Other than the Masamune, the treasure
here stinks; don't go out of your way to get it.

   LICH
   HP: 500
   Weaknesses: FIRE, HARM
   MAD SKILLZ: NUKE, AFIR, STOP... well, at this
point, you're usually dead.
   Recommended Level: 16-17

   I tried.  I tried and I tried.  This fight will
really, really hurt you unless you are lucky.  Pray
that your RW survives the first NUKE, and you'll
have a fighting chance.  If he dies, then your game
might as well be over.  There's a good chance that
NUKE will kill every person in your party, and Lich
is really nasty about using that first.  Fortunately,
his HP is rather low.  Cast FAST on your knight, and
have the rest of your team attack with FIR2.  You
should be able to kill him within two rounds at the
most, unless he NUKEs your party into oblivion.

   KARY
   HP: 700
   Weaknesses: Status effect
   MAD SKILLZ: FIR3, RUB, lots of other nasty stuff.
   Recommended Level: 17

   Follow the same tactic you used last time.  The
White Shirt will provide extra defense against Kary's
deadly attack, and HOLD still works wonders.
   Don't bother with the treasures on this floor.
You won't need them at this point, unless you want an
extra ProCape.

   KRAKEN
   HP: 900
   Weaknesses: LIT
   MAD SKILLZ: LIT2, LIT3, INK
   Recommended Level: 17

   Again, the same strategy you used before will take
care of Kraken.  He has a slight HP and power boost,
and you've gone through alot.  Keep pushing forward,
and keep praying that your RW isn't killed.  You might
consider giving your RW the Defense Sword, so that he
may cast RUSE on himself to add to his evade.

   TIAMAT
   HP: 1000
   Weaknesses: BANE, BRAK
   MAD SKILLZ: BANE, ICE3, BLIZZARD, THUNDER, BLAZE
   Recommended Level: 17-18

   There are many enemies on Tiamat's floor that will
not let you run; these fights will likely push you up
a level.  Grab the masamune before fighting Tiamat,
and give it to your Ninja or Knight; it will make the
Ninja useful in the coming fights, or make the Knight
even stronger.
   He's basically a carbon copy of the Tiamat we know and
love, except he has BANE.  He will cast this spell
early, so I hope you're wearing ProRings or ProCapes.
Your knight may die in this fight; if he doesn't, use
his elemental defenses and the Power Gauntlet, and cast
FAST on him.  With the masamune, the knight will make
quick work of Tiamat.

   On the last floor...

   FINAL BOSS:
        C H A O S
   HP: 2000
   Weaknesses: Nothing
   MAD SKILLZ: Pretty much everything
   Recommended Level: 18-19

   There's no chickening out of this fight, and there's
no easy win.  CHAOS is by far the toughest final boss
I've fought in an FF game.  (Necron doesn't even make it
to a close second, despite his cheap-ass Grand Cross, but
that's another story...)  If you can beat him at these low
levels, you are truly a Final Fantasy master.
   There are plenty of strategies for handling CHAOS, but
I think that you are capable of beating him on your own.
Aren't I useful?

   Really, there's not alot I can say.  You should be
familiar with the game's mechanics if you've made it this
far, and the way to victory should come to you.  If you
really have trouble, restart and build a level before
entering the temple again.

   IN CLOSING

   I didn't write this so that you could feel the joy of
beating FFI with low levels; I am doing this because I am
a macho-minded geek who thinks that mastering this game is
my greatest accomplishment ever.  Sadly, it probably is.
I don't guarantee that my strategies will work for you, or
even if they work at all.  There are some gaping holes in
this FAQ that I've had trouble filling; I already feel that
I've done too much hand-holding, but it's still vague.  I
have come to the conclusion that I really suck at writing
FAQs.  I am certain that there is a faster way, and I know
that it's possible to beat the game at two levels below
what I have recommended.  Realistically, you can beat the
game without traditional level-building at a much HIGHER
level if you choose to fight more often, but there's no
fun in that.

   IV. ALTERNATE PLANS

   1. Other parties

   Like I say, there's more than one way to go about this.
I've put well over 200 hours into FFI, and have beat it at
least 10 times.  There are lots of valid, good parties for
reviving the ORBs, and some are better than my choice.

   TEAM LAZINESS
   Fighter, Thief, Black Belt, Red Wizard

   The default party, selected by the wonderful folks at
Square.  I guess it's okay, but I definitely didn't use
this party after I found out how to access the other mages.
The thief and black belt don't complement each other very
well, and this team only gets weaker with the class change.
The master and knight give this party enough staying power,
and the RM will serve you well early in the game.

   TEAM SMASH
   Fighter x3, Red Mage

   If you like fighters, you'll love this party.  Sure, it
takes them a while to get started, but once you're going
you can do very good things.  The red mage is a good choice
for healing and offense, and later on FAST and LIFE will
serve you well.  If you take the time to find items, this
party could do better than my own choice in the low levels
race.

   TEAM QUIRKY
   Thief, Black Belt, White Mage, Black Mage

   Talk about an unlikely combo.  You'll have plenty of
money for your mages, and you can run from fights should
the need arise, but the BB sticks out like a sore thumb.
Later in the game, you only have one really strong
physical player, and his defense is rather cruddy.  I
beat the game at level 23 with this team, but that was
far more challenging than the level 18 game with my
knight.  I'd suggest this team if you want something
challenging, but not too frustrating.

   TEAM OVERKILL
   Black Belt x3, Black Mage

   This team has more offensive power than you can shake a
spoony bard at, provided you spend the time to build them
up to level 50.  The black mage is the only thing that
will keep this party alive early on, with his powerful
offensive magic.  Once you hit level 10, the tides start
to change; you'll have FAST and three fighters capable
that benefit well from it.  I'd still rather have a
Knight, but this is a fun one to play with.

   MASSIVE OFFENSE
   Black Belt x3, Thief

   Like above, but harder to send off and away.  The Ninja
ends up with more offense than a BW, and has FAST and TMPR
all the same.

   MAGIC LOVERS' DELIGHT
   White Mage x2, Black Mage x2

   This is the only party in the game that can learn every
spell in the book.  Since there are plenty of useless
spells, this ability doesn't mean a whole lot, but if you
want to have a perfect file, it's a nice party. I'll give
them one thing; this party can rip through undeads like
nothing.

   OH WHY NOT, I MIGHT AS WELL HAVE THIS ONE TOO
   Fighter, Black Belt, White Mage, Black Mage

   The recommended party for beginners.  Since I've used
this party way too much, I have taken a vow among the FFI-
playing secret tribes that I would never use this party
again.  They do take a bit longer to build up than other
parties, but they have a great balance of magic and brute
force

   OG'S ANGELS
   Fighter x4

   Fighter like smash!  Even though they have no magic
besides a few spells, this party has enough endurance to
make it a moot point.  The Marsh Cave and Ice Cave will be
very hard with this party, but once you find the items,
you'll be unstoppable.

   BAD DUDES
   Thief x4

   This party really, really blows.  They can't attack AT
ALL during the early game.  Once you get the class change,
this party becomes semi-useful, but their lack of healing
magic hurts.

   ENLIGHTEN THIS
   Black Belt x4

   They don't have as much attack power as you think.  No
FAST, no TMPR, no fun.  I prefer having a thief at the very
least.

   I LIKE THE HATS
   Red Mage x4

   This party will own everything early on.  Good physical
attacks, magic, and defense can get you through anything if
you take the time to buy magic.  Later on, this party does
a 180 and starts sucking like nothing has sucked before...
except four thieves.

   IMPOSSIBLE!
   White Mage x4

   Hard.  Very hard.  Only a masochist would try this party.
Anyone who can beat the game with this party is a Final
Fantasy master.  Anyone who can beat the game with this
party and NOT get the class change is probably cheating.

   RUN, RUN, OR YOU'LL BE WELL-DONE
   Black Mage x4

   No defense and no physical attack whatsoever, but you'll
have LOTS of offensive firepower in the early parts of the
game.  Against CHAOS, they'll fare about as good as a party
of white wizards.

   TREASURE HUNTERS

   Thief x2, Black Mage, White Mage

   Okay, they won't win any awards for strength, and I
wouldn't use them a whole bloody lot.  This party is an
interesting choice that mixes magic with running like hell;
a combo that has proven to work for treasure hunting.  Two
thieves might be a tad excessive, but your black mage has
great offensive magic.  The WM can use HARM, which is good
for surviving against undead enemies, and his healing magic
will keep you alive.  After the class change, your ninjas
have better defense and can actually attack.

   V. OTHER QUESTS

   So, you're tired of trying to beat a game at insanely
low levels?  Don't have the time for it?  No problem!
There's plenty of fun for people who happen to have lives,
too!  Sure, you COULD play a more modern game, but this is
about FFI.  Rather than trite, done-that stuff like four
White Mages (even I don't have the patience for that),
I'm trying to think of other challenges.  Some will take
however long it takes to beat the game, while others are
rather short.  Have fun. :)

   1. "Three Kings"

   FFVII and FFVIII scaled back our party size to three;
considering that those games had very complicated gameplay
systems (IMWO, TOO complicated), that was okay.  In FFI,
you can play with a party of three to put a handicap on
yourself; let one of your party members die, and never
revive him.
   To make this interesting, don't use Fighters/Knights,
and enforce a level cap of 30.  This is just as hard as
beating CHAOS below level 20, if not harder!  Your class
choice at the beginning is vitally important; you won't
have a knight to absorb blows for everyone, and two BBs
will force you through some major level-building.  Try
beating this with a low level - if you can make it
below level 25, I'd be surprised.

   2. "Solo"

   GameFAQs already has a few solo FAQs out there.  These
quests require ALOT of patience, but if you can beat them,
you can brag that you have no life.  You'll need to reach
level 50 to stand a chance in any of them, and even then
it makes the rest of these challenges look like piddly
crap.
   I've heard of someone making it with a solo White Wiz.
I'm scared.

   3. "No HEALs"

   Try to beat the game without using a single HEAL
potion.  No more stocking up on potions, at least... but
your levels will need to be much higher.  This challenge
hinges on the Heal equipment and using classes with high
defense.

   4. "WarMech"

   WarMech is arguably tougher than Chaos - and that's
not an easy thing to be.  Sure, it only has 1000 HP, but
NUCLEAR makes it a friggin' god.  How low can you go
while still managing to beat it?

   5. "That's TREASURE HUNTER!"

   The extremely bored FFI veteran can try this one; try
to amass the largest fortune you can within 4-24 hours,
depending on how much of a life you have.  You can opt to
measure game time or real time (giving an advantage to
those crazy marathon gamers).  Start from the beginning,
and get as far as you can.
   I like this one.  You have to choose a party that
doesn't require lots of level-building, but doesn't cost
alot to equip.  Since the best treasures and gold are
found in the ToF, you'd like to get there if at all
possible.  I've completed the game within 24 hours (real
time, because I slept for 9 hours), so don't cry to me
that it's not possible.
  An interesting twist to this is to use a level cap
instead of a time limit.  Setting it very low (level 15)
will force you to grab treasures instead of fighting,
but allow you to split it up into a manageable amount of
time.

   6. "Self-mutilation"

   Here's one that's good for laughs; try to beat Kary
using only status effect and healing magic, such as SLEP,
INV2, and so forth.  You are allowed to use items, so
long as their effects do not deal damage.

   7. "Necromancer"

   Play through the game without using the "Fight"
command, or the "Item" command.  All of your actions are
severely limited, especially at the beginning of the game.
You can use HEALs, PUREs, SOFTs, TENTs, CABINs, and
HOUSEs.  Good luck on beating the game below level 30 with
this. :)

   8. "Brute Force"

   Play through the game without using any commands other
than "Fight", "Drink", and "Run".  No special items like
the Mage Staff, and NO magic at all.  (Not even outside of
battle.)  It's actually very possible to beat this with a
low level, but you can't use mages at all.

   9. "Four Bandits"

   Play through the game using four thieves, and do not
get the class change.  Without any good attacks, your team
will suck muchly.  You'll have to find some good weapons
for this to work, and/or build up lots of levels.  This is
possibly harder than 4 WMs, but you have a bonus in that
you don't have to buy spells.

   10. "Cheerleaders"

   Designate one person in your party as the attacker.  He
will be the only one that can use physical or magic attacks
against your enemies; everyone else can only heal and cast
support magic (including offensive support magic such as
SLEP or SLOW).  Only your attacker can use special items.
You are not permitted to escape from ANY battle.  If your
attacker dies, you are effectively dead.

   VI. THANK YOUS

   http://www.classicgaming.com/ff1/
   The best FFI site on the web.  It's probably the only
one, too.  This is a great resource for anybody who wants
to know about the original game and it's WonderSwan port.

   GameFAQs and the writers of their FFI FAQs
   I used these as reference material; check them out,
because they'll tell you alot more about the game than
mine.  Oh, and I'm hoping CJayC accepts this FAQ, despite
the deluge of FF shtuff he gets.  In particular, thanks to
Ben Siron's FF1 FAQ (which helped verify some of the facts
in mine), and Josh Harring's FAQ, which confirmed the
treasures.

   Nintendo
   For writing their awesome guide to this game.  I'll
confess, I wouldn't know what the hell I was doing if I
didn't read it back when I first played... back in ye olde
NES days...

   Square
   Well, there wouldn't be Final Fantasy without them,
would there?  Thank you so much, for... um... letting me
play your game.  Yeah.  If it weren't for Final Fantasy
and the RPG craze, your best game would have been the
unworthy Rad Racer.

   ~ finis
