The Winhill Connection (Winhill)

Want to know what happened to Squall and co. next? TOUGH! We're with Laguna once more, but there's no sign of Kiros or Ward. Instead, you'll find that Laguna is talking to a little girl called Ellone. When the dialogue finishes, check the cupboard to find a Curaga drawpoint, and then head downstairs. Talk to Ellone again and head for the pub, after checking your junctions. In the main town screen, it's located below Laguna's house. Talk to the woman in yellow, Raine, and she'll tell you that you have a visitor. Kiros! But where's Ward?

Have a natter with your old buddy and when you're done, pick the fourth option for Kiros to join your party. Now you need to go on Laguna's daily patrol so junction up Kiros and get ready to rock! Junctioning Blizzard to Elem-Atk-J will help, but it's hardly necessary.Leave the pub and head to the south-east of the main town screen, down the stairs to find a Dispel draw point. Now exit the screen via the south-west, across the bridge. Exit south and you'll find yourself outside a flower shop. Draw Drain from the Draw Point and exit via the East, since you can't get back this way later. by the truck is a hidden draw point (Reflect), so make sure to use it. Head down the slope and then exit via the west. You can sleep in the hotel for free, or buy stuff from the shop, which I'd recommend doing. You have 3000 gil to blow, none of which will make a difference to the amount you have in Squall's world. Once you get to the very bottom of this screen, your patrol will be over!

Head all the way north, not going back the way you came. Go back to the pub and to the second floor where a sequence will occur. Once it's finished, talk to Ellone for another one, and then head back to Laguna's house. Save the game and then go to sleep...

Jailhouse Rock (Galbadia D-District Prison)

You'll find yourself in control of Zell; talk to everyone, saving Rinoa for last. Heading over to Squall, he's in a portable cell and is taken up to the thirteenth floor. Back to Zell and co., three guards will enter the cell and beat the crap out of Zell, before they release Rinoa.

With Squall once more, Seifer enters the cell and beats up on his one-time compadre, before two Moombas come to take him away, to be tortured. Seifer keeps asking Squall about the true purpose of SeeD, but he doesn't know the answer...

Back to Zell again, Selphie is trying to heal him with Cure spells, but it's just not working. Apparently the place has an anti-magic field up and running. A Moomba will enter, being harassed by one of the guards. You're given a choice to either help it, or do nothing; choosing the former strikes me as the better option.

Either way, you're taken back to Squall. You can choose between sacrificing yourself, or saving your own backside. Choose the first option and the world fades to black...

Controlling Zell again, talk to Quistis and once Zell beats up the guards, the Moomba will tag along. Leave the cell and head up a floor. Walk up to the two guards and you'll have to fight them; draw-cast Sleep and then stock up on magic, before finishing them off with GFs. A quick bit of plot moving with Squall, and then general silliness once the prisoners get their weapons back. In come our favourite Galbadian soldiers; Biggs and Wedge! It's time to kick their arse again!

After leaving your cell, I'd recommend going all the way to the bottom and back up to a) get all the treasure around the place, b) get loads of nifty spells drawn, and c) to gain more AP for your GFs. On each floor there are two doors; some will be locked, others not. Here's a list of what can be found:

In addition to that, there is a save point on the sixth floor, and the card player on the 10th floor will add to your Battle Meter if you defeat him.

When you've finished raiding the D-District Prison, it's time to bust outta there! Head up to the thirteenth floor, where you'll find a different layout. Walk into the room all the Moomba's are standing outside of, and you'll find Squall!

After a bit of talk, with the other charaters, talk to the Moomba's and pick the floors you want them to create shortcuts on, but don't pick any below the fifth floor or above the twelfth. Exit the torture room for more talking. Zell runs off to operate the crane as Squall, Selphie and Quistis get in the cell. Press X at the keyboard to get lowered down and head through to the next room. Go to the end of the corridor and press X again to discover you can't get out this way. As gunfire sounds out, the party realise that Zell is no longer with them...

In control of Zell, you'll find yourself being chased so run around the curve as quickly as possible to avoid getting dragged into a fight. When you get off that screen, Zell's knocked to his knees by another guard, only to be saved by a kamikaze Squall!

All hell breaks loose, but after a while, Rinoa and Irvine show up. Split the group into two parties of three, and take the first party up to the thirteenth floor and then the second party down to the fourth.

Back once more to Squall's party, the first one, and you'll find two Moomba's. Talk to them to get a Rename Card and a Cottage before taking the south stairs to the fourteenth floor. Head through the chambers until you reach the control room. Here you'll want to check your junctions and stick your thunder variants on your Elem-Atk-J. Exit and you'll find yourself outside. After a brief bit of conversation, the boss of this section approaches:

A message will come from Irvine and Squall's party will be back in the control room. Head back outside and as the bridge starts to collapse, just peg it across. When the D-District Prison finishes sinking into the ground, the group will reconvene and take the two vehicles to a rocky outcrop.

Once you regain control of Squall, draw Aero from the drawpoint and then talk to Selphie. Missiles will launch from the Galbadian Missile Base, heading for Trabia Garden, and you'll have to split the party into two groups of three; Squall leading one to warn Cid of the threat, while Selphie takes command of the other to try and decommission Edea's arsenal. I recommend taking Irvine and Quistis with Selphie, leaving Zell and Rinoa with Squall.

With Squall's party, sneak past the guards and board the train with the X button to end this section.

Warhead Rampage (Galbadia Missile Base)

Do a bit of levelling up around the Dingo Deserts/Monterseru Plateau, stocking up on Thundaga and Curaga spells, as well as Tornado from the Thrustaevis to junction on Strength. Also, this is a good opportunity to start learning Selphie's limit breaks, especially Full-cure, Rapture and The End, though the odds of getting the latter are pretty low. When you're good and ready, head to the Missile Base and enter while still in the truck.

Once inside, head to the left and examine the blue light and you'll open it with the ID card you received while driving in. You'll run into a guard, and are given three options; pick any one you want, hold down the Triangle button so that you walk rather than run, and exit the screen.

There's three point of interest in this room: the door being guarded leads to a room containing dismantled warheads - check near the one marked "03" to find a hidden Full-Life draw point; south from the save point leads to a ledge containing a Blind draw point; the computer on the right controls the missile guidance and launch systems.

Head to the ledge first and talk to the two men there before going to the missile bay and talking to the inspector there. Return to the ledge and talk to the guys there once more. Head back to the guard by the security system and talk to him to be allowed access into the next room. Use the draw point to get a Blizzara spell and then examine the keyboard. Pick any of the options and Selphie will screw it up. Looks like it's time to bail!

Run from the room and you'll find two G-Soldiers; you're given the option to either fight them (method a) or to try and talk your way through the base (method b)- I usually pick the first option to get a bit more levelling in before the boss, but either way is pretty much fine.

As you're making your way out, you'll feel the ground start to shake. As you walk across the road, the missiles will be fired in a short FMV, just before the boss of this sections trundles onto the screen.

There's only one problem left now... check the gate and you'll find that it's locked and there's no way out! Run back to the missile launchers and check them to see an FMV of the Galbadia Missile Base being blown sky-high...

Faculty Fracas (Balamb Garden)

You'll be in control of Squall's party once more, finding yourself at the entrance of Balamb Garden. A few preparataions first are in order; junction Blizzard* to Elem-Atk-J, Sleep and Blind to St-Atk-J, and Thunder* to Elem-Def-J.

Head through the central gate and you'll find a Garden Faculty member. Talk to him and choose the second option, "I don't get it..." to initiate a fight against a Grat and a Caterchipillar. Make sure to draw Blind, Sleep, Thundara* and Cura* from them if you haven't got 300 of each.

Now, you have to find Cid Kramer, the headmaster to warn him of the imminent missile attack, but with the entire Garden in chaos, he could be anywhere.

Go to the next screen and talk to the wounded SeeD cadet twice to get a Mega-Potion, and then proceed on to the lobby to talk to Raijin and Fujin. Now you have a choice in which way to go around the Garden; clockwise or anti-clockwise. I recommend anti-clockwise (heading eastwards first) so the harder fights are done first.

So, our first destination is the Library, which will involve a fight against a lone Grat on the path to it. Zell will talk to the library girl he's got a crush on and will get a Mega Phoenix (If you didn't bring Zell, you have to talk to her to get the Mega Phoenix).

Next, we're heading for the Training Center. You'll come across two SeeD cadets and a Garden Faculty member; choose the first option, "Help them," and you'll have to fight a T-Rexaur. Attack it with whoever has Sleep or Blind junctioned to their St-Atk-J and then draw as much as you can from it. After you're done drawing, let rip with Shiva and your weapons with Blizzard Elem-Atk-J on to polish it off. Once it's dead, talk to the female SeeD cadet and she'll give you a Remedy.

On to the Parking Lot now to fight a Grendel. Attack with the Blind St-Atk-J and then draw away, especially Double. This is where the Thunder* Elem-Def-J helps since it'll lash out thunder-based attacks fairly often. As always, once you're done drawing pummel it to the ground as long as you don't use any thunder-based attack upon it. After defeating it, move northwards and talk to the two SeeD cadets there to get a Tent.

Head to the Dormitory next and defeat the Catechipillar guarding it. Rest and then on to the Cafeteria, switching your Thunder* Elem-Def-J with Fire*. You'll fight a Bomb; while it'd be great to draw as much Meltdown from it as you can, this guy is dangerous since he can wipe out one of your party in a single hit, so either put him to sleep and then draw away, or just obliterate him with your Blizzard* Elem-Atk-J as quickly as possible. After it's dead, talk to the cadet there to get a Gysahl Green. Unfortunately, at least for Zell, the hotdogs are still all sold out.

Remove the Blizzard* Elem-Atk-J and replace it with Fire* before heading to the Quad. Tell the Faculty member there that "I'm with the Headmaster's faction," and you'll get in a fight with a Bomb and a Glaccid Eye. Draw/cast the Glaccid Eye's Blizzard* spells on the Bomb to get that out of the way quickly and then use the Fire* Elem-Atk-J on the Glaccid Eye. Carry on into the Quad and three SeeDs will jump down from the stage; talk to the one in the middle to get an X-Potion.

Junction Aero to Elem-Atk-J and then head to the next destination, the Infirmary. Choose the "Help them," option when there to initiate a fight with a Granaldo. Put it to sleep and draw the defensive spells from it before polishing it off with Aero. Dr. Kadowaki will now lead you into the Infirmary; talk to her once inside and she'll give you an Elixir.

You've now cleaned out the outer perimeter, but there's still no sign of Cid, not to mention Xu. Head back to the lobby and you'll find Xu heading for the elevator. Follow her and go up to the second floor. Head north and you'll find Xu waiting; talk to her and then head back to the elevator, going up to the third floor. Head north once more and you'll find Cid; he'll explain that Balamb Garden has a Missile Defence system, but that it needs to be activated. He'll give you a special key for the elevator; head back to it and then examine the controls on the right-hand side to set off a power cut.

After the CGI sequence, check the controls and then open the hatch underneath Squall's feet, climbing down it. Make sure to get out of the way when the elevator reactivates! Examine the hatch in front of Squall to pass through, and when he suggests you junction Fire* to your Elem-Atk-J, do so, and then head to the left and check the large tap. Spam the Square button as fast as you can when it tells you to, to turn it; if you don't get it the first time, the rest of the party will assist you. Once you've done that, climb down the ladder in the northern section of the screen. Walk down the stairs and you'll find a Full-Life draw point near the pillar before heading upwards.

The next screen is very big, and the party is confused as to where they're supposed to go next. Choose the second option, "I'll go and check it out," and you'll control Squall by himself. Climb the ladder and part-way up it'll break, falling over to form a bridge. Enter the control room and fiddle with the ones on the right to set the ground shaking. Examine the ladder and choose the "Climb down again" option. You'll find a door with a blinking green orb; examine it and climb back down the ladder.

Push the handle next to the save point to open the metal gate, and then save and heal because a boss fight starts as you cross the bridge.

Continue crossing the bridge onto the next screen and go down the ladder. A FMV showing the incoming missiles play. Head left to a gigantic pillar and then up to the controls, checking the right-hand side for a key, before examining the controls. After a short sequence, the pilar will have raised to the third floor and the Missile Defence system will have been activated. Talk to Cid and pick any of the options before heading to the elevator and going to the door north of the classroom on the second floor for another FMV. Head back to the elevator and Xu will be there, asking you to see the Headmaster.

After the next FMV sequence, you'll find Squall resting on his bed. If Rinoa is in your party, she'll come in and say she wants to go to the cafeteria, where, if Zell's in your party, you'll find him waiting for his order. Head to the Library next, and you should find Dr. Kadowaki standing outside. Talk to her and then enter; go to the reading room where you'll find the mysterious girl from earlier. After talking to her, leave the Library and head to the Lobby and a Garden Faculty member will rush up to you, saying that you're wanted down in the basement. Junction Aero to your Elem-Atk-J and Blizzard*/ Water to your Elem-Def-J, before heading to the elevator. The rest of your party will join you so go down to the basement where you'll see Cid being ushered out. Head left and NORG, the Garden Master, will reveal himself. After Squall insults NORG a bit, you'll have to fight him...

Once you've defeated NORG, check his pod thingy to find a hidden Bio draw point, before returning to the elevator. You might want to save in the Dormitory before heading to the Infirmary. Talk to Dr. Kadowaki and pick the second option, and then talk to Cid.

As a note, there should now be a man in the Training Center whom you can buy stuff off, though his appearances there are random.

Head to the Lobby, and you'll meet Xu there, who'll tell you a ship has docked with Balamb Garden, so head to the second floor and to the northern-most door. After a few sequences, head to the library. You'll find the girl you rescued from the Training Center near the beginning of the game, and there'll be another sequence, before she leaves on the White SeeD ship.

Squall will be back in his room, and after a scene, if Rinoa is in your party, she will come; pick any option and exit the Dormitory. You'll hear Cid's announcement over the tannoy system, and so ends this section.

Reunions (Fisherman's Horizon)

It seems no-one actually knows how to properly control Balamb Garden in its new form, leading it to crash into the small island known as Fisherman's Horizon. You'll find Squall on the bridge with Cid, telling you to head to the Mayor's Residence in FH and apologise for the inconvenience of having a great big bloody flying machine embedded in the town. Before you leave to do so, challenge Cid to a Triple Triad game to get the Seifer card, which is pretty damn good as all character cards are.

Leave Balamb Garden via the door on the second floor, and after the short sequence, head to the right, talking to everyone you come across. Along the way, there'll be a ladder which you can climb down; do so and head left. Talk to the guy there, the Master Fisherman, and choose the first option, "I'm sorry... it's our fault," and he'll give you he Occult Fan III magazine.

Head back up the ladders and continue to the right; talk to the guy near the elevator to get down to the main town. Head down and then right to find a Regen draw point, and then go back to the left and go to the second floor of the windmill there to talk to Mayor Dobe and his wife. Check the lower-right corner to find a hidden Ultima draw point, and then challenge Dobe to a card game to win the Quezacotl card.

Leave Dobe's house and head to the right to find Martine, the ex-head of Galbadia Garden; he has most of the monster cards in the game, so you may want to spend quite some time playing Triple Triad against him. Once you've done enough of that to your satisfaction, walk up the path. A sequence will ensue with Dobe dashing off and his wife blaming you for Galbadian soldiers being in FH! What did we do?

Follow Dobe to the right and down the track into the town. Junction Thunder* to your Elem-Atk-J and then head to the right. On the next screen, walk across the pier and talk to the old guy there, to remodel your weapons. Back across the pier, head north and you'll find Dobe being harrassed by an Elite Soldier from Galbadia. Turns out, they're not here for the SeeDs, they're after Ellone, the girl with the White SeeDs. Pick the first option to get into an easy fight with a few soldiers, followed by the reappearance of an earlier boss...

When you defeat the Iron Clad, it'll explode, revealing three familiar faces: Selphie and the final two members of the group (Irvine and Quistis if you've been following this walkthrough precisely.) Everyone will leave, with only Squall and Rinoa remaining; pick any option and eventually Rinoa will leave as well. Head north to the abandoned train station, where you'll find a Haste draw point, and then right and into the house to find a Timber Maniacs magazine as well. This is the house of a guy called Grease Monkey, remember it coz' you'll be back here in a short while.

Talk to the boy on the boat, and choose the first option, "Sort of..." the first option again, "I saw him," and then the first option once more, "I was sort of... impressed." Keep talking to him for several sequences, until the kid asks you to go talk to the Master Fisherman for him.

Head back to the elevators and Irvine will meet up with you; go back to where you first met the Master Fisherman and he will tell you to meet him in the inn. Instead of doing that though, go to Grease Monkey's house and you'll find a Galbadian soldier threatening Grease Monkey. Talk to the soldier and then leave, beofre going back in. The soldier will have jumped out of the window! In return for the help, Grease Monkey will give you a Mega-Phoenix.

Go to the main street and enter the building on the left, which is the inn; you can use the machine which will tell you about the origins of Fisherman's Horizon. Talk to the owner and you can buy items from him or get a room. Since the Master Fisherman ahs already booked the room, you can enter the room already; do so and after the sequence, pick the second option, "Why not?" Grab the Timber Maniacs on the floor before exiting and having another sequence.

Pick the first option, "I think you are right," and then talk to him again, picking the second option, "No, it's all right," to get a Megalixir. On your way back to Balamb Garden, go to where you first met the Master Fisherman to find a Full-Life draw point. If you haven't already done so, play Mayor Dobe to get the Quezacotl card.

Once back in Balamb Garden, head for the Quad, where you'll meet Selphie. After a short sequence, Squall will be on the bridge again and Cid will declare that Squall is now the Chief Commander of Balamb Garden. Once the entire sequence ends, the party will be assembled outside of FH's windmill. You're supposed to pick which members play which instruments in the upcoming celebrations, but instead of doing that, exit the screen and head back into FH. Go to Grease Monkey's house and you'll find the Elite Soldier from earlier is back; leave the house and then come back in. Talk to Grease Monkey and he'll give you a Phoenix Down. Next, talk to the soldier a few times to get Fast Ammo (x5), AP Ammo (x5) and Pulse Ammo (x5.)

Head back to the rest of the party, and then select the instruments; you have a choice of Guitar, Sax, Electric Guitar, Piano, Violin, Flute, Bass Guitar and Tap. Different combinations can give different tunes, e.g. Sax + Electric Guitar + Piano + Bass Guitar = a rendition of Rinoa's Theme, and Guitar + Violin + Flute + Tap = a folk music song. I find the folk song provides the best sequence, even if it does mean having to watch Quistis trying to tap-dance XD

Choose the second option, "I don't know..." and you'll be in front of FH's windmill once more. Talk to Irvine twice and then head down the ladder to commence the beginning of the concert. Walk across the bridge, then press Square and head right to check the magazine.

After the sequence, you'll be back in the Dormitory, so exit, and make your way to the elevator. Get off on the third floor and you'll find Quistis, Xu and Nida (the only other person to graduate with you from the Dollet examination.) Talk to Nida and you can reorganise your party, before taking control of Balamb Garden.

• Square: Forwards.
• Triangle: Backwards.
• X/Cross: Get in/out.
• Circle: Takes you to the Bridge.
• R2: Changes Point of View (POV)
• Select: World Map.

Second Disc Extras (Various)

OK, now that you have full control of Balamb Garden, you can traverse most of the world, so there's a lot of sidequests you can undertake right now. You don't HAVE to do these, but I'd recommend doing at least the Centra Ruins quest to get the Odin GF, and the Shumi Village is a worthwhile trip to make I believe.

Race Against Time (Centra Ruins)

The Centra Ruins are located to the south of the world; after locating them, make sure to have Diablos' Enc-None ability enabled to save a lot of hassle, since this sub-section is a race against time, and believe me, you'll need all the time you can get.

Upon entering, the twenty minute countdown begins; head north twice and use the hidden Drain draw point to the east, before taking the stairs to the right and entering the chamber. Check the big stone block and it'll turn out to be an elevator; climb the right-hand ladder to get to an Aero draw point and then go back down, taking the left-hand ladder this time. Examine the orb, making it glow blue and then go back down the ladder to examine the blue orb down here, revealing a set of stairs. Climb them until you reach a statue and then climb the ladder to the left. Examine the statue and pick the top option to take the ruby eye it has, before continuing up the stairs to the next statue. Put the ruby you just took into it and you'll get a five digit password, before taking both eyes out. Check to the right to find a hidden Pain draw point, and then head back to the first statue before placing both rubies into the statues eye-sockets. Enter the password you obtained a moment before to reveal a secret chamber containing Odin!

BOSS: Odin
DRAW: Stop, Death, Double, Triple

Considering the timer is running out, it's fortunate that Odin doesn't attack you during this fight, unless the timer runs out. In which case, he'll use Zantetsuken on you and you're all sliced up.

Make sure to mug him and then unload as much damage on him as you can. I recommend either using limit breaks or tripling spells on him to try and get this done as quickly as possible.

If you've got plenty of time, try to stock up on Triple and Death as much as you can.

WIN: G-Mega Potion (x8), Odin Card
MUG: Luck-J Scroll

Once he's defeated, you gain the GF Odin. Bear in mind you cannot summon him; he will randomly appear in fights and use Zantetsuken on the opponents, slicing them in half, winning you the fight instantly. Also, there is another GF you can get here in the Centra Ruins, but at this stage, you're probably not strong enough to fight the Tonberries required to get it. We'll be back here in the third disc.

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Carving out the Past (Shumi Village)

At the north end of the Trabian continent, you should find a structure on an island known as Winter Island. Land Balamb Garden outside and enter. Y'know, these guys look kinda familiar...

Talk to the fellows off to the left, and pay the money to get access to an Ultima draw point, and then enter the elevator to the north to be taken down to the town proper. Head off to the north-western corner and inside you'll find a statue of none other than Laguna! What the hell's that doing here? Talk to the sculptor and pick the first option, and then use the draw point at the back to get Firaga. Now, leave the building and head right a screen to the building that had previously been guarded by a Moomba. Grab Blizzaga from the draw point and then enter. After a talk, the Elder will ask you to assist the Sculptor in finishing the statue; head back to him and pick the second option. You'll have just undertaken his mini-quest; it seems the Sculptor has misplaced a bunch of stones he needs to finish the statue. He'll send you off to find them one at a time; after finding one, return to him and he'll send you off for the next one. The locations are as follows:

• Blue Stone - Inside the statue room, it's on the back wall.
• Wind Stone - Should be in the rocks outside the hotel near the elevator.
• Life Stone - On the screen with the Elder's House in, check the tree and you should climb up to find the stone.
• Shadow Stone - On the screen with the Ultima draw point, check behind the shadow-casting pillar to find it.
• Water Stone - Check the pond first and return with the stone you find there, to be told it's just a stone. Next, check by the sink in the house to the right of Sculptor's to find the real one.

NOTE: While there is a Timber Maniacs issue by the bed in Artisan's house, do NOT take it just yet; you'll want to come back her after a later event to get it.

Once you've completed the mini-quest, the Sculptor will tell you to talk to the Elder once again. After a short sequence there, you'll get a Phoenix Pinion. Upon leaving, you're given two options on whether to discuss the whole thing with the rest of the party or not. Choose whichever you want. Once you're done, head to the house in which you found the Water Stone. You can also talk to the Artisan to see all the car models.

Leave the village completely, and then come back in. Talk to the Sculptor and he'll tell you that he's having problems, and then talk to Attendant, off in a corner. Now go to the Elder's House and talk to him; he'll ask you to talk to the Moomba outside - do so and it will get up and head to the Sculptor's building. Follow it and you'll see a short scene.

Head back to the Elder's House once more and talk to him; you'll give a report on the statues progress. Once you're done, go back to the Sculptor's building and talk to the Attendant, who'll suggest that help from the Artisan would make this go a lot easier. Go to his house and talk to him, but he'll refuse to help!

Leave the village and head to Fisherman's Horizon; go to Grease Monkey's house and the Moomba statue in there will greet you. Apparently, it only does that for people who've been to the Shumi Village! Talk to Grease Monkey and he'll give you the Moomba doll, suggesting you take it to Artisan.

Back in Shumi Village, do as Grease Monkey said and the Moomba doll will talk to Artisan; leave his house and you'll see the Master Fisherman from FH. Artisan will follow you out and agree to help. Go to the Elder's House and talk to him to get rewarded with a Status Guard!

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Another's Memories (Winhill)

On the back of that bizarre discovery about Laguna, let's head to Winhill, where Laguna spent time recovering after escaping from the Lunatic Pandora. It's located in the southern section of the Galbadian continent.

Head north to the main square and enter the big mansion. Talk to the owner there and he'll ask you to find four Vase Pieces. Check the suit of armour to the left for a funny scene, and it'll topple over, a Chicobo running from inside of it, leaving a Vase Piece behind. Leave the mansion and enter Raine's pub (to the left) and head up the stairs... Squall will have a hallucination of sorts, seeing Raine standing there! However, it's just the new tenant; talk to her and she'll mention something about a flowers fragrance. Go back downstairs and check the flower to the south-east to see Raine once more, and then check the central flower to find another Vase Piece. Leave the pub and head south to the florists; talk to her and then examine the flower-bed to the bottom-right inside the shop to find the next Vase Piece. Head south and you'll wind up on a small path with a Chicobo running across it. Press X to kick it and an item will fall from it; pick it up to find the final Vase Piece and a Gysahl Green. Repeat the process to get a Phoenix Pinion, though it claims that it's a Phoenix Down.

Head back to the mansion and talk to the owner to receive a Holy Stone.

Now we're about to begin a whole bunch of card quests, so these really don't have to be done whatsoever, but if you want to finish the game completely, then these will need to be done sooner or later.

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Hail to the King Baby! (Balamb Garden)

The first of our card challenges is the Balamb Garden Card Club, a group of players who have their own ladder, their ranks coming from card names (Real cards that is, not Triple Triad cards.) Before undertaking this challange, you may want to complete the first five pages of cards (excepting the PuPu card you can't get 'til disc three,) and make sure that you don't have the Random rule in Balamb Garden. In case you have, play several games inside Balamb Garden to remove it.

There are also two more cards within Balamb Garden you can get; the young boy in blue who runs around the Lobby has the Mini-Mog card, and Trepe Groupie #3 in the classroom on the second floor has the Quistis card; make sure to get those as well before beginning this quest.

The CC members are dotted around Balamb Garden; you'll need to find them and then challenge them in order. The rankings are as follows:

• Jack - Walks in front of the elevator; usually from the Library.
• Knight Club - The curving corridor with exits to the Dormitory, Parking Lot and Cafeteria.
• Princess Diamond - Two female cadets in front of the Directory in the Lobby.
• Prince Spade - Second floor, corridor leading from the elevator; he's the guy who gave you the cards near the beginning of the game.
• Queen Heart - At the bridge; it's Xu. You can get the Carbuncle card from her.
• Former King - In the infirmary; this time it's Dr. Kadowaki.
• Master King - In the Dormitory; choose to sleep and the Kingwill wake you in the middle of the night. It turns out to be Quistis! Defeat her for the Gilgamesh card.
• Joker - Inside the Training Center; he's the guy who sells stuff in there. He'll give you a Battle Meter upgrade, and you can also win the Leviathan card from him.

NOTE: To be able to start this quest, you must have won several games in Balamb Garden; I'm not sure of the exact number, but I think it's around twenty to thirty.

Once you're done with this quest, you may want to pop into the Library with Zell in your party, to find a SeeD who wants to talk to the girl with a pigtail, but her colleage says that she's on leave.

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Military Games (Deling City/Fisherman's Horizon)

Head to the Caraway Mansion and talk to the General himself; select the "Ask about Cards" option and he'll mention he has Rinoa's card. However, he won't play it unless you lose your Ifrit card to him! Your best bet here is to play the Ifrit card first and then play four of your weakest cards to ensure he wins. Play him again and defeat him to get the Rinoa card and then talk to him once more. Miraculously, without leaving the room, he's already lost your Ifrit card to Martine, the ex-headmaster of Galbadia Garden, now retired on the island of Fisherman's Horizon. Hightail it over there and defeat him to get it back.

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Renovations (Dollet)

Head for the Pub and go to the second floor to find another Timber Maniacs issue. Talk to the well-dressed man and pick the second option every time. When you've finished talking, challenge him to a card game, and if you win, he'll lead you to his secret gaming room. Challenge him again and he'll now use his Siren card so make sure to win that. Talk to him and he'll give you 5 Geezard Cards, 4 Red Bat Cards, 3 Buel Cards, 2 Anacondaur Cards and a Cactaur Card. Search the piles of magazines to get items; after finding three items, you have to leave and re-enter the room to get more items. Eventually, you'll find the Occult Fan II magazine. Next, go to the Hotel and book a room; another Timber Maniacs issue will be on the desk.

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Choo-Choo Train! (Timber)

Back in Timber, head to the eastern Train Station (the one you escaped Timber from) via the road with the Hotel on. You'll see a little girl trapped in the train tracks with an oncoming locomotive! Squall rushes out to help her and the screen fades to white... He'll come to, inside the Timber Hotel; there's a Timber Maniacs issue here, and you may also want to examine the model train near the bed.

Yeah, this was really worth giving it's own subsection, honest!

That's it for the card quests on this disc, but there's still the obligatory Chocobo mini-game to do as well!

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Chocobo Forests (Various)

Dotted around the world are seven different Chocobo Forests; they're fairly easy to identify since they're dome-shaped forests (like in FFIX, but a bit more subtle.) The locations are as follows:

Chocobo Forest Locations
Name	Difficulty	Location
Beginner's Forest	Beginner	Next to Shumi Village
Basics Forest	Beginner	South of Beginner's Forest
Roaming Forest	Intermediate	North of Trabia Garden
Forest of Solitude	Intermediate	North-east of the Centra Ruins
Forest of Fun	Expert	South-west Centra, near the lighthouse
Enclosed Forest	Expert	South-east Centra, beach leading to a mountain path; follow it and head west to the forest
Chocobo Sanctuary	N/A	Ride a Chocobo south from Roaming Forest into shallow water and head onto a beach near a heavily forested area. Follow the path round to find the Sanctuary

Inside the first six forests is Chocoboy, a kid who absolutely loves Chocobos. He'll give you a ChocoWhis, which is basically like a sonar device for finding Chicobos, and that is the aim of this quest. In each forest, Chicobos are hiding away and you need to use the ChocoWhis to find them; when you get them all, the Mother Chocobo will come out, whom you can ride out of the Forest and around the world, or help you find the stones hidden underneath the earth.

The ChocoWhis consists of two key components: the ChocoSonar and the ChocoZiner. The ChocoSonar allows you to detect the location of the Chicobos and the ChocoZiner is the Chocobo-call which lures them out. To use the ChocoSonar, select it with the X button and hold down Triangle; the red bar in the bottom-right corner gives the readings of the ChocoSonar, telling you how close you are to where a Chicobo is hidden. To use the ChocoZiner, hit Square to bring up the ChocoWhis menu and select the ChocoZiner with X, and then press Triangle to blow the whistle. If you're not in the right spot, a Chicobo will land on your head and steal your ChocoWhis, meaning you'll need to buy another from Chocoboy for 700 gil.

• Beginner's Forest - Try to find a spot where only one falls down

Pinpoint the location in the north-west corner of the screen with the ChocoSonar before using the ChocoZiner. When the Mother Chocobo appears, search the north-east corner to find an Aura Stone.

• Basics Forest - You only need to blow the whistle twice

Pinpoint the first spot near the center of the map, which will cause two Chicobos to fall down, and then to the far left, parallel to the first spot, near the left-most Chicobo. A third Chicobo will come down; use the same spot again and two of the Chicobo's will go back up, leaving just one behind. With the Mother Chocobo, search near the second ChocoZiner spot to find a Flare Stone.

• Roaming Forest - Be careful where the sonar reacts

Use the ChocoZiner near the right-hand Chicobo to make two return up top, and then in the middle to call down another three. Use it again near the exit to call another Chicobo, and then use it once more on the left-most Chicobo to make all three there jump back up, calling out the Mother Chocobo. Search the northern part to find a Shell Stone and a Holy Stone.

• Forest of Solitude - Search carefully where the sonar reacts

This one took me a freaking age to do; so much hate for it XD

Basically, there's only one Chicobo, but you have to be precise in where you use the ChocoZiner; it should be approximately due north of Chocoboy, with the ChocoSonar bar at nearly max. After finding it, challenge Chocoboy to a Triple Triad game and then tell him to move; get the Mother Chocobo to dig where he was standing to find a Protect Stone and a Meteor Stone.

• Forest of Fun - Chocobowling with 4 bottles and 1 ball

Pinpoint the spot to the right of Chocoboy to call down three Chicobos, and then walk a little to the left towards Chocoboy to find the next ChocoZiner spot, bringing down another Chicobo. The next spot is behind the right-most Chicobo to call down a fifth Chicobo. Use the ChocoZiner on the left-most Chicobo to "bowl" the fifth Chicobo into the others, knocking them back up. Search the upper-right hand corner to find a Meteor Stone, Flare Stone and Ultima Stone.

• Enclosed Forest - Collect on outer side, then go in

Pinpoint the spot north of ChocoBoy to call down two Chicobos, and then use the spot eastwards from there to send the first two back up, and calling down a third. Use the first spot again to now have three Chicobos down, before using the spot in the north-east corner to call down a fifth Chicobo. Use the ChocoZiner in the middle of the four Chicobos to send them all back up, while calling down a fifth one, bringing out the Mother Chocobo. Search in the upper-right-hand corner to find a Meteor Stone, Holy Stone and Ultima Stone.

After completing all six forests, you can now head to the Chocobo Sanctuary. After the ceremony is completed, talk to the Chicobo to get a Chicobo card, and then talk to Chocoboy to get a Chocobo so you can leave.

Hallelujah! Finally done with the sidequests for disc two! Back to the main story!

Under Occupation (Balamb Town)

Before all of that kerfuffle, you may remember Xu mentioning that Galbadia are bound to be up to something since Balamb Garden escaped the missile attack, and in your travels across the world, you may jsut have noticed a big red flying thing near Balamb Town... y'know, it looks kinda similar to Balamb Garden, doesn't it?

Land on the beach nearby and enter the town to find that Galbadia has invaded! Talk to the owner of the Rent-A-Car shop and the lady by the entrance, before talking to the G-Soldier. Talk to them again in the same order to gain entrance into the town; if Zell wasn't in your party, he will join now, being a compulsory member in this section.

Before going into Zell's house, talk to everybody in town. Take a nap in Zell's room (if you've got Irvine in your party, he'll comment on all the rifles Zell has) and then go into the dining room, on the right of the ground floor, where you'll meet Zell's mum, a boy called Big Bad Rascal and his mum. I'm pretty sure that's not his real name, but it's what they call him in the game XD

Make sure to challenge Zell's mum to win the Zell card, and then talk to her; BBR (as I'll now call him since his name is a nuisance to type repeatedly) will run out of the house because there's a girl he wants to help. Go to the house north of Zell's, and you'll find BBR and the girl there; talk to her and BBR will leave again. Next go to the town entrance and you'll see BBR there; talk to the guard but keep the dialogue box open until you see BBR finish talking to the Hotel owner. Go back to the street outside Zell's house and BBR will give you two options; choose "Nah," to escaping for the moment. We've got more to do here first.

Head to the hotel and talk to the two soldiers there; apparently their captain has disappeared off somewhere. Go to the train station and talk to the guards there before going to the docks, where you'll find someone caught a big fish. Next, go back to Zell's house and his mum will tell you someone used their oven to cook a big fish... pretty fast work there I must say! Go back to the hotel, and choose the first option, "Where the heck is he?"

Head to the docks and there'll still be no sign of the captain anywhere. Fortunately, you've got a dog on hand to try and track the scent of the Captain, or maybe it's the fish? Talk to the dog and it will lead you into the train station and aboard a train. After an almighty crash, the captain will come out of the train cabin where he was sleeping after his meal, chased by the dog! Wait a minute... didn't he look kinda familiar?

Junction Blind and Silence onto St-Atk-J as well as Poison/Bio onto Elem-Atk-J before heading to the hotel in pursuit of the "Captain."

The captain is Raijin! What the hell is he doing here, working with the Galbadians! Not only that, but Raijin never goes anywhere without...

After you defeat them both, they'll tell you that they're only doing this because Seifer wants them to before they run away. After a short sequence on the Balamb Garden bridge where Selphie returns (Dammit!), you'll be back on the world map. Re-enter Balamb Town and head to the Hotel; challenge the owner to a card game to get the Pandemona card, and then go to the train station. There should be a girl sitting on the steps; talk to her.

Errant Stupidity (Trabia Garden)

Gah! I want to bash my brains out with a kettle when I do this section! It's so freaking stupid! You'll see why in just a moment...

Selphie wants to return to the Garden she trained at and had lots of friends in, to see what's happened to it since the missile attack she failed to stop. First though, go into the Library with Zell in your party and the ponytail girl's friends will ask Zell some questions...

Once you get to Trabia Garden, Selphie will run off ahead of you; follow her, climbing up the green webbing before continuing upwards. Talk to her there and pick either option; the draw point by the Gargoyle is Thundaga. Instead of heading west to the basketball court like Selphie suggests, head right to a graveyard; there's a hidden Zombie draw point and a Timber Maniacs issue there. Head back left, ignoring the people if you want to 'til you reach an embedded missile; examine it to find a hidden Aura draw point. Continue left to the basketball court. Talk to everyone and then try to leave; a basketball will roll across the floor as Selphie comes along. Cue utterly ridiculous sequence...

You'll find yourself in control of a spectral Squall; head left to find young Squall and talk to him, causing him to disappear. Head upwards to enter the house and turn right, before going up again. Follow the path down to the beach and talk to young Squall once more. After a few more sequences, talk to all the kids and they'll disappear one-by-one, and then leave by the right; you'll be on the beach again. Talk to Irvine and then Quistis, and finally Selphie. Suddenly, you'll be back in the house again and a familiar woman walks past...

Back in the basketball court, the group will discuss their memories before leaving one-by-one, leaving only Squall and Rinoa. Talk to her and the screen will fade to black, bringing up the party select screen...

Invasion! (Balamb/Galbadia Garden)

After their defeat in Balamb Town, Galbadia Garden has high-tailed it outta there, and are now located floating above the Centran continent, near the Forest of Fun, the fifth Chocobo Forest. Note the small house just to the west...

First though, head into the Balamb Garden Library and go to where the Esuna draw point was, and you'll have a short sequence...

Fly Balamb Garden into close range of Galbadia Garden and you'll be taken to the Balamb Garden bridge. After a short sequence, you're given several options; it doesn't really matter which one you pick as far as I'm aware, though they may possibly have some bearing on your SeeD rank, i.e. "What to do with the hotdogs," doesn't strike me as responsible leadership, and thus might have a negative effect on your ranking.

After issuing your orders, take the elevator down and you'll meet up with Irvine, Quistis and Selphie; Rinoa and Zell are unaccounted for so far. After forming your new party, talk to Quistis and then head for the Quad for an FMV sequence.

Regaining control on the second floor, go back to the Quad once more and head to where the stage used to be; you'll find Zell there so talk to him. Squall will give him his ring after Zell asks for it. Next, the rest of the party, including Rinoa, come on screen; talk to her and you'll be back on the Bridge, just in time for another FMV.

In control of Zell, junction his party up, and then head left of where the stage in the Quad was to kick in yet another sequence. Head for the lobby, making sure to save just outside the Infirmary, and after meeting up with Squall's party, head to the Central Gate.

You'll be asked to reform Squall's party once more, with the choice of either two from Irvine, Quistis and Selphie. Head to the classroom for yet another FMV sequence, before a fight against four Paratroopers. Silence them and draw Water* from 'em before finishing them off. Head to the classroom and talk to the lady there; she'll leave with the two children to find safety.

Go back up to the Bridge and you'll meet Dr. Kadowaki there; after a short sequence, possibly my favourite in the game, head to the second floor and talk to the girl by the elevator. She will tell you one of the junior cadets is missing somewhere on this floor; head to the door north of the classroom and you'll find the kid there. After he runs for safety, a Paratrooper attacks Squall in some weird flying device.

You'll be given three options; pick the third, "Look around for another option," and then hit the second option, "Press the button for the emergency exit," to begin a mini-game.

When you've defeated him, you'll get a FMV of Squall saving Rinoa. After landing, head left for one of the most awesome FMVs in the game. You get the chance to name your ring here; the default name is Griever, but trust me when I say that "YOUR ASS" is a great name for it. You'll see why near the end of the game XD

On this screen, check near the tree in the background to find a hidden Aura draw point, before heading into Galbadia Garden proper. You should know the basic layout from your first visit, though there's a lot more to it than you'll have noticed back then. Use the save point and then take the path leading to the right. Go through the open door on the right and up the staircase, where you'll find Fujin and Raijin. Talk to them and then head left, before entering the door on the right. Talk to the Garden cadet there, and he'll give you the Key Card for the first level.

Head back to the save point and take the left path this time, and then entering the door on the left to an Ice Hockey rink. Get Protect from the draw point in the goal, and Life from the one in the locker room to the left, before leaving via the right. Take the right path and you'll end up in a lecture hall; talk to the guy in here to get the Key Card for the second level.

Go back to the save point again and make your way to Fujin and Raijin once more. Continue up the stairs and open the door with the Key Card, leading you to the Athletics Field. Jump down to the Basketball court and check the gate to find a Shell draw point. Head left and go all the way south until you reach the main hallway. In the center you can see a big monster, but circle around it to use the save point. Junction Blind onto your St-Atk-J, Thunder*, Aero* and Float to your Elem-Def-J, and then examine the beast to begin the fight.

Head west from the hall and take the left-hand door to find a girl; talk to her and she'll give you the level three Key Card. Go back to the main hall and take the north-west exit to the staircase leading to the second floor. Ascend and then use the elevator to get to the third floor, where you'll find Seifer and Edea. Save, and then junction Bio to your Elem-Atk-J, as well as Fire*/Thunder* to your Elem-Def-J. Silence and Blind on your St-Atk-J might be an idea as well, and then approach the waiting Seifer...

With Seifer beaten yet again, Edea will disappear. Save again and go back down the elevator, before heading to the hall via the right. You'll be on a balcony that runs around the room; use Siren's Move-Find ability to find another save point, and junction Death, Silence and Slow onto your St-Def-J, and add Blizzard* to your Elem-Def-J if you can, or replace Thunder* to get it on. However, keep the Bio on your Elem-Def-J. Go through the door on the opposite side of where you came in and you'll be in the auditorium. Rinoa will run in if she isn't already in your party, just before Edea comes soaring in from above. Seifer soon trails in, and we're about ready to kick off the final fight! Except, y'know... this is only the second disc of four!

As Edea starts giving off an immense amount of smoke, Squall's vision is badly affected. Rinoa moves over to Seifer, saying something to him before collapsing as Seifer walks away. Meanwhile, Edea comes to with no memory of what's been going on, and doesn't seem at all like the villain you've been battling for the last two discs. What the hell is going on here?

Disc One - Betrayal :|: Disc Three - The Hidden World