Final Fantasy X owned by Square Enix.
Images used for educational purposes only.
After a rather depressing visit to tropical Kilika, Yuna and her cadre of guardians have made port in Luca. The Blitzball capital of Spira, Luca promises to bring a great deal more excitement to everyone's lives - and possibly a great deal of grief at the same time.
- Long cut scene ahead. Have fun.
- Once it's done you'll be on the Luca docks. Save sphere here, and not much else. Head north.
- Another lengthy cut scene. Some important new characters arrive. Once that's done you'll learn the ridiculous amounts of stuff there is to know about Blitzball. I suggest going through it all - Blitzball is pretty fun once you get the hang of it.
Luca
- After all that's done and over, you'll regain control of Tidus in the Auroch's locker room. Save and exit. (Shady Al Bhed...)
- Out on the streets. First, check the opposite set of stairs from where you came up. Down here, amongst all the hubub, you'll find two Hi-Potions in a chest and the Al Bhed Primer Vol. VI. Return to the street. There's not much to see on this first screen, so walk down the stairs and head east.
- You're now on Dock Number 5. Leave the main street and run to the end of the dock. On the right side is a hiden path through the crates. Behind the crates are two chests containing a Magic Sphere and an HP Sphere. Grab 'em both, return to the main road, and continue north.
- Dock Number 4 is next. Nothing to see here. Continue north.
- Dock Number 3! Makes sense. Still nothing much of note. Carry on west.
- Dock Number 2. There's a chest sitting on the left side of the dock containing two Phoenix Downs. Once all is said and done in Luca, you can also use the ferry docked here to return to Kilika (and get the Jecht Shot on the way, if you missed it during your trip to Luca). South!
- Dock Number 1. O'aka's wandering around here. Not only does he accept donations, he's also got a nice stock of weapons and armour. Have a look and buy what you can afford. Run down the length of the dock and you'll find two chests: one contains 600 gil, the other a Tidal Spear. Head south.
- Welcome back to the entrance of the stadium. Continue south to trigger a bunch of cut scenes. Once you regain control, head north.
- After two more areas you'll wind up in the Sphere Theater. Here you can purchase Movie and Music Spheres to rewatch cut scenes you've already seen and listen to the game's music. Both are quite expensive, and not worth the bother right now. For the moment, all you want in the Sphere Theater is the Al Bhed Primer Vol. VII that's sitting on the rug near the entrance.
- Head back south two screens and go east. Cut scene. Once it's done, have a look around the square. One of the merchants on the east side of the area will sell you weapons; otherwise, there's not much else to see. Climb the stairs in the east to find a chest containing 1,000 gil, then head back to the square and enter the cafe in the north. Another long cut scene.
- Drama! Now you need to rescue Yuna. Follow the waypoints on the map to Dock 4. Along the way you'll run into Worker machina ; Lulu's Thunder spell is the key to a quick victory. Tidus and Kimahri won't be doing much damage regardless of your approach, so they might as well Defend to speed up the turn order.
- Save once you reach a Save Sphere, theeeeen...
BOSS: Oblitzerator
Try to face this thing straight up and you'll have a tough time. The Oblitzerator enjoys countering your attacks with status ailments (namely silence and darkness) which will bother the heck out of your team. Consequently, your best bet is to try and activate the Crane beside Tidus instead. Have Lulu use Thunder on the Crane until it pops to life, then use Tidus' special command to turn it on. It will eat up a massive chunk of the Oblitzerator's HP. Use Thunder one or two more times and you'll destroy it for good. Piece 'o cake.
- Aurochs win! Woo. Rush back to the locker room. Talk to Wakka after regaining control to begin the Blitzball game.
Blitzball
This may be the trickiest thing you've had to do in Final Fantasy X thus far. Blitzball isn't that difficult, per se, but this fight starts you off at a fairly distinct disadvantage. Not only are the Aurochs weaker than the Goers, they start off with zero special techniques. Not even Tidus can use the Jecht Shot from the beginning, as players need to be at least level three to use techniques. Ouch.
There are roughly three phases to this rumble.
First Half
Your team will never be at its weakest than at this stage, and you need to spend the entire first half staying away from them. Statistically you can't win; physically, though, you can dodge away from the Goers before they engage in any faceoffs. Stay in your own end of the arena and pass the ball between your players whenever the Goers get close. Make sure Tidus gets plenty of time with the ball, as he needs to earn enough experience to hit level three for the second half of the game. Make sure you go to manual control by hitting the triangle button or your team will constantly rush the Goers, which is just no good at all.
If you do plan on going for a goal or two, pass constantly between your players to avoid having to break through more than one Goer at a time. Hit two and you're probably done for.
Second Half, First Round
Equip Tidus with the Jecht Shot at halftime and you'll be ready to go. This magnificent weapon will allow Tidus to plow through virtually any opposition, though at a great bite to his HP. Use it early once you're nice and close to the Goers' net, not worrying at all about the blockers - the Jecht Shot will knock them out of the way automatically. Once you've managed that, continue to pass the ball around, keeping it away from the Goers. If you plan on going for more goals, make sure Tidus ends up with the ball - everyone else is kinda lame in this respect.
Second Half, Second Round
With two minutes left on the clock, Wakka will come over and take over for Tidus. He doesn't have the Jecht Shot, but Wakka's Venom Shot is almost as good, and Wakka is better at breaking through lines and scoring with normal shots anyway. If you're tied or behind by a goal, this is the point where you have to break out an offensive.
- If you manage to win, you'll earn a Strength Sphere. If you lose, well, hey. At least you lost in the finals. Don't rest, though - trouble's brewing.
- Sahagin Chiefs will invade the pool! No worries, Wakka and Tidus can wipe them out easily. Afterward, Wakka and Tidus will join Auron in fighting a Garuda; Wakka's Dark Attack will reduce the threat it poses significantly, as does Auron's Power Break.
- Stuff happens. Huh.
- After regaining control, follow the waypoints to the edge of town. Not only is the team back together, Auron will join the party. Woo! On the road agaaaain...
- One last thing, before we move on: You can now play Blitzball via Save Spheres. Build up those wimpy Aurochs into a fierce force you can be proud of. What's more, you can recruit NPCs for your team by talking to them with the square button. Not everyone's going to join, of course, but you might as well try it out with everyone you meet.