Final Fantasy VI copyright Square Enix.
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Part Thirty-Nine: Dragons' Den (GBA and iOS only)

The final dungeon in Final Fantasy VI’s expanded content, the Soul Shrine is the ultimate challenge for players who have maximized all aspects of their characters. Located on one of the larger islands near Mobliz in the World of Ruin, the Soul Shrine unlocks when you’ve both beaten the game and completed the Dragons’ Den, another optional dungeon… and one which provides many of the enemies that cap off your visit to the Soul Shrine.

Unlike other dungeons, the Soul Shrine is closer in nature to a coliseum. Your party is pitted against a series of battles against enemies from throughout the game, typically strung together in groups of twenty or more confrontations. Get through enough battles and you’re given a chance to heal up and swap your equipment in preparation for the next batch of baddies. Enemies drop or otherwise possess the items they did in previous parts of the game, giving you plenty of chances to farm valuable accessories that will greatly empower your team. Many of the enemies in the Soul Shrine are also missable foes from other sections of Final Fantasy VI, giving you the opportunity to complete your bestiary.


A few notes about the Soul Shrine:
  • There are no pauses between battles unless you defeat a batch of enemies. You can only heal in battle.
  • The early enemies are pathetic. They get worse. There are over 100 battles in a single run of the Soul Shrine.
  • The battles also include many bosses. When you reach the final tiers, you will probably fight multiple bosses in a line. The final line of enemies are the bosses from the Dragons’ Den, including the all-powerful Kaiser Dragon.
  • You can leave the Soul Shrine at any time between lots of enemies. That said, doing so will reset the lots and force you to start over. Bring in all the restorative items you think you’ll need, as well as your best team members, before talking to the Soul Shrine’s guardian ghost.
  • Though the vast, vast majority of enemies are return encounters, you’ll occasionally run into Glutturns. These unique creatures will ask for curative items, and if they don’t get what they want they’ll use horrible attacks on you before fleeing. Glutturns possess some awesome relics, and are worth keeping around simply for the option to steal.

The encounters of the Soul Shrine are random each time you enter, though only to a degree. Because detailing the battles on here would be ridiculous, I refer you to the Final Fantasy Wiki’s article on the subject, which includes a comprehensive listing of what you can expect to face. I… just don’t have the energy for it.

Beating the Soul Shrine once will earn you the Master’s Crown. It’s useless. Enjoy!