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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 of the largest island 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.
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 Final Fantasy VI, 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 round. 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, making it easy 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 fight multiple bosses in a line. The final group of enemies are the bosses from the Dragons’ Den, including the all-powerful Kaiser Dragon. The only enemy you won't fight from the Dragons' Den is Omega Weapon.
- 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.
The encounters of the Soul Shrine are randomized each time you enter, though only to a degree. You'll generally encounter the same enemies in each battle of the Soul Shrine, though occasionally a particular battle will give you a different opponent. These alternative encounters may include a Soul Shrine-specific enemy known as a Glutturn. These unique creatures 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. You can grab the following items from Glutturns:
- Green - 30,000 HP - Asks for an Ether - Steal Force Shield
- Yellow - 50,000 HP - Asks for an X-Ether - Steal Master's Scroll
- Blue - 40,000 HP - Asks for a Hi-Ether - Steal Celestriad
- Red - 50,000 HP - Asks for an Elixir - Steal Soul of Thamasa
The Green and Blue Glutturns use attacks that you can largely bypass with Vanish. The Yellow Glutturn uses a bunch of status ailments, and Ribbons are advisable. The Red Glutturn uses Ultima every turn, which is best bypassed with Celes's Runic ability. Once you get used to fighting them you can use these creatures to farm some truly powerful relics.
If you manage to defeat every enemy in the Soul Shrine at least once you'll receive the Master's Crown. This is a strictly ornamental item, with no practical use. Well done! You can continue to challenge the Soul Shrine and farm items, if you like, though the only enemy left to battle at this point is Omega Weapon, in the Dragons' Den.
Round 1 Enemies
- 2 Imperial Soldiers, Magitek Armor
- Zaghrem, Trillium, 2 Spritzers
- Nautiloid, Exocite, Lesser Lopros
- Alternate: Zurvan
- Satellite, 2 Imperial Soldiers
- Oversoul, 2 Living Deads
- Four waves of Opinicus Fish, Rhizopas
- Angel Whisper, Living Dead, 2 Clouds
- Alternate: Vilia, 2 Dark Forces
- Hell's Rider
- Heavy Armor, 2 Corporals
- Paraladia, Vulture, Iron Fist
- Veil Dancer, 3 Gobbledygooks
- Hill Gigas, Harvester
- Alternate: Great Dragon
- General, 2 Onion Knights
- Chaser, 3 Trappers
- Death Warden
- Alternate: Glutturn (blue)
- Murussu, Baalzephon
- 6 Bombs
- Io
- Fossil Dragon, 3 Bugs
- Zombie Dragon, 2 Outcasts
- Alternate: Maximera
Round 2 Enemies
- 6 Balloons
- Adamankary, 2 Bonnacons
- Mega Armor, Proto Armor
- Alternative: 2 Dragon Aevises
- 2 Gigantoses
- 2 Brainpans, Misfit, Apocrypha
- Behemoth, 2 Misfits
- 2 Ninjas, Platinum Dragon
- Grenade
- Land Ray, 2 Peepers
- Alternative: Abyss Worm
- Black Dragon
- Daedalus, Ahriman
- Intangir
- 2 Vector Chimeras
- Alternative: Abaddon
- 2 Lenergias, Destroyer
- Cactuar
- Alternative: Glutturn (green)
- Landworm
- Neck Hunter, Cruller, 2 Humpties
- Dante
- 3 Droppers
- Borghese, 2 Cloudwraiths
- 3 Tonberries
- Alternative: Dark Behemoth
Round 3 Enemies
- Skeletal Horror
- Malboro, Exoray
- Alternative: 2 Shield Dragons
- 4 Knotties
- 2 Punishers, Devil Fist
- Glasya Labolas, Mugbear, Devil Fist
- Alternative: Death Rider
- Gorgimera
- Primeval Dragon, Great Malboro
- Test Rider
- Magna Roader (purple), Magna Roader (red)
- 2 Magna Roaders (yellow), Magna Roader (brown)
- Alternative: Glutturn (red)
- 2 Blade Dancers, 2 Crushers
- 3 Rafflesias
- Mahadeva
- Sorath, Warlock, Creature
- Alternative: Hexadragon
- Armored Weapon
- Enuo, Devil, Figaro Lizard
- Pluto Armor, Schmidt
- Weredragon, 3 Parasites
- Alluring Rider, 3 Pandoras
- Alternative: Gargantua
- Coco, Samurai, Suriander
Round 4 Enemies
- 2 Tyrannosaurs
- Greater Mantis, Sprinter, 2 Lycaons
- 2 Basilisks, Leap Frog
- Alternative: Glutturn (green)
- Great Behemoth, Great Malboro, Vector Lythos
- Alternative: Vilia, 2 Zurvans
- Purusa, Gloomwind
- Face, Zeveak, 2 Necromancers
- 2 Clymenuses, Necromancer
- Chaos Dragon, Ouroboros, 2 Seaflowers
- Amduscias, 2 Coverts
- 2 Baalzephons, 2 Shambling Corpses
- Alternative: 3 Magic Dragons
- Wartpuck, Kamui
- Level 10 Magic, Level 20 Magic
- Alternative: 2 Dragon Aevises
- 3 Level 30 Magics
- Level 60 Magic, Level 30 Magic, 2 Level 10 Magics
- Level 70 Magic, Level 50 Magic, Level 40 Magic
- Alternative: Armodullahan
- Level 90 Magic, Level 80 Magic
- 2 Magic Urns
- Alternative: Glutturn (yellow)
Round 5 Enemies
- Angler Whelk
- Dadaluma
- 2 Cranes
- Alternative: Earth Eater
- Number 024
- Number 128
- Flame Eater / Balloons / Grenade
- Alternative: Glutturn (red)
- Air Force
- Alternative: Crystal Dragon
- Master Tonberry
- Brachiosaur
Round 6 Enemies
- Gamma
- 3 InnoSents
- Alternative: Plague
- 3 Junks
- Demon Knight, Yojimbo
- Muud Suud
- Alternative: Glutturn (blue)
- Prometheus, Fortis
- Duel Armor, Death Machine, Fortis
- 2 Outsiders, Dark Force, Cherry
- 3 Movers
- Fiend Dragon
- Alternative: 5 Flan Princesses
Round 7 Enemies
This round consists entirely of the Eight Dragon battles from the World of Ruin. (Unless you run into a Glutturn, anyway.) These are the original iterations of the dragons, not the reprise fights in the Dragons' Den.
- Ice Dragon
- Storm Dragon
- Earth Dragon
- Gold Dragon
- Alternative: Glutturn (Yellow)
- Skull Dragon
- Holy Dragon
- Blue Dragon
- Red Dragon
Round 8 Enemies
All of the enemies in this round are bosses. Most notable is the Samurai Soul, which drops a Master's Scroll every time it's defeated. Farming this powerful relic off of the Samurai Soul is much easier than trying to Steal from yellow Glutturns.
- 4 Tentacles
- Dullahan
- Humbaba
- Behemoth King
- Alternative: Malboro Menace
- Curlax, Laragorn, Moebius
- Samurai Soul
- Alternative: Hexadragon
- Magic Master
- Hidon, 4 Erebuses
- Alternative: Dinozombie
- Deathgaze
Round 9 Enemies
All of these enemies are bosses from Kefka's Tower, with the exception of the Neslug (if you run into it).
- Inferno
- Alternative: Neslug
- Guardian
- Demon
- Goddess
- Fiend
Round 10 Enemies
- Ice Dragon
- Storm Dragon
- Earth Dragon
- Gold Dragon
- Alternative: Glutturn (Yellow)
- Skull Dragon
- Holy Dragon
- Blue Dragon
- Red Dragon
- Kaiser Dragon