Troia
- As a general rule, try to stick to Full Moons in this chapter, and avoid Waxing Moons. You’ll rely almost exclusively on black magic for your damage, and Waxing Moons will limit your attack power.
- This Tale starts off with Palom on a ship. After a lengthy series of cut scenes you’ll gain control of him; wander around the ship if you wish, but you only need to speak to the captain. Soon you’ll wind up on the world map, and you’re directed to head north and find a chocobo. Wander through the forests and you’ll find a chocobo forest near a bridge. Grab a yellow chocobo to complete the trip. The enemies hereabouts are pretty weak, so Palom’s first-level spells will do just fine.
- Troia consists of a town and the Castle. Go to the town first. You can buy new gear for Palom while you’re here, assuming you earned any cash on the trip, though healing items are less of a priority than you might think. (You’ll get a healer soon.) The only items to be found are a Decoy, an Ether, and some gil, all located in a northwestern flower field accessible by entering the pond in the southeast and following the stream that runs through town.
- In one of Troia’s buildings you’ll find what appears to be a club. If you purchase a Member’s Writ from the woman by the door (10,000 gil) you can enter the King’s Bounty Club, accessible via the man in the rear of the place. After the show you can go through a door to the right of the thrones and find another vendor, who will sell you a Member’s Card for 50,000 gil. (You’ll also find a Lustful Lali-Ho back here. Don’t show it to Leonora when she asks.) Buy the Card and show it to the old man back in the dance room
- Enter Troia Castle. Have a look around the two wings. In the east wing, down three sets of stairs (the middle is useless, so don’t bother) you can find a cumulative Hi-Potion, two Potions, Antidote, Echo Herbs, Gold Needle, Maiden’s Kiss, Phoenix Down, and 300 gil. The west wing only has a save point. Enter the main hall, and, after some introduction, you’ll gain a new character in Leonora, who currently knows only white magic. She’ll get black magic soon enough.
Tower of Trials
- Leave Troia after stocking up (slightly better equipment for Leonora might be a good idea) and head north. To the northwest is a small hunk of forest that’s set slightly apart from the rest. Here you’ll find a chocobo forest; grab a chocobo and ride it south to the tower that’s just west of where Palom first landed.
- After a quick cut scene you’ll gain access to the Tower. Leonora will learn Fire? on the first floor, and you’ll have to do a practice battle so she can try it out. Wander around the first floor after the talking is done, grabbing the Ether, Echo Herbs, and Gold Needle along the way. Leonora will learn Fire proper halfway through, and you’ll find a pot to restore your health. Predictably, the enemies here are vulnerable to fire spells.
- 2F. There’s a save point and chests containing a Phoenix Down and Echo Herbs. The levels gained getting through this level and the last should make besting the ‘bosses’ at the end quite easy.
- 3F. This time you’re learning ice magic via Blizzard?. It’s basically the same schtick as on the second floor. You can find a Phoenix Down, a Tent, and Holy Arrows ‘round these parts. You’ll have to use a combo of fire magic (the Skeletons) and ice magic (the Bombs, Spirits, and Souls) to advance.
- 4F. Save point ahead, and past that more training. You’ll find an Ether along the way. Up the stairs.
- 5F. Thunder? time. There’s a Healing Staff up here. Wind around the area and you’ll head back to 4F. Down here you’ll find a Tent and Echo Herbs, as well as a path back up to 5F, then beyond to 6F.
- 6F. There’s a Sage’s Miter on your immediate right and a save point ahead. Another test fight awaits, as well.
- 7F. This is the end of the road. Check the monument in the middle of the room to complete your quest here. There are four buttons in the room on the left; each of them will open the walls to the treasure chests in this area, except for the top-left button, which closes the other passages. In these rooms you’ll find a Remedy, a Cottage, Hermes Sandals, and a cracked floor, which actually leads to a fourth room containing a Dry Ether, a Decoy, and a Sage’s Surplice.
- All done. Head back down the Tower and return to Troia Castle. Speak to the Epopts to trigger several cut scenes and wind up in the Castle’s west wing. Save, then return to the Epots. They’ll hand over the Earth Crystal. This will force you to head into the depths of Troia Castle, at which point you’ll discover another save; mind the words of the nearby Namingway and don’t save here unless you’re confident of your abilities. (Also, you can buy things from this dude.)
Troia Castle Waterway
- First up, it’s wise to note that this area is dominated by aquatic creatures. Take advantage of this by using lightning magic in most of your battles.
- Follow the path west until it splits near the water’s edge. Head back east to find a Hi-Potion, then carry on northwest to find a Heavenly Wrath. Dip into the water and wander south to find Lightning Arrows and a Great Bow - not that necessary - then get back on solid land in the west and head south. There’s a pot that will restore your health near the exit.
- Start by checking to your right, where you’ll find a Hi-Potion and an Arctic Wind. Then return to the entrance and head south. There’s an Ether along the way, and you’ll find a Remedy in the far south. Head east to find a Bacchus’s Wine and a Phoenix Down before heading north again. Head into the water and loop ‘round the islands here to reach the east. There’s a save point beyond.
- On your right in the next area you’ll find a Tent, as well as a Rune Armlet across a bridge to the west. You’ll also see three chests in a closed-in area you can’t reach. Head west along the bridges and then south, into the water. You can use a secret passage in the water to reach the chests to the east, which contain Echo Herbs, a Lilith’s Kiss, and a Cottage. Wander east through the water to reach a Spider Silk, as well as the exit.
- There are two chests in this area; the left contains a Ruby Ring, the right a Phoenix Down. Wade through the water to the north and you’ll find the exit of this dungeon.
Lodestone Cavern
- After restocking in Troia, head north on the world map to the chocobo forest you (may have) visited before. There’s a black chocobo here, and catching it will send you right to the Lodestone Cavern. The chocobo takes off after this, so make sure you have all the equipment you need before taking flight.
- The Lodestone Cavern is a special area in that your equipment can hobble you. If either of your characters are holding metal items (a Silver Armlet, for example) they will be paralyzed in battle, and unable to do anything but run away. Unequip these items for the moment. You can tell if you still have metallic items equipped by the yellow sparks at your character’s feet as they move around.
- Head east to find a restorative pot and a Hi-Potion, then head south. There are stairs at the end of this path. Pop open the chest near the stairs to find Echo Herbs.
- B2. There’s an Ether to the east, and if you enter the door to the northeast you’ll find another Ether and a Circlet. There are stairs in the west back in the main room.
- B3. There’s a save point in the next room down, as well as a Namingway who will sell you items. Leave after stocking up and head south. There’s another room down here with three chests containing a Cottage, Spider Silk, and a Bronze Hourglass. Enter the rocky enclosure to the west, back in the main area, and go north to find another room, this with a Polymorph Rod, another healing pot, and stairs.
- B4 will quickly shunt you off to B5 instead. Go left from the door and you’ll hit a dead end with a Mage’s Robes. Take the right and you’ll find a Hi-Potion in the north, as well as stairs back to B4. If you keep going north off of the central platform between the bridges you’ll find an invisible path to a chest containing Hermes Sandals, and you can find a similar invisible path to the right of the Hi-Potion chest that leads to a Soma Drop.
- B4. After a cut scene you’ll have a choice of east and north. Head east to find another save point and a healing pot, then go north. Ignore the door you see first and loop around it to find a Dry Ether, then head inside. You’ll hit a cut scene, and, yes, a battle. Always a battle.
Dark Elf
Not a terrible battle, but dangerous enough. The Dark Elf uses offensive spells, occasionally hits your characters, and can change one target into a pig. A bit later in the battle he’ll start using two spells at once on your team members. Have Palom concentrate on his second-level combat spells (Bio in particular will shred this guy) while Leonora heals the both of them. At no point should she use those hard-earned black magic spells, as she needs to be able to use Esuna if Palom gets turned into a pig. Eventually the Dark Elf will turn into the Dark Dragon, at which point you can turn to complete defence. The battle will end a few turns later.
- After the battle you’ll be left with Leonora on her own, back at the previous save point. Save, heal, and leave the room to get into more cut scenes - and a battle. You can’t win, but using the Particle Bomb Band you just learned will expedite matters. Finishing this battle will end the Tale.