*********************************************************** *********************************************************************** LUKAHN'S FF VII BATTLE SQUARE FAQ Version 0.4 crescentlake@hotmail.com *********************************************************************** *********************************************************** *********************************************************************** WHAT'S NEW: 1/9/99 Everything! Just started it today. 1/10/99 Added the Secret Duel section, more handicaps, and the enemies section. 1/11/99 Added some enemy descriptions and the "forced hanicap" problem. 3/30/99 Finally updated again ^_^ Added the Low-Level Technique, more on how handicaps affect BP, and the Thanks section is now up. 4/3/99 Added to the "How Handicaps affect BP" section. 4/4/99 Gave a rough explanation of how hanicaps determine BP. Filled in more than half of the "How Hanicaps affect BP" chart. *********************************************************************** CONTENTS: 1. Battle Square a. what is it? b. before you start... c. into the arena d. terms of victory...or defeat 2. General Tips a. suggested equipment b. techniques -1 the Mighty Technique -2 the Low Level Technique c. possible problems 3. Handicaps a. what they do b. how they affect BP 4. Prizes a. consolation b. trading in BP 5. The Secret Duel a. how to access it b. word of warning c. special prizes 6. Enemies a. normal battles b. secret duel 7. Cheating Methods a. beat the handicap b. use broken materia - method 1 c. use broken materia - method 2 8. Thanks *********************************************************************** BATTLE SQUARE: ************* What Is It?: The Battle Square can be found at the Gold Saucer. For 10 GP, you can fight a series of battles against randomly selected enemies. You won't recieve any gil, experience, or AP, but you will be awarded Battle Points (BP). You can then trade in BP for good prizes. We all like prizes, so let's go... ************* Before You Start... This can be tough if you're not on a high enough level or improperly equipped. Make sure you have a Ribbon, at least one character's ultimate weapon, and enough materia to make you deadly. For these reasons alone I don't recommend visiting the Battle Square until Disk 3 (except when you have to to advance the plot, of course). Also, if you want W-Summon and Omnislash, be prepared to stay in the Battle Arena for a long time. ************* Into the Arena: To enter the Arena, go to Battle Square and talk to the lady behind the counter at the right of the back of the room. You will fight 8 consecutive battles every time you enter the Arena. After each round you will recieve the message "Great!", and your current BP will be displayed on the right side of the screen (you will rarely have more than 1000 BP before the last round of combat). You will be asked if you wish to keep going, and given 2 choices: Off Course!! (it's really spelled that way, I didn't make a mistake), or No Way. If you choose "Off Course!!", you will have to pick a handicap for the next round. You can't learn Enemy Skills in the Arena. However, you can either Morph enemies or Steal from them if you want. When you exit, your Limit will remain at the level it was before entering, even if you use it during battle. ************* Terms of Victory...Or Defeat: You will leave the Battle Arena when: You win all 8 rounds You quit after a round You are killed by your opponents You cast "Escape" or use an item that ends a battle You run away *********************************************************************** GENERAL TIPS: ************* Suggested Equipment: I recommend using the Ultimate Weapon for whichever character you choose to use in the Arena, because you won't gain AP for materia growth anyway, so you might as well have high attack power. The armor of choice is the Imperial Guard, for its high Defense power. Of course , a Ribbon is ideal for the accessory. As far as materia goes, use as little as possible. If your character is particularly strong, equip them with Slash-All, Enemy Skill (with Big Guard learned) or Time, and perhaps a HP Plus. That way, you'll need only worry about the Break Yellow Materia handicap and the Break Purple Materia handicap. If you rely on Summons and Magic, you'll be crippled if you receive the Break All Materia handicap. For a weaker character, allow some more materia, such as a strong summon or Ultima, but don't expect to get the W-Summon prize with a weak character. ************* Techniques: ************* The Mighty Technique The first round is pretty important if you want the battles ahead to go as smoothly as possible, because the enemies will be the weakest you will face. First, cast Big Guard or Haste, whichever you have. This will make your time meter fill up faster not just for this battle, but for all the upcoming battles as well. Then dispatch your enemies with a Slash-All. You should get 10 BP for the first round every time. I've never gotten anything different, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. If you have a Ribbon equipped, try to time the handicap to hit an abnormal status handicap (such as "Poison", "Miniature", or "Toad"). That way you'll suffer no handicap, plus you'll get a few seconds for your time meter to fill up while you're covered in the orange mist that tries to change your status. If not, try for the least severe handicap given (except Cure, as you will receive 0 BP if you do). From the second match on, you won't have to worry too much about anything. Remember to use Big Guard or Haste if you are ever slowed and use items to heal yourself. ************* The Low-Level Technique Of course, the best way to solve the problem of low levels is to get level ups, but that can take a long time. Here are some alterantive methods: 1.) Transfer all the materia and the best equipment to whoever is going to participate in the arena. 2.) Set that character's Limit level back to 1. They will get limit breaks more often that way, so you should be able to save yourself a few times with a stronger-than-average attack. 3.) Make sure you have the appropriate Enemy Skills. Learn Big Guard from the Beach Slugs near Costa Del Sol (You need to Manipulate them) and White Wind in the area around Junon (I can't remember the enemy's name, but it's a large animal with wings). Use Big Guard in the beginning of the first battle and White Wind if you encounter any status effect problems (you won't if you equip the Ribbon from the Temple of the Ancients). 4.) If your attacks are still weak, rely more on magic and summons, but you won't get as much BP if you don't destroy your materia. 5.) Don't equip unnecessary magic or summons. I would stay away from them all together, if your attacks are strong enough. Use Independent and Command materia as much as possible. ************* Possible Problems: In the first round it is common to encounter a silkworm-type enemy called "Jayjujayme". Not a major threat, but he can slow you down with Silk. In this case, kill the enemies and cast Big Guard/Haste in round 2. You might encounter a small, hunched over enemy called a "Tonberry" in the later rounds (6 or 7). Kill him as quickly as possible, because his Knife attack automatically kills you. Use whatever means you have to kill him before he reaches you, and don't be afraid of overkill; He has over 30,000 HP. Another enemy to look out for is the "Ghost Ship". He usually comes in the 8th round, and he also has the ability to instantly end you. He picks you up on his oar and throws you from the Arena. He generally doesn't use this as his first attack, so use your most powerful attacks and/or magic against him. He is a much larger threat than Tonberry, because you'll get way less time to defeat him. On occasion, you will be forced to accept handicaps. These are usually going to be the hardest battles you will fight, as the handicaps are almost always extraordinarily hard to recover from (ie: broken accessory. If you're using a Ribbon, this can be devastating.). The best thing to do is continue fighting until you can't survive another round, then quit. You won't gain many BP, but it's better than nothing... *********************************************************************** HANDICAPS: ************* What They Do: After each round of battle, you are asked to select your handicap from a slot machine containing three choices. You'll have to pick 7 of them for each time you go through the battle arena. Handicaps range from physical damage to status ailments, to completely filling your HP! They are as follows: Description of icon - name of handicap - effect of handicap Poison - Poison - You become poisoned Frog - Toad - You become a toad Small Cloud - Minimum - You shrink Red Materia - Summon Materia is broken - you can't summon Yellow Materia - Command Materia is broken - you lose special commands Green Materia - Magic Materia is broken - you can't cast spells Purple Materia - Independant Materia is broken - your stats are normal Blue Materia - Support Materia is broken - other materia loses support 5 Materia - All Materia is broken - disables all materia of every color Ring - Accessory is broken - you loose accessory benefits Bag - Item command is sealed - Prevents you from using items Lucky 7 - Yesss! No handicapp! - No handicap. Boot - 1/2 Speed - Makes your Time gauge fill half as quickly HP - 1/2 HP - Lowers your Max. HP by 50% MP - 1/2 MP - Lowers you Max. MP by 50% HP MP - 1/2 HP&MP - Lowers your Max HP and Max MP by 50% MP0 - Zero MP - Empties your MP, but you can refill it normally Sword - Weapon is broken - your attack strength is lowered Bracelet - Armor is broken - your defense is lowered Clock - Time X30 Damage - you take damage based on your time meter LV v - Down 5 levels - Your current level is lowered by 5 LV V - Down 10 levels - Your current level is lowered by 10 Cure - HP restored - Fills up your HP to max. ************* How They Affect BP: I've done it! I know how they determine how much BP you get for each handicap! The only problem is, it will take some time to get all the information. If anyone is willing to help, e-mail me (crescentlake@hotmail.com). This is very cool, because I think I'm the first to figure it out (I've never heard of anyone figuring it out before). You would think that each time you get a certain handicap, your current BP would get multiplied by a certain number. That's not the way it works, though. Each handicap has a different number for each round that gets added to your current BP. (Example: if you select "Toad" as your first handicap, you will only recieve 6 BP, but if it is your fifth handicap, you would recieve 130 BP.) Here is an incomplete chart with each handicap's ratings. Handicap: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Poison -- 4 - 6 - X - 16 - 33 - 82 - X Toad -- 6 - 10 - 19 - 44 - 130 - 520 - 3069 Minimum -- 5 - 8 - 16 - 36 - 108 - 453 - 2940 Break Summon -- 37 - X - X - X - X - X - X Break Command -- X - X - 17 - 41 - X - X - X Break Magic -- 15 - 28 - X - 145 - 445 - 1755 - 9425 Break Independent -- X - X - X - 99 - X - X - X Break Support -- X - X - X - 91 - X - X - X Break All Materia -- X - X - X - X - 463 - X - 10000 Break Accessory -- 10 - 18 - X - X - X - X - X Seal Items -- X - X - X - X - 355 - 1368 - 7200 No Handicap -- 7 - 7 - 7 - 7 - 7 - 7 - 7 1/2 Speed -- 5 - 7 - X - 19 - X - X - X 1/2 HP -- 13 - X - 40 - 84 - 204 - X - X 1/2 MP -- 12 - 20 - 36 - 73 - 173 - X - X 1/2 HP&MP -- X - X - X - 94 - 244 - 775 - 3134 Zero MP -- X - X - X - X - 171 - 502 - X Break Weapon -- X - X - X - 140 - X - X - X Break Armor -- X - 17 - 33 - X - X - 654 - X Time X30 Damage -- X - X - 26 - 54 - 130 - X - X Down 5 Levels -- 5 - 8 - 13 - X - X - X - X Down 10 Levels -- X - 16 - 28 - 53 - 118 - 308 - 968 Restore HP -- 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 X = I haven't recieved that handicap yet for that round. I did all these last night, so there will be many more additions later. If you have any that I don't have, please send them to me. *********************************************************************** PRIZES: ************* Consolation: You will always receive a "Tissue" in the normal battles. This item is absolutely useless, but you can sell it for 1 gil. Hooray!! You'll be rich in no time selling these ^_^ ************* Trading in BP: After you win all 8 battles or give up, you receive a certain amount of Battle Points. These can be traded in for rare items at the machine to the left of the entrance. DO NOT LEAVE THE BATTLE ARENA, or you will lose all your BP. The prizes are as follows: Disk 1 Phoenix Down = 100 Remedy = 200 Mimmet Greens = 400 Enemy Lure = 800 Bird Wing = 1600 S Wing = 3200 Pre-Emptive = 6400 Speed Plus = 12800 Championship Belt = 32000 Omnislash = 64000 Disk 2/3 Remedy = 100 Enemy Lure = 250 Right Arm = 500 Pre-Emptive = 1000 Regan Greens = 2000 Speed Plus = 4000 Stardust = 8000 Championship Belt = 16000 Omnislash (Limit 1) = 32000 W-Summon (Limit 1) = 64000 The only prizes you really need are Omnislash (Cloud's level 4 limit) and W-Summon (Lets you summon twice in one turn). If you want more, I recommend Enemy Lure, Pre-Emptive, Speed Plus, and perhaps Stardust (casts Comet 2). So, in short, the only prizes you shouldn't get are the Remedy, Right Arm, Championship Belt, and the Regan Greens. You can either buy these or get them from enemies. *********************************************************************** THE SECRET DUEL ************* How To Access It: To access the Secret Duel, you have to trade in enough BP for the W-Summon materia and Omnislash, and you need Cloud's ultimate weapon, the Ultima Weapon, which you get from Ultimate Weapon (^_^). Cloud is the only party member that can participate in the Secret Duel. ************* Word of Warning: The Secret Duel puts you up against Proud Clod with just one character. In this set of battles, you should equip as much materia as you would against a large boss. You might want to use Knights of the Round against Proud Clod (if you have it, that is). I don't recommend using it against any of the other enemies, though, or it'll take you half an hour to beat the 8 rounds. I strongly suggest Magic Plus materia whether you're using KOR or not. This will pretty much guarantee that your spells are doing all the damage they are capable of. Put on as many Counter Attacks as you have, plus Mime (if you have it). That way you can mime however many counter attacks you've done. If you have 4 or less Counter Attack materia, use 4X Cut instead. If you don't have 4X Cut, I feel sorry for you ^_^ ************* Special Prizes: The first time you beat all 8 battles, you will be given Final Attack materia. This will allow you to use materia you link it to when you reach 0 HP right before you die. You can hook it up to Revive or Phoenix so that you will be brought back to life when you die. It's pretty much required if you want to beat Emerald Weapon. Also, you get handy "Dio's Diary" and "Dio's Autograph" consolation prizes, which do absolutely nothing. You can't even sell them :( I've read that you can also get Magic Counter materia from the Secret Duel, but I've never recieved it. I think it's just one of those rumors associated with FF VII. *********************************************************************** ENEMIES: ************* Here is a list of all the enemies i have fought in the Battle arena. If you know of more, please send them to me. (Note: If an enemy is listed with a letter, there are more than one. Each letter represents another enemy.) ************* Normal Battles: Round 1: Foulander A, B Garuda, Jayjujayme A, B Dual Horn A, B Razorweed A, B, C Garuda A, B, C Round 2: Under Lizard Under Lizard A, B Tonadu Slaps A, B, C, D, E 8 eye A, B Acrophies Round 3: 8 eye A, B ToxicFrog A, B, Jemnezmy Adamantaimai Doorbull Round 4: Boundfat, Malldancer A, B, C Jumping A, B Hippogryph Acrophies Trickplay, Boundfat A, B Ice Golem A, B Round 5: Lessaloploth Lessaloploth A, B Shred A, B, Frozen Nail Frozen Nail A, B Magnade Round 6: Cuahl, Headbomber A, B Zolokalter, Headbomber A, B Evilhead A, B, C Stilva Headbomber A, B, C Round 7: Malboro Ironite A, B Gremlin A, B, C Blue Dragon Gremlin A, B, C Tonberry Round 8: Ghost Ship Serpent Sea Worm Ho-chu ************* Secret Duel: Round 1 = Sea Worm Round 2 = Ho-chu Round 3 = Unknown 3 Round 4 = Serpent Round 5 = Wolfmeister Round 6 = Behemoth Round 7 = Maximum Kimaira Round 8 = Proud Clod *********************************************************************** CHEATING METHODS: ************* Beating the Handicap: As long as you have a Ribbon, you can easily get through an entire set of 8 battles with only 1 or 2, if any, handicaps. When the slot machine starts up, watch carefully for an abnormal status handicap. Now keep hitting the Square button continuously. When you are holding square, the dial stops spinning. Now all you have to do is get in the position that the handicap before the one you want shows up . Quickly let go of Square and hit Circle. You should, with some practice, be able to time it exactly so that you always get hit with the desired handicap. Now you won't be hit with any handicap, and when it tries to change your status an orangeish cloud will appear over you, allowing your time gauge to fill up without being attacked. Fun, huh? ************* Use Broken Materia - Method 1 If you have Mime materia, you can continue using materia after it is broken. If you cast any spell or summon, you can mime it after that type of materia is broken. For example, let's say you cast Ultima. After that round, you select the "Magic Materia is broken" handicap. If you use mime, you can continue casting Ultima. ************* Use Broken Materia - Method 2 If you link Command Counter to any Command Materia, then select the "Command Materia is broken" handicap, You may still use that Command when you are attacked. *********************************************************************** This is the end of my Battle Arena FAQ, version 0.3. Stay tuned for updates, as it is nowhere near completion. If you have anything to add or a mistake to point out (or a compliment for a job well done), send it to crescentlake@hotmail.com Lukahn *********************************************************************** THANKS: ************* Thanks to: Square for making FF VII oniyaki@hotmail.com for asking how to beat the BA on a low level *********************************************************************** BTW, if you're ever in the mood to hang out with fellow Final Fantasy fans, stop by Crescent Lake at http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Labyrinth/1277/Crescent.html or search for Crescent Lake on the Yahoo! search engine.