this guide assumes you are using the tracker for at least encounters and yojimbo, no encounters armor is really useful to move between zones without wasting encounters
use this route for yuna's stats up to sin core, with a handful of modifications:
- do not teach tidus any skill so you can flee faster (you will teach him quick hit right before for arena monsters)
- get every accuracy node in tidus' any% path
- get 2 lv. 1 key spheres x3 chests in moonflow
- move wakka to the left and get 1 str node before extractor (the one near the acc node)
- pray at the first qactuar stone (its on the left in thunder plains south)
- try to get 2 special spheres from seymour for flee on yuna and entrust on rikku (not necessary)
- get sleep buster during the via purifico grid with yuna (if you dont get it need 10-20 sleeping powders/dream powders for tonberries)
- go to the monster arena to buy capture weapons for tidus/wakka/yuna
- tidus x2 (one for bdl and one for overdrive -> ap)
- wakka x1 (first strike, necessary for the shinryu strat and useful to capture flying monsters in thunder plains and calm lands before autohaste)
- yuna x1 (first strike, useful in thunder plains and calm lands before autohaste)
- try to get 4 returns or 2 returns/2 friends from b&y
- use the returns spheres for first strike on yuna and wakka instead of yuna and auron
- kill sanctuary keeper with 2 bahamut attacks (dont grid armor break)
- get the friend sphere in zanarkand dome no matter what you got from biran & yenke
- get the luck and fortune spheres in zanarkand but let tidus use them (luck helps with not missing)
- do left/right fin and sin core with formation tidus/wakka/yuna, change weapon with yuna, defend with the others, then summon and kill
- kill genais for 2 return spheres
tidus (follow this route):
- get all the strength nodes, get between 3500 and 5000 hp, 98 agility and 45 accuracy
- move left, learn entrust (5. s.lv)
- go through his section of the grid until the last strength node before quick hit (35 strength, 84 s.lv) (do not get quick hit)
- friend to kimahri (he should be on steal or use), learn steal/use, then go through rikkus grid and learn bribe (25 strength, 78 s.lv)
- return to the strength node near armor break, go right through wakkas grid until the 2 strength nodes behind the lv 1 key lock after dark buster (36 strength, 88 s.lv)
- return to the strength node near armor break, go south until the strength node after magic break (36 s.lv)
- teleport to cure, use strength spheres if you have them, then get the last 3 strength nodes (11 s.lv)
wakka (follow this route):
- get 29 strength, 19 agility (needed for the shinryu strat but useful for capturing), 30 accuracy
- go left through the lv.1 lock during the any% section, get a strength node
- get the acc node, go north and get the +1 agi node, go north again for 2nd acc node and str node, unlock lv. 1 lock for tidus' grid
- follow the same path tidus did (skip +1 str nodes, get the +4 ones) in the any% section (let rikku friend to wakka when he is near flee)
rikku:
- get flee (friend to wakka when he is near that node)
- get armor break for dark flans (move there)
- get provoke for great malboros/spirits in omega ruins, barbatos inside sin (move there)
- get entrust for arena monsters (you should have spare tp spheres at that point, alternatively move there)
yuna:
- get flee (optional, friend to wakka when he is near that node or use an ability sphere)
lulu:
- get bribe
its fine to leave some monsters at 8 or 9, make sure you get 5 of everything at least move with tidus on the sphere grid every 15 levels or so until you oneshot every monster in the zone you are currently in
part 1:
- airship:
- search around these coordinates (x35, y57) for miihen ruins and get the chest there (initiative weapon for rikku, customize first strike on it and equip it)
- go talk to rin, buy a shield and equip it (it has hp+10%, it will get autohaste soon, it will get autopotion and hp+30% for shinryu)
- sell every useless equipment (keep capture, initiative and first strike weapons, ne armors, tidus' 4 slot shield and yuna's ring), then autosort equipment, rearrange the tidus weapons (2 capture, sonic steel, brotherhood)
- grid wakka (go as far as you can, finish his grid when you get more power/speed spheres)
- capture at least 1 of every fiend in thunder plains with formation tidus/yuna/wakka (make sure they have capture), prioritize iron giants, let wakka attack buers, kill lamashtus/buers first on ambushes
- go to omega ruins, follow this map to activate glyphs (1 and 2), get a teleport sphere chest (3), and steal from ultima weapon (4) (need 10 door to tomorrow), kill it with 2 bahamut attacks
- calm lands:
- customize overdrive -> ap to the equipped tidus capture weapon
- capture at least 1 of every fiend in calm lands with formation tidus/yuna/wakka, prioritize ogres and shreds (if wakka doesnt oneshot the nebiros give him more strength)
- go talk to the arena guy and get the rewards, customize autohaste on the shield you just bought (it should have hp+10%, autohaste and 2 empty slots now)
- steal 6 chocobo feathers from qactuars and customize initiative on auron's weapon
- bribe a coeurl with 150.000 gil for 2 friend spheres
- warp to besaid (you can go to besaid falls but the small platform makes moving at full speed difficult, increasing the time between encounters), capture with formation tidus/auron/lulu, keep it for the rest of part 1 (activate the slayer overdrive mode as soon as you get it)
- warp to kilika, capture there (dont forget slayer)
- warp to moonflow, stay between moonflow south and djose and move back and forth prioritizing ochus and simurghs, capture everything
- mrr:
- go to mrr precipice to get garudas
- when you have at least 7 garudas move between mrr valley and clasko skip screen (prioritize thunder flan and ipiria)
- warp to miihen, move to miihen screen 2 and once you only need white elements/raldos/miihen fangs go to screen 1
- go to thunder plains, move between north and south (prioritize iron giants, activate more stones in the north if you only need qactuars)
- go to macalania woods, capture everything (if you have a long streak of bad encounters, go to crevasse for a bit)
- go to crevasse, stay there until you mostly need snow flans and snow wolves, then move to the front of the inn
- bikanel:
- stay mostly in the ruins and move to the sandragora screen (sanubia desert - west) or in central if you have good encounters there (prioritize cactuars, zus and sand worms)
- capture alcyone/mushussu/sand wolf only in the encounter with 1 of each
- once you have around 8-9 cactuars/zus/sand worms move between central and sandragoras screen for alcyone/mushussu/wolf encounters
- warp to calm lands, prioritize ogres and shreds (you can get malboros and coeurls in sunken cave later, low priority here)
- go to the arena guy, get all the rewards (you need the shadow gems, move them to the top of the inventory) and sell all your useless equipment, buy 99 phoenix downs
- customize auto phoenix on yuna's ring and equip it
part 2:
- make sure rikku has her initiative/first strike weapon and always have her in the party, the 3rd party member can be yuna or lulu
- use rikku to flee immediately, use armor break on dark flans or use shadow gems, use yuna for sleep buster on tonberryes
- sunken cave:
- move between white and green zone (prioritize tonberryes, ghosts, imps, malboros)
- at some point go get yojimbo (you need to kill him first, attack with tidus and yuna, use it as a way to manip encounters) PICK THE 3RD OPTION OR YOUR RUN IS DEAD, pay him 250k
- if you got 4 returns, bribe a dark element for 30k for return spheres
- gagazet:
- warp to gagazet, teach rikku armor break, take the pad on the right for cave entrance, go to the wakka blitzball minigame and keep failing it
- failing the minigame gives you a forced encounter, the formations always cycle (bandersnatch+nidhogg, robots, dark flan, mandragora, grendel+ahriman, bashura, behemoth and repeat), continue until you have 10 of each
- capture the gagazet underwater monsters, also get 10 of each
- go to gagazet mountain path, capture there (imps, grenades and grats)
- omega ruins:
- go kill omega with zanmato to unlock the platforms random encounters
- move between the cave and the platforms (prioritize tonberryes and varunas), make sure rikku is always in your party for first strike + flee (great malboros always ambush, always flee from them)
- for tonberryes, put them to sleep (sleep buster or sleep grenades), use shadow gems until it deals less than 9999, then attack with tidus
- for demonoliths, use shadow gems until it deals less than 9999, then attack with tidus
- leave when you have at least 5 of every monster, its faster to finish this zone later when you have bdl
- inside sin:
- kill overdrive sin with bahamut, go kill seymour for realsies this time
- move between sea of sorrow and garden of pain to get at least 5 of every monster
- go to the arena guy and get rewards, customize bdl on the other tidus capture weapon and equip it (need 5 of every monster for dark matters)
- cleap up every zone (use slayer + overdrive -> ap on weak monsters if you need levels with tidus)
check that you have 10 of everything before continuing
rikku and tidus should have entrust, teach tidus quick hit (bribe dark element for 30k gil/kill chimerageist for return spheres or kill sleep sprout for teleport spheres)
put tidus on stoic overdrive mode
keep the formation rikku/tidus/yuna (rikku and yuna have first strike, rikku has initiative, tidus has bdl)
autosort items, put shining gems, twin stars, phoenix downs and megaphoenixes to the top
for the boss rush section, this is the strategy:
- do all the bosses that require attacks/quick hits
- keep repeating this 4 steps until you have killed all the bosses that require tidus' overdrives:
- battle th'uban, attack it so it counters and everyone in your party has od
- do a boss that requires zanmato
- do a boss that needs tidus od (do the ones that need spiral cut, then don tonberry, then the others)
- if rikku still has od, entrust yuna and do another zanmato
- equip tidus with first strike and remove his shield (DO NOT SELL IT)
- kill every boss other than shinryu with zanmato (use th'uban to charge overdrives)
arena bosses (for quick hits you are gonna need to use a twin star on tidus):
- zone conquest:
- stratoavis: attack x5
- malboro_menace: zanmato
- kottos: 2 slice & dice (kottos should kill tidus after the 1st one, giving him od, keep reviving)
- coeurlregina: twin star and quick hit x4
- jormungand: quick hit x3 + slice & dice (can just keep attacking and hope it doesnt kill tidus)
- cactuar king: shining gem + spiral cut
- espada: frag grenade + slice & dice
- abyss_worm: attack x5
- chimerageist: attack x2
- don_tonberry: 5 spiral cuts (slice & dice if you learn it here)
- catoblepas: zanmato (yojimbo will die so make sure to add a death in the tracker)
- abaddon: zanmato
- vorban: zanmato
- species conquest:
- fenrir: zanmato
- ornitholestes: zanmato
- pteryx: shining gem + spiral cut
- hornet: zanmato
- vidatu: frag grenade (item or mix 2 red spheres) and attack
- one-eye: attack x2 (might miss)
- jumbo_flan: zanmato
- nega_elemental: zanmato
- tanket: zanmato
- fafnir: zanmato
- sleep_sprout: slice & dice x2 (it will not counter)
- bomb_king: zanmato
- juggernaut: zanmato
- ironclad: zanmato
- original:
- earth_eater: zanmato
- greater_sphere: zanmato
- catastrophe: zanmato
- th'uban: zanmato
- neslug: zanmato
- ultima_buster: zanmato
- shinryu: see below
- nemesis: zanmato
shinryu strat prep:
- get od on rikku and tidus with th'uban
- customize autopotion and hp+30% on the haste shield and equip it
- make sure that tidus has at least 4500 hp with the shield equipped
- get xpotions from bribing valaha (gagazet, 108750-217500 gil, make sure to keep some money to zanmato nemesis)
- autosort items, sell all your potions and hipotions (they get priority with autopotion)
- get chocobo wing/light curtain/lunar curtain/stamina tablet/x-potion/star curtain/shining gem to the top
- need first strike on tidus/wakka/rikku
shinruy strat:
- tidus > chocobo wing > party
- rikku > stamina tablet (x2 hp) > tidus
- wakka > x-potion > tidus
- tidus > light curtain (protect) > tidus
- tidus > lunar curtain (shell) > tidus
- rikku > mix > star curtain + star curtain (Hyper NulAll, needed for x5 cheer and x5 focus)
- kill wakka and rikku with anyone (use shining gems, wakka can attack himself)
- tidus change weapon to bdl
- tidus use slice & dice or attack shinryu
zanmato nemesis
equip tidus with bdl, kill bfa with attacks, aeons with shining gems, yu yevon with attacks
every group of zones doesnt share many common enemies with other groups
- besaid
- Besaid Road: Water Flan: x1 (75.0%) | Dingo: x1 (75.0%) | Condor: x1 (75.0%)
- kilika
- Kilika Woods: Killer Bee: x1 (46.2%) x2 (7.7%) | Dinonix: x1 (46.2%) | Yellow Element: x1 (46.2%) | Ragora: x1 (30.8%) x2 (7.7%)
- roads:
- Mi'ihen Screen 1 (use it when you only need miihen fangs, white elements and raldos)
- Mi'ihen Screen 2-3: Floating Eye: x1 (50.0%) x2 (11.1%) | Raldo#2: x1 (50.0%) | Bomb: x1 (11.1%) x2 (5.6%) x3 (5.6%) | Mi'ihen Fang: x1 (61.1%) | White Element: x1 (50.0%) | Dual Horn: x1 (16.7%)
- Mi'ihen Screen 2-3 (Ledge): Dual Horn: x1 (33.3%) | Mi'ihen Fang: x1 (33.3%) x2 (33.3%) x3 (33.3%)
- Mi'ihen (Newroad): Floating Eye: x1 (25.0%) x2 (16.7%) | Raldo: x1 (41.7%) | Bomb: x1 (16.7%) x2 (16.7%) x3 (16.7%) | Mi'ihen Fang: x1 (25.0%) | White Element: x1 (25.0%) | Dual Horn: x1 (33.3%)
- Clasko Skip Screen: Floating Eye: x1 (33.3%) | Dual Horn: x1 (16.7%) x2 (16.7%) | Thunder Flan: x1 (50.0%) | Ipiria: x1 (33.3%) | Vouivre: x1 (66.7%) | Bomb: x2 (33.3%)
- MRR - Valley: Funguar: x1 (33.3%) | Garuda: x1 (16.7%) | Red Element: x1 (83.3%) | Raptor: x1 (50.0%) | Gandarewa: x1 (50.0%) | Lamashtu: x1 (33.3%)
- MRR - Precipice (use this one mostly, especially for garudas): Funguar: x1 (44.4%) x2 (33.3%) | Garuda: x1 (33.3%) | Red Element: x1 (44.4%) | Raptor: x1 (44.4%) | Gandarewa: x1 (22.2%)
- MRR - Aftermath (this is kinda useless, but its a airship location): Funguar: x1 (25.0%) x2 (18.8%) | Red Element: x1 (81.2%) | Raptor: x1 (68.8%) | Gandarewa: x1 (50.0%) | Lamashtu: x1 (37.5%)
- djose
- Djose Highroad (Front Half): Bite Bug: x2 (40.0%) | Funguar: x1 (60.0%) | Raptor: x1 (40.0%) | Lamashtu: x1 (40.0%) | Basilisk: x1 (20.0%) x2 (20.0%)
- Djose Highroad (Back Half): Bite Bug: x2 (6.7%) | Funguar: x1 (6.7%) x2 (20.0%) | Bunyip#2: x1 (40.0%) | Gandarewa: x2 (13.3%) | Simurgh: x1 (20.0%) | Basilisk: x1 (20.0%) x2 (20.0%) | Garm: x1 (40.0%) | Snow Flan: x1 (33.3%)
- Moonflow (South): Bite Bug: x1 (8.3%) x2 (16.7%) | Funguar: x1 (8.3%) | Ochu: x1 (50.0%) | Bunyip#2: x1 (41.7%) | Gandarewa: x2 (8.3%) | Garm: x1 (58.3%) | Snow Flan: x1 (33.3%)
- Moonflow (North): Bite Bug: x2 (40.0%) | Ochu: x1 (20.0%) | Bunyip#2: x1 (60.0%) | Garm: x1 (60.0%) | Snow Flan: x1 (20.0%)
- thunder plains
- Thunder Plains (South): Kusariqqu: x1 (20.0%) | Larva: x1 (40.0%) | Gold Element: x1 (60.0%) | Aerouge: x1 (40.0%) x2 (20.0%) | Buer: x1 (40.0%) | Melusine: x1 (40.0%)
- Thunder Plains (South) (1 stone): Kusariqqu: x1 (16.7%) | Larva: x1 (33.3%) | Gold Element: x1 (50.0%) | Aerouge: x1 (33.3%) x2 (16.7%) | Qactuar: x1 (16.7%) | Buer: x1 (33.3%) | Melusine: x1 (33.3%)
- Thunder Plains (South) (2 stones): Kusariqqu: x1 (16.7%) | Larva: x1 (33.3%) | Gold Element: x1 (50.0%) | Aerouge: x1 (33.3%) x2 (16.7%) | Qactuar: x2 (16.7%) | Buer: x1 (33.3%) | Melusine: x1 (33.3%)
- Thunder Plains (South) (3 stones): Kusariqqu: x1 (14.3%) | Larva: x1 (28.6%) | Gold Element: x1 (42.9%) | Aerouge: x1 (28.6%) x2 (14.3%) | Qactuar: x2 (14.3%) x3 (14.3%) | Buer: x1 (28.6%) | Melusine: x1 (28.6%)
- Thunder Plains (North): Kusariqqu: x1 (40.0%) | Larva: x2 (20.0%) | Iron Giant: x1 (40.0%) | Gold Element: x1 (20.0%) | Aerouge: x1 (20.0%) | Buer: x1 (20.0%) x2 (20.0%) | Melusine: x1 (20.0%)
- Thunder Plains (North) (1 stone): Kusariqqu: x1 (33.3%) | Larva: x2 (16.7%) | Iron Giant: x1 (33.3%) | Gold Element: x1 (16.7%) | Aerouge: x1 (16.7%) | Qactuar: x1 (16.7%) | Buer: x1 (16.7%) x2 (16.7%) | Melusine: x1 (16.7%)
- Thunder Plains (North) (2 stones): Kusariqqu: x1 (28.6%) | Larva: x2 (14.3%) | Iron Giant: x1 (28.6%) | Gold Element: x1 (14.3%) | Aerouge: x1 (14.3%) | Qactuar: x1 (14.3%) x2 (14.3%) | Buer: x1 (14.3%) x2 (14.3%) | Melusine: x1 (14.3%)
- Thunder Plains (North) (3 stones): Kusariqqu: x1 (33.3%) | Larva: x2 (16.7%) | Iron Giant: x1 (33.3%) | Gold Element: x1 (16.7%) | Aerouge: x1 (16.7%) | Qactuar: x3 (16.7%) | Buer: x1 (16.7%) x2 (16.7%) | Melusine: x1 (16.7%)
- macalania woods
- Macalania Woods: Xiphos: x1 (28.6%) | Wasp: x1 (28.6%) x2 (14.3%) | Blue Element: x1 (14.3%) x2 (14.3%) | Chimera: x1 (28.6%) | Iguion: x1 (28.6%) | Murussu: x1 (28.6%)
- lake macalania:
- agency front (guaranteed ice flan and snow wolf): Mafdet: x1 (33.3%) | Ice Flan: x1 (100.0%) | Snow Wolf: x1 (66.7%) x2 (33.3%) | Evil Eye: x1 (33.3%)
- Crevasse: Mafdet: x1 (66.7%) | Snow Wolf: x1 (66.7%) | Ice Flan: x1 (66.7%) | Evil Eye: x1 (33.3%) x2 (33.3%)
- bikanel
- Sanubia Desert (East)/Sanubia Desert (Central): Alcyone: x1 (30.8%) x2 (23.1%) | Zu: x1 (7.7%) | Cactuar: x1 (7.7%) | Mushussu: x1 (30.8%) | Sand Wolf: x1 (53.8%) | Sand Worm: x1 (7.7%)
- Sanubia Desert (Ruins): Zu: x1 (40.0%) | Cactuar: x1 (10.0%) | Sand Wolf: x3 (20.0%) | Sand Worm: x1 (30.0%)
- Sanubia Desert (West): Alcyone: x1 (18.2%) x2 (18.2%) | Zu: x1 (9.1%) | Cactuar: x1 (9.1%) | Mushussu: x1 (36.4%) | Sand Wolf: x1 (18.2%) | Sand Worm: x1 (9.1%)
- calm lands and cave
- Calm Lands (South): Flame Flan: x1 (15.4%) | Anacondaur: x2 (15.4%) | Chimera Brain: x2 (7.7%) | Skoll: x1 (15.4%) x2 (7.7%) | Nebiros: x1 (7.7%) x2 (7.7%) | Ogre: x1 (7.7%) | Coeurl: x1 (15.4%) x2 (30.8%) | Shred: x1 (7.7%)
- Calm Lands (Central-North-East): Malboro: x1 (4.8%) | Flame Flan: x1 (47.6%) | Anacondaur: x2 (4.8%) | Chimera Brain: x2 (4.8%) | Skoll: x1 (47.6%) x2 (4.8%) | Nebiros: x1 (23.8%) x2 (23.8%) | Ogre: x1 (4.8%) | Coeurl: x1 (4.8%) x2 (4.8%) | Shred: x1 (23.8%)
- Calm Lands (North-West): Malboro: x1 (22.7%) | Flame Flan: x1 (9.1%) | Anacondaur: x2 (18.2%) | Chimera Brain: x2 (22.7%) | Skoll: x1 (9.1%) x2 (18.2%) | Nebiros: x1 (9.1%) | Ogre: x1 (18.2%) | Coeurl: x1 (4.5%) | Shred: x1 (4.5%)
- Cave (White Zone) (need mainly ghost, thorn, dark element, valaha, yowie): Nidhogg: x1 (15.4%) | Ghost: x1 (7.7%) | Imp: x1 (15.4%) | Thorn: x3 (15.4%) | Dark Element: x2 (15.4%) | Epaaj: x1 (23.1%) | Valaha: x1 (7.7%) | Yowie: x3 (15.4%)
- Cave (Green Zone) (need mainly ghost, tonberry, vahala): Ghost: x1 (10.0%) | Malboro: x1 (10.0%) | Tonberry: x1 (10.0%) | Epaaj: x1 (10.0%) | Valaha: x1 (10.0%) | Coeurl: x2 (10.0%)
- gagazet and zanarkand
- Gagazet (Mountain) (only need imp, grenade and grat): Nidhogg: x1 (20.0%) | Imp: x1 (20.0%) | Bandersnatch: x1 (20.0%) | Grenade: x1 (20.0%) x2 (20.0%) | Grat: x2 (40.0%) | Bashura: x1 (20.0%)
- Gagazet (Cave) (useless zone): Nidhogg: x1 (8.3%) | Grendel: x1 (16.7%) | Bandersnatch: x1 (8.3%) | Dark Flan: x1 (16.7%) | Ahriman: x1 (16.7%) | Mandragora: x1 (16.7%) | Bashura: x2 (16.7%) | Behemoth: x1 (16.7%)
- Zanarkand (Overpass) (useless zone): Grendel: x1 (20.0%) | Dark Flan: x1 (20.0%) | Mandragora: x1 (20.0%) | Bashura: x1 (20.0%) | Behemoth: x1 (20.0%) | Ahriman: x1 (40.0%)
- gagazet underwater
- Gagazet (Underwater): Splasher#2: x1 (50.0%) | Achelous: x2 (50.0%) | Splasher: x1 (25.0%) | Maelspike: x1 (25.0%) x2 (25.0%) | Splasher#3: x1 (50.0%) x2 (25.0%)
- omega and sin
- Omega Ruins (Lower): Master Coeurl: x2 (5.0%) | Adamantoise: x1 (5.0%) | Varuna: x1 (5.0%) | Puroboros: x3 (5.0%) | Master Tonberry: x1 (5.0%) | Zaurus: x1 (35.0%) x2 (5.0%) | Black Element: x2 (5.0%) | Halma: x2 (5.0%) | Floating Death: x1 (10.0%) | Spirit: x1 (10.0%) | Machea: x2 (5.0%) | Wraith: x1 (5.0%) | Demonolith: x2 (5.0%)
- Omega Ruins (Upper): Gemini#3: x1 (14.3%) | Varuna: x1 (14.3%) | Puroboros: x3 (14.3%) | Master Tonberry: x1 (14.3%) | Gemini: x1 (14.3%) | Demonolith: x2 (14.3%)
- Inside Sin (Front): Exoray: x2 (20.0%) | Adamantoise: x1 (30.0%) | Behemoth King: x1 (10.0%) | Gemini#3: x1 (20.0%) | Ahriman: x1 (20.0%) x3 (20.0%) | Gemini: x1 (20.0%)
- Inside Sin (Back) (mainly need great malboro, barbatos and wraith): Exoray: x2 (12.5%) | Adamantoise: x1 (12.5%) | Wraith: x1 (12.5%) | Great Malboro: x1 (12.5%) | Behemoth King: x1 (12.5%) | Demonolith: x1 (12.5%) | Gemini#3: x1 (12.5%) | Ahriman: x1 (12.5%) | Barbatos: x1 (12.5%) | Gemini: x1 (12.5%)