Final Fantasy VI/Chapter 1: From Narshe to Figaro Castle

Title Sequence
During this scene, three characters are introduced. Biggs, Wedge, and an (as yet) unnamed sorceress. In the original english translation of Final Fantasy VI, released in the US and other markets as Final Fantasy III, Biggs was translated with the alternate name of Vicks. However, current rereleases, including 'Final Fantasy Anthology' and 'Final Fantasy VI: Advance', refer to this character as Biggs.
 * Watch the opening scene

After the opening teaser, the credits are displayed. Press any button to skip them.
 * Watch the opening credits

South Narshe
You may want to start out by opening up the field menu and modifying your configuration settings. Particularly, you may want to set whether the game will memorize the cursor location of your last attack on the battle screen, or reset it to default every turn, and modify the battle and message speeds to your taste. If you're new to this game, you should take some time to familiarize yourself with all the menus.
 * There's pretty much only one path at this point, just head north.

If you try to head south, Biggs and Wedge will just order you to turn around, so go north into the town. At this point in the game, you also can't explore much of Narshe. There are paths you can't travel down inside these bulky magitek armor suits, leaving essentially only a single northward path to go down. As you do, you'll encounter your first battles of the game. The unnamed character will have a great deal of firepower to select from. The Magitek Missile is the most powerful attack in her arsenal against a single foe, but the Bio Blaster is capable of damaging the entire enemy party at once. Biggs and Wedge are limited to a selection of a few different single-enemy attacks which produce the same damage, only with different elemental attributes.

If you find at any point that you're getting seriously hurt, use the "Healing Force" command, currently available to all your characters. However, that's not likely to happen until the boss battle, because the enemies at this point are quite weak. Enjoy the free ride, and take your time getting used to the game mechanics.

North Narshe

 * The enemies get a little tougher here, but there's still pretty easy. Press on.

North Narshe Mines
After all that fighting, you'll be at the mouth of a cave. Enter and follow the path, defeating random encounters as you go, and you'll come to a save point. If you step on it now, you'll have the option to be given a short tutorial on how to use them. You'll come to a small gate. Talk to it, and Vicks will smash it open. You will then face the boss Whelk.
 * Enter the mines, and travel north until you reach the esper

North Narshe Mines: Esper Cave

 * After defeating the Whelk, continue forward, and you meet with the frozen Esper.

South Narshe: Arvis' House

 * Give Terra her name

After the conversation with it, ????? will wake up in strange bed. After a long conversation with Old Man about the state of ?????'s health, you get to name her. The default name is Terra.


 * Be sure to pick up the Elixer in Arvis' clock

Before exiting the house through the northern door, take the time to go out the southern door, and then west to examine the clock. Like almost all clocks in the game, you will be rewarded with an elixer for examining it, which will restore all your HP and MP in a pinch.

South Narshe
As Terra flees across the bridge, she's be spotted by the guards, but there's only one way to go at this point. West across the bridge, and into the mine entrance.
 * Take the only path available, across the bridge

West Narshe Mines
If you grab the chests, you'll be missing out. They turn into much better stuff later on in the game. Try to resist the temptation, and pass them by. If you do grab them, however, you'll receive a Phoenix Down, and a Sleeping Bag.
 * Don't grab the treasure chests.

There is no way to proceed at this point, except heading northwest within this area of the dungeon until Terra is cornered by the Narshe guards, and falls through a hole in the unstable cave floor. A cinematic scene is triggered, and Terra falls unconscious.
 * Head northwest until you're cornered by the guards

South Narshe: Arvis' House
A short pain induced flashback later, you'll be able to name your second character of the game: Locke.
 * Give Locke his name

Narshe Mines: Puzzle Chamber
Locke will then come to Terra's aid, with the help of the Moogles! After breaking into three groups of four (switch between them using the Y button), you'll face off five groups of enemies. They'll slowly crawl up the pathways, and they get close enough, you'll enter battle with them. After these five relatively easy battles, take the group that's in the best health (likely the one with Mog in it) and walk to the bottom of the screen. You may want to remove Mog's equipment, because that shield is the best one you'll find for quite a while. After healing your group, talk to the stationary guard, and you'll enter a battle with the Marshal.
 * With the help of the Moogles, fend off the Narshe guards

After the fighting's done, you'll be at the entrance of Narshe. You can go to the classroom for beginners, or you can just leave. Once on the world map, travel south to the desert. In the middle of the desert, you'll find a castle: Figaro Castle.