Final Fantasy X/Calm Lands

This is the Calm Lands, a historic and well-known place on Spira where summoners before Yuna used to fight Sin. Don't worry about what Lulu and Auron say about it being the end of the road and a place easy to get lost in, there's really only one way you can go.

Exploring the Calm Lands
This is the first real part of the game where you can start doing some of the sidequests on offer. The only one you can complete would be the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth one which ends with you having to cough up most, if not all, your money (unless you did some extreme levelling up earlier, or have bought way more than you needed to, you're likely to have around 170000-190000 Gil). But look at the relevant page for that, since it's explained in more detail there.

There are yet more new fiends for your slaughtering pleasure here, and quite a few of them:


 * Skolls are the next type of wolf enemy, so use Tidus. They occasionally inflict silence.
 * Nebiroses are bees, so hit them with Wakka's ball or a Blizzara/Blizzaga from Lulu.
 * Mech Scouters can't be captured, but they're machina, so use Rikku's Steal.
 * Flame Flans are fire-element flans, so they're resistant to physical attack. Use Blizzara/Blizzaga.
 * Shreds are armoured moles so use Auron/Kimahri, or Auron's Armour Break. It's unlikely that it'll survive a hit from Auron, though.
 * Anacondaurs are slightly rarer than others. They have 5800 HP and absorb Thunder, but their main problem is Stone Gaze which petrifies one person, and their abuse of Sonic Tail which does 1500 damage to everyone (a powerful attack for a random encounter enemy).

Head left and you'll meet Maechen on the way. Talk with him to learn about the Calm Lands, and then talk again to learn about why there's a giant gash in the landscape here. Further along as you come down from the raised ledge you'll meet up with a Rin Travel Agency representative riding around on a small tank. The only thing you should consider buying from his is the Saviour Bangle for Lulu, since everything else is overpriced for what it's worth. The Wizard Bracer and Buckler (with Magic Counter) are definitely not worth it, as is the Malleable Staff.

Head on past and towards the fenced area with shack. Along the way, by the random rocks towards the left, you'll find Belgemine again after a long absence.

Defeating Belgemine's Shiva
For some really strange reason Belgemine's Shiva, although weak, seems to have abnormally high Defence and Magic Defence, with Bahamut's physical attack and Firaga doing only about 400 damage. Impulse, too, does about 400 damage. Shiva's overdrive is simply Heavenly Strike which is again very weak, and outside of this she'll use normal attacks (for about 200) and Blizzara (for about 300). Thankfully Mega Flare breaks the deadlock with a handy 8000 damage. Two Mega Flares (which can be aided along with Boost) and a bunch of physical attacks will beat Shiva.

Now that you've done that you'll get the Aeon's Soul which allows you to raise aeon's attributes by certain increments by spending the appropriate type of node activating spheres. The tutorial you get after it is pretty easy to follow, but watch that you don't go overboard afterwards and end up having to wait on the Sphere Grid because you spent too many spheres. Shiva is by far more useful at the moment than either Valefor, Ifrit or Ixion and Bahamut is more than capable of defending himself, so spend a few power spheres improving Shiva's strength and HP.

Once you enter the fenced area your party will split up into individuals again and a dude called Father Zuke will appear, who will tell you that Yevon has accused you of murdering Maester Kinoc (when Seymour did it) and that you're "enemies of Yevon". Ooooh, scary. As if half the entire army of Bevelle, a Maester, and an "inescapable dungeon" could stop you. Anyway, talk with the scantlily-clad lady behind the bench if you want to buy any items (buy 20 Holy Waters - this is an investment for later when you'll have to deal with the Zombie and Curse status effects) and use the Save Sphere to save your game. Talk with everyone then leave the fenced area. Check around the back of it to find a Level 2 Key Sphere in a chest.

Now, make the long trek across the enormous Calm Lands to the entrance almost directly east of the fenced area (don't go northeast towards the blinking red arrow yet). Here's the Monster Arena, which will become important towards the end of the game (you're getting pretty close). Talk to the guy and say you'll help him. You have to capture one of every species of fiend in the Calm Lands first, and then you can buy capturing weapons off him afterwards. They're 9075 apiece which is one of the reasons I told you not to buy some of the other stuff back at the mobile Rin's Travel Agency. Buy Tidus', Wakka's, and Auron's capturing weapons, and the first thing you should do after that is spend one Level 2 Key Sphere to customise Piercing onto Auron's Beastmaster taming weapon. Some of the abilities that you can customise onto the other taming weapons aren't available yet or you don't have enough items to customise it, so don't bother customising anything else onto them (things like Evade & Counter, Magic Counter, First Strike or Deathstrike are more preferrable abilities that you shouldn't spend items on making just yet). If you want you can also customise Sensor onto Wakka's Catcher, but leave Tidus' free for First Strike/Deathstrike when you can customise it.