Final Fantasy II/Mission to Mysidia

The time has come for you to visit the town of Mysidia. To reach it, you must travel south from Fynn, and then follow the stretch of land that travels west for a bit before continuing south. Travel all the way down until you cross a river. Mysidia is nestled into a mountain range that runs from southwest to northeast. Be careful, however, as the land around Mysidia is home to some of the strongest overworld enemies that the game has to offer. If you haven't been strengthening your team, travel to Mysidia will be quite difficult. You will want to have your ship nearby, so it's a good idea to sail as close to Mysidia as you can from any direction. As an added benefit, it will cut down on how many dangerous enemies you will have to face.

Mysidia
Mysidia is home to a clan of powerful mages who are very informed about the world and its secrets. You will learn a surprising amount from its citizens just by talking to them. For one, you will learn that Minwu was there, but recently departed for Mysidia Tower. You will also learn that in addition to the two masks, you need the Crystal Rod in order to enter the tower. Another mage informs you that you can find the Black Mask on a small island somewhere in the middle of the sea.

However, the most informative location of all happens to be a small house near the souther edge of town which contains a bookshelf. If you walk up to this bookshelf and interact with you, you will have the opportunity to inquire about any key term you have learned. For example, you can learn that mages feared the power of the Ultima spell, so they sealed it within a great tower. You will learn the way to utilize both the White and Black masks. You can even ask it about Dragoons and Wyverns, as well as the Goddess Bell and Sunfire. Learn as much as you can before leaving the building.

The shopping in Mysidia is some of the best that any town in the game has to offer. In addition to having very powerful armor and weapons, it boasts a spell shop with five counters, each offering four spells for purchase. One counter in particular offers four very powerful spells that are found nowhere else.

However, the most important location in all of Mysidia might be the small stair case found on the little grass island in the middle of the lake. If you wander down these stairs, and follow the underground path, it will lead you to a statue. If you've been listening to the citizens and reading the books in the library, you might suspect that this is statue that you are meant to place the White Mask on. Indeed if you walk up to it and examine it, you will be given the opportunity to interact with it. Choose the White Mask and it will fit on the statue. Now you must proceed to find the Black Mask.

Tropical island
Your next destination is the small island in the middle of the ocean that one of the mages in Mysidia mentioned. Finding it without viewing the World Map by pressing is considerably difficult. One easy method of finding it is determining the position of Salamand on the map, and then traveling due north from the coast of the snowfield above Salamand. Once you reach the island, there's nothing else to do but step into the cave. Compared to caves that you've visited in the past, this one contains far more branches and paths that weave between floors. It's easy to get lost if you don't keep track of how you got to each floor. There are many treasures in this cave, and although a majority of them are natural remedies made from the vegetation that grows throughout the island, you'll also find many important key-items if you look hard enough.

The enemies are not too fearsome, and primarily consist of certain sets. You'll encounter a number of Dual Heads and Dual Deads, as well as groups of Wererats and Stunners. Neither of these should present a big problem, but you will also encounter groups of Red Mousses and Yellow Jellies. These blobs are very resistant to physical attacks. Red Mousses are weak against Thunder magic while Yellow Jellies are weak against Fire. While it's easy to cast these spells to get rid of them, the frequency with which you run into them may cause you to use up your magic faster than you'd like, so consider running away from them if your agility is high enough. Deeper down in the cave, you'll encounter slightly stronger enemies such as Wild Horns and Poison Toads.

The first floor is contains a number of small rooms off the central area, many of which contain a treasure chest, but there is one single staircase down to the second floor. Once you reach the second floor, you have to walk up along the left side. In the upper left corner, you'll see a treasure chest above a staircase. If you take this staircase, and follow the path it leads to all the way to its conclusion, you will wind up in a closed off section in the middle of the island where a group of natives live. They all wear masks, and some comment on the fact that the Black Mask is their treasure, and they've hidden it below the island so you can't find it. There are also two tribe members who will actually sell you some items, though none of the equipment is as good as the equipment available in Mysidia.

Once you're done in the hidden village, return to the second floor and wind your way around the rest of the floor, picking up the two Blind Tomes and Scourge Tomes from the treasure chests along the way, until you reach the other stair case to the third floor right near the center of the map. From where you arrive on the third floor, you'll have little choice but to walk up and around the path above to the next staircase. This staircase deposits you on the fourth floor, where you will have many more options to choose from.
 * Take the staircase directly below the one you arrived from to climb back up to the third floor and find a treasure chest which contains a Phoenix Down along with a forced encounter with a group of undead enemies.
 * Take the staircase in the upper left corner to be taken to a small dead-end room on the fifth floor which contains a Death Idol
 * Take the staircase in the lower right corner to begin a long convoluted path that takes you back up to the third floor, then down to the fourth floor, and ultimately to the bottom portion of the fifth floor where you will find three treasure chests grouped together along the left. One of these chests contains an important item; the Earth Drum (or Gaia Drum), which is guarded by some monsters (Wild Horns and Poison Toads). Alternatively you can buy an Earth/Gaia Drum from the Tropical Island shop.

Finally, from the fourth floor, take the staircase closest to the upper right corner to be taken down to the large room that occupies most of the fifth floor. In this room, you'll find a chest containing a Sleep Tome, and a door which leads to a new room. In this room, a chest can be seen guarded by some kind of beast. That beast turns out to be four Big Horns, stronger versions of the Wild Horns that you've faced throughout the cave. They have no special attack, they are simply strong and powerful. Give yourself as much of an advantage as you can by casting Blink, Protect, and even Berserk, and heal any damage they cause with Cure. Focus on one Big Horn at a time until they are all removed. Then approach the chest to find the Black Mask. If you are satisfied, you can walk up the corridor to the warp tile which will instantly teleport you to the outside.

Mysidian cave
The cave of Mysidia has two very important features. First, along with the Crystal Rod, you can find some incredibly useful Black Magic Tomes here that aren't available anywhere else in the game. Second, there are many seemingly inaccessible chests behind walls, but every chest can in fact be obtained provided you find the fake wall that you can walk through in order to reach the chest. If you see one, know that you can get it as long as you test every portion of the wall around it. The cave contains a number of powerful enemies that can cause status change problems for you, so proceed carefully, and make sure you have someone who can cast Esuna and Basuna at level 5 or above.


 * Floor 1:From the entrance, climb the steps to the left, and walk all the way down the top of the floor until you can climb down into a small chamber below. Open the chest to obtain a Gold Hairpin, then return to the top of the floor.  Come down the middle and investigate the chest in the small chamber to the right to find the Black Garb.  Now make your way to the lower left corner of the floor in order to climb down some steps, and walk to the right until you find the Doppelganger, a literal clone of Firion.  As long as you have already placed the White Mask on the statue in Mysidia, you will be able to place the Black Mask on this Doppelganger and proceed.


 * Floor 2:The door which leads to the next floor is found in the lower left corner again. But before you head there, search the floor for two powerful weapons.  In the top center chamber, you will find a Power Staff.  Another chest resides in the upper right corner of the map, but it looks to be enclosed by the walls.  There is a fake wall near the bottom that you can pass through.  Do so and you can collect the Flame Lance from the chest.


 * Floor 3:Two more powerful weapons can be found on this floor. When you arrive, walk through the water and take the steps up and out of the initial chamber.  A chest in the upper left corner looks blocked in, but once again, you can find a hidden entrance along the right wall to access the chest and obtain the Ice Bow.  Then you must head to the right side of the floor, and walk down the right side to reach the lower portion of the floor.  From here, you can cross a body of water to find a chest containing the Ogrekiller Axe.  However, examining this chest forces you into a fight with a set of Bombs.  Then head left along the bottom until you can head up and around to the stairs that lead to the next floor.


 * Floor 4:You don't get a lot of choices here, you must walk south along the left portion of the room until you can enter the narrow corridor in the middle which divides the floor. Head left and up when you enter this corridor and follow it around until you can access the right portion.  The chest near the steps contains a Potion, and you can enter the middle of the three doors along the left to find some more status healing items.  Then proceed to the lower right corner of the floor to find the stairs to the next floor.


 * Floor 5: As soon as you arrive on the final floor, you should immediately notice a chest to the right. Examine it to locate the Drain Tome, but doing so will force you into a fight against a set of Ghosts, all of whom can demonstrate what Drain can do by absorbing your HP.  Your ultimate destination is in the upper left corner of the room, but if you have enough energy and supplies to last a while longer, there are five chests in the chamber along the right portion of the floor.  A hidden entrance can be found along the right wall of the chamber.  In the lone chest on the bottom, you will find the Mini Tome.  In the original Famicom version of the game, all four chests along the top contained Potions, but in the remakes, they also included High Potions and an Ether as well.


 * Make your way to the door in the upper left corner of the fifth floor, and you find a room with three treasure chests. In the chests, you'll find a second Drain Tome, as well as an Osmose Tome, and the purpose for your visit: the Cyrstal Rod.  The rod is the key to accessing the Mysidian Tower, but you should return to Mysidia to replenish your health and supplies.