Final Fantasy II


 * This article is about the Final Fantasy II originally released for the Nintendo Famicom (NES) and later ported to the PS1 as part of Final Fantasy Origins and to the GBA as part of Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls. For information regarding the game originally released in the US as Final Fantasy 2 on the SNES, see Final Fantasy IV.

Final Fantasy II was the second game in the Final Fantasy series, however it was not localized to the US until 2002. Unlike the original game (and all future ones), Final Fantasy II characters did not gain experience in the traditional sense. Instead of earning points at the end of a fight that can be applied to gaining a level, specific stats increased based on fighting style. If a character used weapons, their strength would increase, using magic would increase MP and magic strength, taking damage would raise maximun HP, and so on. While this style of gameplay would not be used in any other Final Fantasy, it would be used by Square in the SaGa series and Threads of Fate.

Squaresoft bundled the game with Final Fantasy I when they re-released the game several times with Final Fantasy I-II, Final Fantasy Origins for the Playstation, and most recently, Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls for the Game Boy Advance.

FAQ

 * How do I upgrade my character's class?
 * You'll need the Rat's Tale which you can find in the Citadel of Trials. Once you acquire it from the chest, you have to take it to Bahamut's Cave in the Cardia Islands. If you don't know where these islands are, they're the group of islands between the North Eastern and North Western continents.


 * Why can't I find some of the monsters listed in the bestiary?
 * Some of the monsters are rarer than others. I'll eventually get around to listing those particular enemies, but for now, you should check one of the other guides for information on them.


 * Where's the best place to level up?
 * The easiest way to level up is to battle the Evil Eye in the Ice Cave. It doesn't have much HP, it gives lots of experience, it appears on a spiked square, and you can kill it easily. Kill it over and over again and you'll get lots of experience for the time you put into it.


 * Why don't you list the locations of the enemies in the Bestiary?
 * Because I'm lazy right now but I'll eventually get around to it. Some of the other FFO guides have that information.

Controls
X Button       : Talk. Examine objects
 * Town/Dungeon

Circle Button  : Run

Triangle Button : Opens the Main menu

X Button       : Confirm selected option
 * Menu

Circle Button  : Cancel selected option

X Button       : Get in or out of vehicles
 * Field Map

Circle Button  : Press together with the Start Button to display the map

Triangle Button : Opens the Main menu

Square Button  : Shortcut to the Magic menu from the field map

L1 Button      : Shortcut to the Items menu from the field map

L2 Button      : Shortcut to the Equipment menu from the field map

R1 Button      : Shortcut to the Status menu from the field map

R2 Button      : Shortcut to the Formation menu from the field map

Start Button   : Press together with the Circle Button to display the map. Opens the Main menu

Characters
He is adopted by Leon's parents as a child and grows up with Leon and Maria as part of their family. They lose their parents when the imperial army of Palamecia attacks the kingdom of Fynn. Firion decides to avenge their deaths by joining the rebel movement against the empire.
 * Firion

He possesses enormous discipline and physical strength. Despite appearances, he is very gentle and occasionally naive. He is also capable of communicating with animals.
 * Gus

She worries constantly about her brother Leon when he disappears. Even so, she remains steadfast in her fight against the empire.
 * Maria

He is Maria's brother, and Firion's adopted brother and best friend. Leon loses his parents when the empire attacks Fynn. He escapes with Firion, Maria, and Gus, but imperial soldiers soon catch up to them and attack. He has been missing ever since.
 * Leon

Gameplay
Levelling in this game isn't as straightforward as in the more mainstream FF games. There is no EXP in this game but when you fight enemies and satisfy any of the conditions below, you will gain points in that stat.
 * Leveling Basics

When a stat increases several times, another stat will decrease.
 * Strength is raised by attacking physically
 * Endurance is raised by losing HP by taking damage in combat
 * Spirit is raised by using white magic
 * Intelligence is raised by using black magic
 * Magic is raised by casting spells, or losing MP
 * Accuracy is raised by attacking with weapons
 * Evasion is raised by being a target of a physical attack
 * Agility is raised by being a target of a physical attack
 * Magic Defense is raised by being the target of spells and special abilities


 * When Strength increases, Intelligence decreases
 * When Intelligence increases, Endurance decreases
 * When Spirit increases, Strength decreases

Ok, you've played the game for awhile and you've probably decided that it's pretty tough to raise your stats quick enough to not get bored. There ARE ways to raise your stats quicker, a few of them unintentional I would think, and others that are legitimate. If you're a straight-laced by-the-book type of person you'll probably want to ignore this part.
 * Abusing the Leveling System

Swap Spell - Here's a great spell and it's available early in the game. Use it on a weak enemy and defeat it. You'll gain quite a bit.

Attacking Party Members - An unintentional but quick and dirty way to raise certain stats. This will raise the beaten up character's HP. Simply attack your other party members until they are in critical. You do this with magic as well to raise stats associated with this as well but there's an easier way.

Select/Cancel - Another unintentional cheat but excellent for raising your weapon level. Select a target, confirm, and then cancel when the next character's turn comes around. You can also do this for magic.


 * Magic Basics
 * Discard: Spells that cannot be discarded are darkened in the menu.


 * Use: Use the directional buttons to select a caster, a spell, and a target if applicable. Press the X Button to confirm each selection. Note that not all spells can be used via the Magic menu.


 * Drop: If you want to drop a spell, select it with the directional buttons and press the X Button, then select the "Discard" command and press the X Button to confirm.


 * Learning Magic: You can purchase spell scrolls from magic shops or find them in treasure chests. Use them in the "Items" menu to learn magic spells. Every character can learn up to sixteen spells at a time. If their spells slots are full and they want to learn another spell, they must first drop a spell via the "Discard" command.

Prologue
In a distant land...

The peace long enjoyed by the people came to a crashing end.

The emperor of Palamecia summoned fiends from another dimension...

And the empire launched it's campaign for world conquest.

In the ensuing clash between rebel and empire, Castle Fynn was taken.

The rebels were forced to the remote town of Altair.

Amidst the chaos, four youths also fled the occupied Fynn.

They were childhood friends, now orphaned and homeless.

And they suddenly found themselves running for their lives.

CHAPTER 1: ON THE RUN
You'll start the game running from several imperial soldiers, Black Knights to be exact. The Black Knights will start to catch up and then more of them will appear to the far left, cornering you like a rat. You'll enter a battle at this point. There's no point trying to fight because there's no way you can possibly win. Just start attacking (you'll most likely do no damage at all) and wait for them to kill your characters off one by one. It won't take long because each Black Knight will do well over 500 damage to each character. After your party gets pummeled into submission, you'll end up in a room. No game over. Yay!

The two people in the room will talk for awhile and then leave, at which point you can control the guy, Firion to be exact. Exit this room and then go into the next one to find the throne room. Talk to the person on the throne and she'll give you a keyword ~ WILD ROSE. Memorize it and then exit the building. Well, the first thing you should do is to either get some equipment or some scrolls so you can learn a new spell (Cure is preferable). Either way, you're going to have to go outside and battle for awhile to raise some Gil and your stats. Stay reasonably close to the town for awhile and kill some enemies.

Head North when you're ready but travel inland and away from the coastal region. You'll find the town of Gatria around here if you need to cure your party along the way. Continue North to find your destination, the occupied town of Fynn. When you enter here, DON'T talk to anyone unless you feel like getting mauled by more Black Knights. Head to the North side of Fynn and then step one square beyond the wall and start walking clockwise around to the South East corner where the pub is located. Enter it.

Inside, there are a bunch of surly soldiers from Palamecia. Don't talk to them either, instead, make your way to the top right corner and talk to the guy behind the table. Tell him the keyword, WILD ROSE, and he'll let you enter the hidden passage behind him. Follow the path until you get to a room with a bed and talk to the guy in it. He'll tell you he's the prince the guy in Altair was talking about and that he's mortally wounded. He'll give you a ring as a final gesture and then expire. Sniff, so sad. Exit the pub and make your way back to Altair to give the Prince's brother the bad news.