Final Fantasy/The Temple of Chaos

'The present plague of the four Fiends has been diminished, and the crystals have been lit. The Fiends, however, had been redirecting their power into the past through the Black Crystal. To end the cycle of evil, the Warriors of Light must use the power of the crystals to travel back 2000 years. There, they will face the root of all evil, Chaos, in an attempt to change the future.'

Return to Crescent Lake
Having defeated Tiamat, it should become apparent that the game is not yet over. Only the Circle of Sages in Crescent Lake know what to do next. Speak to them at once and learn about the power that controls the world from 2000 years in the past. The Temple of Fiends is revealed as a Time Gate that can be used if the four crystals shine.

Return to Mt. Duegar
Go back to Mt. Duegar and talk to the Dwarf smith at the top of the cave. He'll be very excited to see that you have Adamantite, and he'll make you a rare sword: the Excalibur. Make sure you get the sword before continuing on to the final mission. The Excalibur is the most powerful sword in the NES version (the third-most powerful weapon besides the Ultima Weapon and the Ragnarok in the DoS version). However, only Knights can wield it.

Supplies for the Temple of Chaos
Before embarking on your final quest, take some time to prepare. Travel back to Gaia, Onrac or Crescent Lake to max out your inventory. The Temple of Chaos is a length dungeon—in the NES version take along 99 Heals and 99 Pures, and in all others bring 99 Hi-Potions and 99 Ethers. Also consider buying four Protect Rings from Gaia if you don't already have them for everyone. Hopefully, you will already have found all three Ribbons and equipped them.

Magic and Power
Use some of your downtime to travel the world and buy the spells you couldn't afford previously, like Flare, Holy, Full-life, and Exit. To be sure that you are prepared for the upcoming battles ahead, it would be best to make sure that your party members are sufficiently leveled. The high 20s will make the game challenging but beatable, the low 30s will be fairly balanced, and the high 30s will near guarantee that you can succeed. Finally, stay at an inn and when you're ready, head to the center of the world map.

Temple of Chaos
The time has come for the Light Warriors to rid the world of the cause of the decay. Once the four crystals are lit, the Black Crystal in the center of the Chaos Shrine will transport your party back 2000 years to the Temple of Chaos. It will also be possible to speak with the five bats, or rather, the five transformed Sky Warriors, who remain trapped in the Chaos Shrine. Speak to them and learn what they have discovered.

Only the strongest enemies are in the Temple now, including all four of the elemental fiends. Another point to remember is that the only way out is to use the White Wizard's Exit spell or the Black or Red Wizard's Teleport (NES: Warp) from the 1st Floor. It's easy to get lost in the temple. Use the maps on this page to avoid running into dead ends.

Floor 1
When you step outside the door after your time traveling journey to the past, it may not immediately appear that you've gone anywhere. The first floor of the temple certainly looks the same, but a short investigation will reveal important differences. For one thing, the exit to the outside world is blocked. For that matter, so is the entire upper portion of the castle. Only the lower corners are available. The lower left corner has a staircase ( A ) which leads down into the first basement. However, it dead-ends in an empty room, and does not help you explore deeper into the temple. The other staircase in the lower right corner ( B ) takes you up to the second floor where you will be able to make more progress.

The strongest of the evil creatures have been gathered to prevent adventurers from penetrating the Temple of Fiends. There are many from which you cannot escape. White Dragons are common on the 1st Floor of the Temple of Chaos. Dispose of them quickly, before they have a chance to attack you with the deadly Ice Storm spell (NES: Blizzard). The Flame Armor and Ribbon can help protect you from the bitter cold. White Dragons are vulnerable to both Lightning and Fire, but you can usually take them out using strong physical attacks. Flare can melt them, but you may wish to save this powerful attack for more dangerous enemies.

Floor 2
For your first visit to this floor, you'll have little choice but to cross to the right, from B to C. This floor can help score you lots of experience points. The Rhyos (NES: Jimera) is located here and they offer over 4,500 EXP each. Winter Wolves (NES: Frost Wolves) and Chimera will belt you with Frost (Ice2) and Cremate (Fir2) spells respectively. However, Ribbons can protect you from these onslaughts. The Mage Staff which auto-casts Fira will be very helpful against the Winter Wolves. Zombie Dragons, Dark Flan (NES: Slime), Ice Gigas (NES: Frost Giant) and even an elusive Vampire Lord (NES: WzVamp) roam this area. All are susceptible to Fire and all give healthy doses of Experience. You don't want to allow multiple rounds to pass as each of these enemies can take huge chunks of HP per round. Not to worry. Another floor will offer a richer ground for gaining experience. If you cannot successfully penetrate very deep into the Temple, this Floor will give you an opportunity to gain experience. Just keep WARP or EXIT handy if you get in too much trouble.

Floor 3
The Black Knights (Badmen) who roam the third floor offer an opportunity for healing. They attack in groups of 5 to 9. Reduce their numbers to a single fighter but keep that one alive. Use your Healing Staff and Healing Helmets to recover HP. A solitary Black Knight cannot inflict as much damage as 2 or 3 healing spells. Once your party has recovered dispose of him and continue on with your quest. The Green (Gas) Dragon's poisonous breath could wipe out your party. Once again, a Ribbon can prevent that, along with the Protera spell.

Make your way from C to the lower portion of the floor, and travel up the middle in order the enter the center room. There you will be forced into a fight with a Death Eye (Phantom). It is vulnerable to Fire and Dia. Try to eliminate it before it uses Gaze, a powerful spell that can be fatal. Use Haste on your best fighting warrior to quickly dispatch the Death Eye. Once it is defeated, stand before the plate at point D and play the Lute that you received from Sarah all the way at the beginning of the game. The passageway to the next area will open.

From D, you will climb back down to the second floor, which will enable you to explore far more of the floor. The exit route is through staircase E in the upper left corner. This places you in the upper right corner of the first floor. Cross over to staircase F in the upper left corner, to continue down to the first basement level.

Basement 1: Earth
This floor is filled with creatures from the Earth Cave. Against the Green Medusa you should first use Silence (Mute), then a Fira spell. Have Gold Needles (Soft) ready for warriors who are turned to stone. Against Earth Elementals, Firaga works well but so does lightening. Be sure you've brought your Mage Staff, Thor's Hammer and/or Zeus Gauntlets. Clay Golems (MudGols) can be escaped from by running away.

At this point in the game, you should have the Healing Staff and two Healing Helms. Though it may seem tedious to use the two items during battle, it will be necessary to make your MP last. When you encounter a relatively weak enemy, have three of your party members use your three healing items each turn, then spend the fourth party member's turn using a non-attack item like the Giant's Gloves (Power Gauntlet). Doing this for four or five rounds should max out your HP without sacrificing any MP.

Lich is waiting for you at the top of stairway G which leads to the second basement floor.

Lich, the Fiend of Earth, is back and stronger than before. He now has the ability to cast Flare (NES: Nuke) on your party, inflicting 300 to over 350 HP per member per cast; that's if your team has Ribbons. If not the damage will be greater. With Ribbons, NulBlaze will do little to save you. Use STOP to freeze Lich in time. If you're lucky and your Black Wizard can cast this before Lich casts Flare, you might be spared. Then turn the tables on him by having your White Wizard cast Diaja or Holy (NES: Fade), which will damage Lich severely. Use Haste or Sabre to increase a party member's physical attack power. In Dawn of Souls or Anniversary Edition, if you come across a Red Curtain, an item that casts NulBlaze, save it for the battle with Lich, especially if you do not have Ribbons.
 * HP: NES - 500, DoS - 3200
 * Experience Points: 2000
 * Gil: 1

Basement 2: Fire
Here on the second basement level, you'll run into a multitude of fire monsters familiar to you from the Mt. Gulg volcano. Most of them are vulnerable to Ice Spells, although physical attacks work almost as well. Use the battles against weaker enemies to heal your party with the Healing Helm and Healing Staff in preparation for the upcoming boss battle. NulBlaze, a spell that wards off Fire attacks, and the Red Curtain (DoS/AE) will be effective in this part of the Temple of Chaos.

Treasures such as the Protect Ring, Protect Cloak (ProCape), and Sasuke's Blade (Katana) are also kept here. Be sure to grab the Protect Cloak; it is the only item you can equip in the Shield slot of the Black and White Wizard, and it increases their Defense substantially. You should already have one from the Flying Fortress, but a second will be just as useful as the first. Another Protect Ring may not be as helpful, but the discovery of Sasuke's Blade will be a welcome find. Like the Excalibur for a Knight, Sasuke's Blade is only for a Ninja, and is the second best weapon he can hold.

Round two with Marilith (Kary) is more difficult, mostly because she is no longer vulnerable to spells such as Silence and Sleep. Marilith can cast a wide array of attack spells, including Death. Take her out quickly with strong physical attacks. Try casting Confuse—if it connects, Marilith will attach herself for a few rounds, making your job easier.
 * HP: NES - 700, DoS - 3700
 * Experience Points: 2000
 * Gil: 1

Basement 3: Water
On the third basement level, you'll encounter large groups of water-based enemies weak to Lightning. Use Zeus' Gauntlets and Thor's Hammer to cast Thundara (Lit2) and keep the sea creatures at bay. This should take out the whole group without wasting any MP.

Unlike previous Fiends, Kraken is not in front of the stairs. You'll encounter him in the hallway before you reach the stairs. Once you defeat him, keep moving toward the stairs, If you back track, you'll trigger an encounter with Kraken again and be forced into another battle with him.

In your second encounter with Kraken, he will no longer be vulnerable to Lightning. Use the Giant's Gloves (Power Gauntlet) and caste Haste on your fighters to deal increased physical damage. Be prepared to cast Blindna (Lamp) on any party member who are afflicted with Darkness from Kraken's Ink ability. Use the Healing Staff and Healing Helm to keep your fighters healthy.
 * HP: NES - 1000, DoS - 4500
 * Experience Points: 2000
 * Gil: 1

Basement 4: Air
Three important elements are found here on the fourth basement level. First is the Masmune, the most powerful sword in the game, which any warrior can wield with spectacular results. Second is Tiamat, who waits for you in the corridor linking the top two square areas. Third is the portal to the lowest temple level where the final enemy awaits your arrival.
 * A : Masmune

Take the long detour on the map to obtain the Masmune. This sword is more powerful than Excalibur, and it can be equipped to more character classes. If you have a Ninja or Red Wizard, give the Masmune to him to greatly increase his value as a fighter. Alternatively, consider giving it to your White Wizard so she can deal significant damage to foes during rounds when she isn't needed to heal or protect the rest of the party.

This is the level where you can gain the greatest amount of experience to level up. Purple Worms (NES: Worm) often attach in 4s and will give over 4300 EXP each. The highly elusive Iron Golem lives only on this floor, offering over 6700 EXP each. Battles with the Stone Golem (NES: RockGol) offer an opportunity to regain much needed HP between more intense battles. Beware the Mindflayer! (NES: Sorcerer). Cast ARUB to ensure protection against their attacks. Their very touch can kill you, even if you are wearing a Protect Ring.

You'll encounter Tiamat in the hallway between staircases I and J. She has no particular weaknesses, so be patient while trying to reduce her HP. Use powered-up physical attacks from your fighters, as well as Flare and other powerful spells from a Black or Red Wizard. Have your White Wizard cast Protera on your party to reduce Tiamat's attack damage. Diligence is the key to defeating the beast.
 * HP: NES - 1300, DoS - 5500
 * Experience Points: 2000
 * Gil: 1

Basement 5
At last, on the deepest level of the temple, the ruler of the fiends awaits. Chaos is staggeringly powerful and has virtually every useful magic spell in the book. No enemies will randomly attack you on this floor. Prepare for your battle with Chaos by using your remaining Potions and Ethers (if available) to max out your HP and MP. Equip the most powerful weapons and armor, keeping in mind that Chaos is not vulnerable to anything, nor does he cast spells that affect your status. He does, however, cast a variety of elemental spells, so be prepared to protect your party against the elements. Understand that luck plays a big part of the battle as well.

When you arrive in the inner sanctum, you will be greeted by none other than… Garland? It's true, the knight you battled and defeated so long ago will be alive, thanks to the power being fed to him by the four fiends in the future. He will summon them to the world, only to be brought back to the past, creating an endless loop in time. Unless the cycle is broken, the world will be destroyed. After presenting you with his explanation of events, he will transform into Chaos, and the battle will begin.

Chaos
To survive Chaos, you must steel yourself for a long battle. The monstrosity casts a variety of unique elemental spells (except in the original NES version), including Blaze and Tsunami. Decrease the damage done to your party by casting NulAll, as well as NulBlaze, NulShock, and NulFrost. To keep your party healthy, you'll need to cast Healara almost every round. Chaos has the power to take a party member out in one hit, so be ready to use the Full-Life spell or a Phoenix Down. On the offensive front, strengthen your physical attacks with Saber and Haste, and attack incessantly. Spells such as Holy and Flare will be effective, but your magic will likely be better utilized by healing and protecting your party. Occasionally, Chaos may heal himself completely—keep hacking away until victory is yours.
 * HP: NES - 2,500 DoS - 18,000
 * Experience Points: 0
 * Gil: 0