Final Fantasy III/The Airship Nautilus

''The newly appointed King Alus of Saronia thanks the Warriors of Light for putting an end to the civil war. As a token of gratitude, he gifts them with a new and powerful airship, the Nautilus. Thanks to its great speed, the Nautilus can fly against te strong wind currents from the canyon in the Dalg continent: a new area is open for exploration.''

Suggested party for this chapter:
 * Dragoon
 * Evoker
 * DS Scholar or NES Ranger (white magic users)
 * Geomancer (extremely effective underwater)

Before the dungeon
Let's summarize the equipment found for free in the last few quests:
 * full equipment for the Dragoon (two different spellcasting spears, armor, helm);
 * full equipment for the Viking (spellcasting hammer, armor, helm);
 * full equipment for the Geomancer (status-inflicting bell, armor, power bracers);
 * some rare arrows for the Ranger.

The next dungeon is miniaturized, so physical attacks will be useless. Not only that, status-inflicting weapons (Earth bell, Medusa arrows) are uneffective, too. You definitely need as much magic as you can.

Keep one Dragoon equipped with spellcasting Wind & Thunder Spears but no shield, keep the Scholar (DS) or the Ranger (NES) for healing, get the Geomancer for his Terrain ability. Finally, head to Replito and purchase the five summon spells for the Evoker: even the Chocobo Escape will be useful in a miniaturized dungeon. For the rest, the Evoker equips the same rods and armor parts as the Black Mage.

Saronia in peace
Before leaving Saronia onboard the Nautilus, purchase some equipment for the Evoker: one Light Rod for weapon, then both the Black robe and the White robe. These two robes improve the wearer's intelligence or spirit, respectively, therefore they slightly unbalance the outcome of the Evoker's Summons towards one end.

Items shaded in gray can be found for free, therefore there is no need to purchase them. There is a second magic shop in NW Saronia, but it just sells Lv.3 spells, that could already be purchased long ago, in Gysahl.

Replito
Hop onto the nautilus and head to Replito. This town is north-west of Saronia. If you want to level-up your characters a bit, you can land just north of Saronia and walk all they way to Replito in the north-west.

In Replito you can purchase five Summon spells for the Evoker. There are some free items hidden here and there.

Duster
South-East of Saronia is the island of Duster. In this town you can purchase two feather hats for the Geomancer and the Evoker. There are two Earthen Drums to be found in the grass. There is no need to purchase any other weapon or armor now: better ones will be found for free very soon. Later, you will come back here to purchase a Bard vest.

Doga's manor
Fly south from Duster and get to the Dalg continent. On its south-west end is the entrance to the windy canyon that leads to Doga's manor. In the manor you can buy Level 6 magic. From the manor the next dungeon can be accessed.

Cave of the Magic Circle
A miniaturized dungeon, that is the Warriors of Light must be miniaturized to navigate it.

Enter, explore one floor to find the shortest route through it, then exit, rest and re-enter to explore deeper. Some enemies are weak against Wind, so the Dragoon's wind spear will be useful. Luckily, there is no boss at the end. The Magic Circle at the end allows to enchant the airship Nautilus for underwater travel.

Temple of Time


Underwater dungeon. It is located south-west of Saronia. It conceals the Magic Lute necessary to wake up Unei. There are many locked doors and also a good knife for the Thief, so you may consider temporarily switching one character to this class. There's no boss at the end.

Exploring the sea bottom
All these areas can only be accessed from underwater. They are optional, but lots of very useful items can be found in them.

Doga's village
Optional area. You can buy Level 7 magic spells here. Access from underwater on the east side of Dorga's continent.

Sunken Cave


Optional underwater dungeon. It is located under an island east of Goldor's manor. It contains several useful pieces of equipment, including strong weapons for the Dragoon and the Viking.


 * Level 2:
 * Dual tomahawk
 * Defender sword (NES), Chackram (DS)
 * Diamond shield (NES), Tiger claws (DS)
 * Level 3:
 * Loki harp
 * Ancient sword
 * Air knife
 * Black hole (NES), Cognitome (DS)
 * Bacchus' wine (NES), Metal knuckles (DS)
 * Diamond shield
 * Diamond armor
 * Diamond helm
 * Diamond gloves
 * Diamond bracers
 * Phoenix down
 * Elixir
 * Secret room on level 3:
 * Blood spear (NES), Trident (DS); guarded by Peryton
 * Triton hammer; guarded by Eater
 * Aegis shield; guarded by Zombie Dragon
 * Reflect armor; guarded by Death Claw

Saronia Catacombs


Optional underwater dungeon. It is located, quite predictably, in the sea near Saronia. Defeat the boss, Odin, to obtain a Summon spell.


 * Level 3:
 * Golem staff
 * Diamond bell (NES), Rune bell (DS)
 * Gaea robe (NES), Heavy lance (DS)
 * Aegis shield
 * Reflect armor
 * Level 4, secret room:
 * 4 Elixirs, each guarded by a Ouroboros
 * 4 Phoenix Downs, each guarded by a Cenchos

BOSS: Odin

 * Steal from Odin: potion (NES), Gungnir lance (DS)
 * Defeat Odin: win Odin Summon