Final Fantasy/The Crystal of Air: Difference between revisions

'''''The Warriors of Light must take to the sky on their quest to light the remaining crystal. With the help of the Lufenians, descendants of the legendary Sky People, the warriors will gain access to the Mirage Tower, a portal in the desert. From there, they can warp to the Sky Fortress and view the world from another perspective before facing off with Tiamat, the Fiend of Wind.'''''

[[Image:Final Fantasy 1 map cave Waterfall.png|frame|left|Waterfall Cave]]

Behind the cascade of falling mist lies a deep cavern with many winding passages. Here you must go to solve the mystery of the U.F.O. seen in Onrac. Enter the river near Onrac and travel north straight into the waterfall. As you approach the treasure room, be prepared to fight Cockatrices and Pyrolisks—the latter can knock out party members in a single turn. Some enemies like the Green (Gas) Dragon are extremely dangerous, while others like the Clay Golem (MudGol) are easy to run away from.

Talk to the robot inside the treasure room. It will mention something about a flying fortress and give you the key item called the [[Final Fantasy/Key items#Warp Cube|Warp Cube]], which you'll need later in the game. You'll also find two more usable pieces of equipment. The Wizard Staff will cast Confuse on all of your enemies when used in battle. The Defender (Defense) sword will cast Blink on the user for added protection. To avoid the frustration of all of the side paths, Exit or Teleport will instantly remove the problem.

[[Image:Final Fantasy 1 map town Lefein.png|frame|right|Town of Lufenia]]

Lufenia, the Wing of the Hawk, is located south of Gaia. There is only one small area on which to land your airship to reach Lufenia. It is located to the north, near a small lake. Set the airship down on a tiny square of unforested grassland, then battle your way south toward Lufenia.

If you visit Lufenia before taking the Rosetta Stone to Dr. Unne, it could be a frustrating trip. The fact is that the people of Lufenia speak an ancient language which has been forgotten everywhere else in the world. Return to Melmond with the Rosetta Stone from the Sunken Shrine. Show the stone to Dr. Unne, who's wandering the graveyard in the northeast part of town. He will be able to decipher a Lufenian puzzle, and in return will teach your party to understand the cryptic language.

Four hundred years ago Tiamat, the Fiend of the Wind, stole the power of the wind from the Lufenian Sky Warriors. Now she resides high above the Earth in the realm of stars. Perhaps the Lufenian robots still operate the complex machinery that suspends the castle in space. The Light Warriors must find the entrance to the Sky Castle somewhere in the Mirage Tower.

The legend of the four warriors precedes them. A Lufenian in the southeast part of town will give you the [[Final Fantasy/Key items#Bell|Chime]], a key item that enables you to enter Mirage Tower. Only the precise harmonic tones of the Chime will open the door to the Mirage Tower. Head to the desert west of Lufenia to use the Chime and enter the tower.

East of the desert is a small plot of grass just wide enough for an Airship to make a landing. As you cross the sands, Tyrannosaur (T Rex), Allosaurus (Tyro), and Desert Baretta (Ankylo) attack. All three provide high amounts of experience points, but Tyranosaurs have a lot of HP, and the thick hide of the Desert Baretta makes it incredibly tough to damage.

The journey through Mirage Tower and the Flying Fortress is long. Go in prepared with plenty of Cottages (Houses). If you get low on HP and MP, use the Exit spell then a Cottage before taking another stab at the dungeons. Be sure to collect the powerful weapons and armor as you advance. You'll find a great deal of treasure lying about in the Mirage Tower. Some of the weapons and armor, such as the Aegis Shield, you'll want to keep. Other pieces merely take up space, which is in much shorter supply in the original NES version. If your subscreen is full, go back to Gaia and sell unwanted items, or simply drop them.

Mirage Tower was just the beginning. Once you're inside the Flying Fortress, be prepared to face some dangerous enemies, including Tiamat, the Fiend of Wind. While exploring the fortress, take advantage of your weapons and armor that have spellcasting abilities when accessed from your inventory. The Exit spell will transport you to the beginning of the Mirage Tower, so use it only as a last resort.

The first thing that you'll notice is that the Flying Fortress is obviously a product of high technology, and not just because it's miles above Earth. Transporters and robots are everywhere. One of the guardians is high-tech as well—the awesome Death Machine.

[[Image:Final Fantasy 1 map castle Sky F1.png|frame|right|Flying Fortress F1]]

Any party member can use the Healing Staff and Healing Helm. The benefits aren't as great as those from Healara, but they come in handy nonetheless when you need to heal, but are low on MP. The Razer (Bane Sword/Venom Blade) has the ability to cast Scourge (Bane/Poison) if used in battle. Its chances for success are low, but it could make the difference in a tight situation.

If you're playing the original NES version and you run out of space, remember that it's easy to use the Exit spell, then go to Gaia and sell off the excess treasure. Always be sure the equipment doesn't have some secret use before selling it off forever. If you don't want to spend the time going all the way back to Gaia, you can drop weapons or armor. Just don't drop a valuable item. After clearing the Sky Castle, you'll never want for Gold again. Spend it on expensive magic spells to fill out your casting options.

Once you obtain the Adamantite, take it back to [[Final Fantasy/Locations#Mt. Duergar|Mt. Duergar]]. There a blacksmith will use the raw material to forde a fantastic sword known as Excalibur, which is second in power only to the Masamune.

The White and Black Robes found on this level are useful both as equipped armor and as spellcasting items during battle. The Robes are equally as protective as the Ruby Armlet (NES: Gold Bracelet) while only weighing 1 point more.

The Black Robe is the only item which casts Blizzara (NES: Ice2). If you have the Mage Staff, the Light Axe and Thor's Hammer (or the Zeus Gauntlets), the addition of the Black Robe gives a full array of endless elemental attacks for the variety of enemies you'll encounter, allowing non-magic users new abilities and saving casters from having to cast.

The White Robe casts Invisara (NES: INV2) which raises your entire party's ability to dodge. The strongest enemies in the game you will soon have to confront. They inflict multiple hits per attack making an 40 point increase in each Light Warrior's evade extremely useful.

The drawback is this: only the Black Wizard can equip the Black Robe; only the White Wizard can equip the White Robe. If you do not have a White Wizard or Black Wizard in your party and you have the NES version which allows only 4 slots for armor, you may have to pass up these items.

[[Image:Final Fantasy 1 map castle Sky F4.png|frame|left|Flying Fortress F4]]

The fourth floor of the Flying Fortress goes on forever in any direction. Walking straight will get you nowhere in this maze. From the warp point marked <font color="blue">'''F'''</font> on the map, go up (or down) two squares and left (or right) two squares, to reach warp point <font color="blue">'''G'''</font> which leads to the final level. There are no other items or features of any interest on this level.

[[Image:Final Fantasy 1 map castle Sky F5.png|frame|right|Flying Fortress F5]]

You may or may not encounter the [[Final Fantasy/Bosses#Death Machine|Death Machine]] on the bridge. Prepare for the worst, however; the Death Machine is more difficult than even Tiamat! Its attacks are focused on single party members, and they do damage of hundreds of HP. The machine also heals itself 100 HP every turn. Attack incessantly—your foe will eventually cast a nasty spell called Nuke that deals heavy damage to your entire party. If you do manage to destroy the Death Machine, the reward will be well worth the effort.