Final Fantasy V/Wind Shrine

Starting cutscene
At dawn, Princess Lenna (aka Reina) bids farewell to her father the King as he sets off on his dragon for the Wind Shrine. They both have sensed something wrong about the wind lately. Shortly after, the pirate Faris, an old man in a cave, and Reina in her castle all notice the wind has stopped. The King arrives at the Wind Shrine only to see the Wind Crystal shatter, scattering crystal shards all around. Later, Bartz is sitting by a campfire with his trusty chocobo and hears a noise like thunder in the sky. A meteorite appears and crashes into the ground not far away. Bartz saddles up to investigate.

Tycoon Meteorite
After the cutscene, our mysterious hero and Boko, his mighty steed (well, chocobo at any rate), are off to investigate the meteorite. Don't bother going north, it just leads to a dead end. Instead, go east (right), where you'll see the meteorite. Step into it to investigate further.

Follow the path east and north, eventually you'll leave Boko behind for safety. Continue until you see a young lady being carried off by a pair of goblins. A fight between you and the two goblins commences. This isn't difficult, basically it's just an introduction to the battle system. Keep selecting 'Fight' on the menu and you should defeat the Goblins in a few moments. A cutscene occurs afterwards where the young lady introduces herself as Lenna. You can then choose a name for the hero, but for simplicity this walkthrough will henceforth refer to him as Bartz. You examine the meteor, but Lenna is in a hurry and starts to leave. Then you hear some groaning.

Go northeast to find the old man seen earlier. Another cutscene starts where he wakes up and remembers is name is Galuf but nothing else. Lenna still wants to get going to find the Wind Shrine and Galuf joins her, but you decide to keep following your own path.

When you regain control of Bartz, grab the treasure here then get out of the passage and go out the way you came in. Speak to Boko to ride again. Follow the path out of the meteor area.

Continue west to the forest where you started. You can save your progress now and it's a good idea to save often in case your party is wiped out in battle.

Head north, between the mountains, and you'll enter a valley where a cutscene takes place. Boko stops suddenly and you are thrown off, so you scold him for doing so. He tries to talk about the old man and the girl, and how you should help. The ground starts to shake, You assume that the cause is aftershocks from the meteor strike, and carry on. Suddenly, you hear Lenna and Galuf being nabbed in the distance. You get back on Boko.

Ride north to the rescue, you automatically hop over chasms which have formed in the path. At two points you have encounters with goblins, these are carbon copies of the battle near the meteor. You will get enough experience points for Bartz to reach level 2. When you reach Lenna and Galuf you grab them. Continue north for another cutscene.

You keep watch from a small ledge as Lenna and Galuf regain consciousness. There is a short reunion where you announce that you've decided to join them and mention something about your father's dying wish for you to see the world. Galuf says what everyone is thinking though, namely that the real reason is you have the hots for Lenna. The road is out but you decide to find a way through somehow.

Continue north on Boko to find a cave opening that wasn't there earlier. Step in to enter another valley.

Approach the cave entrance, you remark that the opening was probably made by the recent quakes. Chocobos don't like enclosed spaces so you leave Boko behind and enter the cave proper.

The Hidden Cave and the Pirates' Hideout
This cave is very linear so you don't really need directions. Random battles start here, mostly with Steel Bats and Stropers. Bartz' default weapon is fairly good considering the level, Lenna's is mediocre, and Galuf is unarmed making his attacks pretty useless even though he does get two attacks per turn. The enemies are weak enough that the battles should be quick and easy. Barts points out a spring not that far from the entrance. Approach it, and you'll find it's a healing spring, making this area ideal for training. Unfortunately, you can't save here; the best you can do is backtrack out of the cave if you want a save.

Continue north to the next room, there is a small scene where a pirate is seen pressing a button and opening the door. Check for treasure near here. When you reach the button, press it like the pirate did and you can enter the next room.

Approach the window to start a short cutscene. You look out to spot a ship moving around without help from the wind. Everyone wonders how this can be.

You can actually exit the cave here, but you're then surrounded by mountains, so there is not much to do but go back. Continue along the path until it winds its way to a doorway. Go though to enter the pirate's hideout.

Step to the left to be almost caught by a pirate. It's a pirate hideout and there's a ship! Lenna wonders if you can get a ride on it, and Galuf wonders if they could steal it.

Turns out all the guards are asleep so you can explore as you like. Follow the dock east to board the ship. You can explore it as well, though there's not much to find. Locate the wheel at the stern and check it to start a cutscene.

Just when you think you're going to get away with taking the ship, all the pirates appear. Faris, the pirate leader, is miffed and Lenna tries to apologize and mentions she's a princess. This surprises everyone and Faris becomes somewhat sarcastic. Then Faris notices a pendant Lenna is wearing and decides to take you all prisoner.

Now below decks, Galuf is thinking that trying to steal the ship was not such a good idea. Lenna explains she was heading to the Wind Shrine to find her father the king. Next door in the captain's cabin, Faris wonders about Lenna's pendant, since it seems to be the same as the one Faris wears.

The next morning, Faris orders the pirates to set sail for the Wind Shrine and that you be released. The pirates are surprised but don't dare question orders. Faris tells you that you now work for her as the pirates prepare to launch. Lenna wonders how the ship moves without wind but Faris shows her Syldra (aka Hydra), a friendly sea monster that tows the ship.

Faris is now a member of your party and you can sail the ship in the waters north of the cave.

Ship
When you gain access to the ship, one of the crew will ask if you'd like him to steer you towards the wind shrine. If you have no faith in your navigation ability or you just want to finish off this game quick, say yes. But you are probably better off saying no and using the ship to explore the sea and its shores.

To the east and south you can land on the path you took from the meteor to the pirate cave. Since you're not riding Boko this time you will get random battles here, mostly Goblins and Killer Bees. Note that the Goblins are now somewhat stronger than the ones Bartz fought earlier, but they shouldn't pose much of a problem for a party of 4.

If you go the the cave entrance you'll notice that Boko isn't there and tracks lead inside. Retrace your steps to the pirate hideout and visit one of the rooms to the north to find Boko in bed with a broken leg. There is treasure in the secret other room to the north; activate the switch in the main area to open the doorway. With the ship beached elsewhere you'll have to go back the way you came instead of sailing out as before. For some reason you can't sail the ship to the Pirate hideout so the only way to reach it now is through the cave.

Feel free to explore the shoreline since the monsters you encounter should be easy to handle, but avoid the channel to the east and the Torna Canal it leads to unless you're ready for a challenge.

Tule Village
It's optional, but a good idea, to visit Tule before taking on the Wind Shrine. Firstly because you'll probably have some cash now and there are shops where you can stock up on Tonics and get a weapon for Galuf. Also, if this is your first time playing there is useful game information and advice and there is treasure which will aid you in upcoming battles. Find it on the northwest shore.

When you first enter, the pirates, including Faris, make a bee line for the pub and will remain there as long as you're in town.

Visit the inn to the east, where you can rest and heal up for 10GP, and an item shop where you can stock up on Tonics and Tents if you're low.

The Pub/Tavern near the city gate has nothing to sell since the pirates drank all the rum. There are dancers to the right which are the first part of the Pianos subquest. Next to the stage is a stairway to the second floor where Faris is sleeping. There is an optional cutscene here, first Bartz and then Galuf go in to find Faris sleeping and they are puzzled about how they can be so attracted to a swashbuckling pirate captain. Faris wakes up and from the look of Bartz and Galuf decides to keep the door locked from then on.

Talk to a bearded man wearing a purple robe next to the pub and accept his offer to be escorted to the Hall of Learning. He makes a big deal about making sure you don't see the route but it's actually only a little to the west. Talk to the girl at the desk and claim to be a beginner to enter the main area.

Collect the treasure and talk to the tutors for guidance. On the upper floor is a chest with a monster inside, defeat it to win Leather Shoes.

Visit the armor and weapon shops to fill out your equipment. Don't spend money at the magic shop yet since you won't be able to cast spells until you gone through the Wind Shrine.

The last stop is Zok's house, just over the bridge near the magic shop. There isn't much to do here since Zok isn't home, but you can get the treasures hidden nearby. You will need to return here later.

When you leave the village Faris comes out and rejoins your party, though the rest of the pirates stay.

The Wind Shrine
Go to the shore at the northeastern corner of the sea and find the Wind Shrine surrounded by forest. Once you're in the wind shrine, head up and circle to the left, there is a cutscene where the head priest, recognizing Reina, says monsters attacked when the wind stopped and her father went upstairs to investigate. The king hasn't been seen since and everyone is worried, so you decide to go after him.

At the south end of the room find a healing pot, this heals the entire party just like the spring in the pirate cave. Make sure you talk to the acolyte left of this since he will give you five Tonics. Go back find the stairs on the east side of the floor, then head up to the next floor.

Starting with this floor you start to encounter random monsters, BlakGoblins, Whitesnakes and Maulwins. These are a bit tougher than the monsters encountered in the pirate cavern, but unless you managed to get to this point without leveling or upgrading your equipment they shouldn't be too difficult. Go to the west side of the room and collect the treasure there, then back to the middle and south to a small room with a circle where you can save your game; this is the last place you can do it before the Wind Temple Boss so it's probably a good idea. (Access the menu to save your game.) You can also use a Tent here to heal up, but it's a better idea to just use the healing pot on the floor below. Continue south to the middle of a long corridor. Head right and up the stairs to find a small room on the 3rd floor with treasure but is a dead end otherwise. Go back and follow the corridor to the west end, then use the stair to reach the 3rd floor proper.

There is a long thin passage here which spirals in to a central area. You can follow it but if you want to avoid random battles and save time there is also a hidden shortcut through the wall near the start. Avoid the creature lurking on the north side of the central area and check the two rooms on either side, one has a broadsword which you should immediate equip if you still have unarmed characters or if someone is still using a knife. Go up to the nasty looking monster mentioned earlier to start your first boss fight!

With the door to the 4th floor now clear, go on up. You continue to get random battles here, but take the time to explore a bit and find some treasure. Find the stair up near the center to reach the chamber of the Wind Crystal.

Enter to start a cutscene. The crystal is shattered and pieces are scattered on the floor. Somehow the remaining crystals in the land react to your presence and send their essences to you. Faris receives the Fire Crystal's essence, Courage, Reina receives the Water Crystal's essence, Kindness, Galuf receives the Earth Crystals essence, Hope, and Bartz receives the Wind Crystal's essence, Quest. Reina's father calls to her and appears where the crystal had been. He tells you that you are now the four keepers of the essences and you must protect the remaining three crystals, then he vanishes. You receive the crystal shards which give you the powers of Knight, Monk, Blue Mage, Thief, Black Mage & White Mage.

Your characters can now choose one of these 'Jobs' in the party menu. Step into the teleport behind the crystal to get an optional tutorial on the Job system, highly recommended if this is your first time playing. Choose a job for each character; at this point in the game you'll probably want a Knight for combat and a White Mage for healing. Of the remaining, a Thief is useful for the ability to flee battles and see hidden passages, Blue Mages can learn useful spells from enemies and can double as fighters, Monks must go unarmed but they get bonus damage and they have high HP, and Black Mages can do spell damage which is useful against many enemies. So which two of the remaining jobs to pick is a matter of preference. Eventually, you will probably want to switch off jobs to get as many abilities as possible to mix and match. Don't leave any characters as Bare or you're just throwing away ability points.

Your next destination is Tule.