- 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.
Game Basics
Controls
| Town/Dungeon | |
|---|---|
| X Button | Talk. Examine objects |
| Circle Button | Run |
| Triangle Button | Opens the Main menu |
| Menu | |
| X Button | Confirm selected option |
| Circle Button | Cancel selected option |
| Field Map | |
| X Button | Get in or out of vehicles |
| 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
- Firion
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.
- Gus
He possesses enormous discipline and physical strength. Despite appearances, he is very gentle and occasionally naive. He is also capable of communicating with animals.
- Maria
She worries constantly about her brother Leon when he disappears. Even so, she remains steadfast in her fight against the empire.
- Leon
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.
Gameplay
Leveling Basics
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.
- 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 a stat increases several times, another stat will decrease.
- When Strength increases, Intelligence decreases
- When Intelligence increases, Endurance decreases
- When Spirit increases, Strength decreases
Abusing the Leveling System
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.
- 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.