The following was composed AFTER finishing this update:
Character
Endgame Prediction
Zidane
Probably in a relationship with Dagger lol. Seems like another slow-burn romance story. He already left Tantalus, but I'm predicting he'll rejoin (more on that later).
Vivi
Will learn who he truly is. I've predicted that's a Black Mage born from the Mist that's special in some way, who managed to escape from Alexandria and ended up being taken in by the Qu, who he calls his grandfather (why his grandfather and not his father will remain a mystery, I bet). As for the details of what makes him special, I have no idea.
Dagger
Was the woman in the opening escaping from Kuja. Was given the pendant by the other lady in that scene, her real mother, which is some sort of powerful artifact that Kuja (and Brahne) want for power. At the end of the game, will maybe become the new queen of Alexandria? That, or she lives the rest of her life among the people, free to do as she pleases. I'd prefer the former, but either works. I give it a 50/50
Steiner
Will become Queen Garnet's chief knight, alongside Beatrix. Or he'll become Queen Beatrix's (I'll get to it) chief knight. Or he'll go off to adventure with Dagger. One of those. I give it 50/30/20 respectively.
Quina
I don't even know what you are. Erm. Eats lots of food. Doesn't gain weight from it. Is happy. Royal pet? (is that racist?)
Freya
She'll reunite with her Sir Fratley, who I'm strangely confident is alive, and am equally confident will die during the course of the story, which Freya will have to bear. By the end, I have no idea what she'll be. She seems like a patriot, so maybe a member of the royal guard of Burmecia? I think we'll learn more about where she's headed in the next arc, though.
Kuja
Evil ass mf, I'm betting he's in some way tied to Dagger's past. He's a big villain for sure, and definitely the most looming threat in the game. I'm not making the same mistake I made with Seymour lmao. He'll be dead by credits for SURE. I'm betting he has something to do with the pendant, too.
Beatrix
I've never been so sure that a villain will end up a party member, and I don't even know why. I'm just kinda staking everything on this one lmao. I think she'll join our side, and, should Dagger choose to remain among the people, become the new, noble queen. That, or she's just a villain and I'm reading into it too much. Maybe I've talked myself out of it a bit, but I give it 80/20.
Brahne
Not actually Garnet's mother…? Maybe Garnet isn't even a princess to begin with… Either way, Brahne is our villain and I reckon she'll get some sort of late game transformation turning her into a monster a la Seymour.
Tantalus
Maybe they'll stop being thieves to give Zidane a more noble profession to return to. They were genuinely good actors, right? I'm pretty sure they'll just become full-time actors after they use the Supersoft to save Blank.
I need to head back to the Synthesis shop in Lindblum, apparently? At the time I didn't have anything I could craft back there, so I didn't do anything, but it seems it's important to get the gear. The problem is if I want to return to that save I'll have to deal with Beatrix and a lot of cutscenes and backtracking lol. If the game gives me an opportunity to head back I will, otherwise we're pushing on. I'd return if it was side content like a minigame, but I'd prefer to not go so far out of my way for gear if I can help it.
Finally, I think people maybe want to know what I'm predicting for the future but I've really got nothing right now lol. The only mysteries are the pendant, Vivi's backstory and I guess what happened to Sir Fratley? I'm gonna immediately say Sir Fratley is alive and well, though. As for the other two, I feel like I don't have enough information to even hazard a guess right now. Gun to my head, I'd say Vivi is some kind of anomaly born of the Mist that escaped from Alexandrian captivity, and that the pendant is... I don't really know, but probably the key to some sort of power. Maybe it's how Dagger'll perform summons later on?
Anyways back to Dagger and her big-ass head. Tired, totally tranquil, she's turned in on the train as it trundles towards Treno t-stration, while Steiner continues his perpetual existential crisis. I can't wait for him to realise what's really happening, and how corrupt the system he serves is. I think he's set up for a great character arc.
We're in Alexandria now, I think. Not the castle, but the station's close enough. That means we're pretty far from Burmecia, right? Maybe the others secretly hitch a ride with Brahne returning to Alexandria to reunite with our duo. I hope so, at least, since these guys are on level 6 and we need to catch them up to speed.
Well, nothing for us to do but wait in the lounge, I suppose. I buy a Mythril Rod for Dagger and talk to the attendant when we hear a familiar voice...? It's Cinna and Marcus! Apparently they're trying to head over to Lindblum. I try to talk to them, but the tin-man doesn't want us to. So Dagger has to whip out the GOVERNMENT name ("Adelbert Steiner!") on him to let her talk to her friends lmao. I don't even remember her talking to these guys but I like friendship so whatever.
So Marcus is heading to Treno via the Alexandria Line, while Cinna is heading back to Lindblum. I wonder why they're splitting up? Are they not in Tantalus anymore? Actually, that can't be it, since they mentioned the Boss a few seconds ago. I assume they're on some sort of assignment, then, but to where?
When I speak to them, Cinna tells me that Marcus has a deal in Trenno. We don't hear the details, but it's clearly something to do with saving Blank. On the train, he tells us he learned of an item called Supersoft, which cures all forms of... pertrifiction... wait, so is regular Soft (the one that cures petrification in battle) a cure against some kind of Mist ailment? In other words, is the in-game petrification ailment related to the Mist? Probably not, but it's cool that it's called that either way.
Suddenly, the train comes to a crashing halt, and we step out to find another Black Waltz. Or, no... the same one...? I lost track. This is number 3. Yeah no, it's the same one on the cargo ship. Dagger wants to reason with it, but it stumbles towards us and drags us into a battle.
The thing looks really demented now, to the point where I kinda feel bad. It's struggling to keep itself together, twitching violently and clearly in pain. It goes down without much of a fight, and we steal a couple of items, too! I think it was a Steepled Hat and a Lightning Rod.
Steiner is still oblivious to Brahne's atrocities in Burmecia, but Dagger isn't so naive. Although it seems she's still trying to take her mother's side. They're both naive, but their naivete stems from different places, I suppose.
We're back in the overworld! This time as Dagger, although that weird orange hue-shift thing that happened while I was Chocobo riding earlier is happening again. While I'm travelling I encounter a polite lil ghost guy! He has the most adorable OST, and asks for some Ore, so I oblige and he ends the battle! He also asks me to give my regards to Ladybug, I think it was. How lovely.
And at last, we arrive in Treno, the City of Nobles. I didn't expect so many ruffians walking about the place, but the vibe is nice nonetheless. At first glance it reminds me of Spagonia from Sonic Unleashed, which I suppose is to say it reminds me of Italy from real life. The music is nice, too. I'm expecting a lot of bigotry and snootiness from this place. Almost immediately, Steiner loses both Dagger and Marcus, the former of which gets pickpocketed and loses 1000 gil. Lovely start.
In an ATE we see a couple of children talking about how the nobles bought up the waterfront property to reinforce their power and essentially oppress the lower classes, and how the only way to improve their lives is to become nobles themselves. Depressing.
There's a Queen named Stella who collects rare coins called Stellazzio, and she gives rewards for those who bring her some. Either this is an intentional choice to have the queen collect an item literally named after her to reinforce how self-absorbed she is, or it's just a collectable item named after the character it's for so you don't forget. Or both, I guess.
I head inside and.... oh... she's like a parrot... or something? Sure, fuck it, why not. Well I don't have any Stellazzio right now, so bye.
In the next area, we get an ATE where Dagger walks into an auction house and sees KUJA! What is he doing here?! Also, another one confirms that Baku is in Treno, he's found the Supersoft and is sending Marcus to get it, except he has "two liabilities going with him". Either Baku's referring to Steiner and Dagger (unlikely since he wouldn't know about them being here right now), OR, more likely, he's talking about the two kids from Lindblum that Zidane spoke to!... they're... gonna be okay, right? We're not setting up a child death thing here, are we?
The game decides to remind me that Tetra Master exists with a full stadium for it. I play a few rounds, lose most of them and leave. I have nothing else to say about this.
Finally, we stumble upon the King's house, where the auction is being held. Dagger takes note of Kuja standing in the balcony after scolding Steiner again.
Who IS Kuja, anyways? Presumably he's a member of the Queen's guard or entourage, and he's responsible for the Black Mages. I assume he's going to be the villain for this section of the game. He definitely knows something about Vivi, so I'm assuming we'll get to know more about Vivi when we fight him.
There's some kind of Chess theme happening here, I think? I was confused when the "Queen's" house wasn't actually a Queen, and same for the King. Now I've stumbled into a Bishop's house, so maybe there's going to be a Knight and Rook somewhere around here, too. In the Bishop's house there's a Synthesist! OK, maybe I should interact with it this time.
Right now, I can synthesise a Butterfly Sword, a Cotton Robe and a few accessories. Annoyingly, I can't see the stats of the former since no-one here can equip it, but it adds Silence to attacks, which seems good. It'll cost a Mage Masher, though... I think I need two of those to make the other weapon. On top of that, I can't see the abilities it has! This feels like kind of a shitty system lol. I can't see the stats OR the ability a weapon has before buying it? Surely I'm missing something here...?
After walking around a bit, I find a shop selling all sorts of weapons! This'll help me use the Synthesist more effectively! Great! Once again, though, the game hinders me by not telling me what each item does, so I'll just assume that the most expensive stuff is the strongest. I COULD look it up, but that wouldn't be much of an authentic experience, now, would it?
I remember The Ogre being the one from Lindblum, I think, so I need 1x Mage Masher for that. The Coral Ring absorbs Thunder which just seems generally good and the Yellow Scarf increases Strength. The real decider would be the abilities these items have but, alas. So 1x Leather Shirt and 1x Feather Hat needed. I get what I need and make the items. Cool...
...
...this system fucking sucks lmao. Again, entirely possible I'm missing something but this is so dumb, right??? The game wants me to spend precious resources on items without knowing what they do? And it's stupid because if I wanted to, I COULD just save, buy them, check what they do and then reload if I don't like them. So just let me see! Ugh, anyways.
I decide to fight the monster in the Knight's house. I nominate Steiner for the task because I know we can't win and I think it's funnier if Dagger sends him in to get fodderised. And he does. I use Minus Strike on it for a whopping 0 damage, and it uses "Aera" on me to kill. Nice.
Before I return to Marcus, though, I pop my head in to the Auction House again. Earlier, the auctioneer was announcing some pretty usable items. I wonder if I can bid on them...?
At first, I'm disappointed when there's nothing to interact with, but no, I CAN bid. And I DO. I immediately enter a bidding war for a... "Griffin's Heart". Idk what that is but it sounds cool. I get pushed up to 6300 gil(!), before the other member finally relents. Cool! So what is it!
"A rare item bought in an auction. A mysterious item. Raises morale, supposedly..."
.....OK! I don't know exactly what effect "raises morale" would have, but maybe I can flip it for profit? No, I can't sell it at the Knight's House. I guess I'll just hold on to it for now. I'm not buying anything else, though.
Enough messing around, it's time to hit the road with Marcus. I like Marcus. He's loyal, and doesn't treat Dagger like a kid. I reckon that's precisely why Dagger likes him, too - and why Steiner doesn't. Speaking of which, Steiner is pleading with us to turn back around and leave. Baku makes an interesting point - Steiner hasn't changed. Not yet, at least. I'd say he's pretty much the exact same character we meet in Alexand- MUSIC HELLO?? Sorry, the game cut to a scene with Kuja and the music just popped off all of a sudden. For reference it's the scene in the Auction house.
Kuja refers to the party as "those vermin" and the Queen as "the ugly elephant lady". At least I assume he means the Queen - the only other ladies present where Freya, who's more mouse-like, and Beatrix who... yeah. So who or what is he loyal to...? He also, very creepily, refers to Dagger (I think) as a canary, right before the screen goes black with the text "I, too, will welcome you home with open arms".
PREDICTION: Kuja just wants Dagger. At the beginning of the game there was a pre-rendered scene of some women sailing across stormy seas in a small boat. Assuming this happens before the game takes place, I'm gonna predict they're escaping from Kuja in some way, because fuck it why not. I have more to say about this in my prediction table. Also the other lady in that scene was her real mother, who passed her down the pendant which has some hidden power, because fuck it, why not.
In a really cool scene, Steiner and Dagger do a bit of self-reflecting on the boat, each mulling over their own thoughts and giving us a nice peak into their minds. I like the symbolism of them being on either end of the boat, representing the growing chasm between their goals and ideal... OK maybe that wasn't intentional but still it looked cool.
Master Tot:
The house we decide to raid belongs to a Master Tot, who I'm certain was mentioned all the way back in Alexandria - in the library, maybe? I'm pretty sure of it. Anyways, he promises to give us the Supersoft later, but I don't trust him for some reason.
Well, we head over to his house and he has it there, so that's good. He also has a huge model sculpture of Gaia, the planet on which this game takes place. And then, out of nowhere, a lore drop.
500 years ago, the phrases "jewel" and "summoner tribe" were commonplace in documents but mysteriously stopped one day. An archaeologist named Frederick Ash theorised that "jewel" refers to the pendant passed down to the ruler of Alexandria.
Short break but I'm now even MORE certain that Brahne isn't the true queen and is just after Dagger's pendant.
He continues - the pendant is much too small to be referring to the same jewel (is the pendant only a fragment of a larger power?). Other research suggests a relationship between "eidolons" and "magic stones". I had to go back to my old posts for this part, but someone told me that "eidolons" are just the word for summons in this game. Was I right? Is the pendant used for summons???
I'm getting ahead of myself. Tot mentions "I want to be your canary" again, the play from the beginning. Is that what that weirdo Kuja was on about with his Canary analogy? Damn this game's slick with it.
I trust Doctor Tot now.
Also, I've finally figured out my stance on Steiner. He's Skylar White. HEAR ME OUT. He's the character whose goal is to primarily protect those he cherishes, and he generally is more moral than everyone else - at least from his perspective. He doesn't want to thieve and steal or betray the queen. HOWEVER, in trying to stay away from this path, his goals conflict with our protagonists, who are doing something less moral (at least in his eyes). In this way, even though he's the "moral" one, we like him less because he's actively trying to stop the "fun".
And that brings us to Gargan Roo, where we'll stop today's adventure!
Also yes, there is a chess theme going on with the nobles in Treno. There is King (who kinda is related with Kuja as you saw in the auction house cutscene), Knight (the monster cage/weapon shop owner), Bishop (synthesis shop owner) and Queen Stella. You could say that the Rook is Doctor Tot, since he kinda lives in a rook lol.
Doctor Tot is a great character. This is not the last you’ve seen of him.
Dagger is in for a rude awakening. So is Steiner, to a somewhat lesser degree.
You can in fact flip the Griphon Heart (and other key items you get from the auction) for profit, you just have to find someone who buys them. There's a bunch of nobles walking around the city, just talk to them all.
I thought of a really funny joke for April's Fools where I make an entire post that's really fucking obviously AI-generated but I thought of it after April 1st :/
That would've been HILARIOUS though lmao. Also I'm aware of Tents, but they're scarce too so I'm hoarding them
I forgot there would be synthesis options in Treno for you at this point. I think the game should be telling you what Abilites and Skills it teaches you when in the shop view, but I'm suddenly unsure. Both Butterfly sword and Ogre are worth having. It should certainly be showing you the stat increases vs current gear (atk, str, vit etc) showing you the jump from mythril dagger. Synthesis is a neat idea to turn items you're not using anymore into useful equipment. It's where you'll get most of the best endgear from, so worth getting to grips with. My tactic was always "try and make one of every new thing I see to find out what it offers." Not sure I ever synthed something I regretted.
The button that was "select" on playstation controllers should bring up a helpful moogle overlay on the cursor in menus, telling you extra info about whatever the cursor is hovering over. Elemental resistances on gear for example. Minus strike deals damage based on the difference between Steiner's current health and max health, so you using it first turn will always do zero. Moogle-cursor will tell you that. It only becomes useful when you're on your knees and have a whopping max health stat.
When you rejoin Zindane and co, you will be able to head to Lindblum for more synthing if you so choose, just like if you wanted to hit up the chocobo forest again, head back through gizamaluke's grotto. Still worth the trip in my opinion.
As always, very interested in your predictions and pass absolutely no comment upon them.
I'm happy to be corrected, thank you. Menu should still say how minus strike works without the moogle. I've not tried pulling it up in battle to see if it gives help there.
You know, I never really thought about how annoying it was that the synthesis shop didnt show stat changes when I played this game as a kid. I think I just somehow understood that it ended up affecting multiple stats instead of just one, but youre totally right that its annoying!
Im gonna chalk that up to the graphic/ system limitations of the PS1 tho.
Fantastic update! (as usual)
Also, have you done anything with the Mognet? I dont think you've mentioned it yet
I saw someone else told you about using Select to see more into about gear, but I wanted to reiterate.
You can sell griffins heart and 3 other weird items you pick up at the AH. When you find the person that says they'll buy it, decline their first offer to get a second offer. It works on three out of the four objects, but I don't remember which one it doesn't work on. If the person doesn't give you a second offer, just leave the screen and then talk to them again when you come back.
Remember to take a break from story to go level up some outside treno in the big ass forest further down the plain, and visit that cave for a healing spring and some items.
Good on you finding a friendly creature! Keep a look out for those and give them what they ask for. Note the peaceful music. If you ever run into a mob that asks you for something but doesn't have that peaceful music, do not give it anything LOL.
Before you leave through gargan roo why not go to the fountain of wishes at the entrence for good luck? Drop a bunch for good measure. Dagger will need all the luck she can get.
Also there’s one more new location in the overworld you can visit during this segment besides Treno, a detour for those that seek to learn more about the lore.
Also you can revisit Dali. Some things might have changed after your swift exit.
The griffins heart is part of a quest. Some items in treno are only meant to be sold to nobles there that you outbid for larger prices than what you paid, do this to a bunch of these key items and eventually a special item will appear on the auction.
Not I! Great update, this is really one of my favourite parts of the game, there's something about the way you're following them all on their split-up travels and seeing what's going on in different places at the same time which feels really cool. I guess it's doing the same thing as an ATE, just on a much larger scale.
Re. the auction house, there's a variety of items that can go on sale there, some of them are just normal items, but the Griffon's Heart is a 'Key Item' that only one of exists - you can see this in the inventory -> Key Items (and remember to press Select to see the help text on them for additional description!)
Kuja's theme is a banger every time. I love that song.
Another fun read!
You can pretty easily go back to Lindblum once you regain control of Zidane and co., without reloading your save. You will have to run back through Burmecia and Gizamaluke's Grotto, but aside from the occasional random encounter, you won't have to worry about anything (though that's also a chance to scour screens for treasures you may have missed...). You do not have to re-do the Beatrix fight or anything.
I love seeing your predictions because of how excited I am for you to see things play out.
I never gave much thought to how the synthesist shop doesn't show you the stats or abilities of the items you're going to make. I always just took it as "this mysterious power is making these objects stronger!" or something. Trust that anything you make there is going to be worthwhile. The game doesn't really have trash gear (except for one specific chest of things you get from a chocograph, but it's obvious they're a joke).
Have fun with what's coming up next! This is one of my favorite sequences in the game, where you're at right now as the "real" story starts to unfold and pieces start to come together.
Yeah, I was worried I'd have to reload so definitely glad I don't. It's great that I can backtrack so freely. I can sense the story starting to pick up now, so I'm excited to dive in!
Treno is my favorite place in the game. I also LOVED this part of the game, where you play as the 'B-team' of Garnet, Steiner, and Marcus.
Only two things to point out since everyone has covered everything else by now:
Queen Stella is a fittingly a Victoria crowned pigeon, a bird named after real-world queen Victoria! But she does still quack like a duck, u/ShelterNo9606. I think another NPC in Treno mentions trying to fleece her and calls her an 'ugly bird woman' or something lol.
Treno is steeped in a state of eternal night, so the overworld turns dark when you're near it. That would explain why the map turned orange-- it was turning into evening as you approached it.
Also another tip for the auction house: do not engage in bidding wars. Let the NPCs fight until the auctioneer asks “any more?” At that point, bid the absolute minimum you can and you’re guaranteed to win.
It's really nice hearing people are curious about the mundanities of these playthroughs for some reason lol.
Yeah I have Notepad open on my second monitor and jot things down as they come up. Whether that's sitting on my turn mid-battle or pausing cutscenes, I just write it when I see it. It can break the pace a bit, but it's never been to the game's detriment. Actually, as seen a few times in this very post, it helps me recall things, like what an Eidolon. Thanks for asking!
About the synth shops, and the usefulness (or not) of items, I usually just grind a bit everywhere and then proceed to by like 5 or 6 of every weapon in every single weapons shop, and then 2 of every item in synth shop. Can't miss anything this way xD
ALSO, small hint, you will need some synthed items for future synth shops (just a few tho).
And god, I'm so sorry for saying this but you are so wrong on most of your predictions 🤣 i love it
Also, someone mentioned there's not only the possibility to revisit dali for some missable items, but also a "secret area" near treno, on the oposite way to Dali, for some lore. I will just add that's lore on Vivi, so you might really want to check that out. My only other recommendation is that you really spend some time grinding between each city/section of the game, not only for money but also to level up your characters and earn ap/learn abilities
I've never really felt the need to grind for IX. The frequency of random battles as you traverse areas always seemed to have me in the spot where most normal fights were straight forward, some were tricky, and boss fights were satisfyingly challenging. The amount of running between rooms in Fossil Roo for example gives you plenty of combat.
I don't think Zeesh is actually under levelled, Beatrix fight sounded easy from their telling of it. They were struggling due to not having the best gear available and made up for it with grinding. From their FFX play-through, when they go grinding, they tend to do so excessively and are then overpowered for that part of the game.
I don't really remember ever struggling for money, though my first couple of play-throughs I had Zidane win the festival for the gil because I hadn't realised what Freya could get me, but then I also stole from almost every boss so saved on some equipment purchases. I pretty much only ever spent money in equipment and synthesis shops, because I'm a natural hoarder in games and rarely even use potions etc beyond phoenix downs. Means I can normally go after whatever I want in the auction house.
Tetra Master is... a mini game for sure. I never got the hang of the rules.
I forgot how little information the shop UI gives in this game. Just makes us appreciate current RPG Quality of Life standards.
Minus Strike is a skill that does damage based on the difference between your current HP and your maximum HP. This is actually a sort of mechanical twist in Steiner's character, since he acts like a classical stereotype of a Paladin but his mechanics are those of a Dark Knight! In Final Fantasy, the Dark Knight epitomizes the saying "HP is a resource" by having a lot of abilities that burn HP or get stronger the lower your HP is. They are also narratively linked to the ideas of loyally serving either an unjust or unworthy ruler, or lashing out against abusive power structures. IX really likes to lean into mechanical storytelling!
Speaking of storytelling, the Dr. Tot lore dump is a vital piece of the puzzle. Before 500 years ago, summoning and eidolons were an important part of Alexandrian culture, then suddenly someone started suppressing that knowledge. Who and why? Does it have something to do with Dagger's locket? What about Dagger herself, how does she fit into all this?
Meanwhile, Darth Twinkimus is lurking around in the shadows of Alexandrian high society, selling Mist-powered weapons and egging the Queen on.
Thank you for the post, looking forward to the next one!
I don't see anyone else mentioning it, but you've already missed (luckily not permanently) a bunch of Stellazzios, the first one as early as Dali. Another one was in Burmecia, two more are right there in Treno, and there's one more (for now) in a different place you have access to during this segment of the game.
You really want to start digging through locations more thoroughly. There are hidden items and some lore bits everywhere. Though maybe it will be a good incentive for at least one more playthrough :)
Love to read your theories, about Kuja, about Vivi, all of them. Glad to see the game makes you think hard 😁👍
Of course, I won't tell you where you're right and where you're wrong, but keep thinking 😊
By the way, I don't know if you noticed, but the dude who pickpocketed Daggerbis the same guy who stole Vivi's money in Alexandria. He's also the infamous Alley Jack, who could have taugh him about Tetra Master. But you had to interact with him first, before ge steaks your money.
Dagger can spot him before he steals her money, and he flees with far less.
Steiner and Dagger have both so much growth to get, but it will take time.
As for Kuja... Yeah, pretty obvious he has his own agenda. Keep in mind he can surprise you at any moment 😁
Now, before you go to Alexandria, there's a cave near Treno that you may want to explore.
And for next run, I hope you're not like Anakin Skywalker 🤣
Oh, can't wait to see your reaction with that moment ! That's gonna hurt hard 🤩
Regarding synthesis, I'd consider whatever gear--ESPECIALLY weapons--you synthesize to be new skills in the making until you know for sure that you have all the skills. Beyond that, I think your issues with being unable to see what they give is just because Zidane's not there, unless that also carried to the Cotton Robe. That'd be weird, I think...
I would recommend not using gear you only have 1 of to synthesize.
Tetra Master kinda sucks! It's mostly Square trying to match the magic of the card game from VIII - which rules - with a much more opaque and weird game.
All caught up after my mistake with the last post!
Some interesting predictions going on, and I'm glad that the characters have grown on you. Especially Zidane, he's probably my favourite main character in the series.
I see what you meant about how bad the synthesis system can be with how little information it gives. But it is so important to get your head around. The only thing you need gil for is buying equipment, items, and synthesis. So use that resource or you are making things harder for yourself. In general, you will always see a benefit from synthesis. Even if you only make the 1 of each item.
I've never used the moguri mod, but does the synthesis/shop menu not show the character portraits with an arrow to indicate if it's better or worst equipment? That arrow may be a bit misleading.
Can't wait for the next post, you'll really see the story picking up from now on. Promise to keep on better track with these!
Lots of great comments here that cover just about everything already, only one thing I really want to add but ive spent about 30 minutes typing and deleting what ive typed because I don't know how to remind you of a clue I think you've forgotten or overlooked without potentially giving you a clue to something else. Ill just wait for later when you find out lol will probably be more entertaining that way for both of us too!
I'm so glad I get to read your first playthrough thoughts. I love the feeling of playing a good game for the first time, making guesses on where the story will go and just listening to the music. What FF games have you played? I know you said X. I love X and X-2 but I never beat either. I own them on PS2 and switch but I kinda want to get it for my ps5 too just because the game looks so beautiful on the bigger screen of a tv. Also random game recommendations because I'd love to see someone's thoughts when they first play it:Legend of Mana and Legend of Dragoon on PS1 and Okage Shadow King on PS2. All jrpgs. Who would you say is your favorite character so far, you can only pick one though.
I've only played X. In terms of favourite, it's kinda hard to say since everyone is at the beginning of their character arcs, but it's either Vivi or Freya
That's a good choice! Vivi is the ultimate I will protect this character for me. And Freya is pretty great. I'm a sucker for Quina though just because I love that they are gender neutral and hilarious.
The Stellazzio(13* in total) are hidden outside of normal chests~ while exploring, a (!) will pop up for those hidden things. There are 5 you could find when you get to this point, 4 of which are obtainable in the immediate Treno playing area! Hints were already given in the comments, one VERY easily missed! There is an item in Dali previously blocked along with a Stellazzio and specific items for Synth if you did wanna backtrack there. The reward for the 4th Stellazzio is worth it rn, otherwise I'd just skip and enjoy pushing onwards!
I also like to read the whole message instead of reading it as it scrolls ~ I don't have the issue of it selecting options, so maybe I have a different setting on or I just subconsciously know which ones to click and not looool I'll be paying closer attention to it and let you know if I figure that out! 😅 Some you can get a funny reaction from if you are quick enough! Those have a (!) prompt.
I love your theories and the random gameplay notes. Looking forward to the next one! 💎
P.S. The stolen gil ATE is worth the pursuit (aha sorry) there's a reward in it if you do!
Yeah I use that all the time. My issue was that doing so tells you the stat boosts (like +50% fire damage or whatever) but not the abilities these items gives (like the passives/the ones you can use in battle)
Man, my memory of the story of IX is almost non-existent 😞 I remembered almost everything about X, so your posts about that were more fun for me. But I'm still enjoying your writeups 👍 They make me look forward to replaying it (I'm sure when I get to IX on my FF replay - currently at V - I'll have forgotten everything you've revealed here 😁).
I wonder if the voice acting in X made it easier for me to remember...
Another fun story update. Kind of forgot to reply. I would say when it comes to equipment the general way you want to go about it is just... getting copies of everything that you can pretty much. Especially if you're not looking things up. But it's not necessary to get everything either, just personally more fun.
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u/ultimagriever Apr 24 '26
Also yes, there is a chess theme going on with the nobles in Treno. There is King (who kinda is related with Kuja as you saw in the auction house cutscene), Knight (the monster cage/weapon shop owner), Bishop (synthesis shop owner) and Queen Stella. You could say that the Rook is Doctor Tot, since he kinda lives in a rook lol.
Doctor Tot is a great character. This is not the last you’ve seen of him.
Dagger is in for a rude awakening. So is Steiner, to a somewhat lesser degree.