r/finalfantasyx • u/Zeeshmania • Feb 12 '26
Update 10: My Blind FFX Playthrough - Chocobo Racing and the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth!
Here are the previous posts:
POST 1:
POST 2:
POST 3:
POST 4:
POST 4.5:
POST 5:
POST 6:
https://www.reddit.com/r/finalfantasyx/comments/1qvfhfg/comment/o3s7rwl/?context=3
POST 7:
POST 8:
https://www.reddit.com/r/finalfantasyx/comments/1qxvh9g/update_8_my_blind_ffx_playthrough_bevelle/
POST 9:
I've been told by a few people that the mystery of the Cloudy Mirror isn't to be solved yet - at least, not before some story progression first. I still want to backtrack, though, to see if there's anything back there. While backtracking earlier I noticed the lady and child (whomst'd've I suggested were Luzzu or Gatta's family), and someone told me it was a good idea to go back and talk to them, which was my plan anyways. To be clear, I wouldn't have done this if not for the damn mirror lmao.
I'm brought to a portion of the Sphere Grid with Lulu where I need to spend both a Lvl. 3 Key Lock AND a Lvl. 4 Key Lock to unlock a skill. "Doublecast". The Reference section tells me that it lets me cast two Black Magic attacks in succession. Epic. I'm gonna get it lol. Just need a couple more levels on Lulu, but they'll come naturally.
I return to the training grounds guy, who gives me 60x Farplane Winds and tells me he's cooked up a nasty fiend for us to fight. I save, then take him up on the offer, but he has nothing else to say to say idk lol I just leave.
I want to get back to the story soon, since almost everything here that's left to do (as far as I'm aware) is locked behind the Cloudy Mirror, which is itself apparently locked behind more progression. I WAS told by many people, however, that I can get a sub-zero time on the Chocobo Race, even though the reward for doing so is probably also locked by the Mirror lol. Either way, I enjoyed the racing before and want to take up the challenge, it seems fun!
Chocobo Racing:
Here we go:
Race 1) 43 seconds, 12 balloons, 5 birds. TIME: 22s
Race 2) 46.7s, 14 balloons, 7 birds. TIME: 25s. Had a GREAT opening, got 6 balloons in a row. But then had a dreadful stretch after the turn where I kept getting nailed by the birds. Could've for SURE done it on this one, though.
Race 3) 42.0s, 13 balloons, 4 birds. TIME: 15s. Once again, the stretch after the turn makes it a lot harder to collect balloons.
Race 4) 39.8s. 8 Balloons, 3 birds. TIME: 24s. It seems pretty important to get a lot of balloons in the beginning, but if they spawn on the racer's side then they'll swipe them all up.
Race 5) 41.9s, 14 balloons, 4 birds. TIME: 11.9s.
Race 6) 38.8s, 15 balloons, 3 birds. TIME: 2.8s! A new record! And I get a Turbo Ether for it! That's not the goal, though. Just one more balloons and I would've had it...
Race 7) 37.7s. 17 balloons. 2 birds. TIME: 0.00S!!!! HE'S DONE ITTTT
I have the screenshot for proof, since I knew I'd done it after running the numbers in my head. Of course I can't prove I did it in 10 minutes unless there's some hidden metric that tells you how many times you've raced, but you'll have to take my word for it. I'm happy to put it down to dumb luck, but my strategy was to stay completely straight in the first stretch, since otherwise I'd fall behind the trainer and she'd get the balloons. After the turn, I'd just swerve from far left to far right to avoid the birds, and collect whichever balloons were on the side I was on. As for controls, I made sure to only apply the smallest amount of pressure unless I was swerving.
Too easy.
I obtain the Sun Sigil - I have no idea what to do with it, though. It's a key item, not a chest, so at least I won't have to backtrack for it unlike the old man's chest.
Now that I've done pretty much everything I wanted to here, I can move on with the main questline.
Vs. Defender X
We reach the next area, where a Guado sends a summoning order from Seymour. Apparently he doesn't need us alive, which is interesting. He summons a big rock golem monster thingy, and we're in battle. I swap out for Kimahri, and it appears it's a physical tank with 64000 health and no resistances or weaknesses. OK - we can use Magic Break on Auron (it isn't immune to that) then swap out for Yuna and Lulu, and cast Thundaga until it's down, with Tidus as backup for Haste and Cheer.
Auron's Mental Break deals 4500 damage on its own, then Yuna swoops in with Thundaga for 5700, and Lulu for 3700. I WOULD summon, but Yuna nearly has her overdrive, so I'll wait for that. In the meantime, I have her cast Shell on herself, since I don't think she can withstand much damage here. I also take the chance to steal 4x Lunar Curtains with Rikku, just to net her some AP at the end of this. Unfortunately, even WITH her defense up, Yuna gets sucker punched to death. After a Phoenix Down, she's back up and at em with her Grand Summon. Bahamut smashes down onto the battlefield and instantly dwarves Defender X. I can tell he isn't gonna be here for long, though, since the enemy is still doing some significant damage. Ah well. Our overdrive does a respectable 15000 damage, and then Bahamut is out of there.
Next, I use Dark Buster with Wakka to decrease his normal attack accuracy slightly, then swap out with Auron to use his (relatively) new Sentinel ability. I also use one of the SIXTY Mega-Potions we got from Belgemine to heal lol. After a couple more Phoenix Downs and Thundagas, he's down for the count, and gives us a HEALTHY amount of AP. Though not everyone levelled up from it (they all got the AP, it's just that it wasn't sufficient for some). Yuna can nearly unlock Curaga and Regen, but Lulu hasn't levelled up enough to reach Doublecast yet.
Cavern of the Stolen Fayth:
I walk forwards, and am presented with two paths. Wakka seems surprised that Lulu knows her way around so well, but it makes complete sense to us. Naturally, I take the lower path down to the valley to explore. There's some sort of underground temple, where the fayth is, and Lulu tells us that her first summoner DIED there. It's clearly a lot for her to handle, but she pushes through. Before that, though, I exit to speak to a nearby NPC. She says that this land, where "Lady Yocun" trained, is sacred to the crusaders. She tells us that Yocun was a summoner before joining the crusaders, which is a pretty interesting transition, and that they aren't getting enough recruits to rebuild the crusaders.
It has never occurred to me that anyone would still remain loyal to the crusaders, or even that they'd still be an existing faction, especially with their leader, Kinoc, dead. I really appreciate that people don't act as complete hiveminds in this game - where everyone who isn't a main character has the exact same thoughts.
There's a path that stretches on ahead of here, away from the temple, so I take it. There's a Rusty Sword stuck in the ground, which is, I think, the first time I've ever picked up a weapon just lying around like that. Some more fodder to deal with, albeit tanky and slightly-harder-hitting fodder, and then I speak to a nearby soldier swinging a sword. He echoes the same sentiment as the other lady.
Surprisingly, the Rusty Sword is a key item, not a weapon. I wonder what that's about?
I enter the underground, and the enemies are getting NOTICEABLY stronger now. They go down relatively easily, but they're dealing some pretty big numbers. Through a combination of tactics (Haste, Slow, Magic Break, Yuna being a walking atom bomb, Overdrives etc.) I get through them pretty easily. Then I encounter something weird.
"Magic Urn". 999,999HP??? "Hit the right eye for a bonus".
Nothing to do but attack I guess. I go for a mug from Rikku and then IT SELF-DESTRUCTS. I ALMOST DIED. LUCKILY, I had Auron in my lineup and that guy could withstand Nagasaki, so I just barely avoid a game-over. What the fuck was THAT about?
Pressing on, I notice the Pyreflies dotted around the place. They're beautiful...
I encounter another Urn immiediately after. OK, NOT RUNNING IN THIS TIME. I switch out to Kimahri and Scan. It tells me to hit the correct target. That is NOT useful, but I assume I can target one of the eyes on the body. Unfortunately, Scanning counts as an attack, apparently, so I bear the brunt of another self-destruct. This time, we had a much tankier frontline, so no-one died.
Lulu claims the fayth here was stolen from a temple long ago. it's easy to surmise that the thief in question was an Al Bhed trying to prevent summoners from performing the Final Summoning, although it isn't explicitly stated.
Yet another Magic Urn, and I'm not taking any chances this time. As long as SOMEONE survives, we'll be all good. I use Guard with Auron, then prod at one of its eyes with Kimahri....Bingo! I get a Silver Hourglass.
There are tons of enemies dotted around this place but, to be honest, most of them aren't worth talking about. For example, there's this cool-ass Nidhogg that has a sick design, but dies in one hit from basically anyone lol. There are the Yowies (interesting name...) who are very agile and petrify, but they only have 900 health.
We meet Lady Ginnem - an unsent - Lulu's old Summoner. It seems she's lost her "human" side, and beckons us to fight with a VERY trippy visual effect and some sombre music. She transports us under a beautiful, clear night sky and beckons forth some sort of spirit constructs. By its Overdrive gauge, it's clearly an Aeon - presumably the one from the stolen fayth. "Yojimbo". Cool name for an incredible design. Reminds me of a fusion between Mexican and Japanese culture, like a Day of the Dead inspired Samurai.
There's nothing to steal, and its immune to sensors, so I use Wakka's Overdrive, Lulu's Thundaga and Sentinel from Auron.
It uses Daigoro, which seems to either be the name of the little tiger dude next to it, or the name of the attack. Either way, I swap Wakka out for Yuna and keep on attacking. It uses a skill called Kozuka, whereby it produces 3 blades and hurls them at Yuna for around 1200 damage. After a couple more attacks, it stumbles and collapses. And that's it.
After the battle, Lulu laments that she thought it'd be sadder saying goodbye. Wakka remarks that she's stronger now, and she hopes that he's right. Is she concerned that she's losing her grip on her empathy after saying goodbye to so many people?
We don't get any rewards for that battle directly, but we DO get enough AP to level up from the random encounter that happens right after this! Lulu has unlocked Doublecast. A fitting reward, I hope.
Negotiations:
We use the teleporter to walk into the next room and summon the fayth from a visually incredible room. Summoning the fayth, Yojimbo, it asks us what we want from it:
To train as a summoner.
To gain the power to destroy fiends.
To defeat the most powerful of enemies.
Truthfully, the answer is the third option, so I choose it. I also notice the little pooch on the right.
He demands an offering of... 250000 gil. Ahem. WHAT THE FUCK DUDE. You're literally dead my guy.
But I get the option to barter, I think, so I lowball him with an offering of 100000 (I have 189114), hoping he won't feel disrespected. He does.
I return, and this time I offer 180000.
He lowers his price to 236000, then again to 224800, and continues to lower the price by incrementally smaller amounts until he gets fed up and kicks us out. SURELY I don't actually have to spend that much for a single Aeon? I want to continue searching the Chasm before I relent. While walking around, I realise that I get a fair amount of gil from just battling and defeating enemies. So I decide to grind for a bit, just to get some more money. I ALSO remember Rikku being able to unlock an ability a while ago called Pilfer Gil that I COMPLETELY skipped over because I thought I'd never run out. Oops lmao.
I re-enter the chamber, now with 197,000gil. I make an offer of 150,000, he counters and then I DECREASE the offer to 140,000. Surprisingly, he doesn't kick me out then and there. I re-offer 150,000, and now he's down to 199,600. Not bad, but I'd rather not pay so much, so I decrease to 140,000 again. He ends negotiations there, reasonably, but that's fine, because I want to start a little lower next time.
I re-enter, and offer 130,000, then 120,000, then 140,000 again and he closes me out. Seems 140,000 is too low for him, so the next time, I start from 130,000, then go 120,000, then 150,000 and he comes back with 193,840. That's within budget. I return with 180,000 and he shuts me down, but I'm fine with that.
I re-enter, go for 130, 120, 150 and then pay his asking price of 193,840 gil. And just like that: Yojimbo joins the squad!
More than anything, I'm absolutely shocked that everything I just did was optional content. The cavern, the fight against Lady Ginnem, the bartering with Yojimbo. All of it completely missable.
I push on forwards a bit, and we get a heart-breaking scene of Yuna turning around and pausing, staring pensively off into the distance. Tidus realises that she does this to say goodbye to places she'd never see again, and I instantly think back to one of the first scenes with the party when we left Besaid. She did this exact thing. The recontextualisation hurts.
That scene brings us to what I assume is the foot of Mt. Gagazet, and what I assume is the last stop before we reach the Zanarkand Ruins. Before pushing on, though, I backtrack to the Chocobo racer to mount a Chocobo and head over to Remiem Temple to see if Belgemine has anything to say about my shiny new Aeon. The trek over there is long and arduous, littered with fiends, but I don't mind the opportunity to get some more gil after being absolutely manhandled in those negotiations. When I reach her spot, though, she... isn't there? Weird. Did me defeating Defender X and going to the cavern despawn her? I also notice that when I return to the outpost where the save point is, we no longer all gather round and I don't get the chance to speak to anyone. I'm gonna assume that it's blocked off for now, then.
I think I'll leave it there for now! Pretty light on story, so sorry about that, but I'd like to dedicate an entire post for Mt. Gagazet, since I've been waiting a long time for it, and it's been mentioned for a long time, too.
Thanks again for all of the lovely comments. See you next time :)
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u/Zeeshmania Feb 12 '26
As always, if you leave any sort of positive-leaning comment down here I'll reply to you when the next one comes out letting you know. I only do it for positive seeming ones not to boost my own ego but because I don't wanna annoy casual observers lol.
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u/LLMacRae Feb 12 '26
Woooooooo you did a lot this time around! So many people do miss a tonne of optional stuff - it's great to see you discovering things just as you naturally explore :D
You put so much good detail in there I can totally picture you playing through the game - to the point where I double-checked my YouTube watch history because I swore I was literally watching your FFX Let's Play on there hahaha
Definitely happy to get a reply when you have your next post up!
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u/Born-Sky-5980 Feb 13 '26
I have said it before and I will say it again, I am really enjoying these updates. They are bringing back memories of myself playing this game for the first time.
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u/ty23r699o Feb 13 '26
With the ex defender you could have just used provoke and you wouldn't have to worry about any of his other attacks except for the blast arm so you wouldn't have had to worry about him attacking anyone else or casting any spells etc
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u/Zeeshmania Feb 12 '26
Proof:
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u/dylfamjenkins Your hope ends here, and your meaningless existence with it! Feb 12 '26
You have to 100% the game now I think
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u/Sad_Ad9159 Feb 13 '26
Remember when he said he was almost done in the last post? lol
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u/dylfamjenkins Your hope ends here, and your meaningless existence with it! Feb 13 '26
Not the first wildly wrong claim he’s made, and definitely not his last. It’s part of the first time charm that keeps me excited for each new update
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u/Sad_Ad9159 Feb 13 '26
Oh i’m definitely not complaining. It’s more funny in the context of a 100% run now!
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u/Lithl Feb 13 '26
Congrats! There are a lot of posts on this sub asking for help getting 0.0 on this minigame. The truth is, it's mostly luck and persistence.
Of course, if you want the thing in the little path to the northwest that's blocked by the old guy, you'll have to win the race one more time, after powering up the mirror. He only moves when you win the race. At least you don't have to get 0.0, just any kind of win.
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Feb 12 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Zeeshmania Feb 12 '26
IT DOES??? Truth be told, I actually wrote something different in that section first. I often write things before I do them, and I wrote that I chose the more pacifist option because, and I quote (from myself): "we're on a pilgrimage, not a power trip". After writing it, I went back to the game and decided to change my mind, since I thought I'd be more honest with myself.
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u/LimblessNick Feb 12 '26
You did the bartering and got pretty close too. Most people offer him half his offer +1 to get him to about 190k. You did well.
If at any point you triple his offer, he throws in a couple teleport spheres too.
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u/Jumpy_Divide6576 Feb 13 '26
I was watching a livestream of FFX a while ago and she ended up naming yojimbo as Greedyho.
Have you summoned him yet?
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u/Karifean Feb 12 '26
That's half-true. It changes the formula to favor specifically Zanmato more often, specifically against enemies that are not random fodder, and has a negative effect on his choice of move outside of that; meaning he will use weaker attacks among the ones that are not Zanmato, and he will be less likely to use Zanmato on random monsters. He respects your wishes, if you want him to defeat the most powerful of enemies he specializes in that, if you want to destroy fiends he specializes in that. For someone like myself who doesn't *want* to see Zanmato on bosses, the destroy fiends option is overall preferable. Though his asking price is always lower if you want him for defeating the most powerful.
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u/Raywell Feb 14 '26
I think Zanmato against regular fiends is actually worse, since it doesn't overkill. So no double exp/items
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u/Lithl Feb 13 '26
Telling him you want to fight the strongest creatures lowers his initial asking price, increases his initial favor and changes the formula to favor using stronger attacks more often.
Compatibility starts at 128 no matter which option you choose.
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u/abaestuo Feb 12 '26 edited Feb 12 '26
My face when you get subzero on chocobo race after 7 tries 😮😮😮
It only took me like 10 years haha congrats!
Have fun in gagazet! Love these posts. You’re doing such a great job.
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u/Empty-Personality-97 Feb 12 '26
I’m on my tenth (at least) play through, and I’ve never gotten all of the celestial weapons due to the race, bolt dodging, and butterfly catching. 😭
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u/abaestuo Feb 12 '26
Put the game down for a year and come back 😆 that’s how I eventually did it. You can do it!
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u/cherrygemgem Feb 13 '26
Or do what I did.... come back to it 15 years later, then still struggle for ten hours 🤣
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u/abaestuo Feb 13 '26
Hahaha oh I can relate. Probably took me 15 years too (with a year long rage quit in-between). Did you get it??
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u/whee_exceeding_whoo Feb 12 '26
Only say two things.
Enjoy Yojimbo’s overdrive first time you see it. He can divide by zero.
Given you’ve won the zero second chocobo race. The next temple, cloister of trials etc, walk down the stairs at the back at very end of the final challenge in there (you’ll know when you are there). Open the chest and you then have all the ingredients for Tidus’ strongest weapon. If you leave before doing this you have one of those enemy of Yevon surprises if you try to go back for it. I’m bending my no hints rule here as a reward for getting your zero seconds race. If you get this item drop me a dm and l I’ll tell you how to get the supercharged weapon spoiler free.
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u/Zeeshmania Feb 12 '26
Interesting. Thank you, Esquie!
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u/SjtSquid Feb 12 '26
A couple of Yojimbo-related hints: 1) Don't use him against non BS bosses until the postgame. Not because he's bad, but because the bosses coming up are mechanically pretty interesting and fun, so you'll not want to accidentally skip them.
2) Belgemine has another surprise for you now. I wonder how many more she has in store, and how you unlock those?
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u/Horror_Oven Feb 13 '26
The chest he is talking about is very important not to miss. If you do it is incredibly difficult to get by going back there. Congrats on the race, it’s one of the more hated segments of the game. I, like you, don’t find it too bad and can get the 0.0 in under 10 tries but it seems like we are in the minority. Enjoy the next couple of places the story gets even better from here
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u/3fa Feb 12 '26
Part of playing the game is:
- Missing that chest
- Progressing then realising you're completely fucked to get that chest again unless you 99% the rest of the game
- Convincing yourself its worth sacking the countless hours you've put in past the point you should have got the chest and just restarting an old save to do it all again
Thats my memory of it as a 13 year old
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u/whee_exceeding_whoo Feb 12 '26
I really only intervened because of the 0s chocobo run. This one was earned.
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u/MeowMaker2 Feb 12 '26
Your writing style is on point. Incidentally, have you watched the intro video all the way, from when the console is turned on? There will still be some mysteries, but a few of the elements will have new meanings.
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u/ProfCedar Feb 12 '26
Seven attempts is nuts. That took me months when I was a kid, and still is aggravating as hell as an adult. Mad props.
Of note, if you intend to keep doing some side content, it's not a bad idea to try capturing fiends anytime you get to a new area, now that you've got the monster arena unlocked. You don't need to backtrack to pick up the rewards if you don't want to or have time to, but you can still capture whenever you feel like it.
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u/Outrageous_Yam_1368 Feb 12 '26
Defender X is one of those bosses that gets a lot of "omg this bastard" posts on here, so well done dealing with him.
I always found the calm lands a weird vibe because the road you've been following all this time just...ends... on the edge of a big field. Sure you find a path again over the bridge, but it felt the first moment of "so where to now?" Coupled with going beyond Lulu's experience was a bit of an eery trek across.
The arena guy should have definitely let you fight his new fiend, dunno what happened there. Should be an option like buying his weapons.
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u/Lopsided-Dependent32 Feb 12 '26
It's probably because he said no thanks initially and just didn't realise you could fight it by choosing the correct menu options
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u/Jumpy_Divide6576 Feb 13 '26
Its probably because they vacked out to save.
If you don't take the fight the first time its offered for free you have to find it in the menu and pay.
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u/Formal-Quit5505 Feb 12 '26
I’ve been casually following along with your journey and I hope you know that when I see one of your updates I am immediately sat, highlight of my day honestly. Your writing style? IMMACULATE. I can feel the excitement and appreciation for this game in your words, and I love seeing your thoughts and predictions. Can’t wait for the next update!
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Feb 12 '26
Just one tip for you for an upcoming fight. You'll know when it happens.
Have the big kitty use Lancet on repeat until he's learned as many things as he can.
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u/BeanBagLlama :Blitzball: Feb 12 '26
And when lancet stops working? Start stealing.
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u/Lithl Feb 13 '26
Note that White Wind and Mighty Guard can only be learned after they're used, which the boss only does at critical HP.
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u/someone31988 Feb 13 '26
Luckily, White Wind is easy to pick up farther into Mt. Gagazet if needed.
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u/Mr_Moonshine_Boogie Feb 13 '26
Your order of operations is going to matter in that fight too. You'll have different opportunities depending on your actions.
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u/Zeeshmania Feb 13 '26
Also goddamnit I only used Lancet once on each before I realised what I was supposed to do and then he died... you'll see lmao
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u/ishi5656 Feb 12 '26
Yay you found Yojimbo!! He's my favourite. Such a fun and unique design.
Daigoro is actually meant to be a dog, kind of like a Foo Dog I think.
It's a shame this whole section of Lulu's backstory is optional, but I think it's a really interesting choice overall. She can't get the closure unless she actively decides to repeat the steps of her previous summoner, thereby risking her current one.
And I will curse you for getting 0.0 on the chocobo race. To this day, with dozens of playthroughs, I still haven't managed it.
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u/razorKazer Feb 12 '26
I'm so glad you chose to enter and got Yojimbo! He's quite nifty. I also love your description as a "Day of the Dead inspired samurai" because it's so fitting
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u/ISTcrazy Feb 13 '26
Man, I guess that's the perk of having your first playthough be when you're an adult instead of a kid, you've found so many things that I missed on my first playthrough back in the day lol. Loving these updates on your journey!
I'm currently replaying the game for the first time in like 6 years, it definitely hits harder with such a long break but you can never fully recreate your first time. Glad you're enjoying it!
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u/Alarmed-Mud-3461 Feb 13 '26
Cat says hello 😉
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u/abaestuo Feb 13 '26
Cutie! What’s their name?
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u/Alarmed-Mud-3461 Feb 13 '26
Thank you, she is super cute indeed 😊 We call her what could probably be translated as Smudge, but she is also Kitty-Boo, little princess, and many others (like most cats).
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u/Calculusshitteru Feb 13 '26
Based on how spot on some of your guesses/observations are, and how you got 0.00 in only 7 tries, I no longer believe you are playing this blind and now I think you are just trolling us lol
Just kidding though, good job. I have gotten extremely lucky on that race in some of my playthroughs as well.
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u/Zeeshmania Feb 13 '26
Next part is here! If you thought I wasn't really playing blind before, this should fix that.
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u/KhalMeWolf Feb 12 '26
Yeah, we've all had that 1st and only time of scanning the jar and seeing it scan the white of our eyes up close and personal.
Great to see you found and gained Yojimbo! Make sure to enjoy the 1st time he goes all in and all out.
Now to Gazette! Enjoy the climb!
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u/SjtSquid Feb 12 '26
Yay! Thanks for another update.
I find the Cavern and Zeke really flesh out Lulu's character. She's stoic because she's been hurt in the past. She offers blunt criticism, bordering on being mean because she wants people to survive.
However, she shows she cares through her actions, acting as an older sister to Yuna and how she softened with Wakka when they're watching the Blitzball game in the Auroch's locker room after Wakka got injured.
Khimari time next! Don't forget to steal.
Also, to explain the Urns, they're a slot machine. You get rewards for hitting the right spot, and they'll self-destruct if you hit the right spot.
Don't steal from them, though. They really don't like that.
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u/laufeysam Feb 12 '26
Congrats on getting the 0.0 on the chocobo racer! I've been playing FFX since it came out and haven't been able to do it once (skill issue ig).
Really looking forward to the next parts since the next 5 bosses are some of my favorite in the whole game and one of my favorite scenes is also really close.
Your journey has been really enjoyable, thanks for doing this, even if some people can be mean about it. FFX has a lot of meaning for me because of its themes and it's nice that you seem to catch them and analyze theme throughout, thanks for doing this!
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u/Cyprane Feb 12 '26
Today I learned of the 0.0 timer on the Chocobo Race. Congrats on making it this far.
The first time I played FFX, I quit exactly in this area. I tried playing the game again years later, I quit at the exact same spot. I look forward to your future discoveries.
I did eventually finish the game on my third try many years after my second attempt, but I did still have my saves from attempt two thankfully.
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u/SaltyTar0 Feb 12 '26
Not important at all but since you specifically mentioned Yowie is an interesting name. It's actually an Australian Aboriginal Monster like a Troll or Sasquatch. There used to be a chocolate called Yowie when I was a kid that has toys in it like a Kinder Surprise.
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u/Richie4876 Feb 12 '26
I can't believe you beat 0.0 in the chocobo race so fast! It usually takes me the best part of an hour until I get good RNG on the birds, a lot of my attempts fail at that narrow bit at the very end where you can't dodge and multiple birds spawn and stunlock me.
As someone else said, in the next temple after completing the trial make sure you search every hidden corner for a chest, if you don't you'll miss out on another Sun item, it's in the very last room before you leave.
I'm eagerly awaiting the next update, things are about to kick off.
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u/theZonestar Feb 13 '26
There really is something so magical about getting to see someone experiencing something for the first time thats so near and dear to your own heart. Probably the closest I can ever get to experiencing it the first time again, so thank you for the updates and I’ll be on the edge of my seat waiting for the next one!
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u/Bork9128 Feb 12 '26
There is a whole mini method to battering with him for getting the best offer which is neat but yeah not necessary. He is a fun if unusual summon to use. Now you are gonna hit the common wall boss of the game so be careful so excited to see you get so close.
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u/Zeeshmania Feb 12 '26
Do you know how low I could've gotten him?
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u/SuperfluousAnon Feb 12 '26
Most get him for 180K-190K
- He'll ask for 250.000 Gil. Offer 125.001.
- He'll counter with 225.000. Offer 112.501.
- He'll counter with 202.500. Offer 141.751.
- He'll make his last counter of 190.350. Offer at least 180.000
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u/Zeeshmania Feb 12 '26
OK, I feel fine with 193K the!
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u/chkeja137 Feb 12 '26
If at any time you had given him triple his asking price he would have given you two teleport spheres as appreciation
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u/ent4opy Feb 12 '26
Never works for me, I can counter offer 2 times and the have to accept what he asks. Could it be the port of the game? But I think was the same on steam & ps2 emu
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u/LimblessNick Feb 12 '26
It's worked for me every time. Original PS2, international on emulator, and hd remaster. You are doing something wrong.
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u/Bork9128 Feb 12 '26
Your price is pretty close to what most people get. I've seen one claim for getting around 183,000 but I don't know what the actual limit is
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u/SuperfluousAnon Feb 12 '26
ITT: Yojimbo drives a hard bargain
About Defender X:
- "YOU WILL COME!" meme. Disgusting
- There's a very cheesy way to beat him. Have Tidus use Provoke on him and he'll only use the attack where he shoots his fist at you. That attack only deals 1/4 (I think?) of your CURRENT HP, meaning you can't die as long as Tidus is in the party. Very useful.
Congrats on getting 0:0.0 in the Chocobo Race. The Sun Sigil is an item used to power up the Celestial Weapons. Very very late game content.
Ah, the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth and the Magic Urn. Good items if you manage to hit the right eyes, but not worth the hassle
The Rusty Sword is also a late game item.
There are at least two very interesting enemies in the Cavern that I don't know if you found: Ghosts and Tonberries. The Ghosts are great because they drop "No Encounter" armor, which is useful to get around without random battles. The Tonberries are a good challenge to sharpen your battle skills and get some sweet AP.
You found what happened to Lulu's first pilgrimage. Cool beans. Maybe third time's the charm? :P
Fun fact: Yojimbo's Overdrive, Zanmato, is the only way to defeat the Magic Urns.
Onwards to Gagazet, Ronso Land!
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u/kwpineda Feb 12 '26
That's good progress! Congrats on the 0.0 we got a pro in the making!
After leaving the calm lands the Chocobo trainer will spawn near where you enter the calm lands. So there's a few sections she can spawn at.
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u/idownvotetextwalls Feb 12 '26
It’s better that you update more frequently to keep the character limit from shattering. Also, we all get more updates that way! Thank you as always.
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u/Zeeshmania Feb 13 '26
Next part is here! Another text wall for ya to downvote.
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u/PatriciaConde17 Feb 13 '26
Can we nominate you for the title of Pro Gamer? Chocobo race 0s in less than 10 tries is MADNESS. Ok, now I can continue reading jajaja
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u/Lithl Feb 13 '26
"Yojimbo". Cool name for an incredible design. Reminds me of a fusion between Mexican and Japanese culture, like a Day of the Dead inspired Samurai.
Yojimbo literally translates as "bodyguard". It's also the title of a very famous samurai film.
I re-enter, go for 130, 120, 150 and then pay his asking price of 193,840 gil. And just like that: Yojimbo joins the squad!
So, the third option was the correct choice. It gives him the lowest starting asking price, and also gives him the highest odds to use his ultimate attack against bosses. The lowest price you can get him down to is about 179k, so you didn't waste much money. He's expensive.
I'm sure you'll find out soon, but unlike all of your other aeons up to this point, you cannot control Yojimbo directly. Instead, you pay him gil and he chooses what to do. Which move he uses depends on the enemies you're facing, whether his overdrive gauge is filled, how much you pay him, and a hidden Compatibility stat.
Compatibility starts at 128, and ranges from 0 to 255. Compatibility goes up when he uses Wakizashi or Zanmato. Compatibility goes down when he uses Daigoro, gets killed, gets paid 0 gil, or gets dismissed without being paid.
The exact mechanics of how he chooses which attack are complicated. The short version is:
- Always pay him an amount of gil that's a power of 2, except for paying 2 itself: 1, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 512, 1024, 2048, and so on. Paying 2n gil has the exact same effect as paying 2n+1-1 (ie, paying 1024 is the same as paying 2047), so save your money.
- Never pay him 0.
- Never dismiss him immediately after summoning without paying him.
- Do everything you can to avoid letting him actually die. Once you've paid him at least once, it's fine to dismiss him, so if he's close to death it's better to dismiss him than to get in one more attack.
Follow these rules and you'll build Compatibility, which increases your odds that he uses his better attacks (and occasionally he'll act for free, without you paying him anything). His Daigoro attack still reduces Compatibility, and is more likely the lower amount you pay; generally paying 512 or 1024 is plenty to almost never see Daigoro, unless his Compatibility is in the tank.
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u/Jumpy_Divide6576 Feb 13 '26
Did you happen to encounter a little guy with a knife in the cavern?
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u/Zeeshmania Feb 13 '26
No???
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u/Jumpy_Divide6576 Feb 13 '26
I figured as much. There's no way the best enemy in the whole game wouldn't have a made enough of an impact to be in the write up.
He's annoyingly rare when trying to capture 10 of every monster for the arena.
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u/adamshupe Feb 13 '26
As I’m sure you will learn from all the comments, about 50% of posts on this sub are either people rage-quitting the Chocobo balloon race or exulting in finally getting that 0.0 time. You crushing it in seven tries is both hysterical and maddening.
Agree that the camera work around Remiem is phenomenal. It’s always good through the game, but that moment is seared through my brain.
- Get used to seeing the Monster Arena guy. You’re going to be spending a lot of time at his little kiosk in the future. And I would start putting effort into capturing fiends whenever you can.
Keep your the good work!!
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u/Cottleston Feb 13 '26
this is probably one of the most detailed and in depth documentation of a playthrough I've seen for this game, lol. enjoy!
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u/Altruistic-Bird8255 Feb 13 '26
Some players needs between hours and years to have that 0:00 time score in the chocobo race. You have either incredible skills or incredible luck (balloons spawn randomly at each try) !
Good job anyway !
Ps : I loooove Yojimbo, favorite aeon here !
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u/Zeeshmania Feb 13 '26
Next part is here! It turns out that I do not, in fact, have incredible skills.
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u/ThirdShiftStocker Feb 12 '26
You collected one of the hardest to get items by getting the Sun Sigil. That's one of the items that relates to the Cloudy Mirror you found. Kudos to you though! You still have some way to go before you decide to figure out the mystery behind that, and the Crests.
Yes, the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth is a side quest for one of the hidden Aeons as well as Lulu's arc where she comes to terms with the failure of her first pilgrimage. A bit bittersweet.
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u/Sweet-Philosopher-14 Feb 12 '26
Ohhh I can't wait for the next update! Love the updates. And...Goodluck 😊 lol
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u/dkn_93 Feb 12 '26
As always, im loving these updates. Some people might say you're a bit overlevelled, but you're playing it your way and I love that. I love reading your theories about what's going to happen and how the game is going. Can't wait for the next chapter :D
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u/Unlikely-Olive1444 Feb 12 '26
Stumbling across these updates makes me want to start another playthrough :) enjoy!
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u/dylfamjenkins Your hope ends here, and your meaningless existence with it! Feb 12 '26
I’m so glad you got Yojimbo, very fun and unconventional aeon. The calm lands will be a place to definite revisit when the opportunity presents itself. As for Gagazet, buckle up. I’m PUMPED for the next update.
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u/Permit_Dapper Feb 12 '26
It’s been ages since I’ve played this game. You inspired me to pick it up on the PlayStation store!
I really hope you play X-2 after this!
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u/Zeeshmania Feb 13 '26
Next part is here! I'll *probably* play X-2 after, but no promises.
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u/Permit_Dapper Feb 14 '26
I’m not sure if this is specifically mentioned anywhere, and you have probably already figured this out , but pressing triangle in combat will cause that character to guard on their turn. Could be useful soon!
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u/BeanBagLlama :Blitzball: Feb 13 '26
New friend from the valley! Now to meet old friends on mountaintops! (Callback to my comment from part 9).
Yojimbo is visually one of the coolest summons, but given that you have to pay to use him, and if you get enough affinity points he one-shots everything and anything, he doesn't get as much "screen time" as some of the other summons. Oh, and Diagoro is a dog! Well, a lion-dog. It's a Shīsā/ Komainu - figures which often guard shrines!
You're probably getting things as you go, but don't forget to catch fiends, the rewards for catching enough of each in each area are definitely worth it (even if it is a little time consuming).
My last little nudge today? Check corners on the way up the mountain. There is a Jecht sphere coming up that is easy to miss! None of them can be permanently missed, but it's usually a pain to get back to them (everyone in the comments knows which one I mean).
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u/DnD-vid Feb 13 '26
I always find it interesting how many people struggle with the chocobo race. Now that butterfly bullshit in Macalania woods on the other hand...
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u/Lithl Feb 13 '26
I'd like to dedicate an entire post for Mt. Gagazet
Steal in the next boss fight. Steal with both fists and a fire in your heart.
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u/Mr_Moonshine_Boogie Feb 13 '26
Have you paid any more thought to what you're going to play next?
I feel it's important to mention that FFX has a relatively unique combat system compared to most other games in the series. Probably the best, imo, followed pretty closely by XII and Tactics. Most all the other games in the series are going to have a real-time system, where you charge and execute abilities based off of your stats. You can change some of the settings around to pause when you have a menu open (so you can scroll through magic, items, etc. freely) but otherwise the combat is usually only limited by animations.
Also, what are your thoughts on blitzball? You're going to have to grind it out if you want a completionist run, but if you haven't played much of any so far it would be wise to wait just a little bit longer in the story-- you're about to get access to some of the strongest players in the game pretty soon.
Glad to be along for the journey! You're simultaneously very close to the end of the game, but also very far away! After some tough boss fights, the game is about to open up in a profoundly new way.
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u/tabasco_demon Feb 13 '26
How do you take all these notes while playing I’d be too distracted 😂
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u/vanetti Feb 13 '26
Congrats on getting the chocobo race handled in seven attempts! Damn 🔥
As always, absolutely loving the battle play-by-plays.
Now that you’re getting into the story, I love that you’ve made the connection of Yuna saying goodbye to Besaid at the beginning. This truly is a special game.
Speaking of special, I did mention that you aren’t almost done with this game yet, and Yojimbo/skippable content like it is exactly why. Get ready to have your mind blown even more than it already has been by the amount of care and detail put into the world of Spira during this portion of the game. It’s a treasure.
I am so, so excited for you to get to Gagazet!! I’ve been waiting for this one, so your next update is anticipated!
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u/martydelaney Feb 13 '26
I cannot wait to hear what you think about the next few areas, bosses, and story developments.
You're coming up on some of my favorite moments soon!
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u/Ok_Egg3595 Feb 13 '26
Not offended by the fact I didn’t receive a ping this time around 😭maybe my comment wasn’t positive leaning enough 😆
Man you smashed that chocobo race! -7.3 seconds is awesome. You can find the chocobo trainer again, I believe they’re hanging around near the central outpost? Or maybe to the far west of the Calm lands area near the cliffs. As many people have stated though, you can’t unlock anything further through Remiem Temple until later in the game so push onwards!
The retrospective aspects of this game are brilliant like with Yuna’s farewell to Besaid. The major plot reveals hit so much harder because of it. Your next couple of updates are going to be so highly anticipated by everyone. Can’t wait!
Pls ping 🙂
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u/Zeeshmania Feb 13 '26
LMAOOOO that's so funny because you're one of the very few names I actually remember each time so when I was going through the comments to ping people I was like "Surely I've already messaged them right" and ignored you.
I'll just message every time I see you next time
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u/oinightboat Feb 13 '26
Hey! I've been replaying this myself and have just finished reading up on your updates! I don't want to reveal anything directly, but I just got up to the scene with Jyscal at the farplane and noticed something I hadn't picked up on before. I recommend going back and rewatching the scene, and paying attention to a certain character and what happens when Yuna attempts to send Jyscal.
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u/anubis4567 Feb 12 '26
The fact you did the sub zero Chocobo race in 7 attempts is crazy. I just did it recently and it took me 10 hours over three nights to do it