Let´s replay Final Fantasy: FINAL FANTASY IX

[Zack]

@Zack: well the people in those forums said that if you do a lv. 1 challenge playthrough getting the 10.000 gil at the start is a must since as you yourself pointed out, you cant grind Gil in battles if you wanna do the the lv.1 challenge So I thought you especially would be all over that.

Oh, of course. I am not knocking anyone who does it. I am speaking specifically only for myself and having to put up with things like input lag on the controller and latency from playing on an LED TV, I get a little frustrated easily on it. I also gave up on the Low Level Challenge when there seemed to be a lot of support from the RPG Site Twitter and Twitch channel to play the game straight. lol

As for my favorite moments, I always really enjoy watching the FMV sequences. It still looks really good to this day, and I feel that even the game itself looks really sharp and incredibly beautiful to look when it comes to things like the architecture, monster designs, and more. I kept saying during the stream that this was to me the most inspired game yet for the series. Personally, I feel that once the Final Fantasy series introduced voice acting, it went way downhill for me when it came to the emotional engagement I had. When you're trying to experience a moving moment and it's ruined by weird voice acting, it alienates me. That's kind of why I haven't really been truly happy with the series since FFIX.

 

[Azuardo]

Quick tip: hang on to your Ethers then sell them later. They go for 1000 gil a pop! Great easy money for early game.

 

[Leon Aether]

Quick tip: hang on to your Ethers then sell them later. They go for 1000 gil a pop! Great easy money for early game.

Really? Wow, I never did that actually, and to be honest I never even used an Elixir once in any FF game, nor did i sell one. I totally forget about items after some point in the games. Sadistic, I know...

 

[Azuardo]

Yeah, I mean, you can easily have 20k when you sell a bunch at Dali - 30k if you got the 10k from the sword fight like you did. I keep about 3 Ethers spare, but it's much more beneficial to just sell a load of them at this early stage.

 

[Leon Aether]

Yeah, I mean, you can easily have 20k when you sell a bunch at Dali - 30k if you got the 10k from the sword fight like you did. I keep about 3 Ehters spare, but it's much more beneficial to just sell a load of them at this early stage.

Thanks for the tip. I will definitely make use of it at Lindblum later, where I want to buy everything and around 2-3 pieces of each item, as it helps every member to learn all new abilities at the same time faster...

 

[buddhafied]

As this is my first full play through, I will be just playing the story straight while doing the side quests I find along the way. Generally, it's hard for me to not try to do everything in a game, but age and time is really helping me on that department. I have been plowing through many games I couldn't finish (due to lost interests after countless hours of doing everything in the game) the last few years, because I just decided I rather finish the game's storyline then finish 98% of the game but the ending.

 

[Nikolasvanitas]

One tip to make lots of gil in Lindblum starting in the village of Dali

A Wrist costs 130 gold, a Steepled Hat costs 260 gold, and to combine them into a Cotton Robe costs 1000 gold for a total cost of 1390 gold each. You can sell them for 2000 gold for a profit of 610 gold each. 1 set of Cotton Robes (99 pieces) would then yield 60,390 gold.

 

[Azuardo]

One tip to make lots of gil in Lindblum starting in the village of Dali

A Wrist costs 130 gold, a Steepled Hat costs 260 gold, and to combine them into a Cotton Robe costs 1000 gold for a total cost of 1390 gold each. You can sell them for 2000 gold for a profit of 610 gold each. 1 set of Cotton Robes (99 pieces) would then yield 60,390 gold.

Yep, great tip. I did this on a previous playthrough to rake it in. Couldn't quite remember the items needed this time around and I'm avoiding guides, so had to settle for Ether-selling instead. But definitely a brilliant tip for others to do.

 

[buddhafied]

One tip to make lots of gil in Lindblum starting in the village of Dali

A Wrist costs 130 gold, a Steepled Hat costs 260 gold, and to combine them into a Cotton Robe costs 1000 gold for a total cost of 1390 gold each. You can sell them for 2000 gold for a profit of 610 gold each. 1 set of Cotton Robes (99 pieces) would then yield 60,390 gold.

Ha ha this is like... Crafting in MMO!

It's nice to play with bunch of people who've done this before. I feel that there's no reason for me to look at any guides because of you guys.

 

[Omegaflare]

It's nice to play with bunch of people who've done this before. I feel that there's no reason for me to look at any guides because of you guys.

Which is one of the major reasons for this project So we can help each other out and accumulate tips, knowdledge etc. that goes far beyond any guide.

For instance, I have been completing IX like 20 times in the last 15 years but already I am reading stuff here that I didnt even know, its fantastic!

@Nikolasvanitas: another amazing post! you guys really put so much quality into this, just amazing. That Cotton Robe tip is awesome and I definitely didnt know that. Though I had to read it several times to understand it. When I first read it I was like "wait, what?" xD That is awesome stuff!! keep it coming please.

One of the things I already love about this that after 15 years with your guys help I discover totally new aspects in the game. This is exactly what I hoped this would be. Great stuff, keep it coming!

@Zack: yeah a straight and full playthrough is so much more fun^^ also more fun to watch for the people on twitch I´d wager. I also agree about the quality of FF IX. Despite being a PSOne game, the game still looks incredibly refined and beautiful. Even some of the animation and effects in battle (like the Holy spell) look astonishing for that age. And if Square ever excelled at one thing its CG-Cutscenes

I dont quite agree about your criticism of voice acting though. I really love the development the series did in FF X. It made everything more cinematic and emotionally connecting for me. To hear the characters speak in FF X or have the story presented in ingame cutscenes really made me invest myself emotionally more into it. But thats also because I became FF fan in the first place because of the cinematic feeling of it and how it felt like being in a movie and really invest myself in characters like I would do in a movie and FF X HEAVILY increased that feeling to a new level for me, One of the reasons why it still is the most powerful and emotional gaming experience I have ever had and my most fav game of all time. But I definitely agree that bad voiceacting can seriously hurt and break a FF game. However I LOVED the voice cast in FF X (especially Hedy Buress as Yuna), I couldnt even begin to imagine the game without those voices, it would rob it of most of its charme for me. However I was not at all thrilled with the characters and voice cast of FF XII. FF XIII though had an incredible voice cast, probably the best FF voicecast ever. So while there are some aspects of the development of Final Fantasy in the last 10 years that probably werent for the best, I think the voiceacting for the most part really made the games much more compelling and richer and more alive. I hope FF Xv will have a great and memorable voicecast too. But then again the cinematic presentation and feeling was always probably the most important aspect in FF to me so maybe thats why I have a much different outlook on that.

Back to FF IX: okay as it stands now I am actually the last one who hasnt reached the checkpoint. Okay thats quite embarassing haha. I blame the damn swordfight minigame for that which cost me lots of time. I´ll continue right away and let you guys know as soon as I am there.

One other thing that came to my mind, reading all of your great comments:

I think its much better if we compile a list before we proceed from each checkpoint of all the things in the next segment that should not be missed, and tips and tricks for achieving something like that Cotton Robe trick for example. Otherwise someone might suddenly mention something and some of us go "damn I just missed that". So I think it would be better if compile a comprehensive list before each segment of things that can be missed, obtained, sidequests that can be done etc.

 

[Leon Aether]

There are a couple of things I have to ask for the next segment..

First one: Is it true that Zidane can actually change his outfit if he manages to kill the lion before the Waltz uses magic? For anyone who looks on his/her pc screen like this " " it's a rumor about the ability to change Zidane's outfit if the player manages to do that. The outfit is changed in Dali when Zidane wakes up at the inn. Just curious if it really is a rumor...

Second one: Is Ice Cavern accessible at all after Disc one? I never managed to get in again by any means. I tried with chocobos, airships, on foot on every disc... But nothing.

That's all for now. There isn't any secret anyway in this part of the game, except the chests behind the frozen walls.

I have to inform you that due to university duties, even if Omegaflare manages to checkpoint, I won't be able to play tommorow. I'll be able to though on Tuesday again. Mondays will be touph days...

 

[Azuardo]

There are a couple of things I have to ask for the next segment..

First one: Is it true that Zidane can actually change his outfit if he manages to kill the lion before the Waltz uses magic? For anyone who looks on his/her pc screen like this " " it's a rumor about the ability to change Zidane's outfit if the player manages to do that. The outfit is changed in Dali when Zidane wakes up at the inn. Just curious if it really is a rumor...

Not true.

Second one: Is Ice Cavern accessible at all after Disc one? I never managed to get in again by any means. I tried with chocobos, airships, on foot on every disc... But nothing.

Nope, you cannot return to it. Later on, the ice begins to melt, and someone will stop you from entering it at all times, until it just gets blocked off completely on Disc 4.

 

[Leon Aether]

Uh oh... I knew the answer! But I always hoped for something "new"! Hope dies last anyways...

 

[Zack]

@Omegaflare - Have you managed to reach the point? Been grinding for a couple hours.

 

[Omegaflare]

yup just reached the world map - and damn its looking good.

I grinded for a while in Evil Forest to learn Steiners Beast Killer and Bug Killer skills early on. as a result I was immensely strong during the boss battle against Plant Brain (though it took me a while to steal the Iron helm - which is GREAT item since it gives Steiner early on level up-ability). I used the meantime to focus with Vivi so I ended up beating the boss in two attacks lol. Also stole Iron Sword for Steiner (combined with some levelling and Beast Killer that has Steiner do about 250 damage per hit right now) and accumulated about 8000 gil so far in battles. Also stole about 10-15 tents from Dendrobium.

Right now my party (except Garnet since she joined only after the boss) is Lv. 7 including Vivi and Steiner. I got Iron Sword and Iron Helm equipped for Steiner, providing him with Beast, Bug and Birdkiller as well as Level up.

there were a couple of times where I needed to laugh so hard haha. I had almost forgotten how funny the game is. Like when Zidane calls Steiner "Sir Rustalot" or when Cinna said he cant sleep without his Garnet doll - priceless.

And god I just love Steiner. That guy is so damn funny how he always tries to be all serious and dutiful and then is so clumsy and screws up (I love the scene where he jumps after Zidane and Garnet in the cutscene and at first he is all badass and then crushes into the wall - haha) and even though he is supreme fighter nobody really takes him all that seriously. I also love how he is such a choleric who always jumps up and down with his whole armor making noises when he is angry. Man he cracks me up, Steiner just rules.

The game has such a rich and magical world from the start and the characters are so incredibly engaging. It really is the ultimate classic FF. and the world and the humor makes it so different from the Nomura/Kitase/Toriyama FFs.

But I need to say it: Brahne just is like the ugliest queen of the century. How was Garnets father ever in love with her? She almost doesnt even look human lol. Oh and Zorn and Thorn already annoy the hell out of me again lol

Another character that is really great is Baku. he really cracks me up too. In a way he reminds me of heidegger from VII with his laughing. A good version of Heidegger though.

One thing I noticed was that FF IX actually uses several german names such as "Prince Schneider" (how funny was that scene where Steiner is adressed as Schneider and that he is going to marry the princess? and he is like "WTF!" and doesnt know what the hell is going on and then even things that Garnet dies while everyone else knows its just a play haha). Most of the Pluto Knights also have german names.


My current playtime is already over 5 hours haha (though about 2-3 hours of that was trying to impress 100 nobles).

Alright looks like we´re all set. Sry for the delay guys.

Now before we delve into the next segment lets compile a list of things that shouldnt be missed and can be done in the next segment. if anyone has something to add to that list feel free to do so!

- exploring all the secret passages in Ice Cavern and getting all the treasures (some ice walls can be broken by Vivi if you interact with the wall and lead to treasures). There is an additional mage masher for Zidane here if I am not mistaken (which is needed to forge one of his special weapons later in Lindblum)

- getting the treasures in Dali, especially the coin that can be found there (Those who dont know what those are about: there is a number of 13 coins with zodiac signs on them such as Libra, Taurus, gemini etc. Each of these coins can later be given away in Treno in exchange for some REALLY great rewards so definitely try to find them all. There is one such coin in Dali)

- try stealing from the Black Waltz and Sea Lion bosses. they have some really great equipment (as a general rule you should steal from all bosses as much as possible) but be always aware that Zidane has nobody to back him up in that battle. I remember last time I actually died a few times in this battle because I played this a little too risky.


The next checkpoint is in the Dali Inn right before we go below Dali to find Vivi. I am gonna continue right away so I wont be the last one to reach checkpoint this time

here we go!

 

[Phoenix]

Just made it to Dali from the Ice Cavern. Didn't know there was a scene where you see the Alexandrian army pass through at that gate before the cavern though, so that was neat. Zidane has been on a stealing rampage, I am stocked on potions and tents.



I love that you can choose to do that and the game just ignores it, by the way.

At any rate, BW#1 and Sea Lion were easy as usual. The gate guard is still a jerk for not letting me in, and that old guy still wants coffee. Think I'll leave the exploration of Dali to tomorrow, some good ATE's there as I recall. Been enjoying the playthrough so far though, bringing back a lot of memories.

 

[buddhafied]

The Ice Cavern was fun. It took me a little bit to realized the encounters was from the walking into the breezes. It didn't matter much though as I was happily levelling anyway.

Story: the story continues to intrigue me and just enough to feel that there is a reason for me to move along. Very impressed with the small touches on the area we are not yet supposed to go to, but still have some kind of things going on (eg: wondering to the South Gate and talking to the guard on the PA system and choosing the "shop" function will have a lady walked up to let you rest and shop), just stuff to make the world more alive.

Forgot to mention in my last post how much I love the little animation Mog does prior to saving. So damn cute.

 

[Omegaflare]

Just reached the 2nd checkpoint myself. Lots of cool stuff to find in the Ice Cavern (including a Leather Wrist which gives Zidane the Beast Killer ability). Black Waltz 1 and Sea Lion were much easier this time around due to my high level, not playing it risky. In any case you should make sure to steal Mythril dagger from Sea Lion for Zidane.

I actually named Garnet "Stella" after the FF XV character

By the way one thing I forgot to mention is that you can start the Friendly Monsters sidequest before you enter Dali.

For those like buddhafied who (probably) dont know what this is about:

In certain areas you can sometimes encounter a special friendly monster on the worldmap. In this case the battle music is different so you know you have found one. Under no circumstances should you attack a friendly monster. Instead it will ask you for an item (mostly jewels but sometimes Elixir) which you should give him until it is satisfied. then he will disappear, give you loads of AP (no exp though). If you manage to find and satisfy all friendly monsters in the game then the ultimate boss in FF IX, Ozma will become vulnerable against physical attacks. If you dont complete the sidequest and battle Ozma, he will be immune to physical attacks.

You can find the first friendly monster in the area around Dali (though it can take a while until you encounter him). he wants an Ore from you.

I did everything in Dali, watched some very funny ATEs, bought a few supplies and collected all the items (most importantly the Aries coin that I talked about in my last post). garnet is on Lv. 5, the other three on Lv. 8.

After Vivi got snatched and Zidane reunites with Garnet at the inn, I reached the checkpoint and saved the game

Now I am one of the first who reached it and not the last , yay!

PS: Those constant bickerings between Zidane and Steiner (and how Steiner instantly shuts up when Garnet interferes) are just too bloody funny.

 

[Azuardo]

Heh...

Sums up my thoughts on Steiner... Has his funny moments, for sure, but his stubborness grates on me.

Checkpoint

Just made it to Dali from the Ice Cavern. Didn't know there was a scene where you see the Alexandrian army pass through at that gate before the cavern though, so that was neat..

Could you elaborate on this, please? Not sure I know of this. Do you mean the South Gate that's further right of the Ice Cavern entrance, and you see an Alexandrian flag there, and can buy some items from a woman on the other side? I didn't "see" the army, but that's the only thing I can think you mean!

 

[Phoenix]

Yes, that's what I mean. The Alexandrian war flag after all, plus all the footprints....

And that frustrating friendly monster! Spent about 20 mins wandering around fighting battles waiting for him to show up, and no luck. Will have to try again after work today.