Final Fantasy 12 Walkthrough

NALBINA FORTRESS

RECOMMENDED LEVEL: LV 3

Number

Name

378-A

Imperial Swordsman

378-D

Imperial Magus

382-A

Air Cutter Remora

Enemies

These are the enemies you will be facing ^

Runthrough

A) Follow Basch's instructions: use the right analog stick to look around; tilt the left analog stick to walk, and push it further to run; talk to the Dalmascan.

B) Approach and open the iron gate; iopen the Battle Menu and fight your first Imperial Soldier.

C) Defeat the boss.

D) Make your way to the Lower Apartments.

E) Learn the wisdom of a quick getaway from Basch.

F) Proceed to the Upper Apartments.

G) Learn about using Save Crystals.

H) Climb the stairs and battle three Imperial Soldiers; open the passage door.

I) Walk along the passage until the cutscene begins.

A) After your rude awakening in a pile of rubble, you must waste no time in getting your bearings and learning the basics of movement and combat. Luckily, Basch is on hand to get you started with a few simple instructions. You should first try moving the right analog stick to walk towards Basch; push it further to run. He will then tell you about the "smiley face" Talk Icon above his head. When you see a character sporting one of these, it means that you can talk to them. The icon is always the same, so don't make the mistake of thinking that everyone you talk to is happy! Now go over and talk to the Dalmascan standing by the gate.

B) Next Basch will tell you about Action Icons. When you see the distinctive "!!" marker, it means that you can interact with an object, such as a switch or door, by pressing x. Now open the iron gate and go through. There's time for a brief tutorial from Basch about the Party Menu (which you can open by pressing triangle), before you're rudely interrupted by an Imperial Swordsman. Press x or square to open the Battle Menu, and select Attack to launch your first strike. You will then continually attack your enemy until he's defeated, without having to re-enter the command. Don't worry about being tossed into the fray so soon: your compatriots will quickly run to your aid.

C) Follow your allies to continue. Before you get a chance to pat yourself on the back for defeating your first soldier, you will come face to face with your first boss. It's time to put Basch's lessons into practice.

Boss: AIR CUTTER REMORA

This boss won't cause you too much trouble all you have to do is hit it relentlessly, either with the Attack command or Thunder Magick. Your enemy will almost certainly use a special attack called Remora Strike, but don't feel too threatened by this. Even though it might seem rather dangerous at this early stage of the game, you'll soon realise that your companions heal you very quickly, leaving you free to focus on dealing damage to your foe.

D) Once the boss beats a hasty retreat, more Imperial Soldiers will run towards you. Fight them off and go up the steps to the Lower Apartments where Basch will instruct you on how to use the Location Map (press select to open it). This very useful navigational tool shows you each zone in an area, exits and entrances between zones, important and relevant places (such as shops and residences), and, on some occasions, your next destination. Use the directional pad to switch between different areas, and press x to bring up a list of useful places in a selected area. If you select one of the locations on the list, such as a shop, the corresponding icon will flash on the map. If you check the Location Map now, you will see that your ultimate destination is clearly marked with a circled red cross.

You can also keep track of your current location by viewing the Minimap, which is always situated in the top right-hand corner of the in-game screen. On the Minimap, a red arrow points in the direction in which you are facing, and a green cone shows the direction of the camera. Party members appear on the Minmap as blue dots.

Battle Chains

When you vanquish two enemies of the same type consecutively, you will notice that, after deafeating the second assailant, the message "2-Chain" will appear in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. As you dispatch additional enemies of the same type in an uninterrupted seqence, this number will increase. This is known as a "Battle Chain". Battle Chains are a great way to gain resources such as Gil, Loot, Accesories, weapons and armour.

If you defeat a sufficient number of enemies of the same classification in a row, the Chain Level will increase; an onscreen message will appear when this happens. There are four Chain Levels in total. The higher the Chain Level is, the greater the chance that foes will drop an item, that the spoils of each battle will be dropped in more generous quantities, and that the items gained will be of superior quality. Furthermore, picking up items left behind by enemies at higher Chain Levels can reap instant additional rewards such as a 10% HP or MP boost, or status effects like Protect and Shell, benefiting either the party leader or all active party members.

The main advantage of stringing lengthy chains together is to obtain high-quality Loot to sell in shops, which is by far the most lucrative source of income you'll find in the world of Ivalice. Additionally, some foes carry very valuable pieces of equipment, which you can sometimes obtain long before they become available in shops. Building chains is a fantastic way to drastically increase your party's potential, especially if you can find a location where you can build a long chain with monsters that carry particularly desirable treasures.

During the walkthrough, we'll be pointing out numerous chaining "hotspots", where you can build lengthy and profitable Battle Chains.

E) Continue north until Basch pauses to teach you the wisdom of retreat. A veteran of many battles, he informs you that it's both practical and sensible to flee if the situation demands it. There are, quite literally, words to live by. Winning as many battles as possible will certainly make you stronger through the acquisition of LP and EXP, but it makes sense to avoid confrontations in which you have little chance of victory.

F) Keep going north, defeating as many Imperial Swordsmen as you can. This is all good combat practice in a relatively safe environment. Climb the staircase to reach the Upper Apartments.

G) When you reach the first landing, Basch will explain the use of a Save Crystal. To summarise, touching a crystal enables you yo completely (and immediately) restore HP and MP, revive KO'd characters, and remove negative status effects from all active and reserve members of your party. As a fringe benefit, you can also save your game! Take the opportunity to record your progress so far, then make your way up the stairs.

H) Continue up two more flights of stairs. When you reach the top, a cutscene will begin. Afterwards, Basch will run on ahead, and you will be left to fight three Imperial Soldiers on your own. Don't panic: just deal with them one at a time. If you find yourself in trouble you can use a Potion, but as your enemies are in truth rather weak, you should defeat them with ease. When they fall, open the Passage Door at the end of the Highhall corridor.

I) Follow the corridor and go through the open door; as you move forward, you will trigger a dramatic cutscene. This ends the short introductary chapter.