Planning
So how do I get over the hump?
1)Find the final unlock in the castle. No way it’s Omega. Omega has always been a superboss, and with the raw power it was throwing at me I simply don’t buy that the game would make me fight it. I’m often low health in the Ultimecia fight. Limit breaks are crucial damage I could be tossing out, to say nothing of Mighty Guard, and I dramatically underestimated their importance before since I spent so much of the game at high health and not using them. Quistis, Selphie, and Squall for my core three. I have a few ideas where to look.
2)Condense down to three party members with GFs. Survive the fight until the three who aren’t my core three have died off.
3)Try Ultimecia again once or twice. If I win, yay! If I lose, move to step #4.
4)Back into the world. The more I think about it, the less likely it is that the FF series would give me portals without anything worth seeing. And I have no shop! Are you telling me the game would let me approach a final dungeon without anywhere to restock? Without a chance to use the junk shop to get the best weapons?
Plus, I was rereading my notes from a couple of sessions ago and saw that the Omega Weapon scan said it’s more powerful than Ultima Weapon. Ultima Weapon could be related to the organ puzzle, but that seems unlikely. Haven’t yet seen Bahamut either and I’d be SHOCKED if they just didn’t put Bahamut in the game.
No way. I’m missing something about the overworld.
5)Once I’ve found a shop and know that I don’t have a limited supply of Hi-Potions and the like, improve my junctions and levels for the core party members. Review the tutorial info on what magic junctions best with what and seek those magics out. When I’m satisfied…
6)…Ultimecia again!
I may not reach step #4. Limit breaks may seal the deal with Ultimecia. But if not, that’s not the end of the line either.
I wrote from a place of frustration last night, but more with myself than the game. I can do this. If I persevered through the trial of pain and stamina that was FF2: Soul of Rebirth, I can beat Ultimecia. I got this.
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Ultimecia Castle
-Searching for that last guardian to get limit breaks.
-Back in the Omega Chapel, tried slamming on the organ a bunch. Nothing. I figure I was supposed to find a songbook or something to play a specific melody.
-Checked around the walls to see if notes or words were written on or around the organ. Nothing.
-Checked the art in the gallery in case words or lyrics were written in any paintings themselves. Grrrr. Nothing.
-Tried bouncing or moving on the massive clock hands near the Master Room, in case I could get it to 8:20 like in the art gallery. No luck. Same thing from inside, in the room with all the shifting gears. Can’t interact with anything.
-SUCCESS!!! Much like the chandelier to Krysta, the oddly-colored clock pendulum with the loud “tocking” sound got me across to a doorway on the other side that I had written off as cosmetic when I first saw it.
-Giant dragon. Is THIS Bahamut?
-Got another GF!! “Eden.” Must be a new one to the FF series.
-He’s not attacking. Just spelling something out. First letter is D. Second A. Maybe it’ll be a troll boss who’ll be like, “Dancing is for fun for everyone!” and then leaves.
-oh crap, I was wrong on two fronts.
1)It’s Tiamat, not Bahamut. Second time I’ve misnamed a dragon.
2)It’s slowly spelling out “Dark Flare,” not anything more innocuous. This looks to be a Bahamut-style fight. Maybe the old tactics to beat Bahamut in FFIV will work here (casting reflect and bouncing it back against her).
CARBUNCLE IS SO CUUUTE
But not helpful. The Dark Flare goes through and doesn’t get reflected. Ouch.
-Take 2. Dark Flare is the only thing she does. Here’s hoping… WOOHOO!! Ok, yes. Junctioned fire for defense and it worked.
-Came back for a third crack with Fire fully junctioned and it was a nice, relaxing fight.
Eden is the last listing in my GF catalog, though I still have three blank spaces.
If only I had gotten Draw earlier in Ultimecia Castle.
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Ultimecia: Rematch
-I now have limit breaks, junctions compressed onto Quistis, Squall, and Selphie, and more even distribution of supporting spells like Shell and Protect and Haste. Going to try once more against Ultimecia.
Pre-emptive note to self: chill. If I lose, it’s okay! I’ll head out into the world, see if I can find my way to Cactuar land, and grind up some of these sweet GFs. There is life after loss.
Here we go.
-the self talk didn’t help lol.
The boss music just started up as I walked in the room and my hands are already sweating.
-Oh no! Phase 1 of Griever and I accidentally used Carbuncle. Didn’t mean to do that.
-It’s ok, it’s okay. Got through Griever phase 1. I’ll tell you: Aura + Limit Breaks = MUCH more damage. I was doing this in hard mode before lol – and for this whole game really. When I replay this, will try to rely on limit breaks much more frequently.
-Dang. Selphie went down in second Griever phase. Just Quistis and Squall.
-Ok. In the faceless ultimecia phase.
Dlskhfadsh come on
OMOHFDUISH [Later edit: By “Omohfduish,” I meant, “Ah fuck, Ultimecia blew away the Firaga that I had junctioned to Squall’s strength so now he hits like a kitten and this phase has barely begun.”]
COME ON NO SHIT SHIT SHIT
AH SHIT QUISTIS DIED AND GOT ABSORBED INTO TIME BEFORE I COULD PHOENIX DOWN HER AND NOW IT’S JUST SQUALL ALONE
ULTIMECIA STARTED TALKING OH GOD AAAH SURVIVVVVEE
YNHUIOFDHS [Later edit: By “Ynhuiofdhs,” I meant, “Sweet mother of panic, I just BARELY got off a Hero on Squall in time to survive that Apocalypse with about 1,000 health.”]
HWUWUUUUU??? HAHAH [Later edit: By “Hwuwuuuuu,” I meant, “This is amazing, Gilgamesh visits from FFV to save my ass once again and deliver what turned out to be the penultimate killing blow. Bless your glorious, joyous, noble self.”]
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS
VICTORYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
HAHAHAHAHAHAAAHAAAHHA
[Later edit: By this, I mean… well, exactly what I typed. Some feelings can only be conveyed through incoherence. Jesus. I did it. I survived.]
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Next time: the end of Final Fantasy VIII.
