Kokkol’s Smithy and Tomra
With Cid’s modifications complete, the Falcon can cross magma. Before heading for the Sealed Cave, let’s visit two places that don’t immediately try to kill us. There is free treasure, useful equipment, and a sleeping smith with a problem we can solve later.
If the flight view is hard to read, keep the Underworld map open for the castle, towns and three cave landmarks.
Kokkol’s Smithy
Fly south from Dwarven Castle to Kokkol’s Smithy. On 1F, search the pots along the northern side and near the stairs for HiPotion and Remedy. Upstairs, check the shelf above the bed for SomaDrop.
Talk to Kokkol. He needs the legendary ore Adamant before he will return to smithing. We don’t have it yet, so leave this as a future errand. Sleeping beside his bed for a while won’t make the required material appear.
SomaDrop permanently raises maximum MP by 10. Rydia is a useful recipient, though Rosa is also a reasonable choice. If you aren’t saving it for someone specific, use it rather than carrying it indefinitely or selling it for next to nothing. It also frees an inventory slot, which is increasingly its own reward.
Tomra’s Free Treasure
Fly west from the smithy to Tomra. Start in the northwestern building. Its four chests and two occupied pots contain Ether2, Bomb, ThorRage, 2,000 Gil, Notus, and Bestiary. Empty containers nearby aren’t evidence that you have somehow failed to collect an item.
Talk to the residents while you’re here. One points toward the Land of Summons; another makes a distinction between the local greeting and Rally-ho. Apparently even dwarves have regional dialects.
What to Buy
Check your equipment before purchasing. If you followed the earlier route, you already have one Equipment: Ninja swordsEquippable by Edge. Power 32; Acc 90%. on Edge and suitable weapons for Cecil and Kain.
| Item | Unit price | Useful purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment: Ninja swordsEquippable by Edge. Power 32; Acc 90%. | 7,000 Gil | One for Edge’s remaining Equipment: Ninja swordsEquippable by Edge. Power 25; Acc 90%. hand. |
| Equipment: Hand armor and ringsEquippable by Edge, Rydia (both forms), Rosa, Yang, Palom, Porom, Edward, Tellah, FuSoYa. Def 6; Eva 0; Mag Def 8; Mag Eva 6%. Resists Lightning. | 4,000 Gil | One for Edge, replacing Mythril arms for better magical protection. |
| Tiara | 20,000 Gil | One for Rydia if Rosa already has hers. |
| Equipment: ShieldsEquippable by Cecil (Paladin), Kain, Cid. Def 4; Eva +32%; Mag Def 2; Mag Eva 3%. Resists Lightning. | 15,000 Gil | Compare for Cecil and Kain. |
| Equipment: HeadgearEquippable by Cecil (Paladin), Kain, Cid. Def 9; Eva −10%; Mag Def 2; Mag Eva 2%. Resists Lightning. | 10,000 Gil | Compare for Cecil and Kain. |
| Diamond body armor | 40,000 Gil | Compare for Cecil and Kain. |
| Equipment: Hand armor and ringsEquippable by Cecil (Paladin), Kain, Cid. Def 7; Eva −10%; Mag Def 3; Mag Eva 3%. Resists Lightning. | 5,000 Gil | Compare for Cecil; don’t automatically replace Zeus on Kain. |
| Equipment: ArrowsEquippable by Cecil (Paladin), Rydia (both forms), Rosa, Cid, Palom, Porom, Edward, FuSoYa. Power 35. Attacks may inflict Silence. Effective against Mage enemies. Requires a bow-and-arrow pair. | 100 Gil | Useful ammunition for Rosa and the coming caster-heavy encounters. |
The first three upgrades total 31,000 Gil. Buying those plus two shields, two helms, two body armors, and one pair of gloves costs 166,000 Gil. That’s a comfortable full shopping pass if you have the money, not an entrance fee for the next cave.
Keep ArmorEquippable by Cecil (Paladin), Kain, Edge, Rydia (adult), Cid, Yang. Def 10; Eva −10%; Mag Def 0; Mag Eva 0; Strength +10, Vitality +10. Protects against Mini. Compare the primary-stat benefit with better magic defense, elemental resistance or status protection, especially near the stat cap. on Kain if you acquired it. Its Strength and Vitality bonuses make it more than a Defense number. If you don’t have Zeus, compare Equipment: Hand armor and ringsEquippable by Cecil (Paladin), Kain, Cid. Def 7; Eva −10%; Mag Def 3; Mag Eva 3%. Resists Lightning. with his current arms instead. Keep the old elemental armor and shields in storage: Diamond isn’t automatically better against every elemental attack.
Removing Cecil’s remaining Paladin pieces can lower his Will. That’s an equipment trade, not a bad level-up. Keep Rosa and Rydia’s Rune arms rather than buying rings for everyone just because the shop has a new option. You also don’t need another Ogre, Archer, or a speculative Equipment: WhipsEquippable by Rydia (both forms). Power 30; Acc 55%. Attacks may inflict Paralyze. for Rydia.
Recovery Supplies and Storage
The recovery counter sells ItemRevives a KO'd ally. Can appear as loot from a FloatEye and Eagle formation southwest of Baron. for 100 Gil, HiPotion for 150, Cabin for 500, and Gysahl for 50. Stock enough ItemRevives a KO'd ally. Can appear as loot from a FloatEye and Eagle formation southwest of Baron. to recover from several bad encounters, not just one. Cabins are more convenient than ItemField/save-point recovery, restoring up to 1,000 HP and 100 MP. At higher levels, check your remaining deficits before continuing. when the party needs more than 1,000 HP or 100 MP restored. Using up spare ItemField/save-point recovery, restoring up to 1,000 HP and 100 MP. At higher levels, check your remaining deficits before continuing. during optional training is perfectly reasonable; just check what they actually restored.
Check the shop’s quantity setting before interpreting a price, and use Sort after shopping to combine compatible stacks. Then equip the arrows you bought. A full reserve stack doesn’t help Rosa if she’s still holding the last two arrows from an old one.
If the bag is crowded, return to Dwarven Castle’s Fat Chocobo and deposit displaced armor, EquipmentEquippable by Cecil (Paladin), Rydia (both forms), Rosa, Palom, Porom, Tellah, FuSoYa. Def 3; Eva −3%; Mag Def 5; Mag Eva 5%; Wisdom +3, Will +3., spare Equipment: Ninja swordsEquippable by Edge. Power 25; Acc 90%., and other unused equipment. Keep recovery supplies, the current party’s weapons, EquipmentEquippable by Cecil (Paladin), Kain, Edge, Rydia (both forms), Palom, Edward. Power 28; Acc 94%. Reusable Item attack with no MP cost., useful ammunition, Gysahl, and the key items. Leave plenty of spaces for treasure; three free slots will not last long on the optional routes.
Which Cave Next?
The Sealed Cave advances the plot. Our next two detours are optional: Sylvan Cave and the Land of Summons. They are separate locations, and visiting one doesn’t clear the other.
We’ll start with Sylvan Cave in the far northwestern Underworld. Don’t substitute the island entrance to the Land of Summons for the northwestern cave.
Before this detour, make sure Rosa has Float, learned at level 35. Save outside and enter with healthy HP and MP. Training is an option if you want more breathing room, but the important preparation is learning how to control these enemies rather than simply buying a larger stack of ItemRevives a KO'd ally. Can appear as loot from a FloatEye and Eagle formation southwest of Baron..