Final Fantasy VIII Disc 1
The Galbadian Experience
I’m Laguna Again
OK, this time while you’re playing as Laguna and company, there are a lot of things you can do. First off, be sure to check your junctions - just in case! If you are trying to keep your characters’ levels low, you have two options here. First, you can kill off Laguna and Ward early on, and have Kiros enable GF AbilityPrevents most random encounters. Learned by Diablos.. There will be a few battles you do have to participate in, but you can avoid most random battles. Second, if you have played enough of the SystemFF8's card game. Winning cards feeds Card Mod, which feeds items, magic, weapons, GF abilities, and all sorts of nonsense in the best way. to have won some Cockatrice cards you can Refine AbilityRefines status magic from items. Learned by Diablos. into Break. This magic causes petrify, which means you don’t get XP for killing the enemy and can thus keep your level low.
Area Enemies: Centra Excavation Site
| Enemy | Location | Card / Rare Card | Useful Draws |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elastoid | Centra Excavation Site | Elastoid Card / Ultima Weapon Card | Lv 1-19: Dispel; Lv 20-29: Dispel, Stop; Lv 30+: Dispel, Stop, Meltdown |
| Gesper | Centra Excavation Site | Gesper Card / Iguion Card | Shell, Protect |
When you are ready to go, head forward along the path toward the top of the screen. There is a sleep draw point at the entrance to the facility which will recharge over time. If you follow this route, you’ll be able to draw three times. I got 21 sleeps for nothing. :) On the other hand, if you’ve been following along the SystemFF8's card game. Winning cards feeds Card Mod, which feeds items, magic, weapons, GF abilities, and all sorts of nonsense in the best way. stuff, you prolly don’t need all those sleeps in the first place.
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Head down the road and fight some enemies. When Laguna tells you to run, head straight—not down the right-hand fork—to the big circular platform. Take the ladder down; the right-hand branch has a Confuse draw point. |
| 2 | At the bottom, find the first key. (Hmm… What’s this?) Pick it up, receive [Old Key!], and watch Laguna lose it. |
| 3 | On the next screen, cross the three trap doors. When the middle one goes “click,” play with it and watch the dialogue. You’ll want these doors open much later, so let’s see how many we can manage. Continue right and watch the guy fall into the trap. |
| 4 | Head right to the T-Junction and look next to the broken metal for the second key. (Hmm? What’s this…) Received [Old Key!]… And once again we see how well organized Laguna is. |
| 5 | Go right one screen, down one screen, up the ladder, and back to the Sleep draw point. Head back down the original route and tamper with the far-left trap door. |
| 6 | After the insults, go ALL the way back up the ladder, around the fork, down the other ladder, and return to the three trap doors from the right. Loosen the lever on the far-right door. |
| 7 | Go right two screens and take the upward branch. On the next screen, head up and left to the detonators. Press red first for the furthest boulder and left door, then blue for the closest boulder and right door. Don’t mix up the order! All three doors should now be open. |
Optional Card Grind
The Rare GF AbilityRefines Triple Triad cards into items, which can often be refined again into strong magic. Learned by Quezacotl. for the Elastoid enemy is an Ultima Weapon card, which card mods into the extremely powerful ItemSame effect as Ultima. With Bahamut's Forbid Mag-RF, 1 Ultima Stone refines into 1 Ultima.. Eventually you’ll get a SystemGuardian Forces are FF8's summons and the source of most junction, command, support, refine, and stat-growth abilities. that can refine that into Ultima - one of the most powerful magics in the game. You can find Elastoid enemies if you go one screen up and run back and forth along the metal stairs and bridge. You can draw Dispel from them, and if you get the regular card instead of a rare card, you can GF AbilityRefines Triple Triad cards into items, which can often be refined again into strong magic. Learned by Quezacotl. them into ItemGF learns SumMag+10% ability (which you’ll need eventually). If you run across a Gesper you can draw both Shell and Protect. Their rare GF AbilityRefines Triple Triad cards into items, which can often be refined again into strong magic. Learned by Quezacotl. is an Iguion Card, which can be modded into a ItemFeather with petrifying power to Refine AbilityRefines status magic from items. Learned by Diablos. Break magic.
Playing on an Emulator? If you’re using save states, Emulator Notes has more detail on nudging card RNG for rare cards like Ultima Weapon.
Leaving Laguna
From the detonator, either take the path up or the one to the right - both will take you to a T juntion with a save point. Save if you want, then head out through the path leading up. When you hit the dead end, you’ll fight a few battles and then it’s time to return to the game you thought you bought.
Back to Reality Again
When you return to your normal form be sure to return your SystemGuardian Forces are FF8's summons and the source of most junction, command, support, refine, and stat-growth abilities. in the proper characters, use a ItemFully restores abnormal status and HP to all or healing magic if you need it. You’ll be leaving this area soon, so if you want to finish anything in this area, do it now. When you’re ready to move on, head to…
Galbadia Garden
Area Enemies: Outside Galbadia Garden
| Enemy | Location | Card / Rare Card | Useful Draws |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anacondaur | Outside Galbadia Garden | Anacondaur Card / Mobile Type 8 Card | - |
| Blood Soul | Outside Galbadia Garden | Blood Soul Card / Abadon Card | Lv 1-19: Zombie, Float; Lv 20-29: Zombie, Float, Silence; Lv 30+: Zombie, Float, Silence, Dispel |
| Geezard | Outside Galbadia Garden | Geezard Card / - | - |
| Thrustaevis | Outside Galbadia Garden | Thrustaevis Card / Gargantua Card | Lv 1-19: Blizzard, Scan, Float; Lv 20-29: Blizzara, Aero, Scan, Float; Lv 30+: Blizzaga, Aero, Tornado, Float |
| Wendigo | Outside Galbadia Garden | Wendigo Card / Jumbo Cactuar Card | Lv 1-19: Berserk; Lv 20-29: Berserk, Protect; Lv 30+: Berserk, Protect |
From where you emerge from the forest, it’s due north (that’s forward and left). Once inside, head foward a few screens. It’s completely different. (i.e., the In/Out arrows are the opposite of Balam Gardan. XD) When Quistis leaves, reform your party, then head through the turnsty. If you need haste, you can draw it from the light shaft in the center of the lobby. But hopefully you’ve either got plenty already, or you’ve got some cards you can easily mod into a ItemStone with Magic power - which can Refine AbilityRefines time/gravity magic from items. Learned by Diablos. into Haste.
Save your game if you’d like, then go directly right down a hallway. In that hallway take the left-hand door and go through. It should be an ice skating rink. Now go around it counter-clockwise until there is a door in front of you. Go through it and look for a Life Draw Point.
Exit the ice skating rink, and head through the door on the right. The girl in the back of this three person party plays with all the page 6 cards. Guardian ForceGuardian Force drawn from Elvoret during the Dollet mission. Her L Mag-RF and Tool-RF abilities are extremely useful for refining life magic and useful items. Refine AbilityRefines life magic from items. Learned by Siren. lets you refine Holy from the 10x ItemSame effect as Holy you get if you GF AbilityRefines Triple Triad cards into items, which can often be refined again into strong magic. Learned by Quezacotl. a Krysta Card. This is an extremely powerful magic and this is a rare chance to get your hands on it early in the game. Heck, it’s a rare magic to get at all in the game. Check out Emulator Notes for information on getting the cards you want quickly from opponents if you’re playing on an emulator.
Exit and go back to the room with the light shaft. Then go down the next hallway (counter-clockwise) and up the stairs to your right. Right in front of where the stairwell comes out on level two is a door. If you want to draw double, head right and go around the upper walkway, continuing right. You’ll go through a door, and at the bottom of a podium is a double draw point. Get it, and then come back here. When you’re ready to advance the story, head through the door.
Talk to Zell, then talk to everyone else. Keep talking to everyone until Squall leaves. Depending on how you’ve played, you may have to go back into that room and talk to Quistis again. She’ll tell you to meet everyone out front. On the way you’ll bump into Raijin and Fujin. If you take the other hallway, you can get shell out by the athletic courts. Talk to Quistis then head down a screen. Technically, I guess you can leave the screen here and level up as just Squall. I’m not sure why you’d want to, so just talk to Rinoa. When you’ve all been given orders, talk to Rinoa again, then head to Deling City.