Final Fantasy X Reference

Al Bhed Primers

Al Bhed is a simple substitution cipher, and each Primer translates one letter. You can check the letters you have and your current Al Bhed rank from the Key Items menu. The list below follows route order instead of making you translate a location list before you can translate the game.

First-visit Primers

These are listed at the first point where the route reaches them. Primer copies marked “replacement available” can be recovered later on Bikanel if you miss the original.

Vol.	Letter	Location	Availability	Route
I	Y → A	Al Bhed Salvage Ship: on the right side of the deck, near the save sphere	Replacement available at the Sanubia Oasis	Submerged Ruins
II	P → B	Besaid Village: Crusaders Lodge, on the floor near the entrance	Returnable on the original North American PS2 release; later versions can add a Dark Aeon access blocker	Besaid and S.S. Liki
III	L → C	S.S. Liki: Power Room, in the lower-right corner	Replacement available in Sanubia near the tent where you find Wakka	Besaid and S.S. Liki
IV	T → D	Kilika Port: tavern, on the counter	Returnable	Kilika and S.S. Winno
V	A → E	S.S. Winno: Bridge, on the floor near the captain	Replacement available in Sanubia near the rubble where you find Kimahri	Kilika and S.S. Winno
VI	V → F	Luca Stadium: Basement B, outside the Besaid Aurochs locker room	Returnable	Luca
VII	K → G	Luca Theater: reception floor, near the stairs	Returnable	Luca
VIII	R → H	Mi'ihen Highroad: Rin gives it to you at the Travel Agency	Talk to Rin before leaving; returnable until the later-version access blocker appears	Mi'ihen Highroad
IX	E → I	Mi'ihen Highroad: Newroad, North, on the ground near the second bridge	Returnable	Mi'ihen Highroad
X	Z → J	Mushroom Rock Road: Precipice, at the end of the narrow detour before the elevator	Returnable	Operation Mi'ihen and Djose
XI	G → K	Djose Highroad, on the ground along the road after the beach	Returnable	Operation Mi'ihen and Djose
XII	M → L	Moonflow: North Wharf, on the platform beside the shoopuf	Returnable	Moonflow and Guadosalam
XIII	S → M	Guadosalam: in the house at the far left of the residential area	Returnable	Moonflow and Guadosalam
XIV	H → N	Thunder Plains: Rin gives it to you at the Travel Agency after you talk to Rikku; answer that your study is going okay	Replacement available at a dead end in Sanubia East	Thunder Plains
XV	U → O	Macalania Woods: Lake Road, behind a stump opposite the butterfly activity	Returnable	Macalania Woods
XVI	B → P	Lake Macalania: Travel Agency Front, on the ground to O'aka's left	Returnable until the later-version access blocker appears	Lake Macalania

Bikanel and the one-way areas

You can collect any available replacement copies while regrouping on Bikanel. Once you reach Home, stop treating Primers like ordinary treasure: XIX through XXII are the four that can disappear permanently from this save.

Vol.	Letter	Location	Availability	Route
XVII	X → Q	Sanubia Desert: Central, inside the ruined structure	Returnable	Bikanel and Home
XVIII	N → R	Sanubia Desert: Central, on the ground near the sign at the fork toward the Cactuar area	Returnable	Bikanel and Home
XIX	C → S	Home: outside the entrance, on the left before entering the dome	Permanently missable	Bikanel and Home
XX	D → T	Home: Living Quarters, beside the doorway to the left after the stairs	Permanently missable	Bikanel and Home
XXI	I → U	Home: Main Corridor, at the end of the right-hand passage	Permanently missable	Bikanel and Home
XXII	J → V	Bevelle: Priests' Passage, on the floor immediately after the wedding and before the Cloister of Trials	Permanently missable	Airship and Bevelle

Airship cleanup

The last four can wait until the late-game airship opens the world back up. “Can wait” is not the same thing as “will magically enter your inventory,” unfortunately.

Vol.	Letter	Location	Availability	Route
XXIII	F → W	Calm Lands: in the northwest portion of the main field	Returnable	Calm Lands
XXIV	Q → X	Remiem Temple: outside, near the chocobo-racing sphere	Returnable	Remiem Temple
XXV	O → Y	Cavern of the Stolen Fayth: on the ground at the fork near the save sphere	Returnable	Cavern of the Stolen Fayth
XXVI	W → Z	Omega Ruins: at the back of the four-chest room, near a torch	Returnable	Omega Ruins

Original North American PS2 label bug

In the original North American PlayStation 2 release, the pickup text for Volume XXVI mistakenly calls it “Al Bhed Primer vol. XVI.” The Key Item description and the letter it translates are correct; this is only a name-label error.

Al Bhed ranks

Your rank changes as the dictionary fills in. Congratulations: you have a rank. Whee.

Primers collected	Rank
1–3	Al Bhed Hujela
4–6	Al Bhed Pakehhan
7–9	Al Bhed Typpman
10–12	Al Bhed Maynhan
13–15	Al Bhed Cbaygan
16–18	Al Bhed Hydeja
19–21	Al Bhed Unydun
22–25	Al Bhed Medanyde
26	Al Bhed Sycdan

Once you have all 26, talk to Rin aboard the airship for 99 . That is enough to customize three times, and also means that the Al Bhed dialogue finally stops looking like your controller fell down the stairs.