Final Fantasy X Walkthrough

Cavern of the Stolen Fayth and Yojimbo

Save before heading into this area. If you find you are consistently getting KO’d, just advance the plot by heading to Mt. Gagazet and level your characters up before coming here.

Down into the Gorge

You can get YojimboAeonOptional aeon hired in the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth; his action depends on Gil, hidden compatibility, Overdrive, target, and the recruitment answer. down here, if you are good enough. Some of the enemies in the cavern are really tough, and YojimboAeonOptional aeon hired in the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth; his action depends on Gil, hidden compatibility, Overdrive, target, and the recruitment answer. himself wants 250,000 Gil before he joins you. Save at the bottom of the gorge, make sure your aeonsBattle SystemA summoned ally that replaces the active party until it is dismissed, defeated, or wins the battle. have charged Overdrives, and keep enough money for the negotiation. If you’ve been capturing fiends, you should be in pretty good shape. Heck, even though I hadn’t been collecting fiends up to this point, I had over 600,000 Gil.

The cavern is off the path to Mt. Gagazet, but it is worth doing now. You can recruit an optional aeonBattle SystemA summoned ally that replaces the active party until it is dismissed, defeated, or wins the battle., start capturing its nine Arena fiends, find Al Bhed Primer Vol. XXVKey ItemOne of 26 volumes that progressively translates the Al Bhed language., and leave with the Rusty SwordKey ItemKey item placed at the Mushroom Rock statue to reveal Masamune's Celestial seal. for Auron’s Celestial WeaponEquipmentA character-specific ultimate weapon powered up with its matching crest and sigil..

Cavern Enemies

Only the first nine rows are Cavern capture records. CoeurlEnemyCalm Lands feline fiend that may use Blaster to inflict Petrification when its HP is low. and MalboroEnemyDangerous Calm Lands fiend whose Bad Breath inflicts multiple status effects; Provoke prevents it from choosing that attack. still count toward the Calm Lands, while Defender, Mech HunterEnemyLightning-weak Cavern machina that Steal dismantles immediately; it cannot be captured for the Monster Arena., and Magic UrnEnemyUncapturable 999,999-HP Cavern encounter whose five eyes form an item gamble; a wrong choice makes it self-destruct. cannot be captured at all. The Monster Arena tracker keeps those boundaries straight and saves you from asking the Arena owner every time.

Your aeonsBattle SystemA summoned ally that replaces the active party until it is dismissed, defeated, or wins the battle. will be quite useful here. When I’ve defeated a GhostEnemyCavern fiend that is always weak to Holy, can inflict Doom, and is required for the area's Monster Arena set. in the past, I’ve received the Off SeasonEquipmentWakka armor name produced by the No Encounters ability; a Ghost may randomly drop one in the Cavern. armor for Wakka. It carries No EncountersEquipment AbilityPrevents random encounters while the relevant equipment is worn., which is going to be pretty handy whenever you want to cross the Calm Lands later. Equipment drops are random, so don’t plan on seeing that exact piece during this visit. But definitely keep it if you do.

You’ll also run across a NidhoggEnemyIce-weak drake found in the Cavern and on Mt. Gagazet and required for the Cavern's Monster Arena set. with two Dark ElementsEnemyCavern elemental fiend that reflects magic, can drain MP, and is required for the Cavern's Monster Arena set.. Delay BusterSkillPhysical attack that pushes the target's next turn farther backward than Delay Attack. one of the elements, then Armor BreakSkillPhysical attack that attempts to reduce the target's Defense to zero and remove Armored protection. and attack the other. You don’t want two of those guys draining all your MP.

When I fought the ThornEnemyFire-weak plant fiend that counters surviving direct attacks with Pollen and is required for the Cavern capture set. enemies, I used BahamutAeonNon-elemental aeon acquired in Bevelle whose attacks can exceed the normal 9,999 damage limit without a powered Celestial Weapon. to knock down most of their HP, then captured them. If BahamutAeonNon-elemental aeon acquired in Bevelle whose attacks can exceed the normal 9,999 damage limit without a powered Celestial Weapon. kills them in one shot, use a different aeonBattle SystemA summoned ally that replaces the active party until it is dismissed, defeated, or wins the battle.. If you use IfritAeonYuna's second aeon, a Fire-elemental summon obtained at Kilika Temple that absorbs Fire damage., their FiraBlk MagicDeals moderate Fire-elemental magic damage to one enemy. attacks will heal rather than harm him. ;) A ThornEnemyFire-weak plant fiend that counters surviving direct attacks with Pollen and is required for the Cavern capture set. counters surviving direct attacks with PollenEnemy AbilityThorn counterattack that inflicts Sleep and Darkness on the active party., which can put the party to Sleep and inflict Darkness. Its common steal is two Silence GrenadesItemUse item that damages all enemies and inflicts Silence for eight turns unless they are immune.; EtherItemRestores 100 MP to one character. is the rare steal, so the old “steal an Ether” plan may take a few attempts.

Just use Valefor’sAeonYuna's first aeon, a flying non-elemental summon whose starting Overdrive is Energy Ray and whose second is Energy Blast. Sonic WingsAeon AbilityValefor attack that damages one target and delays its next turn when the target is vulnerable to delay. on any MalborosEnemyDangerous Calm Lands fiend whose Bad Breath inflicts multiple status effects; Provoke prevents it from choosing that attack. you come to. For GhostsEnemyCavern fiend that is always weak to Holy, can inflict Doom, and is required for the area's Monster Arena set., have Tidus use Delay AttackSkillPhysical attack that pushes the target's next turn backward. to stall and then Quick HitSkillFast physical attack with unusually short recovery time, allowing the user to act again sooner. to polish them off before they can DoomStatus EffectStarts a countdown that inflicts KO when it reaches zero. your guys.

The hardest enemy you’ll come across, though, is likely to be the TonberryEnemyRare Cavern fiend that counters attacks with Karma during its four-step approach, then switches to Chef's Knife.. This guy may counter attacks with KarmaEnemy AbilityTonberry counterattack whose damage equals ten times the attacking character's lifetime kill count., whose damage is ten times that attacker’s lifetime kill count. Use either Triple FoulSkillPhysical attack that attempts to inflict Darkness, Silence, and Sleep for three turns. or Sleep BusterSkillPhysical attack with a high chance to inflict Sleep for one turn. to put him to sleep, then have people steal from him and use magic attacks. After four waddles he stops using KarmaEnemy AbilityTonberry counterattack whose damage equals ten times the attacking character's lifetime kill count. and starts using Chef’s KnifeEnemy AbilityTonberry's close-range physical attack after it completes its four-step approach. instead. FlareBlk MagicDeals very heavy non-elemental magic damage to one enemy. is awesome here, but by the time Lulu gets it, she’ll almost certainly kill him off in one blow. You want to avoid that! He shows up very rarely, and it’s really tough to capture ten of him.

Magic Urn

The five-eye gamble

Magic UrnEnemyUncapturable 999,999-HP Cavern encounter whose five eyes form an item gamble; a wrong choice makes it self-destruct. has 999,999 HP. You’re not going to defeat it by ordinary means. You can attack one of the five eyes; a correct choice pays an item and lets you choose again, while a wrong one makes the Urn explode for serious damage to a low-level party. Unfortunately, there’s no pattern and it’s entirely random. If you are low-level (or simply value your time) I recommend fleeing.

On the other hand, if you are playing on an emulator and don’t mind messing around with save states, there is profit to be made here. Make a state before choosing an eye. If the Urn explodes, restore and choose a different eye; the state preserves which eye is currently correct, so repeating the same wrong choice repeats the explosion. When you find the correct eye and receive an item, make a new state before the next selection. You can repeat that process to collect several good items, then flee when every choice is a failure. The Emulator Notes keep the short version in the main target list.

Through the Cavern

Here are instructions for making it through the caves and getting everything of value:

Yojimbo

This isn’t really a tough battle if you have charged aeonsBattle SystemA summoned ally that replaces the active party until it is dismissed, defeated, or wins the battle.. I hadn’t really been leveling up when I got here, and I only ever took hits of less than 300 HP each. When the battle begins, use Haste and call your aeonsBattle SystemA summoned ally that replaces the active party until it is dismissed, defeated, or wins the battle.. I went through ValeforAeonYuna's first aeon, a flying non-elemental summon whose starting Overdrive is Energy Ray and whose second is Energy Blast. and IfritAeonYuna's second aeon, a Fire-elemental summon obtained at Kilika Temple that absorbs Fire damage., then finished him with a souped-up Mega FlareAeon OverdriveBahamut's non-elemental Overdrive, which can exceed the normal 9,999 damage limit..

Just so you know, you don’t get anything from this battle. No AP, Gil, items, or equipment (regardless of OverkillBattle SystemFinishing an enemy with at least its required final-hit damage threshold, commonly improving AP or item rewards.). If he’s looking hurt, don’t waste a Mega FlareAeon OverdriveBahamut's non-elemental Overdrive, which can exceed the normal 9,999 damage limit. solely to finish big. The actual danger is the gauge below YojimboAeonOptional aeon hired in the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth; his action depends on Gil, hidden compatibility, Overdrive, target, and the recruitment answer.: DaigoroAeon AbilityYojimbo's weakest paid or free action, a single-target attack that slightly reduces his compatibility when chosen., KozukaAeon AbilityYojimbo's single-target knife attack; its use does not change compatibility., and WakizashiAeon AbilityYojimbo's sword attack; using it against one or multiple enemies raises compatibility by different amounts. fill it in increasing amounts, and a full gauge means ZanmatoAeon AbilityYojimbo's instant-defeat attack; its selection depends on payment, compatibility, Overdrive, target resistance, recruitment answer, and chance. against your party.

Teleporter Treasure

After the battle, step onto the teleporter and use its facing arrow to reach the side rooms:

Hire Yojimbo

You’ll have to make a one-time strategy decision. YojimboAeonOptional aeon hired in the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth; his action depends on Gil, hidden compatibility, Overdrive, target, and the recruitment answer. works best in really hard battles (read: boss battles), so choose the last answer: “To defeat the most powerful of enemies.” This improves his chance of choosing ZanmatoAeon AbilityYojimbo's instant-defeat attack; its selection depends on payment, compatibility, Overdrive, target resistance, recruitment answer, and chance. against the targets where you are most likely to want it.

He asks for 250,000 Gil. The easiest and least error-prone option is to pay him what he’s asking and give him a name. Bargaining does not make YojimboAeonOptional aeon hired in the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth; his action depends on Gil, hidden compatibility, Overdrive, target, and the recruitment answer. perform worse after recruitment. If cash is tight, a careful negotiation can hire him for 190,350 Gil.

Optional: bargain down to 190,350 Gil

Offer 125,001 Gil, then 112,501 Gil, then 141,751 Gil, and finally accept at 190,350 Gil. Pause for several seconds before entering each new offer; racing through the bids can change how the sequence resolves. If an offer is rejected, you can return and begin the negotiation again without damaging Yojimbo’sAeonOptional aeon hired in the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth; his action depends on Gil, hidden compatibility, Overdrive, target, and the recruitment answer. later compatibility. Paying triple the initial asking price can add two Teleport SpheresSphere GridMoves one character to any node that any character has activated., but 750,000 Gil for that bonus is unlikely to be an affordable luxury for you on your first (or even 5th) visit.

Maximizing Yojimbo’s Usefulness

The thing about YojimboAeonOptional aeon hired in the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth; his action depends on Gil, hidden compatibility, Overdrive, target, and the recruitment answer. is that he has an attack called ZanmatoAeon AbilityYojimbo's instant-defeat attack; its selection depends on payment, compatibility, Overdrive, target resistance, recruitment answer, and chance. that can insta-kill almost anything. Yes, even the nastiest superbosses. It is not guaranteed, and a scripted multi-phase battle may simply advance to its next phase, but you can improve the odds.

YojimboAeonOptional aeon hired in the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth; his action depends on Gil, hidden compatibility, Overdrive, target, and the recruitment answer. does not take ordinary attack commands. His hidden compatibility with Yuna, the amount of Gil you pay him, his OverdriveBattle SystemCharacter or aeon special attack resource charged according to the active Overdrive mode. gauge, the target’s resistance tier, and the answer you chose when recruiting him all feed into the decision. How you treat him and what he does for you changes that compatibility:

Result or action	Compatibility change
ZanmatoAeon AbilityYojimbo's instant-defeat attack; its selection depends on payment, compatibility, Overdrive, target resistance, recruitment answer, and chance.	+4
WakizashiAeon AbilityYojimbo's sword attack; using it against one or multiple enemies raises compatibility by different amounts. against multiple enemies	+3
WakizashiAeon AbilityYojimbo's sword attack; using it against one or multiple enemies raises compatibility by different amounts. against one enemy	+1
KozukaAeon AbilityYojimbo's single-target knife attack; its use does not change compatibility.	0
DaigoroAeon AbilityYojimbo's weakest paid or free action, a single-target attack that slightly reduces his compatibility when chosen.	-1
Dismiss YojimboAeonOptional aeon hired in the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth; his action depends on Gil, hidden compatibility, Overdrive, target, and the recruitment answer. immediately after summoning	-3
YojimboAeonOptional aeon hired in the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth; his action depends on Gil, hidden compatibility, Overdrive, target, and the recruitment answer. is KO’d	-10
Pay him 0 Gil	-20

As you can see, your compatibility with YojimboAeonOptional aeon hired in the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth; his action depends on Gil, hidden compatibility, Overdrive, target, and the recruitment answer. relies a bit on random numbers. If you’re on an emulator, make a save state before calling him so you can avoid losing compatibility (see the note below).

Sometimes YojimboAeonOptional aeon hired in the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth; his action depends on Gil, hidden compatibility, Overdrive, target, and the recruitment answer. takes a free action before you pay him. Under the commonly documented formula, that chance is compatibility divided by 1,024, so it approaches 25% at the maximum value of 255. If the free action is DaigoroAeon AbilityYojimbo's weakest paid or free action, a single-target attack that slightly reduces his compatibility when chosen., it still reduces compatibility.

The next thing to know is that he’s highly motivated by Gil. Powers of two are efficient payment breakpoints, which is why I used 4,096 Gil for ordinary training and saved the wild 525,000 Gil payment for a boss where I really wanted ZanmatoAeon AbilityYojimbo's instant-defeat attack; its selection depends on payment, compatibility, Overdrive, target resistance, recruitment answer, and chance.. Those were useful personal rules of thumb, not dependable 3/4 or 2/3 guarantees: the release, target, compatibility, OverdriveBattle SystemCharacter or aeon special attack resource charged according to the active Overdrive mode. gauge, and random roll all matter.

Since I like to max out the Arena in the Calm Lands, I find it helpful to train YojimboAeonOptional aeon hired in the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth; his action depends on Gil, hidden compatibility, Overdrive, target, and the recruitment answer. at the same time. Once I encounter a group I’ve already captured enough of, I summon him and try to encourage a useful action. Keep ordinary saves recent; if he gets KO’d, you pay him nothing, or you immediately dismiss him, you are teaching precisely the wrong lesson.

Emulator: branch away from a bad YojimboAeonOptional aeon hired in the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth; his action depends on Gil, hidden compatibility, Overdrive, target, and the recruitment answer. result

If you’re playing on an emulator, make a state before calling YojimboAeonOptional aeon hired in the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth; his action depends on Gil, hidden compatibility, Overdrive, target, and the recruitment answer.. If his free action is DaigoroAeon AbilityYojimbo's weakest paid or free action, a single-target attack that slightly reduces his compatibility when chosen., restore that state and have someone attack or heal to advance the RNG before repeating. The Emulator Notes explain why that produces a genuine retry.

The Optional Aeons guide keeps Yojimbo’sAeonOptional aeon hired in the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth; his action depends on Gil, hidden compatibility, Overdrive, target, and the recruitment answer. recruitment tied to the later AnimaAeonSeymour's aeon, first fought at Macalania Temple; Pain inflicts instant death and Oblivion strikes the opposing party repeatedly., Magus SistersAeonOptional three-member aeon consisting of Cindy, Sandy, and Mindy, unlocked at Remiem Temple after obtaining Yojimbo and Anima., Remiem Temple, and Moon SigilKey ItemYuna's sigil for the final Nirvana upgrade in the North American English PS2 release. requirements.

Moving On

After agreeing on a price, teleport back to the entrance and save outside to ensure you can keep your new friend! Head east/right from the gorge-bottom Save SphereField SystemField sphere used to save and restore the party's HP and MP; later spheres also connect to the airship. and grab the Rusty SwordKey ItemKey item placed at the Mushroom Rock statue to reveal Masamune's Celestial seal. down the little path if you haven’t already. It starts Auron’s Masamune route.

Now either climb back out and continue toward Mt. Gagazet, or go fight BelgemineCharacterTraveling summoner who challenges Yuna to optional aeon duels and awards items whether Yuna wins or loses. at Remiem Temple. I prefer to keep moving with the story and return to Remiem when the rest of its rewards are available.