Final Fantasy XII Walkthrough

Light Cruiser Shiva and the Rabanastre Return

Light Cruiser Shiva

You’ll watch an absolute TON of cut scenes, and you’ll eventually have control again. You’ll be in a fairly high-end battle.

Area Enemies: Light Cruiser Shiva

Choose an enemy to open its stats and loot chances. Mark, Rare Game, and Trophy badges flag special targets. Choose it again to collapse.

Imperial Swordsman

Hostile

Three fight beside Vossler. Defeat them first so their combined pressure does not overwhelm Basch and the healer.

Chain family: Imperial
Level: 17–19
LP: 1
HP: 845
EXP: 95–112
Weakness: None

Steal chances
Item	Normal
	48.0%
	9.7%
180 Gil	3%

Normal Steal checks rare to common and stops at the first success; chains do not affect Steal.

Boss Fight Prep

No shopping window: Use the recovery items and equipment you brought through the Tomb. This fight begins after the cutscenes.
Gambits: Put healing above attacks and Protect Basch. Vossler concentrates on him, while the three create most of the early pressure.
Party: Fran begins the fight under Berserk. Let her attack or swap her out if you need direct control.
Finishers: Enter with full if possible. Save a for Vossler’s Enrage phase; is an alternate finisher.
Steal: is common, is uncommon, and is rare.

Boss Fight: Vossler

Level / HP	Level 20 / 9,318 HP.
Steal	(common), (uncommon), (rare).
Weak / Absorbs	No elemental weakness or absorption.
Reward	30 LP and no EXP; each accompanying gives 1 LP.
Drops	None.
Strategy	Defeat the three first, keep Basch protected and healed, then concentrate on Vossler. He gains Ignore Evasion and Attack Up below half HP and uses Enrage at critical HP, so finish with or before the last phase snowballs.

You can steal a from Vossler (or, if you’re truly lucky, a ). Just take out the peons, and then go after him. It should be a fairly quick battle, followed by a bit of cut scene and explanation.

Back in Rabanastre

Watch the cut scenes from Archades. Did you like how you were subtly encouraged to do a little shopping? Heh heh. Let’s see, things to do…

Montblanc’s Rewards

Go talk to Montblanc again. For killing off the second Demon Wall, the Society of Antiquaries will give you 600 gil and a . If you managed to defeat the first wall you will get 1,200 gil and a , too. Eurek will give you two and two for obtaining an Esper.

New Hunts

The Clan Centurio and Hunts page now has full prep, strategy, rewards, anchors, and Accepted/Completed tracking for the new Marks.

Marilith is Rank V despite opening now. Treat it as an invitation to come back later.
Gil Snapper is an Elite Mark in the rainy Giza Plains and is also reasonable to defer.
Croakadile can be accepted from Sadeen in the rainy Nomad Village.
Orthros is a Rank V Elite Mark in Garamsythe Waterway. Defer it unless the party can safely cross the stronger Waterway route.
Enkelados has opened by story progress, but its petitioner is in Jahara, so it cannot be accepted yet.

July in Nalbina

Optional: Take on the July in Nalbina sidequest. DO THIS!!! It opens the route into the Mosphoran Highwaste, and the first half has a later cutoff.

You can buy a for each of your guys in the Mosphoran Highwaste’s Babbling Vale. These will give your guys LP ×2. Yeah… Even the ones that aren’t fighting! The same merchant now sells . One pair on your active thief improves every Steal tier and can take more than one item from the same target.

The Northern Detour Is Far Above the Story Route

Opening the route does not mean the party is expected to clear it now. , , Elementals, the route, Salikawood, and the Necrohol can kill a normal post-Tomb party very quickly. Buying Golden Amulets is the useful early goal; turn back whenever the enemies stop being manageable.

If you can pass the in the Salikawood’s Grand Bower, you can fight some enemies just beyond. These guys have an incredibly rare drop of , which is lightyears ahead of anything else you’ll have at this point. I’ve only had it drop when I wasn’t chaining them, BTW.

Bazaar Opportunities

The optional northern route can unlock , , , , and . Rainy Giza, the Barheim return, and later optional Waterway access contribute to and .

Optional-Return Bazaar Recipes

Unlock first, buy second: Selling Loot is cumulative across merchants. If recipes share an ingredient, unlock every package you want before buying one and resetting that ingredient’s counter.
Immediate northern packages: unlocks ; unlocks the repeatable ; , , and unlock the three supply packages.
Multi-area projects: requires , , and . requires , , and .
Exact quantities: Use the Rabanastre Return Bazaar checkpoint. It shows the conservative ingredient quantities to hold before buying shared packages.

Shopping Time

You can pick up a slew of new Gambits.

Pick up new Technicks: and . Traveler and were already available after the Leviathan escape if you skipped them then.

Pick up , , , and .

Buy some cool armor. is the obvious new heavy option.

Buy some cool weapons. and are among the new possibilities, but compare them with the early and sidequest weapons before spending the gil.

Buy . It’s about time. Stock up, boys and girls.

Rabanastre Errands

Talk to Migelo.

Head to Lowtown and talk to Dalan. Well, not really a great conversation, I guess. And DON’T OPEN THE CHEST. The linked Lowtown treasure still matters to the guaranteed .

You can also finish Desert Patient and the Barheim Key. Restoring the ferry, returning the lost cactoid, and delivering the full medicine set opens the optional Barheim Passage return.

The Extremely Optional Necrohol Grind

I don’t actually recommend this, but technically you can level grind to the point that you can actually not die in the Necrohol of Nabudis. If you want to go that route, I strongly recommend you get everyone all three of their before attempting it. You can even get the from the Cloister of the Highborn in the middle of the Necrohol. Yes, I’ve done it; no, it’s not worth the grind to get it this early in the game.

Giza Plains: The Rains

Anyway, after you’ve had your fill, head to Southgate and save your game, then go out onto the Giza Plains. There are new and harder enemies here.

Area Enemies: Giza Plains - The Rains

Choose an enemy to open its stats and loot chances. Mark, Rare Game, and Trophy badges flag special targets. Choose it again to collapse.

Hyena

Hostile

The rainy-season Hyena is much stronger than the opening packs. It shares the Wolf Chain family and can supply Festering Flesh.

Chain family: Wolf
Level: 18–19
LP: 1
HP: 940–960
EXP: 442–444
Weakness: Water

Steal chances
Item	Normal	Thief's Cuffs
	48.0%	80%
	9.7%	30%
	3%	6%

Normal Steal checks rare to common and stops at the first success. Thief's Cuffs can take multiple items; chains do not affect Steal.

Drop chances
No chain	Chain Lv 1	Chain Lv 2	Chain Lv 3
40%	45%	50%	55%
25%	30%	35%	40%
3%	6%	8%	12%
1%	2%	3%	5%

Each item gets its own independent roll. Chain level, not raw chain count, controls these rates.

Ichthon

Passive

Passive until provoked. Use Lightning and avoid Water; it shares the Piranha Chain family with Rain Dancer.

Chain family: Piranha
Level: 18–21
LP: 1
HP: 1,293–1,326
EXP: 777–789
Weakness: Lightning

Steal chances
Item	Normal	Thief's Cuffs
	48.0%	80%
	9.7%	30%
	3%	6%

Normal Steal checks rare to common and stops at the first success. Thief's Cuffs can take multiple items; chains do not affect Steal.

Drop chances
No chain	Chain Lv 1	Chain Lv 2	Chain Lv 3
40%	45%	50%	55%
25%	30%	35%	40%
3%	6%	8%	12%
1%	2%	3%	5%

Each item gets its own independent roll. Chain level, not raw chain count, controls these rates.

Gigantoad

Hostile

Use Fire for a quick kill. The rainy-season version is substantially stronger, but its Steal and drop table remains useful.

Chain family: Toad
Level: 19–20
LP: 1
HP: 1,469–1,489
EXP: 848–850
Weakness: Fire

Steal chances
Item	Normal	Thief's Cuffs
	48.0%	80%
50 Gil	9.7%	30%
	3%	6%

Normal Steal checks rare to common and stops at the first success. Thief's Cuffs can take multiple items; chains do not affect Steal.

Drop chances
No chain	Chain Lv 1	Chain Lv 2	Chain Lv 3
40%	45%	50%	55%
25%	30%	35%	40%
3%	6%	8%	12%
1%	2%	3%	5%

Each item gets its own independent roll. Chain level, not raw chain count, controls these rates.

Wooly Gator

Passive

Passive until provoked. Its rare Steal is Sirius; do not attack one accidentally while preserving another Chain.

Chain family: Sleipnir
Level: 21–22
LP: 1
HP: 2,233–2,253
EXP: 1,131–1,133
Weakness: Earth

Steal chances
Item	Normal	Thief's Cuffs
	48.0%	80%
	9.7%	30%
	3%	6%

Normal Steal checks rare to common and stops at the first success. Thief's Cuffs can take multiple items; chains do not affect Steal.

Drop chances
No chain	Chain Lv 1	Chain Lv 2	Chain Lv 3
40%	45%	50%	55%
25%	30%	35%	40%
3%	6%	8%	12%
1%	2%	3%	5%

Each item gets its own independent roll. Chain level, not raw chain count, controls these rates.

Great Tortoise

Passive

Passive until provoked. Use Fire and do not mistake the much stronger Silicon Tortoise for this target.

Chain family: Titantoise
Level: 20–21
LP: 2
HP: 3,811–3,838
EXP: 1,201–1,203
Weakness: Fire

Steal chances
Item	Normal	Thief's Cuffs
	48.0%	80%
	9.7%	30%
	3%	6%

Normal Steal checks rare to common and stops at the first success. Thief's Cuffs can take multiple items; chains do not affect Steal.

Drop chances
No chain	Chain Lv 1	Chain Lv 2	Chain Lv 3
40%	45%	50%	55%
25%	30%	35%	40%
3%	6%	8%	12%
1%	2%	3%	5%

Each item gets its own independent roll. Chain level, not raw chain count, controls these rates.

Silicon Tortoise

Hostile

Important! Far stronger than Great Tortoise. Treat Water Crystal as an uncertain bonus and do not farm this dangerous early encounter solely for that drop.

Chain family: Titantoise
Level: 36–37
LP: 2
HP: 12,852–13,172
EXP: 3,165–3,339
Weakness: Fire

Steal chances
Item	Normal	Thief's Cuffs
100 Gil	48.0%	80%
	9.7%	30%
	3%	6%

Normal Steal checks rare to common and stops at the first success. Thief's Cuffs can take multiple items; chains do not affect Steal.

Drop chances
No chain	Chain Lv 1	Chain Lv 2	Chain Lv 3
40%	45%	50%	55%
25%	30%	35%	40%
3%	6%	8%	12%
1%	2%	3%	5%

Each item gets its own independent roll. Chain level, not raw chain count, controls these rates.

Storm Elemental

Passive

Important! Do not use Magick nearby or provoke it on this visit. If forced into battle, avoid Lightning and use dependable neutral damage.

Chain family: Elemental
Level: 25
LP: 4
HP: 14,830
EXP: 5,583
Weakness: Unsettled; absorbs Lightning

Steal chances
Item	Normal	Thief's Cuffs
	48.0%	80%
	9.7%	30%
	3%	6%

Normal Steal checks rare to common and stops at the first success. Thief's Cuffs can take multiple items; chains do not affect Steal.

Drop chances
No chain	Chain Lv 1	Chain Lv 2	Chain Lv 3
40%	45%	50%	55%
25%	30%	35%	40%
3%	6%	8%	12%
1%	2%	3%	5%

Each item gets its own independent roll. Chain level, not raw chain count, controls these rates.

Martu Entite

Passive

Important! Do not use Magick nearby or provoke it at this stage. It is far beyond the next story route’s intended strength.

Chain family: Elemental
Level: 45
LP: 7
HP: 48,042
EXP: 12,627
Weakness: Ice; absorbs Lightning

Steal chances
Item	Normal	Thief's Cuffs
	48.0%	80%
	9.7%	30%
	3%	6%

Normal Steal checks rare to common and stops at the first success. Thief's Cuffs can take multiple items; chains do not affect Steal.

Drop chances
No chain	Chain Lv 1	Chain Lv 2	Chain Lv 3
40%	45%	50%	55%
25%	30%	35%	40%
3%	6%	8%	12%
1%	2%	3%	5%

Each item gets its own independent roll. Chain level, not raw chain count, controls these rates.

Rain Dancer

HostileRare Game

Important! Can appear at several rainy-Giza points. Use Lightning, avoid Water, and check the target name before attacking an Ichthon-family enemy.

Chain family: Piranha
Level: 23–24
LP: 5
HP: Not recorded
EXP: 1,426–1,524
Weakness: Lightning; absorbs Water

Steal chances
Item	Normal	Thief's Cuffs
	3%	6%

Normal Steal checks rare to common and stops at the first success. Thief's Cuffs can take multiple items; chains do not affect Steal.

Drop chances
Item	No chain	Chain Lv 1	Chain Lv 2	Chain Lv 3
	40%	45%	50%	55%
	3%	6%	8%	12%

Each item gets its own independent roll. Chain level, not raw chain count, controls these rates.

Gil Snapper

HostileMark

Important! Appears in Tracks of the Beast during heavy rain after the Elite Mark is accepted. Bansat confirms the spawn and joins the fight.

Chain family: Titantoise
Level: 37
LP: 20
HP: 86,956
EXP: 0
Weakness: Lightning; absorbs Ice

Steal chances
Item	Normal	Thief's Cuffs
1,000 Gil	48.0%	80%
2,000 Gil	9.7%	30%
4,000 Gil	3%	6%

Normal Steal checks rare to common and stops at the first success. Thief's Cuffs can take multiple items; chains do not affect Steal.

Croakadile

HostileMark

Important! Found at the eastern bridge in Starfall Field after the hunt is accepted. Growing Threat raises its level, so finish promptly.

Chain family: Toad
Level: 24
LP: 10
HP: 19,449
EXP: 0
Weakness: Fire; absorbs Water

Steal chances
Item	Normal	Thief's Cuffs
	48.0%	80%
	9.7%	30%
	3%	6%

Normal Steal checks rare to common and stops at the first success. Thief's Cuffs can take multiple items; chains do not affect Steal.

, , , , and are passive until provoked. That does not make the last two safe: avoid casting Magick near the Elemental-family enemies, and run if one turns hostile. is also much stronger than the ordinary .

Marks, Rare Game, and Withered Trees

Croakadile: Accept the hunt from Sadeen in the Nomad Village, then check the eastern bridge in Starfall Field.
Gil Snapper: Accept the Elite Mark from Montblanc and talk to Nanau in Crystal Glade. Cut all six Withered Trees to form the bridge into Tracks of the Beast, then wait for heavy rain.
: This repeatable can replace an Ichthon-family spawn at several points. Check the target name before attacking.
Desert Patient: The ferry and northern Estersand route are now available for the remaining Barheim Key steps.

You can take care of a few optional sidequests, or just level up a bit, if you want. I don’t think this is one of the best places to level up, though. Head south toward the Ozmone Plain.