Final Fantasy XII Walkthrough

Waterway Escape and Nalbina Dungeon

Garamsythe Waterway

Balthier will explain how Gambits (remember those?) actually work. You’ll finally be able to do USEFUL stuff with them. First things first, though. Let’s set up your new characters. Go ahead and set your Gambits (I use Foe: party leader’s target -> Attack, then Foe: nearest visible -> Attack for Vaan, the other two are fine). Also be sure to assign License Points (see below) and equip weapons/armor/accessories to your new group! Don’t worry, I’ll tell you when to unequip them.

Party Setup

To assign License Points at this stage of the game, here’s what I recommend:

Give everyone Cure (this is the only one I’ll single out)
Balthier and Fran should get any/all Gambits
Armor you have acquired
Weapons you have acquired
Technicks
Accessories you have acquired
Healing Magick
Black Magick
Ability up (more HP, more Swiftness, more battle damage, etc)

Since going COMPLETELY one sided is never a good thing, I recommend 2-3 in each bullet above, then move on to the next. Since I spent a good deal of time leveling up before coming here, these guys had a LOT of points at their disposal. I had 730 to distribute for each of them one time through, and about 1300 the next, so they both got all the weapons/armor I have and the two Swiftness levels. Since everyone has Cure, set Balthier’s healing to “Ally: HP < 70% -> Cure.” I also set them both up with +50 HP, +150 HP, +200 HP, and +500 HP. The extra 900 HP was very useful. I’d recommend giving someone the accessory that automatically casts . That way you always know what to expect. You really should have a boat load of LP at this point. Anyway, if you decide you should have arranged the LP differently, you can always go back to the save you just made.

Otherwise, save again and head downstairs and examine the fallen guards there. Twice. Vaan’s a nice lad. ;) So after the foreshad… I mean, monologue cough, cough Anyway, take the exit to the south and let’s move on. On the main map, you can see where you are. Basically, you’re trying to get back to Lowtown.

Immediately as you get to the next screen, take a hard left. See that Urn? Guess what’s inside? That’s right! A map of the whole level. Grab that (and the chest here). Backtrack a little, and go up the stairs here to get another chest, then just follow the path back down those stairs, up another set, and cross two makeshift bridges. You’ll eventually get to the next screen (to the south). This is the No. 11 Channel.

No. 11 Channel and East Sluice Control

Area Enemies: Garamsythe Waterway - No. 11 Channel

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

Dire Rat

Hostile

Chain only Dire Rats if you want the Leather Shield drop; some may begin Confused and attack each other.

Chain family: Rat
Level: 2–3
LP: 1
HP: 77–97
EXP: 12–14
Weakness: Water

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

Normal Steal checks rare to common and stops at the first success; 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.

Steeling

Hostile

It looks airborne, but it does not count as a Flying target and ordinary melee weapons can hit it.

Chain family: Steeling
Level: 2–3
LP: 1
HP: 94–110
EXP: 18–22
Weakness: Earth

Steal chances
Item	Normal
	48.0%
	9.7%
	3%

Normal Steal checks rare to common and stops at the first success; 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. Its rare Steal is a Leather Helm; treat the low-tier recovery-item drop as a bonus rather than a farming target.

Chain family: Toad
Level: 5–6
LP: 1
HP: 341–361
EXP: 131–133
Weakness: Fire

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

Normal Steal checks rare to common and stops at the first success; 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.

Take the immediate right and go across that little bridge and up the stairs for a , then return and take the left fork. Remember, if you come across a sleeping enemy that is vulnerable to , you can have all three guys begin casting Fire and really do some quick damage. Along the path here, you should find a couple of chests with (for me anyway) a and an . Look at your map. After you take the path around the rectangle area, take the upper floor and look for chests, then head down the stairs and continue on. You’ll eventually head back up some stairs, and continue south to the East Sluice Control.

Follow the left wall down the paths there and notice how you are blocked by something that doesn’t exactly appear on your map? Remember this spot. It may come in handy some day. Hint, hint. Want another hint? The game provides you with a Save Crystal here. Save, then head down the stairs, unless your guys suck. You can backtrack from here and do a little bit of leveling up, if you need. I’m not going to assume you’ll be as thorough as me, but Vaan was at level 15 here once, and 20 or so the next. I verified you can get all the way back to the initial Save Crystal, if you want. Given enough time, some of the chests do respawn. I was able to pick some up on my 2nd forward pass through the level. Since treasure placement is mostly random, I found some chests in areas that were empty the first time I came through.

When you are sure you’re ready, head down the stairs on the East Sluice Control to the large open area. You’ll acquire a new member of your party. Well, sort of. You can’t modify her, so she’s just muscle. Steal from these guys, if you can. After you have control again, look around for chests, then go and talk to Amalia. Ahem. Sorry, I had something in my throat there. If you like, head back up and save, then continue west (you ARE using your main map, right?) to the Southern Sluiceway.

Southern Sluiceway

Head up the stairs here, and make two quick lefts. There is a chest at the end of this area. As you approach the center of the room, you’ll see a cut scene. This is unavoidable. It is… Your destiny. Oh, sorry. Slipped into Star Wars mode for a second there. Just watch the cut scene (hungry?) until you have control.

Boss Fight: Four Flans

Level / HP	All four are Level 5; they have 360, 390, 420, and 420 HP.
Steal	or rare .
Weak / Absorbs	All four are weak to Fire; no absorption recorded. They resist physical attacks.
Reward	2 LP each, 8 LP total, and no EXP.
Drops	None.
Strategy	Defeat one at a time and cast Fire instead of relying on physical attacks. can Silence and Blind; use or if Blind interferes with physical backup damage.

If you are using , you’ll notice these guys are vulnerable to . Steal if you can, then have everyone cast Fire to finish them off quick. This really shouldn’t be that tough of a battle, if your guys are over level, say, 13. Anyway, you have finally beaten a foe powerful enough to necessitate hearing… THE FINAL FANTASY “FIGHT WON” SONG!!! Dah dah dah dah DAH dah dah dah-dah, DHA dah dah dah-dah! But that’s a pretty gross thing. Look around for chests, and (if you feel the need), go back and save your game on the previous screen. It’s not that tough going on, so I don’t usually bother, but if you had a really hard fight, you might wanna consider it. Continue west to the West Sluice Control.

West Sluice Control and No. 10 Channel

Area Enemies: Garamsythe Waterway - West Sluice Control and No. 10 Channel

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

Steeling

Hostile

It looks airborne, but it does not count as a Flying target and ordinary melee weapons can hit it.

Chain family: Steeling
Level: 2–3
LP: 1
HP: 94–110
EXP: 18–22
Weakness: Earth

Steal chances
Item	Normal
	48.0%
	9.7%
	3%

Normal Steal checks rare to common and stops at the first success; 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. Its rare Steal is a Leather Helm; treat the low-tier recovery-item drop as a bonus rather than a farming target.

Chain family: Toad
Level: 5–6
LP: 1
HP: 341–361
EXP: 131–133
Weakness: Fire

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

Normal Steal checks rare to common and stops at the first success; 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.

Garchimacera

Hostile

Use Water if it is available. Its rare Steal is a Dark Mote and its low-tier drop is Bronze Armor.

Chain family: Gargoyle
Level: 4–6
LP: 1
HP: 287–317
EXP: 125–137
Weakness: Water

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

Normal Steal checks rare to common and stops at the first success; 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.

Ghost

Hostile

Do not use Dark damage. Its rare Steal is a Silken Shirt, and it can drop Teleport Stones.

Chain family: Ghost
Level: 5–7
LP: 1
HP: 328–340
EXP: 136–142
Weakness: Holy; absorbs Dark

Steal chances
Item	Normal
	48.0%
	9.7%
	3%

Normal Steal checks rare to common and stops at the first success; 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.

Look for chests, then head up the stairs. You’ll be fighting new enemies here, so steal if you can. Look around for treasure, then continue north to the No. 10 Channel. As before, take the upper path and look for chests, then take the lower path. At the north end of this map is a chest you cannot get to because of the stairs being busted up. This is actually the chest you found during the palace approach on the Garamsythe Waterway and the Royal Palace page. It’s not a major issue that you cannot get there from here. Just continue on. Head to the east, and you’ll end up in the Central Waterway Control. Save your game.

Firemane

Do you have a ? If so, equip as many as you have (to prevent getting poisoned). Alternately, set at least one character to have the : Ally: any -> . If you are sure you are ready to be done, open the main gate (you can ignore the other things, they aren’t to be used yet). You’ll have to fight something nasty here, so be sure you are ready to steal.

Boss Fight Prep

Gear: Equip every you have. gives Magick Resist but drains the wearer’s MP to 0, so only put it on a character who will not cast.
Gambits: Set Ally: any -> and Ally: HP < 70% -> . Keep Fran ready to heal instead of assigning everyone to attack.
Licenses / Items: Learn and if they are still missing, and keep ready as a backup.
Position: Spread the party enough that Bushfire is less likely to catch everyone at once.

Boss Fight: Firemane

Level / HP	Level 7 / 3,571 HP.
Steal	, , or rare .
Weak / Absorbs	Weak to Water; absorbs Fire.
Reward	3 LP and no EXP. Montblanc later awards 200 gil for defeating it.
Drops	None.
Strategy	Steal first, then stop wasting turns on Steal. Keep Poison removed after Bushfire, let Fran prioritize healing, and use Water damage if available. Luring Firemane into the water can improve Water damage, but do not sacrifice safe spacing to force it.

I stole a . :D When he casts “Bushfire,” you’ll get both burned and poisoned. Be sure to have ready to counter that, if you aren’t wearing Tourmaline Rings on everyone. I beat him with a level 29 Vaan with a . It took maybe 3 hits. :D Anyway, continue to beat him up until such a time as he is dead. After this, you’ll be treated to a bunch of cut scenes and you’ll see why Vaan hates “Captain Basch” so much. Eventually you’ll wake up in…

Nalbina Dungeon

The Stockade and Arena

Walk around and talk to everyone, collect the four , then save at the Save Crystal. When you’re ready, take the exit to the north. Watch another cut scene. You’ll end up thrown into a pit with some other nasties.

Boss Fight: Daguza, Galeedo, and Gwitch

Level / HP	Daguza is Level 8 / 232 HP; Galeedo is Level 6 / 158 HP; Gwitch is Level 7 / 142 HP.
Steal	Daguza has a , Galeedo has 5 gil, and Gwitch has a .
Weak / Absorbs	All three are weak to Fire; no absorption recorded. Daguza begins under Protect.
Reward	2 LP each, 6 LP total, plus the Nalbina Dungeon map.
Drops	None.
Strategy	Defeat Gwitch, then Galeedo, then Daguza. Blind them, keep Protect and healing active, and keep attacking the current target until it falls. Fire is useful if Vaan or Balthier can cast it.

Cast Blind (on your enemies), and Protect (on you and Balthier). Make sure your Ally: HP < 70% -> Gambits are set, then steal. After you’ve stolen from everyone, attack. I went after Gwitch, then Galeedo, then Daguza. Honestly these guys aren’t really worth stealing from, but whatever. After this, you’ll watch more cut scenes. Eventually, you’ll see a Save Crystal you can run towards. Go ahead. You’ll find your stuff here, but…

The Confiscatory

DON’T OPEN ANY TREASURE CHESTS!!! It’s not really worth it anyway. Just a few gil and stuff you can buy in a few minutes.

(Left unopened:)

The Black Watch

Area Enemies: Nalbina Dungeon - The Black Watch

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

An ordinary Black Watch guard. Steal before attacking if you want a Potion, Phoenix Down, or gil.

Chain family: Imperial
Level: 8–9
LP: 1
HP: 180–237
EXP: 65–85
Weakness: None

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

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

Drop chances
Item	No chain	Chain Lv 1	Chain Lv 2	Chain Lv 3
	40%	45%	50%	55%
	25%	30%	35%	40%

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

Imperial Hoplite

Hostile

May begin under Protect or Shell. Defeat it after the ranged guards if its defenses make it slower to finish.

Chain family: Imperial
Level: 8–9
LP: 1
HP: 275–283
EXP: 72–92
Weakness: None

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

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

Drop chances
Item	No chain	Chain Lv 1	Chain Lv 2	Chain Lv 3
	40%	45%	50%	55%
	25%	30%	35%	40%

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

Imperial Magus

Hostile

Uses Magick from range in The Black Watch. Close the distance or defeat it early.

Chain family: Imperial
Level: 6–8
LP: 1
HP: 197–205
EXP: 65–105
Weakness: None

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

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

Drop chances
Item	No chain	Chain Lv 1	Chain Lv 2	Chain Lv 3
	25%	30%	35%	40%
	3%	6%	8%	12%

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

Imperial Marksman

Hostile

Attacks from range. Close the distance or defeat it early so it cannot keep firing into the party.

Chain family: Imperial
Level: 7
LP: 1
HP: 264
EXP: 65
Weakness: None

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

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

Drop chances
Item	No chain	Chain Lv 1	Chain Lv 2	Chain Lv 3
	40%	45%	50%	55%
	25%	30%	35%	40%

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

OK. Now that that’s over with, save your game, and let’s head out. Go forward and you’ll sneak through the door. Balthier doesn’t want you to attract any attention down here; I wouldn’t really care, though. These guys are easy to kill, and you can get and from them. When you’re done killing them off, wander to the northwestern area, and watch a cut scene, then head down the stairs here. Watch more cut scenes. After emotional cut-scenes, you’ll regain control of many people. Quddities? Right. “The nature of a thing.” “Talking about the nature of a thing.” “That which is going on and makes sense.” No, actually I threw that last one in because I was bored. ;) So you get another guest. Whee.

Anyway, welcome to Barheim Passage.