Macalania

Just keep going around the trees. Eventually you’ll learn about following a butterfly. Touching the blue butterflies will cause treasure chests to drop, touching a red butterfly causes battles to incur. While these battles are great for AP, they are somewhat tough to win without the right abilities and proper stat boosting. You don’t have to touch the butterflies though. I personally think it’s damn annoying having to travel all the way back for treasure chests, especially when the random encounter rate in this game is so high. Just put the damn treasure chests around the trees along the way, sheesh.

When you reach O’aka, check his items and say they are steep…he’ll lower the prices of the items. Also check across the branch from O’aka for the Al Bhed Primer Vol.XV. Continue on and you’ll eventually reach a boss.

Spheromorph

This boss isn’t too tough. If you have Rikku, try mixing an Arctic Wind with a Lightning Marble if you have the Overdrive set. Have everyone attack as you normally would, with Lulu casting magic spells, and Yuna summoning. Magic will be the key to winning this game, but I’m assuming most of your characters cannot perform magic. Have them stick with healing and attacking. Watch for Spherimorph to attack with elemental attacks…if it attacks with Water, attack with Lightning…fire, attack with water. Try to avoid using your Summons’ Overdrives, even though the boss attacks with Fire and is obviously weak to water, an attack like Thor’s Hammer will heal it. Use Auron’s Magic Break and Power Break to cut down the magic and physical attacks. Try not to Scan it, otherwise it will counter with a magic attack to all party members.

After the battle you receive a boatload of AP as well as the Jecht Sphere. Now leave the place and continue north just ahead. You’ll find another Agency, and to the left end of the Agency is an Al Bhed Primer. Now save your game and continue on. Yuna will temporarily leave your party, but take the time to equip with lightning based attacks like Lightningstrike.

Crawler, Negator

This battle could be your longest and toughest one yet judging from the HP. Your first bet is to take out the Negator to make the battle much easier. Bring in Wakka since he’s the only one who can attack Negator. The Gatling Gun attack is an attack to watch out for, it attacks multiple times and does about 160 HP of damage each time, so some of your less developed characters can fall…especially if they are alone. Tidus’ Cheer ability is incredibly useful in this battle. Have him cast it several times to reduce the damage of the Crawler. Summon Ixion for this battle since it’s weak against lightning attacks. Use Thundara attacks constantly…but becareful as it will counter with Assault. Also watch for the Mana Beam, I doubt you’ll deal enough damage before taking full impact, but as cruel as this may sound, bring in a summon you know you won’t need much, like Ifrit and use Shield to take the damage for the party. HOWEVER, if the Negator comes back and Rikku steals, then the Mana Beam is interupted. Have Rikku use Lightning Marbles or any Lightning items if you have any.

Continue on into the Temple(expect another Trial) and talk with the Al Bhed that is tied up for 400 Gil. Speak with Tromell inside and receive the Shell Targe. Later check Yuna’s orb of Jyscal to learn a shocking truth about Seymour. Check around and talk with various people to obtain items, and save your game and continue on inside the temple.

Seymour, Guado Guardians, Anima

First talk with Seymour(move left from the menu) and Yuna’s magic defense will increase. Have your party members talk and increase their stats. In this battle Yuna will be able to use her fourth summon Shiva…but you already knew her name despite the ???? from previous FF’s…right? Take out the Guado Guardians first, then attack head on against Seymour. Petrifying them is quick and easy way to knock them out, use the Petrify Grenade to take out the two Guado Guardians quickly and painlessly. After you deal some damage to Seymour, Amina will come. It will continously gather power and use Pain…in which there is little you can do, assuming you are summoning. Your Summons will play a huge role in this battle and you’ll probably have to expend all of them. If you can, try to summon just before Anima gathers power and have your summons use the Shield ability to deflect the attack. Since the Aeon is in Boost mode your attacks will do about twice as much damage, so the 18000 HP isn’t really as intimidating as it might seem…it’s really more like 9000. Also note that Anima uses Pain virtually every round against your summons while he sometimes uses it against the party. You’ll have to finish off Seymour soon after Anima goes down. Just attack him like normal, having Rikku use her items. But don’t expend too many items, you may need them for abilities later on.

Now make your way into the temple through another trial. Now when the new path breaks free, pick up the Glyph Sphere from the center of the room. Put that sphere on the pedestal and push the pedestal to the right to cause the icicle to break. Then push the pedestal up, going from behind the pedestal to break a set of icicles. Now follow the pedestal and take the Glyph Sphere from the pedestal and put it on the far left. Go back up and pick up the Macalania Sphere that just rose and place it on the pedestal and push the pedestal to the right. Now go up and take the Macalania Sphere from the right side of the room and take it down the ramp and put it on the next slot on the left column(NOT the slot on the wall). Now pick up the last Macalania Sphere(which is near the ice ramp) and place it on the center column of the room(where you had picked up a Glyph Sphere initially).

Now go up to the newly formed bridge and step on the switch, this will have the Macalania Sphere on the pedestal appear to the left of you. Pick up the Macalania sphere and push the pedestal down the ramp. Now go back down and step on the switch below then put the Macalania Sphere onto the slot to the right part of the room, this will make the first set of icicles reappear. Take the center Macalania Sphere from the center of the room and place it near the icicle ramp descending down. Now pick up the Destruction Sphere from the pedestal and go down and place it on the next slot on the left wall and pick up the Luck Sphere. Now go back up and push the pedestal to the right to break the icicles, then pick up the Macalania Sphere on the right part of the room and put it on the pedestal.

Push the pedestal back down the ramp, then go down below and push the pedestal to the right to reform the ice bridge. Now pick up the Macalania Sphere near the ramp and place it on the center column and then go up and head out. Becareful not the step on the switch! Otherwise you’ll have to start over again.

Now run and try to avoid the battles if you wish…but you have no choice anyways(typical of Square). Tidus’ Flee ability helps here if you don’t want to fight these battles that makes the game longer. You’ll eventually reach a save point, save your game and continue on.

Wendigo/Guado Guardian

Wendigo’s attacks will knock you out in one hit. Watch for it…try using Wakka’s Dark attack. Also go for Auron’s Power Break, but first off, Petrify the other Guado Guardians(boy they’re annoying) and Tidus’ Cheer ability. The Guado Guardians are annoying as well, healing the status effect of Dark. >.< Steal HiPotions, if you can’t petrify the Guado Guardians, from the Guado Guardians and take them out quickly. Remove the Berserk status on Wendigo after the Guado Guardians are down by using the ability Threaten or a Remedy. Sleep also works on Wendigo, use Wakka’s Sleeper ball to put him to sleep. If you have any Darktouch abilities on your weapons, equip them. This will blind Wendigo, plus with the sleep ability you can just keep slashing away at him. Use the Power Break ability consistently if you can, this will significantly reduce Wendigo’s attack power to a laughable status. I found that when I summoned Ifrit and used it’s Meteor Attack, Wendigo taunted Ifrit every time for three times in a row and did not attack.

After the battle Wendigo will send you guys down below after he crushes the ground. When you fall, talk with the other party members which initiates an event leading you up to shore.