Ultimecia’s Castle

When you’re ready, fly back to any one of the 3 portal doors sitting on the Overworld and re-enter. Jump back onto the big chain by pressing [X] and head north.

When you reach the castle entrance, 8 commands will be sealed off: Item, Magic, GF, Draw, Abilities, Limit Break, Resurrection and Save. Defeat 8 bosses hidden within the castle to reclaim them one at a time. In addition, you have to work in 2 parties, so divide magic and junction GFs evenly among all members before continuing. Throughout the castle you’ll find green Switch Points. Stepping on them allows you to switch to the other party or change individual members.

Main Party – Starting in the Main Hall, head north. Climb up the stairs to face Sphinxaur.

SPHINXAUR

HP: 12,000+
AP: 30
Strength: –
Weakness: –
Draw: Firaga, Thundaga, Blizzaga

Since you’ll only have the Attack command available, make sure your party is properly junctioned to HP and Strength parameters. Just beat on Sphinxaur using physical attacks and ignore any monsters he summons. Junctioning Blizzaga to Elemental Defense may help absorb the damage if Sphinxaur decides to cast Ice magic.

After the fight, you’ll be given a choice of which command to unseal. Choose to unlock Magic, since it lets you heal your characters and use (hopefully) powerful spells. If you haven’t collected all GFs in the game, choose to unlock Draw instead, as the remaining 7 bosses carry the GFs in their draw list.

Continue up the stairs (ignore the door) and turn right. On the next screen, enter the door to the southeast. Run to your right and descend the stairs. You’ll see a string attached to a bell at the foot of the stairs. Note its location then move on. Go through the blue door in the background, past the green Switch Point.

In the Art Gallery, take a look at each of the 4 paintings on the 1st floor (ignore the largest one to the left) then climb the steps to the right. View the 8 paintings on the 2nd Floor and use the Meltdown DP in the right corner. The painting titles are as follows:

Ignus (Fire) Inandantia (Flood)
Iudicium (Judgement) Intervigilium (Sleep)
Vigil (Watchman) Vividarium (Garden)
Viator (Messenger) Venus (Love)
Xiphias (Swordfish) Xerampelinae (Red Clothes)
Xystus (Tree-lined Road) Inaudax (Cowardice)

After examining all 12 paintings, view the large painting on the 1st floor, the one you ignored previously. To solve the puzzle, return to the 2nd floor and view a clock painted on the floor below. Take note of the numbers the hands point to: VIII, IIII, VI. The ‘V’ indicates you should select only titles beginning with ‘V’, while the following ‘I’s give you the exact number of ‘I’s in each correct title. So ‘VIII’ would represent ‘VIvIdarIum’, ‘IIII’ would represent ‘IntervIgIlIum’ and ‘VI’ represents ‘VIator’. These are read in the order of hours, minutes and seconds.

Return to the large painting on the 1st floor and enter Vividarium, Intervigilium, and Viator in that order. Once you’ve selected the correct title, Trauma will appear.

TRAUMA / DRAMA

HP: 28,809 / 2,518
AP: 30
Strength: ???
Weakness: Wind
Draw: Flare, GF Leviathan / Esuna, Dispel

Cast Meltdown on Trauma then bash away at him using physical attacks. You can also use Tornado coupled with Triple to do damage, but I advise you ignore the Dramas he summons; they come in unlimited numbers. Junction Tornado to Elemental Attack if you can and be wary of Trauma’s Mega Pulse Cannon. It isn’t pretty when it hits.

Choose which command to unlock next, then enter the brown door in the back of the room. Step on the Switch Point inside and take control of your secondary party.

Secondary Party – Head up the stairs and enter the northern door. Step on the chandelier and move around it, causing it to fall down to the Grand Hall below. Once there, examine the hatch in the floor near a Switch Point. Descend to the bottom of the Wine Cellar and face Tri-Point.

TRI-POINT

HP: 22,000
AP: 30
Strength: Thunder
Weakness: Fire (or) Ice
Draw: Haste, Tornado, Bio, GF Siren

Tri-Point counters with a brutal Mega Spark each time you attack it (takes off about 3,000 HP from everyone), so make sure you junction Thundaga to Elemental Defense before the fight. Hit it with Firaga, Blizzaga (Tri-Point changes its weakness) or physical attacks. Cast Meltdown for an easy victory.

Choose which command to unlock next, then climb back up to the Grand Hall. Enter the door in the background to reach the Courtyard. Use the Switch Point there to change over to your main party.

Main Party – If you chose to unlock Save after defeating Tri-Point, climb the stairs to the left and head through the left doorway to reach a Save Point (you’ll pass a Cura DP along the way). Otherwise, go down the ramp in front of the Switch Point to reach the Floodgate room. Once there, enter the door on the left, causing it to shut behind you. Use the Full-life DP to the left then take the key from the skeleton’s hand.

RED GIANT

HP: 30,000
AP: 30
Strength: Physical attacks
Weakness: –
Draw: Demi, GF Pandemona

This guy has a ridiculously high defense, but that’s easily countered by casting Meltdown on him and whacking him with a Renzokuken. Also, summoning Diablos, Cactuar and Doomtrain work well, in addition to casting Demi. Try using Blind on him. Other than that, there’s no way you can hurt him.

Choose which command to unseal next. Use the Prison Key to unlock the door leading to the previous area. Climb the stairs on the left to get back to the Switch Point. Once there, change your party.

Secondary Party – In the Courtyard, use the Stop DP on the left then enter the door behind the fountain. Avoid the purple smoke in the center of the chapel (touching it will initiate a minor battle) and use the Dispel DP on the left. Examine the organ in the back of the room and note its position. Climb the staircase on the right. When you reach the wooden bridge, you’ll see a sparkling object up ahead. WALK towards it to pick it up (if the key falls, don’t worry; you haven’t lost it). Now return to the Switch Point in the Courtyard.

Main Party – Go down the ramp to the Floodgate room. If the key fell off the wooden bridge, examine the canal on the right to retrieve it. If you already have the Armory Key, unlock the door on the right and enter. Use the Ultima DP on the left then face the Gargantua.

GARGANTUA x 3

HP: 10,626 / 6,884 x 2
AP: 0
Strength: ???
Weakness: Holy
Draw: Esuna, Haste, Bio / Shell, Protect / Bio, Demi, Quake, Regen

Summon Siren to halt their magical spells then follow up with Alexander to take them out. Casting Holy on them also works well.

The full version of Gargantua will appear after you defeat the 3 parts.

GARGANTUA (WHOLE)

HP: 15,000
AP: 42
Strength: ???
Weakness: ???
Draw: Bio, Quake, Reflect, Cerberus GF

He likes to cast various status maladies, so make sure your party members are properly junctioned for Status Defense – especially Berserk, Blind and Slow. Take him out with a Doomtrain, Aura-Renzokuken combination and remember to heal when needed. Hitting him with physical attacks results in his Counter Twist (takes off 2,000+ HP) so cast spells or summon GFs such as Alexander, Bahamut, Cactuar or Eden.

After the battle, select a command to unlock then return to the closest Switch Point. For the upcoming section to play out correctly, your main party has to consist of more males than females, and vice versa for the secondary party.

Secondary Party – From the Courtyard, head south one screen then enter the door on the far left, behind the stairs. Follow the corridor south. When you reach the end of the corridor, step through the door on the right to get back to the Entrance Hall. Once there, climb the stairs (ignore the center door) and head left. Go through the door at the end to reach the Western Stairway Hall. Descend the stairs on the left. Head through the door beyond the Switch Point and keep moving into the background. When you reach the Elevator Hall, stand on the left Switch Point and change parties.

Main Party – Starting from outside the Floodgate, climb the stairs on the left and enter the left opening. Use the Save Point up ahead (if you unsealed that command) then continue heading west until you reach the upper part of the room where the Secondary Party is waiting. Step on the Switch Point to raise the other party to the balcony level.

Secondary Party – After being elevated, head left into a Storage Room. Search the floor for a Floodgate Key and use the Curaga DP inside. Once you have it, return to the Switch Point and switch parties.

Main Party – Backtrack to the Floodgate area. Locate a lever next to the door on the left. Examine it twice to drain the water. Now head for the Courtyard and look for a sparkling object in the fountain. Pick up the Treasure Vault Key. Next, go to the Chapel. At the organ, press all 8 keys simultaneously. Do this until the notes fade away. Afterwards, return to the Grand Hall and step on the Switch Point to the right, which prevents the chandelier from falling temporarily. Switch?

Backtrack to the Courtyard and take the right path. A new route (previously blocked by a steel gate) should’ve opened up; follow it to the end of the Waterway. Once there, you’ll find a Rosetta Stone and open up a shortcut to the Floodgate. If the steel gate is still there, try re-playing the organ.

Secondary Party – From the Elevator Hall, head back a screen to the dark corridor. Look for a door on the left, behind a pillar. Inside the Treasure Vault find 4 coffins. Open all of them to have Catoblepas appear.

CATOBLEPAS

HP: 31,500
AP: 30
Strength: Thunder
Weakness: Earth
Draw: Meteor, GF Alexander

Summon GF Brothers or Leviathan to do damage (or junction Quake or Water to Elemental Attack). The Doomtrain, Aura-Shot (Irvine’s limit break) combination works nicely too. His attacks consist of mainly single-target spells like Thundaga. Draw a few Meteor spells if you can, but beware Catoblepas’ final attack: a Meteor spell.

Unlock a command then return to the Entrance Hall. Go through the northern door and over to the now-stable chandelier. Enter the door at the other end to find Krysta waiting on the Terrace.

KRYSTA

HP: 12,000
AP: 30
Strength: Ice
Weakness: ???
Draw: Holy, GF Carbuncle

Krysta has a few pretty nasty moves and has the ability to counter every attack you throw at it, with the exception of summoned GFs. Use Doomtrain, Aura-Shot combo to take care of it. Krysta will cast Ultima as a last resort, so keep your HPs high towards the end of the fight.

After the battle, select a command to unlock then return to the Switch Point in the Entrance Hall.

Main Party – Go to the Chapel and head up the right staircase. Cross the wooden bridge and enter the door on the left (the ladder to the right leads to a dead-end). On the very 1st floor of the Clock Tower there’s an invisible Save Point (use Siren’s Move-Find ability to see it). Climb up the extensive winding path until you reach a swinging bell. Position yourselves on the edge opposite to the one the bell swings towards, and press [X] to jump onto the bell. Enter the opening on the ledge to reach the exterior balcony of the Clock Tower and your most powerful adversary thus far.

TIAMAT

HP: 89,800
AP: 30
Strength: Fire, Thunder, Wind
Weakness: –
Draw: Flare, GF Eden

Tiamat has an above-average magic defense parameter and his Dark Flare does a hefty amount of damage (about 4,000+ if you’re properly junctioned) to everyone. Minimise this by casting Shell at the start of the fight then quickly attack him using a Doomtrain, Aura-Renzokuken combination. You probably need to have Squall unleash his limit break twice to actually take Tiamat down. If you do it fast enough, Tiamat won’t get a chance to pull his Dark Flare off, so you might want to have Squall equipped with a high offensive and speed rating. Cerberus’ Auto Haste ability works well here.

Unseal your final command here and you’re left with only the last boss to face. Head back to the Clock Tower and leap onto the bell. Travel up the winding path to the top. When the path splits, climb up a little further for a Stop DP then head south.

Run across the hands of the clock face, climb down the ladder and move right to reach another ladder. Descend to a bridge that leads to Ultimecia’s Room. Save outside, recover all 6 of your characters, stock up on supplies (Tonberry’s Call Shop ability comes into play here) and do a final check on your junctioning and spells. Enter Ultimecia’s Room when you’re ready.

NOTE: A special side event here is finding and taking down the Omega Weapon. Unlike its cousin, the Ultima Weapon, this guy has the ability to kick your butt so hard, it’ll be sore for months. So unless you really want to test your skills, I suggest you leave him and come back later when you’re properly prepared. For those who feel confident, have fun. I have yet to beat it, so no strategies are included here.

OMEGA WEAPON (optional boss)

HP: 1,000,000+
AP: 250
Strength: All elements
Weakness: –
Draw: Flare, Holy, Meteor, Ultima