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Part 27- Heart of Darkness FlamesofRebirth

Completely Random Introductory Quote-

"I've known it all along
Like the bone under my skin
Like actors in a photograph
Like paper in the wind"
—Bad Religion, Generator

The Pharos SubterraEdit

Optional Area Overview- Pharos Subterra
Rare Game	Level	HP avg	Weakness	Zone	Conditions	Steal/Drop
Vagrant Soul	52-53	342,179	Holy	Abyssal (octagonal room in NW section behind ancient door)	Shadowseer defeated, random (25% chance)	Eight Fluted Pole (only steal)
Luxollid	52-53	342,179	Dark	Umbra (octagonal room in SW section behind ancient door)	Vagrant Soul defeated in this trip to Subterra	Staff of the Magi (only steal)

Good thing he doesn’t have the Saturn Crest.Edit

Optoinal Elite Hunt- Ixion (#43, Fishy Dreams)

		Level	58 (My Level- 51-52)		Reward	3,000 gil; Sapping Bolts; Ragnarok
		HP	166,559		Difficulty	Medium
		Steal	Storm Crystal, Grimoire Aidhed, Magick Lamp
		Niho	Silence, Sap, Slow
Fire	Ice	Lightning	Water	Wind	Earth	Dark	Holy
Half	Half	Half	Half	Half	Half	Absorb	Weak
These stats are assuming you face Ixion in the inner ring of the Penumbra. You can also fight him in the rooms, but he will be much stronger. So just ride the Dias up and down until there are no enemies in the inner ring, then Ixion will teleport in eventually. Those of you who played FFX should know to bring Rubber Suits to nullify Lightning damage here. Thundaga is his strongest spell. The biggest things to look out for here are Curse and Fearga, you know by now what they do. Silent Shot is a good idea since Ixion will waste a turn to Purify, and Holy elemental weapons will rip through him quickly. This battle is really all about avoiding Curse, if that doesn’t cripple your party, you’ll be fine. Equipping Ribbons basically guarantees a win.

PenumbraEdit

You can go back to Balfonheim to get your reward if you want, but you won’t be needing it. You need to unlock the lowest levels of the Subterra to complete the next hunt, so let’s keep on moving. You will have to collect Black Orbs down here to illuminate the Pedestals on each floor. There is one Pedestal in each corner, and you must put the exact number of orbs in, or else it will reset to zero. Don’t pick up the orbs when enemies drop them, if you let them go they accumulate into a Giant Black Orb which triples the number of Orbs you get. Watch which direction the orbs float off to if you want to know which corner the Giant Orb is in. Some of the best treasure chests in the game are down here, refer to this map to see where they are. DO NOT wear a Diamond Armlet when you open them, or you will screw yourself out of these items. The chests marked on the map are all one time only, so don‘t try to max out your inventory, it‘s not gonna happen. While you’re down here, you will run into some Magick Pots, and you should know from previous FFs that you need to give them an Elixir before attacking them. If you don’t, they will DESTROY you with powerful magic. After they get an Elixir, they just run around and you can attack freely. You can Steal an Elixir from them whether you feed them one or not, but doing so will make them aggressive, so it’s at your own risk. Have two party members Steal while the leader stands next to a zone break or a door.

In the Penumbra, the number of Black Orbs required are as follows- NW: 9, NE: 18, SE: 3, SW: 6.

Again, if you go over the counter for that Pedestal it will reset to zero. Don’t worry, this is by far the hardest of the three floors. Keep Protect and Bubble up at all times, and get out of the inner ring ASAP. Before you move on to Umbra, go back up and save. There is a boss battle that is required to reach the Mark at the bottom floor. He is found in the octagonal room in the northern section, which is reachable from the NE door.

No "Flames of Rebirth" from this PhoenixEdit

Optoinal Boss Battle- Phoenix

		Level	59		My Level	52
		HP	134,089		Difficulty	Easy
		Steal	Windslicer Pinion, Eye of the Hawk, Split Armor
		Niho	Oil
Fire	Ice	Lightning	Water	Wind	Earth	Dark	Holy
Random	Random	Random	Random	Random	Random	Random	Random
Just like the Garuda, Phoenix can only attack physically, so Blind will cripple him. Don’t Blind him and he will strike hard and fast. If you still have those Eskir Berries, you could use them here, or save them since we’ll be seeing this guy again really soon. Use Telekinesis to fight this battle, that will avoid the random element hunt. You can also Oil him and use Firaga, this has never failed for me even though his weakness is supposed to change. Really, as long as you Blind him at the start it doesn’t matter how you damage him, you’ll win eventually.

UmbraEdit

The inner ring of this area is much easier than the previous one, you should have no worries about reaching the rooms here. This floor is a cakewalk if you equip Excalibur, just watch out for Curse from the Necrofiends. Try to keep Embroidered Tippets on as much as possible, you’ll be glad to have the extra levels if you’re following me and not grinding.

The Black Orb requirements are- NW: 9, NE: 15, SE: 15, SW: 18.

AbyssalEdit

The outer rooms here are tough, you will be hindered by the spell queue while trying to stay healed and avoid status attacks. If you have Ribbons, no worries. If not, be ready to switch on whatever is needed at the moment. There are quite a few Magick Pots down here, be careful not to attack them accidentally. When you are near one turn off your attack gambits and input everything manually to be safe.

Here’s the Black Orb rundown- NW: 21, NE: 15, SE: 27, SW: 12.

You should have been saving after each floor was completed, but if not go save now. "Unknown" is the final destination.

UnknownEdit

"Between the idea And the reality Between the motion And the act Falls the Shadow"

—T.S. Eliot, The Hollow Men

Optional Elite Hunt- Shadowseer (#44, God or Devil?)

		Level	67 (My Level- 56)		Reward	20,000 gil; Mexalixir x 2
		HP	278,078		Difficulty	Dirty motherfucker
		Steal	Foul Flesh, Maggoty Flesh, Forbidden Flesh
		Niho	Oil
Fire	Ice	Lightning	Water	Wind	Earth	Dark	Holy
Half	Half	Half	Half	Half	Half	Absorb	Weak

		Level	55		Compared to last time	Stronger
		HP	116,678		Difficulty	Easy
		Steal	Ancient Turtle Shell, Aries Gem, Scarletite
		Niho	Oil
Fire	Ice	Lightning	Water	Wind	Earth	Dark	Holy
Immune	Immune	Immune	Immune	Weak	Absorb	Immune	Immune

		Level	55		Compared to last time	Stronger
		HP	92,661		Difficulty	Easy
		Steal	Yensa Scale, Pisces Gem, Yensa Fin
		Niho	Slow, Oil
Fire	Ice	Lightning	Water	Wind	Earth	Dark	Holy
Weak	Immune	Immune	Absorb	Immune	Immune	Immune	Immune

		Level	55		Compared to last time	Stronger
		HP	189,992		Difficulty	Easy
		Steal	Beastlord Hide, Beastlord Horn, Behemoth Steak
		Niho	Sleep
Fire	Ice	Lightning	Water	Wind	Earth	Dark	Holy
Immune	Immune	Immune	Immune	Absorb	Weak	Immune	Immune

		Level	55		Compared to last time	Weaker
		HP	92,522		Difficulty	Easy
		Steal	Windslicer Pinion, Eye of the Hawk, Split Armor
		Niho	Blind, Oil
Fire	Ice	Lightning	Water	Wind	Earth	Dark	Holy
Random	Random	Random	Random	Random	Random	Random	Random
Quintuple boss box! At the beginning of this battle, have White Masks equipped to absorb Shining Ray. Then switch out to Black Masks and keep them on for the rest of the battle. You will rip through the first ¼ of Shadowseer’s HP in no time (he shouldn‘t get more than one attack), but that’s when things will get interesting. He will start to summon bosses from the Pharos, and he is immune to all damage until they are defeated. That doesn’t mean he’ll just be sitting back and watching, though. He will throw Darkga, Fearga, Curse, Immobilizega, Slowga, and Invert at you the whole time. His physical attacks can cause Immobilize too, by the way. First up in the summon parade is Pandaemonium, and he’s the same as before, meaning he still gets his Perfect Defense shield. That’s right, you’ll have two bosses attacking you and both will be completely immune to damage. How fucking cheap is that? Wait it out just like the first time, then finish him off. Slyt is next, once again you can Oil him and use Firaga, or just pound him with Wyrmfire Shot. No new tricks here, just get him out of the way ASAP while healing from Shadowseer’s pot shots. Continuing on with the cavalcade of easy bosses, Fenrir is back. He isn’t breaking any new ground either, but if he’s too much for you when combined with the Seer, you can put him to Sleep and then spam him with Shock. The final minion of the Seer is Phoenix, and unlike the rest he is weaker than his first incarnation, but the strategy is the same. Blind him to avoid his attacks, then use Telekinesis or Oil and Firaga. With no more buddies to hide behind, the Shadowseer is screwed, and he knows it. Excalibur and the Holy Lance will tear him to pieces in no time. The worst part of this battle is the Fearga and Curse that Seer constantly throws your way, you need to protect or recover from these ASAP. If you manage to do that, you’ll have no problems with this long fight.