####################################################

4.1. [Final Lunatic Pandora Continued]

Draw Points: Break

####################################################

If you observe carefully, you'll notice a structure to the right, which

leads to the upper regions of the Pandora in the next screen. Ascend

the first ladder, then climb the next ladder for a 'Break' draw point.

Descend, then proceed left to run up the tilting white pole.

Take a right when you reach the top, then head into the opening in the

next screen. There'll be an invisible save point along the way; use

Siren's 'Move-Find' party ability to see it.

------------------------------------------------------------

BOSS: Adel  HP: 50,000+  Draw List: Firaga, Thundaga, 

                                    Blizzaga, Flare

ALLY: Rinoa  HP: Variable  Draw List: Esuna, Dispell, Regen

             Total AP: 0

You'll have two targets to choose from here, and you MUST NOT let Rinoa 

die in this battle. Adel has quite a formidable arsenal of magical 

attacks, and occasionally she'll drain Rinoa's HPs. Counter this by 

junctioning spells to Rinoa's HP parameter prior to this, and casting 

Regen on her at the start of the fight.

You can't use spells such as Ultima, Squall's Renzokuken or any G.Fs 

here as they'll also damage Rinoa, so stick to physical attacks on 

Adel. A 'Meltdown' spell on her before that should make your task

easier. Heal Rinoa when needed.

Limit breaks which work here include Zell's 'Duel' and Irvine's 'Shot'.

Just make sure you don't accidentally trigger any of their 'hit all

targets' attacks.

Side note: Actually, I had no idea about the Renzokuken damaging Rinoa, 

and sorta used it on Adel. Strangely enough, even though the finishing 

blow (Blasting Zone) did 9,999 damage to both Adel and Rinoa, I didn't 

get a Game Over. I took Adel down with this move though. Apparently, as

long as Adel is defeated, the game doesn't bother to check if Rinoa's

still alive. This method's a bit risky, though.

This is where I get the majority of mails from befuddled gamers com

-plaining about why Squall does only 400+ damage to Adel with a

physical attack; try reading the Menu Tutorial section carefully...

the Junction System is really vital to survival in FF VIII.

---------------------------------------------------------

###########################################

4.2. [Commencement Room]

###########################################

Ellone will initiate time compression here... after a nice FMV you'll 

find yourselves in the Commencement Room. Save, then trudge your way 

through the numerous save points that appear. Head for the door in the 

background.

Squall and company will have to combat the sorceress of each era, and

every fight takes place on a different battlefield, cumulating in a 

show-down with the final Sorceress.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

BOSSES: Sorceress A x6  HP: 3,390  Draw List: Firaga, Thundaga, Blizzaga

BOSSES: Sorceress B x5  HP: 4,496  Draw List: Haste, Double

                        Total AP: 0

The battles are continuous here, but fortunately these sorceresses are 

quite easy to take down. Both physical attacks and spells which affect 

all targets (i.e. Ultima, Meteor) should allow you to breeze through 

them.

BOSS: Sorceress C  HP: 50,000+  Draw List: Flare, Holy  AP: 55

She can hit you pretty hard in a single counter-attack, which takes

away roughly 1,000 HPs from one character. Also, when she finishes

her count-down, she'll unleash 'Ultima' on your party, something

which you won't want. In any case, hit her with a Meltdown-Aura

-Renzokuken combo, and have the remaining cast heal or summon powerful

G.Fs such as Bahamut and Eden.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Edea's Orphanage]

Head up, take a right, then proceed up again for a cool FMV introducing 

Ultimecia's Castle. Make your way north still, and along the way you 

should come across a thick metal chain. There should be a total of 3 

doors to the left; press 'X' (U.S) or 'Circle' (Japanese) near them to

leap towards them. Just head for the portal to the upper-left or the

one in the middle to get out first. Here's where they lead to:

Upper-left portal: Region near the Chocobo Sanctuary

                   (Coastal area of Grandidi Forest)

Middle-left portal: Region near the Centra Ruins

                    (Serengetti Plains)

Lower-left portal: Region near Deling City

                   (Wilburn Hill) 

################################################

4.3. [Time-Compressed Overworld] (note: Although optional, I highly

                                       recommend you at least recover

                                       the Ragnarok)

################################################

Depending on which portal you chose in the previous section, you'll

be able to access the Ragnarok in 2 different ways. I'll detail the

portal which leads to the region near the Chocobo Sanctuary first:

You'll emerge at the shoreline near the Chocobo Sanctuary (the forested

cliffs north-east of Esthar). Head inland and locate the camouflaged

dome-like Sanctuary, which should be in the north of Grandidi Forest.

Make sure you equip Diablos' 'Encounter None' party ability while

searching for the Chocobo Sanctuary; the enemies here can get annoying.

Once you've got that free chocobo, ride it south along the eastern

coasts of the Esthar continent, then across the shallow waters at the

southern tips of the continent towards Kashkabald Desert.

There's a beach south-east of the desert; get your Chocobo onto the

Centra continent via the shore, and head towards the center of the

desert to find the Ragnarok. The air-ship appears as a red dot on your

world map, btw.

And here's the alternate way to get to the Ragnarok, if you chose the

middle portal previously:

You'll emerge on the Centra continent, somewhere near the Centra Ruins.

Head north-west, and keep a lookout for a mountain wrapped around a

Chocobo Forest on the north-east tip of this island. Enter the forest,

get a Chocobo (or pay the Chocoboy 1,200 gil to ride one), then ride

the Chocobo south.

You'll eventually find a beach; cross the shallow waters to get to the

opposite island (Edea's Orphanage should be nearby). Head north-east

from here, through a narrow pass in a mountain range to reach

Kashkabald Desert and the Ragnarok. The air-ship appears as a red dot

on the world map, btw.

You'll notice that with the exception of dungeons and chocobo forests, 

all other areas are blocked off. There's not much you can do about the 

strange barriers surrounding each town, so don't bother about them too 

much. 

Still, I suggest you take a trip down to the Heaven and Hell Islands to 

stock up on spells first. Once you've done that, try taking a look 

inside the Ragnarok.

#############################################

4.4. [Ragnarok Revisited]

Rare Cards: All

#############################################

Here's where you can complete your collection of rare cards, as well as 

purchase supplies. You must have defeated CC Group's King at Balamb

Garden previously, either in Disc Two or Three.

You should meet up with Xu at the Entrance of the ship. And as for the

rest of the CC Group, they're scattered all over the Ragnarok, but

shouldn't pose a problem in locating them. Note that the Joker near

the elevator sells you items, in addition to providing weapon

remodeling services.

To play King, put 'him' in your main party, then talk to 'him' using

'Square' while in the Air Room of the Ragnarok. Each CC Group member

plays accordingly to a certain region's rules.

Jack: Aisle, near Entrance (Balamb's rules)

Club: Aisle, near Air Room (Dollet's rules)

Diamond: Hangar (Trabia's rules)

Spade: Hangar, near save point (Esthar's rules)

Heart: Entrance (F.H's rules)

King: Air Room (Lunar Base's rules)

Joker: Aisle, near Passenger Deck (Centra's rules)

The CC Group holds virtually all the rare cards (except for those

exclusive to the Card Queen Quest) you've yet to collect, so take time

off to win them. However, they won't be your only source of rare cards

in Disc Four, as the Card Queen can still be found on the Overworld

itself.

She's located at one of the southern tips of the Esthar continent, in

the Abadan Plains. You can't see her on the Overworld directly; you'll

need to actually run into the specific area to enter a field screen.

Btw, this is the same field screen where you re-discovered Piet and

the crashed escape pod in Disc Three. She holds the 5 cards exclusive

to the Card Queen Quest.

[Returning to Ultimecia's Castle]

When you're ready, fly over to Kashkabald Desert and look for a portal 

in the north-west. This opens up yet another door to the right of the 

metal chain leading to Ultimecia's Castle. Run up from there to reach 

the final dungeon of FF VIII. Save before you enter.

#############################################

4.5. [Ultimecia's Castle]

Enemies: All

Draw Points: Meteor, Slow, Dispel, Ultima, Holy, Cura, Curaga,

             Full-life, Aura, Meltdown, Triple, Stop

G.Fs: Siren (Tri-Point), Carbuncle (Krysta), Leviathan (Trauma), 

      Pandemona (Red Giant), Cerberus (Gargantua), Alexander

      (Catoblepas), Eden (Tiamat)

Weapons: Omega ^_^

#############################################

Upon your entrance, Squall will have 8 commands sealed off: Item, Magic,

G.F, Draw, Command Abilities, Limit Breaks, Resurrection and Save. This

handicap is temporary; you can either leave the castle to get back your

abilities, or defeat the 8 bosses hidden within the dungeon to reclaim

them.

In addition, you have to work in 2 parties here. Here're my 

recommendations:

Main Party: Squall, Rinoa, Zell

Secondary Party: Quistis, Selphie, Irvine

Here's where you have to divide and junction G.Fs evenly among your 

party members. I used Diablos' 'Encounter None' party ability most of

the time here, so you may have to exchange Diablos each time you change

parties, via the 'Junction Exchange' option in the menu screen, under

the 'Switch' command (U.S version only).

Throughout the castle you'll find spinning green Switch Spots. Stepping 

onto them produces 3 options:

- Switch to the other party.

- Change party members (both parties must be standing at the same

  Switch Spot).

- Cancel.  

Now that you have a rough idea of what's going on, it's time to start:

(walkthrough of Ultimecia's Castle and all bosses stats - with the 

 exception of Ultimecia's - courtesy of Scott Ong's Final Fantasy VIII

 FAQ Part I)

Main Party: You should start in the Hall. Head north and climb the

            stairs to face Sphinxaur.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

BOSS: Sphinxaur  HP: 12,000+  Draw List: Firaga, Thundaga, Blizzaga

                 AP: 30

Since you'll only have the 'Attack' command available here, make sure 

your party is properly junctioned when it comes to their HP and Strength

parameter. Just beat on Sphinxaur using physical attacks (Squall's R1 

Gunblade trigger comes into play here), and ignore the monsters he 

summons. Junctioning 'Blizzaga' to Elemental Defense may help to absorb

the damage if Sphinxaur decides to cast Ice magic.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Choose to unlock 'Magic' after the fight. Remember to add this command 

to your command list immediately in the menu screen! Magic lets you 

heal your characters, plus you now have access to (hopefully) various 

powerful spells that you've stocked up.

Tip: (U.S version only!)

If you've missed out on any of the G.Fs listed in the area information

section above, choose to unlock 'Draw' instead. The remaining 7 bosses

carry the G.Fs in their draw list. Then, be very careful of the

abilities you unlock next; I suggest Magic, Limit Breaks, G.F,

Resurrection, then Command Abilities, in that order. I've left out Save

and Items, seeing how you could always run out of the Castle to save

after every boss fight (take note of your previous location first),

and healing can be achieved via Magic.

Main Party: Head up the stairs. Ignore the door in front of you and

            make your way right instead. Go through the door in the

            south-east.

            In the Eastern Stairway Hall of the castle, run to your

            right and descend the stairs. You should see a string

            attached to a bell at the foot of the stairs. Ringing it

            with the 'X' (U.S) or 'Circle' (Japanese) button produces

            a timer in the top-left corner of the screen, but you won't

            be needing that now. Just keep the location of this bell

            in mind. Proceed through the door in the background, past

            the green Switch Spot.

            You should be in the Art Gallery now. First, take a

            look at each of the 4 paintings on the 1st floor of the 

            Gallery (ignore the largest one to the left), then climb

            the steps to the right. View the other 8 paintings on the

            2nd Floor (there's a 'Shell' Draw Point here, btw). Btw,

            it's imperative you examine ALL 12 paintings. Here are

            their titles:

            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)

            Now return to the large painting to the left on the 1st 

            floor, the one which I told you to ignore previously. 

            Examine it and enter 'Vividarium', 'Intervigilium' and

            'Viator', in that order. Trauma should appear now.

            To solve the puzzle... try going up to the 2nd floor of

            the Art Gallery. You'll see a clock painted onto 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 hour, minute and second.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

BOSS: Trauma  HP: 28,809  Weak: Wind  Draw List: Flare, Leviathan

SUB-BOSS: Drama  HP: 2,518  Weak: Wind  Draw List: Esuna, Dispell

                 Total AP: 30

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 to unlock 'Limit Breaks' here (that is, if you've already

un-sealed 'Magic' previously). You're pretty much a powerhouse now with

Squall's Renzokuken usable. Proceed into the background and step through

the door. Further up ahead you'll find a Switch Spot. Now take over

your secondary party.

Secondary Party: Equip Diablos over to the party members here for his 

                 'Encounter None' ability if you wish to. Head up the 

                 stairs and into the door in the north. Run onto the 

                 chandelier; it should fall, and you'll wind up in the

                 Grand Hall. Examine the nearby hatch in the floor to

                 descend into the Wine Cellar. Tri-Point awaits.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

BOSS: Tri-Point  HP: 22,000  Weak: Fire OR Ice  Strong vs.: Thunder

                 Draw List: Haste, Tornado, Bio, Siren  AP: 30

Tri-Point counters with a very damaging 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. Then just hit it with 

'Firaga', 'Blizzaga' (Tri-Point changes its weakness) or physical

attacks (cast 'Meltdown' and junction 'Firaga' or 'Blizzaga' to

Elemental Attack) for an easy victory.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Release the seal on 'G.F' or 'Save' here. If you have yet to unseal

'Limit Breaks', choose that in favour of 'G.F' or 'Save'.

Climb back up to the Grand Hall, and head through the door in the

background to reach a Switch Spot in the Courtyard. Change over to your

main party.

Main Party: If you chose to unlock 'Save' after felling Tri-Point, you

            can climb the stairs to the left and head through the left

            opening to reach a save point at the end of the corridor.

            Otherwise, just go through the door in front of the Switch

            Spot to reach the Floodgate (remember to swap Diablos over).

            Go for the door to the left in the basement. It should shut

            behind you. Take the key from the skeleton's hand.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

BOSS: Red Giant  HP: 30,000  Strong vs.: Physical attacks

                 Draw List: Demi, Pandemona  AP: 30

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'. Other than the above 4 methods, there's no other way

you can hurt him. Try using 'Blind' on him, too.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Choose to unlock either 'G.F' or 'Save' here, depending on which you

have yet to release. Return back to the Switch Spot leading to the

Floodgate (you can save if you want to beforehand at the save point

mentioned above). Change your party.

Secondary Party: You should be at the Courtyard. Head for the door in

                 the background (ignore the path leading to the right).

                 The Chapel offers a playable organ in the upper-left

                 corner. You can bang on it all you want first, but

                 remember its position. Climb the staircase to the 

                 right of the screen. Eventually you'll reach a wooden

                 bridge. Notice a sparkling object on it? WALK towards

                 it to pick it up. Now return to the Switch Spot in the

                 Courtyard. If the key appears to fall off, don't fret;

                 you haven't lost it.

Main Party: Go back into the Floodgate again. Examine the canal to the

            right of the screen to pick up the Armoury Key. If you

            managed to pick up the key without it falling off the

            bridge earlier, then just use it on the door to the right

            and enter.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

BOSS: Gargantua (Head)  HP: 10,626  Weak: Holy  

                        Draw List: Esuna, Haste, Bio

BOSS: Gargantua (Left Hand)  HP: 6,884  Weak: Holy  

                             Draw List: Shell, Protect

BOSS: Gargantua (Right Hand)  HP: 6,884  Weak: Holy

                              Draw List: Bio, Demi, Quake, Regen

Summon 'Siren' to halt their magical spells, then follow up with 

'Alexander' to take them out. You can cast 'Holy' on them if you want.

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

BOSS: Gargantua (Whole)  HP: 15,000  

                         Draw List: Bio, Quake, Reflect, Cerberus

                         Total AP: 42

He likes to cast various status maladies, so make sure your party 

members are properly junctioned for Status Defense. Junction Berserk,

Blind and Slow in this case for ST-Def.

Take him out with a Doomtrain-Aura-Renzokuken combination, and remember

to heal when needed. Hitting him with a physical attack results in a

'Counter Twist' by Gargantua (takes off 2,000+ HP), so cast spells or

summon G.Fs such as Alexander, Bahamut, Cactuar or Eden.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey, notice the green blood dripping from the sword on the wall here?

It was coloured red in the Japanese version ^_^

Remove the seal on 'Items' or 'Resurrection'. Now return to the Switch

Spot outside the Dungeon (save if you want to first).

Tip:

For the upcoming section to play out correctly, your main party has to

consist of more males than females, and vice versa for your secondary

party. It's okay if you followed my recommendations for both parties

straight from the start.

Secondary Party: From the Courtyard, head back one screen, move left

                 towards a door, transverse the corridor and step

                 through the door at the end of it to get back to the

                 Hall. Climb the stairs again, but this time head left 

                 towards another door to reach the Western Stairway Hall.

                 Descend the stairs to the left, head past the Switch

                 Spot into the door, and keep moving into the 

                 background in the next screen. Take the left Switch

                 Spot at the Elevator Hall.

Main Party: Starting from outside the Floodgate, climb the stairs to

            the left, into the left opening and past the save point.

            Step onto the elevator and switch over to the other party.

Secondary Party: You'll be elevated to the 2nd floor. Proceed left into

                 a Storage Room. Check around to find a 'Floodgate

                 Key'. Return back to the elevator and switch.

Main Party: Head all the way back to the Floodgate. There should be a

            switch next to the door on the left. Have Squall 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'. Go back into the Grand Hall and

            step onto the Switch Spot to the right. This prevents the 

            chandelier above from falling temporarily. Switch.

Side events: Before you return to the Grand Hall, try heading into 

(Main Party) the Chapel. At the organ, press all 8 keys simultaneously.

             Now back-track to the Courtyard and take the right

             path. A new route (previously blocked by a steel gate)

             should've been opened up; follow the one-way trail. At

             the end of the Waterway you'll find a Rosetta Stone, plus

             open up a shortcut to the Floodgate.

             If the steel gate is still there, try re-playing the

             organ. You must hold down all 8 buttons until the notes

             fade away.

Secondary Party: From the Elevator Hall, head back a screen to the

                 dark corridor. Look for a door to the left (which is

                 partially hidden). It's somewhere down the middle

                 stretch, behind a pillar.

                 Inside the Treasure Vault will be 4 coffins. Just open

                 all of them up to get Catoblepas to appear.

 Tip:

To open all the coffins, start by closing the leftmost one, then the

rightmost coffin, followed by the 2nd-to-left coffin. Finally, open the

2nd-to-right coffin.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

BOSS: Catoblepas  HP: 31,500  Weak: Earth, Water  Strong vs.: Thunder

                  Draw List: Meteor, Alexander  AP: 30

Summon G.F. Brothers or Leviathan to do damage (or junction either 

'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, so don't worry too much.

Draw a few 'Meteor' spells if you can, but beware Catoblepas' final

attack: a Meteor spell.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unlock either 'Item' or 'Resurrection' (depends on your previous

selection after downing the Gargantua). Now head back to the Hall,

through the door to the north, over the now stable chandelier and into

the door over at the other end. Krysta awaits at the Terrace.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

BOSS: Krysta  HP: 12,000  Strong vs.: Ice  Draw List: Holy, Carbuncle

              AP: 30

Krysta has a few pretty nasty moves, and has the ability to counter

every attack you throw at it, with the exception of summoned G.Fs. Just

use a (you guessed it) Doomtrain-Aura-Shot combo to take care of it.

Krysta will cast 'Ultima' as a last resort after you finish it off, so

keep your HPs high towards the end of the fight.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

You'll have only 'Draw' and 'Command Abilities' left unlocked. I suggest

taking the latter. You won't be needing the 'Draw' command much here

anyway (assuming you didn't miss any G.Fs in your quest). Besides,

commands such as 'Level Down', 'Recover' and 'Revive' will come in

useful. Return to the Switch Spot in the Hall.

Main Party: Proceed into the Chapel, and head up the right staircase. 

            Cross the wooden bridge and enter the door to the left. The

            ladder to the right leads to a dead-end, btw.

            On the very 1st floor of the Clock Tower should be an

            invisible save point (use Siren's 'Move-Find' party

            ability to see it). Climb up the extensive winding path

            until you reach a swinging bell.

            Position yourselves at the edge opposite to the lone ledge

            the bell swings to, and press the 'X' (U.S) or 'Circle'

            (Japanese) button 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 in

            Ultimecia's Castle.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

BOSS: Tiamat  HP: 89,800  Strong vs.: Fire, Thunder, Wind

              Draw List: Flare, Eden  AP: 30

Tiamat has an above average magic defense parameter, and his 'Dark

Flare' does a pretty hefty amount of damage (about 4,000+ if you're 

properly junctioned) to everyone. Try to 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. Likewise, 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' character ability works well here. You can also slow

down Tiamat by summoning G.F Doomtrain.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unseal your final command here, and you're left with only the last boss

to face. Head back into the Clock Tower, leap onto the bell, then travel

up the remaining winding path to the top. When the path splits, go up

for a 'Stop' Draw Point, then head south.

Main Party (still): Run across the hands of the clock face, climb down

                    the ladder and move right to reach another ladder,

                    which you'll have to descend using. The bridge

                    thereafter leads to Ultimecia's Room. Save at the

                    save point 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. 

Side events: Ultimecia's Castle holds virtually all the enemies (even

some old bosses!) you've ever encountered. Try fighting in different

regions of the castle to face all of them, and pick up any rare items

you may have missed.

Another special side event I'll like to highlight 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 to come. So unless you really want to test your skills, I 

suggest you leave him for now, and come back later when you're 

properly prepared. 

For those who feel confident enough, here's what you'll need: 20 Hero's

Medicine (modify Laguna's card) or a few Holy War Medicine (modify

Gilgamesh's card), 'Death' junctioned to Status Defense if anyone in

your main party has a level which is a multiple of 5 (i.e. lv. 65, 70

or 100), a 'Meltdown' spell, 10 Aura Stones (or 'Aura' spells), and a

high offensive-cum-HP rating (255 and 9,999 respectively) for Squall.

That's for the cheap way to defeat him though ^_^ I'll detail the other

traditional method below. Saving before the fight helps too!

First off, take your main party and position them at the Switch Spot in

the Courtyard, outside the Chapel. Have the secondary party make

their way to the Eastern Stairway Hall of the castle, outside the Art

Gallery where the bell is. Ring it once, then quickly step into the

nearby Switch Spot. Proceed into the Chapel as your main party, where

you'll find Omega Weapon waiting for you.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

SPECIAL BOSS: Omega Weapon  HP: 1,000,000+  Strong vs.: All Elements

                            Draw List: Flare, Holy, Meteor, Ultima

                            AP: 250

The Omega Weapon has several kick-ass attacks at its disposal, some of 

which include the Megido Flame (9,998 damage to everyone), the Light 

Pillar (9,999 damage to a single character) and the all-powerful Terra 

Break, which hits everyone for approximately 12,000 HP worth of damage. 

Fortunately, the Hero's Medicine should render all these attacks 

useless, as it puts a single party member into 'Invincible' status. 

You'll get a 'Proof of Omega' in your Tutorial screen after defeating it.

Cheap method:

Omega will use 'Level 5 Death' at the start, so make sure everyone is

protected from that. Have the party use Hero's Medicine on Rinoa and

Zell, with Squall casting a 'Meltdown' spell on Omega. Your opponent

will hit you with the 'Meteor' spell now, so recover Squall's HPs back

to 9,999 (Leviathan's 'Recover' command works fine here) using a

character. You can let the other cast 'Haste' on Squall if you want,

but leave Squall with a full time bar.

Omega Weapon should launch its Megido Flame now, reducing Squall's HP

to only 1. Have him unleash his Renzokuken, while another party member

uses a Hero's Medicine on him. Now your main task will be to keep

everyone in 'Invincible' status, as Squall repeatedly launches a

flurry of limit break attacks to take Omega Weapon down. You don't

have to bother with the rest of Omega's moves. Should Squall fall in

this battle later on, I suggest using Aura (Stones) on him instead

of waiting for his HP to be reduced back to critical status (after

reviving him 1st with Full-life or Revive, that is).

The 'Other' method:

This is for those who find themselves missing the Hero's Medicine.

You'll need (as many as you can get) G.Fs with a high HP rating (i.e.

Eden), everyone in your main party with maximum HPs (9,999), good

parameter ratings plus a ton of recovery spells and items. I suggest

modifying Bahamut's card to obtain 100 Megalixirs.

Omega always begins a fight with 'Level 5 Death', so ensure full 

protection against that in your party. Summon Cerberus now to put 

everyone in 'Triple' status, then follow this up with a Meltdown-Aura

-Renzokuken combo. Recover everyone's HPs back to 9,999 after Omega's

'Meteor' spell. The Megido Flame should reduce that back to only 1;

heal quickly after unleashing your limit breaks, but watch out for

Omega Weapon's 'Gravija'. Recover your members after that spell hits.

Next, summon G.Fs with high HPs, and let them absorb some of the

damage when Omega uses his Terra Break (12,000+ damage to everyone). 

Unleash your limit breaks if possible; Omega will cast 'Gravija' or

'Ultima', followed by his Light Pillar which WILL take a member now.

Use a 'Full-life' spell to get him or her back, followed by a flurry

of recovery items (a single Megalixir works nicely here) to restore

everyone's HP back to maximum.

Omega will settle into a random pattern of attacks from here on; your

tasks will be to hit him hard with limit breaks while predicting what

he'll try to do next, and curing with a Megalixir when needed. And if

you're lucky, Rinoa's 'Combine' limit break might see Angelo using

'Invincible Moon', which would double as a 'Holy War'. Good luck!

------------------------------------------------------------------------

##############################################

4.6. [Ultimecia's Castle -- Master Room]

##############################################

Ultimecia will express her fury at SeeD for interfering with her plans

of time compression, before she engages you in combat.

The participants are picked randomly here (and that includes Squall

as well), so make sure your G.Fs are evenly spread out. Ultimecia will

remove fallen companions in battle with her 'Angel' move, but if you're

quick enough you can beat her to it with a well-timed 'Full-life' spell.

Of course, if that fallen member has no G.Fs junctioned, then allow

Ultimecia to remove him or her.

She comes in 5 (well, 4 and a half to be more accurate) forms, which 

you'll need to fight consecutively. You can use Hero's Medicine for a

way too easy victory if you want to (it's the final battle, anyway).

And if you're wanting more Heroes, but lack either Laguna's or

Gilgamesh's card, here's a tedious method of obtaining Heroes:

1. Defeat and collect 10,000 Curse Spikes from Forbiddens at levels 30

   and above (skeletons armed with 2 swords). Seriously.

2. With G.F Siren at level 100, use her 'Tools-RF' to refine 10,000

   Curse Spikes to 100 Shaman Stones.

3. With G.F Doomtrain at level 100, use its 'Forbidden Med-RF' to

   refine 100 Shaman Stones to 10 Hero Trials.

4. Use G.F Alexander's 'Med LV Up' to refine 10 Hero Trials to a single

   Hero.

The profits aren't all that great, so I don't really recommend this

procedure. If you have everyone properly junctioned, then Heroes are

basically optional in the final battle.

Here's a list detailing the specific attack method for each character:

Squall: Have him unleash his Renzokuken (duh).

Rinoa: Her 'Combine' limit break works okay, but keep her primarily as

       a healer of sorts. You can try using 'Angel Wing', but seeing

       how you'll lose control of Rinoa, I advise against it.

Zell: His 'Duel' should be his main offense.

Quistis: Support the party with her 'Mighty Guard' and 'White Wind'

         blue magic. For offense, use 'Shockwave Pulsar' if you

         have it. Otherwise, stick to 'Ray-Bomb' or 'Gatling Gun'.

Irvine: Go trigger-happy with his 'Shot' limit break. His 'Armour

        Piercing Ammo', 'Demolition Ammo' and 'Pulse Ammo' work fine.

        If you're a quick tapper, and have a full stock of 'Fast Ammo',

        try using them against Ultimecia's final form.

Selphie: Her 'Slot' limit break won't help much here, and it isn't

         worth it cycling through the list to try to get the rarer

         spells... make Selphie a healer instead.

It's pretty obvious you need a chunk of Aura (Stones) for this last

battle. However, should Squall be chosen as one of the participants

(this occurs quite frequently, actually), I suggest letting him do all

the attacking instead. The rest should simply support him by casting

'Meltdown' to destroy the enemy's defense, and healing Squall when

needed. Make sure Squall has a Strength rating of 255 and his final

weapon, the Lion Heart.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

BOSS: Ultimecia  HP: 43,000  Weak: Poison  Strong vs.: Holy

                 Draw List: Haste, Slow, Reflect, Demi

The 1st form of Ultimecia can be taken down effortlessly with a single 

Meltdown-Aura-Renzokuken combination. However, I suggest you make use of 

this one to prepare for the upcoming battles; put everyone in 'Triple', 

'Protect', 'Shell', 'Haste' and 'Regen' (Quistis' 'Mighty Guard' Blue

Magic comes in handy here), followed by 'Aura' status if possible. 

Ultimecia will attempt to spoil the party with 'Quake' and her 'Mael

-strom' (causes status maladies and heavy HP damage to all), but

counter that with a Megalixir (modify Bahamut's card).

BOSS G.F: Griever  HP: 120,000+  Strong vs.: Earth, Poison

                   Draw List: Bio, Quake, Tornado

Griever has a status ailment attack, tends to cast 'Gravija' and

'Doom', and has an annoying habit of drawing spells from your party.

Counter 'Doom' with either a Remedy Plus or a Megalixir, and hit him

repeatedly with Renzokukens (remember to reduce his defense to zero

with 'Meltdown' 1st). Casting 'Ultima' coupled with 'Triple' works

well too, but I suggest you learn Eden's 'Expendx3-1' character

ability first.

Griever'll occasionally remove an entire set of spells (i.e. a 100

Full-life spells) from your magic list, thus forcing you to lose that

junction (i.e. if you've junctioned Full-life to HP, it'll fall back

to its original value).

Also note that from Griever onwards, the bosses have the ability to 

kill off any of your G.Fs in a single blow, so don't bother with 

summoning them. Griever will use his Shockwave Pulsar at the end (or 

earlier if you aren't quick enough in taking him out), which takes 

off about 3,000 HP from everyone (that's if you have a decent Spirit

rating -- try junctioning 'Reflect' to it and having 'Spirit +60%'

equipped), or 1,500 if you're under a 'Shell' condition.

BOSS: Ultimecia-Griever  HP: 180,000+

                         Draw List: Firaga, Thundaga, Blizzaga

SUB-BOSS: Helix  HP: 25,000+  Draw List: Esuna, Dispell

Ultimecia will junction with Griever for a truly nasty package. This 

3rd form likes to cast 'Tornado', 'Meteor' and 'Holy', plus she'll

occasionally remove an entire set of spells from your magic list too.

She's also capable of casting the Shockwave Pulsar at anytime now. 

Other than that, tiny cronies will appear to help in the duration of

the fight. If you stall for too long until 2 Helixes appear, watch out

for Ultimecia's 'Great Attractor', a (visually stunning) physical

attack which does 4,000+ damage to the entire party.

Stick to your tried-and-proven Meltdown-Aura-Renzokuken combination to 

take her down. If she de-attaches a part of herself, it means she's

close to defeat -- keep it going!

FINAL BOSS: True Ultimecia  HP: 250,000+  Draw List: Holy, Flare

BOSS: Ultimecia (Lower half)  HP: 16,000+  Draw List: Apocalypse

                              Total AP: 0

Ultimecia, in all her final form glory, now has more offensive moves 

at her disposal; her Hell's Judgement can bring everyone down to 1 HP 

(easier time getting limit breaks though; in fact, you can just use a

Hero's Medicine on Squall, and have him launch his Renzokuken

repeatedly).

She'll also cast 'Ultima', 'Flare' and 'Holy' on you, and when her

lower body appears in the course of the fight, she'll draw 'Apocalypse'

from it, which hits the entire party for roughly 3,500+ worth of damage.

Take note that you can do the same to her, by beating her to drawing 

'Apocalypse'. Ultimecia will retain the annoying ability to remove an

entire set of spells from you, too.

Simply keep the Meltdown-Aura-Renzokuken combinations (I think you've 

gotten tired of that already ^_^) coming, and heal immediately when

she hits you with a Hell's Judgement -- she might cast 'Ultima' as her

next move. Try to dispose of her lower body first when it does appear.

When Ultimecia is near defeat, she'll start uttering lines in battle.

During this period, you have to pound on her about 4 to 5 times until

she finishes what she has to say; each attack usually results in her

speaking another line. Only when you've seen all she has to say then

can you strike the finishing blow.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enjoy the ending!

*major spoiler here... skip this section if you want to see the ending 

 for yourself*

As an added bonus for those playing the Japanese version, I'll give you

the following dialogue in the ending sequence as it appears in the U.S

version. It isn't really accurate, so I hope you'll bear with it:

Irvine: Is it over?

        Let's go! Let's go back to our time!

Zell: Shut up! Just calm down now and think where we have to go.

Selphie: Careful guys, don't pick the wrong time!

Quistis: Whatever you do, don't fall into a time warp!

Rinoa: (Time... Places... Who I wanna be with...)

       (I wanna go there! Where Squall and I promised.)

Rinoa: Squall!

       Let's go home! Where are you!?

Squall: (... Where am I?)  (turns to see young Squall, and Edea)

Edea: Squall! Where are you going!?

Young Squall: I'm gonna find Sis!  (runs off)

Edea: Squall!

Squall: (... Matron)

Edea: Excuse me. Have you seen a little boy?

Squall: You don't have to worry.

        The boy won't go anywhere.

Edea: I think so, too. Poor thing...

(Ultimecia appears)

Squall: .... You're alive!?  (draws his Gunblade)

Edea: ... The sorceress?

Squall: Yes, Matron.

        We had defeated her... 

        Matron, stand back.

Edea: It's ok.

      There's no more need to fight.

      The sorceress is just looking for someone to pass her powers

      on to.

      In order to die in peace, a sorceress must be free of all her

      powers.

      I know... for I am one, too.

      I shall take over that sorceress' powers.

      I do not want one of the children to become one.

Ultimecia: I.... can't... disappear yet.  (Edea goes over to her)

Squall: Matron!

Edea: Is this... the end?

Squall: ... Most likely.

Edea: You called me Matron. Just who... are you?

Squall: A SeeD. A SeeD from Balamb Garden.

Edea: SeeD? Garden?

Squall: Both Garden and SeeD were your ideas.

        Garden trains SeeD.

        SeeDs are trained to defeat the sorceress.

Edea: What are you saying?

      You're... that boy from the future?

Squall: ... Matron.

Edea: Please return. You do not belong here.

Young Squall: I can't find Sis.

              ...Am I... all alone?  (notices the older Squall)

              Who's he?

Edea: Nobody.

      You don't need to know.

      The only Squall permitted here is you. (turns to the older Squall)

      Do you know where to go back to?

      Do you know how?

      Will you be all right by yourself?

Squall: (... I'll be all right, Matron.)

        (Because I'm not alone.)  (the screen fades)

        (... I'm not alone.)

        (... If I call out, they will answer.)

Squall: Where is everyone!?

        Rinoa! Where are you?

        Zell! Selphie! Quistis! Irvine!

        Rinoa!

        (Am I... alone?)

        (Rinoa? I want to hear your voice.)

        (Which way... do I go?)

        (I can't make it back... alone.)

Squall: Rinoa?

        (Am I... all alone again?)

        (Where... am I?)

*end spoiler*

You should see the ending FMV now... and don't turn the power off until

the words 'The End' appear on your screen, or you'll miss a short movie

after the credits.

Thanks for reading my walkthrough.

*** END OF GAME! ***