final fantasy viii - game manual

8/3/2019 Final Fantasy VIII - Game Manual

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MAIN CHARACTERS 76 PROLOGUE

Squall and Laguna; two men linked mysteriously

by fate. The friends, rivals, and beautiful women

whom they encounter all come together to create

a striking and moving drama.

Age: 27 He ight: 5'9"

A passionate man whose pen is

truly mightier than the swordAn ex-soldier turned journalist,

Laguna is a strong willed m an

with amazing energy. His

compassion for the

unfortunate drives him to

help the weak and b ring

down their oppressors.

Using his writing as a mighty

instrument of justice, he

stands strong against the

evils of the world.

LAGUNA LOIRE

At th e forefront of a rising tide of violence

brought on b y Galbadias war de claration is

a See D cade t named Squall Leonhart.

Serious to a fault, Squall has e arned himselfthe reputation of being a lone wolf.

A chance encounter with the free-spirited

Rinoa Heartilly, however, turns his un iverse

upside down. Having thrived on d iscipline,

Squall finds Rinoa's carefree attitude

fascinating. Yet th e re is no time to po nde r

these thoughts, for the job of dealing with

the s orceress be hind Galbadia's irrational

hostility has fallen to SeeD and Squall.

In FINAL FANTASY VIII, th e p layer will

assume the roles of Squall and

Laguna to advance the story.

At times, Squall is known to fall

into a dreamlike state. It is during these

pe riods that he encounte rs Laguna.

What destiny awaits these two characters?

At what point d oes the story be twee n

the two cross?

Who is Laguna?


The taciturn and reluctant hero

A cadet in SeeD, the spe cial combat unit

of the Balamb Garden Military Acade my.

His aloof and anti-social behavior makeshim app ear se lfish and lacking a sense of

team unity. Squall dislikes having others

involved in his affairs and is best

de scribed as a lone wolf.

SQUALL LEONHART


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MAIN CHARACTERS 98 MAIN CHARACTERS


An expert gunman and

consummate ladys man

Irvine is known as the Bes t

Shoote r in Garden. His

reputation for cherishing the

company of women is almost as well

known a s his accuracy with a gun.

Although he see ms to be uncaringand frivolous a t first glance , in

reality he is sensitive and serious.

IRVINE KINNEAS


Squalls rival who cause s

havoc within Garden

A candidate for SeeD.

Although Seifer is a

naturally gifted s oldie r,

his inability to take

orders and control his

tempe r has earned him

the label ofproblematic.

Although recognizing

and praising Squ alls

abilities, Seifer

regards him as his

ultimate rival.

SEIFER ALMASY

Age: 17 Height: 5' 3 1/2"

A beautiful, spiritedyoung woman

A lively individual

with the ability to

touch pe oples he arts.

Open and honest with

her feelings, she sp eaks

her mind without

reservation. Driven by her

ambitions, she can be

difficult at time s.

RINOA HEARTILLY


A top-notch member of SeeD

who se rves as Squalls instructor

A SeeD cadet at the age of 15,

Quistis now instructs Sq uall and

his companions at Balamb Garde n.

Contrary to he r cool exterior, she

occasionally has a d ifficult time

coping with frustration a nd, a s a

result, can be come d ep ressed overtrivial matters.

QUISTIS TREPE

Age: 17 Height: 5' 1 1/2"

A spunky young woman with

a carefree spirit

Selphie se ems out of place in

a military acade my because of

her innocent appearance andlight-hearte d pe rsonality. Her

happy-go-lucky disposition and

laid-back attitude te nd to catch

othe rs off guard.

SELPHIE TILMITT


A Garden Cadet with

unsurpasse d martial arts skillsAspiring to become like his

grandfather who was once a

soldier, Zell ente red Garde n

at the age of 13. Not being one to

think matters through, he is known to

act on impulse rathe r than reasoning.

At he art however, he is an honest,

dedicated young man.

ZELL DINCHT


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JUNCTION SYSTEM 2120 JUNCTION SYSTEM

GLOSSARY OF TERMSJUNCTIONIn this game, Junction refers to equipping characters with things

other than physical objects such as weapons and armors. Basically,

this involves Guardian Forces (see below). It also allows the player

to e qu ip (or Junction) characters with magic.

GFGF is the abbreviation for Guardian Force. Guardian Forces can be

summoned during battle. In FINAL FANTASY VIII, Junctioning a GF

with a characte r allows the GF to Leve l UP in the same way the

characters do. As a GF grows stronger, it will grant Special Abilities to

the character with whom it is Junctioned.

DRAWCharacters are ab le to d raw certain element s from enemie s and

po sse ss those d rawn e lem ents as magic. In FINAL FANTASY VIII,

since ma gic cannot be bought in shops, a commonly used method to

obtain magic is to draw it directly from enemies. It is also possible to

obtain magic through draw points and by refining magic from items.

BASIC KNOWLEDGE OF THE JUNCTION SYSTEMThe newly introduced Junction System enab les the player to change a characters q ualities and

direction of growth. Grasping an understanding of the terms related to the Junction System

listed on the right will enab le the player to und erstand the flow of the Junction Systemillustrated be low.

FLOW OF THE JUNCTION S YSTEM1. Obtain a Guardian Force (GF) (see page 22)

Obtaining a GF will allow the player to use the Junction System.

2. Select an Ability to be Learned by the GF (see page 24)

Use the command on the Menu Screen to choose an ab ility to

be learned by the GF

3. Junction the GF (see page 25)

Junction the GF by selecting on the Menu Screen.

4. Junction Ability (see page 26)

Junction the a bility that a GF possesse s to a character.

DRAW MAGIC FROM THE ENEMYOnce a GF has been successfully Junctioned to a character, the

command may b e Junctioned. Afte r Junctioning the

command, draw magic from ene mies d uring battle (see page 26).

5. Junction Magic (see page 28)

Junction magic that has b ee n drawn from ene mies t o the characters

stats (e.g. HP, Str, EL-A/D, etc.).

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JUNCTION SYSTEM 2322 JUNCTION SYSTEM

SELECTING THE GUARDIAN FORCES LEARNED ABILITIES

SELECT THE DIRECTION OF GROWTH FOR THE GFTo se lect an ability to be learned by a GF, press the D key to d isplay the Menu Screen and

select the menu he ading on the scree n. Guardian Forces that are available to le arn

abilities will be displayed . Select the de sired GF with the X key and the Abilities Screen

shown below will appear. Using the menu heading on this screen, the player will be

able to check the status of the GF and select the ability for the GF to learn. This ability will be

gained once e nough Ability Points (AP) have be en accumulated through b attles.

GF Status Screen Displays the basic ability values of the GF

1. Notice Window Display the command which opens the Abilities Screen

2. Name Display the na me of the GF

3. LV Display the level of the GF

4. HP Display current HP / Maximum HP

5. Current EXP Display Experience Points acquired

6. Next Level Display Experience Points necessary to Level UP

7. Learning Display the name of the ability being learned. Current AP /Necessary AP to gain the ability

8. Compatibility Rep resent the compatibility betwee n the characters and the GFs

(See page 27 for de tails)

GUARDIAN FORCESIn order to utilize the Junction System, it is necessary to obtain a GF.

This is possible by defeating a GF itself or by drawing one out of a

boss monster. There may be other times when the player will beable to obta in a GF in unexpected locations.

GUARDIAN FORCES OBTAINED IN THE BEGINNING OF THE GAMEThe first Guardian Forces can b e o btained at the be ginning of the game in Balamb Garde n b y

reviewing the study p anel. By accessing the command on the study p anel, the

player will be able to obtain two Guardian Forces, Quezacotl and Shiva.

GUARDIAN FORCESGuardian Forces have tremend ous p ower that can provide a p arty with extraordinary strength.

A few of the Guardian Forces are introduced below.

Quezacotl

Spirit which governs lightning

Appears amongst lightning clouds

and showers the e nemy with

Thund er Storm.

ShivaSpirit which manipu late s ice

Freezes surrounding objects with Diamond Dust and

damages all enemies with extreme cold.

Ifrit

Demon spirit that commands fire

Summons and then unleashe s Hell Fire, amassive ball of flame that burns all ene mies.

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The Classroom


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The following is a brief walkthrough for the beginning of FINALFANTASY VIII for the PC. If you dont w ant to know whatscoming, dont read this section.

Should you choose to read on, youll

discover useful tips and strategies for getting started andfor defeating the first Boss.

SPOILER ALERT!

Strategy content provided by

The Classroom

At the start of the game simply followSqualls instructor, Quistis Trepe, untilshe releases everyone from class. Speakwith the other students, and then returnto Squalls desk and access the Study

Panel. Select the Tutorial section ti tled new and youll automatically receiveyour first two Guardian Forces (GF),Quezacotl and Shiva. Before you equipyour two new GFs, take some tim e to go th rough the Tutorialsection and learn all about the basic controls and concepts inFINAL FANTASY VIII.

Most of the time, you can return here if

you have a question about how the game w orks.

You can also access the Tutorial menu heading in the

Ma in Menu.

REM IN DER:

After you finish the Tutorial section, you should consider

looking through the rest of the choices on the Study Panel. Ifyouve had your f ill, shut down the Study Panel and exit theclassroom.

After your run-in with another student, you should head downto the first f loor and check out the Directory. The Directoryserves as a simple guide to the entire SeeD Garden facility. Asyou can see, the complex is very large. You m ay want to exploreall of the areas now, or you can head for the Front Gate and

meet Quistis.

On your w ay to the elevator, ma ke sure

you stop and talk to the person standing on the

side of the w alk w ay. This person w ill give you

your first seven cards. It isnt much of a deck, butits enough to let you challenge another player.

FREE CARDS:

Mini-Walkthrough

LibTo ring the SeeD Garden


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Front Gate

The great outdoors beckons at the endof this long corridor. If youre not drivingto your next objective, you must exit theGarden through the Front Gate.

Infirmary

Youll remember the Infirmary from thebeginning of the game. Dr. Kadowaki, theresiding physician, is always here to giveadvice or play a game of cards.

Quad

The Quad is the home of the GardenFestival, but theres not m uch going onhere yet. Stop by and join the Garden

Festival commit tee if you like.

Library

Not only can you m eet a lot ofinteresting people here, you can also pickup useful info rmation and a magazine.Make sure you stop in often.

Touring the SeeD Garden

The Garden is very large and full of all kinds of activity. Thereare 10 major areas that youll visit qui te often, as well asseveral minor locations that youll only see at specific points inthe story. The following information provides a brief rundownof the major locations and what youll f ind at each one.

Dormitory

This is where youll find Squalls room .At various times during the game, youllbe asked to return here. You can useSqualls bed to restore any lost Hit Points

(HP) for your party members or GFs, orsave your game using the Save Point.

Park ing Lot

Any and all vehicles used by SeeD arestored here. Youll typically only comehere when you need a set of w heels.

Tra ining CenterThose wishing to brush up on their

fighting skills can visit the Training Centerany tim e. There are monsters roamingfreely inside the Training Center, so usecaution when entering. This is a greatplace to build up Squall and his GFs atthe beginning of the game.


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Start off by teaching both Quezacotl and Shiva the Boost The Fire Cavern


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If you REALLY w ant to prepa re for

the Fire Cavern, teach Q ueza cotl the T-M ag-RF ability,

w hich revea ls the M id M ag-RF ability. With this second

ability, you can refine five Blizzard spells into one

Blizzara spell (a stronger type of Ice magic). Learning Mid

M ag-RF requires 60 AP, so youll have to fight at lea st 15groups of Fastitocalon-Fs to learn the T Mag-RF and Mid

Mag-RF abilities.

You ma y a lso w ant to devote some time to building

Shiva s I Mag-RF ability. W ith this ability, you can turn

the Fish Fins (obtained by defeating Fastitocalon-Fs) into

Water ma gic, w hich is a lso useful in the Fire Cavern.

These ex tra prepa ra tions are time-consuming, but w illhelp you complete your objective in the Fire Cavern more

quickly.

EXTRA PREPARATION :

When you feel prepared, head due eastfrom the Garden to find the Fire Cavern,which is set in a small hi ll beyond the forest.

Start off by teaching both Quezacotl and Shiva the Boostability. This ability enables you to strengthen a GFs attack byholding the F key and tapping the A key on your keyboardduring the GFs animation. You m ay then want to work onboosting each GFs HP by teaching them the GFHP+10% abili ty.

The Fire Cavern

When you reach the Fire Cavern, Quistis wi ll g ive you somequick instructions on how to Junction magic and how to useSqualls Gunblade. You can skip the Junctioning tutorial bypressing the W key on your keyboard.

The quicker you can

ma ke your w ay through the Fire Cavern to

complete your objective, the better your chance of

earning a higher SeeD ranking. Youll learn more

about your SeeD ranking later in the game.

W HY CHO OSE A TIME LIM IT?

The Fire Cavern is full of fire-based creatures, which makesthem particularly weak against Ice magic. Most o f the time, youwont need to use magic to defeat your enemies; however,stronger enemies like Bombs take too long to defeat w ith justbrute force. Dont waste time drawing magic on your way

through the Fire Cavern. There will be plenty of time for that onyour w ay back out.

Approach the Garden Facultymembers guarding the Fire Cavernsentrance, and choose a time lim it fo ryour test. Twenty or 30 minutesshould be more than enough. You cantry for 10 minutes if you spent sometime leveling up outside, or if its yoursecond tim e playing the game. Afterchoosing your time limit, the clock willbegin ti cking away.

GREAT CARD


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The path th rough the FireCavern is very straightfo rward.Youll want to stay on the mainpath except to draw som e FireSpells from a Draw Point offto the right side of the path.When you reach the end of thepath, youll face your greatestchallenge thus far.

Quezacotl has an ability k now n as Card

that enables you to transform a w eak ened enemy

into a playing card. Chances are you w ont have the

ability yet, but once you acquire it youll w ant to

return here and transform several Bombs into cards.

They are one of the strongest cards you can find at

this point of the game.

GREAT CARD!

Your main objective for the Fire Cavern is to defeat theGuardian Force known as Ifrit, a fire-based GF. Ifrit is tough,

but it has one major weaknessIce magic. Hopefully, youhave a healthy supply of Blizzard or Blizzara spells and youveequipped the GF Shiva on either Squall or Quistis.

From the beginning of the battle, mercilessly pound on Ifritwith Blizzard or Blizzara and repeatedly summon Shiva usingthe GF ability. Dont worry about using your normal attacks.They wont cause much damage to Ifrit, and your goal is todefeat the Boss as quickly as possible. Fire magic is

ineffective against Ifrit; it w ill only restore its HP.

Locations:Fire Cavern

Elemental:Fire

GF; uses fire magic. Its a strong opponent but,

as it is a part of Gardens exam, not impossible to defeat.

Weakvs Ice

AbsorbsFire

Level Draw

6 Fire, Cure, Scan

Level Item (Drop) Rate: 255/ 2 56

178/ 256 51/ 256 15/ 256 12/ 256

6 G-Returner G-Returner G-Returner G-Returner

Level Item (Steal) Rate: 0 / 2 56

178/ 256 51/ 256 15/ 256 12/ 256

6 n/ a n/ a n/ a n/ a

GUARDIAN FORCE ALERT!GUARDIAN FORCE ALERT!

IFRIT

If Shiva is defeated during the fight dont be afraid to


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If Shiva is defeated during the fight, don t be afraid tosummon Quezacotl. It wont inflict as much damage as Shiva,but it still causes more damage than Squalls Gunblade orQuistis Chain Whip.

For winning the battle, you receive aG-Returner, Ifrits Card, and you gainthe ability to Junction with Ifrit.

Congratulations on defeating Ifrit!Youre well on your way to becoming afull-fledged member of SeeD, but yourquest has only just begun.

Want more? Pick up the BradyGAMES Official FINAL FANTASYVIII Strategy Guide for the PC to help you unlock all of the gamessecrets!

Complete Walkthrough

Bestiary

Boss Strategy

Plus Much More!

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ISBN-1-56686-962-5 UPC 7-52073-86962-5$19.99

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