HCBailly plays Final Fantasy IV (Super Famicom) - Part 39 of 70

That doctor is one crazy dude...

Lower Section Map (by FlyingArmor)

You'll eventually come across a locked door. The door to the next floor will be to the east of that; you'll have to head to the top floor first.

The White Moose are susceptible to Piggy as well as ice spells. You may see them with a Chimera; destroy the Chimera first if they do.

The Medusa can be easily hit with Piggy.

At the top floor, you'll meet Lord Rubicante as well as a doctor. Rubicante will mention that Eblana Castle, the castle of ninjas, has already fallen. He leaves, then leaves the doctor in charge. The doctor then turns around to see you after hearing Rydia and Rosa, and you'll learn his name is Lugeie. He then sends his "son" after you, who is really a Frankenstein-like monster named Balnaba. Balnaba will attack the doctor first before attacking you.

Defeat Doctor Lugeie first; otherwise, he will fuse with Balnaba and keep the battle going. He'll also keep oiling Banaba, which has an Esuna-like effect, and if he stops oiling Balnaba, Balnaba self-destructs, doing a bit of damage to one of your party members and ending the battle early.

After that battle, Lugeie will then fight you again, this time for real. He will transform into a robot and hit your entire party with poison and sleeping gas as well as shoot a beam at individual party members. For some reason, Poison will override the Berserk status, so don't use Berserk. Instead, hit Lugeie with your most powerful attacks, and remember to keep your party's HP high.

Also, Poision keeps Yang from using the Build Up command.

For some reason, Lugeie has a Medic spell, and if he uses it, he casts Esuna on the entire party. Why? I don't know.

When you beat Lugeie a second time, you'll get the Lugeie Key. This allows you to open the locked door on the fifth floor. As Lugeie lays dying, he tells you that the Tower of Bab-il connects both the underworld and overworld and that Rubicante has already taken all the crystals. He also reveals that the Dwarves will still be killed by the Giant Cannon. He then dies.

The locked door on the fifth floor leads to the Giant Gun controls. You'll fight the three Goblin Captains at the control - which ends up being an easy battle - then the Goblin Captains will destroy the controls. Yang will then smack you so hard that you get sent backwards out of the room.

HCBailly plays Final Fantasy IV (Super Famicom) - Part 38 of 70

Our quest in the Tower of Bab-il continues with a huge treasure trove.

Tower of Bab-il Lower Section Map (by FlyingArmor)

The Green Beret increases Strength and Vitality by five. Equip it on Yang.

The Eyes is weak to Thunder, so have Yang equip the Thunder Claw. If anyone else attacks it, it will send out a Stone Golem. You can use the Apparition Rod on the Stone Golem to hit it with Piggy before hitting it with Yang's Fairy Claw for immense damage. The Stone Golem is also weak to ice.

The Ice Spear is a little stronger for Kain than the Fire Spear, but keep the Fire Spear handy for later.

The Chimera should be hit with Rydia's Bio, or else it will hit the entire party with a nasty Blaze attack. Do not use Piggy; it will not work.

The Ice Brand is the ice elemental weapon for Cecil. Again, keep the Fire Sword handy.

The Cat Claw increases Strength and Agility by five points for Yang. It can replace the Hell Claw, which you should still keep around for non-elemental enemies.

The Killer Bow increases Strength by five. You'll want to save that for Rosa later on.

The Flame Knight is weak to ice, but it is also weak to Piggy, as are the Flame Dogs.

The MysteryEgg will hatch into a monster if you touch it with anything, but if you destroy it Kain's Jump command, it can be destroyed immediately without hatching.

The Ice Shield obviously has ice resistance. Give it to Kain.

The Ice Armor is another piece of armor with ice resistance. Give it to Cecil.

The Arctic Wind is slightly more powerful than the Antarctic Wind.

HCBailly plays Final Fantasy IV (Super Famicom) - Part 37 of 70

We explore more of the castle before heading to the Tower of Bab-il.

Underworld Map (by Rick Bruns)

Castle of Dwarves Map (by Flying Armor)

Castle of Dwarves Detailed Map (by KeyBlade999)

You can access the Fat Chocobo in the first floor of the basement. There are three Gysahl Greens in pots nearby, so you'll have plenty of chances to call the Fat Chocobo up for item storage here. The guy to the left will now open a secret chamber since you have the king's permission to take stuff. This leads to the second basement floor, where one of the dwarves will tell you about a powerful gun in the Tower of Bab-il. You'll also find three Cottages and another staircase leading to the military base here. 

In the military base, though, except for info on Rubicant, the fourth, last and fire-based of the Four Fiends being in the Tower of Babel, and that the powerful gun in the tower is called the Giant Gun. You'll also find a Pot of Life that will restore both your HP and MP.

If you have the Silver Apple at this point, use it on Rydia now that she is back in your party.

From the Pot of Life, you can exit to the underworld from outside of the castle. If you see any lizards or turtles, such as the Magma Turtles, you can take them down with ice, as they are weak to that. Also, equip the Ice Claw on Yang to take them down; use the Fairy Claw on any non-elemental enemies. From here, go ahead and level grind so that all of your characters are near the mid-30's level-wise.

The Tower of Bab-il is to the west and then to the north. When you see the five tanks, you're there. When you approach, fighting will start, but you'll be able to enter the tower.

The Goblin Captains can be easily defeated by physical attacks. The Armadillos can also be defeated rather easily.

Tower of Bab-il

Lower Section Map (by FlyingArmor)

The Flame Dogs are just like those in the Tower of Zot, but you'll be fighting them in groups this time.

HCBailly plays Final Fantasy IV (Super Famicom) - Part 36 of 70

As we get access to parts of the Dwarves' Castle, we stumble upon...the developers' room?

Castle of Dwarves Map (by Flying Armor)

Castle of Dwarves Detailed Map (by KeyBlade999)

If you cast Dejon/Warp in the throne room, you'll get the Crystal of Darkness - which you're supposed to get in the Sealed Cave - and break the game. You're not meant to do this!

Now that you have permission to enter certain areas, you can finally access the weapon and armor shops in the castle. Get the Flame Spear and Flame Mail for Kain, equip the Fairy Claw back on Yang, get a Priest Hat for Rosa to increase her Will by five and a Rune Ring to increase her Wisdom and Will by three each and protect her against Silence. Equip the Apparition Rod and Gold Band on Rydia to increase her Wisdom by five and ten, respectively. Also, get her the Priest Rod and Rune Ring for the same reasons as Rosa.

Between the weapon and armor shops is a pub. There is a hidden passage to the east that takes you to the developers' room, which was taken out of the original Western version, and see messages by the developers of the game. You can also fight H. Nakada, who is a Lamia, in a joke battle for whatever reason.

In the Upper Room, you can interact with the bookcase and find a Playboy magazine. (This is the reason that the developers' room was axed from the original Western release.) If you use it, the screen will turn pink and Cecil will say that he will go blind. Also, that room is a mess.

To the right of the weapon and armor shops, you can get more treasure. You can find a Dwarf Axe as well as a Bacchus' Wine (hidden in a pot), a Power Wrist (which increases your strength by five) for Yang, an Ether, an Elixir, and a Silver Hourglass.

South of where you found the Dwarf Axe is the entrance to the outside area of the castle, which looks much like an underground version of Baron Castle. You'll eventually be able to enter the other tower, where you can find Bacchus' Wine (hidden in a pot), a Hi-Potion, a Black Belt Robe (that increases Strength and Vitality by five) for Yang, an Elixir and an Ether. You'll also find Namingway.

HCBailly plays Final Fantasy IV (Super Famicom) - Part 35 of 70

Looks like Golbez got here first...and that there is a reason he is getting all of the crystals.

Castle of Dwarves Map (by Flying Armor)

Castle of Dwarves Detailed Map (by KeyBlade999)

When you talk to King Jiott, he will tell you that you were almost mistaken for the enemy and that Golbez's forces have taken two of the four Dark Crystals. However, the Dark Crystal here is still safe.

You'll learn that the tanks were the dwarf forces, and that the Red Wings hurt their tanks pretty badly. Jiott then asks for your help, but Cid says that he will have to do some repairs and that even if he were to get the Enterprise back into flying shape, it would not be able to stand up to the heat of the underworld for long. As a result, he is forced to return to the surface to add Mithril plating to the airship. Cid then leaves the party to get the Mithril.

Jiott then tells you that one of the Dark Crystals is in a secret room behind his throne, and that it should be safe. Suddenly, Yang has the feeling that someone is behind the throne. The door to the secret room is opened, and Luka's dolls are suddenly found inside the room. The dolls come to life and introduce themselves as the Calcabrina, and threaten to kill the party in Golbez's name.

To defeat them, just attack them all. The Brena dolls in the front are a little easier to deal with than the Calca dolls in the back. Be sure to keep Cecil at full health whenever possible, and be sure to cast Berserk on Yang and Cecil. When you defeat three of the dolls, the rest will combine and turn into the Calcabrena doll. This battle isn't very hard.

After winning this battle, you'll find out that the location of the Dark Crystal has already been relayed to Lord Golbez. Golbez will teleport into the room, he reveals that he is gathering all the crystals to open a path to the moon and achieve great power. You'll then fight him again.

For this one, have Kain use the Jump command as soon as possible. The Cursed Aura will paralyze everyone except for Kain, and the Blank Fang attack from the Shadow Dragon that Golbez summons will kill everyone else. Suddenly, a Mist Dragon shows up and attacks both Golbez and the Shadow Dragon are defeated. Everyone under the effect of Cursed Aura will be cured, then Rydia shows up. This time around, however, she is a tad older and looks much differently.

Revive everyone who has been killed, then hit Golbez with Fire attacks. Rydia will have a bunch of summons, so use Ifrit. Golbez will go down in no time. After the battle, Rydia will explain that she was taken to the Phantom World by Leviathan, where the Phantom Beasts befriended her and trained her in Black Magic. Unfortunately, she can no longer use White Magic, but her summoning powers have gotten ten times stronger. Also, due to the time flow in the Phantom World being different to that in the real world, she got older in a short amount of time.

Rydia then explains that the Queen of the Phantom World has told her of a great evil at work, and that she must fight. Rydia then rejoins the party. Afterwards, Golbez's hand reaches out and grabs the Dark Crystal, then disappears.

Afterwards, you'll talk to King Jiott. He tells you that the last Dark Crystal is in a sealed cave, but without the key to release the seal, nobody can enter...not even Golbez. Jiott asks for your assistance, and asks Cecil to sneak into the Tower of Bab-il to retrieve the other crystals while Golbez is occupied at the sealed cave. With the tanks attacking the tower, Cecil will be able to go in and grab them all during the diversion.

King Jiott then tells you a secret passage underneath the castle, and while it is normally off-limits, Cecil and his party have his permission to use it. 

HCBailly plays Final Fantasy IV (Super Famicom) - Part 34 of 70

After saving Rosa, it appears that we're on the losing end...or are we?

Overworld Map (by Rick Bruns)

Tower of Zot Map (by FlyingArmor)

After you beat Barbariccia, she will tell you that the last of the Four Fiends still lives and that you will never meet him. The tower then begins to collapse after she dies. Rosa teleports the part out of the tower and back to Cecil's room in Baron Castle.

Kain tells everyone that there are more than four Crystals, and that the ones Golbez has are the Crystals of Light. He then tells the rest of the heroes about the Crystals of Darkness, which are more than just a rumor. The surface of the earth has the Light Crystals, but the underground has the Dark ones. If all eight Crystals are gathered, the way to the moon will open. Kain hands Cecil the Magma Stone, which he says will be useful later as it opens the way to the underground.

Afterwards, Cid reveals that he put a remote control on the Enterprise, and that the Enterprise is back at Baron. Meanwhile, Cecil wonders why Golbez did not kill him when he had the chance. After that, everyone rests.

From Baron Castle, teleport to the town of Baron. Equip the Fire Claw back on Yang, and hang on to some Ruby Rings, the Apparition Rod and the Thunder Claw.

At this point, take the airship back to Agart. and head to the well in the village. Use the Magma Stone at the well to drop it inside, and you will open up a crater to the underground in the nearby mountains. Leave the village and take the airship into the hole. You'll be in the underground world.

Underworld Map (by Rick Bruns)

As soon as you get there, you will be caught in the crossfire between the people of the underground and the Red Wings. Unfortunately, the Enterprise is damaged to the point that it crashes. This is gonna be interesting.

Thankfully, everyone survives, but the Enterprise is not in shape to fly. You'll find out that you are near a castle. Go in.

Castle of Dwarves

Map (by Flying Armor)

Detailed Map (by KeyBlade999)

If you talk to the guards, they will ask you to see King Jiott.

When you go into the castle, a little dwarf girl by the name of Luka will ask if you have seen her dolls if you talk to her.

Keep going north, and you'll eventually meet King Jiott.

If you go to the staircase to the west upon entering the castle, you'll find the store as well as the Inn. The Cross will cure the Curse status. The pot to the left of the counter contains 5000 Gil.

There is a staircase to the left of the store/inn as well as one west of the path to King Jiott, but you won't be able to access them...yet.

HCBailly plays Final Fantasy IV (Super Famicom) - Part 33 of 70

Here's the preview...

...and here's the video.

Tower of Zot Map (by FlyingArmor)

Cecil hands the Crystal of Earth in exchange for Rosa. Don't touch 'em.

Golbez pretends to not know who Rosa is, and Tellah proceeds to hit Golbez with spells, including Meteo, despite warnings from the rest of the party that he will not survive after the casting. The spells have little, if any, effect on Golbez. Meteo seems to work on Golbez, but guess what? It doesn't.

Golbez retreats, with Meteo haven broken the spell on Kain. Cecil goes after Golbez, but Golbez knocks him into the wall with a lightning bolt. Golbez is about to finish Cecil off, but suddenly his head hurts and he retreats.

Sadly, Tellah dies, regretting that his efforts were both in vain and fueled by hatred. From here, talk to Kain. Kain will wake up and finally be snapped out of Golbez's control, and mention that Rosa is above them. Kain and Cecil get through the door, and Cecil barely saves Rosa in time from being sliced in half by a guillotine. (In the Western version released prior to the PS1 re-release, it was a giant ball that would have crushed Rosa to death, proving that quite a bit of the censorship in the game was really unnecessary.) Rosa and Cecil embrace, much to the delight of Cid, then Kain admits he wanted to be closer to Rosa. He asks for forgiveness, then Cid realizes that maybe this conversation should be continued later. Rosa and Kain then re-join the party.

Give Cecil the Light Shield so you can equip the Flame Shield on Kain. Replace Yang's Fire Claw with the Fairy Claw, and give Rosa the equipment that Tellah had. (Thankfully, you have a chance to take off all of Tellah's equipment before he dies during the crystal exchange.)

When you try to leave the old-fashioned way, you'll be confronted by Barbariccia, the Empress of Wind. This triggers a boss battle.

Have Kain Jump right away, as this is the only way you'll be able to attack Barbariccia while she is in her tornado form. Make sure to Jump at the right time so you can take her out of that form as soon as she gets in it.

The Fingertap induces a slow Petrify effect that will slowly Petrify whoever is hit by it. Thankfully, Esuna will help.

As a Paladin, Cecil has the ability to automatically Cover anyone with low HP, allowing him to take a bullet for anyone with low HP. As long as Cecil's HP is high, you can keep doing this for a while and keep healing him with Cure 3 while everyone else hits Barbariccia with everything they've got.

Tornado will hit your party member so hard that it will knock their HP into the single digits, but it will never outright kill them.