Invasion of the Rursus
Shrine of Coronation (Safe Zone)
In place of SOs, the party will receive “Cid’s Crucible” orders in this Mission. These orders have unique conditions and traits as outlined below and must be met in order to proceed. However, the party is revived when all party members have been KO’d while in Pandæmonium, so you will not get a game over.
From here you will need to create two parties of three members and go through the cloisters on the left and right while switching between the two parties. Select three members for each party. The remaining six characters are shared reserves for both parties.
You’ll be switching between both parties as you progress through Pandæmonium. You’ll have to choose between two rooms at the start of this Mission; one on the right and one on the left. We’ll be going through the left door to start with.
While you’re picking your parties, make sure the second team has at least one ranged character in it. You should have a ranged character in both of your parties. Not having a ranged character in party two is going to cause you a lot of problems in the near future. Once your teams have been selected, head through the left door to area 2.
Hall of Transgression (Party 1)
You’ll have to face off with a Rursan Reaver during the duration of this Mission. It isn’t particularly hard to avoid, but it can mark you with a Killsight and KO you, regardless of your health and level. In order to defeat it, you need to deplete its health and then harvest its Phantoma. If you fail to do that within a minute or so, the Reaver will rise back to its feet and attack you once again.
Hall of Transgression Revisited (Party 2)
Once you’re switched over to Party 2’s position, head through the right door to reach area 3.
Cloister of Adumbration (Safe Zone–Party 1)
Cloister of Revelation (Party 1)
You will be teleported back to the start of the crucible unless you can get through the portal twice in a row without taking damage. Keep dodging and head straight for the portal. Using characters like Ace who have quick evasion maneuvers will make completing this crucible easier. Using Eight’s “Phantom Rush” and then running through is another way to easily complete this crucible. Additionally, not only will you see Cubes, but also Hundlegs when entering the room on an even count (2nd, 4th, 6th entry, etc.).
Chamber of Fate (Safe Zone–Party 1)
Cloister of Inspiration (Safe Zone–Party 1)
Cloister of Adumbration Revisited (Safe Zone–Party 2)
Cloister of Revelation Revisited (Party 2)
You can proceed once the Rursan Reaver has been defeated, but the five Candles of Expiation must be lit to deal damage to the Rursan Reaver. First Lock-On to the Candles of Expiation and attack them until they are lit. Repeat until all are lit. The flames will go out after some time and if they go out, you will have to re-light the candles. Attempting to go to the next chamber without defeating the Rursan Reaver will teleport you back to the beginning of this area and cause Mandragoras and ground Cubes to spawn, so be careful.
Chamber of Fate Revisited (Safe Zone–Party 2)
Cloister of Inspiration Revisited (Party 2)
You’ll have to defeat an Iron Giant in order to move on to area 11.
Chamber of All (Safe Zone)
You’ll be given the choice to either “Become l’Cie” or “Remain mortal.”
If you select “Become l’Cie” you’ll be ushered to a new chapter of the game called “The Chapter of Darkness,” which leads you toward an alternate ending. This is not the “good” ending of the game, so if you want to see things through to the end, you’ll need to select “Remain mortal”.
After selecting to “Remain mortal”, you will find a Relic Terminal in the center of the room that you can use to change your party.
Cloister of Premonition
Defeat enemies and harvest seven Phantoma as you go through the various warp gates to reach the upper platform. The route on the map to the right details the shortest path that also allows you to harvest seven Phantoma. Or, if you would like to obtain the treasures before moving on, use the route described below.
Entering warp gates with a red jewel on the top of the frame will ensure that you will take the shortest route that allows harvesting seven Phantoma.
Cloister of Adumbration Revisited (Safe Zone)
Two parties must be created to explore two paths, just as you did when you first arrived at Pandæmonium. Taking the eastern path (left path from the view of the characters) will have limitations on the types of attacks allowed, so it’s advised to use a party that can utilize a balanced array of attacks (abilities and magic). We’ll be heading through the west passage on the right first, so pick your parties accordingly. Also, any KO’d characters are revived and everyone’s HP and MP are completely restored right before you create the two parties.
Cloister of Exhibition (Party 1)
You will encounter three enemy parties in the order in the tip box below. Try to inflict damage using Breaksights and Killsights as much as possible to quickly take care of your foes. Enemies other than the Rursan Reaver will become transparent right after spawning, but the strategy against these enemies remains the same.
There are panels of the floor in this area that will turn red and then go back to normal on a seven-second interval (see the diagram for details). Characters receive more than 200 HP worth of damage if they step on a panel that is red. It will be difficult to avoid stepping on a red panel while simultaneously avoiding enemy attacks, so try equipping potions to heal a character that steps on a panel frequently.
Cloister of Manifestation (Party 2)
Guide party 2 through the east passage to reach area 15. All you need to do in area 15 is eliminate all the enemies without using physical attacks (those that use weapons or a character’s body), but you’ll need plenty of MP in order to eliminate all the enemies using magic. Once you run low on MP, distance yourself from any remaining enemies until it’s safe to use Ethers or other MP-replenishing items, then continue your assault. Abilities in the list below are executed using the Normal Attack button, and are not considered “physical attacks.” Though a steady hand is required when using these abilities, they may come in handy when going through this area.
Another effective strategy is to use commands like Queen’s “Magic Martyr” to replenish the party’s MP while attacking with magic. If you don’t have access to Queen or her ability, you can always stand back and let your squad members defeat the enemies in the room. They can break the rules and use physical attacks, even if you can’t.
Some panels/tiles in the (15) Cloister of Manifestation move up and down, allowing you to reach other areas. The area starts out as shown in diagram [A], with a path leading to a chest, but when you reach the point indicated by the red star symbol, a path leading to the exit as shown in diagram [B] becomes available. However, the moving panels stop moving once the path leading the exit is available, so the Violet Phantoma in the chest will become unobtainable at that time.
Cloister of Revelation Revisited (Safe Zone—Party 1)
Amphitheater (Party 1)
The exterior wall rotates in a counterclockwise manner, and the wall will eventually come to a stop once the four pillars have been destroyed. You will be able to proceed if the exit is lined up properly. (The exit should be to the south when viewed on the radar [minimap]).
There are candles that will light when three of the four pillars have been destroyed, and the flames will rotate between the four paths. Look at the candles along the paths to figure out where the exit should be lined up. A glyph resides along the southern path of the area, and the exit will line up to the proper spot if you destroy the last pillar when the candles to the sides of the glyph are lit. Be careful, as a Diceratops will sometimes appear if the exit is not lined up properly.
The lit candles signify where the exit will line up to when the last pillar is destroyed. Wait for the candles next to the glyph to be lit.
The pillars will reappear after a set period of time regardless of where the exit stops. The walls will start to rotate once more after the pillars have reappeared.
Chamber of Fate Revisited (Safe Zone–Party 1)
Cloister of Inspiration Revisited (Safe Zone–Party 1)
Cloister of Revelation Revisited (Safe Zone–Party 2)
Amphitheater Revisited (Party 2)
As the active leader is prohibited from attacking with magic, you will need to eliminate your enemies using only normal attacks, Triad Maneuvers, or non-magic ability commands. There are four Thunder Bombs who constantly evade your attacks
and go transparent in this area, but you don’t have to force yourself to fight them as they self-destruct after some time. However, you will receive significant damage if caught in the explosion, so be aware of your enemy’s position using the radar (minimap). A Rursan Reaver is present upon entering this area, and defeating it will cause two more Rursan Reavers to appear. Defeating all the enemies will unlock your path forward.
Chamber of Fate Revisited (Safe Zone—Party 2)
Cloister of Inspiration Revisited (Party 2)
You’ll have to defeat a Behemoth before you can move on to the next area.
Chamber of Life (Safe Zone)
There is a Relic Terminal in the center of the room that you can use to change your party
Cloister of Instruction
There is a Rursan Reaver in the center of this room. After defeating it, it will become a much faster, more powerful version of a Rursan Reaver. You need to defeat this more powerful Rursan Reaver to leave the area.
Portal of Destruction (Safe Zone)
The doors with the symbols of the Four Crystal-States are warp gates, and fierce foes await at the end of every gate. Defeating the enemy that appears at the end of each section will teleport you back to this area. Clearing all four gates will grant access to the Spiral of Rebirth (33). Once a gate has been entered, the flame above it will extinguish and you will no longer be able to go back into that warp gate.
You can use the Relic Terminal in the north end of the room to change your party. When you’re ready, head through the red door on the southwest side of the circle.
Chapel of Destruction (Red)
You’ll come across several cadets wandering the streets. All you need to do is defeat the two Rursan Reavers before all of the cadets have been annihilated. The enemies aren’t particularly powerful around here, so the cadets won’t be defeated easily. That means you can remain relatively calm in your fight. However, if the enemies’ levels are extremely high on successive playthroughs, the cadets will be made short work of. You’ll need to defeat the enemies quickly in such instances. It’s best to dispose of the enemies as quickly as possible, such as by bringing a character with high magic stats and barraging the enemies with powerful magic attacks.
Chapel of Destruction (Red) [2]
Defeat all of the Dominion Legionaries and the Golem in this room to be escorted back to area 25.
Portal of Destruction Revisited
Next, head through the blue door on the southeast side of the circle.
Chapel of Destruction (Blue) [3]
A poisonous gas permeates this area, inflicting your party members with the Poison status. (Removing the status is useless, as it recurs after some time. However, the status is temporarily removed if your HP gets extremely low.) Make sure to equip potions and heal regularly while fighting. If a Rursan Reaver’s attack lands, your character will be inflicted with a Killsight, so be sure to keep your distance until the status is removed in order to avoid being KO’d.
Chapel of Destruction (Blue) [4]
You’ll have to defeat a slew of Dracobaltians to be escorted back to area 25.
Portal of Destruction Revisited
Next, head through the purple door on the northeast side of the circle.
Chapel of Destruction (Purple) [5]
A battle against an Unidentified Target (Gilgamesh) triggers in this area. Cannon fire rains down from the Militesi airships above, and if you get hit, you may be sent flying and knocked down. However, the cannon fire does not inflict much damage, so you shouldn’t have to worry too much.
As a refresher, you need to bait Gilgamesh into attacking you by getting in front of him. The second you see him get ready to attack, dodge out of the way and then prepare to hit his Breaksight. Damaging his Breaksight will make him pause for a bit, which will, in turn, reveal more Breaksight strike opportunities. Take care to avoid hitting him a second time until his Breaksight appears again. If you preemptively attack him after hitting him with a Breaksight strike, his Breaksight will likely not appear during the time he is stunned. Once you’ve defeated him, you’ll be escorted back to area 25.
Head through the final door in area 25 to reach area 31.
Chapel of Destruction (Yellow) [6]
Your goal is to defeat three invisible Rursan Reavers. It’s difficult to gauge when they will attack, so attacking from close range is not advised. It’s best to use characters with ranged attacks like Ace or Trey to keep your distance. If your attack hits during a Breaksight, the Rursan Reavers will sprout wings and then become visible like normal.
Chapel of Destruction (Yellow) [7]
There are two flying MAs in this room. You’ll need to defeat them to be escorted back to the Portal of Destruction. Switch to a ranged character and keep attacking; their Breaksight will appear eventually, and continuously attacking will ensure that you hit it when it does.
Once you’re back in area 25, change your party so that you only have one party member—preferably someone fast—then head through the portal in the center of the circle to move on to area 33.
Spiral of Rebirth
A sea of blood slowly rises in this area. Becoming engulfed by the blood will result in failure. Fortunately, the blood does not rise at a fast rate, so you should be able to easily clear this crucible by evading the attacks of the Cubes while making your way up. Once you reach the top, a message claiming you failed will appear and the battle party will be KO’d, but the party will be revived in area 34 (Sanctuary of Descension). The number of active members in your active party will be counted towards your Casualties count, so you won’t be able to earn an S-Rank unless you prepared by creating a team of one before this point.
Sanctuary of Descension (Safe Zone)
The entire active party will enter “wounded” mode from this point. They will walk agonizingly slow at this point, so use dodge maneuvers to move at a faster pace.
You’ll find Machina and Rem’s l’Cie Crystals in the center of the hall, directly in front of their frozen forms. Approaching the Crystals will result in cutscenes playing.
Sanctuary of Descension [2](Safe Zone)
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Consecrated Ground