Final Fantasy Part 3: Journey to Elf Land!

The Grind: Day 1


Based on my memories of the game, I know that once I pass up Elf Land, the difficulty spikes up (as if random battles aren't already hard enough). After getting my magic in Pravoka, I sail to Elf Land, where I learn that I have to deal with random encounters at SEA too!

Arek isn't going to just LET those monsters hop on board! Ships are for landlubbers only. No oddeyes allowed!

Finally. Some REAL pirates. The ones that take more than one hit to kill!

There is one benefit to fighting at sea for a little bit, though. I make a ton of money! Excited about my new bank roll of about 1,300, I journey south to Elf Land, where I visit the shops. So much for a ton of money, so I decide to sleep the night and fight to get a little more money to purchase the powerful spell LIT2 (LIT was so good, it deserved a sequel!) On my way out of town to earn some more money, I stop by the local graveyard to find an amusing reference.

How odd. And right after that Dragon Quest comment earlier. So the two  series ARE related! For the uninitiated, Erdrick (aka Loto) was the legendary hero of the Dragon Quest/Warrior series from I through III.

My first string of random battles does not go well. It's as if one day, one character drops the ball, and then the next day, another one screws up while the first guy picks up the slack! Just yesterday, I was whining at Vic because he was messing up left and right. Suddenly, my black belt Lee sucks to high Hell! He keeps missing the easiest enemies, and next thing I know, he's dead! I thought black belts could hit enemies. That's why they are called black belts, right?

To rub it in, if Lee had survived this battle, I would have been able to afford LIT 2!

Let me tell you something about health care in the world of Final Fantasy. Everybody has a two word insurance policy here: DON'T DIE! Unlike later entries in the series, there is no Phoenix Down, and people can't return from the dead by getting a good night's sleep. Heck, you don't even get LIFE until you hit a higher magic level! The only way you can bring your fallen friends back to life is to visit a building with a heart on it.

Aw yeah! Love Shack!

OH! A clinic? That was false advertising! Word on the street is that in the Japanese version, it's a church. You can thank Nintendo of America for making Square change that.

And WHEN you finally decide to bring your downed companion back to life, it costs a hefty amount of money per character level. By the way, make sure you visit the inn on your way out. Although the "doctor" brings your warrior back to life, he does not heal him. I have already made the mistake of bringing my revived partner outside to fight with only 1 HP!

The Change


As I continue to grind, I lose my patience with Lee. I begin to wonder why he keeps missing all the time. Was his black belt a false claim? Then I remembered from an old walkthrough I had read that black belts eventually fight with just their fists. Wondering if this is true, I unequip Lee's wooden nunchucks to find that he hits harder with his fists than with a weapon! Apparently 8 is the magical level where his fists become more powerful than wood...on paper, anyway. I step outside again to test this.

Oh Lee! You can actually hit enemies and hurt them? Why didn't you tell me you just sucked with nunchucks? Now I know why future black belts only use claws! 

 Success! Lee consistently hits enemies, and he even occasionally hits more than once per attack. Not to mention that fighter Arek is slicing up enemies left and right with a shiny new silver sword occasionally at two hits per attack. Jule is still bashing up enemies with his (OK, man or woman? Until further notice, man!) wooden hammer, and Vic is striking down enemies with his amazing LIT2 spell. I even gave my characters real armor and bracelets (wait, how do bracelets grant defense?)! Once I get CUR2 and a whole bunch of potions, antidotes, and cabins, I'll be ready to journey onward (the remaining spells will have to wait; they are way too expensive to grind for without getting any progress!). Things are looking up for the gang.

I now leave you with a cameo: Team Arek versus Team Ogre and the Jolly Green Giant! Taste the wrath of my silver sword!

Coming next time! The Sleeping Prince and the Confusing Fetch Quest!

Thanks for reading, and leave your comments below!