So I am nearing completion of my first ever playthrough of Final Fantasy II (Anniversary Edition) on the Playstation Vita, and during my time with the game I noticed that there seem to be a few elements up in the air with regards to the Arcane Labyrinth.
The Arcane Labyrinth is a collection of three dungeons (and three bosses) and one super boss that can be accessed relatively early on in the game. The dungeons are traversed by the usage of 'key terms', a prominent mechanic in FF2. Each key term you use takes you to a new level, with a certain puzzle or challenge being required for completion in each case.
The North-West Labyrinth has four floors and one boss level, North-East has seven floors and one boss level, and South has ten floors and one boss level. Completion of all three dungeons is required to access the superboss Phrekyos.
Yes yes, but what is the point of all this? Ultimate weapons of course! The Labyrinth allows you to gain access to an ultimate weapon for each character in your party, including the temporary ones. This means it is in your interest to dive in as early as possible, just bear in mind the character you want the weapon for must be in your party at the time for you to equip it - otherwise it's a wasted trip.
Taking on a tricky dungeon very early on can be daunting, especially when bonus areas like this are often left until post-game completion. So here is what I did to tackle this challenge:
Guides
There are some great guides out there which were instrumental in helping me get through the dungeons in a timely manner, two that I found most helpful were:
http://www.supercheats.com/psp/walkthroughs/finalfantasyiianniversaryedition-walkthrough02.txt
A walkthrough for each level in the labyrinth, labelled by the associated key term. Pay attention to which new key terms can be gained by a level, if any; and
http://www.gamefaqs.com/psp/937910-final-fantasy-ii-anniversary-edition/faqs/49816
A guide to which key terms are best used for each character. To actually receive the relevant weapon, you must ensure that the choices of key term made in the dungeons are 'compatible' with your character of choice, and these are all detailed in the link.
Process
I found the best way of dealing with these was simply one level at a time. This is particularly useful when you are tackling a new collection of key terms, as you can complete one dungeon, gain a new key word, leave the dungeon, save your progress (and exp), and then re enter the Labyrinth to complete the next stage, and so on. This is particularly useful as you cannot save from within the Labyrinth, so if your party dies then your progress will be lost.
This is also useful for learning the layouts of the stages and assessing a quick exit for each level - once you complete the required task of a particular key term, you do not have to do so again. For example, every time you select the 'Wild Rose' key term, it is only your first time through that you must defeat all enemy soldiers. Every subsequent time you can simply bolt for the exit to speed things up.
When to Tackle?
I found the following times best to take on the Arcane Labyrinth, depending on the weapon you hope to acquire:
Minwu - after the Dreadnought launches, before returning to Altair take the time to unlock all key words to this stage, and then unlock Minwu's weapon.
Josef - after receiving the snowcraft. Make it a priority to get his ultimate weapon - the stat increases from recently obtaining Minwu's weapon should set your party at an advantage.
Gordon - do not attempt this until the second time Gordon joins your party. When you are tasked with heading to the Coliseum, take a detour to the Arcane Labyrinths first.
Leila - this was the only ultimate weapon that I considered expendable and so did not bother. However, if you are inclined to gain Leila's weapon then do so after visiting the Cave of Mysidia.
Ricard - best tackled after your first battle with the Emperor, and prior to entering Palamecia Castle to deal with the Dark Knight.
Leon, Maria, Guy, Firion - before entering the Jade Passage. At this point you should be able to wrap up any new key term levels and gain significant stat boosts to assist in traversing the Jade Passage and onwards.
The final set will be the biggest traul, and with the now stronger bosses to fight can be quite difficult. However, if you have taken the time to level up by attempting the Labyrinths earlier in the game, as suggested above, then you should not find yourself at a disadvantage.
Bosses
The boss monsters change as the game progresses and should never be 'too tough' - a Big Horn was the first boss I fought, whilst by the end of the game you are set against the likes of a Black Dragon.
Final Notes
And remember, you must complete all three Labyrinths and defeat Phrekyos for each individual weapon for each respective character. This can be grueling, but it is the most fun way to give a bit of purpose to level grinding!!
As a final note, Phrekyos' lair (Arcane Sanctuary) can be found above Poft, in between the NW and NE Arcane Labyrinths. There is a small range of mountains which have a tiny white dot marking the entrance. And be prepared, Phrekyos is a very tough battle indeed no matter which point of the game you are at!
Hope the info above helps, any questions or comments please sound off below.
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