Welcome back to the blog. When we left off we had been to the Moogle Forest and are now at Galuf's castle of Val. There are a few things of note here. First off, is the Regal Cutlass sword. This will be your best sword for quite a long time and you cannot buy it yet. To find it, in the courtyard of the castle, there is a canal area in the bottom-left corner of the map. This will take you to the moat outside. Work yourself around the castle to the top-right of the area and examine the water around to find the "Great Sword", which is in fact a Regal Cutlass. For another hidden item, go down the stairs that takes you to the chests behind the item shop. You'll notice on the other side of the wall with the merchants, there is a switch. Activate it from your side and then talk to the merchants and they will give you a Lamia's Harp to get you to go away. This will be the best harp in the game until you can acquire the Apollo's Harp later. For the final, and important item here, go to the throne room and equip the Thief's Secret ability. You will see a secret wall where you will find the important Telepo spell. Don't leave without it. Defeat the Abductor enemy upon your exit and your next destination if Kelb Village to the north.
Before going to Kelb; just a few notes. First, there is a cave to the east that will lead you back to X-Death's Castle and the Big Bridge if you need to for some reason. There is also and incredibly hard optional boss in the cave there, which we will cover later on. The other note is to change a party member into a Trainer and have them capture the Kornago enemy (But don't release it), then make your way to Kelb. In Kelb, talk to the old wizard in the well and trade the Kornago for his extremely rare Kornago Gourd accessory. Talk to Kelba here and then exit north towards the Valley of Dragons.
There is something EXTREMELY important at the Valley of the Dragons and you only get one shot. The dungeon itself isn't too important until you reach the bridge area. After this, you will have a chance to encounter a battle with the summon Golem and some enemies. If you defeat the enemies without Golem dying or damaging him yourself, he will become a summon for your party and is easily one of the best in the game. This isn't too tough...but make sure nobody is a Berzerker and you only use single-target attacks. Enter your commands one at a time to avoid the enemy potentially dying and your attack being redirected at Golem. When the enemies are defeated, just wait and Golem will speak to you and join up.
Another very important item here: the Gale Bow. You'll find one later in the game in a chest, but other than that, stealing from the Poison Eagle enemy here is the only way to get one. The Gale Bow has innate !Sshot (4x Attack) that occurs at a 25% chance rate. This will be the best weapons you will have at your disposal for a while. Of other note in the Valley of Dragons, there is a hidden Bonemail inside a dragon skull on the outside paths. Check them, and you will easily find it. Don't be fooled by its defense though, it actually makes the wearer undead (Not zombie) which means they will take damage from healing items and spells (Except White Wind). If you didn't get the Magic Hammer blue magic at the Biblos boss, the Drippy enemy here has it to learn. The Dragon Grass boss here is easy, put Golem to work and you will have little problems. Take the Dragon Grass back to Krile at Val Castle and you will gain control of the flying dragon; much like the one from the previous world. To find Gill's Shrine, head to the north-east of the Valley of the Dragons and you will see a small island with a marker in the middle of a forest. Trigger the scenes here and you will be in control of the dragon again. Your destination is Zeza's fleet, but first fly westward and you will see a castle near marshes you haven't been to yet. Good things for sale here and a minor puzzle. The Song of Speed is a book on the desk in Zeza's room, so make sure to pick it up. In the library you have a puzzle. If you examine the bookcases they will be alphabetical. The idea is to pick up the books on the tables and put them on the shelves that correspond to their beginning letter; then speak with the old woman who will open a door for you. This will lead you to other rooms with chests. Done at Surgate, you'll find Zeza's fleet in the ocean near X-Death's castle; simply land your dragon on the large boat.
Gilgamesh is back, and he will bring in his friend, Enkidoh. Priority of this battle is stealing his extremely rare Genji Glove accessory.
This is your ONLY chance to get this item, so it must be stolen from him now. As for the battle itself, target Enkidoh first to keep him from using White Wind. Gilgamesh himself is much tougher than he was previously, but shouldn't be anything you can't handle if you are properly equipped. After the battle, you will head towards the Shield Generator dungeon with Zeza, which will we cover next time. As always, thank you for reading and hopefully will have the next chapter up sooner than I did this one.
