¤ What Are They

When you are aboard the Celcius (airship) and you are on the main deck area, you can head to the front where Brother and Buddy sit. Initiate a conversation with Buddy. He might start talking to you, but once he stops, you will be taken to the location selection screen (picture of the world map, and a list of all of the locations you are able to access at the time).

When you highlight that location from the huge list on the left hand side of the screen, you will notice some changes occur on your screen. Below is a detailed description of what changes you will see, the meaning and description behind it, and some basic information you should know regarding these changes.

Fiend Difficulty

On the lower corner of your television screen, you will notice a little guage come up when highlighting a location. It will have a five star ranking system, with the word "EASY" on the left of the stars, and the word "HARD" on the right. So, the basic look of this guage will look somewhat like this, but just a bit more fancy...

|EASY| *****/***** |HARD|
The number of stars filled up will determine how hard the fiends and monsters are in that location. Also, the number of stars in the guage that determine these fiend difficulties, will vary depending upon your characters' levels, the dresspheres equipped and the abilities you have learned. Here is some basic information about each fiend difficulty, and what you should know.

• */*****: One out of five stars means that the fiends are very easy, and you should have no trouble what so ever defeating these enemies. Also, the amount of EXP, Gil and AP you get for the battles will be low.
• **/*****: Two out of five stars means that the fiends are a bit tougher, but still should hold no challenge. The amount of gil, AP and EXP for these battles will also be low, but higher than level one battles.
• ***/*****: Three out of five stars means that the battles you will encounter here are about just right for your characters' status. There may not be a challenge, but they will provide an average amount of gil, AP and EXP.
• ****/*****: Four out of five stars means that fiends in that area are above your levels, and more than likely will oppose a challenge. It would be smart to take lots of potions, or just run around getting into random battles near a save point in these locations.
• *****/*****: Five out of five stars means that the fiends are way ahead of your characters' capabilities. This is the biggest threat of each stage, and the most deadliest. It is highly advised you know some basic White Magic (cure, life, etc.) or take lots of items when fighting in these stages. Above average EXP, gil and AP is given in these battles.

Location Image

On the big picture of the world map, when you highlight a destination, this image will zoom in on the image of the selected location. This will let you have a look at what kind of places surround it, and what kind of obstacles could be included in that specific area.

Missions

When you press 'X' on a selected location, a new window will come up asking you if you are sure if you want to go there. However, sometimes the window will give a description of what's going on in that location, and will have a "Mission" option. If you choose this option, you will be taken to your desired location, and a mission will initiate.

General Notes

-- Whenever you select a hotspot, a part of the story will continue. Depending upon which hotspots you choose to go to first on the world map selection screen will determine how the game advances, and how much percentage completion you will gain. It is wise to go to every other location that isn't a hotspot first, making sure there is nothing left for you to do in the chapter.