Final Fantasy IX Walkthrough

3.8: Desert Palace

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1.1: The Prima Vista Visits Alexandria 1.2: Dramatic Play in Alexandria 1.3: The Evil Forest 1.4: Through the Ice Cavern 1.5: Dali and the Waltz 1.6: The Festival of the Hunt 1.7: Back on the World Map 1.8: Gizamaluke's Grotto 1.9: At the Bohden Arch 1.10: Burmecia, Realm of Eternal Rain 2.1: The South Gate 2.2: Treno, City of Eternal Night 2.3: Gargan Roo 2.4: Cleyra Trunk 2.5: Cleyra Settlement 2.6: Alexandria Castle Revisited 2.7: Pinnacle Rocks 2.8: Lindblum Revisited 2.9: Fossil Roo 2.10: Conde Petie 2.11: Black Mage Village 2.12: Conde Petie Mountain Path 2.13: Madain Sari, Village of the Lost Summoners 2.14: Iifa Tree 2.15: Back to Madain Sari 2.16: Back to the Iifa Tree 3.1: Alexandria Revisited 3.2: Treno Revisited 3.3: Defending Alexandria 3.4: A Salve for Cid 3.5: The Open Seas 3.6: Back in the Saddle Again 3.7: Oeilvert 3.8: Desert Palace 3.9: Mt. Gulug 3.10: Third Lindblum's A Charm 3.11: Daguerreo 3.12: Ipsen's Castle 3.13: The Four Shrines and Some Out-of-This-World Advice 3.14: Terra 3.15: Pandemonium 4.1: Assorted Sidequesting 4.2: Memoria 4.3: The Crystal World

Next Chapter: > Mt. Gulug

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Enemies: Grimlock (red Face),
Grimlock (blue Face), Drakan, Torama,
Ogre

Treasures: Promist Ring, Fairy Earrings, Anklet, Shield Armor, N-Kai Armlet, Black Hood, Venetia Shield, Namingway

Subsequent to Kuja's proclamation about inflicting slow death, move the regent down to the fork and take a right. A mini-game will start here. The objective is to get Cid to creep close to the Hedgehog Pie's cage in a version of "red light, green light:" creep close when his back is turned and stop when it's looking Cid's way. There's not much strategy here, though the timing can get a little frustrating. There's a 360-second time limit to fetch the key, but once you do, that's only half the puzzle. Cid will have to put some chess pieces on a balance so he can approach the hourglass. Examine the scales to learn their types, then put on the right selection of weights from the menu given.

Everyone left behind (for me: Steiner, Eiko, Quina, Amarant) will emerge from their cells and join up. In the room where Cid did his thing, there's a shop run by Mojito where you can also get a letter from Mojito to Mogsam. What follows is especially annoying, and hard to explain even with maps. I will try to do both, though, so that you get all bloodstones (useful in more ways than one) and have a good chance at the end boss. Travel the hallway at the cellroom fork to enter the dungeon proper, and then tick through this list:

1. Activate the first candle to illuminate a purple statue across the way. Obtain the Promist Ring and head up to the next screen.
2. There are three statues here. Run to the left and a staircase will appear from nowhere. Climb this new staircase to the exit.
3. Travel to this small balcony and light the second candle. Return to the room with three statues and get the Fairy Earrings by the right-side gargoyle before exiting up the normal staircase.
4. This room is divided by two "walls" made of statues. Light all three statues on the western side and travel to the eastern one via the balcony. Here, light only the southwesternmost of the three statues to make some statues disappear back on the other side. There's a bloodstone here but it isn't active, so light the two candles beside it to remove the second wall. Ignite the two other candles on the eastern side to close the balcony passage while simultaneously unblocking the last candle. This will activate the bloodstone, which can be inspected for an Anklet. With all candles ablaze, exit to the right.
5. Although this looks like a simple passage, there's another candle to be lit. Take the bloodstone - a Shield Armor - before going upstairs.
6. Right by the entrance, and easily missable, is the fifth candle. Don't miss it!
7. This is the "bookcase room" and has a few passages behind the library books. Light the candle on the western side to make a staircase appear to the east. Up at the top shelf, light the nearby candle to raise the shelf and go behind it.
8. Pull an N-Kai Armlet off the pedestal and return to the library.
9. With the first level cleared, go to the middle shelf and light the candle; this reveals the next exit.
10. In this room, light the two candles and then return again to the library.
11. Light the lowest candle to make the lowest door open. Through that door, light the single candle and return once more to the library.
12. Back in the library room, the western wall is now transparent. Talk to Mogsam and deliver his letter. Also worth saving the game while you're with him, before again going west.
13. Here, light both candles by the gargoyle and get a Black Hood from the bloodstone pedestal. Extinguish the left-hand candle and exit onto the balcony nearby, going into the similar-looking room.
14. Light both candles here in this new room, and then the one in front of the portrait to make a Venetia Shield appear. Extinguish the left-hand candle, making a translucent staircase appear. Go back and save again if you like, as there's danger coming.


15. Take the new staircase up to the last candle and attempt to light it.

The reason you collected the bloodstones is made evident - the boss will use their power to raise its defenses! It can:

• Disable all elemental damage from attacks
• Enhance its Magic Power stat
• Enhance its Defense stat
• Enhance its Evasion stat
• Enhance its Magic Defense stat
• Enhance its Magic Evasion stat

If you've found all the bloodstones, the fight is way easier. Since valia pira only uses magic, cast Carbuncle to sling its own attacks right back its way; or, if Eiko is not in the party, single-serve Reflect / Auto-Reflect works. Magic Vice can deplete its stock pretty easily, too. Bad Breath can inflict Darkness/Slow if you want. Armor Break works as well, if Steiner's along. Regular attacks should bring this 'defense mechanism' down pretty easily.

When the boss is dead, light the last candle and take the warp out. The view will change over to Zidane's crew, just now docking back in. Walk back to the hangar's warp point. After Kuja beckons, enter the nearby room. Before you leave, get the Namingway on the table. Return to the hangar to see that Kuja's flown the coop. Worry not, there is still a way out! Hug the cavern wall near the hangar docking site to find the exit. Lower the ladder down to the cliffs, and run onto the world map.

Optional: Friendly Creatures Sidequest
Near the chocobo tracks (Mitmakis Ice Field), a friendly monster called a Feather Circle (Friendly) will appear. Give it a Moonstone and it will give 30 AP + a Lapis Lazuli item. More

The Blue Narciss automatically tails the airship to the Lost Continent. Form your party and set out to the "weird-looking structure" Blank pointed out (which, if you've already been there, you will know to be Esto Gaza).

Visit the upgraded shop, which carries the best equipment you can currently buy, and head outside where Mogrika is. Get her letter to Moolan, save, buy some Vaccines if you don't have any, especially as these will come in handy for a boss fight in the not-so-distant-future. Now enter the mountain area where an open door stands, but, before you go, note that this is the only area in the game where you can buy an Octagon Rod, the staff that teaches Vivi his third-level elemental magic. Buy one now while you've got it stuck in your mind! You may end up regretting your hesitancy later!

<< First

< Previous Chapter:    Oeilvert

1.1: The Prima Vista Visits Alexandria 1.2: Dramatic Play in Alexandria 1.3: The Evil Forest 1.4: Through the Ice Cavern 1.5: Dali and the Waltz 1.6: The Festival of the Hunt 1.7: Back on the World Map 1.8: Gizamaluke's Grotto 1.9: At the Bohden Arch 1.10: Burmecia, Realm of Eternal Rain 2.1: The South Gate 2.2: Treno, City of Eternal Night 2.3: Gargan Roo 2.4: Cleyra Trunk 2.5: Cleyra Settlement 2.6: Alexandria Castle Revisited 2.7: Pinnacle Rocks 2.8: Lindblum Revisited 2.9: Fossil Roo 2.10: Conde Petie 2.11: Black Mage Village 2.12: Conde Petie Mountain Path 2.13: Madain Sari, Village of the Lost Summoners 2.14: Iifa Tree 2.15: Back to Madain Sari 2.16: Back to the Iifa Tree 3.1: Alexandria Revisited 3.2: Treno Revisited 3.3: Defending Alexandria 3.4: A Salve for Cid 3.5: The Open Seas 3.6: Back in the Saddle Again 3.7: Oeilvert 3.8: Desert Palace 3.9: Mt. Gulug 3.10: Third Lindblum's A Charm 3.11: Daguerreo 3.12: Ipsen's Castle 3.13: The Four Shrines and Some Out-of-This-World Advice 3.14: Terra 3.15: Pandemonium 4.1: Assorted Sidequesting 4.2: Memoria 4.3: The Crystal World

Next Chapter: > Mt. Gulug

Last >>