Final Fantasy IX Walkthrough

1.6: The Festival of the Hunt

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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

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Enemies: Zaghnol (Hunt), Fang (Hunt), Trick Sparrow (Hunt), Mu (Hunt)

Treasures: Glass Armlet, Ether, Hi-Potion, Echo Screen, Tent, Leather Plate, Silver Gloves, Leather Wrist, Mimic, Steepled Hat, Bronze Vest, Ore, Autograph, Moogle Suit, Mini-Burmecia, Theater Ship,* Coral Ring,* Master Hunter, 163 Gil, 127 Gil, 97 Gil, 282 Gil, 68 Gil, 5000 Gil*

*Note: You can only get one of these treasures as they are rewards for different outcomes of the Hunt.

After Minister Artania cuts through the royal red tape, you will be able to go see Regent Cid. Head into the fountain area, and go up the stairs. From there you can get to a guest bedroom. Open the Glass Armlet and Ether chests, and save at Mogki. Drop off the letter you're carrying and pick up the new one for Atla he's got in his fluffy li'l hand. Double back two rooms to that fountain area and enter the elevator.

When Zidane goes to eat, he will meet an acquaintance from his past. You can dub her whatever you like [Default: Freya] before the scene ends. She drops the hint that the Festival of the Hunt's brought her around town and hopes that Zidane will be there, too… so she can give him a thumping.

Business District

The next day, Zidane wakes up in the business district - time to search the town for items! The actual destination is the theater district, so we will do that one last. Downstairs, look in the SW corner (TV) for 163 Gil to start this search off.

Up the street, at the larger square with the pickle stand, enter the only house adjoining. It's got a Hi-Potion and Echo Screen pair inside, so rob the guy while he watches. Back outside, take the north-facing alley on the house's left. It leads towards a church; near its door and obscured by a tree is a Tent. Enter inside and climb up above the organ to find a sweet Leather Plate.

Back at the pickle-stand square, take the last exit on the other side of the card freak's house - it leads to the main shopkeeper square. There's the regular weapon shop owned by Dragoos, Alice's items and lastly, the synthesis shop. If you inspect a back bench, there's a free sampling - Silver Gloves! Lots of good stuff here. We will come back to this later, though. For now, return to the inn's street and enter the station across from it, taking it to the Industrial District.

Industrial District

As you enter, check the blind spot by the stairway for a Leather Wrist laying around. Go up the nearby stairway to arrive at the pub; keep going to the house beyond. Inside, open the chests for a Mimic and Steepled Hat. On your way back, pick up the Bronze Vest by the Doom Pub anterior, near the right side. Return to the station and go to the theater district, finally.

After stepping into the street, check the verdant fence by the foreground's house for 127 Gil. Inside that house, open a chest for Ore and leave once again. Don't go to the Tantalus hideout right away, though; head towards the memorial theater further down the stairs. Talk to the women waiting for some person and watch the scenes involving Lowell. Follow Lowell incognito back to Michael's house (near station) and talk to him - he will give over the key item Autograph, and be sure to search around for the key item Moogle Suit as well!

Back at the Tantalus hideout, everything's vacant for the most part. After the "What can I do?" ATE, you will be able to raid all the chests around here. Most contain currency - 282 Gil, 68 Gil, 97 Gil - but if you check up by the beds, there's a key item Mini-Burmecia sitting around. Now that you have explored everywhere, take the kids' advice and go visit Dagger. Back to the castle!

Note: There will be an event coming up where you have to fight, and there is one monster in particular with good items to steal. So, I suggest going out onto the Lindblum Plateau and fighting to learn The Ogre's Soul Blade skill and learn the Bandit ability if you haven't already. Soul Blade + Butterfly Sword can inflict Silence 100% of the time if a monster's vulnerable, which is the ultimate goal. Do this before you go to the castle – it will make the distinctly fight easier!

Lindblum Grand Castle

Find Steiner in the guest room to learn that Dagger can't be found. Try to use the elevator and you will only be buffeted back. Zidane thinks that dressing up like a guard will get him admission, so head to the hallway adjoining the guest room and talk to the sleeping guard to eventually get his uniform. Take the lift up and the way will become clear: taking the stairs in the adjacent room. Dagger will be at the castle-top observation deck!

When Zidane goes to the telescope, view the six locations marked by icons. Zidane makes a wager that if he wins the Festival of the Hunt, Dagger and him will go on a date. Incentive to enter: accomplished. Anyway, the entrants will gather at the castle and afterwards, Zidane will have to go to the air cab dock to start…

Alright, here are the basics:

• 12-minute time limit
• Houses/Residences cannot be entered
• Highest point total wins Festival + prize
• Kill monsters for points; no AP/EXP/Drops obtained
• Time limit runs continuously, except when game is paused

The Festival is a celebration of hunting prowess that happens once per year. Monsters are loosed on the entire town while entrants do battle with them to earn points; the one with the highest points ultimately wins! Zidane, Vivi, and Freya will be the 'allies' here, although all battles are fought one-on-one. Only one person can win, and losing a battle (KO) means that person is disqualified.

Person	Wants	Reward
Vivi	Card	Theater Ship card
Freya	Add-on	Coral Ring
Zidane	Gil	5000 Gil

Zidane will start in the Theater District, Freya in the Industrial and Vivi at the Business. Travel between districts is possible, but not to the Grand Castle where the spectators are.

My advice is to let Freya win, since she gets the best item (add-on) that absorbs thunder-elemental damage and lets her learn the Lancer skill. Other rewards can be gotten elsewhere.

…But how does one get these people to win? Well, here's how you want to coax the odds into your favor:

• Freya wins if:
• Festival ends while in the lead
• Zidane is KO'd/Disqualified
• Zidane wins if:
• Zaghnol (Hunt) is defeated
• Vivi wins if:
• Zidane and Freya are KO'd/Disqualified

Note that even if Zidane wins, he will not be able to go on a date with Dagger. Sorry to rain on the parade. In Final Fantasy IX's first applicable piece of life advice, you're better off getting the very useful accessory than shooting for an unattainable date.

Although many monsters are released, they aren't actually that diverse in practice, consisting of only of Fang (Hunt), Trick Sparrow (Hunt), and Mu (Hunt) types - all these can be killed with a successful hit from Zidane's The Ogre weapon (Beast Killer and Bird Killer aren't needed to push it into one-hit KO's). Each critter is valued at three specific values. Here's how they stack up by district:

Business

• Mu (Hunt) x 1
• Fang (Hunt) x 3
• Trick Sparrow (Hunt) x 2
• Total: 90-102pts.

Theater

• Mu (Hunt) x 1
• Fang (Hunt) x 1
• Trick Sparrow (Hunt) x 2
• Total: 40-48pts.

Industrial

• Mu (Hunt)x 3
• Fang (Hunt) x 1
• Trick Sparrow (Hunt) x 0
• Total: 46-54pts.

Of course, these are just estimates based on the min/max potential points to get, but as you can see, even in an estimate, the Business District's got the biggest collection of the best kind to reap points from, with the Theater in last.

Naturally, this tournament wouldn't be a challenge without the inclusion of one big, end-all-be-all beast - Zaghnol, in this case. It only appears in the Business District's shop plaza, starting at 4:30ish on the timer. If you're there when the timer hits that point, you will have to re-enter to find it cornering Bunce and Lucilla. Freya joins Zidane for this 'boss' battle. Remember: if you want the Coral Ring + the stealable items, you will have to steal them from Zaghnol and then let Zidane lose - Freya cannot (by any means) kill Zaghnol as part of the mechanics.



Zaghnol (Hunt) is worth about 80-90 points, which will put Zidane in the lead if you want him to win.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Zidane win without killing Zaghnol (Hunt)?

Yes, although it doesn't often happen. To successfully do it, score enough points so that Zidane is in the lead, and locate Zaghnol (Hunt). The score will not update while the battle is being fought, so let the timer expire to win.

Why won't some of the monsters you listed appear?

Check doorways, backtrack through a screen, wait for one to show up, find one that's not actively searching - there are plenty of reasons why there aren't around you, besides the finite number of 'em.

Why can't Freya kill Zaghnol (Hunt)?

Zidane has to deal the finishing blow to kill it; it's only when he's KO'd can Freya do the honors. Zidane will have a thief sword, hopefully, so steal the equipstuffs, use 'Attack' on himself, and have Freya deal the rest of the damage.

The winner receives the key item Master Hunter and their prize, which is either 5000 Gil, a Theater Ship card, or a Coral Ring.

<< First

< Previous Chapter:    Dali and the Waltz

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: > Back on the World Ma…

Last >>