Final Preparations (And End Game Side Quests)
Step-by-Step Guide for the End Game Content
You have now reached the final chapters of the game. Once Tidus and the team defeat Yunalesca at the Zanarkand Ruins, and complete the small side story at the Highbridge of Bevelle, you will have officially reached the last chapter of the game.
At this point you can choose to work your way to the end of the story or you can complete the end-game and side quest content for Final Fantasy X. All of the side quest content that you can do now are included in the links below for this section.
You do not need to do any of the side quests or end-game content in order to beat the game and complete the story. All you need to do to keep the story moving is select "Sin" on the NavMap of the Fahrenheit and navigate forward to the next page of this strategy guide (Page 31: Sin).
Its also worth noting that completing all of the side quests will power up your characters and make the final boss encounters much, much easier. So much so that you will be able to defeat the final boss in just a few hits.
You may want to consider completing the story of the game while it is still challenging just to make it a little more interesting. Just make sure to save your game so you can come back and do the side quests!
It should also be noted that the side quests in Final Fantasy X can be completed in any order. You don’t have to complete them in the order listed below, but if you follow this guide, this list will ensure that you don’t miss anything and that you complete them in the most efficient manner possible.
The most difficult battles in the game involve those in the Monster Arena and the optional Dark Aeon battles so those two areas will come last. Note though that the Dark Aeons were an addition to the international and later versions of the game. You won’t be able to challenge them on the original PlayStation 2 version of the game. Speaking of which…
Watch Out for Dark Aeons!
Warning
There are a number of Dark Aeons that have now appeared in various areas of Spira. These are challenging enemies that you can and will be defeating later on in the game, but they are extremely powerful, and will easily defeat your team if you accidentally run in to them right now without preparing for them in advance. Here are the areas to avoid for now:
1) Dark Valefor in Besaid Village:
Attempting to enter the village will automatically initiate the fight. You cannot return to Besaid Village at this stage of the game or travel through it to obtain the Jecht Sphere near the temple if you missed picking it up. Many players accidentally engage this battle and will find themselves staring at the “Game Over” screen shortly afterwards.
2) Dark Ifrit in the Bikanel Desert:
Traveling to where the Al Bhed home world of Home used to be located is where you will find Dark Ifrit. Home has been destroyed through so its easy to avoid accidentally encountering Dark Ifrit.
3) Dark Ixion in the Thunder Plains:
You have to speak to a summoner in the Thunder Plains in order to initiate this battle so there is no risk of accidentally being ambushed by Ixion.
4) Dark Shiva at the Macalania Temple:
She guards the entrance to Macalania Temple but there is no reason to return there unless you did not complete the Destruction Sphere portion of that Cloister.
5) Dark Bahamut in the Zanarkand Ruins:
Dark Bahamut will appear where you fought Yunalesca. This will make it impossible to return to the Dome area to obtain the Sun Crest if you left without picking it up.
Additional Dark Aeons will appear after you have obtained the three optional Aeons. Information about where these Aeons “dark version equivalents” appear will be found in each of the guide sections as you obtain each new Aeon.
So now that we’ve gotten the warnings out of the way, let’s get started on some side quests…
Returning to the Zanarkand Cloister of Trials
The first thing that you can do is return to the Zanarkand Cloister of Trials to complete the Destruction Sphere portion of that dungeon. Use the NavMap on the Airship to travel back down to the Zanarkand Ruins and then use the warp pad to travel back to the Cloister.
Check out the Zanarkand Cloister of Trial walkthrough page for more details and scroll down to the Destruction Sphere section:
Zanarkand Cloister of Trials
Cloister Walkthrough Guide
Completing the Cloister of Trials in the Zanarkand Ruins. The reward for completing the Destruction Sphere portion of this Cloister is a Magistral Rod for Yuna.
Monster Arena Initiation
As you travel through Spira completing the remaining side quests, you should also be using these opportunities to capture all of the fiends that you need for the Monster Arena in the Calm Lands.
Capturing 10 of each fiend throughout Spira will unlock new monsters that you can challenge and defeat for rewards. You will also receive rewards when you obtain all of the fiends in a particular area as well as when you obtain all of the monsters of one type (e.g. all wolves, all bats). Check out the link below to see each of the rewards that are available:
Rewards
Monster Arena
A list of the rewards that you can obtain by capturing fiends across Spira.
Travel to the Monster Arena in the Calm Lands and purchase the taming weapons (which have the Capture Ability) so that you can capture enemies as you encounter them throughout your travels. Check out the Monster Arena section for more information:
Complete the first quest that the Monster Arena owner offers you which is to track down all of the Calm Lands and return them to him. You will need to return back to the Monster Arena quite a number of times in order to turn in fiends that you’ve captured and pick up your rewards.
You can use the Monster Arena section for a full list of the fiends that you can obtain in each area and find tips on where to find each fiend.
The rewards that you receive when you turn in all of the fiends from the Calm Lands is 60 Farplane Wind. You can use these to customize a weapon and add the Deathstrike ability but you should save them in order to add the Deathproof Ability to your armor later on.
No Encounters Items
One of the first things that you should do is obtain a weapon or some armor that has the No Encounters ability equipped to it. This is not a required step, but having the option to disable random world encounters against enemies can be extremely helpful for traveling around Spira more speedily and efficiently.
If you plan on completing all of the side quests though you can skip this step for now. You need to be capturing fiends anyway, not skipping battles, in order to fully complete and unlock all of the sections of the Monster Arena. Additionally, the rewards for completing the Monster Arena will give you the raw materials needed to add No Encounters on your armor anyway.
There are two methods that you can use to obtain a weapon or a piece of armor that has the No Encounters ability though if you want to have it early. Check out the No Encounters page in the Tips and Tricks section if you would like more information. Remember though, you can skip this step for now if you plan on completing all of the side quests and end game content:
No Encounter Armor Auto-Ability
Tips and Tricks
Adding the No Encounter auto-ability using the Customization option in the menu screen.
Celestial Mirror (Remiem Temple)
This side quest involves obtaining each character’s Celestial Weapon. You can do this now if you want, but because you need to capture monsters for the Monster Arena, which requires the use of weapons with the Capture ability, you won’t be able to use the Celestial Weapons right now anyways. It actually makes sense to wait and obtain each of the weapons as you go through the various zones listed below to capture monsters.
That being said, you should still complete the first step of the Celestial Weapons side quest and obtain the Celestial Mirror. This will allow you to create each of the Celestial Weapons as you obtain the correct Crests and Sigils. Refer to the Celestial Mirror section for more details:
Celestial Mirror
Celestial Weapons
Obtaining the Celestial Mirror which is the first step to obtaining the Celestial Weapons.
Secret Airship Passwords and Coordinates
While accessing the NavMap aboard the Airship there is an option to select “Input” and use the “Search” option to reach a number of secret areas around Spira. Check out the Airship Passwords and Hidden Coordinates section to visit each area and collect the items.
Skip the Baaj Temple and Omega Ruins sections of this side quest page for now.
Airship Passwords & Hidden Coordinates
Side Quests
A list of the Al Bhed passwords and search coordinates for exploring Spira from the airship destination list.
Start Collecting
The next thing to do is to begin collecting fiends from around Spira. You may have already initiated this side quest if you chose to obtain weapons/armor with the No Encounters Ability in the section listed above.
Travel to the Calm Lands and speak to the owner of the Monster Arena if you have not already done so (and as previously mentioned in the guide above). He will sell you taming weapons which have the Capture Ability which you can use to capture fiends in each of the areas around Spira. Before that though you will need to collect 10 of each fiend in the Calm Lands.
Some of the fiends in the Calm Lands can only be found in specific areas of the zone. Use the Monster Arena section, specifically the fiend listing pages, for more information on where to find each fiend. Once you can begin collecting fiends, move on to the next section.
Monster List: Calm Lands
Monster Arena
Where to track down and Capture each of the fiends in the Calm Lands.
Improving Your Capture Weapons
Each of the taming weapons (Taming Sword, Herding Staff, Catcher, Trapper Mog, Taming Spear, Beastmaster and Iron Grip) come with one empty slot that you can use to customize the weapon. There is no reason to purchase or customize the weapons for your magic users (Yuna and Lulu) but consider purchasing each of the other weapons and customizing them.
The best customizations to add to Capture Weapons is either the Deathstrike or the Stonestrike abilities. You can use Petrify Grenade to add the Stonestrike ability and use Farplane Wind to add Deathstrike ability but you should consider holding on to your Farplane Wind items for now. You will need a hefty amount of them to add to your armor later on for some of the superboss battles.
You may not have these items right now and you certainly don’t need these abilities for capturing to be successful, but keep an eye out for these items as you travel around capturing enemies.
Crafting Strong Armor
You can’t craft the absolute strongest armor yet, but as you progress through Spira completing these side quests, you're going to be given the raw materials that will allow you to begin crafting it.
Familiarize yourself with the raw materials needed and the Auto-Abilities you should be targeting so that you can craft the best armor as soon as it becomes available without wasting any raw materials:
Best Armor
Tips and Tricks
Details on how to craft the strongest armor in the game including a full list of the strongest auto-abilities.
Collecting Fiends
It’s now time to start collecting fiends. Start by traveling to Besaid Island and be careful not to re-enter Besaid Village as you will end up being thrown in to battle against Dark Valefor. Remember to use the Monster Arena section for a full list of the fiends that you need to obtain and where to find them (or use the links below).
- Besaid (3 fiends)
Pick up the Moon Crest in the alcove of Besaid Beach if you missed it. - Kilika (4 fiends)
You can re-enter the Kilika Cloister of Trials if you did not complete the Destruction Sphere portion. - Luca (no fiends)
Pick up the Jupiter Crest in the locker room of the Stadium if you missed it. - Mi’ihen Highroad (8 fiends)
Pick up the Mars Crest along the oldroad if you missed it. - Mushroom Rock Road (7 fiends)
- Djose Highroad and Moonflow (7 fiends)
You can re-enter the Djose Cloister of Trials if you did not complete the Destruction Sphere portion. You can also pick up Auron’s Masamune while you’re in the area. - Thunder Plains (8 fiends)
Obtain the Spirit Lance for Kimahri. - Macalania (10 fiends)
You can complete the Butterfly Catcher side quest to obtain the Saturn Sigil while you are in the area. - Bikanel (6 fiends)
Complete the Village of the Cactuars side quest while you are here. - Mt. Gagazet and Mt. Gagazet Caves (12 fiends)
Pick up the Saturn Crest if you missed it.
Monster Arena Hunting Interlude (No Encounters)
There are a few more areas that you need to visit in order to open all of the Monster Arena sections and rewards, but at this point you should consider heading back and collecting some of the rewards.
You have now captured at least 4 of each flying-type bug fiend which means that one of the rewards that you will receive will allow you to Customize your armor and add the No Encounters ability. Specifically, you can use the 99x Purifying Salt reward. Check out the No Encounters page in the Tips and Tricks section for more information:
Baaj Temple
The next area to visit is Baaj Temple. You will need to defeat Geosgaeno, the gigantic aquatic fiend that tried to eat Tidus early in the game, and you may want to reattempt this battle until you obtain a No Encounters weapon. Refer to the link in the subsection above.
Just outside Baaj Temple you can pick up Onion Knight, Lulu’s Celestial Weapon, and obtain the first optional Aeon that you’re already familiar with: Anima. Check out the Baaj Temple and Anima sections below for more information:
Optional Aeon: Anima
Side Quests
The physical manifestation of the fayth of Seymour’s mother.
Cavern of the Stolen Fayth
This is an area that you have already passed by earlier in the game during your travels through the Calm Lands. Consider selling some of your extra equipment and items as you will need quite a bit of gil for this nice side quest. It’s difficult to say exactly how much exactly but it could cost you up to 250,000 gil.
Obtain the optional Aeon Yojimbo in this area. Use the two pages below for additional information on how to do this:
Cavern of the Stolen Fayth
Side Quests
Navigating to the back of the cavern to enlist the services of Yojimbo.
Optional Aeon: Yojimbo
Side Quests
The second optional Aeon who will join your team for the right price.
Return to the Monster Arena
Obtaining all of the fiends in the Mt. Gagazet area is a requirement to obtain a reward at the Monster Arena. The reward is a Blossom Crown which is required for the side quest listed below (to obtain the Magus Sisters Aeon).
You may have already obtained this item when creating a No Encounters customization for your armor. The Blossom Crown will appear at the bottom of your Key Items inventory so check there if you are not sure if you have already obtained it or not.
Visiting Remiem Temple Again
You have already completed the Celestial Mirror side quest at Remiem Temple but there are a few other quests to take care of at this location.
The first thing to do is challenge Belgemine to a battle inside the temple and defeat her Aeons. This will allow you to obtain the Flower Scepter item which, when combined with the Blossom Crown, will allow you to break the seal on the Chamber of the Fayth at the back of Remiem Temple. Check out the Remiem Temple section for more information:
Remiem Temple
Side Quests
The site of the Chocobo races and the final battles against Belgemine.
Optional Aeon: The Magus Sisters
Side Quests
Exploring the Chamber of Fayth at the back of the temple to obtain the third and final optional Aeons.
Completing the Celestial Weapons
You will have obtained a few Celestial Weapons already throughout your journey, but its now time to obtain all of the Celestial Weapons for all of your characters. Go back and obtain any of the ones that you are missing.
Note that obtaining Wakka’s Celestial Weapon involves winning quite a few Blitzball games and tournaments. Check out the Blitzball section of this strategy guide for tips and tricks on how to win Blitzball tournaments.
Celestial Weapons
Obtaining the Celestial Mirror which is the first step to obtaining the Celestial Weapons.
Blitzball
Playing the optional side-game for Final Fantasy X to obtain Wakka’s Overdrives and his Celestial Weapon.
Overdrives
You can obtain Wakka’s strongest Overdrive through the completion of Blitzball tournaments, but what about the Overdrives for other characters? Check out the Overdrive section for more information on how to obtain additional overdrives for each of your characters. Note that this section is entirely optional:
Overdrives
A full list of the Overdrives in Final Fantasy X with information on how to obtain each of them.
Visiting the Omega Ruins
The Omega Ruins are one of the hidden areas that you can reach on the NavMap by inputting hidden coordinates (listed above). Start off by ensuring that at least one of your characters has the First Strike Ability on their weapons before you enter. Check out the tips and tricks page below for help on how to do this:
First Strike Weapon Auto-Ability
Tips and Tricks
Customizing one of your weapons with the First Strike auto ability to ensure that your characters get the first attack in battle.
Next head to the Omega Ruins section to complete the remaining side quests in this area:
Omega Ruins
Side Quests
Exploring the Omega Ruins to defeat Ultima Weapon and Omega Weapon.
Finish the fiend hunting for the Monster Arena while you’re here:
- Omega Dungeon (10 fiends)
Note that a number of the fiends for “Inside Sin” can be found in this area.
Back to Monster Arena Fiend Hunting
The last place to visit to capture fiends are the final dungeon areas of the game including “Inside Sin” and the “City of the Damned”. Be sure not to go past the point of no return which is shown in the screenshot below:
- Inside Sin (9 fiends)
Make sure not to go past the point of no return. - Cavern of the Stolen Fayth (9 fiends)
Trophies and Mini Side Quests
There are a few smaller “mini” side quests that you can complete before moving on to the more difficult side quests in the game. Start by purchase all of the movie spheres in Luca. This can be fairly expensive so use the “earning gil” tips and tricks page if you are short on cash.
Sphere Theater
Side Quests
Purchasing all of the Music and Video Spheres at the Luca Sphere Theater.
Earning Gil
Tips and Tricks
Purchasing all of the Music and Video Spheres at the Luca Sphere Theater.
Optional Super Bosses
The only thing left to do are the optional super bosses. This includes defeating all of the species creations in the Monster Arena.
Before you begin though you will need to do some preparation. For starters, make sure that you have obtained the strongest armor in the game and that you have maxed your character’s stats.
Note that some of the bosses you battle are going to require slightly different customized armor, but these modifications will be identified separately in the pages below.
Best Armor
Tips and Tricks
A guide to crafting and customizing strong armor for your characters in order to complete the end game content.
Quick Leveling
Tips and Tricks
Battling certain fiends at the Monster Arena to quickly level up your characters.
Triple AP Weapons
Tips and Tricks
Obtaining weapons with the Triple AP Auto-Ability for your characters.
Stat Maxing
Tips and Tricks
Methods and tips for maxing your character’s stats as they progress through the Sphere Grid.
And finally, it’s time to take on the most difficult battles in the game - the super bosses. Check out each of the subsections for details on how to complete each of them.
Note that you need to defeat all of the Species Conquest, Area Conquest and Original Creations in the Monster Arena in order to make Nemesis appear as an option in the Monster Arena menu:
Dark Aeons
Side Quests
Traveling back across Spira and dispatching each of the Dark Aeons you encounter.
Congratulations! You’ve defeated the most difficult challenges in the game!
The last thing to do is to make sure that you have obtained all of the achievements and trophies that are available in newer versions of the game:
Achievements and Trophies
A full list of the achievements and trophies that you can obtain in the Steam and PlayStation 4 versions of the game.
And that’s everything that you can do in Final Fantasy X (aside from completing the story mode of the game). Hope you enjoyed this strategy guide!