Saronia
The Enterprise gets shot out of the sky over Saronia. The party crash-lands inside Castle Saronia, trapped between two warring armies, and the only way forward is out the south gate and into the city. Saronia splits into four districts. This chapter covers 43 chests, 3 items (2 missable), 6 new bestiary entries, and 1 boss fight.
Southwestern Saronia
Walk to the building in the northeast corner of the district and speak with the old man in green standing outside. Enter the tavern behind him to find Prince Alus under attack from four Gold Knights. They go down in a couple of rounds. After the fight, Alus introduces himself as King Gorn’s son and joins your party as a guest.
With Alus in tow, the rest of the SW district opens up: an 11-chest Gysahl Greens stash in the southeast and two missable hidden items from old men in the south. The full route is in the walkthrough video below.
Cross the bridge south until you reach the south of town, then walk east and north. Enter the building with the door. Inside, a secret passage on the left wall leads to a room with 11 chests; each holds a Gysahl Greens. Speak to the woman inside to summon Fat Chocobo for item storage.
Exit the building and walk south into the water. Follow it west, then immediately north until you reach an old man in the center of town who hands over a Dragon Mail. Walk west and up the stairs, then follow the path around to the southwest corner; the old man there gives you a Wind Spear. Both are Dragoon equipment for the boss fight at the end of this chapter. That’s everything in SW Saronia; leave when ready.
Southeastern Saronia & Dragon Spire
Exit to the overworld and walk east to Southeastern Saronia. The triple-towered Dragon Spire in the center of the district holds 12 chests of Dragoon gear and five new bestiary entries.
New Enemies
Hellgaroo Mage rolls five different spells at 20% each (Fira, Blizzara, Thundara, Shade, Break), so it’s unpredictable. Sorceror casts Fira, Blizzara, or Thundara on 90% of turns. Sand Worm gives the most EXP at 1,000 per kill but spawns rarely; expect extra fights to register one. Needle Monkey and Catoblepas hit only with physicals.
The spire is a straight climb to 6F, where all 12 chests sit in two rows of six.
- Left side, top row: Dragon Mail, Dragon Helm, Phoenix Down.
- Left side, bottom row: Thunder Spear, Dragon Mail, Dragon Helm.
- Right side, top row: Dragon Mail, Dragon Helm, Thunder Spear.
- Right side, bottom row: Thunder Spear, Phoenix Down, Dragon Helm.
Total haul: 3 Dragon Mails, 4 Dragon Helms, 3 Thunder Spears, 2 Phoenix Downs.
Equip Dragon Mail and Dragon Helm on two party members and swap them to Dragoon. Pair with the Wind Spear from the SW old man and Thunder Spears from the Dragon Spire chests; Jump dodges the upcoming boss’s main attack while airborne.
Northeastern Saronia
NE Saronia’s shops are sealed under the civil war and don’t open until later. The only stop here for now is a single hidden item.
Interact with the top-right pine tree in the center plaza for an Elixir.
Northwestern Saronia
NW Saronia’s shops are also sealed for now. There are no chests or hidden items here; just walk in to register the district for the location tracker.
Castle Saronia
Return to Castle Saronia with Alus. A scene plays at the gates where King Gorn reluctantly agrees to meet his son. During the night, the king enters your room and the demon possessing him reveals itself.
How to Beat Garuda
Alus stays behind to rebuild the kingdom. With Saronia at peace, the castle’s treasure rooms open up.
Castle Saronia treasure
From the bedroom where you regain control, walk west and press against the wall to open a hidden passage. Follow it south to a room with 12 chests: Ice Staff, Rusty Mail, Rune Bow, Thorian Hammer, Main Gauche, Rusty Mail, Rusty Mail, Golem Staff, Scholar Hat, Hi-Potion, Hi-Potion, Rusty Mail. Ice Staff item-casts Blizzard and Golem Staff item-casts Break for any caster; Rune Bow is an upgrade for your Ranger. The four Rusty Mails are unequippable vendor trash.
Take the nearby stairs down to B1. Walk east through another hidden passage to reach 6 more chests: Rusty Mail, Earthen Bell, Gaia Vest, Viking Helm, Dragon Helm, Viking Mail. Gaia Vest for your Geomancer; Viking Helm and Viking Mail for your Viking; Earthen Bell is a Geomancer-equippable bell. The Rusty Mail is vendor trash.
Return to the bedroom and exit through the south door. Walk into the western building (the mage quarters). Hit the button on the right wall to open a secret passage.
Follow the winding path down through more hidden passages and stairs. Two chests at the bottom each hold a Phoenix Down.
Enter the eastern building and speak with the Saronia Engineer Corps to receive the Nautilus, a new airship that flies and lands on water.
Saronia shops
The shops across all four districts unlock with Saronia at peace. The Northeastern district holds the most useful inventory; the rest are catch-up stops.
Southwestern Saronia
Caster armor (Scholar Robe, Scholar Hat) and Rune Bracers, which block petrify, mini, and toad in a single slot for any caster.
Shops
Northwestern Saronia
Routine item shop plus a Lv 3 magic shop for anyone behind on Cura, Teleport, Fira, Blizzara, or Thundara.
Shops
Northeastern Saronia
Curaga (5,000) and Raise (5,000) replace earlier-tier spells as your primary heal and revive. Ottershroom (2,000) is a portable Teleport from any dungeon. Rune Staff item-casts Blizzaga for free at any time. Wind Spear is buyable here as a second one for a second Dragoon.
Shops
Stock up on Hi-Potions and a few Ottershrooms, then board the Nautilus. Fly northwest to the Dalg Continent; the ancient mage Doga is waiting.