Underground Waterway
Walk northeast from Kaipo to find the cave entrance. The Underground Waterway connects Kaipo to Damcyan through a two-part dungeon with 18 chests, a hidden chamber behind a waterfall, and Sage Tellah joining halfway through. The Subterranean Lake at the end adds 4 more chests and a boss.
Underground Waterway
New Enemies
Three enemies to handle carefully: Water Bugs counter magic with Curaja, Tiny Mages have very high magic defense so physicals work better against them than spells, and Zombies are weak to Fire and Holy. Eighteen chests sit across five floor segments plus a hidden chamber behind a waterfall, with Tellah joining halfway through.
South Entrance
From the entrance, walk north to find two chests: Potion and Maiden’s Kiss. Loop back to the entrance and west across the first bridge. Open the chest at the bottom for a Tent. Continue along the path until an old man blocks the way. Speak to him and Sage Tellah joins the party.
Past Tellah, walk east to find stairs leading down to the water. Wade in and follow the narrow waterfall upward to a chest containing an Iron Armlet. Loop back to the stairs and look west for a wide waterfall. Walk through the middle to find a secret room.
Hidden Chamber
Three chests sit inside the wide-waterfall room: X-Potion, Dry Ether, and Phoenix Down. The X-Potion and Dry Ether are rare this early, so don’t skip this detour. Walk through the center of the wide waterfall to find the entrance.
B2
Backtrack to where you met Tellah and go north up the stairs. Push north through the bridges and take the stairs down to the water. Up the west stairs is a Potion. Back at the water, walk south and climb the west-side stairs for an Ether.
Go west and then south across the bridge. Enter the southwest room to trigger a tutorial on magic fields. These glowing circles act as safe havens where you can use Tents and save your game; you’ll find them scattered throughout the rest of the game’s dungeons.
Exit through the north stairs to return to the previous room. Walk east and grab the Ice Rod from the upper area. Equip it on Rydia; it casts Blizzard when used as an item in battle, which keeps her dealing damage when MP runs short.
B3
Walk south back down to the water and through the door. Follow the bridges until you hit a fork. Take the west path for two chests: 580 Gil and a Bomb Fragment. Loop back to the fork and take the other direction through the door.
North B2
Turn left and follow the path to what looks like a dead end. Push into the wall to find a secret passage. Follow it to the middle of the area where a chest sits at the bottom: Feathered Cap. Back at the entrance to this section, walk north and grab the Potion on the path. Continue north through the stairs.
North Entrance
Alligator and Toadgre start appearing here. Alligator is rare on this floor; skip it if you can’t trigger one, since the Subterranean Lake ahead spawns it far more often. Walk north and take the first stairs down for two chests: Ether and Antarctic Wind. Loop back to the middle, cross the bridge east, and take the stairs down on that side for the Hourglass and the Shadowblade. Equip the Shadowblade on Cecil right away.
That’s all 18 chests for the Underground Waterway. Register every enemy on the list above before you leave; the Subterranean Lake only adds Octomammoth to the bestiary. Alligator is the exception, which is far more common in the lake ahead.
Take the north exit to the overworld, use a Tent and save, then enter the cave nearby.
Subterranean Lake
The Subterranean Lake is a short two-floor stretch with 4 chests before the boss. Alligators spawn more often here than in the waterway, so this is a good chance to fill that bestiary entry if you missed it earlier. Step forward at the waterfall to trigger a scene and drop down to B2.
B2
Climb the stairs and follow the linear path to a stairway heading south. Descend for two chests: Hades Helm and Hades Gloves.
B1
Loop back up and take the northwest bridge through the door to B1. Walk east and open both chests on the path for Hades Armor and Hermes Shoes. Continue north across the bridge, then take the stairs down to the water.
Heal and quick save before interacting with the tentacles blocking the waterfall.
How to Beat Octomammoth
After the fight, take the waterfall path back to the overworld. Damcyan Castle is north-northeast of Kaipo.