Gil Snapper (Final Fantasy XII)

The Gil Snapper is a Rank III Elite Mark in Final Fantasy XII. The earliest the hunt can be accepted is after returning to Royal City of Rabanastre after the events in the Tomb of Raithwall.

Hunt 36: Paradise Risen

 * Petitioner: Nanau
 * Petitioner's Location: Giza Plains/Crystal Glade


 * A petition has been submitted for the hunting of a gil snapper (Rank III). The petitioner is Nanau in the Crystal Glade on Giza Plains during the Rains.
 * Hunt accepted. Nanau wants you to use the silent urn to entrap a gil snapper gone wild. It can be found at the Tracks of the Beast on Giza Plains during the Rains.
 * Gil snapper entrapped within the silent urn! Report to Nanau in the Crystal Glade on Giza Plains.
 * Hunt reported. The freshly jarred gil snapper will be kept as a guardian spirit of the plains people.

The petitioner for the bill is Nanau, who can be found in the Crystal Glade-part of the Giza Plains, but only during the Rains. The player will be given a special urn to capture the Gil Snapper's spirit, who is called the Lord of Rain by Nanau's tribe, and is told the Gil Snapper resides in the part of Giza Plains known as the Tracks of the Beast. However, there is initially no path there and the player will have to run around Giza Plains locating trees, which can be cut down and will drift to form a bridge between Giza's South Bank and the Tracks of the Beast.

Bestiary Entry

 * Genus: Rank III Elite Mark
 * Classification: ???

Finding Gil Snapper
Gil Snapper is found in the Tracks of the Beast in the bottom east corner of Giza Plains. To reach this section the player needs to cut down withered trees. There is one tree in every area save for the north-westernmost part and the south-easternmost part where the party cross the path of trees. The trees are by the water and are easy to spot as they are white and look old.

Upon arrival, the seeq Bansat, who had talked to the player in the Clan Building, will arrive to help. The weather must be raining heavily for the Gil Snapper to appear (the sky flashes with lightning bolts). If it is not raining heavily, the player can exit the Tracks and return until this requirement has been fulfilled (the seeq will say that the mark has appeared).

Battle
Unlike most turtles that appear in the Plains, the Gil Snapper is not weak against Fire. Instead, it is weak against Lightning, and will absorb Ice.

The Gil Snapper is powerful and begins battle with Protect, Shell and Haste. Its Flatten can KO a character on contact, and it will use Blizzaga when its HP drops to around the HP Critical point.

The mark can be inflicted with Blind and Silence. Silence will eliminate its Blizzaga attack, and Blind will cause Flatten to miss more often. After being silenced, its Blizzara and Blizzaga will become useless. Gil Snapper is also weak against Immobilize, though the success rate is poor. Gil Snapper can heal its status ailments with Purify.

Gil Snapper will use Purify to heal its statuses if the characters get too far out of its range. Its Flash attack inflicts the party with Blind, but it can be protected against with Argyle Armlets. When the mark is in critical health it will spam Blizzaga, but this can be avoided with inflicting it with Silence.

The mark will reset once the party leaves the zone without sealing it in the urn. It is possible to go back and forth and steal from the Gil Snapper multiple times. It is a guaranteed 1,000 gil, and with the Thief's Cuffs, one can get an extra 2,000 or 4,000 gil. While not as efficient as the Dustia exploit, one cannot mess up with this strategy.

Strategy
It is advised not to go up against this Mark until the player has bought at least the Thundara spell. If the player has vanquished enough marks, Bubble will be available to purchase at the clan shop in Rabanastre, making the battle easier.

The party may simply all equip the Ruby Ring for Auto-Reflect and bestow Bansat Reflect by magick or the Reflectga Mote. Before going for the offense, Gil Snapper should be dispelled to rid its status benefits. The party should set the Ally: Status=Reflect and the action Thundara (if that gambit has been bought), and keep close with Bansat so that the quadruple Thundara can be performed. If Larsa is in the party, the battle can be ended quick as the party may deal quintuple Thundara against the Gil Snapper.

One can inflict Gil Snapper with Immobilize and then hack away from a distance with ranged weapons. Nihopalaoa + Remedy trick is useful, because then the status will hit every time.

Report and Reward

 * 3,000 gil
 * Phobos Glaze

The report can only be made during the Dry, as Nanau will have left the Plains to join her tribe members in celebrating the defeat of the Gil Snapper. When reporting, the player is informed by the tribe Elder that the Gil Snapper periodically escapes its urn because the magick symbols grow old and weak. A new urn must then be used to catch the Gil Snapper. The reason for the tribe wanting the Gil Snapper is that it has the power to calm the beasts of the land, meaning that the tribe is protected from them as long as they have the urn.

Trivia

 * After accepting the Gil Snapper hunt and speaking to Nanau and Roaklo, if the player waits till the Dry season without defeating the Gil Snapper and returns to the Nomad Village and speaks with Roaklo he will say: "Ugh... not sure how much more I can take of these Rains. I feel a little feverish... I think I'm gettin' sick. Get that Gil Snapper... quick..."

Related Enemies

 * Great Tortoise
 * Silicon Tortoise
 * Adamantitan
 * Emeralditan
 * Darksteel (Mark)
 * Rocktoise (Elite Mark)
 * Aspidochelon (Rare)
 * Thalassinon (Rare)

Gilkröte Guiltarta