Excavation minigame

The Excavation Minigame is from Final Fantasy X-2, and can be done in Chapters 1, 2, 3 and 5. The game consists of Yuna looking for hidden treasures in various parts of the Bikanel Desert.

To initiate the Excavation Minigame the player must visit Djose Temple and get enlisted by the Machine Faction by talking to Gippal and answering "We're sure" when the option comes up. He will give the Gullwings the Letter of Introduction Key Item. This will make Bikanel a Hotspot when the Gullwings go back to the Celsius.

Visiting Bikanel and talking to Nhadala will initiate the minigame. In Chapter 2 she will send the Gullwings to the Oasis to investigate some suspicious activity.

Digging
The player is given 1 minute to find a yellow cross on the map, and dig up the Mission Critical Item. This will be either an assembly piece, which will affect the strength of the Experiment in Chapter 5, or a piece of Scrap Metal. There will also be four white crosses on the map which the player may also hunt for. These will either award the player an item, an Al Bhed Primer, a Sphere Break coin, or will initiate a battle.

Once the assembly piece is uncovered, the player should get back to the hover before the time runs out. If the player fails to make it back in time, Yuna will collapse from the effects of dehydration and fails the dig, losing all they have obtained in the dig. Failing to retrieve the Mission Critical item also results in a loss. In the Western Expanse and the Central Expanse the player will also have to compete with other diggers for the treasures in the desert.

Occasionally within the first five seconds the screen may flash and a message saying that an unknown object is in the area. Later on in the dig, a red reticule may appear on the map heading for Yuna. If the reticule meets Yuna a battle will initiate. In Chapters 1, 2 and 3, this will be a battle against the Superboss Angra Mainyu, although the player may not be able to defeat it at this point. In Chapter 5, a battle against monsters indigenous to the area will initiate.

Treasures
There are numerous treasure you can find during the sidequest. Different items will be found in different areas, and will be found at the white crosses on the map.

* - The player may only have one copy of each Al Bhed Primer. ** - Desert Key can only be found once. This will open the chest at the campsite.

Sphere Break Coins
Among the treasures you will find, the player may also find Sphere Break Coins. Again, different coins can be found in different areas.