Gil Snapper (Final Fantasy XII)

The Gil Snapper is a Rank III Elite Mark in Final Fantasy XII. The bill for the Gil Snapper is only available if the player has joined Clan Centurio, as with all Elite Marks.

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, because of the Rains, there is no way of getting there. 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: ???

"Being a Giant Titantoise called the "Gil Snapper" for the high price its shell fetches at the market. In the past, lawless hunters overhunted the Snapper, and thus enraged, the Titantoises struck back, assaulting innocent villagers and all else resembling their foes. One such Snapper was caught by a village Elder and sealed within a jar, but the weakening of the Magicks placed upon it set it free, and so was this Mark petitioned."

Finding Gil Snapper
Gil Snapper is found in the Tracks of the Beast in the bottom east corner of Giza Plains. In order 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 simply 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 quite powerful. Its Flatten can KO a character on contact, and it will use Blizzaga when its HP drops to around the critical point. It is advised not to go up against this Mark until the party's level average is approximately 30, and that the player has bought at least the Thundara spell (and, of course, the corresponding license).

The mark can be inflicted with Blind and Silence. Silence will eliminate its Blizzaga attack, and Blind will cause Flatten to miss more often. The mark is weak to Lightning, so Thundara or Thundaga are the best spells to use.

Even more useful is that Gil Snapper is weak against Immobilize, though the success rate is rather poor. One can inflict Gil Snapper with Immobilize and then hack away from distance with ranged weapons. Niholapaloa + Remedy trick is useful, because then the status will hit every time, as Gil Snapper is capable of healing its status ailments.

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.

Report and Reward
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. The player is rewarded 3,000 gil and one Phobos Glaze.

Related enemies

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