Giza Plains (Final Fantasy XII)

The Giza Plains (ギーザ草原 Gīza Sōgen) is a location in Ivalice in Final Fantasy XII. It is an area of large open plains with a unique weather cycle close to the Royal City of Rabanastre.

Sage Knowledge

 * For the Sage Knowledge on the Giza Plains, you may also see Sage Knowledge piece 48.

"'A vast savannah spreading to the south of the Royal City of Rabanastre, the environs of which vary drastically between dry and rainy seasons. Large dark crystals lie scattered here and there across the savannah. During the dry, they absorb the suns radiance and glow with an auric brilliance. A village of nomadic herders is located near the middle of the grasslands. During the rains, the villagers relocate to the mountains. While the reside in the grasslands, the menfolk rarely return from their herding, leaving the women and children to their own devices in the village. These nomads know the art of capturing the energy of the dark crystals in chunks of magicite, called sunstone, which they then bring to market to sell. The animals by which they make their living are primarily of cockatrice stock."

Story
Vaan needs a Sunstone to open the secret entrance to the Royal Palace of Rabanastre. Old Dalan guides him to the nomads in Giza Plains where he meets with Penelo, who helps Vaan with his quest. They help find a nomad boy left behind in the hot wilderness.

Later, when they need to travel to Jahara, the party travels to Giza during the Rains to find the nomads have gone to the mountains. New paths are opened during the Rains while certain paths are closed.

Location
The Giza Plains are located just to the south of Rabanastre, in the Dalmasca region. Further south are the Ozmone Plains, while access to the Westersand and Estersand can be found as well.

Weather Cycle
The Giza Plains have a unique weather cycle that affects the area's geography. The weather begins cycling when the player enters Eruyt Village and is tasked to find a lost viera Mjrn in Henne Mines. The weather cycles are based on the in-game clock: 1 hour of rain followed by 2 hours of dry.

Dry Season (aka "the Dry")
While it's dry, the weather is always sunny, most of the plains are exposed, and weaker monsters come out. Because the area is of desert terrain, all Earth attacks are 20% more powerful than normal.

The Nomads come down from the mountains, and set up a camp while it's dry where they raise Cockatrice and make Sunstones. The Darkstones over the plains absorb sunlight during the Dry, which can then be drawn out to make Sunstones.

In the storyline, Vaan visits Giza in order to find a Sunstone. To do this, he receives a Shadestone from a boy named Jinn in the Crystal Glade and charges it up transforming it into a Sunstone. The player can come back later and do it multiple times for 200 gil, two Potions, and a Holy Stone.

Treasures
The plains have different treasures depending if it is the Dry of the Rains. During the Dry the items are nothing special, common items and low level equipment. While the Diamond Armlet is equipped the common item treasure is Knot of Rust and the "rare" treasure is Ether or Hi-Potion. The player can find the Cotton Shirt in the Warrior's Wash area, the Escutcheon shield under the bridge in the Starfall Field area and a Broadsword in the southeastern corner of the Giza South Bank area.

Wet Season (aka "the Rains")
While it's wet, most of the plains are covered in water, and stronger monsters come out, especially during heavy rain and thunderstorms (Storm Elementals and Mardu Entites respectively). New areas open up, since bridges can be built of driftwood. Because the plains during the Rains is of water terrain, all Water and Lightning attacks deal 20% more damage than normal, and Earth damage is halved. During rainy weather Fire damage is halved and Lightning damage is boosted, and during heavy rain, Water and Fire damage are both halved and Wind and Lightning attacks are both boosted.

During the wet season Giza Plains has three weather conditions:
 * Cloudy
 * Rain
 * Heavy Rain (lightning bolts seen in the horizon)

Treasures
The plains have better treasures during the rain. The treasure that spawns right near the exit to Rabanastre can contain a Longbow. The treasure in the easternmost bit of Warrior's Wash can have a Bronze Mace. The treasure nearest to the exit to the Nomad Village in the Toam Hills area can have the Main Gauche dagger. The treasure nearest to the exit to Westersand can contain a Heavy Coat and the treasure in the southwestern deadend bit can have a Rose Corsage. The deadend on the other side of the area can contain a Chainmail.

In the Giza North Bank area, a treasure that spawns down and left when entering from the entrance nearest to Rabanastre can contain a Battle Bamboo. The northernmost treasure in the Giza South Bank can have a Rose Corsage and the treasure in the southern deadend bit can have a Jade Collar.

The Tracks of the Beast area is only explorable during the Rains and all treasures contain either a Knot of Rust or a gambit or an accessory when they have items instead of gil. The player can obtain the Black Belt, Jackboots, Foe: status = disable and Foe:thunder-weak here. There is also an urn in the area that contains the Feather of the Flock, a key item that lets the player converse with Cockatrices.

If the Diamond Armlet is equipped, all treasures during the Rains contain Knot of Rust as the common item and a Mote as the rare item, unless the treasure is gil.

Weather Eye
At Rabanastre's South Gate there is a seeq who knows when the weather is about to change on the plains. This is the only person in Final Fantasy XII who knows the weather cycle. Since the seasons only change after finishing a certain story event, he will not be able to predict the weather until that time.

Start the Quest
The player must fulfill the following criteria to start the sidequest:
 * Kill Cluckatrice (hunt)
 * Acquire Feather of the Flock (found in an urn in the Tracks of the Beast area where the mark Gil Snapper is fought).
 * Proceed past Draklor Laboratory in the storyline.

If the player visits the Nomad Village during the Dry they find all the Cockatrices have run away. The player must locate each bird and send it back to the village.

Cockatrice Locations

 * Chit is in Eruyt Village. The player must collect Dewdrop Pebbles scattered around the village and give them to Mjrn.
 * Reward: Yoichi Bow
 * Renn is at Rabanastre's North End, but will run away and the player must catch him. The player can hide by the pillars next to the shops and wait for him to walk past. The player can try to catch up with him when he is turning a corner, or approach him slowly as he goes past and choose: "Erm... no?". In addition, Chit must have returned to Giza before Renn will.
 * Reward: Diamond Sword
 * Shurry is in Lull of the Land area of Jahara. The player must speak to the Garif next to her, then Shurry, then talk to the Garif again and tell him the bird comes from the Giza Plains. The Great-Chief will then give a gift to Shurry. The player must speak to the Garif next to Shurry again to get the reward.
 * Reward: Platinum Dagger
 * Sassan is in Dalmasca Estersand South Bank Village. The player must talk to him and then talk to Tchigri, the boy on the boat, and take the wolf Nathyl across the river, next take Arryl across, and last, take Sassan across the river.
 * Reward: Koga Blade
 * Agytha is in the Grand Arcade area in the Central area of Archades, looking for a husband. The player must have a Sandalwood Chop to access the area, by earning all the available chops and trading them in a shop. The player must speak to a male Cockatrice in the Alley of Low Whispers area in Old Archades, then tell Agytha where to look.
 * Reward: Tumulus
 * Moomer is in Sea Breeze Lane of Balfonheim. The player must talk to the Chocobo Wrangler by the chocobo pen and show her the Feather of the Flock, then talk to the Miffed Moogle, and then Gurdy.
 * Reward: Defender

After finding all the Cockatrices the player can come back to the Nomad Village during the Dry and talk to Terra to get two Hi-Ethers.

Friendly NPCs

 * Bangaa Hunter (Dry)
 * Garif Hunter (Rains)

Arjie's Shop
Note: Arjie only appears during the dry season.

Nutsy
A moogle named Nutsy, across from Arjie, will sell a map of Giza Plains for 30 Gil during the Dry.

Trivia

 * Jinn, from Giza Plains, can be found in Rabanastre's Southern Plaza once the Rains starts after the player proceeds far enough in the storyline. He disappears once the weather starts cycling.
 * Again, once the Rains start, travelers are to be found in the Nomad Village. They disappear once the weather starts cycling.
 * After completing the Croakadile hunt the player receives Ring of the Toad that can be given to the nomad elder during the Dry. The player can then return to the Nomad Village during the Rain and talk to Sadeen to give him the rest he seeks.

The Rains
(Notice the lack of some of the paths as well as the appearance of "Tracks of the Beast" to the southeast)

Musical Themes
The music that plays in Giza Plains is the eponymous song "Giza Plains".

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
The Giza Plains are a location from mainland Ivalice in Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings. It is revisited by the party, as Ashe asks them to help out with the attacks of Sky Pirates and Yarhi occurring on Ivalice.

Mission 35: The Secluded
The player must seek out and talk to the Dalmascan Soldier that holds information about the Judge of Wings. Many soldiers wander the plains, and if any are felled by the roaming monsters, the battle ends in defeat. The correct soldier is in the northeast part of the map, and the player must reach this informant quickly as the Yarhi Titan will spawn very close to him.

Monsters

 * Quetzalcoatl
 * Infernal Wolf
 * Atomos
 * Great Tortoise
 * Titan

Guests

 * Dalmascan Soldier
 * White Hare

Monsters

 * Quetzalcoatl
 * Infernal Wolf
 * Storm Wolf
 * Minotaur
 * Golem

Rewards

 * Hammer of Lightning
 * Rune Bracelet
 * Auracite

Goblin Pouch

 * Destrier Mane/Dragon Whisker

Monster Melee
"Open battle against the area's indigenous beasts."

Monsters

 * Quetzalcoatl
 * White Hare
 * Minotaur
 * Atomos
 * Earth Drake

Giza-Ebene