Desert Palace



The Desert Palace is Kuja's lair in Final Fantasy IX, located in the desert on the Outer Continent. It is an immense underground fortress filled with traps and can only be entered through a mock Antlion pit. Desert Palace is one of only two places where one can obtain the Namingway Tetra Master card, which can be shown to a man in Daguerreo to rename player characters.

Navigating the dungeon is tricky and requires the completion of several puzzles, which involve candle lights and hidden passages. The palace security system is the Valia Pira, which the party can weaken by turning off the Bloodstones scattered across the palace. The Bloodstones also yield treasure.

Story
The Desert Palace is one of the locations from Terra that ended up on Gaia 5,000 years ago due to Garland's failed attempt to merge the two planets into one.

When the party is captured by Kuja, he blackmails Zidane into going into Oeilvert to fetch the Gulug Stone for him holding the lives of his friends hostage. When Zidane's party is away Kuja betrays his promise and attempts to kill the remaining party members by dropping away the floors of their cells leading to a pit of fire. Regent Cid saves them by releasing the cells, and the party searches for a way to escape Kuja's fortress. They disable Valia Pira, the palace security system, and reunite with Zidane as he returns with the Gulug Stone. Kuja snatches the stone and absconds with his lackeys Zorn and Thorn kidnapping Eiko.

Cid's Quest to Save the Prisoners
After Kuja has decided to let his prisoners fall to the fire at the bottom of their prison cells, Cid sets out to save them. He has six minutes to complete the scenario.

To sneak past the Hedgehog Pie the player must tap when the monster is looking away to move forward. If the player moves when the Hedgehog Pie is looking at Cid, they must start again from the beginning. After getting close enough Cid will get the Hourglass Key item.

The next step is to place the weights on the scales. The correct combination is: clay, stone and iron. After placing the weights the player must climb onto the scales and turn the hourglass.

Mognet
Mojito is a moogle in Desert Palace, who delivers a letter to Mogsam in another part of the palace:

Namingway Card
The Namingway Card can be obtained from Kuja's room in Desert Palace after Zidane and his party have returned from Oeilvert, and after Eiko has been kidnapped. Before exiting the room the player can search the left side of the room to find the card.

Blu Mag
Quina can eat Drakan to learn Vanish, Grimlock to learn Night, Ogre to learn Matra Magic, and Torama to learn Level 4 Holy.

Enemy Formations

 * Drakan
 * Drakan x2
 * Grimlock x2
 * Ogre
 * Ogre x2
 * Torama
 * Torama x2
 * Valia Pira (Boss)

Treasures

 * Hourglass Key
 * Promist Ring
 * Fairy Earrings
 * Anklet
 * Shield Armor
 * N-Kai Armlet
 * Black Hood
 * Venetia Shield
 * Namingway card

Musical themes
Multiple themes play during the party's time at the Desert Palace, beginning with "The Devil's Ambition," a variation of "Kuja's Theme" also known as "Footsteps of Desire." When Kuja asks Zidane his favor, "Immoral Melody," another variation, plays. "Kuja's Theme" plays as Zidane and his chosen party make their way to Oeilvert. During Cid's "red light, green light" minigame, the cheerful "The Sneaky Frog and the Scoundrel" plays. For the rest of the time spent in the palace "Kuja's Theme (Millennium Version)" plays.

Trivia

 * Complementing Kuja's tastes, the Desert Palace contains many works of fine art, including a trio of statues arranged in a triangular fashion. Two of these are decidedly demonic-looking, replete with bat-like wings and tridents, and are referred to as the "Promise of the Evil God" and "Truth of the Devil." The white angelic statue in the middle is called the "Illusion of the Goddess." This is an allusion to the Warring Triad from Final Fantasy VI.
 * When Zidane is choosing his party for his trip to Oeilvert, the order in which Kuja calls them in their cells depends on the characters' priority. Eiko has top priority over the non-Zidane party members, so she will always be called first regardless of who else is chosen. Steiner has the next highest priority, followed by Vivi, Freya, Amarant, Quina, who can only be called as early as second, and Garnet, who will always be called last.
 * The leader of the party in this area depends on whom the player chooses to send with Zidane to Oeilvert. The party leader will depend on its members, as well as who has priority. This priority is stated in the above note. Thus, if Zidane's party does not contain Eiko, she will lead the party through the palace. If Zidane's party does contain Eiko, then Steiner has the next priority, followed by Vivi and finally, Freya. Amarant, Quina, and Garnet, the three characters with the lowest priority rankings, cannot lead the party in this area.

Palacio del Desierto