Narshe is the first location in Final Fantasy VI. It is a town connected to four dungeons: two in the mines' north and south passage, and two more (the cliffs and Yeti's Cave) connected to its north passage mines. As a starter town, it is home to tte Adventuring School, serving as the Beginner's Hall for Final Fantasy VI, and has a few noteworthy shops in the World of Balance. In the World of Ruin, Narshe becomes a dungeon itself overrun by monsters, and is home to many key items.
Narshe is the location of three main story quests in the World of Balance. The first begins in the opening series, when a party of Terra, accompanied by Biggs and Wedge, enter through to the north passage mines, followed by Locke and Terra escaping through the south passage mines. The second quest occurs in Terra's scenario, when a party of Terra, Edgar, and Banon return to Narshe through its south passage mines. The third occurs following completion of all three scenarios, in a multi-party battle to defend the frozen esper; thereafter, Narshe is returned to in the World of Balance to change party members, and can be visited to recruit Mog. In the World of Ruin, the party can return to Narshe with Locke for some powerful items—the Cursed Shield and the Ragnarok magicite, optionally changed to the Ragnarok sword—and also to recruit Mog and Umaro.
Layout[]
Town[]
The houses in the center of town hold various shops; an inn, a weapon shop, armor shop, item shop, and relic shop. On the western edge of the town on a cliff is the Elder's house, and another house sits on a ledge overlooking the relic shop. On the eastern edge of town are Arvis's houses and a storehouse full of treasures belonging to a citizen. A bridge from Arvis's house connects to an abandoned mineshaft that exits to the southern edge of town.
Adventuring School[]
The Adventuring School lies just outside the entrance of town, and hosts classes that teach the player various gameplay concepts. The classrooms are Field Science, Battle Tactics, and Advanced Battle Tactics. Field Science gives general gameplay information, Battle Tactics focuses on the basics of combat, and Advanced Battle Tactics discuss specific aspects of character abilities and spell effects.
Mines[]
There are two mineshafts in Narshe. The southern mine leads from the outskirts of town to deep within the town limits, and connects to Arvis's house via a bridge. The entrance to the mine is concealed in a rockface, and opens with a secret switch. The mines also contain a security checkpoint used to test applicants to the city guard.
The northern mine is only accessible by going through the town itself, and leads to the cliffs above the town. Compared to the southern mine, it is much shorter with a more linear path. A rear area near the entrance to the mines is the initial location of the frozen esper.
Cliffs[]
The cliffs above the town are a large, snowy field with winding paths through the rockface. At the northern end of the cliffs is a bluff overlooking a valley. It is here the citizens of Narshe move the frozen esper after the imperial raid, and it is on the cliffs that the Battle for the Frozen Esper takes place when the Returners defend the town from a second, larger imperial attack.
In the World of Ruin, the player can have the party leap off the bluff to enter the Yeti's Cave where Umaro lives.
Encounters[]
World of Balance[]
- Overworld - Plains
- Leaf Bunny
- Leaf Bunny x2, Darkwind
- Overworld - Forest
- Leaf Bunny x2, Darkwind
- Leaf Bunny x2, Darkwind x2
- Imperial raid
- Silver Lobo
- Silver Lobo x2
- Guard x2
- Silver Lobo , Guard x2
- Guard x2, Megalodoth x2
- Adventuring School
- Silver Lobo (Monster-In-A-Box)
World of Ruin[]
- Overworld - Plains
- Crawler x3
- Basilisk x2, Leap Frog
- Leap Frog x4
- Greater Mantis x2
- In Town
- Garm x3
- Garm x2, Lukhavi
- Test Rider
Shops[]
The shops of Narshe change their inventory after completing the Magitek Research Facility and acquiring the Blackjack.
| Before acquiring the Blackjack | |
|---|---|
| Item | Price |
| Potion | 50 gil |
| Hi-Potion | 300 gil |
| Ether | 1,500 gil |
| Phoenix Down | 500 gil |
| Gold Needle | 200 gil |
| Sleeping Bag | 500 gil |
| Tent | 1,200 gil |
| Smoke Bomb | 300 gil |
| After acquiring the Blackjack | |
| Item | Price |
| Hi-Potion | 300 gil |
| Ether | 1,500 gil |
| Phoenix Down | 500 gil |
| Green Cherry | 150 gil |
| Tent | 1,200 gil |
| Flame Scroll | 500 gil |
| Water Scroll | 500 gil |
| Lightning Scroll | 500 gil |
| Before acquiring the Blackjack | |
|---|---|
| Weapon | Price |
| Air Knife | 950 gil |
| Great Sword | 800 gil |
| Mythril Spear | 800 gil |
| Kotetsu | 800 gil |
| Mythril Claws | 800 gil |
| Chain Flail | 2,000 gil |
| Moonring Blade | 2,500 gil |
| After acquiring the Blackjack | |
| Weapon | Price |
| Sakura | 3,200 gil |
| Trident | 1,700 gil |
| Poison Rod | 1,500 gil |
| Morning Star | 5,000 gil |
| Boomerang | 4,500 gil |
| Hawkeye | 6,000 gil |
| Before acquiring the Blackjack | |
|---|---|
| Armor | Price |
| Mythril Shield | 1,200 gil |
| Magus Hat | 600 gil |
| Bandana | 900 gil |
| Iron Helm | 1,000 gil |
| Silk Robe | 600 gil |
| Iron Armor | 700 gil |
| After acquiring the Blackjack | |
| Armor | Price |
| Golden Shield | 2,500 gil |
| Mythril Helm | 2,000 gil |
| Priest's Miter | 3,000 gil |
| Green Beret | 3,000 gil |
| Tiara | 3,000 gil |
| Golden Helmet | 4,000 gil |
| Mythril Mail | 3,500 gil |
| Power Sash | 5,000 gil |
| Before acquiring the Blackjack | |
|---|---|
| Relic | Price |
| Barrier Ring | 500 gil |
| Mythril Glove | 700 gil |
| Jeweled Ring | 1,000 gil |
| Knight's Code | 1,000 gil |
| Sprint Shoes | 1,500 gil |
| Fairy Ring | 1,500 gil |
| After acquiring the Blackjack | |
| Relic | Price |
| Sniper Eye | 3,000 gil |
| Black Belt | 5,000 gil |
| Earrings | 5,000 gil |
| Reflect Ring | 6,000 gil |
| Hermes Sandals | 7,000 gil |
Treasures[]
- Town
- Elixir x2 (Clock in Arvis' house, clock in Elder's house)
- 5,000 gil
- Thief's Knife
- Hyper Wrist
- Thief's Bracer
- Reflect Ring
- Earring
- Sleeping Bag x2 (Added to inventory after Frozen Esper cutscene.)
- Adventuring School
- World of Ruin
- The sword Ragnarok or the magicite Ragnarok
- Cursed Shield
- The magicite Valigarmanda
Quests[]
Raid on Narshe[]
The game opens with an attack on Narshe. The player commands a party of Terra, Biggs, and Wedge, riding Magitek Armor. When they first attempt to go north past the inn, two Guards will attack them. Attempting to take the path east by the inn will cause a guard to sic a Silver Lobo on the trio, but this path cannot be traversed in Magitek Armor. Going further north, the tile directly below the cross shaped form by the grates in the ground will trigger two more battles with Guards and Silver Lobos, but this tile can be walked around to avoid fighting. Further north the player will be attacked by more Guards and Silver Lobos in a pincer attack.
At the entrance to the mines, two guards will attack with two Megalodoths. Once they are defeated, the player can continue north into the mines.
Terra's scenario[]
The second part of Terra's scenario in the Three Scenarios demands the party enter Narshe to speak to Arvis. Attempting to enter town through the front entrance causes the guards to recognize Terra from the imperial raid, and, doubting Edgar's claim he is the King of Figaro Castle, kick the party out. To get into town, the player must walk far to the west and inspect the rock wall, prompting Terra to reveal to Edgar and Banon the secret passage Locke used to sneak her out of town; they can now use it to sneak back in.
Battle for the Frozen Esper[]
Upon completing the Three Scenarios, the three parties automatically gather at Narshe and fight off an imperial attack on the Narshe Cliffs.
Recruiting Mog[]
Mog joins in World of Ruin.
During the third visit to the town the player can find Lone Wolf in the house on the hill on the east side of town. The player must pursue him through the northern mines and onto the cliffs, where he holds Mog hostage. If the player holds still for a few moments after approaching once, Mog will struggle and knock himself and Lone Wolf to opposite sides of the cliff. The player can rescue Mog and recruit him to the party, or can approach Lone Wolf to take the Gold Hairpin he had stolen earlier. If they take the latter option Mog falls and cannot be recruited.
In the World of Ruin, Mog can be found in the moogle cave in the depths of the Narshe's mines and finding him will prompt him to join the party. Mog will join the party even if not recruited in the World of Balance, and he will still be available to join if the player let him fall during the confrontation with Lone Wolf.
The Cursed Shield[]
Obtaining the Cursed Shield.
In the World of Ruin, a man in the basement of the house above the relic shop will give the player the Cursed Shield that inflicts a slew of negative status ailments, stat penalties and elemental weaknesses on the equipped character. If a player fights 256 battles with it the curse will be lifted and it becomes the Paladin's Shield, the best shield in the game.
A fast way to dispel the curse is to fly to Solitary Island and fight the Peepers; since they have innate Sap and only one HP, it will die on its first turn. The players must be careful when fighting in the desert, as a Black Dragon may occasionally show up.
Ragnarok[]
The owner's offer to transform the Ragnarok into a sword.
In the World of Ruin, the owner of the weapon shop can be found in his back room. He shows the party a glowing stone, the magicite Ragnarok, and offers to melt it down to forge it into a powerful sword. The player's option is a one-time opportunity and they cannot return the magicite later to forge the sword if they take the magicite.
Which item to take is largely a matter of personal preference - the magicite is the only magicite to teach Ultima, the most powerful spell, and the only way to use Metamorphosis to turn enemies into items. The sword meanwhile is one of the most powerful weapons in the game and can be bet at Dragon's Neck Coliseum to win an even more powerful weapon, the Lightbringer.
During the final battle, the player can steal a Ragnarok sword from Lady. While this is of minimal use in the Super NES and PlayStation versions, in the GBA and the 2014 versions, the player has the option to save after the final battle. This not only allows the player to keep the Ragnarok, but farm it by fighting the final battle over and over. With this, keeping the Ragnarok as a magicite may be the more appealing option to taking the sword.
Optional bosses[]
In the World of Ruin, the Ice Dragon, one of the eight legendary dragons, prowls the snowfields above town. Beyond it at the bluff, the player can find the frozen esper Valigarmanda and battle it, thawing it to obtain it as a magicite. Defeating Valigarmanda opens a passage to the Yeti's Cave where Umaro lives. Defeating Umaro with Mog in the party will have Umaro join.
Mog's Dance[]
The snowfields above the town are the only location where Mog can learn the Snowman Rondo Dance. Because no random encounters occur here in the World of Balance, Mog cannot learn the Dance until the World of Ruin.
Maps[]
- Town
- Interiors
Musical themes[]
"The Mines of Narshe" is the track used as the background theme for Narshe, but is replaced by the theme "Dark World" in the World of Ruin.
Gallery[]
- SNES
- GBA
- 2014
- Pixel Remaster
Template:Navbox gameplay FFVI