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This settlement is located in the remote north of Gran Pulse. Crystal sand blanketed the village after the War of Transgression, leaving the surrounding lands barren and lifeless. Oerba is the homeland of Fang and Vanille, two of the main characters from FFXIII.

FFXIII-2 online description

Oerba [ɛɹbə] is a location on Gran Pulse in Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIII-2. It is one of the few urban areas visitable on Pulse, and is the hometown of Oerba Dia Vanille and Oerba Yun Fang.

Villagers from several different clans had settled in Oerba and all lived together in communities, sharing their houses with the fal'Cie Anima as the village protector. After the War of Transgression, Oerba was abandoned, left devoid of life other than Cie'th and other monsters. Daisuke Watanabe, the lead scenario writer for Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIII-2, has explained in an interview[1] that when the war ended, the environment on Pulse was in ruins and human survivors had no alternative but to leave, and this is how Oerba became a ghost town. The village's outskirts are covered in a layer of snow-like crystal dust. Although it is not explained how the crystal dust came to be, it could be a result of Oerba's proximity to Cocoon.

Datalog[]

Final Fantasy XIII[]

Fang and Vanille's former home, the village of Oerba is located at the northernmost edge of the Gran Pulse mainland. Villagers from several clans shared a communal lifestyle here, honoring the fal'Cie Anima as their patron and protector.

Today, what remains of the abandoned village is overrun by Cie'th and in the process of being swallowed by an encroaching sea of ashen crystal sand dunes.

Final Fantasy XIII-2[]

Travel Guide: Oerba
Area Information

Oerba is an abandoned village located in the northern reaches of Pulse. The sand that covers the ground is powdered crystal that fell during the War of Transgression.

In recent times, large numbers of Cie'th have been seen in the area. Presumably, they were created from living humans to serve some mysterious fal'Cie purpose. Cie'th are former l'Cie who failed to complete their Focus.

From the Editor's Desk:

Oerba is a designated Special Protected Zone, so visitors are not allowed. However, you might get permission from the Academy for an airship flyover.

Story[]

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. (Skip section)

Final Fantasy XIII[]

Oerba—the place it all began. The place where the Pulse fal'Cie lay dreaming. Vanille and Fang's home. Just maybe... it will be the place where we find the answers we're looking for.

Barthandelus Serah

Dysley disguised as Serah.

After completing the trials of Taejin's Tower, Oerba is only a short distance away. While Vanille and Fang recall their hometown covered in flowers, they come to accept it is now a barren land devoid of color. The party is free to explore the village, which includes finding spare parts to repair Bhakti, Vanille's pet robot, but when they reach the end of the Rust-eaten Bridge they encounter Galenth Dysley in the form of Serah reciting the hymn of Ragnarok.

After failing to trick the party with the imitation Serah, Dysley informs the l'Cie he has had the resurrected Cid Raines succeed him as Primarch and engineered a back-up plan to destroy Cocoon if the l'Cie refuse to follow their Focus. Following a battle with Dysley in his true form as Barthandelus, he invites the party to "release Cocoon from her suffering" and departs, leaving them an airship transformed from Menrva.

FFXIII Oerba Departure

The group departs from Oerba.

Before their departure, Vanille activates a purple Cie'th Stone and reads the story of the War of Transgression, which reveals the events behind her and Fang's participation in the war, the goddess Etro's intervention, and how Barthandelus brought them and Anima within the Pulse Vestige into Cocoon to finish what they had started. With their knowledge of Dysley's plan to make Cocoon tear itself apart, the l'Cie fly Menrva out of Oerba and through a gate into Eden.

Final Fantasy XIII-2[]

FFXIII-2 Oerba 200 AF - Paradox

Oerba is caught within a paradox.

The Academy made Oerba a protected area in memory of Vanille and Fang's sacrifice. Centuries later, Oerba is caught within a paradox due to its past and future overlapping causing Temporal Rifts to emerge.

After departing from the Yaschas Massif 10 AF, Noel Kreiss, Serah Farron, and Mog arrive at Oerba 200 AF to find the village caught in a paradox and being sucked into a black hole. As they resolve the anomalies, Oerba recovers.

Caius's reveal Oerba

Caius and Yeul appear to Noel and Serah.

Caius and his companion, seeress Yeul, corner Noel and Serah on the roof of the old schoolhouse saying they have been watching them. Caius tells Serah and Noel he knows of their travels through time because of Yeul's visions. He engages them in battle seeking to sanction them but before he can kill Noel, Yeul intervenes, saying time has already been changed, and she and Caius leave the area.

As Serah, Mog, and Noel explore the Temporal Rifts throughout Oerba at 300 and 400 AF, Mog begins to remember things from his past before he met Lightning in Valhalla and recalls a place called the Ocean of Time. Serah and Noel believe that to be Mog's home and offer to help him return there. Completing the last Rift in 400 AF, the trio hears a bunch of moogles on the other side. Mog remembers how he was sucked into a paradox and drifted through the Void Beyond to Valhalla, losing his memories along the way. In the end, Mog decides to stay with Serah.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII[]

A view of Oerba's bridge is seen as an apocalyptic vista in the trial known as the Altar of Judgment in the Luxerion Cathedral.

Spoilers end here.

Areas[]

Oerba Concept Art

Artwork of the ruined facility at the outskirts of Oerba.

Oerba represents a concept of the "present" world, contrasting Cocoon's futuristic look. There is evidence of living spaces, wind farms, oil rigs, billboards, and a railroad, possibly connecting Oerba to the outside world. A potential reason for the difference between Cocoon's futuristic look, and Oerba's present day look, is due to Oerba being destroyed over 600 years ago, and so technological advancements in the following years on Cocoon progressed to the more futuristic style, whereas Oerba stayed in ruins and Cie'th and monsters slowly overtook it.

After the Day of Ragnarok when the timeline has been distorted, Oerba is caught in a paradox: the great tree that was in the west side of the village is gone allowing passage, but some doors are locked and can't be opened. Seemingly, most of the Ashensand that was leading to Taejin's Tower is gone, yet the area is extended by waters lowering near the Deserted Schoolhouse, as well as access to the Rust-eaten Bridge being cut off. A plaza behind Fang and Vanille's home is uncovered and free to travel.

Final Fantasy XIII[]

  • The Ashensand
  • Village Proper
  • Desolate Mill
  • Dilapidated Dwelling
  • Derelict Depot
  • Deserted Schoolhouse
  • Rust-eaten Bridge

Final Fantasy XIII-2[]

  • The Ashensand
  • Village Proper
  • Deserted Schoolhouse

Maps[]

Treasure[]

Final Fantasy XIII[]

Item Location
Perovskite Village Proper
Heavenly Axis Village Proper
Librascope Village Proper
Moogle Puppet Deserted Schoolhouse
Pleiades Hi-Powers Deserted Schoolhouse
Flamebane Brooch Rust-eaten Bridge
Taming Pole Rust-eaten Bridge
Ethersol Rust-eaten Bridge

Final Fantasy XIII-2[]

200 AF[]

Item Location Requirements
Gysahl Greens x2 The Ashensand None
Power Wristband Village Proper None
Map of Oerba Village Proper None
'Visions' Gate Seal (Box) Village Proper None
Magician's Mark Village Proper None
550 gil Village Proper None
Cie'th Tear x3 Village Proper None
Wild Artefact Village Proper Moogle Throw
Graviton Core Gamma Village Proper Moogle Hunt
Librascope The Ashensand None
600 gil Deserted Schoolhouse None
Power Bolts x10 Deserted Schoolhouse None
Hypnocrown The Ashensand Moogle Hunt
Whimsical Headdress Village Proper Live Trigger Reward

300 AF[]

Item Location Requirements
'How Things Were' Gate Seal Village Proper Moogle Throw
'Flight' Gate Seal Village Proper Moogle Throw

400 AF[]

Item Location Requirements
Platinum Casino Ticket x2 The Ashensand None
Wild Chorus The Ashensand Moogle Hunt
Platinum Casino Ticket The Ashensand Moogle Hunt
Graviton Core Zeta The Ashensand Moogle Hunt

Quests[]

Final Fantasy XIII[]

Bhakti[]

Oerba's sole survivor is Bhakti, Vanille's pet robot. The player can help fix him by salvaging parts scattered throughout the village. In return, Bhakti will grant valuable items, such as Deceptisol, Platinum Ingots, and Gold Nuggets, as well as tips on where to find secret Cie'th Stone missions and new areas that the player may not be aware exist.

Missions[]

  • Mission 28 - Faded Glory
  • Mission 55 - Can't We All Just Get Along?
  • Mission 64 - The Doomherald

Final Fantasy XIII-2[]

Oerba has numerous Temporal Rift puzzles the player must solve.

FFV World Map SpriteThis section about a quest in Final Fantasy XIII-2 is empty or needs to be expanded. You can help the Final Fantasy Wiki by expanding it.

Enemies[]

Final Fantasy XIII[]

Final Fantasy XIII-2[]

Musical themes[]

Final Fantasy XIII[]

"Dust to Dust" plays at the outskirts of Oerba and in the village itself. Like many other tracks, it features female vocals, evoking a sense of nostalgia and longing for times past, and represents the reaction of Fang and Vanille upon returning to their hometown, now a ghost town.

Final Fantasy XIII-2[]

"Village and Void" and "Village and Void - Aggressive Mix -" are two tracks associated with Oerba, serving as its background theme in 200 AF and 400 AF. Both were composed by Naoshi Mizuta, with vocals provided by Joelle. "Sulyya Springs" from Final Fantasy XIII is the background theme for Oerba 300 AF.

Other appearances[]

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call[]

Oerba Village Ruins

Oerba

Oerba appears as the Field Music Sequence for "Dust to Dust."

Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade[]

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Final Fantasy Record Keeper[]

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Other media[]

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy has a trade material called "Oerba Beads."

Behind the scenes[]

Fang Vanille Photo

500-year-old picture of Fang and Vanille.

A photo of Fang and Vanille can be seen on a table in the house with Bhakti. The player can also find Vanille's and Fang's items here, such as Vanille's bracelets and necklaces. Among the many things to examine in Oerba is a model globe of Cocoon found in the school that has been defaced with "derogatory writing."

Orphan's-cradle-in-oerba-artwork-ffxiii2

Orphan's Cradle in Oerba from Final Fantasy XIII-2 Ultimania Omega.

There were preliminary plans for an Oerba where Orphan's Cradle would have crashed after the events of Final Fantasy XIII. Concept art for this area is found in Final Fantasy XIII-2 Ultimania Omega.

Oerba stays abandoned in Final Fantasy XIII-2. The reason for this is that the game designers felt that Oerba holds a symbolic value in Final Fantasy XIII as it signifies the end of the protagonists' journey. Therefore, the developers would have felt uncomfortable in repopulating Oerba or making it busy.[1] A reflection of an uncrystallized Cocoon can still be seen in the waters near the Deserted Schoolhouse instead of the present state of Cocoon in Oerba -200 AF-, possibly a paradox. Throughout the different time periods in Final Fantasy XIII-2 more and more robotic pets appear in the village proper. This is possibly a paradox due to the many temporal rifts in the village.

Gallery[]

Final Fantasy XIII
200 AF
400 AF

Citations[]

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