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Esthar's space shuttle. Based on an ancient Centra legend of the Dragon Ship. Esthar's finest scientific technology was used to build it. Esthar's flagship, until it was used to send Adel's Tomb into space.

FFVIII Info Corner

The primary airship of Final Fantasy VIII, the "Super-High-Mobility-Flying-Ship" Ragnarok, is the fastest vehicle controllable by the party. It is capable of autopilot flight, as the player can choose a location from the largest map view while on the world map and the ship will fly there.

The Ragnarok contains two save points and three draw points, and during the endgame, the Card Club group will be available to challenge onboard if the player completed the CC sidequest earlier.

Finding the Ragnarok in any version that supports achievements earns the achievement Ragnarok.

Story[]

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

The Sorceress War[]

One of three known models of similar design, the Ragnarok was created by Esthar and used during the Sorceress War as its flagship. Seventeen years ago the ship, along with its two counterparts, was commissioned to move Adel's Tomb to outer space where Sorceress Adel could be watched over in stasis.

It is unknown what happened between then and its rediscovery in space, nor is it known what happened to its two counterparts, but when Squall Leonhart and Rinoa Heartilly happen upon it, it is infested by monsters known as Propagators. It can be assumed the crew were killed, as there are notes left behind regarding these beasts, hinting at a history of "Propagator Infection".

Rediscovery[]

FF8ScreenshotRagnorak1

Ragnarok rediscovered.

Floating in space, the Ragnarok's trajectory happens upon the entwined couple of Squall and Rinoa who had become stranded in space due to the Lunar Base's destruction. The teenagers board the craft through the top airlock and find the ship overrun with Propagators. They must defeat the Propagators of matching colors (yellow, purple, green and red) to kill them—if they kill the wrong colored Propagator, the Propagators will re-spawn throughout the ship.

Squall and Rinoa clear the ship of the monsters and enter the control cabin. They establish communications with Esthar Airbase in lieu of the radio interference lifting, and, with the Airbase's help, pilot the ship back to the planet.

The ship becomes the property of Squall's group and is instrumental in Rinoa's rescue from the Sorceress Memorial and in penetrating Lunatic Pandora's defenses. The Ragnarok mysteriously survives time compression, appearing ready to fly in the Kashkabald Desert with the members of the Card Club inside if Squall challenged their ranks earlier. It is unknown what happens to the Ragnarok after the party defeats Ultimecia and the time compression spell breaks, reverting the timeline to normal, as the party returns to the Balamb Garden.

Spoilers end here.

Layout[]

FFVIII Ragnarok Cockpit

The Cockpit.

Cockpit

The cockpit is the airship's control center located directly above the passenger room. It contains four crew positions: the pilot, co-pilot, comms station and the navigation systems. It is accessed via a lift from the passenger room.

Ragnarok 3

The Passenger Room.

Passenger Room

Accessed from the top deck directly below the control cabin, the passenger room can seat eight people and features a transparent canopy. The passenger room has a yellow Propagator. Squall and Rinoa can also find a note left by the ship's crew telling how to get rid of the Propagators.

Ragnarok lift

Elevator.

Elevator

The elevator to the cockpit has a green Propagator guarding it. Later, the player can find CC Joker here, who plays cards and operates a shop and a junk shop. He will be present even if the player did not complete the CC quest.

Ragnarok 8

Airlock Chamber.

Airlock Chamber

An access portal through the "roof" of the vehicle for space travel. It is presumably accessed through a decompression chamber; one must wear a spacesuit before attempting to decompress and open the portal when in space. There is a yellow Propagator in the area and a save point where Squall and Rinoa first board the Ragnarok. Quistis can later be challenged to a card game here as a CC member if she is in Squall's party.

Ragnarok 9

Aisle.

Aisle

The aisle spans the top deck leading between the lift to the control cabin, over the hangar, and into the airlock chamber.

Ragnarok 6

The Hangar.

Hangar

The hangar is the largest room shown in the Ragnarok. It houses a platform fixed into the floor that may be lowered for the cargo to be boarded. The top deck aisle travels over the hangar deck to the airlock chamber near the rear of the ship. A purple Propagator is fought at the bottom level of this room. The CC Diamond duo can be challenged here later.

Ragnarok save point room

Storage Room.

Storage Room

The bottom level of the hangar leads to a room with a save point, a draw point and a green Propagator. CC Spade can be played here later.

  • Draw points: Full-life (hidden, never refills)


Ragnarok second floor

Hangar Upper Level.

Hangar Upper Level

The upper level of the hangar leads to the airlock chamber and the door to the passenger room is initially closed from this side. There is a red Propagator in this area. CC Club can be played here later.

  • Draw points: Life (hidden)


Ragnarok room

Lower Level.

Lower Level

The big door at the bottom of the hangar leads to an area with a red Propagator. There is a hidden draw point at the back of the room. CC Jack can be played here later.

  • Draw points: Cura (hidden)


Ragnarok 7

The Boarding Ramp.

Boarding Ramp

The boarding ramp is the main access way for the ship's crew onto the vessel. It has a purple Propagator. Xu can be challenged here later.

Stats[]

Ragnarok
Ragnarok Art From Press Kit 02
Weight/Displacement

-2,850 tons (without propellant, charge, nor occupants)
-3,314 tons (with one third propellant, full charge, and full occupancy)
-3,450 tons (with full propellant, full charge, and full occupancy)

Length 108 meters
Width 77 meters
Height

-54 meters (at rest)
-65 meters (when flying)

Max Speed 11.8 km/s
Crew Size 4 (ship master, pilot, co-pilot, and gunner)
Occupancy Up to 10 additional occupants.
Main Armament 609mm Charged Particle Cannon (x1)
Secondary Armament

-152mm Multi-barreled Laser (x2)
-Retractable mandible 'claws' (x2)

Main System Reaction-model 12-step compression turbines (22,500 kg propulsion) x2
Auxiliary Engines Reaction-model 6-step compression turbines (2,480 kg propulsion) x4

To perform its agile maneuvers, the Ragnarok's fuselage is equipped with an array of jet propulsion nozzles. Sudden acceleration and turns are facilitated by eruptions in the large output mechanism of the rear fuselage, while the finer adjustments of direction and altitude control are moderated via the upper fuselage.

A full crew includes the four positions of ship master, pilot, co-pilot (doubles as radio operator), and gunner, though it is possible to transport up to ten additional personnel. Via coordination of data input with the Esthar Airbase, fully automated navigation is possible.

The Ragnarok bears weapons, and Squall's group uses them to penetrate Lunatic Pandora's shields.

Shop[]

During the endgame, even if the player did not complete the Card Club side quest, CC Joker will be onboard the Ragnarok to sell items and offer weapon remodeling.

Item Price
Potion 100
Hi-Potion 500
Phoenix Down 500
Antidote 100
Eye Drops 100
Soft 100
Echo Screen 100
Holy Water 100
Remedy 1000
Tent 1000
Fuel 3000
Normal Ammo 20
Shotgun Ammo 40
G-Potion 200
G-Hi-Potion 600
G-Returner 500


Quests[]

Propagators[]

FF8 Propagator Orange

When Squall and Rinoa first board the starship it is infested with Propagators. There is one in every area. They are visible on the screen and coming to contact with one initiates a fixed encounter. The player can run from the Propagators to avoid a battle, but must defeat them to proceed in the story.

The Propagators must be defeated in pairs; once the player has killed one, they must kill another one of the same color or the original one they killed will be revived.

FF8ScreenshotRagnorak2

Squall and Rinoa spot a Propagator.

A good order to defeat the Propagators is such:

From where the player starts they should head downstairs, and defeat the purple Propagator at the lower level of the hangar. The player can then head up and through the large door, and evade the red Propagator by running through the door on the left. This area is the boarding ramp where the player finds the second purple Propagator, and defeating it will defeat the purples for good.

The player can then head back right and defeat the red Propagator they evaded the first time, then go back left and left once more, evade the green Propagator by the elevator, and go south to beat the second red Propagator.

After dealing with the purples and the reds, the player can go back up to the green Propagator they ignored and beat it, then go south, down the stairs, and through the small door on the upper right to find the second green Propagator. This area also has a save point and a draw point.

With only the yellow ones left, the player can find the first one by exiting the screen and going upstairs and then going south to the airlock where Squall and Rinoa first boarded the airship. The last one is found by going north twice and to the upper left, to the passengers' room.

It is possible to farm high-level stone drops from the Propagators by avoiding defeating them in pairs. However, they will eventually stop spawning.

After the Propagators are defeated the player can use the elevator in the middle, where a green Propagator used to stand, to reach the cockpit.

Triple Triad[]

TTSquall

The player can win Squall's card from Laguna when he is onboard the Ragnarok, if the player did not already win the card earlier. If the player challenges Laguna within the Ragnarok he will use Esthar region's rules.

If the player salvages the ship from Kashkabald Desert during time compression and has completed the Card Club quest, the CC members will appear onboard the Ragnarok. They will hold every rare card the player doesn't currently have in their card inventory (apart from PuPu), in addition to the card levels they normally play. The player can modify their rare cards for items and then win them back from the CC group.

CC Member Ruleset Card Lv Location
CC Joker Centra 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Elevator room
CC Jack Balamb 3, 4, 6 Lower level of Ragnarok, room up from hangar
CC Club Dollet 3, 5, 6 Hangar upper level
CC Diamond Trabia 3, 4, 5, 7 Hangar
CC Spade Esthar 3, 4, 6, 7 Storage room
CC Heart Fishermans Horizon 3, 5, 6, 7 Boarding ramp
CC King Lunar 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Airlock[note 1]
  1. Quistis must be in the party

Finding the Ragnarok during time compression[]

Route-to-ragnarok-disc-4-map-ffviii

Route to find Ragnarok.

During the endgame, the Ragnarok is found in Kashkabald Desert within Centra. Using the central portal outside Ultimecia Castle, the player can return to the world map and obtain a chocobo from the Forest of Solitude north of the Centra Ruins, then ride it across the continent to Kashkabald Desert. The player can also enter the upper portal, obtain a chocobo from the Chocobo Sanctuary in Grandidi Forest in the Esthar region, and ride it along the coast to Centra.

As a vehicle[]

FFVIII Ragnarok

The Ragnarok on the world map.

The Ragnarok becomes the party's airship after Squall and Rinoa have returned to the planet with it. Unlike the airships in many previous Final Fantasy games, the Ragnarok can land on mountaintops and on snow and forests. It can land on several locations directly: Fishermans Horizon, Esthar City and Deep Sea Research Center.

The autopilot can be used in the largest map view while flying on the world map. The controls are the same as for mobile Balamb Garden: Square to go forward, Triangle to go back, X to land and Circle to go inside the cockpit. Directional buttons are used to steer and control altitude.

The Ragnarok is piloted by Selphie whenever she isn't in the player party. If Selphie is unavailable, Ragnarok is piloted by Zell, and if both are in the player party, Quistis takes the reins.

Ragnarok-stuck-FFVIII

Player's Ragnarok stuck.

The player may run into a game-breaking bug where they lose access to the Ragnarok by landing it too close to a structure on the world map, tangling the airship with it and making it impossible to board again. Because the player needs the Ragnarok to invade Lunatic Pandora, they can become stranded if they lose their airship.

Musical themes[]

"Residents" plays when the Ragnarok is first boarded and must be cleared out. During the scene with Squall and Rinoa in the cockpit, "Eyes on Me", the game's theme song, plays.

"Ride On", the airship theme for the Ragnarok, plays when flying across the world map and will continue to play as the player explores its interior. Composed by Nobuo Uematsu, it is the second track on Disc 4 of the original soundtrack.

Other appearances[]

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy[]

The Ragnarok Cannon.

A Ragnarok-themed laser cannon appears as part of Laguna Loire's artillery. His EX Burst, Ultimate Ragnarok Cannon, fires a laser blast from the cannon, using his other weapons as a focus to charge up energy.

Laguna's best exclusive weapon is the Ragnarok Pistol, another allusion to the Ragnarok airship.

Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia[]

Laguna appears to carry a Ragnarok-themed assault rifle, and uses it in several high-order skills. He further uses a gilded turret based on the ship for his Finishing Burst.

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call[]

Ragnarok Airship

The Ragnarok appears in the Airship Field Music Sequence for the theme, "Ride On".

Theatrhythm Final Bar Line[]

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Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade[]

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Final Fantasy Record Keeper[]

FFRK Ragnarok FFVIII

The Ragnarok appears as both a regular Record and an event setting. Within the Classic Dungeons, the player must complete all series Records through Great Salt Lake (VIII).

It is also the final regular setting for the Broken Chains Challenge Event.

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Mobius Final Fantasy[]

MFF Ragnarok FFVIII
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Behind the scenes[]

Ragnarok 2

At rest on the Esthar Airbase landing pad.

A background where Ragnarok is stationed in Esthar Air Station before the Lunar Cry (the sky is blue) exists in the game data, but it can never be seen in-game as the player can access Ragnarok only after Lunar Cry has already occurred, and the sky is always tinted pink. By playing the downloadable version of the game for PSP or PS3, however, there is a glitch that may cause the background to appear, though the airship is not accessible.

There is a dummied piece of dialogue in the scene where Squall and Rinoa were onboard the Ragnarok where Rinoa tried to dissuade an assumed jealousy in Squall for her having dated Seifer in the past. When Squall did not catch on, Rinoa commented that Squall does not care about other people's pasts.[1]

Event planner Hiroki Chiba made the event where Squall and Rinoa are inside the Ragnarok when "Eyes on Me" plays. Chiba had to adjust it frame by frame so that everything would be in sync with the song.[2]

Merchandise[]

FF8 Ragnarok

Ragnarok figure.

In the Japanese Guardian Force series of Final Fantasy VIII action figures, a piece of the Ragnarok is included with each figure. When all eight are collected, a full model figure of the ship can be assembled. In the English release the Ragnarok pieces were excluded. Currently the bonus parts command exorbitant prices as collector's items, with separate parts costing around approximately $80-$100 a piece and completed models around $1000 on the secondhand market.

Gallery[]

Etymology and allusion[]

In Norse mythology, Ragnarök is a prophesied event triggered by the death of the god Balder. It sees a great battle between all the major entities of Norse mythology, during which the spirits in Valhalla are called upon to join the fray. The encounter ends with the destruction of the universe, and Balder along with a handful of others are reborn as mortals, with few memories of the world before Ragnarök.

The ship's dragon-based design may allude to Jormungandr or Nidhoggr, two prominent dragons within the stories of Ragnarok said to represent the cycle of creation and rebirth, as well as defiance of the heavens.

In Final Fantasy VIII, Ragnarok is a pun on Laguna Loire's name, as the first three characters of his full name and that of the airship are the same in Japanese (ラ・グ・ナ, Ra-gu-na?). The ship is called "Lagunamov" and "Lagunarock" in the Spanish and Italian versions respectively.

Laguna wants to ride on the Ragnarok from FFVIII Remastered

Laguna thinks "Ragnarok" sounds cool.

The link is referred to even in the English translation when Laguna says, "I always wanted to ride that thing. Plus the name sounds so cool!" (Original: "I wanted to ride that thing at least once. It's even got my name on it!") The name can even be interpreted as "Laguna 6", because roku means "six" in Japanese, suggesting there may have been at least five other "Laguna" ships.

Citations[]

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