Tzen is an optional town in Final Fantasy VI located at the north end of the Southern Continent. It was once a monarchy before it was invaded by the Gestahlian Empire.
Story[]
When the Empire invaded Tzen, they killed off their royal family. Young men of appropriate age were conscripted and taken away to serve in the military, leaving the town populated by women, children, and the elderly. Imperial troops roam the streets making some reluctant to venture outside.
Celes find Sabin holding up the collapsing building.
In the World of Ruin, Celes comes to Tzen from Albrook, following rumors of a man searching for his friends. As she arrives at the town, Kefka attacks Tzen with the Light of Judgment. The mansion on the north end of town begins to collapse, and Celes finds Sabin holding up the structure. Celes races inside the building to find a child trapped in the basement, and the two narrowly escape the home before it crumbles. Sabin joins Celes, the discovery of his survival filling her with hope that the other members of the group are still alive.
Layout[]
Several buildings in Tzen.
Tzen is located entirely on elevated ground, with a stairwell providing the only entrance into town. Shops are built into hills on the edge of town accessible by staircases, save for the Item shop in the center of town. The northern edge of town is dominated by a large manor house, which in the World of Ruin is attacked by Kefka and collapses.
Gameplay[]
Encounters[]
World of Balance[]
- Plains
- Desert
- Fossil Dragon x2
- Fossil Dragon, Bug x3
- Bug x6
- Bug x3
- Forest
- Litwor Chicken x5
- Don, Wyvern, Litwor Chicken x2
World of Ruin[]
- Barens
- Killer Mantis, Fafnir
- Killer Mantis x2, Fafnir
- Fafnir x2
- Murussu, Gigantoad x2
- Luna Wolf x2
- Luna Wolf, Rukh
- Rukh, Murussu, Gigantoad
- Leaf Bunny
- Leaf Bunny x2, Darkwind
- Desert
- Forest
- Killer Mantis x2, Fafnir
- Fafnir x4
Shops[]
Items[]
| World of Balance | |
|---|---|
| Item | Price |
| Hi-Potion | 300 gil |
| Ether | 1,500 gil |
| Phoenix Down | 500 gil |
| Eyedrops | 50 gil |
| Echo Herbs | 120 gil |
| Green Cherry | 150 gil |
| Holy Water | 300 gil |
| Tent | 1,200 gil |
| World of Ruin | |
| Item | Price |
| Hi-Potion | 300 gil |
| Ether | 1,500 gil |
| Phoenix Down | 500 gil |
| Echo Herbs | 120 gil |
| Green Cherry | 150 gil |
| Holy Water | 300 gil |
| Sleeping Bag | 500 gil |
| Super Ball | 10,000 gil |
Weapons[]
| World of Balance | |
|---|---|
| Weapon | Price |
| Air Knife | 950 gil |
| Bastard Sword | 3,000 gil |
| Moonring Blade | 2,500 gil |
| Boomerang | 4,500 gil |
| World of Ruin | |
| Weapon | Price |
| Flametongue | 7,000 gil |
| Icebrand | 7,000 gil |
| Thunderblade | 7,000 gil |
| Kaiser Knuckle | 1,000 gil |
| Venom Claws | 2,500 gil |
| Burning Fist | 10,000 gil |
Armor[]
| World of Balance | |
|---|---|
| Armor | Price |
| Mythril Helm | 2,000 gil |
| Priest's Miter | 3,000 gil |
| Ninja Gear | 1,100 gil |
| Mythril Vest | 1,200 gil |
| White Dress | 2,200 gil |
| World of Ruin | |
| Armor | Price |
| Golden Shield | 2,500 gil |
| Tiger Mask | 2,500 gil |
| Beret | 3,500 gil |
| Golden Helmet | 4,000 gil |
| Power Sash | 5,000 Gil |
| Golden Armor | 10,000 gil |
Relics[]
| World of Balance | |
|---|---|
| Relic | Price |
| Amulet | 5,000 gil |
| Black Belt | 5,000 gil |
| Earrings | 5,000 gil |
| Hermes Sandals | 7,000 gil |
| World of Ruin | |
| Relic | Price |
| Jeweled Ring | 1,000 gil |
| Peace Ring | 3,000 gil |
| Thief's Bracer | 3,000 gil |
| Sniper Eye | 3,000 gil |
| Amulet | 5,000 gil |
| Black Belt | 5,000 gil |
| Alarm Earring | 7,000 gil |
| Dragoon Boots | 9,000 gil |
Treasures[]
The only treasure to acquire in Tzen outside of the Crumbling House is the magicite Seraph, which is purchased from a rogue behind the Relic shop once the Magitek Research Facility is completed.
Quests[]
Seraph[]
The thief hiding in the trees in town.
Once the player has completed the Magitek Research Facility, in the trees behind the town's Relic shop is a thief who stole a piece of magicite from the facility and will sell it to the player. In the World of Balance he charges three thousand gil for it, but in the World of Ruin he sells it to the player for only ten gil. The magicite contains the esper Seraph.
The Crumbling House[]
Celes inside the Crumbling House.
In the World of Ruin, the first time the player enters Tzen, Kefka attacks the town with his Light of Judgment, causing monsters to infest a manor home and the house to crumble while the child of the owner is still inside. The party finds Sabin holding up the house, and he sends them inside to save the child before the house collapses. The player then has six minutes to get inside, rescue the child, and escape. Afterward Sabin rejoins the party.
It is possible to do this quest at the start of the World of Ruin with only Celes, but it can also be skipped until later.
Maps[]
Musical themes[]
"Under Martial Law" is Tzen's World of Balance background theme, and is replaced by "From that Day On..." in the World of Ruin.
Behind the scenes[]
The original idea for the Tzen event in the World of Ruin was to have Sabin die if the player ran out of time while in the crumbling house. Were the player to return to Tzen with Edgar he would wander forlornly in the middle of the night, searching through the rubble in vain. However, the World of Ruin was seen as dark enough and the event was changed.[1]
There is an event to lock the first door inside the Crumbling House, but it is cleared twice - once when beginning the World of Ruin and again when first entering the Crumbling House. Presumably the house would have been intended to be possible to enter in the World of Ruin and the rest of the house would be inaccessible. In the final game, the door of the house is impossible to reach in the World of Balance due to an NPC that always stands in the way, and even if the player could somehow reach the door, in the World of Balance the door does not have any entrance/exit data assigned.
Gallery[]
