Walkthrough:Final Fantasy VIII/Bond/Part 8

Back to Balamb now. Since we're here and won't get in trouble for exploring, we'll do that now.

Balamb

• Draw Points
  • Thunder (Town Square)
  • Cure (Docks)
• Save Points
  • Balamb Hotel (Upper Level)
• Rare Cards
  • Zell (Zell's Mom has this, and he must be in your party for her to use it)
• Magazines
  • Timber Maniacs (Balamb Hotel, in Gust Room)
• Locations
  • Item Shop
  • Junk Shop
  • Hotel

So, we have a little time to explore the town before we're required to return to the Garden. We'll begin by saving in the Hotel and while we're there pick up the Timber Maniacs magazine. Next we'll stop by Zell's House, which is the bottom one on the right hand side just north of the Hotel. His mother will be there cooking and you can win Zell's card from her. Remember to save in the Hotel just in case! Also, in the back room, there's a fake copy of Timber Maniacs on one of the stacks of Magazines on the lower right hand side, if you feel so inclined to get it. When you're done head out of the town, and follow the road back into the Garden to get your SeeD Rank and your next assignment.

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Guardian Force - Siren

Siren is our first GF with no elemental affiliation. She's also weaker than your other summons but she also silences those she hits, so you trade your damage for a status effect, which depending on the enemy could be better. She's also the first GF you get with the ST-Atk-J and ST-Def-J abilities which allow you to junction status magic to your basic attacks and defend yourself against certain statuses, which is extremely useful. She also can learn the Move-Find ability which lets you see hidden draw and save points (but only the ones NOT on the main world map). Finally, she allows you to boost your magic quite a bit and if you can learn the Mag Bonus ability early, you will have a magical powerhouse by the end of the game.

Order I learn abilities in:

• Boost
• Mag+20%
• Mag+40%
• Mag Bonus
• Move-Find
• ST-Defx2
• L Mag-RF
• ST Med-RF
• Tool-RF
• SumMag+10%
• SumMag+20%
• SumMag+30%
• GFHP+10%
• GFHP+20%
• Treatment

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For now we'll junction Siren to Selphie and as she comes knowing the Mag-J ability, Junction Double to Selphie's magic stat and if you have better magic upgrade what's junctioned to her Vit. Siren also comes with St-J known, so junction sleep to Selphie's attack to make her put enemies to sleep with her attacks. Next junction Double magic to Squall's Mag stat. Start Siren learning Boost and have her complete it on the way back to the Garden then start on Mag+20%. I prefer to do this on the beach getting more Fish Scales and turning them into water magic to junction to Zell's Str.

Balamb Garden

When you get back, head up into the Garden and towards the Save Point in the main area to see a scene where Quistis, Xu, and Cid are all discussing how the mission went. Then head to the right and find Seifer standing in front of the library. He wanted more glory but Quistis and Xu come in and knock him down a notch. Then Cid comes in and says he'll be disciplined, before he's interrupted by another of those strange guys with red robes and yellow hats, telling him he has business in his office. Head back towards the elevator and you'll hear an announcement telling you to head up to the 2nd floor. Do so and you'll wait for your grade to be given. Stand here and wait for them to come call those who graduated. Talk to those around if you wish. After a minute they'll come and call out those who graduated and take you up to Cid's office. He'll give a short speech, then be interrupted by the same guy in red and yellow. These guys are quite a pain aren't they? Then you'll get your rank. Make sure you talk to Cid again before you leave to get a Battle Meter. Then head down to the classroom to get applause (and see who's leading the applause...quite a gesture given what was just said to him) and your final grade. I followed my guide up above and got the following grades:

• Conduct - 100
• Judgement - 100
• Attack - 100
• Spirit - 100
• Attitude - 100

• Starting rank - 9

Your rank determines how much you get paid at regular intervals by the Garden. You keep it up by having a certain number of battles between when your paid and can increase it on missions or by taking tests. Head to the Save Point and Save. Next thing we'll be doing is increasing our SeeD Ranking to the Max through tests. You might wonder if we could just do this, why is starting at rank 9 instead of 1 so important? The reason is that there are only 30 tests, and at some points you won't be able to fight enough battles to keep your rank up, so you'll have to take a test if you want to keep receiving the Max amount of money. By doing well we saved 9 tests for the rest of the game to keep our rank up and ensure we get paid. To take tests, go under "Tutorial" in the main menu and then to TEST. The answers to all the tests are here:

Level	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
1	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No
2	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
3	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No
4	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
5	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
6	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
7	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No
8	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No
9	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
10	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No
11	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	Yes
12	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
13	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
14	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No
15	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes
16	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No
17	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No
18	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
19	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	Yes
20	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
21	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
22	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
23	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
24	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
25	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No
26	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No
27	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
28	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	No
29	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No
30	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No

As I started Rank 9 I took tests 1-22 to become Rank A. Also note that you cannot take tests higher than your level, so if you're only level 21, you cannot take the level 22 test. Once you're done, save and then head into your tiny room and and change into your SeeD uniform. Then head out and into the ball.

Dancing the Night Away

It's quite an event, and there's some cool cinematics. You start by being your lonely self, and making everyone else come up and talk to you. Zell will be the first. You can pretty much ignore him. Next will be Selphie. Join the Festival Committee if you like...it only adds a few lines of dialogue if you do. I usually do it just to be nice to her. Then you'll see a new character be introduced in a little cinematic scene. This is Rinoa and she'll be in your party soon enough. She comes up and compliments you and asks you to dance. Then she tries to hypnotize you into it, lol. She'll pull you out on the dance floor for quite the dance. Apparently Squall can't dance but learns very quickly. Then she leaves you all alone on the dance floor.

Afterward Quistis comes out to talk to you. She apparently wants to talk with you about something important and you have to go to the 'Secret Area' in the Garden to do so. Students go there to meet up and make out and such after curfew. You wouldn't think it would be so secret if Instructors like Quistis know...but anyway, she wants to go there with you..wonder what she wants? It's inside the Training Center, so go get changed at your dorm, then head to the training center entrance. For now use the switch command to give Quistis Selphie's stuff and make sure you un-junction Ifrit from Zell and give him to Squall. Note that there is a boss fight coming up and doing it without anything junctioned can be hard. Quistis will try to give you a tutorial on something I already went over but skip it or watch as you see fit.

Training Center

• Monsters
  • Grat
  • T-Rexaur
  • Granaldo (Boss)
  • Raldo (Boss)
• Draw Points
  • Blizzard
• Save Points
  • Secret Area

Head up and take the door to the left. Continue up and around the tree trunks on the ground. You can pick up Silence and Blind magic from the Grats. If you equip it to your ST-Atk you can inflict those status effects or equip it to your ST-Def to protect yourself from them. Head to the save point and then back into the secret area.

Quistis will want to talk, telling you she's resigned from being an instructor and will now be a regular SeeD like the rest of us. She was told she had failed, and couldn't lead...poor girl. Squall really doesn't offer her much consolation but does listen and pay attention, which is more than we guys do most of the time, so I have to at least give him credit for that. Oh wait....he really can be a jerk sometimes huh..."Go talk to a wall" ...really? He even makes her start to think they were right firing her...jerk.

Make sure you're healed and save before you head out. Head the same way back out and when you get to the exit, you'll find a girl calling from help. Turns out it is that same mysterious girl who visited you in the Hospital at the beginning. There's a huge monster attacking her and she calls out your name. He may be a jerk, but he wouldn't just leave an innocent girl to die, especially one who seems to know him. Boss time!

Boss Battle: Granaldo

Level Range: 1-100 HP: 1314-9700 Draw: Sleep, Confuse, Shell, Pain Steal:N/A Weakness:Wind Resistance:None Difficulty: 2/6 This guy is fairly simple as long as you are properly equipped. For some reason I've come into this fight a couple times with no GF's junctioned and gotten killed. It's own sleep magic will hit it 40% of the time and when it's asleep it's friends will just stand there waiting for...nothing! Take the opportunity to stock up on the Protect and Shell magic as they are useful and junction well. Stock up Protect first and then kill off his 3 helpers, then stock up on shell and blind if you like, before finishing the boss.

Two guys in yellow/white come and lead her away. Head back to the dorms and you're given your new room for passing your test. You'll fall asleep, then be rested in the morning. Check your desk for a Weapons Monthly, rejunction Zell with Ifrit and Move Quistis' stuff back to Selphie. Also junction the protect magic you just drew to Vit and the Shell to Spr for the characters that can. If you would like you can head back up to the classroom and check out Squall's study panel to see all sortd of new stuff, like the Garden Festival Committee and Selphie's diary but when you're done head back up to the main gate.

Final Fantasy VIII Walkthrough by Bond em7
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