I really, really, really want a quesadilla, but I just can't cook them. I get all the components together and when I start cooking them, they just all fall apart, I don't get it. And Scotland isn't like... big on Mexican food on the whole so it's not like I can just pop to, I don't know, Taco Bell and go get one made for me. I don't even know if Taco Bell do quesadillas, that is how deprived of Mexican fast-food of a country I live in. Ugh. Part 20. Final Fantasy XIII Walkthrough. Paramina.
One Brief Note...[]
Before we go foraging into our new location, just know that hopping right back on to Atomos and riding back to the Mah'habara actually opens up two new hidden areas: the Asylum from Light and the Abandoned Dig. The monsters here actually pop up later in the chapter, but I think these areas are largely intended for exploration in Chapter 13. You can head there if you fancy a challenge, but I will cover this area properly in a later Sidequesting page, okay?
Sulyya Springs[]
I wish characters started saying these location names aloud so I'd know how to pronounce them. Double ys are always tricky.
Save Up at the station, then head on into the Subterranean Lake. We get a brief cut scene between Snow and Vanille - the latter admitting that she had met Serah on the beach on Day 9, and how she wanted to apologise her - but I'm distracted by the amount of treasure chests bopping about in the background of the whole thing. As soon as they're done talking, let's get to it.
First things first: Strange Fluid x13 right ahead of you. Grab them and hop over to the next platform, where there are a ton of Ceratosaurs hopping around. Be careful, because these guys can take you down pretty swiftly. If you've been skipping battles, you'll definitely need a Sentinel in there for crowd control. Grab the Enigmatic Fluid x10 to your right.
Once you're done, approach the water's edge and examine the bubbling pool in the water. The fal'Cie Bismarck will rear its head and get all heckled. It raises up some platforms in a form of defence or something. I don't know. Le sigh.
Okay, the area to the right doesn't actually lead anywhere, it's all just treasure for us to grab, but it's not an easy plunder. It's filled with Ceratosaurs, Ceratoraptors and... ugh, guys, I have this weird phobia about skin... like, not regular skin on your body but whenever I see like an intense skin condition or like, ripped skin I have to grab on to something or I'll pass out. This area makes me dry-heave because those Orobons have oddly human faces and really really gross fish skin and I can just imagine touching it and... I'm shuddering so violently right now, seriously.
Anyway, strategies. You know how to take on the little frogs, but the big guys are new. They hit damn hard and can inflict Daze, which is annoying. Have Fang inflict Poison and Curse on it to make things easier for you. Also, if you're in a mixed battle, always take out the little hoppers before going after the Orobon. I feel like there's no point 'guiding' you around this area, since there's no way you can get lost in a dead-end, but I'll just create a little treasure checklist for you, so you know when you can move on:
- Mnar Stone
- Water Charm
- Aquabane Brooch
- Moistened Scale x6
- Seapetal Scale x6
There's also a new platform raised near the entrance to the Subterranean Lake, which has a Riptide Ring and a nugget of Uranite on it, but it's guarded by three Orobon and two little guys, so prepare yourself. Don't panic: these battles are tricky, they're supposed to be, but they're totally doable, and the treasure is worth it, as always. It really helps to play with your Accesories here: you need to pile on your Sorcerer's Marks and Warrior's Wristbands and stuff, and put that Riptide Ring you just acquired to good use. If it's really too much for you at this point, you can always return here later on, so don't worry about it.
Anyway, once you're done (if you even started), return to the main path and hop on through to the Ceiling of Sky. You'll pass a chest with Abyssal Scale x7 on your way out. Hit the Point of Interest for the party to call it a day and set up camp.
It's time for a pretty FMV, though it means that Snow's weird flesh-beard is back. Ech. He's thinking about his baby boo, again, but this time he's joined by Lightning, who is game for amusing him and asking him how Serah is. She, of course, is the same as we left her: comatose and encased in crystal, though where, I'm not 100% sure... we last saw her on the Palamecia, right? Is she still there even after we knifed Raines?
"Lock it up, Villiers."
Regardless, Snow and Lightning are having another nice bonding session; it seems like Lightning has finally accepted Snow as her future brah-in-law. He promises that this crystal tear will be the last tear Serah ever sheds, which is a nice idea and all, but lol, no, her road's getting hella rough. Snow starts to doubt whether they'll be able to save Serah after all, but Lightning is uncharacteristically taking on the pep-talker role in this convo. Lock it up, Villiers, lock it up.
When we regain control, continue through the path just ahead of you. The only thing of remote interest on it is a chest with a single Cie'th Tear, which for all its use might as well be a turd in a box, to be honest. Eventually you'll reach the new area and see a new sight looming on the horizon...
"Doesn't exactly look like it's going to be a leisurely stroll."[]
When has it ever? All we have to do is climb this tower, and we'll finally be in Oerba. Boom. Of course, we will have to make it past the territorial fal'Cie that just flies past, knocking some mouth-butt birds out of the sky in one hit like it's nothing. No big deal, no big deal.
Accept the Cie'th Stone mission that pops up here, because it'd be lazy not to, and the mark is literally like, round the corner. Your path round to the Tower is littered with Manargarmir and Amphisbaena, but they're just palette swaps of other monsters you've fought so far, so you should know the basic strat to deal with them. At the top, you'll spot your Mark, the Goblin Chieftain, bopping about with a little Goblin possé near the cliff-edge.
| Cie'th Stone Mission: Goblin Chieftain |
| No. 20 - Words Unspoken |
Focus your attacks on clearing out the little guys first, since they can morph into bigger guys if you leave them too long. You can go in there all guns ablaze with Relentless Assault, or use Delta Attack to pace yourself a bit. Once you've done crowd control (which includes the Munchkin Maestro), switch to a Paradigm with a Saboteur (Evened Odds is a good shout, to buff and heal simultaneously) to inflict Deprotect and Despell on your Goblin Chieftain, and Dispel if they've acquired any buffs during the fight. From that point on, it's easy pickings. Push to stagger. Decimate. Done. |
And that Cie'th Stone back there is now a Waystone, sweetness. Remember to grab the Sinister Fang x20 just ahead of you before heading off to the right. There are two Managarmirs outside the doors to the tower. Dispatch, and enter.