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freshfeelingThe side quest-a-thon continued on August 13th.
There were a few side quests added (some by GameFAQs folks, some by my kids) within the last week, by the way, all of which are documented in the as-of-now current topic on GameFAQs. With those, there are only six things in the whole game that have no means to unlock!: Diamond Shield, Healing Helm, Curaga/CUR3, Invisira/INV2, Diaja/HRM4, and Dispel/XFER. I'll stop myself and my kids from adding anything and hold out for a while for quests from other community members... although there's definitely some kind of opportunity to make the party walk around naked to unlock Invisira.
We were starting from Crescent Lake and our main goal to start was to do the entire Earth Cave. Right off the cuff, there was a situation where I must have not saved the game even though I had saved my quest progress. I only fully realized exactly what happened a little bit later when I didn't have my new Mythril Sword for Cecil and Mythril Hammer for Lenna. I didn't think it was worth trekking back to Crescent Lake at that point so I did the next part of the game without those upgrades. However, the quests I completed, such as Fashionista Arylon, will still be considered complete.
On the way to the Earth Cave (or whatever it's called in this version), I finally encountered the Ghast I needed for Double, Double, Toil & Trouble III. It was a bit of a silly battle, too, where everyone was stunned except for Lenna blowing all the undead away with Dia.
This version of the game treats spiked squares very differently... which is to say, they seem to not exist at all. Fixed encounters like the "hall of giants" are replaced by cloaked figures who initiate encounters, resulting in a much less dangerous/profitable experience there. The spiked squares that would be guarding chests are replaced, as we've already seen, by "monster-in-a-box". Part of what this means is that encounters with Earth Elementals and other enemies on spiked squares are much, much rarer - and less predictable.
Another thing I learned during this session: whether an encounter is escapable or not has changed. It's not associated with the encounter formation itself, but rather with the, um, circumstances? What this means is random Piscodemons or Ogre Mages can be escaped, where in the FF1 version they can't. As well, enemies that are monsters-in-a-box that are normally escapable spiked squares, like the Sphinxes, are not escapable. I found this out when I attempted to fail at running from Piscodemons for one of the side quests, but succeeded!
I got the Coral Sword and put it on Cecil, since I didn't have a Mythril Sword and he was still using a Battle Axe. It made a pretty good upgrade for now. I was surprised not to find any Ogre Mages on B3 at all; the cloaked figure was an Earth Elemental.
That basically brings us to the Vampire. This was an opportunity to complete a few quests!
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There were a few side quests added (some by GameFAQs folks, some by my kids) within the last week, by the way, all of which are documented in the as-of-now current topic on GameFAQs. With those, there are only six things in the whole game that have no means to unlock!: Diamond Shield, Healing Helm, Curaga/CUR3, Invisira/INV2, Diaja/HRM4, and Dispel/XFER. I'll stop myself and my kids from adding anything and hold out for a while for quests from other community members... although there's definitely some kind of opportunity to make the party walk around naked to unlock Invisira.
We were starting from Crescent Lake and our main goal to start was to do the entire Earth Cave. Right off the cuff, there was a situation where I must have not saved the game even though I had saved my quest progress. I only fully realized exactly what happened a little bit later when I didn't have my new Mythril Sword for Cecil and Mythril Hammer for Lenna. I didn't think it was worth trekking back to Crescent Lake at that point so I did the next part of the game without those upgrades. However, the quests I completed, such as Fashionista Arylon, will still be considered complete.
On the way to the Earth Cave (or whatever it's called in this version), I finally encountered the Ghast I needed for Double, Double, Toil & Trouble III. It was a bit of a silly battle, too, where everyone was stunned except for Lenna blowing all the undead away with Dia.
This version of the game treats spiked squares very differently... which is to say, they seem to not exist at all. Fixed encounters like the "hall of giants" are replaced by cloaked figures who initiate encounters, resulting in a much less dangerous/profitable experience there. The spiked squares that would be guarding chests are replaced, as we've already seen, by "monster-in-a-box". Part of what this means is that encounters with Earth Elementals and other enemies on spiked squares are much, much rarer - and less predictable.
Another thing I learned during this session: whether an encounter is escapable or not has changed. It's not associated with the encounter formation itself, but rather with the, um, circumstances? What this means is random Piscodemons or Ogre Mages can be escaped, where in the FF1 version they can't. As well, enemies that are monsters-in-a-box that are normally escapable spiked squares, like the Sphinxes, are not escapable. I found this out when I attempted to fail at running from Piscodemons for one of the side quests, but succeeded!
Title: IF FIRE FAILS, USE LIGHTNING
Author: FreshFeeling (2025)
Story: Elfheim's black magic vendor has refused to sell (b)Thundara, saying there's no market for the spell as long as (b)Fira is available. You'll need to prove that it can be an asset to change his mind.
Requirement: Cast (b)Fira on 8 different enemies without defeating them.
Unlocks: (b)Thundara
The Melmond area's Lesser Tigers were the seventh enemy to survive Fira, and an Earth Elemental guarding a chest was the eighth.
The Melmond area's Lesser Tigers were the seventh enemy to survive Fira, and an Earth Elemental guarding a chest was the eighth.
I got the Coral Sword and put it on Cecil, since I didn't have a Mythril Sword and he was still using a Battle Axe. It made a pretty good upgrade for now. I was surprised not to find any Ogre Mages on B3 at all; the cloaked figure was an Earth Elemental.
That basically brings us to the Vampire. This was an opportunity to complete a few quests!
Title: Learning to Lose Intelligence
Author: nesplayer & Jay_Shaw (2025)
Story: The party's Black Mage has learned of a way to cause his opponents to \"lose intelligence.\" However, to properly study this technique, he will need to observe his companions attempting something awfully dumb - what could work better than having everyone repeatedly try to flee from a situation they could never possibly hope to escape?
Requirement: Have all party members try to run (and fail) from an unrunnable battle twice, then win the battle.
Unlocks: (b)Slow
Knowing that finding unrunnable encounters is actually a little bit challenging, I decided to build it into this fight. I wasted the first two rounds, and accidentally left auto-battle on, wasting a third round.
When I went back to the Earth Cave, I read the text of the Path of Peace quest. I decided I would get through while running away from every encounter I could.
What was funny was I also decided to do the Batman quest and talk to bats, and I distracted myself from running and accidentally started killing some randos on B3. I decided it was worthwhile to just start over.
On my way back down, I opened some treasures and met Ogre Mages.
Then, without much issue, we met Lich!
I had Lenna cast NulBlaze and NulShock, while Vivi used Temper on both Cecil and Locke. I didn't try stacking Temper, just because I wasn't sure that would work in this version... and my damage seemed good enough that it wasn't worth fussing about.
Eventually, Vivi and Lenna joined in with damaging spells and we took Lich out in a few turns. Not long after that, we won!
I wasn't watching too closely, but it was clear to me that I had done well over 400 HP (as in the NES original). I guessed that I must've done 800 damage (as in Dawn of Souls). Well, shortly after the fight, I checked the built-in bestiary...
1200 HP!? That's madness. The balance in this version sure feels like it's all over the place. Between this and all of the encounter differences, this is hardly the authentic experience I was promised. Whatever.
Anyway, beating Lich here also completed Path of Peace for me. I also talked to a lot of bats - roughly 40 of 'em - but not enough to complete the I'm Batman quest.
Knowing that finding unrunnable encounters is actually a little bit challenging, I decided to build it into this fight. I wasted the first two rounds, and accidentally left auto-battle on, wasting a third round.
Title: Undead Are Uninvited
Author: Diamond_Dragon (2020)
Story: While in Cornelia, the party's white mage happened to bump into a ranger by the name of Krylos. Krylos really, really... really hates the undead. Just talking with the man for a few moments stirred a similar desire to destroy the undead within our white mage.
Requirement: Kill 20 undead including a Mummy and a Vampire.
Unlocks: (w)Diara
We had well over 20 undead defeated for this quest - in fact, it was probably over 100. We fought our first Mummies on the first floor of the Earth Cave, and the Vampire finished this off. So, not only did we finish this quest, but we got the Star Ruby.
On the way out, I wandered through the "hall of giants", completing some quests.
We had well over 20 undead defeated for this quest - in fact, it was probably over 100. We fought our first Mummies on the first floor of the Earth Cave, and the Vampire finished this off. So, not only did we finish this quest, but we got the Star Ruby.
On the way out, I wandered through the "hall of giants", completing some quests.
Title: The Giant Loop
Author: gameenjoyer (2019)
Story: Legend has it that there is a wing in a cave somewhere that is populated by so many Hill Gigases that one cannot move without being attacked by them. Is anybody brave enough to try to traverse that entire area?
Requirement: Walk through the Hall of Giants in the Cavern of Earth, fighting every battle you encounter along the way. You may not run from any of them.
Unlocks: (e)Crosier
I am... very unlikely to make use of the Crosier/Iron Staff. It's one of those things that's so dumb that perhaps using the Crosier should, itself, be the objective of a quest.
I am... very unlikely to make use of the Crosier/Iron Staff. It's one of those things that's so dumb that perhaps using the Crosier should, itself, be the objective of a quest.
Title: It's For More Than Cutting Trees
Author: hawkeyerules (2020)
Story: The party's fighter has been racking up the kills with his sword but he wanted to experiment with other weapons.
Requirement: Kill a 2 Hill Gigas 2 Lizard formation twice in the Cavern of Earth without dropping any party member to their knees and without healing in either battle.
Unlocks: (e)Mythril Axe
I decided for this one that I may as well count the 2 Hill Gigas 3 Lizard formations as well, since it was technically impossible on prior versions of the game and expressly harder. This is something that I considered with some reluctance, especially given how that one quest for the Thunder spell is phrased. But since the Hall of Giants works differently and I did my absolute best to clobber everything in it, I think the intent of this quest is fulfilled.
I went straight over to Sadda (who used to be called Sarda) instead of taking the time to go back to town to rest.
Before heading back into the Earth Cave, I went back to the Aldi Sea towns for some shopping, particularly because I wanted my newly unlocked Thundara and Diara spells. I also had never bought Temper and a few things were missing perhaps from my save debacle. Since I had met nearly every requirement of Double, Double, Toil and Trouble III, I actually wandered back over to the Marsh Cave to finish it up.
I decided for this one that I may as well count the 2 Hill Gigas 3 Lizard formations as well, since it was technically impossible on prior versions of the game and expressly harder. This is something that I considered with some reluctance, especially given how that one quest for the Thunder spell is phrased. But since the Hall of Giants works differently and I did my absolute best to clobber everything in it, I think the intent of this quest is fulfilled.
I went straight over to Sadda (who used to be called Sarda) instead of taking the time to go back to town to rest.
Before heading back into the Earth Cave, I went back to the Aldi Sea towns for some shopping, particularly because I wanted my newly unlocked Thundara and Diara spells. I also had never bought Temper and a few things were missing perhaps from my save debacle. Since I had met nearly every requirement of Double, Double, Toil and Trouble III, I actually wandered back over to the Marsh Cave to finish it up.
Title: Double, Double, Toil & Trouble III
Author: beege_man (2020)
Story: Matoya let slip the tale of a witch who set up shop just outside the ruined NW Castle. Apparently lots of people enter that castle, but few exit... be careful. After visiting the NW witch, she asks you to hunt around and in the Marsh Cave for some ingredients that can make an even more potent disabling spell.
Requirement: Visit the NW Castle, then kill 1 Green Slime, 1 Ghast, 1 Werewolf, then return to the NW Castle.
Unlocks: (b)Hold
Since I got some Ghasts around Melmond, I just needed the Green Slime. It didn't take too long, and I got this done!
Since I got some Ghasts around Melmond, I just needed the Green Slime. It didn't take too long, and I got this done!
Title: Double, Double, Toil & Trouble IV
Author: beege_man (2020)
Story: After finishing the previous collection, the NW witch was surprised to see you return. Well if you were able to get those ingredients, perhaps you can delve a bit deeper and get some even tougher ones for an even better spell?
Requirement: Complete Double Double Toil and Trouble III, then kill 1 Grey Ooze, 1 Scorpion, 1 Crawler, and 1 Bloodbones, then return to the NW Castle.
Unlocks: (b)Sleepra
I hated fighting so many random weak idiots for quests, but I was right there, so I decided to get this done. It was actually a fairly quick dive.
I hated fighting so many random weak idiots for quests, but I was right there, so I decided to get this done. It was actually a fairly quick dive.
Title: Cure for Lycanthropy
Author: FreshFeeling (2019)
Story: There have been a number of sightings of Werewolves in the region just west of Elfheim recently, and it seems that these lycanthropic creatures are becoming an epidemic. Lycanthrophy is sometimes described as a curse, and sometimes a disease, and it seems like Dr. Unne could be close to cracking the case and finding a solution, but he needs more field data. What is this guy a doctor of, anyway?
Requirement: After speaking to Dr. Unne for the first time, defeat 10 Werewolves on the southern continent, and then speak to Dr. Unne again.
Unlocks: (e)Werebuster
I also got this done, beating plenty of Werewolves in the Marsh Cave.
I also got this done, beating plenty of Werewolves in the Marsh Cave.
When I went back to the Earth Cave, I read the text of the Path of Peace quest. I decided I would get through while running away from every encounter I could.
What was funny was I also decided to do the Batman quest and talk to bats, and I distracted myself from running and accidentally started killing some randos on B3. I decided it was worthwhile to just start over.
On my way back down, I opened some treasures and met Ogre Mages.
Title: Weathering the Storm
Author: nesplayer & Jay_Shaw (2025)
Story: The party's White Mage is aware of a technique which will allow him to protect himself and his companions from all types of ice spells. However, in order to learn it, he must first observe a relatively slow opponent attempt to use a Blizzard spell against the entire party.
Requirement: Encounter an Ogre Mage with all party members alive. Allow it to cast Blizzara, and the white mage must survive the battle.
Unlocks: (w)NulFrost
I started encountering WzOgre / Ogre Mage groups in B4, in treasure chests. Since I was trying to do Path of Peace, I made sure that the encounter was still unrunnable before proceeding with the battle.
After this, we allowed it to cast Blizzara and then defeated it, fulfilling this quest.
Also for the sake of Path of Peace, when I met the Sphinxes I checked that I couldn't escape before beating them.
I started encountering WzOgre / Ogre Mage groups in B4, in treasure chests. Since I was trying to do Path of Peace, I made sure that the encounter was still unrunnable before proceeding with the battle.
After this, we allowed it to cast Blizzara and then defeated it, fulfilling this quest.
Also for the sake of Path of Peace, when I met the Sphinxes I checked that I couldn't escape before beating them.
Then, without much issue, we met Lich!
I had Lenna cast NulBlaze and NulShock, while Vivi used Temper on both Cecil and Locke. I didn't try stacking Temper, just because I wasn't sure that would work in this version... and my damage seemed good enough that it wasn't worth fussing about.
Eventually, Vivi and Lenna joined in with damaging spells and we took Lich out in a few turns. Not long after that, we won!
I wasn't watching too closely, but it was clear to me that I had done well over 400 HP (as in the NES original). I guessed that I must've done 800 damage (as in Dawn of Souls). Well, shortly after the fight, I checked the built-in bestiary...
1200 HP!? That's madness. The balance in this version sure feels like it's all over the place. Between this and all of the encounter differences, this is hardly the authentic experience I was promised. Whatever.
Anyway, beating Lich here also completed Path of Peace for me. I also talked to a lot of bats - roughly 40 of 'em - but not enough to complete the I'm Batman quest.
Title: Path of Peace
Author: KingRamz (2019)
Story: Esterith, a priestess at the Clinic in Elfheim, wishes you to teach the world the virtues of mercy and nonviolence. The best way to teach is by example.
Requirement: Complete a trip through the Cavern of Earth from B1 to the exit behind Lich without killing any monsters, save those you cannot run from (eg. Piscodemons, Earth Elementals, Ogre Mages and Lich).
Unlocks: (w)Cura
There wasn't much else I could get done before returning to Crescent Lake to get a Canoe... however, I did take the time to wander through the forest.
With my new Canoe, I needed to figure out where to go next. I thought the Citadel of Trials (formerly the Castle of Ordeals) would be a good destination, but very little of its prizes are actually usable yet. I read through some quests and eventually found one involving beating a White Dragon and a Zombie Dragon in that order, so I decided to go to the Ice Cave first.
The rivers were... weird. My knowledge of the NES and Famicom releases of Final Fantasy is pretty darn strong, and I know that there is separate domain mapping for the rivers in the southern continent and for the northern continents. Where the southern rivers - where you'd generally go first - tends to feature tons of Caribes, Hydras, and Ochos/Ochus, the northern ones have a few tougher enemies, like Red Caribes, Frost Gators and Naochos/Neochus. Clearly every river encounter I had in the southern continents' rivers were from the northern continents... and those monsters didn't mess around.
Again, this is the kind of change with encounter behaviour that would be easy to overlook, but its another little thing calling the authenticity of the Pixel Remaster version into question.
Because of those nasty river monsters, we camped up before heading into the Ice Cave. There are a lot of quests that involve this place, and some were much more attainable-seeming than others. I did not endeavor to do all of them now!
I fought a lot more White Dragons than is normal! I guess that's great since there are at least three quests involving White Dragons specifically.
To set up the finish of this quest, I had Locke and Cecil get rid of one White Dragon and had Vivi buff Cecil with Temper on the first turn... so that Cecil could clobber the other White Dragon on the next turn.
No problem!
There wasn't much else I could get done before returning to Crescent Lake to get a Canoe... however, I did take the time to wander through the forest.
Title: Appreciating Nature: Crescent Lake Edition
Author: FreshFeeling (2019)
Story: In the legend of Wood the fighter and his companions, there was no greater obstacle they faced than the treacherous journey to Crescent Lake when they were seeking additional equipment. It was said that the party fell an incredibly short distance from their ultimate destination. It was a great learning opportunity and a great trial with little in the way of reward, but perhaps if you can follow in Wood's footsteps you will learn something as well.
Requirement: In a single trip to Crescent Lake, step in every single forest tile outside of Crescent Lake before entering the town.
Unlocks: (a)Buckler
This was so particular issue, and this meant we could grab Locke a Buckler when we finally got into the town. With this, and our upgrades for Cecil and Lenna, I thought it was worth taking a snapshot of their loadouts.
Vivi is still using a Mythril Dagger and is otherwise dressed like Lenna. It's not a particularly bad loadout for anyone, although a fighter at this point in the game might normally be decked out in more silver/mythril equipment.
This was so particular issue, and this meant we could grab Locke a Buckler when we finally got into the town. With this, and our upgrades for Cecil and Lenna, I thought it was worth taking a snapshot of their loadouts.
Vivi is still using a Mythril Dagger and is otherwise dressed like Lenna. It's not a particularly bad loadout for anyone, although a fighter at this point in the game might normally be decked out in more silver/mythril equipment.
With my new Canoe, I needed to figure out where to go next. I thought the Citadel of Trials (formerly the Castle of Ordeals) would be a good destination, but very little of its prizes are actually usable yet. I read through some quests and eventually found one involving beating a White Dragon and a Zombie Dragon in that order, so I decided to go to the Ice Cave first.
The rivers were... weird. My knowledge of the NES and Famicom releases of Final Fantasy is pretty darn strong, and I know that there is separate domain mapping for the rivers in the southern continent and for the northern continents. Where the southern rivers - where you'd generally go first - tends to feature tons of Caribes, Hydras, and Ochos/Ochus, the northern ones have a few tougher enemies, like Red Caribes, Frost Gators and Naochos/Neochus. Clearly every river encounter I had in the southern continents' rivers were from the northern continents... and those monsters didn't mess around.
Again, this is the kind of change with encounter behaviour that would be easy to overlook, but its another little thing calling the authenticity of the Pixel Remaster version into question.
Because of those nasty river monsters, we camped up before heading into the Ice Cave. There are a lot of quests that involve this place, and some were much more attainable-seeming than others. I did not endeavor to do all of them now!
I fought a lot more White Dragons than is normal! I guess that's great since there are at least three quests involving White Dragons specifically.
Title: Snicker-snack
Author: beege_man (2025)
Story: One, two! One, two! And through and through / The vorpal blade went snicker-snack! / He left it dead, and with its head / He went galumphing back.
Requirement: Kill a Dragon or Wyvern type enemy in a single attack.
Unlocks: (e)Vorpal Sword
To set up the finish of this quest, I had Locke and Cecil get rid of one White Dragon and had Vivi buff Cecil with Temper on the first turn... so that Cecil could clobber the other White Dragon on the next turn.
No problem!
Title: Forging Frost
Author: FreshFeeling (2025)
Story: To create the legendary Ice Brand sword, it has been theorized that you could freeze the breath of a White Dragon!
Requirement: In battle with a White Dragon, allow it to use Icestorm at least once, cast either (b)Blizzara or (b)Blizzaga on it, and then defeat it.
Unlocks: (e)Ice Brand
I actually did this quest more than once; I got wiped by Dark Wizards (aka MAGEs) more than once, and I felt like this effectively undid this quest since getting hit by Icestorm is meant to consume some resources. Thus, after my party wipe and at the start of my last good attempt, I repeated this. As usual, I had a stream issue - this one was different, caused by a brief but total internet outage for my home - so this part was right around the cusp of when the second, shorter video started.
I actually did this quest more than once; I got wiped by Dark Wizards (aka MAGEs) more than once, and I felt like this effectively undid this quest since getting hit by Icestorm is meant to consume some resources. Thus, after my party wipe and at the start of my last good attempt, I repeated this. As usual, I had a stream issue - this one was different, caused by a brief but total internet outage for my home - so this part was right around the cusp of when the second, shorter video started.
Title: Robes of the Deadly Mages
Author: nesplayer & Jay_Shaw (2025)
Story: The party's Black Mage has become aware that mages in the Cavern of Ice are capable of casting a spell which can inflict instant death against someone. However, in order to commit this technique to memory, he will need to approach these mages in a location where they are certain to appear and inspect one of their robes after they are slain.
Requirement: WIth the party's black mage alive, inspect the chest containing Clothes in the Cavern of Ice next to the spiked square.
Unlocks: (b)Death
Remember how I mentioned that I had a TPKO against Dark Wizards/MAGEs? It happened right here!
This battle started out so strangely. All four Dark Wizards used physical attacks against me. I was thinking, "I can't believe how easy this is!". I was surprised, however, that all of my own attacks were doing pathetic damage. I had the entire party using regular attacks, too, hoping I might be able to do a different quest (Professional Jewelers). Well, after they stopped their basic attacks... the fight changed a lot.
Yikes! That hasn't happened much. While it seems a bit cheesy, auto-saves are built into this version of the game, so I went with that. That's why I had to re-do the prior quest. The auto-save didn't lend itself to fantastic luck either, though.
We ended up reloading that save, too. Ultimately it was my third auto-save load where I finally checked the Clothes chest and won. I didn't want to endure a barrage of Thundagas and Firagas so instead of using no magic, I had Vivi casts Blizzara. That worked very nicely, completing the quest.
The forced undead group and other White Dragons were fairly kind to me.
I skipped the treasure room full of gil in the bottom left corner of the next room, and worked my way up to the EYE who is evil. I decided to cast Silence on the Evil Eye, which worked, but didn't matter since Cecil and Locke defeated it on turn 1.
With that, we earned the Levistone!
We left successfully, and went to claim the airship.
Naturally, this opens up a ton of quests. I decided to quickly finish this:
I went through the list of quests and I decided I really wanted to go to the Citadel of Trials next. Given what I've learned about how fixed encounters have changed, I was nervous about one quest that involved beating Zombie Dragons in the Citadel of Trials with a solo fighter. What if there's only ever a single encounter with Zombie Dragons there? I decided to go to the volcano - Mount Gulg - to burn everyone down to 1 HP so that Cecil could easily solo the Citadel of Trials. Well... saying "easily" might be a bit silly! Time will tell.
I ended up saving directly outside of the Citadel of Trials with Cecil in good shape and everyone else dead.
Supposing I get just a little bit of luck, this'll be great! I'll get the Ice Brand soon, which he can wield, and he might be able to unlock the Sun Blade, Mythril Gloves, and Dragon Mail all at once. I will attempt that next time.
Remember how I mentioned that I had a TPKO against Dark Wizards/MAGEs? It happened right here!
This battle started out so strangely. All four Dark Wizards used physical attacks against me. I was thinking, "I can't believe how easy this is!". I was surprised, however, that all of my own attacks were doing pathetic damage. I had the entire party using regular attacks, too, hoping I might be able to do a different quest (Professional Jewelers). Well, after they stopped their basic attacks... the fight changed a lot.
Yikes! That hasn't happened much. While it seems a bit cheesy, auto-saves are built into this version of the game, so I went with that. That's why I had to re-do the prior quest. The auto-save didn't lend itself to fantastic luck either, though.
We ended up reloading that save, too. Ultimately it was my third auto-save load where I finally checked the Clothes chest and won. I didn't want to endure a barrage of Thundagas and Firagas so instead of using no magic, I had Vivi casts Blizzara. That worked very nicely, completing the quest.
The forced undead group and other White Dragons were fairly kind to me.
I skipped the treasure room full of gil in the bottom left corner of the next room, and worked my way up to the EYE who is evil. I decided to cast Silence on the Evil Eye, which worked, but didn't matter since Cecil and Locke defeated it on turn 1.
With that, we earned the Levistone!
We left successfully, and went to claim the airship.
Naturally, this opens up a ton of quests. I decided to quickly finish this:
Title: An Old Man and His Dragon
Author: FlamingXP (2025)
Story: Farmer Jim of Melmond recently received a magical message beetle from his brother, who sought the treasure of a White Dragon. It turns out that Jim's brother was caught in the jaws of a White Dragon! If we can hustle to the Cavern of Ice and defeat a White Dragon, maybe we can still save him.
Requirement: Talk to the farmer in Melmond, then defeat a White Dragon in the Cavern of Ice, and return to the farmer.
Unlocks: (e)Wyrmkiller
I went through the list of quests and I decided I really wanted to go to the Citadel of Trials next. Given what I've learned about how fixed encounters have changed, I was nervous about one quest that involved beating Zombie Dragons in the Citadel of Trials with a solo fighter. What if there's only ever a single encounter with Zombie Dragons there? I decided to go to the volcano - Mount Gulg - to burn everyone down to 1 HP so that Cecil could easily solo the Citadel of Trials. Well... saying "easily" might be a bit silly! Time will tell.
I ended up saving directly outside of the Citadel of Trials with Cecil in good shape and everyone else dead.
Supposing I get just a little bit of luck, this'll be great! I'll get the Ice Brand soon, which he can wield, and he might be able to unlock the Sun Blade, Mythril Gloves, and Dragon Mail all at once. I will attempt that next time.
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