TABLE OF CONTENTS
To Users New to the Super Famicom
The Story
Character Roster
How to Play
  Controls
  Name Entering
  Interacting with People
  Shops, Inns, etc.
  The Menu
  Multiplayer
  Combat
  Status Ailments
  Moving About the World
  If You Get Stuck
  Abbreviations
The Phantom Beast System
  Equipping Phantom Beasts
  Level Up Bonuses
  Summoning Phantom Beasts in Battle
  Spells
Conclusion
Credits

TO USERS NEW TO THE SUPER FAMICOM

To operate this game, simply insert the cartridge into your Super Famicom unit, and press the power switch. Should you wish to quit playing, simply switch off the power, and remove the cartridge. If you wish to reset, but don't want to quit playing, then press the reset button, and the game will re-load.

You must have a Super Famicom controller plugged into your Super Famicom unit to play this game.

THE STORY

Part I: The Great Magic War

Long ago, mankind discovered a great power, known as "magic". The finders of this power began to use it against their fellow men, and were condemned for this. An unknown power began to morph these humans into beasts, and they became even more powerful as a result. Soon, little remained of the world but a scorched wasteland, and the few people that remained fighting were starting to get tired. The beasts, however, were not, and continued to fight, as though possessed.

Finally, mysteriously, the beasts all vanished, and their magical powers did along with them. Those humans who had not become beasts and had magic lost their powers as well, and the world was at last at peace.

Part II: The Rebirth

The world began to grow again after that, but more cautiously. Finally, after 1000 years, the world was back up to the technology level that it had been at before the war. The sciences of steam, gunpowder, and the machine were re-discovered, and technology started to fill the void that the loss of magic had left.

It was at this time that an empire was born. Far to the south, in the center of the southernmost continent, a small empire ruled by an influential youth named Gastora began to grow. Within twenty years, its size could rival that of even Figaro and Doma to the north. But then, the Empire began to grow aggressive, and started to conquer it's neighboring cities. Nobody could understand why, until secret information leaked out from the capital that the Empire had succeeded in reviving the almost-forgotten power of "magic".

Part III: Resistance

It is here that the story begins. Emperor Gastora, not satisfied with his spoils of war, has decided to conquer the northern lands as well. As his first act of conquest, he has sent two soldiers, Biggs and Wedge, along with a top-secret military human-weapon. They are to infiltrate the remote city of Narche, and take the Phantom Beast that was unearthed there back to the Empire...

And so it begins...

CHARACTER ROSTER

There are many people in the world of Final Fantasy VI, and some of them fight for a common cause. Many of these people will join you in your quest.

Biggs and Wedge

These are two imperial soldiers that were sent on a mission to Narche. Biggs is a new recruit, and Wedge is his commanding officer. Both of them dislike the mysterious magic user that accompanies them to Narche.

Tina Branford

Tina is a misunderstood young woman who has no memories of her past. She has been controlled by the Empire since she was just a child, and has never known freedom.

Lock Cole

Lock is an adventurous traveller with a shaded past. He vehemently denies any accusations of him being a robber and thief, claiming that he's treasure hunting.

Edgar Roni Figaro

Edgar is the king of Figaro, a small nation near the middle of the northern continent. His compassion is unsurpassed, as he is constantly listening to what his people say, and always taking in stray women and children to live in his castle.

Mash Rene Figaro

Very little is known about Mash, Edgar's younger brother. He left Figaro in a fit of rage many years ago, and has not been seen since. Rumors hint that he is training as a monk under the great Kempo master, Duncan.

Celes Chere

Celes is one of the Empire's Shogun, or high generals. Despite her cold and uncaring outer attitude, Celes actually hates war and fighting, and wants to see the Empire make peace with their enemies.

Cayenne Garamond

Cayenne is the retainer to the king of Doma, the oldest empire on the northwestern continent. His skill with the Japanese katana short sword is remarkable, and he has been the kingdom's Samurai for three generations.

Shadow

Extremely little is known about this masked wanderer. They say that he once was a common man, but that the death of his wife caused him to turn to a darker path. Cold and unresponsive, Shadow travels alone, and dislikes any company, save for his dog, Interceptor.

Gau

Gau is a boy who was raised by wild animals on the Veldt. He learned how to speak by hiding near the village of Mobliz when he was younger. Although his exterior appearance is very wild, he is a very caring and compassionate young man in reality.

Setzer Gabianni

Setzer is the world's one and only airship captain. He flies all around the world in his airship, the Gambler, without a care for anything at all. Some say that he has a tragic past, but he never seems to show it, if he does have one.

Mog

Mog is a Moglie, and one of the few that can speak the human tongue. His skills in dancing are fantastic, and he is considered the leader by all of the other Moglies of his tribe.

Stragos Magus

Stragos Magus is an old man who lives in the remote village of Thamasa. His life consists of raising his granddaughter, and seeking out more information on the animals that roam the lands near Thamasa.

Relm Arrowny

The granddaughter of Stragos, Relm is an incredibly talented painter, despite her young age. She lost both of her parents when she was very young, and has lived with Stragos ever since.

Umaro

An enigmatic sasquatch, Umaro is known only in Narche legend as the abominable snowman who wanders the mineshafts at night, collecting the bones of dead animals.

Gogo

This person is only known of from legends. Gogo was said to be a great mimic, perhaps one of the best ever, but rumor has it that it did not originate in this world. Indeed, some say that Gogo came from another world entirely...

Leo

Another Shogun of the Empire, Leo is often called the greatest fighter ever. When the science of magic infusion became available, Leo was the only Shogun who refused it. His beliefs lie in honor, justice, and the dignity of mankind.

Cefca Palazzo

Cefca is an interesting yet sad character, in many ways. He was the first Shogun to be infused, but the process was not yet perfected. The procedure destroyed Cefca's mind, and he became a completely different person, warped in both mind and body. His hatred for Leo is unsurpassed, as Leo was the only Shogun who didn't receive infusion, and Cefca blames him for his own loss.

HOW TO PLAY

If you've played a Final Fantasy before this, such as Final Fantasy V, then you probably don't need to read this section. But if not, then read on, brave adventurer!

CONTROLS:

The basic controls for Final Fantasy VI are as follows:

D-PAD: Move Characters/Cursor
A: Confirm/Talk/Add/Open
B: Cancel/Exit/Backspace/End
X: Menu/Switch Right
Y: Switch Left/Change Parties
L: Page Up/Run Away (with L)
R: Page Down/Run Away (with R)
SELECT: Page Down
START: Toggle World Map

Note that you can customize the controls to your liking by going into the Options menu, and choosing User under Control.

NAME ENTERING:

Often, you will have the option to customize the name of a character. To do this, simply select the letter to add, and press A over it. The maximum size of any character's name is 6 letters, and you can't change their last name. To erase letters, press B. To end naming the character, press Start.

INTERACTING WITH PEOPLE:

To talk to people, simply press A while facing them. Some people have more to say than others, and some have important clues to give you. Be sure to talk to everybody, and remember to go back and talk to people if something big happens.

SHOPS, INNS, ETC.:

Shops will sell you items, weapons, armor, and accessories. To purchase these things from them, you need only talk to the shopkeeper. Choose Buy to purchase items, or choose Sell to sell things to the shop. Choosing Ex(it) will allow you to return to normal game play.

Inns will rent you out a room, at a price usually, and your characters will proceed to sleep for one night and recover their HP, MP, and status.

THE MENU:

The menu (accessed by pressing X while in the field) will allow you to access items, skills, equipment, accessories, and configuration options.

ITEMS:

Some items can be used on allies. To use these items, go into the Items menu, and select the item you want to use with A, and choose an ally to use it on. Press A on it again to use it, or move it to a different location by moving the control pad and pressing A elsewhere.

MAGIC:

To cast a spell from the menu, select Skills, and then select Mag(ic). Select the spell you wish to cast, and press A on it. Then, select the target, and hit A again. So long as you have sufficient MP, and the ally will continue to be affected by the spell, you can continue doing this.

EQUIPMENT:

To equip different weapons or armor, choose Eqp (Equip), and select the character you want to equip. (NOTE: You can switch to another character from this screen by pressing L or R) Choose the weapon or armor that you wish to change, and then select the article that will replace it. Some accessories may give you more or less options on what you can equip, so be careful.

ACCESSORIES:

To equip accessories, select Accs (Accessories) from the menu, and then select the character to equip. (NOTE: You can switch to another character from this screen by pressing L or R) Select one of the two slots, and then choose the accesory to equip. Some accessories have immediate effects on you and your status, while others only show their true powers in combat.

CONFIGURATION:

You can customize many elements of Final Fantasy VI from here.

MESSAGE SPEED: Choose how fast the dialogue is printed on screen
BATTLE SPEED: Choose how fast battles progress
BATTLE MODE: Set to Active or Wait; see Combat for more details
SOUND: Set to Dual (Stereo) or Mono
GAUGE: Choose whether to have a time gauge shown or not
CURSOR: Choose whether or not the cursor will stay in the last position that it was in
EQUIP: Choose whether to auto-equip, or to leave the character unequipped, when a new accessory that changes equipment abilities is equipped
COMMAND SETUP: Choose Windowed (regular) or Short (simple); see Combat for more details
CONTROLLER: Choose to use default settings, or customized controls; also, you can play with multiple controllers; see Multiplayer for more details
MAGIC ORDER: Choose the order in which magic is arranged
WINDOW COLOR: Customize the colors of the background and text, or choose a pre-made background

MULTIPLAYER:

One of the nicer features of Final Fantasy VI is the ability to play the game with multiple players. When in Multiplayer mode, player 1 controls the main character out of battle, and the players can decide who controls who in combat in the Multi-Controller option in the Options menu. This way, the two players must work as a team to succeed.

SAVE:

You may save the game at any time on the world map, or by stepping into a Save Point in a dungeon. You may have a maximum of 3 saved games at one time. If you wish to overwrite a save, simply save a new game over it. Be careful, though, because if you overwrite a save file, you have no way of re-loading the overwritten data!

COMBAT:

The combat system is a modified form of real-time. When your time bar fills up, you can choose your action, and then you must wait for the time bar to fill up again after you complete the action. Certain spells can increase, decrease, or even stop your time bar.

There are two modes of combat: Wait and Active.

WAIT MODE: Time stops while you're selecting spells, etc.
ACTIVE MODE: Time passes regardless of what you do.

Wait mode is recommended for new players, and Active for players who want a better challenge.

There are several basic combat commands:

ATTACK: Attack the enemy with your equipped weapon
MBASED: Use Magic-based attacks; only available in Magic Armor
MAGIC: Cast a magic spell on the enemy or your allies
ITEM: Use an item on yourself or the enemy
ROW: Change rows
DEF.: Defend against attacks; Physical damage reduced by 1/2

They can be arranged in two ways: Windowed or Short. Windowed allows you to select commands by going down a list of commands, and is the default setting. Short is a much simpler control setup, in which you need only press the D-pad in the direction of your desired command, and hit A. You can customize the order of the commands in Short mode by choosing Short in the Options menu and pressing A.

When in combat, your goal is to either defeat all enemies, or to run away. By running away, however, you do not get any Experience or Gil, so be careful! You can run away by pressing and holding down the L and R buttons.

If all of your character's HP's drop to 0, are stoned, or a combination of the two, then the game is over, so be careful!

STATUS AILMENTS:

There are several status ailments in this game. Most of them are malign, but some can be taken advantage of, or are advantageous to begin with. It's up to you to decide what to do about them.

Poison: HP slowly drains away; use item Antidote or spells Poisona or Esuna to remove.

Sleep: Character cannot input commands; will wake up when hit by a physical attack, or use the spell Esuna to remove.

Slip: HP slowly drains away; use spell Dispel to remove.

Petrified: Character cannot input commands; use item Golden Needle or spell Esuna to remove.

Near-Death: Character is low on HP; use item type Potion or Elixir, or spells of the Cure type to remedy.

Death: Character cannot input commands; use item Phoenix Down or spells Raise or Araise to reverse.

Death Sentence: Character will die when the timer over their heads reaches 0; end battle before timer reaches 0.

Confused: Character attacks both allies and enemies, cannot input commands; attack afflicted character or use spell Esuna to remedy.

Berserk: Character cannot use anything but attacks, does 2x damage, cannot be controlled; use spell Esuna to remove.

Silence: Character cannot cast spells; use item Echo Screen or spell Esuna to remove.

Slow: Character moves at 1/2 normal speed; use spell Dispel to remove.

Stop: Afflicted character's time bar stops filling; use spell Dispel to remove.

Haste: Character moves at 2x normal speed; use spell Dispel to remove.

Levitate: Characters levitate, earth magic ineffective; use spell Dispel to remove.

Protect: Characters receive 1/2 of all physical damage; use spell Dispel to remove.

Shell: Characters receive 1/2 of all magical damage; use spell Dispel to remove.

Reflect: Some spells will not hit the afflicted character; use spell Dispel to remove.

Kappa: Character is unable to use any spell but Kappa, attack power greatly reduced; use spells Dispel or Kappa to remove.

Vanish: All physical attacks miss, but spells are guaranteed to hit; use any spell on afflicted character to remove.

NOTE: Some items give you status ailments that cannot be Dispelled in battle. Keep this in mind, and be careful when equipping armor and accessories!

MOVING ABOUT THE WORLD:

Travel through the world is accomplished in several ways. The easiest (and least convenient) method is walking. But by walking, you risk encountering enemies on the world map and in most dungeons, so beware!

CHOCOBO:

If walking does not take your fancy, then seek out a Chocobo. These large ostrich-like birds act as beasts of burden in the world of Final Fantasy VI, and can be rented out at a chocobo stable. They can run quite rapidly, and will get you to where you are going slightly faster than you could get there on foot.

AIRSHIP:

At a certain point in the game, you will be able to fly an airship to get around the world. This is a very convenient and fast method of travel, and you don't have to rent an airship, either.

IF YOU GET STUCK:

Sometimes, it may not be clear as to what you're supposed to do next. You can get hints on what to do by talking to townspeople, or going to new places that you couldn't reach before. If you get lost in a dungeon, then be lost! What's the hurry, anyway?

ABBREVIATIONS:

As is the case with many Japanese-English translations, this translation has many abbreviations and shortenings. These are the most common:

Shortened Text	Full Text
MB/MBased	Magic-Based
Eqp	Equip
Ac/Accs	Accessory
Atk	Attack
Pow	Power
Str	Strength
Mag	Magic/Magic Power
Def	Defense
Vit	Vitality
Spd	Speed/Agility
Wp/Wpn	Weapon
Ar/Arm	Armor
Hat	Hat/Helmet
Lft	Left
Rgt	Right
Elem	Element/Elemental
Deth	Death
LV	Level
Beast	Phantom Beast/Eidolon

THE PHANTOM BEAST SYSTEM

Although Phantom Beasts have been around since Final Fantasy III, in Final Fantasy VI, the system is completely reworked. Now, instead of having only a select few able to summon Phantom Beasts, you can equip them. Here is how the new system works!

EQUIPPING PHANTOM BEASTS:

To equip a Phantom Beast, you must first have one. Your first few Phantom Beasts will be given to you, so don't worry about hunting them down until you actually have some. Once you do have some, go into the menu, select Skills, then choose Beasts. From there, you can check up on the Phantom Beast's abilities, spells taught, and level-up bonuses.

LEVEL UP BONUSES:

As you level up, you can gain bonuses to your stats with some Phantom Beasts. Some of them give bonuses to HP, Str, Mag, Vit, etc. You need only have them equipped at the time of level up for these bonuses to take effect. Use them wisely!

SUMMONING PHANTOM BEASTS IN BATTLE:

To summon a Phantom Beast in battle, simply choose Magic, and then press Up. If you have a Phantom Beast equipped, and you have sufficient MP to summon it, then the beast's name will appear, and the MP cost for summoning it. Press A on the name of the beast to summon it. You may summon a Phantom Beast only once per battle, so use caution!

SPELLS:

Spells are no longer purchased or learned by leveling up in Final Fantasy VI. Instead, you learn them by gaining "Magic Points" from enemies in combat. Each Phantom Beast can teach you one or more spells, and each spell has a learning rate. Some Phantom Beasts can teach spells faster than others, so keep this in mind as you try and learn new spells.

There are elements to some spells, and some elements cancel each another out. Below is the character equivalent of each element:

CONCLUSION

This concludes the manual. Good luck, and may your quest in Final Fantasy VI be successful!

CREDITS

Game Developer
Square Co, Ltd.
Copyright 1994 Square Co, Ltd.

See the game's opening for more details on the game's developers

Translated By
Sky Render Translations

Translator
Sky Render

Proofreaders
Sky Render
Nathan Alden
Stian Mathisen
VampyreHunter "D"
A-Ron
Hexadump
Brian C.
Thundor
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This document written by Sky Render of Sky Render Translations