Castle Palamecia

The Emperor is dead. Sort of. Leon, the Dark Knight you've been chasing since the start, has seized the empty throne and declared himself the new Emperor. Time to fly an Airship straight into Castle Palamecia and confront him.

Castle Fynn (Part 3)

You're back in the throne room after the Cyclone. Talk to Hilda when you regain control. She'll mention the Palamecia keyword. Learn it and ask about it.

Chat with Leila and Gordon too. Ask both about Palamecia. They'll tell you Paul has been bragging about breaking into the castle before. Head to Fynn.

Fynn: Getting the Airship

Go to Paul's house in the bottom-left corner again. This time Cid is inside, standing near the bedroom area. Talk to Cid first. He lends you his Airship. Then talk to Paul. He confirms the only way into Castle Palamecia is from the air.

Restock supplies before leaving. Buy max Ethers, Hi-Potions, and Phoenix Downs (as many as you can afford). The castle burns through consumables fast.

Journey to Castle Palamecia

Leave Fynn. Walk back to the ship, sail northeast to Poft, and board the Airship. Fly southeast. See the large fortress near the Coliseum? That's your target.

Land the Airship and hunt in the desert nearby. Sand Worms and Scissorjaws won't give you trouble at this point. Once they're logged, save on a separate file and enter Castle Palamecia.

Castle Palamecia

Walk straight up from the entrance and through the door; step on the floor pad to warp down to the castle basement. Seven floors of winding corridors, monster-in-box traps, and enemies that don't play around. Imperial Shadows are the nastiest regulars here. They're undead, so the Blood Sword will heal them instead of hurting them.

1F. Head south from the warp point. Chest 1 is to the right. Go back up, then right to the top-right corner. Head down, take the first left, and up the stairs. Follow the path for chest 2. Back down the stairs, head right and further down to the bottom-right. Go all the way left for chest 3. Return and take the first left going up to the stairs for the next floor.

2F. Go right where the path splits. Down first for chest 4. Straight up from there for chest 5. Then left, down, and right to the stairs.

3F. Go up until you hit a wall. Left path leads to chest 6, a monster-in-box. Then go right and follow the path down to the stairs.

4F. Head up, go left, then take the first path down. Chest 7. Go up from there and left to the end for chest 8. Return and take the first path up, then left. Follow the winding path to a door. Inside is a room with chests 9, 10, and 11 holding the Healing Staff, Wizard Staff, and Mage Staff. Nice haul if you need caster weapons. Exit and follow the path up and right to the stairs.

Sun Blade (Monster-in-Box)

On 5F, head left and up the stairs. Follow the path down. A small side path leads to chest 12.

Survive that fight and you get the Sun Blade. Worth the risk. Head down and right, then up to the stairs in the top-right corner.

6F. Go up, then left. Take the first opportunity to go down and keep going until you see a door on the left. Inside: chests 13, 14, and 15. Three Elixirs. Head back and go to the right side of the floor. Follow the path around to the stairs. Two more single-path floors bring you to the throne room level.

7F. You'll see a red carpet leading up to the left. Don't go up it yet. Follow the path down and left, past the carpet, then take the next path up. Chests 16 and 17 are at the end: Hellfire and White Flute. Grab both, then double back to the red carpet.

Leon and the Emperor's Return

Walk up the red carpet. Leon is at the top. Your former ally turned Dark Knight turned self-proclaimed Emperor. But the reunion gets cut short. The real Emperor claws his way back from Hell itself, reborn and more powerful than before. He wants his throne back, and he doesn't care who's sitting in it.

Ricard makes his stand. He holds off the Emperor alone so you, Firion, and Leon can escape on the Wyvern. Ricard doesn't make it. The last Dragoon of Deist goes down fighting, buying your party enough time to fly clear.

Castle Palamecia crumbles. In its place, a new fortress rises from the earth: Pandaemonium, the Castle of Hell. That's where the Emperor is heading. And that's where you'll follow him. But first, head back to Castle Fynn to regroup and learn the final keyword.

Enemy Encounters

16

16 enemy types inside Castle Palamecia. Coeurl, Imperial Shadow, and Lamia Queen only appear in monster-in-box chests. Skull, Eyemoeba, Black Knight, Stone Golem, and General are missable bestiary entries that must be defeated before completing the castle.

#091 Black Knight

#043 Cockatrice

#111 Coeurl

#038 Death Flower

#039 Devil's Bloom

#071 Eyemoeba

#056 Flying Ray

#106 General

#033 Gottos

#086 Imperial Shadow

#087 Killer Mantis

#112 Lamia

#113 Lamia Queen

#022 Skull

#094 Stone Golem

#083 Vampire Girl