One of the most satisfying parts of playing old Final Fantasy games is the plethora of secret items and collectibles that can be obtained if players are explorative enough. But some side quests are difficult to figure out without a guide describing what can be found and how to find them, even for the most explorative of players. Resources like PlayStation Magazine (and other gaming magazines, by extension) became popular over time and eventually led to full-length colored guides for video games.

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Widespread use of the internet has made gamer-networking easier than ever, so there's plenty of sources out there that describe where to find special items and how to get them. From easily overlooked content to programming errors, there are some items that could prove difficult to obtain if players don't know the ins and outs of the game.

10 The Dragons' Den Has Loads Of High-Level Equipment (Final Fantasy VI)

Final Fantasy VI logo

Locke's Zwill Crossblade is one of the highly coveted items that can be found in the Dragons' Den. Its stats include a 30% boost to evasion, a 25% boost to magic evasion, and a 25% chance of inflicting sleep on enemies when attacking. It's the strongest dagger in the game. Unfortunately, traversing the Dragons' Den is no easy task. Not only are the dragons stronger than they were previously, but players also need to utilize three different parties to get through the Dragons' Den successfully. Having a guide is a great help for this dungeon.

9 Players Can Find Apocalypse After Completing The Ancient Forest (Final Fantasy VII)

Final Fantasy VII Original Cloud Strife

Apocalypse is one of the best weapons for Cloud, surpassed only by Ultima Weapon. Moreover, Apocalypse has three materia slots and comes with a triple AP bonus, making it a fantastic weapon to power through mastering materia. The catch is that it's waiting for Cloud at the end of the Ancient Forest, an optional area that requires players to solve puzzles successfully to complete. A guide comes in real handy for this and will save players time and a headache.

8 The PuPu Card Requires Players To Complete A Very Specific Side Quest (Final Fantasy VIII)

Squall Leonheart from Dissidia and Final Fantasy VIII

The UFO? side quest is not only specific, but it's also completely missable. If players don't successfully collect the Occult Fan magazines in Final Fantasy VIII, they won't be able to fulfill the conditions for manifesting the UFO that leads to the PuPu card.

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Furthermore, players need to encounter the UFO at specific map locations and battle it before PuPu appears at the Balamb island where Balamb Garden used to be located. Considering the Occult Fan issues only give vague hints, a guide is almost necessary to pull this quest off correctly.

7 Obtaining The Miniature Prima Vista Decoration Requires A Specific Side Quest (Final Fantasy IX)

final fantasy ix logo

Players need to activate this side quest by speaking to Morrid after visiting his tower. He'll offer to give the Mini-Prima Vista to the party if they bring him three rare types of coffee beans. From there, players will need to locate the beans scattered across Gaia and bring them back to Morrid before entering the Shimmering Island portal later in the game. This is one of those easily missable items from early Final Fantasy games where exploration was key to completing certain in-game achievements. Guides are essential for completionist gamers that want all achievements and collectibles.

6 Odin's Materia Is Locked Up In The Shinra Mansion (Final Fantasy VII)

Final Fantasy VII Remake Cloud

The Shinra Mansion in Nibelheim is a completely optional foray for Cloud and the party, so it's possible to miss or skip this location. Completing it gives a lot of rewards and a new party member, so it's definitely worth looking into. The Odin materia is one of the rewards found here, but players need to successfully find the code to the safe on the second floor. There are hints about the code scattered throughout the mansion, but they're easy to overlook. A guide is the best way to get there.

5 The Sleep Blade Can Be Easily Missed On The Dreadnought (Final Fantasy II)

Final Fantasy II

This weapon is located behind an unopenable cell grate on the second floor of the Palamecian Dreadnought. It's a useful sword that can put enemies, including some bosses, to sleep, meaning fights will be easier if players can nab this weapon. Unfortunately, there's no clear way for players to figure out how to access the chest behind the cell grate. However, a guide will reveal the hidden passage that leads to the chest. The Dreadnought cannot be revisited, so the blade needs to be acquired the first time visiting it.

4 The Knife Is A Powerful Throwing Item That Can Be Missed (Final Fantasy IV)

yang from final fantasy iv

The key to obtaining the Knife is to complete the optional side quest involving Yang and his wife. If players visit Yang's wife while he's resting in the Sylvan Cave, she will give Cecil a frying pan to whack Yang over the head with. If the player dutifully whacks Yang and returns the frying pan to his wife, she'll give up the Knife.

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Edge can throw the Knife and deal a devastating 9999 damage. A guide will be sure to point out this valuable item so players won't miss it.

3 Players Need To Steal Genji Equipment From Gilgamesh (Final Fantasy V)

final fantasy v logo

Gilgamesh can be encountered multiple times over the course of Final Fantasy V, but he'll be carrying the Genji equipment on him only during a few encounters. The Genji equipment is some of the strongest that Final Fantasy V has to offer, so acquiring it should be high on any player's priority list. Some fights with Gilgamesh are skippable or missable, so a guide will be helpful in pointing out which encounters Gilgamesh will be carrying the Genji equipment.

2 Final Attack Materia Can Be Permanently Missed (Final Fantasy VII)

Cloud wielding his Buster Sword in front of Midgar, while Sephiroth waits in the wings.

There are two important things to know about the Final Attack materia. First, it needs to be won through the Battle Square at the Gold Saucer. There's also a list of accomplishments players need to fulfill before the secret duel will unlock at Battle Square. Those requirements are specific enough, but the most important thing to know is that Final Attack materia can be missed if the player's materia inventory is full.

Ordinarily, the game will prompt players when their inventory is full before accepting a materia reward, but a programming error prevents this from occurring in the original Final Fantasy VII for only the Final Attack materia. A guide will be sure to prompt players to make sure they have inventory space before attempting the secret duel.

1 Excalibur II Is Locked Behind A Secret Achievement (Final Fantasy IX)

Steiner From Final Fantasy IX Cutscene

Excalibur II is the strongest weapon available for Steiner in Final Fantasy IX, but it's really easy to miss. The only way to gain access to Excalibur II is to make it to the game's final dungeon, Memoria, within 12 hours of playtime. Reaching that point of the game within 12 hours is already challenging enough, but it's even more challenging on some ports of Final Fantasy IX. There are tricks to spoofing the game's clock to make it easier, but regardless, this hidden achievement almost necessitates a guide to help players meet the fulfillment for this weapon.

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