Citadel of Trials & Cardia Islands

You need the Rat's Tail from the Citadel of Trials to unlock class changes from Bahamut. You'll clear the Citadel, grab treasure from the Dragon Caves, and bring the Rat's Tail to Bahamut for the upgrade. Level 30-33 is comfortable for the full clear.

Getting to the Citadel

Fly south and land on the grass west of Lykion Desert. Walk through the desert and stick to the outer path heading southwest until you reach the Citadel of Trials.

The overworld around the Citadel spawns tougher enemies than before. Basilisks can petrify (keep Gold Needles on hand); Sand Worms hit hard with physical attacks, and Wyrms soak up damage with high HP. None of the outside enemies have an elemental weakness except Ochu, which still burns to Thunder. Sabretooth is a rare spawn in this area and in Mirage Tower later; fight it when it shows up for the bestiary.

Citadel of Trials

Inside, approach the man in the center. He'll recognize the Crown (from the Marsh Cave). After speaking to him, walk to the top-left corner of the room and step on the throne. It teleports you into the dungeon proper.

Mindflayers are back, same as the Cavern of Ice. Instant-kill attacks, no elemental weakness, kill them fast or run. Medusa is the other major threat; she can petrify party members on contact, so keep Gold Needles on hand. The dungeon has a heavy undead presence: King Mummies, Minotaur Zombies, and the usual Mummies all burn to Fire and Dia. Nightmares are weak to Blizzard. But Horned Devils, Rakshasas, and Clay Golems have no elemental weakness and aren't particularly dangerous if your party is leveled.

Citadel of Trials directions

1F. Talk to the old man, give him the Crown, and sit on the throne in the northwest room to warp to the second floor.

2F. Portal navigation across the entire floor. Take the only portal in the first two rooms. In the room with two portals, take the southern one. Only portal again, then southern again. Walk down the hallway to the next portal, then take the eastern one. Grab the Potion from the side room to the east. Exit, go south via the left path, and take the southernmost portal (skip the one on the right).

3F. All 9 chests and the Rat's Tail are on this floor. Head north to the first room; the Healing Staff is guarded by 2 Nightmares. Any character can use it as an item in battle to cast Heal on the whole party, giving your White Mage a free turn. West from there, 3 more chests in the northwest corner: Ruby Armlet (put it on your Black Mage), an Ice Brand, and Steel Gloves.

Head south to a room with 4 chests. The leftmost triggers a fight with Clay Golems. The Gauntlets cast Thundara when used as an item; solid situational AoE Thunder damage. Cottage, 1,455 Gil, and 7,340 Gil fill out the rest. Continue east to the throne room and grab the Rat's Tail from the chest.

Dragon Zombie

Two Dragon Zombies with 268 HP each guard the exit throne. Both are weak to Fire and Dia. Firaga or Diaga can end the fight in a single turn. Equip the Flame Sword on your Warrior for bonus fire damage, and use Haste and Temper if your mages don't finish the job outright. Their physical attacks can cause paralysis, so end it fast.

After the fight, sit on the throne to teleport back to the first floor and leave the citadel.

Cardia Islands

Back at your Airship, fly northwest to a cluster of five small islands. These are the Cardia Islands (also called the Dragon Caves), and they hold 13 treasure chests between them. No random encounters inside the caves.

Start with the rightmost island. Two cave rooms: the left has 4 chests (X-Potion, 9,500 Gil, 2,750 Gil, 1,520 Gil) and the right has 3 more Gil chests. Skip the small island nearby; it has a dragon NPC but no treasure. The marshlands island has 3 chests: an Elixir, Cottage, and 1,000 Gil. The leftmost island holds a Tent upstairs and a Dry Ether plus Gold Needle downstairs. And that's all 13.

Take the eastern entrance on the northern island and walk through the tunnels until you reach Bahamut. Show him the Rat's Tail and he grants your entire party the class upgrade.

Class changes

Class change is the biggest power spike in the game. Each class transforms into an advanced form with new spell access and equipment options:

• Warrior → Knight - White Magic up to Level 3. Can equip the best gear in the game.
• Thief → Ninja - Black Magic up to Level 4. Gains access to almost any weapon and armor.
• Monk → Master - New equipment options but still hits hardest bare-handed. Remove his weapon if you haven't already.
• Red Mage → Red Wizard - Both schools up to Level 7. Finally learns the spells Red Mage was locked out of.
• White Mage → White Wizard - Level 7 and 8 White Magic, including Full-Life and Holy.
• Black Mage → Black Wizard - Level 7 and 8 Black Magic, including Flare.

Visit each town and update your spell loadout. Your Knight should learn Cure and Protect from Cornelia; your Ninja should grab Fire and Thunder from Elfheim. Check Crescent Lake for any Level 6 spells you skipped (your Red Wizard can learn them now). Equipment restrictions are lifted too, so browse every armor shop. Your Ninja in particular gains access to heavy armor that was Warrior-only before class change.

With your newly upgraded party, head to Gaia on the northeast continent. Stock up on healing items and buy any spells you've been putting off before you go. The next stretch is a long haul with no easy way out.