Gaia, Onrac & the Waterfall Cavern

You need the Oxyale to breathe underwater, and it costs 40,000 Gil to get. This chapter also picks up the Warp Cube and the Ribbon (the best accessory in the game). Level 32-35 is comfortable for this stretch.

Fly northeast from the Cardia Islands to the far corner of the world map. Land on the grass near the mountains and enter Gaia.

Gaia

Gaia sells Level 7 and 8 spells, the strongest in the game. Only White Wizards and Black Wizards can learn them (Red Wizards get Blizzaga only). Level 7 costs 30,000 Gil each; Level 8 costs 40,000 Gil each.

• White Magic: Curaja (full party heal) and Diaja (group Dia) are both must-buys. For Level 8, Holy is your strongest single-target damage spell and NulAll halves elemental damage on one target. Leave one Level 8 slot open for a spell sold in a later town.
• Black Magic: Blizzaga is the only must-buy. Break, Stop, Warp, and Kill are all situational. Leave one Level 8 slot open for a better spell later.
• Gear: Protect Ring (16,000 Gil) blocks instant-death attacks and works on any class. Ruby Armlet (40,000 Gil) is a solid mage defense upgrade. But Cat Claws (52,000 Gil) are usable by the Knight, Ninja, Red Wizard, and Black Wizard you earned at the Citadel of Trials, and too expensive for the stats.

The Desert Caravan

Head east to the northwest continent and land south of the desert. Walk northwest through the sand until you find a small patch of desert next to a forest. Step into the sand to enter the Caravan. Buy the Bottled Faerie for 40,000 Gil.

Wyverns and Barettas are new on this continent, both without elemental weaknesses. Hellhounds are weak to Blizzard, Ice Gigas to Fire, and Trolls burn to Fire as usual. Most of the overworld here has no weakness, so rely on physical attacks and save your new Level 7 spells for the dungeon.

Getting the Oxyale

Return to Gaia with the Bottled Faerie. The moment you enter town, the Faerie breaks free and flies to the pond in the northeast corner.

Talk to her at the pond and she hands over the Oxyale, which lets your party breathe underwater. Board your Airship and head for Onrac.

Onrac

Onrac sits on the same continent as the Caravan, northeast of where you landed. The town has the remaining Level 7 spells.

• White Magic: Healaga is a group heal that hits the whole party. NulDeath protects against instant death, but your Protect Rings already cover this. Grab Healaga; NulDeath is optional. Red Wizards can learn NulDeath here.
• Black Magic: Saber buffs the caster's attack power and stacks well on anyone with decent physical stats. Blind reduces enemy accuracy but is situational. Both are worth filling slots with if you have the Gil.

Waterfall Cavern

Leave Onrac and take the Canoe west into the river. Paddle straight north into the waterfall to enter.

Enemies inside are a mix of undead and bestiary targets. Mummies and King Mummy burn to Fire and Dia as always. Nightmares and Pyrolisks are weak to Blizzard. Green Dragon is a rare encounter here and also weak to Blizzard; you'll want it for the bestiary. Cockatrices and Clay Golems have no elemental weakness.

Inside, head as far west as possible then south to the only room. A group guards the entrance: Mummies, Cockatrices, a King Mummy, and Pyrolisks. Firaga and Diaga clear them.

Six chests: Wizard's Staff, Ribbon, Defender, 13,450 Gil, 6,400 Gil, and 5,000 Gil. The Wizard's Staff casts Confuse when used as an item, a nice upgrade over the Mage's Staff. And the Ribbon should be put on your White Wizard; it blocks every status ailment in the game and is the best accessory by a wide margin. The Defender is a strong sword for your Knight that also casts Blink when used as an item, giving him a free evasion buff each fight. Talk to the robot in the back of the room and he gives you the Warp Cube, needed for a dungeon later.

Canoe back to Onrac from the cavern. Head to the southeast corner of town where a Mermaid waits on the dock.

Show her the Oxyale and she lets you board the submarine to the Sunken Shrine. Stock up on healing items before going down; the shrine is a long dungeon with no easy way out.