Melmond & the Earth Crystal

Sail through the canal and head west to Melmond. A Vampire lurks in the cavern nearby, and the first of four Fiends guards the Earth Crystal at the bottom.

Sailing to Melmond

From Mt. Duergar's port, sail west across the Aldean Sea until you reach the far continent. The clip below shows the full route.

Pass the small island mid-sea and dock at the port on the western shore. Walk east into town.

Melmond Town

The overworld around Melmond is noticeably tougher. Hyenadons and Lesser Tigers hit hard and have no elemental weakness; physical attacks and Firaga are your best options against them. Save your MP for the dungeon though, since these fights aren't worth burning Level 5 casts on.

Talk to the townsfolk and they'll fill you in on the Vampire. Rest at the Inn and visit the shops before heading to the cavern.

Melmond shops

All Level 5 spells cost 4,000 Gil each. You won't afford everything on your first visit, so prioritize spells over gear.

• Level 5 White Magic: Curaga and Life are non-negotiable. Curaga heals roughly triple what Cura does; Life revives fallen party members. Diaga hits all undead hard and the cavern is full of them. Healra heals the whole party but less per person than Curaga, so it's a lower priority.
• Level 5 Black Magic: Firaga is your damage upgrade and will see constant use in the cavern. Slowra has niche value against bosses. Scourge is an instant-death spell, but instant death is unreliable on anything that matters. Teleport lets you escape dungeons instantly; useful but can wait until after the cavern.
• Armor: Silver Armlet (4,000 Gil) for your mages if they don't already have one. Pick up a second if you're running both a White Mage and Black Mage. Knight's Armor (36,000 Gil) is too expensive right now.
• Weapons: Longsword (1,200 Gil) has 1 more ATK than the Wyrmkiller but lower accuracy. Stick with what you picked up from Mt. Duergar.

Red Mages can only learn 3 of the 8 Level 5 spells (Firaga, Slowra, and Curaga). The class starts falling behind here and the gap only gets wider.

Cavern of Earth

Head west from Melmond, then south through a narrow strip of land between mountains. The entrance sits at the base of the northern mountain range. Level 17-19 is comfortable for the first visit.

Five floors total, but this first run only covers B1 through B3. You'll return with the Earth Rod later to break through to B4 and B5. Sixteen chests on the first three floors, and half of them are guarded by monsters that attack the moment you open the lid. See the Cavern of Earth chest guide for all locations.

Most new enemies in the bestiary for this area are undead. Mummies, Wraiths, Wights, and Ghasts all melt to Firaga and Diaga. Earth Elementals are weak to Fire too. Trolls regenerate HP each turn but also burn to Fire, so kill them fast. But Ochre Jelly (rare, mostly on B3-B5) is weak to both Ice and Fire. Cockatrices are the real danger; they petrify party members and only Gold Needles cure it. Keep at least 3-4 on hand at all times. Hill Gigas and Minotaurs have no elemental weakness and can two-shot your mages.

Cavern of Earth directions

This video covers the full path from B1 through B3, hitting every chest along the way. Floor-by-floor directions follow below.

B1. Head to the top right of the map; there's a room with a lone chest containing 1,975 Gil (guarded by monsters). Southwest of the map, another room holds two chests with 880 Gil and a Potion (the Potion chest has monsters). To the right of that room, two more chests sit in a second room with 795 Gil and an Antidote (both guarded). Return to the starting point and go right to find stairs leading down to B2.

B2. Mid-south on this floor you'll find a room with 3 chests; an Earth Elemental guards the entrance. Inside are a Leather Shield, 575 Gil, and 5,000 Gil (no monsters in the chests themselves). The room in the top right corner has a Coral Sword, a Tent, and 330 Gil. Put the Coral Sword on your Thief; it deals bonus damage to aquatic enemies and you'll run into plenty later. Take the stairs on the mid-right side to reach B3.

B3. Follow the path until you reach a small room on the right with a Sleeping Bag inside. Continue north, take the first right heading south until you find a room with a Gold Needle (monsters guard it). Head back north and go left to grab 3,400 Gil from the next room. Skip the top-left corner; instead go south and take a right to collect 1,020 Gil from a guarded chest. Follow the southern path and you'll reach a room with a bat that transforms into the Vampire.

The Vampire

Heal up before entering the last room on B3. A bat blocks the path; talk to it and the Vampire reveals itself.

Cast Firaga from your Black Mage and Diaga from your White Mage. Both target the Vampire's weakness to Fire and Dia. At 280 HP with no magic of his own, he drops in two or three rounds. Haste on your Warrior speeds things up, but even without it the fight won't drag if you're hitting his weaknesses.

Grab the Star Ruby from the chest behind the Vampire and exit the dungeon.

Getting the Earth Rod

With the Star Ruby in your possession, head north from the cavern and immediately west until you find a cave entrance.

Inside the Giant's Cave, a titan blocks the passage. Hand over the Star Ruby and he eats it; he'll let you through after that.

Walk south to find four treasure chests: a Mythril Helm, 450 Gil, 620 Gil, and a Great Axe. Put the Mythril Helm on your Warrior. It's a solid defense upgrade. The Great Axe has high ATK but lower accuracy than the Wyrmkiller, so keep it as a backup.

Exit north through the back of the cave and follow the path south around the mountains to another cave entrance. This is the Sage's Cave.

There are no chests here, so skip the doors until the last one. Speak with Sarda; he'll reward you with the Earth Rod for defeating the Vampire and task you with destroying the fiend lurking deeper in the cavern.

Return to the Cavern

Rest at the Melmond Inn and pick up any Level 5 spells you couldn't afford earlier (the fights in the cavern will have earned you plenty of Gil by now); level 20-22 is comfortable for the deeper floors. The Lich hits hard, so you'll want full HP and MP before going back in.

Once inside, fight your way back to the room where you defeated the Vampire. On the right side there's a sealed door; interact with it and the Earth Rod opens the way to stairs leading down.

Cavern of Earth (return) directions

B4. Two treasure rooms. The north room has five chests: 5,450 Gil, 1,520 Gil, a Staff, 3,400 Gil, and 1,455 Gil. Four of them are guarded by Sphinxes and the usual undead mix. The southwest room holds a Tent, 1,250 Gil, and a Mythril Shield. Put the shield on your Warrior. All three chests there are guarded too.

B5. No treasure on this floor. Head north, take the first left, and follow the path south to the boss room. Save before stepping in.

The Lich

Lich is the first of four Fiends. Heal up and restore as much MP as you can before the fight.

Open with NulFrost. Lich favors Blizzara and it hits the whole party. At 1,200 HP with weaknesses to Fire and Dia, he goes down to Firaga and Diaga. Stack Haste and Temper on your Warrior for physical damage, and keep your White Mage on Curaga between Diaga casts. He can also cast Sleep, but the fight ends fast if you maintain pressure.

Step into the portal behind the crystal to warp out of the cavern instantly. Back in Melmond, rest at the Inn and stock up. Sail east around the southern tip of the continent toward Crescent Lake, where the sages will point you toward the next Fiend. Grab a few extra Gold Needles if you're running low; the Gurgu Volcano isn't far off.