Pravoka & Matoya's Cave

Cross the bridge north of Cornelia. Matoya's Cave lies to the northwest; Pravoka is east along the coast.

Matoya's Cave

Head northwest from the bridge toward the mountains. Matoya's Cave is tucked into a clearing past the river, and the route there is crawling with Ogres.

Walk north from the bridge until you come across water. Take a left around it and keep heading north until you find a cave.

The overworld north of the bridge is noticeably tougher. Ogres and Ogre Chiefs can two-shot your mages, so keep Fire ready for them. Crazy Horses also roam this stretch and are easily missed for the bestiary if you haven't run into one yet. Tarantulas show up closer to Pravoka and can poison, so keep an Antidote handy.

Inside, talk to Matoya. She's a blind witch who lost her Crystal Eye and can't see without it. You won't find the Crystal Eye for a while (it's part of a quest chain starting at the Marsh Cave), but remember this cave for later.

Grab the three chests on the left side of the room (two Potions and an Antidote). See the Matoya's Cave chest guide for exact locations. Head back to Cornelia and rest at the Inn before pushing east; the Ogre encounters between here and Pravoka will drain your HP fast if you're not topped off.

Pravoka

Follow the coast east from Matoya's Cave to reach Pravoka. Pirates have taken over the northwest corner of town.

From Matoya's Cave, head south toward the mountains and follow the coast east to Pravoka. Talk to the villager in the center of town; he'll fill you in on the pirates. But before dealing with them, rest at the Inn (50 Gil).

Pravoka shops

You should have Gil saved up from the overworld fights. If not, grind outside town until you can cover the essentials:

• Black Magic: Blizzard (250 Gil) and Temper (250 Gil). Blizzard is your only level 2 damage spell, and several bosses later are weak to ice. Temper stacks on your Warrior and stays useful the entire game. Skip Dark and Slow.
• White Magic: Invis (250 Gil) is the standout. It boosts evasion for whoever needs it most. NulShock has niche use against lightning enemies later, and the other two are weak.
• Weapon Shop: Broadsword (450 Gil) for your Warrior or Red Mage. Battle Axe has one more point of ATK but lower accuracy, so Broadsword wins. Check the full weapons list for stat comparisons.
• Armor Shop: Iron Armor (640 Gil) for your Warrior, Leather Gloves (50 Gil) for everyone

The Pirates

Head to the northwest corner of town when you're geared up. Bikke the pirate captain is there with his crew. Talk to him and he'll throw 9 pirates at you.

Bikke's 9 Pirates have 24 HP each and zero defense. Any physical attack will one-shot or two-shot them. Sleep from the Cornelia magic shop disables most of the group in a single cast, but it isn't worth the MP on enemies this weak.

Bikke's Ship

After the fight, Bikke hands over his ship. The inner sea is now yours to sail, connecting Cornelia, Pravoka, and Elfheim to the south.

Rest at the Inn and stock up on Potions before leaving. And grab a few Antidotes; the enemies around Elfheim can poison, and parties without them are punished fast in the Marsh Cave.

Sailing to Elfheim

Sail south from Pravoka's dock along the coast. You'll hit sea encounters the entire way, so keep Thunder ready.

Board the ship at Pravoka's dock and sail south along the coast. The sea introduces five new bestiary entries: Sahagins, Sahagin Chiefs, Buccaneers, Sharks, and Bigeyes. Four of the five are weak to Thunder, so if you skipped it in Cornelia, sail back and grab it before heading to Elfheim. Buccaneers are the exception with no elemental weakness, but they go down fast to physical attacks.

Dock at the port on the western continent and walk south to Elfheim, where the sleeping Elf Prince and two bosses await.