Enemy listEnemies
Chest listChests
Hidden itemsItems
The whirlpool is gone. Desch's sacrifice at the Tower of Owen opened the outer sea, and now you can sail north past where it used to be. Four new bestiary entries spawn on the water between here and the dwarven island:
All four share a Thunder weakness, but Sea Serpent is the toughest at 256 HP and 36 ATK; it's also the rarest of the group, so keep sailing until one shows up. The other three (Anet, Mermaid, Seahorse) are around 180-190 HP each and die to a single Thundara. Once all four are registered, sail northwest to the small island visible on the minimap and take the southern entrance to reach the Dwarven Hollows.
Dwarven Hollows
The dwarves greet you with their customary "Lali-ho!" Head down to B2 to reach the settlement, where they'll tell you that Gutsco stole their Horn of Ice and fled to the Subterranean Lake. Treasure chests sit in the central area behind a locked bridge, but you won't have access to them until after the boss.
Stock up at the shops before heading out. The Kenpo Gi (2,000 Gil) is your first armor upgrade for Monks and adds an agility bonus. Ice Armor (2,400 Gil), Ice Helm (1,200 Gil), and Ice Shield (1,800 Gil) are all direct upgrades from Mythril for anyone who can equip heavy armor. The Salamand Sword (3,500 Gil) is a solid pickup for your physical attacker; it deals fire damage on every swing. And the weapon shop also sells Fire and Ice Staves (3,500 Gil each), which are worth grabbing if you don't already have one from Gulgan Gulch.
Go west from the center of the room and take the stairs down to the lake entrance, then cast Toad on your party to enter the water.
Subterranean Lake
Cast Toad again once you're inside to restore your party. The Subterranean Lake is a linear dungeon with 7 chests and 6 new bestiary entries. Kill Stalagmites first in every encounter; their Stare attack petrifies party members and will snowball into a wipe if it lands on your healer. Bombs (150 HP) can Self-Destruct for heavy damage if you let them live too long. If Ruinous Wave hits you with Bad Breath, just fight through the ailments since the status effects aren't worth curing mid-battle. The water-based enemies (Sea Devil, Merman) appear most commonly on B3, and Bombs are more common on B2 if you're having trouble finding one on B1.
B1. Head south and across the bridge for Chest 1 (Gold Needle, 81/367), then go slightly north and to the right where you'll find a required hidden passage leading through to B2.
B2. Open the nearby chest for Chest 2 (Zeus's Wrath, 82/367) and continue ahead to grab Chest 3 and Chest 4 on the other side (Zeus's Wrath, 83/367 and Gold Needle, 84/367). Go north for Chest 5 (Gold Needle, 85/367), then take the stairs down.
B3. Collect Chest 6 (300 Gil, 86/367) near the entrance, then continue north until you spot the boss on a raised platform with Chest 7 (300 Gil, 87/367) beside him. Grab the chest first, heal up, and interact with Gutsco when you're ready.
How to Beat Gutsco
Gutsco has 2,800 HP, no elemental weakness, and resists most status effects. His signature move is casting Mini on a party member then immediately targeting them for massive damage. Cure Mini with Mallets or the Mini spell before he gets his follow-up attack, and keep your healer on Cura duty every turn.
Gutsco drops the **Horn of Ice** when he falls. Backtrack to the Dwarven Hollows, speak with the dwarf near the altar, and interact with the right altar to return the horn. But that mysterious figure floating behind you during the dungeon was actually Gutsco in disguise; he reveals himself, snatches both horns, and bolts toward the Molten Cave to reach the Fire Crystal.
Exit the Dwarven Hollows and hop on your boat. Sail to the middle of the island and walk into the ring of trees to register the Chocobo Woods location (your second one), then continue north to the Molten Cave entrance.
Molten Cave
Seven chests and 5 new bestiary entries are inside. The lava floor deals 1 HP per tick to your entire party as you walk, so keep HP topped off between fights. Balloons (186 HP) will Self-Destruct for heavy damage if you don't kill them fast, and Crocottas hit hard at 35 ATK when they gang up in groups. Adamantoise is the real wall at 380 HP and 40 ATK with high physical defense; magic is the only reliable way to bring one down. Blizzara wrecks everything in here, and Red Marshmallows die instantly to any ice spell.
B1. Before going down the stairs, take a left to the top left corner of the map for Chest 1 (Antarctic Wind, 88/367). Head down the stairs and walk through the lava, keeping an eye on your HP. At the fork, take the right split first for Chest 2 (Antarctic Wind, 89/367), then double back and take the left split down to B2.
B2. Stick to the right side of the lava waterfall and go south for Chest 3 (Freezing Blade, 90/367), then head back up and cross under the waterfall to the left. Once you're through, go southwest for Chest 4 (Hi-Potion, 91/367) and then north toward the stairs, picking up Chest 5 (Hi-Potion, 92/367) on the left before descending to B3.
B3. Head left across the lava for Chest 6 (Potion, 93/367), then go north up the straight path until you see a rock and Chest 7 (Hi-Potion, 94/367) to the right of it. Open the chest, then interact with the rock to reveal a hidden path to the left that leads to the boss and the Fire Crystal chamber. Heal up and save before entering.
How to Beat Salamander
Salamander has 4,000 HP and is weak to both ice and water. With multiple mages casting Blizzara, this fight ends in a few turns. Without ice magic, he's much tougher because his Flame attack deals heavy damage to the whole party and he has enough HP to outlast your Potions. Equip the Freezing Blade from B2 and any Ice Armor you bought at the dwarf shops.
Fire Crystal Jobs
Approach the Fire Crystal after the fight to receive four new jobs. Interact with the crystal a second time to fully heal your party (including reviving KO'd members) before leaving.
- Knight is a direct upgrade from Warrior with higher stats across the board. The Defend command cuts incoming damage in half, and Cover auto-protects allies at critical HP
- Thief has the highest agility in the game; with proper equipment, Thieves attack dozens of times per turn. They also open locked doors, which matters at Castle Argus
- Ranger uses bows and boomerangs from the back row. Arrows are infinite in the Pixel Remaster, so Barrage (which fires at all enemies) costs nothing to spam
- Scholar can reveal enemy stats and weaknesses with Study, and Alchemy doubles the potency of items. You'll need Study for the Hein boss who changes his elemental weakness every turn
Use the teleporter at the top of the room to return to the overworld. Switch to Knight immediately if you're still running a Warrior; the stat boost is noticeable from the first fight. See the full job guide for detailed breakdowns of all four jobs.
Dwarf Rewards
Sail back to the Dwarven Hollows. At the entrance, a dying man will stumble in and tell you about the plight in Tokkul; he mentions Hein's ever-changing weakness, which is exactly what Scholar's Study ability was built for.
That's your next destination, but first collect all the treasure here. Head to the central area and speak with the dwarf standing at the bottom by the southeastern stairs; he'll lead you into the vault where 16 chests are waiting. The top row contains (left to right) Ottershroom, Gauntlets, Echo Herbs, Scholar Robe, Scholar Hat, Knight Armor, Phoenix Down, and Heroic Shield. And the bottom row has Elixir, Killer Bow, Gold Needle, Book of Fire, Book of Ice, Book of Light, Phoenix Down, and Gysahl Greens. The Scholar Robe and Scholar Hat are worth equipping if you're bringing a Scholar to Hein; the Books of Fire, Ice, and Light are Scholar weapons that deal elemental damage.
Walk back up the stairs after looting the vault and speak with the dwarf in a green hat standing to the right of the horns. He'll hand you the Magic Key (Hidden Item 20/61), which opens locked doors and chests throughout the game.
The Dwarven Hollows are done. Head to Castle Hein next; it's a one-time dungeon that becomes permanently inaccessible after the boss, so clear it completely before fighting Hein. Bring a Scholar and stock up on Hi-Potions at the inn shop (600 Gil each) if you're running low.