Enemy list
Chest list
Hidden items
Desch mentioned the dwarven island before his sacrifice at the Tower of Owen, and now the whirlpool blocking the outer sea is gone. Sail north past where it used to be. Before reaching the island, you'll run into four new bestiary entries on the water:
Once all four are registered, sail northwest to the small island with two cave entrances visible on the minimap. Take the southern entrance to reach the Dwarven Hollows.
Dwarven Hollows
The dwarves will 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. There are treasure chests in the central area, but you won't have access to them yet. Stock up at the shops before heading out; the Kenpo Gi is your first armor upgrade for Monks, the Sansetsukon is a stronger set of nunchaku, and the Ice Armor set is a direct upgrade from Mythril for anyone who can equip it.
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 back to human form. The Subterranean Lake is a linear dungeon with 7 chests and 6 new bestiary entries to collect along the way. Kill Stalagmites first in every encounter because their Stare attack can wreck your party; if Ruinous Wave hits you with Bad Breath, just fight through the ailments. And the water-based enemies like Sea Devil and Merman appear most commonly on B3, so grind there if you're missing them.
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 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 you may have noticed 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 circle in the forest to register the Chocobo Woods location (your second one), then continue north to the Molten Cave entrance.
Molten Cave
Seven treasure chests and 5 new bestiary entries are inside. The lava floor does continuous damage as you walk, so keep your HP topped off between fights. Balloons will Self-Destruct for heavy damage if you don't kill them fast, and Crocottas hit hard with physical attacks when they gang up on you. Blizzara wrecks everything in here; Red Marshmallows die instantly to ice, and Adamantoises have high physical defense so magic is the only reliable way to bring them down.
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
Fire Crystal Jobs
Approach the Fire Crystal after the fight to receive four new jobs. You can interact with the crystal a second time to fully heal your party before leaving.
- Knight is a direct upgrade from Warrior with higher stats across the board. The Defend command cuts incoming damage in half, making Knights your best tank option going forward
- Thief has the highest agility in the game; with proper equipment, Thieves can attack dozens of times in a single turn. They also open locked doors, which matters at Castle Argus
- Ranger uses bows and boomerangs for ranged damage. Arrows are infinite in the Pixel Remaster, so Barrage (which fires at all enemies) costs nothing to spam
- Scholar can analyze enemy stats and weaknesses with Study, and their Alchemy skill doubles the potency of items. You'll need Study for the Hein boss who changes his elemental weakness constantly
Use the teleporter at the top of the room to return to the overworld.
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 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.
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.
That's everything for the Dwarven Hollows. 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.