Final Fantasy VI（Super Famicom）
Story walkthrough
Check your next action at each location, from Ymir in Narshe through the Floating Continent escape, the ruined world's airship and recruitment, and Kefka's Tower.
Scope: Japanese Super Famicom release (April 2, 1994) / GBA additions and Pixel Remaster changes noted separately / Content checked: October 2, 2026
Narshe: get past Ymir and rescue Tina
- Take the 3 Magitek armor pilots north through town and into the mines. Fight Ymir beyond the barrier at the back. Attack while its head is exposed, and heal or wait when it retreats into its shell.
- After the event involving the frozen esper, escape into the mines through the back of Jun's house. When the path collapses, control switches to Locke and the rescuers.
- Switch among the 3 groups with Y and defeat the Guard Leader below before the pursuers reach Tina. Check Locke's equipment before the battle.
- Leave town for Figaro Castle in the desert. The beginners' house near the entrance offers healing and explanations of battles and field controls.
- Some mine chests change their contents later. Distinguish healing items you need immediately from chests to leave unopened.
Figaro Castle and South Figaro: recruit Edgar
- Meet Edgar on the throne, speak to the high priestess in the west tower, then return to the king. Continue the conversations after Kefka's visit, and escape by chocobo when the castle is attacked.
- Defeat the 2 pursuing Magitek armors. Edgar's Auto Crossbow can hit all enemies. Replenish Noiseblaster and Bioblaster at Figaro's shop.
- Go through South Figaro Cave to town. Check poison protection, including Antidotes for recovery and a Star Pendant.
- Head to Mount Kolts northeast of town. Some cave chests and outdoor containers in town change contents as the story advances.
- In the SFC version, purchase prices at Figaro Castle are halved when Edgar leads the party.
Mount Kolts and the Returners' Hideout: work with Mash
- Fight Vargas deep in Mount Kolts and continue until Mash appears. When Mash is alone, choose Blitz, enter ←→←, then press A to use Exploding Fist.
- Cross the mountain to the Returners' Hideout. After meeting Banon, have Tina speak to her companions, then answer Banon's request for help outside.
- Answer "yes" without refusing to receive the Gauntlet. For Genji Gloves, say "no" and speak to the soldier in the storeroom, or refuse 3 times. Keep a save before choosing.
- After Locke leaves on his own, take the 4-person party including Banon to the Lethe River. You cannot progress if Banon falls, so prepare equipment, formation and healing first.
- Simplified inputs are available for Blitzes that include diagonals. A Blitz you have not learned will not activate even with the correct input.
Lethe River: protect Banon and reach the 3 scenarios
- Ride the raft downstream. Use Banon's Pray to restore the party's HP before anyone is knocked out.
- At the later fork, choosing up returns you to the same stretch. Choose left to progress.
- Use fire and lightning against Ultros and prioritize keeping Banon alive. After the battle, choose among Tina's, Locke's and Mash's scenarios.
- You must finish all 3. Choose any order, then select an unfinished scenario after each one. Remove equipment you want to share before ending each scenario.
- This is not a branch where choosing a single scenario advances the whole story. All 3 reunite in Narshe afterward.
Tina and Banon's scenario: enter Narshe from the back
- Take Tina, Edgar and Banon through the Lethe River and back to Narshe. The front gate is blocked, so use the mine entrance Tina escaped through earlier.
- In the moving-light trial, remember the tiles it crosses and follow the same route. If a wrong step sends you back, watch the light's movements again from the start.
- Pass through the moogle settlement to Jun's house. Entering the house ends this scenario, so remove equipment intended for another scenario beforehand.
- Back at scenario selection, play Locke's or Mash's unfinished scenario.
- Leaving the Rune Blade chest in the moogle settlement unopened changes it into a Ribbon later.
Locke's scenario: rescue Celes with disguises and the clock mechanism
- Use Steal in the battle with a merchant in South Figaro to take his clothes. Expand where you can go, and also use a low-ranking soldier's uniform to get past the soldiers' blockades.
- Take the old man's liquor from the merchant in the tavern basement. Deliver it to the old man in the servant's house, choose "courage" as the password for his grandson, and enter the passage to the rich man's house.
- Rescue Celes from her cell and take the clock key from the guard. Examine the stopped clock in the storeroom to open the passage beyond.
- Leave town for South Figaro Cave. Against Tunnel Armor, Celes can use Runic while Locke attacks and heals with items to help block its magic.
- Runic also absorbs allied magic. Use items for healing while it is active.
Mash's scenario, Imperial Camp: meet Cayenne
- Speak to Shadow outside the lone house and have him join you. This stretch has no healing magic, so prepare items before entering the Imperial Camp.
- When the scene shifts to Doma Castle, defeat the captain as Cayenne. Back at the camp, follow Kefka through the conversations and battles.
- Some camp chests trigger battles. If collecting Gau's Rages, also check opportunities to encounter Dobermans and Satellite before leaving.
- After meeting Cayenne, escape in Magitek armor. Cross the bridge to the Phantom Forest. Shadow may leave along the way, so do not leave valuable equipment on him indefinitely.
- Enemies encountered at this camp or on the Phantom Train cannot be sought at their original locations after the world's ruin.
Phantom Forest and Phantom Train: lower the left and right valves
- Cross the Phantom Forest and board the stopped train. Head left toward the engine, using recruitable ghosts, the item shop and dining-car healing if needed.
- During the chase, use the carriage roofs and detach the following cars to advance. Check chests and enemy encounters in cars you will not be able to revisit first.
- Read the note in the front control room and lower the left and right valves. Then examine the engine's smokestack to begin the Phantom Train battle.
- The Phantom Train is undead, so using a Phoenix Down on the enemy is an option. After disembarking, head to Baren Falls.
- In the SFC version, Shadow's equipment is not automatically recovered when he leaves. Remove it before heading to the falls.
Baren Falls and the Veldt: take Gau to the Serpent Trench
- Jump into Baren Falls and get through the battles during the fall. From the Veldt where you wash ashore, go to Mobliz and buy Dried Meat at the item shop.
- Finish a Veldt battle, and when Gau appears, use Dried Meat without attacking him. Confirm he has joined and head for the cave on Crescent Mountain.
- After finding Gau's treasure, jump into the Serpent Trench. The right-hand branches lead to side caves where you can collect chests.
- After washing ashore in Nikeah, prepare equipment and healing items. Return by ship from the harbor and finish the remaining scenarios.
- Dried Meat is needed to recruit Gau the first time. His conditions for rejoining after the world's ruin differ.
Defending Narshe: protect the routes with 3 parties
- Finishing the 3 scenarios brings everyone to Narshe. Continue Banon's conversation and form 3 parties to protect the esper.
- Separate Edgar and Mash, who can attack groups, and Tina and Celes, who can heal with magic, to help defend multiple paths. Check each party's equipment before starting.
- Switch parties with Y and move toward Kefka while blocking the enemies' routes. A party with Celes can use Runic to absorb magic.
- After victory, when Tina flies away, choose an exploration party. Move Figaro Castle and travel through Kohlingen and Jidoor to Zozo.
- Tina being unavailable here is a fixed story event. She returns after you acquire magicite at your destination.
Zozo: defeat Dadaluma and obtain your first magicite
- Ask about Tina in Kohlingen and Jidoor, then head to Zozo. Enemies appear even within the town, so check healing supplies before climbing.
- Climb the tall building with the relic-shop sign. Partway up, you must jump to an adjacent building; fight Dadaluma just before the top floor.
- Hear Ramuh's story at the top and collect Ramuh, Kirin, Siren and Cait Sith. Equip magicite through the menu's Abilities → Espers.
- Speak to the impresario in Owzer's mansion in Jidoor and read the letter he drops. Your next destination is the opera house to the south.
- Set the clock in the northern building to 6:10:50 to open the mechanism leading to the Chainsaw.
Opera House: lyric choices and the rightmost switch
- Read the script in the dressing room and play Maria as Celes. Choose the lyrics in the order top → bottom → top. Follow Draco, pick up the flowers, and carry them to the upper balcony.
- When control returns to Locke, check Ultros's warning and tell the impresario. A time limit begins for stopping the disruption.
- Hear the explanation in the upper-right stagehands' room and operate the rightmost switch. Enter the rafters from the left and head toward Ultros while avoiding enemies.
- Celes does not join this battle. Teach Cure to another companion beforehand or save some Hi-Potions. After victory, travel to Imperial territory on Setzer's airship.
- Repeated failures in the opera and in stopping the disruption lead to a game over. Keep a save before starting.
Vector and the Magitek Factory: collect Ifrit and Shiva
- Land near Albrook and head northwest to the Imperial capital, Vector. Ask the old man near the factory for help and enter from above while the guards are distracted.
- Use the conveyor belts to reach the back of the factory. After the scene where Kefka discards the espers, ride the same belt down to the disposal area.
- Ifrit and Shiva absorb their respective elements. Watch them switch and change to ice attacks against fire, or fire attacks against ice.
- After the battle, pick up the 2 magicite and enter the Magitek Research Facility. If collecting factory enemies and chests, finish before the facility's escape event.
- The factory and research facility cannot be freely explored after completion. Check Gau's enemy registrations here as well.
Magitek Research Facility: switch, mine cart and cranes
- Defeat Number 024 and advance to the switch on the machine holding the espers. Complete the event where you receive 6 magicite.
- After Celes leaves, follow Cid and escape by mine cart. Get through the battles and Number 128, then emerge in Vector.
- Meet Setzer and board the airship. The left and right cranes have different resistances, so do not hit both with the same element indiscriminately.
- After returning to Zozo, play through Maduin's flashback. When Tina returns and you can pilot the airship yourself, choose your side trips.
- Acquiring magicite does not automatically teach its spells to everyone. Equip it and fight to raise learning progress.
Airship side trips: Mog, auctions and Seraphim
- Find the thief in Narshe's treasure room and follow him to the snowfield. Rescue Mog at the cliff to recruit him before the world's ruin. Choosing the thief instead delays Mog's recruitment until afterward.
- To collect Dances in the SFC version, bring Mog now and finish a battle on the Serpent Trench or Lethe River. Learn Water Harmony before completing the Floating Continent.
- At Jidoor's auction house, you can bid 10000 gil for Zona Seeker and 20000 gil for Golem. They are not necessarily offered every time, so secure funds and participate.
- You can buy Seraphim from the person in the shade of a tree in northeastern Tzen. It costs 3000 gil before the world's ruin and 10 gil afterward. Choose when to buy based on how urgently you need healing magic.
- The Sealed Gate event temporarily prevents airship use. Finish necessary side trips while travel is convenient.
Cave to the Sealed Gate: collect the Ultima Weapon
- Hear Banon's instructions in Narshe, then take a party including Tina through the Imperial Observation Post. Enter the cave beyond the deserted post.
- The lava platforms change over time. Stop and inspect their arrangement before crossing, and use switches to open bridges and hidden rooms.
- Collect the weapon Ultima Weapon from the underground chest. It is distinct from the boss with the same name. Check unopened chests and hidden rooms before heading to the deepest point.
- Advance Kefka's event at the Sealed Gate, then leave through the exit that appears. When the airship stops working, walk to the Imperial Palace in Vector.
- Finish necessary chests and enemy encounters on the initial visit. Do not plan to return to this same cave after the world's ruin to collect them.
Imperial Palace banquet: distinguish soldier conversations from questions
- After meeting the emperor, speak to as many castle soldiers as possible during the 4 minutes before the banquet. Some soldiers trigger battles, so prepare healing and movement equipment before starting.
- Banquet evaluation changes with your answers about the ceasefire, Kefka's treatment, trust in Celes and other topics. Simply agreeing with the Empire does not produce a high score.
- Ask each of the 3 questions once and remember which you chose first. Avoid repeating questions, and also check the elite-guard battle during the break.
- If the observation post's armory opens after the banquet, visit it to collect the chests. Stay at Albrook, then speak to General Leo at the harbor to sail to Thamasa.
- The full set of banquet choices by score is organized in a separate table. Do not use up the conversation time collecting chests before the banquet.
The fire in Thamasa: Stragos and Relm
- Meet Stragos in Thamasa and stay at the inn. After the fire event, enter the house with Stragos to find Relm.
- Touching moving flames triggers battles. Proceed through the rooms and use ice against Flame Eater at the back. Consider Aqua Breath against the summoned Balloons.
- The next day, go to the Espers' Gathering Place. Fight Ultros near the Warring Triad statues, and use Sketch when Relm appears to finish the battle.
- Hear the espers' story and proceed with the return-to-Thamasa event. After returning to the airship and gathering the companions, prepare to head to the Floating Continent.
- Shadow leaves during this stretch. In the SFC version, remove his equipment and magicite before he leaves.
Floating Continent: enter with 3 and wait for Shadow on the escape
- Choose 3 members on the airship and head for the Floating Continent. Get through the aerial battles, Ultros and Typhon, and the Air Force. Check HP and equipment while you can move on deck.
- Speak to Shadow at the landing site to make a party of 4. Advance using raised ground and warps, and heal before Ultima Weapon.
- After the Warring Triad event, escape within 6 minutes. Defeat Nelapa along the way and reach the point where you jump down to the airship.
- Do not jump immediately: choose to stay and wait there. If you remain until Shadow appears with 5 seconds left, you can escape together.
- On a save where you escape without waiting for Shadow, he cannot rejoin after the world's ruin. Also keep a save from before heading to the Floating Continent.
Solitary Island in the ruined world: check the fish and obtain a raft
- Go to the coast as Celes, catch fish and return to Cid's house. Prioritize fast-moving fish and check their types under Key Items in the inventory.
- Cid's condition changes according to the fish you give him. If there are no good fish, speak to Cid, return to the coast and check the newly appearing fish.
- Whether Cid recovers or dies, you can leave the island on the raft afterward. If the story seems stuck, check the letter in the house and the hidden stairs.
- After arriving near Albrook, gather equipment and information in town, then head north to Tzen.
- Cid's survival does not block later recruitment. This progression table does not include detailed fish-health calculations.
Tzen and Nikeah: rescue with Mash and follow Gerad
- Meeting Mash in Tzen starts a 6-minute event to rescue a child from a collapsing house. Check Sprint Shoes and status protection before entering.
- Find the child in the basement, then return to the entrance and escape. Decide whether to collect chests according to the remaining time. Success recruits Mash.
- Speak to the thieves in Nikeah's tavern, then follow Gerad into the square. Speak repeatedly, head for the harbor and stow away aboard the ship.
- Speak to Gerad at South Figaro's inn, then head for the cave to the west. Use the turtle at the recovery spring as a foothold to enter the secret passage.
- Completing the first Humbaba event in Mobliz now gives you Fenrir, but Tina does not join yet.
Return to Figaro Castle: defeat the Tentacles and surface
- The cave's secret passage leads to Figaro Castle's prison. Go to the underground engine room, speak to Gerad and fight the 4 Tentacles.
- Each Tentacle absorbs different elements. Rather than relying only on multi-target elemental magic, also use non-elemental or wind attacks such as Drill and Vacuum Wave.
- Edgar officially rejoins after victory. Speak to the old man on basement level 1 to surface the castle, then speak again to move to Kohlingen.
- Recruit Setzer at Kohlingen's tavern and head to Darill's Tomb.
- Check Edgar's weapon and shield after he rejoins. Do not proceed assuming his equipment is unchanged from before the world's ruin.
Darill's Tomb: defeat Dullahan to obtain the Falcon
- Enter the tomb with Setzer, using water-level switches and turtles to advance. Prepare Holy Water or an Amulet against zombie status.
- On the underground side trip, check the inscription on the tombstone. The Growth Egg room is beyond a hidden passage; distinguish opening the main route from collecting its chest.
- Examine the deepest tombstone and defeat Dullahan. It is weak to fire and absorbs ice, so use fire spells and retain a healer for magic damage.
- Go down the newly opened stairs to obtain the Falcon airship. You can now search for companions around the world.
- You can enter Kefka's Tower as soon as you obtain the Falcon, but increasing the numbers, healing and magic available to 3 parties makes preparation easier.
Return to Mobliz: overcome Humbaba and bring Tina back
- If not already done, complete the first Humbaba event in Mobliz and receive Fenrir from a child. Do not try to take Tina away after only that first event.
- Re-enter the village after obtaining the Falcon. Go down the hidden stairs at the back of the left-hand house and speak to Tina and the others.
- During the Humbaba rematch, some companions are blown away and Tina joins the fight. Avoid lightning, which it absorbs, and choose poison attacks such as Bio.
- Tina joins after victory. Choose her equipment and magicite again, then search for the next companion.
- Being unable to win Tina's initial solo battle is part of the event. A later return visit is the condition for recruiting her.
Maranda and Mount Zozo: Cayenne and the letters
- Speak to Lola in Maranda and give the letter to the carrier pigeon. Go to Zozo, where the pigeon flew.
- Buy Rust-Rid from Zozo's merchant for 1000 gil. Use it on the rooftop door of the building with the PUB sign to enter Mount Zozo.
- Speak to Cayenne at the summit to recruit him. A switch along the way releases the Storm Dragon, so if recruitment is your only goal, keep that separate from preparing for the battle.
- With Cayenne in the party, stay in Doma Castle's rest room to enter the dream event. Before returning, distribute equipment and healing options to the other 3 members too.
- Completing Doma's dream lets you collect the Bushido techniques and Alexander. Recruiting Cayenne on Mount Zozo alone does not grant both.
The Veldt and its cave: Gau, Shadow and the Ichigeki blade
- To bring Gau back, finish a Veldt battle with a party of 3 or fewer. When he appears, wait without attacking him and he will join.
- Collect the Ichigeki blade in the Cave on the Veldt and approach the fallen companion at the back. A save where you waited on the Floating Continent has Shadow; one where you did not has Relm.
- Complete the consecutive Behemoth King battles and take the rescued companion to Thamasa. For Shadow, re-enter the village and hear that he has gone to the Coliseum.
- Wager the Ichigeki blade at the Dragon's Neck Coliseum. Completing the battle where Shadow is your opponent makes him join.
- The 2 stages, cave rescue and Coliseum, are both required. Do not assume he has joined immediately after leaving the cave.
Owzer's Mansion: Relm and Lakshmi
- On a save where you did not wait for Shadow, rescue Relm from the Cave on the Veldt first. Meet the conditions, then go to Owzer's Mansion in Jidoor.
- In the dark mansion, light the lamp and examine the paintings. Defeat the enemies in the woman's and armor paintings to open the route through the basement.
- Chadarnook at the back switches between goddess and demon forms. Attack its demon form, and prepare lightning protection and fire attacks.
- After victory, examine the bookcase to receive Lakshmi. Once Relm has joined, put her in the party and go to the Cultists' Tower entrance.
- If collecting for Gau, also encounter the enemies in the flower painting beforehand.
Cultists' Tower: recruit Stragos and explore with magic
- Bring Relm close to Stragos at the foot of the tower. He rejoins after coming to his senses. You need not climb to the top just to recruit him.
- If exploring the tower, build around magic and items. Tools and Blitz are unavailable, so prepare healing spells and MP recovery.
- Examine the right-hand wall in the first chest room to reveal a hidden room on the floor below. You can collect the Air Anchor there.
- Check that you have learned Reraise before taking the Soul of Thamasa at the summit. Prepare for Magic Master's Ultima on defeat before leaving the room.
- Running out of magic here also makes healing difficult. Distinguish recruiting Stragos from collecting the summit chest.
Phoenix Cave: reach Locke with 2 parties
- Land the Falcon in the center of the star-shaped mountains and form 2 parties. Prepare healing and equipment for each.
- Switch with Y, using one party to hold floor switches and open the other's route. Also use the water-draining mechanism to advance both groups.
- Meeting Locke in the deepest area takes you to Kohlingen. Complete Rachel's event to obtain Locke and the Phoenix magicite.
- Bring Locke to Narshe to enter locked buildings. Check the weapon shop's Ragnarok magicite/sword choice and the old man's Cursed Shield.
- Phoenix has no level-up bonus. Use it for learning Reraise and other spells, rather than for raising Magic.
Narshe: Mog, Valigarmanda and Umaro
- Enter the mines on the left of town, go to the moogle settlement and speak to Mog. After he joins, examine the wall where he stood to take Molulu's Charm.
- Take a party including Mog to the valley of the esper. Defeat the frozen Valigarmanda to obtain its magicite and gain access to the Yeti's Cave from the cliff.
- Use the floor holes to descend through the Yeti's Cave. Examine the bone carving at the back and take Midgardsormr to begin the yeti battle.
- After victory, speak to the yeti with Mog present to recruit Umaro. If you forgot Mog, bring him back and speak again.
- Molulu's Charm is exclusive to Mog. Remove it when you want encounters for learning Dances.
Triangle Island: enter Gogo's cave by being swallowed
- Encounter Zone Eater on Triangle Island after the world's ruin. Wait until everyone is swallowed to move into the cave inside it.
- Touching the people on the bridges knocks you down. There are chests below too; collect them and use the switch to return to the bridges.
- In the moving-ceiling area, check safe stopping points rather than continuing to run as the ceiling falls. Being crushed causes a game over.
- Speak to Gogo at the back to recruit them. Set commands other than Mimic through the menu's Status screen.
- Defeating Zone Eater is not the entrance condition. Enter by being swallowed.
Ancient Castle: use Odin for growth first
- Move Figaro Castle underground and stop when it catches on something. Before restarting the castle, go to the dungeon and enter the cave through the hole in the rightmost cell.
- Examine the petrified Odin in the Ancient Castle to obtain his magicite. SFC Odin grants Speed +1 on level-up.
- Examine the hidden switch south of where Odin stood. Descend the stairs opened in the princess's room and examine the petrified princess to transform Odin into Raiden. Choose this after finishing Speed growth and learning Meteor.
- Also check the Blue Dragon in the hidden room, Samurai Soul in the chest, and the Master's Scroll.
- SFC Raiden grants Strength +2. Do not mix Pixel Remaster bonus changes into an original-version growth plan.
Doma Castle's dream: 3 companions rescue Cayenne
- Stay in the rest room with a 4-person party including Cayenne. Gather your companions in the dream and defeat the 3 enemies Reve, Sogno and Sueno.
- On the Phantom Train, put the lump of iron in the empty chest to stop it moving. Remember the open/closed chest arrangement shown in the previous car and reproduce it on the same mechanism farther on.
- In the looping cave area, also check routes back toward the entrance. Following Cayenne leads to Wrexsoul and the Soul Savers.
- When Wrexsoul possesses an ally, it reappears when that target is knocked out. Retain revival and healing options and attack the main body. After victory, pick up Alexander on the throne.
- You cannot revisit this dream dungeon after completing it. Check chests and enemy encounters beforehand.
Ebot's Rock: give coral in one batch and learn Grand Trine
- Bring Stragos and Relm to Thamasa. Watch Gungho's event, then head to Ebot's Rock, which appears to the north.
- Use the cave's warps and collect pieces of coral from chests. Give the talking chest 22 or more at once to pass farther in.
- In the battle with Hidon and 4 Erebus enemies, field Stragos and defeat Erebus. Watch and learn Hidon's Grand Trine before defeating it.
- If you miss it, speak repeatedly to Gungho in Thamasa and wait for news that Hidon has returned.
- Defeating Hidon quickly and learning blue magic are different objectives. Do not finish it with Holy Water or another method before learning the spell.
Kefka's Tower: coordinate the 3 parties' switches
- Enter the tower from the Falcon and split into 3 parties. Give each HP recovery, revival and MP supplies; if collecting blue magic, also plan Stragos's route.
- Party 1 stops partway, so use party 2's switch to open the route. Ultima Buster on party 2's route is optional; party 3 must get past Inferno.
- Use parties 2 and 3 to press the switches for the central locked door. Dropping the weight with party 1 changes which party advances, so open the left side if you want to send Stragos toward the Fiend.
- Get past the Fiend, Demon and Goddess, then check healing and equipment before pressing the last 3 switches. To return and prepare, cast Teleport before everyone steps on them.
- The Fiend's Force Field offers a one-time learning opportunity before you defeat the Fiend.
Final battle: order your reserves and prepare for Kefka reducing HP to 1
- Pressing the tower's final switches lets you set the order characters enter battle. Equip not just the first 4, but also the reserves who may replace them.
- Advance through the 3 tiers of the gods' statue. Knocked-out characters remaining at a transition are replaced by reserves, so revive healers you want to retain before each tier ends.
- On tier 3, reduce the healing parts first and use non-elemental attacks. Prepare Golem, Fenrir, Reraise or similar measures against the instant-death attacks on defeat.
- When Kefka's Heartless Angel reduces HP to 1, immediately use the party healing you prepared. Leave one character available to heal instead of queuing attacks for everyone.
- The 3 tiers before Kefka plus Kefka make 4 consecutive battles. Do not exhaust healing supplies under the assumption that only Kefka's individual battle matters.