[Zeromus_X]

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1.3 Mist Cave
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To reach the Mist Cave, you must head northeast of Baron on the world map. Random encounters await you, of course, but the monsters in this area are very weak and can be taken down with normal attacks. (Don’t waste HP or time with Dark Wave or Jump.) If you really don’t want to go into these encounters, there’s a Chocobo Forest southeast of the desert near Baron. Check the Chocobo to ride it on the world map. Your walking speed is increased, and you don’t have random battles. (And you get to listen to the Chocobo theme, of course!)

Either way, somehow you need to get to the cave.

As you enter the cavern, you’ll notice there’s a lot of mist here. (How aptly named.) The encounters here are basically the same as on the world map near Baron, so you shouldn’t have any problems. You may want Kain to use Jump on the Sword Rats, as they have a bit higher HP than the other monsters. Head right and go up the first set of stairs, and then go left through the linear path. When you are able to go up, keep on going until you are stopped by a mysterious voice, warning you to ‘GO BACK’. Cecil will question the voice, getting no response. Ah well, no biggie. A mysterious voice warning you to ‘GO BACK’ just can’t be that big a deal, right?

Continue up and open the chest containing a Potion. Go back down and to the right across the bridge. You’ll see another small set of stairs going up, go up them, and to the right all the way to find a chest containing Eyedrops. Go back down those stairs, to where the bridge is, and go down. You’ll be at a point with stairs that go down, and a path leading right. Go down the stairs, and follow the path leading to a chest containing a Tent.

Go back to that crossroads, and now take the path leading right. Along the wall you’ll find a chest containing a Potion. Now continue up, only to be stopped by that mysterious voice again. This time it wants you to ‘LEAVE AT ONCE’. Keep going north, nearing the exit of the cave, and you’ll be stopped once more. The ‘KNIGHTS OF BARON’ are asked to ‘LEAVE NOW AND NO HARM WILL BEFALL YOU.’ If ‘YOU REFUSE’, you’ll have to fight the guardian of the Mist Village, and of course unless you want to wander around this cave for all eternity, you’ll have to do just that. Prepare for a boss fight!

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BOSS: Mist D. (Mist Dragon)
HP: 465
Experience Points: 700
Gil: 200
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Being the first real boss of the game, the Mist Dragon isn’t too difficult. Attack it with Cecil’s normal attack, and have Kain either Jump or just attack it. Not too many options. Don’t use Dark Wave as that doesn’t really do that much damage anyway, and it drains Cecil’s HP.

The Dragon’s normal attack is pathetically weak and practically bounces off of your fighters. However, the thing to watch out for is when the Dragon will ‘turn into mist’ (as you are notified to by the caption and the Dragon’s change of appearance). Attacking it in this form with a normal attack will result in it counter-attacking with its breath (“Cold Breath”), which does much more damage than its regular attack. So obviously don’t attack it when it’s turned into mist, got it? (Of course, it doesn’t do that much anyway, but if you accidently attack it more than once while it’s mist that could hurt you.)

When it does turn into mist, just chill out and parry or something. Wait for it to turn back into a dragon and then start smacking him again. He’ll go down eventually.
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After all that is said and done, continue up and exit the Mist Cave to the world map again.