• Gold Saucer

    The Gold Saucer is the best (and only) theme park in the world. Except the fact that a theme park doesn't really do it justice, since it is a giant golden structure sprouting up towards the sky like a beanstalk. Although you are only required to visit it twice during the game, it houses many secrets and great items that make it a very important place in Final Fantasy 7. The following section will tell you everything you possibly need to know about the Gold Saucer.

    Location
    The Gold Saucer is in the middle of a desert near Corel. It can only be accessed by using the ropeway (a large blue structure that moves along two wires.

    Founder
    It was founded by a man named Dio, an odd looking man who doesn't seem to be able to find a shirt. Dio decided to not only build the Gold Saucer, but a Desert Prison below it as well.

    Desert Prison
    Any criminals or thefts found in the Gold Saucer will be taken down to the Desert Prison, where few return. Not only that, but because of the endless desert and sandstorms, escape is practically impossible. The only way to get out of the prison is to have Mr. Coates, the head of the prison, give consent for you to have a Chocobo race for your freedom.

    Entrance
    To get into the Gold Saucer, you must either pay 3,000 Gil for a one-time pass, or 30,000 Gil for a lifetime pass (the latter is strongly recommended, as you'll probably come here very often). Either way, after paying (or showing your lifetime pass), you are allowed inside. From here, you can look at a monitor that tells you a little bit about each attraction in the Gold Saucer. After that, you can jump into one of the holes that will take you to the location listed above it. There are different attractions in the Gold Saucer: Battle Arena, Gondola Ride, Event Square, Wonder Square, Chocobo Racing, Ghost Hotel, and Speed Arena. Whichever one you go to will have all of the other places accessible by more tunnels and holes, and an additional one called Station that will take you back to the entrance.

    Currency
    The Gold Saucer does not use regular Gil for money (except for Wonder Square), but BP and GP. BP (battle points) can be won in Battle Arena and then used to buy some items there. GP can be won is several different ways. One way is to find a man at the entrance of the Gold Saucer hidden in the corner. He randomly appears, and if you keep resetting the screen you'll find him. He will exchange some GP, but charges 100 Gil per GP. GP can also be won in Wonder Square and Chocobo Racing (more on that later). GP can buy many items in Gold Saucer, and used to ride certain attractions too.

    Cloud's first visit (Mild Spoilers included).
    After coming upon Corel, Cloud and his gang take a trip to the Gold Saucer. Have Cloud pick anyone for his partner (except for Barret) and check out the sights. After you're done with that, go to Wonder Square where Cait Sith will join your party. Then go to Battle Square, where you will wind up in the Desert Prison. After exploring and finding Barret again, go northwest through the entrance in the gate. Go past the man in the desert, and through the car wrecks to find Dyne. After fighting him you will be able to try a Chocobo race in exchange for your freedom. Make sure you find the Ramuh materia before entering the race, it is in the room with all of the Chocobo jockeys. If you hold down all of the shoulder buttons and the circle button during the race, you'll win easily. The team will get a full pardon, and a really spiffy buggy as a gift.

    Cloud's second visit (Mild Spoilers included).
    Go to the Battle Arena and look at Dio's amazingly boring museum. Make sure that a character has a Ribbon as one of their accessories, and the very best materia. After looking at the Keystone, Dio says he'll give it to you if you show off you skills in the arena. Agree with him and pick the character that has all the good magic and accessories on him (Cloud is usually the best). It's no big deal if you don't win, you'll still get the keystone, but if you defeat all of the opponents you get a Protect Vest and a Choco Feather. Afterwards go back to the entrance, and you will find out the ropeway is out of order. Go to the Ghost Hotel and you will find a date interrupting your sleep. It will either be Aeris, Tifa, Yuffie, or...Barret?! Which one it will be will depend on how you have treated those four characters during your adventure so far, and if party members have been in your party during certain points of dialogue. After going through the whole date (it pretty much does it by itself), you will discover a shocking plot twist about a certain character. After meeting up and talking, you will head to the Temple of the Ancients.

    Battle Square

    The Battle Arena is one of the main things you'll be doing at the Gold Saucer, and there is some great stuff to be won. Here's how it works: you go up to the lady at the counter and give her 10 GP to enter. You then pick a character and he/she enters the battle arena. After defeating an enemy, a little slot will start spinning, and you stop it on a certain effect. Although almost all of them are negative (like Toad), one or two actually help you instead of hurt you (like Cure). Keep in mind that the worse the effect you choose, the more BP you will get if you keep going. So getting all Cures and Lucky 7s may make it easy, but you'll get practically no BP for winning all eight battles. After picking it, you choose if you want to face another, harder, enemy, or quit now before you lost all of your BP. So at the last fight (the eighth one), you will have 7 handicaps and will be facing a very hard monster. Try to level up a lot and get all of that person's limit breaks before entering Battle Arena, it will make things much easier. Getting a bunch of good materia, weapons, armor, and accessories helps too. You can spend your BP on items, materia, and other things at the other counter, but keep in mind that for some dumb reason you lost all of your BP if you leave. Since there isn't a save point in the arena, make sure you'll be at your Playstation for a long time if you want to get the better items.

    Here are all of the effects that can be chosen between fights (going from best to worst, in my humble opinion):

    Cure: The fighter's HP is completely healed at the beginning of the next fight.
    Lucky 7: The fighter does not get any handicap.
    5 Levels Down: The character drops five levels, which hurts their statistics (lower HP, strength, etc).
    10 Levels Down: The character drops 10 levels, hurting their stats even more.
    Poison: The character gets the Poison status.
    Time x30 Damage: The fighter's time in the time bar at the end of the last battle is multiplied by 30 to determine how much damage he/she will receive. This cannot kill the character.
    Support Materia Broken: The character's Support (blue) Materia is broken and is no longer effective.
    Zero MP: The fighter's MP (not the maximum MP, just the MP) goes down to 0.
    Accessory Broken: The fighter's accessories are disabled.
    MP: The fighter's maximum MP is cut in half.
    Item Command Sealed: The person can no longer use any items.
    Speed: The fighter's speed is cut in half.
    Independent Materia Broken: All of the character's Independent (yellow) Materia is disabled.
    Mini: The fighter gets the Mini status.
    Frog: The character is turned into a frog.
    Armor Broken: The character's armor is broken and no longer effective.
    Sword Broken: The fighter's sword/weapon is broken and physical attacks are practically useless.
    Summon Materia Broken: None of the character's Summon (red) Materia can be used.
    HP and MP: The fighter's HP and MP are cut in half.
    Magic Materia Broken: All of the fighter's Magic (green) Materia can not be used anymore.
    All Materia Broken: All Materia are completely disabled - ouch!


    If you want mega BP, try to get some of the really bad ones a lot, getting all good ones won't get you anywhere. Here are the items that can be bought with BP:


    After getting 64,000 BP, talk to the woman behind the counter and she'll invite you to enter the special battles (but you have to of already purchased the Omnislash and W-Summon Materia). If you win all eight battles, with a Proud Clod as the final challenge, you can get the fabled Final Attack Materia (or some other items that have no use whatsoever).

    Chocobo Square

    Basically, Chocobo racing is needed to breed a Gold Chocobo and to get some rare Materia and accessories. To win some good items, you can either bet on Chocobo in the center of the room, or race your own to the left. Winning is simple, just hold down all of the shoulder buttons and circle, and you'll win every time in the lower ranks. When you finally get to S-rank, you can get some really good and rare items, or sell them for a ton of GP. To ensure wins in the harder races, max out your Chocobo's stats by feeding him every kind of green in the ChocoBill's stables until won't eat any more of that kind. Do that with each grass to assure your Chocobo a win every time. This is THE place to get GP. Just get to S-Class and race with a good Chocobo. You'll win every time, and you can sell the items instead of keeping them for absurd amounts of GP. Screw Wonder Square, this is where you want to go if you need some fast GP.

    Ghost Square

    This is just a simple hotel, but with a Halloween theme 24/7. You can find a Turtle's Paradies newsletter here, and you have to spend the night when the ropeway broke, but that's about it. If you really want to know, there's an Elixir hidden in Cloud's dresser.

    Speed Square

    Speed Arena could be thought of as an interactive roller coaster. Basically, after paying 10 GP, you go on a roller coaster with a gun attached. As you go (it will move automatically), you try to shoot as many targets as possible. All targets are either 30-70 points each if you shoot them down, with two exceptions. There giant UFO which is a worth a whopping 1,000, and a yellow boulder on top of the canyon wall worth 200 points. Shooting down these two things are absolutely essential if you want to get a good score. The final two point-scoring areas are a light at the end (after the UFO) which can be shot for 200 points and a 'propeller to the ship before the stars, which can be shot for random points. If you do well, you will get a good item that varies, depending on which disk you are on.

    Event Square

    Event Square is basically just a theater where you can get entertained. Unfortunately, the only time you get to do anything there is with your date. I won't spoil it for you, but it can be pretty funny.

    Wonder Square

    Wonder Square is a giant arcade that has a ton of things to play and do. First of all, the games all require Gil to play, and give you GP if you do well. There is a woman in the front whom you can buy some great stuff from (if you have enough GP).


    The Exp. Plus Materia and Gil Plus Materia are definitely worth your while, they double the Exp. points and Gil that you win in battle, respectively. This is some great Materia that you should definitely try and get. The Gold Ticket is also great, it gives you a lifetime pass to the Gold Saucer, instead of having to buy it for 30,000.

    The Games:

    Super Dunk: 200 Gil
    Gil Super Dunk just like a basketball game you find in the arcades here, you put in some money and try to make the basketball go in the basket. To score, you must hold down the circle button, and then release at the right time (a little less than a second). You get 1 GP for each basket you make, and when you miss the game ends. If you make 10 baskets in a row, you get a special mode called Double Chance. In this mode of play, every time you make another basket, your GP doubles, but if you miss it goes all the way back to 1 and the game is over. If you are really good at this game, you can make some SERIOUS GP. A tricky method I discovered to improve your odds of making a bunch in a row is using a metronome. If you have one, try a setting where it clicks every second, if not a little faster. Then, when the metronome beeps, press the circle button, and release when it beeps again. If it goes in, than the metronome is at the right speed. If it doesn't, try it again at a slightly different speed. I know this sounds odd, but once you get it at the right speed you can't miss!

    Arm Wrestling Mega Sumo: 100 Gil
    This is the expected game where you just repeatedly tap a button. I hate these kind of games, they make your finger hurt and involve no skill. Basically, you either pick the Sumo or the Wrestler, and than press the circle button like mad to win. You get a mere 1 GP for beating the Sumo and 2 GP for the Wrestler. Don't even bother playing this, it's a waste of time and your finger.

    Wonder Catcher: 100 Gil
    This is another game that involves no skill. Plop 100 Gil into the slot, and you will either get a Potion, a few GP, or nothing. This is just as worthless as the Arm Wrestling game.

    Fortune Telling: 50 Gil
    Although you don't get any prizes, the Fortune Telling machine can predict some interesting things that foreshadow what will happen late. You just put in 50 Gil and it will tell you your future. This will change as you progress through Final Fantasy 7, but it will say the same thing if you use it twice in the same visit, you have to get further in the actual game first for it to say something new.

    3D Battler: 200 Gil
    This is yet another game that is all luck. It's basically a more interesting version of rock, paper, scissors. You and you virtual opponent each pick an attack. If your attack beats the opponent's, the opponent gets a hit, and vice versa. If you pick the same move, nothing happens. The first one to 10 wins, and then a harder opponent comes out. Upper body attacks beat Lower and lost to Middles. Middle body attacks beat High and lose to Low. Lower attacks beat Mid and lose to High.

    Mog House: 100 Gil
    This is an easy and moderately entertaining way to earn GP, but you can only do it once. It is simple to beat, keep feeding the Mog Kupo nuts until he makes a sound that is different from the ones he was making previously. Do the same thing later and you win. After winning, talk to the guy behind you and you'll get 30 GP. After that, you can still play it, but you won't get any GP.

    G Bike: 200 Gil
    Does this look familiar? It should. As you already know, circle makes you attack to your right, and square makes you attack to your left. You need to protect yourself and the truck by defeating the motorcyclists as soon as possible. You can kill them in 3 ways: hitting them with your sword, repeatedly banging into them (not recommended, this hurts you too), and knocking down a motorcyclist and having another one trip over it. What you may not know is that the Orange Bikers are the dumb ones, who just drive right up to the truck and start banging into it, and the Red Bikers try to draw you away from truck so the other can hit it while you are going after him. Try to stay close to the Truck, never leave it to go after a motorcyclist when there are more behind you. If you do really well, you'll not only get some GP, but an item too.

    Snow Game: 200 Gil
    This should also look familiar. First off, pick your course. Then snowboard all the way to the finish, and you will be judged on three things. How many points you got (red balloons are one, blue are three, and green are five), how fast you did it, and technique (how many times you hit the walls or obstacles). Try to do well in all three by going slow enough to control your board, so you can avoid the walls and also get the balloons. If you do good on the easy, it will unlock the medium. Do good on that to unlock the hard course. Note that you can't do this game until you do it in real life. A good performance will give you some GP and a prize for each course: a Safety Bit, a Crystal Bangle and an "All" Materia. You can only win each item prize once, however.

    Torpedo Attack: 200 Gil
    This is the third mini game that you will have already played in the actual game. It is actually quite simple, if you do it right. The object is to take down the red submarine, but the mines and the yellow subs will make that goal a lot harder. There is an easy way to do it, though. As soon as the game starts, just stay right behind the red sub (by speeding up and slowing down when you have to) and just keep firing. If you do it right, it will go down in about 10 or 15 seconds. There are five levels, and each one gets a bit tougher. Unfortunately, you don't get more GP by doing the harder ones. Do well and you'll get some GP and an item.

    Round Square

    Does anyone besides me thing this name is funny? Round Square...okay. Anyway, this is just a Gondola Ride. Except for the date, you have to pay 10 GP to get in. Basically, you just ride around the Gold Saucer, and are treated to some cool FMVs (you have to look out the window to see them). If you come back after the date, you will see some more FMVs that weren't there before.

    I guess that's about it! Although some parts of the Gold Saucer will get repetitive (Battle and Chocobo Squares, mostly), overall it is still a fun experience. It also has a lot of Materia, items, and other stuff (like the Omnislash) that you won't find anywhere else. Use this section to help you get started, and I hope you enjoy it!
  • Final Fantasy VII on the forums...

    Loony BoB

    Rebirth - Piano minigame

    Thread Starter: Loony BoB

    This is the hardest minigame I've ever played in a FF game and I think I will actually have to give up on it so fast. Who thought analog sticks on a rhythm

    Last Post By: Loony BoB 03-17-2024, 06:39 PM Go to last post
    Del Murder

    Rebirth thoughts - spoilers through Chapter 1

    Thread Starter: Del Murder

    Pulling a BoB here and making a separate thread by chapter. Will include any spoilers through chapter 1.

    The prologue was surprising.

    Last Post By: Shadowdust Yesterday, 08:43 PM Go to last post
    Sephiroth

    FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH REVIEW

    Thread Starter: Sephiroth

    So, I played through Final Fantasy VII Rebirth 3 days ago.


    Here are some of my thoughts.


    Graphics, Technical

    Last Post By: Karifean 03-10-2024, 11:05 PM Go to last post
    Psychotic

    The Moogles look like deformed Sesame Street puppets

    Thread Starter: Psychotic

    And I don't like it.

    Last Post By: Gold_Moogle 03-13-2024, 06:16 AM Go to last post
    Freya

    Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth Demo is out!

    Thread Starter: Freya

    Square Enix released the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Demo! Run, don't walk to try it out! Rebirth is the second part of the final fantasy VII remake.

    Last Post By: Del Murder 02-11-2024, 05:58 AM Go to last post
    Wolf Kanno

    FFVII Advent Children Complete showing in U.S. theaters in February.

    Thread Starter: Wolf Kanno

    As a means to garner more hype for FFVII: Rebirth, the film is going to be shown thanks to Fathom Events. The showings will also have a preview for Rebirth

    Last Post By: Wolf Kanno 01-24-2024, 09:04 AM Go to last post
    Del Murder

    Can't wait until Feb 29!

    Thread Starter: Del Murder

    I have not anticipated a new game as much as this in quite some time. It looks amazing, it has so many of the things that made FFVII special, and lots

    Last Post By: Karifean 01-07-2024, 09:59 PM Go to last post
    Wolf Kanno

    So, what are you hoping to see?

    Thread Starter: Wolf Kanno

    This comes out in about three months I believe, so what are you hoping to see?

    Last Post By: Bocomog 11-25-2023, 09:51 PM Go to last post