FFIV mini-items

[Sasquatch]

Alright...there are a lot of items in FFIV that weren't in the SNES FF2 version. Mainly, healing items--instead of a simple "Heal" item, now there are special items for each condition--Mallet, Dietfood, Eyedrops, Cross, yadda yadda yadda. But it's not just that, there are more. Items for battle...Stardust, Bomb, Hermes, Bacchus, Inferno, etc. Even things like Au/Ag Apples and Soma Drops, which I think aren't bad.

The question is, how do you get specifics of these things? I'm on the Moon now, and I want to collect Alerts (items that automatically draw you into battle) so that I can use 'em in the room with the Pink Puffs in it. (Not only is there the chance of the Pink Tail, there's also quite a bit of experience and an asston of money.) But I don't know where to find 'em--nowhere to buy any, and I can't think of any enemies to steal them from (not like Steal works halfway decent anyway). Any advice? Anywhere else I can go to find them, or steal them? It'd be appreciated.

Also...last time I played through, I found a kick-ass weapon for Rydia. Serpent, I think it was. Again, is there anything I can steal this weapon from, or any specific place to find it? (It was won from a random battle.) And is there any other specialty weapon/armor that's secret? I already have all the Crystal stuff and Ragnarok for Cecil, Dragon stuff and Holylnce for Kain, Ribbons for the ladies, and Murasame/Masamune for Edge. Anything else?

And, of course, the eternal question--is there a higher purpose for the Smut? I've got half a dozen of 'em, and it'd be cool to find an actual use.

[TheAbominatrix]

For all of that, I have no idea... I'd try gamefaqs if you need the answer in a hurry.

As for the Smut, however, it has no purpose... it's just a joke item. Which is a shame, because there's just gotta be a perverted old man somewhere in the FFIV world who would love to trade awesome stuff for some dirty mags.

[Sasquatch]

As for the Smut, however, it has no purpose... it's just a joke item. Which is a shame, because there's just gotta be a perverted old man somewhere in the FFIV world who would love to trade awesome stuff for some dirty mags.

Amen to that. Maybe some damn Alerts.

[abrojtm]

I haven't played FFIV in for freaking ever, so some of these answers may not be right.

I believe you steal Alerts from the Alert enemy (looks like a flying robot eye) in the tower of Babil. There's a specific room that I don't really know how to give directions to that the Pink Puffs appear in. Rydia's best weapon is the Dragon (maybe Serpent) whip. This is an extremely rare drop from either the Red or Blue Dragons in the Lunar Subterrain. For some reason it seems like Cain has a better lance too, but my mind is drawing a blank. Artemis bows/arrows are stolen/dropped from the amazon looking women. These are Rosa's best weapons. Anyone else?

[Sasquatch]

- Artemis Arrows are dropped from Karys--I don't know about a bow, though.
- I got Rydia's Serpent. A Blue Dragon dropped it.
- I know which room the Pink Puffs are in, but thanks.
- There's a room with Kain't Holylnce in it, in between the room with the Ribbons (on the right) and a room with a save point (on the left). I don't think there's any better weapon for him...but I have done the item-dupe thing a few times, and I have three more to throw now.
- I can't get back to the Tower of Babil. Any other way to get Alerts?

Thanks.

[Captain Maxx Power]

Here's a list of enemies that can drop the Alert item. The chances vary somewhat, so I've catagorised them from most likely to least likely. Don't ask me where any of them are, because I haven't the foggiest.

*Eyes
*Last Arm
*Searcher
Gr. Dragon
Y. Dragon
Arachne
Araneid
Undrgrnder

* Drops nothing but Alerts.

[Sasquatch]

Wow. Thanks.

Arachnes are found in one of the caves in the Underworld--I think it's the one to the Land of Summonned Monsters. And I believe Araneids are found in the desert... I might have to go looking for some of these guys.

[Takara]

Red Dragons can also drop the Dragon Lance for Kain. I believe the Holy Lance has more attack power, but the Dragon Lance deals 9999 damages to all dragons.

[Sasquatch]

That's like Rydia's Serpent, then...it's got more attack power than the FireLash, but does a hellovalot more against serpents and dragons.

Is there really an Artemis bow?

I'll put a little "update" in here when I finally decide to beat it. Right now, I'm still trying to get that damn Pink Tail, which I've never gotten before...I've only fought Pink Puffs twice, and the only time this game was because I used my only Alert.

[KoShiatar]

I'm pretty sure there IS an Artemis Bow, but I'm not sure where to get it. Maybe dropped by the Moon Goddesses? Hum.
As for Rydia's Dragon Whip, you must fight 2 Blue Dragons together to get it.

[Sasquatch]

I don't think you need to fight two together...I got one from just fighting one.

I did discover that in the last level of the purdy tile areas, though, you often fight multiple enemies...2 Behemoths, a Behemoth and a Red Dragon, 3 Red Dragons... Then you get an ass-ton of Experience and money. (3 Red Dragons gives 195,000 GP.) Best place to level up, but no chance of the Pink Puffs, which is what I'm after.

And I also figured out that in the Crystal Palace, when the Crystals send you to the moon's core, their pattern is low-left, low-right, left-low, left-high, high-left, high-right, right-high, right-low. Just...letting everybody know. In case that subject ever comes up. Now you know.

[Sasquatch]

Alright, update... I got the Dragon spear for Kain, and it does wonders against Dragons/Serpents without too much of a decrease in power against everything else, so it's pretty nice. So at this point I have the most powerful of everything for everybody, save perhaps the Artemis bow. And for Edge...I gave him the Genji helmet, but I think I had thrown all the other Genji stuff away when I realized he could wear it, so he's got different armor and a GoldRing. All of my characters are around level 80 or higher...I think Rydia's 78 or so, whereas Kain and Cecil (and I believe Edge as well) are 86, and Rosa's 81, 82, something like that. Everybody knows all their spells, except for the Bomb and Mage Summon spells--and I won't get those, because I don't care about 'em and I wouldn't use 'em anyway.

I think Rydia levels up slower than everybody else...I don't know why. When she gains a new level, she needs around 200,000 Exp. to get to the next one...whereas when, say, Cecil gains a new level, he only needs 170,000 to get to the next one.

As for items, I have more than 250 Ether1s($10K apiece), 31 or 32 Ether2s($50K), and 99 Elixers($100K). I have a couple swords, waiting to be thrown (Avenger, Ancient, Excalibur), three extra "HolyLnce"s, from the weapon-dupe trick, 99--well, now, maybe 90--"Fuma" stars($50K), a spare set of 99 Yoichi arrows, and 30 Artemis arrows. Oh, and of course, 6 "Smut", right up top.

I thought up another question... Does anybody else have specific places for each character? Since the first time I've played the game, I've had the same final pattern, and most of the ways through the game, too. Cecil is in the middle, of course, and Kain is at the top and Edge is at the bottom. Rydia--Edge's love interest and one being "protected" by Cecil--is, naturally, between Edge and Cecil in the #4 spot, and Rosa--Cecil's lady and the object of Kain's affection--is, of course, between Kain and Cecil, in the #2 spot. Throughout the game, Cecil is always in the #2 or 3 spot, and when I have only two people that need to be up front, Rydia will be in the #3 spot, right in the middle, so it looks cool when she comes forward to call a Summon. Anybody else do stuff like this?

[Captain Maxx Power]

I think Rydia levels up slower than everybody else...I don't know why. When she gains a new level, she needs around 200,000 Exp. to get to the next one...whereas when, say, Cecil gains a new level, he only needs 170,000 to get to the next one.
I thought up another question...Anybody else do stuff like this?

Spellcasters take longer to level up than the fighter classes, and as a side note, you've thought WAY too hard about the order of your characters. I just make sure that Cecil Kain and Edge are on the front and Rydia and Rosa are on the back. Wierdo.

[Takara]

Heh, my order always goes, from top to bottom: Kain, Rydia, Cecil, Rosa, Edge. I have no idea why, I just do it out of habit, I guess.

[Alexander]

I do Rydia - Cecil - Rosa - Edge - Kain, since Kain mostly Jumps, and Jump ignores row.