Final Fantasy III (J)

Guide written by bdjeffyp

Version History

• v1.1.0 (4/2/2024): Moved box art, spoiler discussion, and naming convention details into the About section. Found and fixed minor spelling errors. Updated the header sectioning to be more consistent, using a level two header for the category breakdowns then making the categories themselves a level three header.
• v1.0.2 (9/23/2023): Updated Compatibility section and specified dates of relevancy for when I state "currently" in the guide.
• v1.0.1 (9/4/2021): Formatting cleanup (thanks to FluffyEmmy for that!)
• v1.0.0 (12/24/2020): Initial release

About

:no_entry: ** MAY CONTAIN MINOR SPOILERS ** :no_entry:

This is not an official manual, walkthrough, or critical review. This document is a simple guide for the current achievement set available on RetroAchievements. This guide will give the player tips on earning the achievements, hash compatibility, and any other necessary or useful information.

Note that the names of characters, places, etc. used in this guide are based off of the Chaos Rush translation, which is closest to the official Square Enix translation for Final Fantasy III on the Nintendo DS. When possible, I will try to use both names with the Chaos Rush name first followed by the early translation in parentheses.

It will appear like this, as an example: Gysahl(Gisahl)

Introduction

Final Fantasy III is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Family Computer. Released in Japan in 1990, it was the third installment in the Final Fantasy series. It is the first numbered Final Fantasy game to feature the job-change system. The story revolves around four orphaned youths drawn to a crystal of light. The crystal grants them some of its power, and instructs them to go forth and restore balance to the world. Not knowing what to make of the crystal's pronouncements, but nonetheless recognizing the importance of its words, the four inform their adoptive families of their mission and set out to explore and bring back balance to the world.

This game further establishes many of the Final Fantasy series norms that were set in Final Fantasy II, such as chocobos, expanded character classes, and familiar spells, while also bringing back the experience point system of the first game. Additionally, certain features of Final Fantasy IV, such as the limited inventory slots, Fat Chocobo, and summon spells, started in this game.

Trivia

• Final Fantasy III was first officially released outside of Japan with the Nintendo DS 3D remake in 2006. The Famicom version was released on Wii and Wii U Virtual Consoles, but only in Japan. Therefore, the Famicom version with translation hacks is the only way to play the original game. A 2D remake was finally made available worldwide with the Pixel Remaster releases of the first six Final Fantasy games.
• A 2D remake was initially in the works for the WonderSwan Color. However, due to cartridge storage sizes for the system and programming complications, Square was only able to produce remakes for Final Fantasy I and II for the system.
• The game earned the third highest score in Famitsu the year of its release, scoring a 36 out of 40, which was one point less than F-Zero and Dragon Quest IV.
• The overworld theme, Eternal Wind, has appeared in several other Final Fantasy games, such as during the opening movie of the Shadowbringers expansion of Final Fantasy XIV and a bard in the Dead Dunes town of Ruffian sings a version with lyrics in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.

Save Support

The game uses a battery to save game data across three slots. Players can save the game at any time while on the overworld map to any one of the three slots.

Compatibility

Currently (as of 9/23/2023) this game has 10 unique ROM(s) registered for it. View the latest Supported Game Files page to ensure that you have a valid game for your achievements.

I used the Final Fantasy III (Japan) (En) (v1.3) (Chaos Rush) version when making this guide and earning my mastery.

Leaderboards

There are no leaderboards currently associated with the game.

Achievement Categories

There are a total of 77 achievements (as of 9/23/2023), which can be broken down into the following categories:

• Story/Progression: 30 achievements earned naturally through the course of gameplay
• Side Quest: 22 achievements earned by going to out-of-the-way locations and talking to various NPCs
• Challenge: 8 achievements, all of which are missable, that requires less-than-ideal party configurations
• Grind: 10 achievements that will require extensive work to achieve
• Miscellaneous: 7 achievements that don't fit in the above categories

Category Breakdowns

Story/Progression

No discussion on the story achievements here as you simply need to play through the game to earn them. You can't miss them!

Side Quest

Title and Description	Tips
Painkiller Share a Potion with a citizen in need	Considered a side quest as you aren't required to speak to this old man in the village of Ur at the beginning of the game. If you talk to all NPCs though, you shouldn't have a problem with getting this and the remaining side quest achievements.
Breadwinner Claim your prize for riding a chocobo around the continent	You can meet the requirements for the side quest immediately upon finding your first chocobo in the Chocobo Forest outside of the Village of the Ancients(Ancients' Village). Simply run around the outside ring of the continent and then enter the Village and speak to a child in town to get your prize and the achievement. You don't even have to talk to the kid before hand.
The Grass is Greener Here Find the farming town of Gysahl(Gisahl)	After saving the Floating Continent from falling, you can sail to this town. You aren't required to come here, but you may want to if you don't want to use a Thief during your game.
You're Gonna Carry That Weight Meet the Fat Chocobo	Use a Gysahl Green(Carrot) at a spot that smells like chocobos to make the Fat Chocobo appear. While this is optional, you will probably unlock this as a result of managing your items during the course of the game.
Is This Safe to Drink...? Receive a gift from a reclusive chemist	After saving the Elder(Eldest) Tree, don't forget to go back to Castle Argus(Argass) to the locked room on the top-left side of the castle's rampart. A white mage will be there to give you a gift.
Welcome to Summoning 101Find the village of Replito(Leprit)	As soon as the Enterprise is freed from it's chain, you can visit this town. Be wary of flying near the castle of Saronia(Salonia), however, or you will have to remember to find one or both of these towns after that storyline is concluded.
The Musical KingdomFind the village of Duster(Dastar)	As soon as the Enterprise is freed from it's chain, you can visit this town. Be wary of flying near the castle of Saronia(Salonia), however, or you will have to remember to find one or both of these towns after that storyline is concluded.
We're Gonna Have to JumpRansack the Dragon Spire(Tower)	While you don't have to do this as part of the story, it'll definitely make your battles in Saronia(Salonia) that much easier with all the loot you get here. You'll find the Dragon Spire in the southeastern section of the city.
In Case You Missed AnythingFind Doga(Dorga)'s Village	This achievement can be accomplished as soon as you get the ability to submerge the Nautilus. The village is a great place to fill out needed spells you haven't purchased earlier in your journey.
Sunken TreasureLoot the hidden chests in the Undersea Cave	This achievement can be accomplished as soon as you get the ability to submerge the Nautilus. The hidden treasures will go toward the No Stone Unturned challenge achievement but these four are significant for the unique battles contained within.
The Power of the Dark Side Find all the Magic Knight equipment laying around Falgabard(Fargabaad)	You can go to this town after getting the Invincible. Going through the cave in the back of town will be a great chance to prepare for the Divided They Fall challenge!
The Allfather Prove yourself worthy of summoning Odin	You can attempt to battle Odin once you have a submergible Nautilus. Sail to the Saronia(Salonia) Catacombs underwater just south of the city.
The Sea Serpent Prove yourself worthy of summoning Leviathan	You can attempt to battle Leviathan within Lake Dor on the Floating Continent once you have the Invincible. Cross the mountain with the airship, get out, and enter the lake in your canoe to reach the pacing shadow.
The King of Dragons Prove yourself worthy of summoning Bahamut	You can attempt to battle Bahamut once you have the Invincible. It's cave is an excellent spot to grind levels in preparation for doing the Oops, Forgot My Sunscreen challenge.
I am ProtectedObtain the Ribbon from Forbidden Land Eureka	The only Ribbon you can find before the point of no return! You'll want to find it for the No Stone Unturned challenge. As you explore the second floor, look for a wall you can walk through. Be ready to fight for the item!
Keep Away from WerewolvesObtain the Full Moon	You'll naturally come across this weapon during your Eureka descent. The Moonring(Full Moon) is defended, but is necessary for the No Stone Unturned challenge.
A True SamuraiObtain the Masamune	Another weapon out in the open as you dive Eureka. As with the others, this weapon is defended by another monster.
The Holy SwordObtain Excalibur	Yet another weapon out in the open as you descend further into Eureka. Also defended by a monster.
Post-ApocalypticObtain Ragnarok	Yes. Another weapon waiting for you to grab it. It's also in Eureka. It's also guarded by a beast most foul.
Employees of the MonthReceive the Ninja and Sage jobs. Oh, and a staff, too	Lying opposite from Ragnarok. This weapon comes with two jobs as well!
Need Some Ammo?Find the hidden passage at the bottom of Eureka	Reaching the bottom, you find two sages with the level 8 spells and Odin, Leviathan, and Bahamut summons. A hidden switch can be found on the wall behind them by walking up between the two.
Attack of the ClonesObtain all four Ribbons from the Dark World	After passing the point of no return, you'll find one treasure chest on each path to a Dark Crystal that contains a Ribbon. Don't worry: they are also guarded!

Challenge

All of these achievements are MISSABLE because almost all of them are tied to completing a dungeon, including a one-time boss battle, under specific conditions! Prior to attempting, I highly recommend saving prior to attempting. If the achievement doesn't pop upon completing the boss fight, reset and try again. You should be safe if you set up the party's Jobs prior to entering the dungeon associated with the challenge. Make sure you have at least ONE MAGIC KEY from Gysahl(Gisahl) prior to leaving the Floating Continent for the first time (or get four to be safe)!

Title and Description	Tips
We Fear ChangeConquer the Sealed Cave(Cave of the Seal) with a party full of Onion Knights(Kids)	The first of the Job Class challenges! Before entering the Sealed Cave(Cave of the Seal), ensure your party is turned back into Onion Knights before entering, if you ever changed into another job prior to that point. The achievement will be completed if you defeat the Djinn(Jinn) without changing jobs. In my playthrough, I used other jobs so I made sure to change my party back to Onion Knights before entering the cave. Overall, the challenge isn't too difficult to complete with Onion Knights if you have been persistent in fighting and gaining levels. The Onion Knight job skill level should be inconsequential to success but it can't hurt to grind some job levels if you are concerned.
Why Are You Even Here?!Conquer the Nepto Temple(Shrine of Nepto) with a non-caster in the lead spot	This challenge is interesting since your entire party is Mini and physical attacks are severely reduced. You must have your first character as a Warrior(Fighter) or other non-magic using class. Ensure your party is set up prior to entering the temple from the world map! Changing it while in the temple but before going Mini and into the statue will not work! Put all four characters in the back row so that your Warrior can participate by drawing attacks away from your casters without dying outright.
Illiterate WarriorsConquer Castle Hein(Hyne) without a Scholar in the party	Before getting captured in Tokkul(Tokkle), make sure you don't have a Scholar in your party. Honestly, this isn't that bad. If you have been persistent in leveling up your White and Black Mages, your spell damage with Aero and Poison should be enough to override Hein's barrier. Another strategy is to test your Fire/Blizzard/Thunder spells to see which is functional. Once you find the right one, if you are quick, you can keep casting the spell before Hein shifts the barrier.
The Honest ApproachConquer Goldor Manor(Goldor's Mansion) without a Thief in the party	Before entering Goldor Manor, you must not have a Thief in your party. To complete the dungeon, then, you must have at least one magic key! If you only have one key, be sure to only open the door to the top-right room of the first floor of the Manor to progress. The three other locked doors don't have anything anyway but if you use your only key on one of them, you are stuck. Since Gysahl(Gisahl) is the only place you can buy magic keys and you are landlocked at this point in the game, it behooves you to make sure that you have at least one magic key prior to entering the Cave of Tides(Water Cave).
Divided They FallConquer the Cave of Shadows(Darkness) without a Magic Knight in the party	This is the challenge achievement that took me the longest to complete. The Cave of Shadows(Darkness) is 11(!) floors of pain, due to the dividing enemies that will split with any physical attack. Since Magic Knights are prohibited, using magic/summons are a good alternative. If you don't have characters with magic or summons built up, I suggest grinding to build up the job skills and levels for your characters. Since the Evoker(Conjurer) is unpredictable, I recommend sticking with a White Mage for healing/Aero/Confuse and a Black Mage for dealing damage. The ideal location for grinding is in the first floor of the Cave of Bahamut as the monsters there are low risk with a lot of experience points. Raising levels will increase your cast count for each spell level. It is okay to keep physical combatants as well for taking damage and providing killing blows that won't cause splitting. I used the Knight and Black Belt(Karateka), but you can change it up based on your primary role for these characters. Once you feel ready, begin your descent into the Cave of Shadows! I recommend taking this over multiple dives, gathering items from a floor, climbing back out, recovering in the Invincible, and saving your game once you clear a floor. This will allow you to determine your capabilities to go further and make subsequent dives in previously cleared floors quicker. A key strategy that I used was casting the White Mage's Confuse spell. Confused enemies will not split when hit with a physical attack! Use this to your advantage on encounters with three or four monsters to the greatest effect. Let enemies hit each other or themselves and follow up with a strong physical to take them out without dividing. Concentrate black magic spells on single targets to do more damage to get them within one-shot physical attack range. As you get further, you will get stronger and then be able to complete the dive, fight the boss, and get the achievement. One other possibility is to simply ignore the items until after completing the challenge, and then dive back in with a party of Magic Knights to clear out the treasure. My luck with running from encounters in this dungeon (and pretty much the entirety of the late game) was non-existent so a Thief could aid with this approach as well.
Oops, Forgot My SunscreenDefeat Bahamut without casting Reflect(Wall)	Oh boy... When I learned that Reflect was actually capable of sending Mega Flare back at Bahamut in this game, I was sad to see that this challenge prevents that. So, I used Bahamut's cave to prepare for this fight, raising my levels and job skill levels up to be able to take the hits from Mega Flare. Sometimes, you'll get lucky and Bahamut won't use the skill that much. Other times, it'll use it every single round! So, by building my levels to around 50-ish, I was able to survive just fine and take him out quickly. I used dual-wielding Knight and Magic Knight (I had been building my Knight to get the Top of the Class achievement) with a White Mage to heal and Black Mage to cast Bio. If your team is getting wiped by Mega Flare, you will just need to get more levels. I didn't try this, but I believe using the Curtain(Barrier) item will also prevent getting this achievement, since the item has the same effect as Reflect(Wall).
The GauntletConquer both Syrcus(Sylx) and the Dark World without any Ninjas, Sages, or Onion Knights(Kids)	This achievement works great in conjunction with Overqualified and Top of the Class. Since the best jobs in the game are excluded from use in the final dungeons, go back to the Cave of Bahamut to grind and get these achievements with the party you want to use in the final stretch. Diving into Eureka is also beneficial to get the best weapons, spells, and armor for your team, on top of the experience you'll earn from the battles. By reaching level 65 with all of your characters, you will easily be able to finish this achievement with a well-balanced party. Eureka's weapons really push you toward using Knight with Ragnarok/Excalibur, Magic Knight with Masamune/Crysanth(Kiku), Devout(Shaman) with two Elder(Eldest) staffs, and Magus(Warlock) with Omnirod(Ultimate). This is the party that I completed the game with.
No Stone UnturnedLoot every single chest and hidden item in the game	This is going to be one of the hardest achievement to complete as there are several locations that become inaccessible after certain story beats that can lock you out of meeting this achievement. RetroAchievements user Gamechamp defined several locations in their post regarding the locations that are inaccessible after completing them: Nepto Temple(Shrine of Nepto), the Dwarves' Subterranean(Underground) Lake, Castle Hein(Hyne), Doga(Dorga)'s Cave, and Lake Dohr(Dol). I played with the maps from RPGClassics to ensure that I found every chest in these dungeons in particular. I noted that there are some discussions on the achievement page concerning various maps that don't show all of the hidden items, especially in some towns. The RPGClassics maps also don't have every location mapped, such as the Gurgan Gulch(Valley) which has a hidden path to three chests. Another strategy brought up is the use of the RALibretro achievement editor to see if an area has had all of its chests opened, but that requires leaving Hardcore Mode so I won't go into details on that here.

Grind

                          Dragon Hunter, Dragon Slayer, Dragon Dominator

...and The Onion Knight Equipment Achievements

This following guide is based on the work written in this GameFAQs strategy: The Fully Equipped Onion Knight FAQ by OnionKid/SirBahamut. Make sure you are using an emulator that supports Fast Forward. I use RALibretro or plain RetroArch while in Hardcore mode so that I can toggle fast forward and configure my controls to make things easier.

0. Beat the game! Seriously, play through the game and enjoy it first without attempting the Onion Equipment grind. Definitely work on the other achievements listed above as they will set you up for success here, especially the Overqualified achievement, as that will make the grind in the Syrcus(Sylx) Tower that much easier.

1. Setup your party. Since you beat the game and probably got The Gauntlet, you should be just outside the Syrcus(Sylx) Tower when you restart your game. Time to put those Ninja and Sage jobs to work! You can accomplish this grind with two Ninjas and two Sages, or feel free to use three Ninjas if you want to make your climb up the tower just a bit easier. If you do opt to use one Sage, ensure that they have a good spread of high level healing and attack/summon spells. Curaja(Cure4) and Arise(Life2) are a must, Bahamut and Meteor(Meteo) can make some encounters go faster, and Breakga(Brak2) can work on the Dragons. Feel free to mix things up as you wish. However, know that the area of the Tower that we grind in only really needs two Ninjas, so two Sages can make things easier as far as spell distribution goes, especially if your party already has two spell casters set up for the Supreme Magus(Warlock) and Supreme Devout(Shaman) achievements.

2. Climb up to the sixth or seventh floor. The encounters at this location are easy to grind on, since all you'll see are single or a pair of DarkGenerals(D.General), Glasya Labolas(Grashara), or Thor lizards. No Kum Kum(QumQum) here to cast Death/Breakga(Brak2) on you! These floors will have the Yellow or Green Dragon respectively.

3. Get comfortable! You are about to do a TON of encounters in a row before the first Dragon appears. 128 of them to be exact! So, how can you get comfortable? First, set up your controls for your comfort. You can make it one handed by putting confirm/cancel on the L1/L2 (LB/LT) buttons if you are using a modern controller. If you are using an NES or SNES style controller, you'll need to use two hands. Second, add a shortcut for holding Fast Forward. Third, turn Fast Forward on. Now, your Fast Forward button on your controller can turn it off while you hold it down. This will make the game move quickly through battles while slowing down only when you need to menu or navigate the Tower accurately.

4. Pace and grind! Walk back and forth and fight battles. As stated before, the first Dragon encounter will take 128 fights to reach. Now that you are comfortable while grinding, feel free to turn on some YouTube/TV/Twitch/etc. while you pace and fight. Your Ninjas will make short work of the enemies you face here by simply holding down the A button. Each fight should only take one round at this point. With Fast Forward on, you should be able to get to your first Dragon in about 5-10 minutes. Make sure to heal with your Sages or your Elixirs as necessary (hold Fast Forward off). With one Ninja holding the Moonring(Full Moon), getting a back attack is not an issue. Do note that pacing left or right on Fast Forward while not paying full attention can result in a party member changing rows. You can try pacing up and down on these floors if you wish or just make sure to occasionally check on the state of your party, which you should do anyway to ensure no one has died.

5. Fighting Dragons. Your first Dragon appeared. Thankfully, this should be a non-issue at this point with your levels, equipment, and job classes. Continue to just attack! You could mix things up here as well by having one of your Sages use Bahamut or Breakga(Brak2). Feel free to slow the battle down here if you'd like. After it is killed, slow down to see the treasure drop. The achievement for Onion Equipment will pop as soon as the Gil earned appears, if you got a new piece of equipment.

6. Continue fighting the Dragons. The second dragon encounter will be in another 64-68 battles. Get comfortable with the grind again, but know that it isn't as far off. After that, the next dragon will appear in approximately 9 battles, and then the last dragon will arrive in about 6 battles. Feel free to go up to the seventh floor or down to the fifth floor if you want to mix things up. As I understand it though, all three dragons have the same drops, so changing floors is up to you as different dragons do not change your chances of getting Onion equipment.

7. Reset the game! You completed four dragon fights. The next dragon won't appear for approximately 171 battles! This is because the encounter lookup table holds 256 entries and goes through each battle in the table consecutively. With that knowledge, it is faster to simply reset the game and start over at 128 battles to the next fight. This is also a good chance to take a break! There is no need to do this grind all at once. You'll go crazy! Play a different game and come back later after one or two loops of this grind. If you'd rather save the drops and progress, feel free to climb back down and save outside of the tower. Thankfully, there isn't an achievement to have a Fully Equipped Onion Knight, so saving isn't necessary.

In conclusion, the Onion equipment grind isn't fun, but hopefully this process makes it a little more bearable.

                    Overqualified and Top of the Class

These achievements have been brought up several times already across this guide. To summarize, the first floor of the Cave of Bahamut is the ideal location for grinding. The enemies that appear here, Drakes(Pterosaur) and Grenades, are low risk with high experience point output. The largest encounter group I saw was two Drakes with three Grenades, which can net you 4750 experience points per character. Pacing on the first floor by the entrance allows quick access to the Invincible for healing and saving your progress. Grenades are probably the scariest monster of the pair, but as you get stronger, their explosions shouldn't kill a character and you'll kill them before they have a chance to do so. Using Syrcus(Sylx) Tower is not recommended because the encounter sizes aren't as big and the risk is greater (seriously... Kum Kums(QumQum) are the absolute worst).

Miscellaneous

Title and Description	Tips
Amateur PianistTake a lesson in the worst possible place	In the tavern located in Ur's Inn, play the piano on the left side
Intermediate PianistYou won't believe this one weird trick for improving your skill tenfold!	Yeah, this is definitely one weird trick... Play the same piano in Ur's tavern but on the right side this time
Virtuoso PianistGet the crowd moving	Play the piano in Amur's tavern. If you are like me, you got this achievement before getting Intermediate Pianist... 😅
Supreme Magus(Warlock)Have every black magic spell on one character	If you focus one character on black magic throughout the entire game, this should be easy to achieve when you buy the level 8 spells in Eureka. Otherwise, you will need to get all of the spells onto one character, purchase duplicates at Doga(Dorga)'s Village, and probably use a Fat Chocobo to juggle things.
Supreme Devout(Shaman)Have every white magic spell on one character	If you focus one character on white magic throughout the entire game, this should be easy to achieve when you buy the level 8 spells in Eureka. Otherwise, you will need to get all of the spells onto one character, purchase duplicates at Doga(Dorga)'s Village, and probably use a Fat Chocobo to juggle things.
Supreme SummonerHave every summon spell on one character	I never used a summoner in my game, so I threw all of the summon spells onto my second character, who evolved from Monk to Black Belt(Karateka) to Magic Knight throughout the course of the game. Once I got Bahamut, I unlocked this achievement, and then put Bahamut on my Magus(Warlock) turned Sage during my post-game Onion equipment grind. Your mileage may vary but the point at which you unlock it remains the same. Don't forget to purchase the level 1-5 summon spells in Replito(Leprit)!
There's a New Goldor in TownHave 1,000,000 or more Gil	You will probably get this amount during the course of a normal playthrough, even without hunting for achievements. However, grinding in the Cave of Bahamut or during the Onion equipment grind will definitely get you over this amount.