Final Fantasy IV (J) (SNES) - RetroAchievements/guides GitHub Wiki

Final Fantasy IV (J)

Guide written by bdjeffyp

Version History

  • v1.2.1 (4/2/2024): Minor spelling issues found and fixed after updating my system for making these guides. Also, I 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. Moved the box art and spoiler/naming discussion into the About section.
  • v1.2.0 (11/24/2023): Added number of achievements contained in the potential order dropdowns so that a user can see at a glance how many achievements they can get between story achievements, if following my guide to the letter. Shoutout to KhobarKast for the brilliant idea!
  • v1.1.1 (9/23/2023): Added some date details regarding the current relevance of particular numbers that can potentially change in the future so that people can identify quickly if the guide has fallen out of date, such as the number of achievements in the set and the number of ROMs that can be used with the set. Updated links and made use of links where appropriate, rather than writing out details here that are already on the site.
  • v1.1.0 (7/24/2021): Added details on how to get both Cosmic Duel AND Shadow Hands achievements in only one battle with Zeromus. A HUGE thanks to Kencussion for the strategy!
  • v1.0.1 (5/28/2021): Link and table formatting fixes (thanks to FluffyEmmy for that!)
  • v1.0.0 (3/6/2021): Initial release

About

Box art for the Super Famicom version of Final Fantasy IV

** NOTE: CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR SOLVING ACHIEVEMENT PUZZLES **

This is not an official manual, walkthrough, or critical review. This document is a simple guide for the current achievement set (130 as of 9/23/2023) available on RetroAchievements. This guide will give the player tips on earning the achievements, hash compatibility, and any other necessary or useful information.

Spoiler solutions for the boss strategies and a potential order to earning the achievements will be hidden in a collapsible entry that you must click to expand so that only the solutions you need assistance with will be viewable. Some of the more minor achievements will have strategies written outright without a collapsible dropdown so use the guide at your own risk.

Names of characters, places, etc. used in this guide are based off of the Namingway Edition romhack, which is an update of the Final Fantasy II (US) ROM to bring it closer to Final Fantasy IV (J). The hack brings the names of people, places, items, etc. are as close as possible to the current naming conventions used by Square Enix in modern re-releases of this game.

The Namingway Edition romhack is THE recommended way to play the game for these achievements as one or two of them seem to be designed with this particular romhack in mind (in particular, the Salve of Salvation achievement).

Introduction

Final Fantasy IV is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Famicom. Released in Japan in 1991, it is the fourth installment in the Final Fantasy series. This game features a more story-driven approach (a la Final Fantasy II), centered around the dark knight Cecil. However, many of the mechanics introduced in Final Fantasy III make their return here: character job classes (though they are fixed for the most part), the Fat Chocobo, many vehicle options, graphic designs, and some dungeons that require specific mechanics to traverse. The similarities to Final Fantasy III are probably due to the game being initially designed for the Famicom/NES (source).

With the focus on plot, Final Fantasy IV will push you into situations that can lock you out of areas, characters, and abilities as you progress. As a result, many achievements for this game will become missable if you are not diligent. However, all achievements can be earned in one playthrough. This guide will attempt to help you in identifying the missable achievements if you'd rather not play this fantastic, but lengthy, game multiple times.

Trivia

  • This achievement set, created by MrGauss, uses lines from Dante's Divine Comedy for the story achievements. The demons known as "Malebranches" in the Divine Comedy are the inspiration for the Four Arch-Fiends.
  • Final Fantasy IV has had numerous ports and remakes. Notoriously, the US version released on the Super NES was censored and made easier for the American market. In Japan, Square re-released Final Fantasy IV on the Super Famicom, called "Final Fantasy IV Easy Type". Many refer to "Easy Type" as the US version, but it is actually another iteration that builds off the US Version. You can read more about the many versions for the SNES/Super Famicom here, as well as all of the numerous other ports and their differences.
  • A sequel game was developed for Japanese mobile phones, subtitled "The After Years". This game was eventually ported and released worldwide on the WiiWare service of the Nintendo Wii system and also experienced it's own share of ports and remakes.
  • A 3D remake was released on the Nintendo DS, similar in appearance to the Final Fantasy III remake and made by the same studio, Matrix Software.

Save Support

The game uses a battery to save game data across four slots. Players can save the game at any time while on the overworld map or in certain safe spots in dungeons to any one of the slots.

Compatibility

Currently (as of 9/23/2023) this game has 5 unique ROM(s) registered for it. View the linked hashes at the Supported Game Files page.

Please view the Final Fantasy IV Official Thread for more details on setting up the ROM with the latest version of the Namingway Edition patch.

Leaderboards

There are two leaderboards currently associated with the game.

Achievement Categories

There are a currently a total of 130 achievements, which can be broken down into the following categories:

  • Story: 14 achievements earned naturally through the course of gameplay
  • Summons: 4 achievements related to summons for Rydia earned by going to out-of-the-way locations (1 is missable)
  • Boss Challenge: 18 achievements (17 are missable) that require special action during boss fights by the player to successfully earn the achievement
  • Commands: 24 achievements (15 are missable) that require use of the special commands of characters in certain situations or completion of a specific objective in one gameplay session
  • Treasure: 33 achievements (4 are missable) which require finding all treasure, including hidden items, in a specified location
  • Dancer: 8 achievements which require talking to specific NPCs
  • Chicobo Quest: 15 achievements which require you to find a specific, out-of-the-way, location hinted in the achievement description and pressing the [Y] button.
  • Endgame Items: 3 achievements (1 is marked as missable for it's difficulty) for items which are earned by events and grinding
  • Miscellaneous: 11 achievements (1 is missable) that don't fit in the above categories, including 2 related to a specific endgame item to help avoid missing it
  • Out of all of the achievements, 39 are missable

Potential Order

The following is a breakdown of the order of achievements based on my personal playthrough. Note that your mileage may vary due to the path you may desire to take, such as getting Odin before going to the Moon.

Each section is grouped under story achievements and hidden under a dropdown to avoid spoilers. If you want to see the achievements, click on the arrow next to each section to reveal the table. The dropdown names have the number of achievements in the section so that you can see at a glance about how many achievements you should have by the end of a section, if you were to follow my guide to the letter. I have call outs to sections where a grind may be appropriate for the three grind achievements. If you want to see the entire thing without having to click the arrows, checkout the fully expanded roadmap!

MINOR SPOILER SECTION
The tables only reveal when achievements can be earned and possibly missed. No strategies on earning the achievements are provided here, just the order I earned them in.

The Departure ➡ A Heart's Resolve (7/130)

Grind alert! Goblins in the overworld very rarely drop their eponymous summon. The only other Goblin type that drops the summon is in the Lunar Subterrane with the same drop rate.

Category Badge Title Missable?
Story Distant castle overlooked by two moons in the sky The Departure No
Command Dragoon knight jumping onto an enemy Deadly Acrobatics No
Chicobo Chocobo next to a waterfall Chicobo Quest I: Great Baron Falls No
Dancer Dancer in a red dress with yellow bow on her head Dancer in Red No
Treasure Wooden bridge in a cavern Treasure Hunter: Mist Cave No
Boss Mist dragon The Steel and the Mist Yes
Story Dark knight stands over unconscious girl in meadow A Heart's Resolve No
A Heart's Resolve ➡ Scars in the Heart (16/130)
Category Badge Title Missable?
Boss Soldier with a sword No Messengers Left Yes
Treasure Building in grass next to lake Treasure Hunter: Kaipo No
Dancer Blue haired swimmer with dark yellow bow Dazzling Mermaid No
Command Old man Tellah thinking with speech bubble Not Enough Omega-3 Yes
Chicobo Chocobo standing on platform edge overlooking deep chasm Chicobo Quest II: Damcyan Waterway No
Treasure Cavern floor with ladder descending to water with giant squid tentacle Treasure Hunter: Underground Waterway No
Boss Giant squid with an evil toothy smile Tako Express Yes
Treasure Damaged castle in flames with two moons in sky overhead Treasure Hunter: Damcyan No
Story A party of four people surrounds and mourns a dead woman amid the rubble of a castle Scars in the Heart No
Scars in the Heart ➡ Music for a Moonless Sky (23/130)
Category Badge Title Missable?
Command Dark knight with sword raised to strike Ultimate Darkness Yes
Command Singing bard Siren's Pupil Yes
Command Purple frog wearing bard's red hat Song of the Frogs Yes
Command Bard cowering in fear Spoony Bard Yes
Treasure Cavern floor with ladder descending to more cavern floor Treasure Hunter: Antlion's Cave No
Boss An insectoid monster with bug eyes and gaping toothy mouth Reactionless Jaws Yes
Story Bard plays their harp amid a starry night sky Music for a Moonless Night No
Music for a Moonless Sky ➡ Hatred Crossroads (34/130)

Grind alert! Cockatrices on Mt. Hobs and surrounding overworld areas can very rarely drop their eponymous summon for Rydia.

Category Badge Title Missable?
Treasure Mountain path overlooking forest covered foothills Treasure Hunter: Mt. Hobs No
Boss Large red bomb-type monster Explosive Sync Yes
Command Bard character surrounded by magic effects Salve of Salvation Yes
Command White wizard praying Hoping for a Miracle No
Command Monk in a defensive stance Stance of the Tiger Yes
Command Monk performing a jump kick Flying Falcon Yes
Chicobo Chocobo standing at the southern point of a triangle peninsula Chicobo Quest III: Fabul Peninsula No
Dancer Monk in a dancer outfit winking Different Dancer No
Misc Monk in bed asleep Regal Rest Yes
Treasure Castle ramparts overlooked by two moons in the sky Treasure Hunter: Fabul No
Story A dragoon and dark knight face off in battle Hatred Crossroads No
Hatred Crossroads ➡ Embrace the Light (42/130)
Category Badge Title Missable?
Dancer Blue haired dancer with yellow bow surrounded by pigs Dangerous Enchantress No
Command Child crying large tears Fake Tears Yes
Command Child shouting Believing in Oneself Yes
Command Twin children casting a spell Mega Twins Yes
Treasure Monument atop a mountain pass overlooked by two moons in the sky Treasure Hunter: Mt. Ordeals No
Chicobo Chocobo on mountain pass overlooking forest Chicobo Quest IV: Sacred Vista No
Boss Horned zombie demon Malebranche of Earth Yes
Story Paladin stands tall with sword thrust towards the sky Embrace the Light No
Embrace the Light ➡ Wings of the Enterprise (48/130)

Grind alert! You can grind Spirits and Souls at the base of Mt. Ordeals for the Cursed Ring. See the Miscellaneous section below for the strategy. I did it here because of the need to level Cecil up after his class change.

Category Badge Title Missable?
Treasure Adobe house with urn next to it Treasure Hunter: Town of Baron No
Treasure Cavern path with bridge over river Treasure Hunter: Ancient Waterway No
Boss Serpent faced humanoid with snakes for hands Minimalist Struggle Yes
Treasure Throne surrounded by banners Treasure Hunter: Baron Castle No
Boss Turtle demon surrounded by raging waters Malebranche of Water Yes
Story An airship flies over the world overlooked by two moons in the sky Wings of the Enterprise No
Wings of the Enterprise ➡ Partings and Reunions (71/130)

Things really open up now that an airship is in your possession!

Grind alert! Mindflayers in the Magnetic Cave can very rarely drop their eponymous summon. This is the only location they appear in this game, which is pretty inconvenient. It may be best to grind for the summon AFTER defeating the Dark Elf since the cave's magnetic properties will subside.

Category Badge Title Missable?
Treasure Building with well and shrubs next to it Treasure Hunter: Mist Village No
Treasure Weapon shop with a mini-human next to it Treasure Hunter: Mythril Village No
Dancer A dancing pig, frog, and mini-human Mythril Trio No
Chicobo Chocobo standing near a point of a peninsula Chicobo Quest VI: Beak Peninsula No
Dancer Blue haired dancer with yellow ribbon standing on paved road Unusual Dance No
Misc Closeup of moon amid the stars Red Moon No
Treasure Well surrounded by bushes Treasure Hunter: Agart No
Chicobo Chocobo standing on a throne Chicobo Quest VII: Empty Throne No
Command Scruffy man with helmet and goggles looking through magnifying glass Bestiary Analytics Yes
Treasure Ninja standing among castle ramparts overlooked by two moons in the sky Treasure Hunter: Eblan Castle No
Chicobo Chocobo standing in long grass Chicobo Quest V: Chocobo Kingdom No
Treasure Forest trees with a Chocobo in tall grass Treasure Hunter: Chocobo Forests No
Treasure Adobe building surrounded by trees overlooked by two moons in the sky Treasure Hunter: Troia No
Dancer Paladin on throne surrounded by dancers Paladin's Bounty No
Misc Frog in a moat under a starry night sky Prince of the Pond No
Treasure Skeleton on cavern floor Treasure Hunter: Magnetic Cave No
Boss Squat, yet long limbed, creature with long hair and a horn Winds of Victory Yes
Treasure Frog in a castle pond overlooked by two moons in the sky Treasure Hunter: Troia Castle No
Treasure Futuristic steel walls and door Treasure Hunter: Tower of Zot Yes
Boss Three women: one tall with a spear and one short with a knife Magical Miscalculation Yes
Command Paladin with one arm raised Caring is Loving No
Boss Woman with long hair wrapped around her like a whirlwind Malebranche of Wind Yes
Story The paladin and white wizard embrace in the presence of the monk, engineer, and dragoon Partings and Reunions No
Partings and Reunions ➡ Savior of Mist (74/130)

A very short section...

Category Badge Title Missable?
Command White wizard with one eye closed and drawing back a bow with an arrow Supreme Aim No
Boss Large and creepy doll with crown and hair in pigtails Danse Macabre Yes
Story A summoner stands among metal pillars Savior of Mist No
Savior of Mist ➡ Pride of Fabul (84/130)

Grind alert! Balloons in the Tower of Babil can very rarely drop their eponymous summon. You can also get it from them and the Grenades on the Moon later, if you'd rather wait, since the drop rate is low.

Category Badge Title Missable?
Dancer A dwarven dancer in a pub Underworld Frolic No
Misc A happy chocobo with white beak and red body The Dreamer No
Misc Paladin exclaims as they see an open magazine on the table It's a Secret to Everybody No
Chicobo A chocobo stands on dirty floor among hard working game developers Chicobo Quest VIII: Visiting the Creator No
Misc A creepy purple hairless doll Monolithic Fight No
Treasure Castle ramparts overlook an ocean of lava Treasure Hunter: Dwarven Castle No
Command Monk meditates with eyes closed Fist of the Dragon Yes
Treasure Futuristic panels feed into a glowing orb Treasure Hunter: Tower of Babil I Yes
Boss A small person pilots a giant humanoid robot Clockwork Destruction Yes
Story Monk and paladin face off Pride of Fabul No
Pride of Fabul ➡ Forever Loved (88/130)
Category Badge Title Missable?
Treasure Cavern path with bridge over waterway Treasure Hunter: Cave Eblan No
Boss Red faced demon draped in red and blue cape with hand extended Malebranche of Fire Yes
Treasure The top of a tall tower reaching for the heavens amid a mountain range Treasure Hunter: Tower of Babil II Yes
Story Ninja stands before king and queen Forever Loved No
Forever Loved ➡ Mysidian Legend (104/130)

NOTE: Elemental Cure is broken. It triggers when a FellKnight uses Absorb in the Defender Sword Monster-in-a-Box fight. It should be available to earn when a character has a Cursed Ring with an elemental reducing armor equipped. It isn't too big of a deal that this one achievement out of 130 pops early, given that you still need to grind for a Cursed Ring anyway... 😉

Category Badge Title Missable?
Chicobo A chocobo stands in a crater Chicobo Quest IX: Underworld Crater No
Chicobo A chocobo stands in a corner formed by red cliffs Chicobo Quest X: Underworld Corner No
Treasure A dark doorway flanked by bushes Treasure Hunter: Kokkol's Forge No
Treasure Houses next to a lava lake Treasure Hunter: Tomra Village No
Misc A red shield absorbs the surrounding air Elemental Cure No
Chicobo A chocobo looks at books on shelves with two cloaked monsters nearby Chicobo Quest XI: Ancient Library No
Treasure A bomb floats near a house Treasure Hunter: Eidolon's Cave No
Summons The giant sea serpent Leviathan King of Eidolons No
Chicobo A chocobo surrounded by four treasure chests on a glowing green floor Chicobo Quest XII: Green Maze No
Treasure Three fairies fly in a cavern with a glowing green floor Treasure Hunter: Sylph Cave No
Treasure Two torches made of giant skulls flank an open door in a cave wall Treasure Hunter: Sealed Cave No
Boss The facade of a toothy grinning demon emerging from a wall Under Pressure Yes
Command Ninja casting a spell Ninjutsu Master No
Summons Monk surrounded by three fairies Loyal Friend Yes
Command Ninja throwing something Bull's Eye Yes
Story A large spaceship flies over the Earth Mysidian Legend No
Mysidian Legend ➡ To the Dark Depths (118/130)

Grind alert! If you didn't get the Bomb summon earlier, grinding Balloons and Grenades in the Lunar Path caverns or the Moon overworld may be the next best opportunity.

Category Badge Title Missable?
Item A sword shimmering with magical light Kokkol's Finest No
Chicobo A chocobo stands on a lunar mountain cliff over a cave entrance Chicobo Quest XIII: Extraterrestrial No
Chicobo A chocobo stands near a humanoid with mouse features in a lunar cave Chicobo Quest XV: Humming Heaven No
Treasure A lunar cavern Treasure Hunter: Lunar Path No
Command An old man prays Blessings of the Moon Yes
Treasure Narrow lunar cavern pass overlooking a deep chasm Treasure Hunter: Cave of Bahamut No
Chicobo A chocobo looks over a deep lunar chasm Chicobo Quest XIV: Wrong Cave No
Summons A dragon with mouth open wide ready to breathe fire Trial of Omega No
Misc A robotic floating eyeball Alert! No
Treasure A giant robot stands among mountains overlooked by two moons in the sky Treasure Hunter: Giant of Babil Yes
Misc A falling meteor with the number "9999" over it Maximum Damage! No
Boss The faces of the four malebranches Fiendish Rematch Yes
Boss Three floating metallic spheres Fatal Error Yes
Story A red crystal floating amid crystal spires To the Dark Depths No
To the Dark Depths ➡ Life's Triumph (127/130)

Grind alert! If you don't have the remaining summon items, now is the time to get them. You will also be grinding for Pink Tail(s) in the Lunar Subterrane, and the Cursed Ring from the Souls and Spirits at Mt. Ordeals if you didn't get that earlier.

The final boss must be fought more than once to complete the set. I would think it may be best to beat the game with the full party first, reload the save, then grind to get Cecil ready for the final fight...

Category Badge Title Missable?
Summons A horned knight rides atop their horse with sword and shield Sword of Justice No
Command An open book with a white orb floating over it White Mastery No
Command An open book with a black orb floating over it Black Mastery No
Misc A pink gelatinous monster Avatar of Patience No
Item A sword on an altar between two pillars Sealed Legends No
Treasure A brilliant ball of yellow light Treasure Hunter: Lunar Subterrane No
Command Ninja prepares to cast a spell Shadow Hands No
Story A distant galaxy in a sea of stars Life's Triumph No
Boss A shadowy ghost howling Cosmic Duel No

Special call out: The incredibly grind heavy Evil Jewelry, Summoning Mastery, and One of a Kind. They are not included in the order list above because of the rare drops involved in their achievements: 1/64 chance for the applicable item IF an item drops from the monster. See the Grind section below for strategies on how to complete the grind.
Category Badge Title Missable?
Item Ring topped with jeweled skull emitting evil aura Evil Jewelry No
Command An open book with a bubble containing fire floating over it Summoning Mastery No
Item A glittering armored breastplate One of a Kind Yes-ish

Category Breakdowns

Story

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

Summons

The three non-missable summons achievements are standard boss fights with no special requirements for boss challenge achievements. Therefore, have fun with these fights and experiment on your own or refer to your favorite strategy guide/GameFAQ for details.

The only missable achievement in this section is Loyal Friend. It is only available between when Kain leaves the group before going to the Moon! When the opportunity presents itself to go to the Moon, it would be wise to fully explore the world to wrap up any loose ends before departing.

Expand for spoiler
  • Find Yang in the Sylphs' Cave
  • Go to Fabul to see Sheila and get the Frying Pan
  • Go back to Sylphs' Cave and use the Frying Pan on Yang.

This series of steps is also closely related to the Bull's Eye achievement and why that is also marked as missable.

Boss Challenge

HERE, THERE BE SPOILERS!

This is where the meat of the achievement set is at! If you wish to challenge yourself, I recommend not expanding the strategies I used to complete these fun and puzzling achievements. Make use of nearby save spots where possible and experiment with the skills and items you have to complete these very awesome challenges!

Badge Title Strategy
Mist dragon The Steel and the Mist
StrategyDon't attack while she is in Mist form, only while in Dragon form. Take a couple of rounds of attacks for both Kain and Cecil and then wait for it to change forms. Repeat until dead. Use mist form rounds for healing if necessary.
Soldier with a sword No Messengers Left
StrategyTake out two guards, then concentrate on the General. Killing all three guards first will result in the General fleeing the battle.
Giant squid with an evil toothy smile Tako Express
StrategyThis is your first test of speed and strength. I recommend lowering the battle speed to 6 in order to give your characters more chances to attack. If you are still having trouble defeating Octomamm with a large enough hit to kill him before he goes to one leg remaining, you may need to grind a bit for levels to raise your base strength.
An insectoid monster with bug eyes and gaping toothy mouth Reactionless Jaws
StrategyUnfortunately, I didn't keep notes on this fight and don't have a save nearby to verify my memory here... Don't physically attack! Using Cecil's Dark is key, since that is not a physical attack and doesn't consume MP. Keep Cecil's health up with potions from Edward and Rydia. Another possibility is to have Edward Sing and hope that it causes the Charm status effect so that the Antlion attacks itself.
Large red bomb-type monster Explosive Sync
StrategyWhen Mom Bomb grows full size, cease attacks. A party member will say, "It's gonna blow!". As it explodes and begins to split into the six bombs, use a Silk Web item to slow the bombs immediately. Have Yang use Kick to knock down the health of all the bombs slightly. Now cycle to Edward and have him attack each blue bomb individually to get their health in range, hopefully without critical hits. Once all three blue bombs were attacked without dying, a single Dark command from Cecil should take them all out in one shot and the achievement will be awarded.
Horned zombie demon Malebranche of Earth
StrategyUse Palom's Boost command until maxed out (6 times?). Then have Palom cast Fira on Scarmiglione. This will meet the requirement of taking out the boss with only one action on him! My Palom was Level 19 when I got this achievement.
Serpent faced humanoid with snakes for hands Minimalist Struggle
StrategyNote that party members can die but must be alive before the battle ends! Make sure to save in the Ancient Waterway. Have Tellah cast Mini on your party prior to entering the central hall of Baron Castle. Since you are Mini, Palom cannot use his Boast command to strengthen his spells. Palom should use his strongest spells: Quake, or Bio if Quake isn't available yet. I recommend getting Quake unlocked in the Ancient Waterway if you don't have it though. Buff your party with Tellah and Porom casting Blink to avoid taking too much damage. Since Baigan's body counters spells with Reflect, use low level spells on his body to wear off the effect. I used Cure twice on him to bounce a healing spell back at my party while wearing off his Reflect. It can take two hits before the Reflect wears off. Once it does, use Quake again to win.
Turtle demon surrounded by raging waters Malebranche of Water
StrategyNo one can die this time around. Since you just fought Baigan, it would be wise to return to the Ancient Waterway to save your game again. You can use a Tent here or use Cecil's bed to heal up as well. If you have your battle speed at or near "1", you may want to lower it. I found that Cagnazzo is too quick and fires off Haste before Tellah is even able to cast a spell when the battle speed was at "1". Once I lowered the speed down to "6", this challenge was in the bag. Have Palom cast Bio and Tellah cast Thundaga, skipping everyone else. Those two spells should put Cagnazzo inside his shell before he casts Haste if it doesn't kill him outright. Cast one more Bio or Thundara/Thundaga to finish up the fight.
Squat, yet long limbed, creature with long hair and a horn Winds of Victory
StrategyOnly the Dark Dragon phase of this fight matters for the achievement. Dark Dragon is susceptible to Tornado (hence the name of the achievement). Care must be taken to not have actions queued when the Dark Elf changes into the Dark Dragon as any extra actions taken will invalidate the achievement. In my many attempts, I found that my party took 10 attack actions on the Dark Elf before it changed. Your party levels may be different though so use caution around 7-8 attacks on the Elf. Once it does change, use Tornado and then follow with an attack from any other character. Do note though that Tornado still has a chance to fail. If it does fail, it still counts as an action on the boss and thus a reset is required. It can be annoying to reset and then deal with the story stuff and equipment changes but fast-forward is your friend...
Three women: one tall with a spear and one short with a knife Magical Miscalculation
StrategySome have talked about Tellah having Dispel and using that to cancel out the Reflect status on Cindy; however, my Tellah did not have Dispel. I also saw people talk about casting Silence on Sandy so that she can't cast Reflect. I was never able to get Silence to stick though. So, I attacked Cindy until her health was low, doing approximately 4000 HP of damage. Note that Cid's Study and Libra spells don't work, so you'll have to keep track of the damage dealt in your head. When you think you are close, kill Sandy. While Cid, Yang, and Cecil attack Sandy, have Tellah cast Cura on Cindy to try to wear down her Reflect status. I found that when Sandy puts Reflect on Cindy, the status will stay on just until I have killed Sandy, which will then expose Cindy to Mindy's spells. If you time it right and have Cindy's health low enough, Mindy will end up killing Cindy and the achievement will pop. There may be better ways to do this, but this is the process that worked for me. Make sure you save right after this fight since another boss challenge follows shortly after this!
Woman with long hair wrapped around her like a whirlwind Malebranche of Wind
StrategyYang's Focus will be the primary damage dealer since you can't use Kain's Jump to break up Barbariccia's whirlwind form. Focus will ignore the defense of the whirlwind. So, focus your efforts on keeping everyone alive and not fully petrifying. Cecil and Rosa can provide healing and Esuna. Cid and Kain can use Gold Needles and healing potions. There is some luck involved in this with Barbariccia's Tornados landing their hit or not. If the Tornado does connect, heal that character immediately (Yang should still Focus though). If Barbariccia does her follow up physical attack on the tornado'd character, they'll die. You may benefit from lowering your battle speed on this fight. Barbariccia's Ray does gradual petrification. So you have a few rounds before you need to cure the effect. You'll know it is close when the character looks like they are fully stone but still standing and able to act. If Gold Needles are running low, take a chance and only recover the debuff when they look like they are fully grey. Do note that Ray cast on the same character multiple times speeds this up. If a character gets hit by Ray twice in a row, focus on curing the affected person.
Large and creepy doll with crown and hair in pigtails Danse Macabre
StrategyFor every Calca doll taken down, a Brina doll must also fall. Attack on Brina doll, then kill one Calca. Continue attacking the dolls in pairs like that. When there is only one pair remaining, the Brina doll is weaker so that should be the last doll standing. Concentrate attacks on the last Calca doll and all attacks will then shift to the final Brina, which should fall quickly before it can change to Calcabrina.
A small person pilots a giant humanoid robot Clockwork Destruction
StrategyThe first phase of the fight, when Dr. Lugae and Barnab are separate, use Haste spells and Hermes items to speed up the entire party. Attack Barnab until it falls. Bring up Yang's menu. As soon as Dr. Lugae talks about taking manual control, select the Focus command. Have the next character use a Silk Web item or cast Slow on Barnab-Z. Now have everyone attack. I managed to get lucky on my attempt and Rosa did a critical hit with Aim, followed by Yang's standard attack killing Barnab-Z. I think even without the crit, I was on track to beating out Barnab-Z's explosion with everyone attacking, Rosa Aiming, and Rydia casting Thundara.
Red faced demon draped in red and blue cape with hand extended Malebranche of Fire
StrategyPerhaps the toughest challenge?? Rosa needs to know Reflect, which she learns at level 36. This fight is a matter of timing. Since you cannot target Rubicante directly, you will need to set Reflect on a party member and then have Rydia bounce Blizzara off that character. This will take about 11 hits to accomplish (my Rydia at level 36 required that many hits). Rubicante's pattern: opens his cloak and uses his Scorch technique, closes his cloak, physically attacks one or two characters, and repeats. Rosa should cast Reflect on a surviving party member after Rubicante's physical attacks, which should be cast before he opens his cloak. Ensure Rydia is ready to cast as soon as Rubicante opens his cloak, then select the Blizzara spell and target your party member that has the Reflect status. This should hit Rubicante before he uses Scorch. If Rubicante Scorches, he will close his cloak immediately after, so it is very important to cast Blizzara as he opens his cloak or you will miss. Contingencies will be needed as party members are attacked and die. Edge, Cecil, and Kain should be using Phoenix Downs to revive characters. If Rosa or Rydia are taken out, you may miss a cycle. Take time to breathe and think through every action. I found this challenge to be very intense because of the concentration needed and finding the rhythm. It was very satisfying to accomplish! In my first attempt at this, I didn't have nearly enough Phoenix Downs and needed to leave the Tower of Babil to stock back up. In my second attempt, I was trying to keep people healed with Cecil's Cura or Hi-Potions, but found that would cause problems with the cycle so I only focused on raising dead party members. Keeping people alive increases targets for Rubicante's attacks and thus less chance of targeting Rydia or Rosa. Of course, balance is key. If you can't get back into a cycle because he keeps taking out your party, take some rounds to restore with stronger spells or items and then get back into the rhythm again. Good luck!!
The facade of a toothy grinning demon emerging from a wall Under Pressure
StrategyAfter the final save point in the Sealed Cave, there is one more TrapDoor to face before entering the Crystal Chamber. You may want to defeat the door before setting yourself up for this fight and possibly go back up to the save point, just in case. Set battle mode to Active and lower battle speed AND battle message to 6. Active is required for the achievement and a speed of 6 will give you more time to react. If you cleared out the Sylph Cave prior to going to the Sealed Cave, the Avenger Sword can be beneficial. Use a Silk Web or cast Slow to slow down the Demon Wall, use Bacchus Wines or cast Berserk on your front line, and have Rydia summon Leviathan. The Silk Web will cause Demon Wall to retaliate with a gradual petrification spell, but you can ignore it since you will beat the boss before that takes full effect. Characters won't be able to do anything until the wall has already moved two times and probably won't make their first actions after the third movement. I tried this a few times, changing the battle speed to see when I can get my party to act sooner, but a speed of 6 for both battle speed and message was key. Additionally, I got good damage rolls from Rydia's Leviathan and a crit from Edge, so luck may play a part in this. I also moved items and spells around in order to put them where the cursor appears in the menu to speed up my actions. Another possibility could be to Haste party members, especially the one with the Avenger Sword or Rydia (but I haven't tried this...).
The faces of the four malebranches Fiendish Rematch
StrategyIf you did some grinding for Alerts/Sirens and repeatedly fought monsters summoned by the Searchers, you will have no issues with the Arch Fiends this time around. Fusoya's Bless keeps health bumped up with Rosa supplementing healing. Rosa should focus on anyone who get's dangerously close to low health (especially Edge). Use Rydia's opposing third level elemental spell or Bahamut if you have him at this point, Haste Cecil and have him attack, use Edge's opposing elemental Ninjutsu as appropriate also.
Three floating metallic spheres Fatal Error
StrategyThe order to take down the nodes is Defense, CPU, Attack. If the Defense and Attack nodes are killed before the CPU, you will lose this challenge. So, the biggest concern is accidentally killing the Attack node before the CPU is defeated. Since the CPU casts Reflect on itself, you have no choice but to physically attack it. Have Fusoya keep your health up with Bless to negate the Attack node's paltry attack beams and keep on attacking the CPU. Once that is down, kill the Attack node and the achievement will pop!
A shadowy ghost howling Cosmic Duel
StrategyThis should be easy enough if you have been grinding for the Adamant Armor. Have a healthy stack of Elixirs available as well, which you should have enough money to buy a bunch from the Flan Princess fights. When the battle with Zeromus begins and everyone is revived by your friends, kill them off again before using the Crystal. With the final battle now beginning, switch between attacks and using Elixirs. You may have some opportunities to get two attacks in, depending on if Zeromus used Flare, Meteor, or Holy on you successfully. You should have too much difficulty with this at this point though, if you have been working on getting everything you need for all of the achievements in one playthrough. Do note though that you will have to fight Zeromus twice in order to get this achievement as well as Shadow Hands. I opted for Shadow Hands first and then followed up with Cosmic Duel.

A brilliant suggestion by Kencussion regarding getting both Shadow Hands AND Cosmic Duel in one battle:
"Keep your whole party alive when you start battle with Zeromus, but do NOT use the Crystal right away. The achievement for beating Zeromus with only Cecil begins once the Crystal is used... so before you use the Crystal, have Edge steal the Dark Matter from Zeromus' first form to get the 'Shadow Hands' achievement. Then kill off everyone in your party except Cecil (you may want Rosa to buff Cecil first), and then have him use the Crystal on Zeromus. When Zeromus reveals his second form, only Cecil will be alive and you can get the 'Cosmic Duel' achievement!"

Commands

The intent of these achievements is to showcase the utility of the character's various special abilities, as they were not present in the original US release. They provide a great preview of how they work and their necessity in completing some of the boss challenge achievements. It is recommended trying to get these achievements as soon as the necessary character joins your party, because a lot of them are missable.

Badge Title Tips
Dark knight with sword raised to strike Ultimate Darkness The best place for this is in the area around the Antlion's Den and Mt. Hobs. There is an encounter with eight Goblins, which is perfect fodder for taking down with one Dark command.
Dragoon knight jumping onto an enemy Deadly Acrobatics You will find flying enemies right out the gate in the fields surrounding Baron. A perfect time to get this when also doing an early attempt at getting the Goblin summon.
Old man Tellah thinking with speech bubble Not Enough Omega-3 Just start using the Recall command as much as you can when you first get Tellah. Watch your MP though and rest to recover it as needed.
Singing bard Siren's Pupil Simply use Edward's Sing command as much as you can as soon as he joins and you'll unlock this in no time.
Purple frog wearing bard's red hat Song of the Frogs Once Rydia learns Toad, cast the spell on Edward and Sing to attempt to turn a monster into a Toad. Note that the song must successfully transform the monster. I found it best to attempt this on Goblins around Mt. Hobs/Antlion's Den.
Bard character surrounded by magic effects Salve of Salvation There is some controversy surrounding this achievement. It seems to require the Namingway Edition patch of the game to work properly, despite the set being linked to a base FF4(J) ROM. This is because the intent of the achievement is to use Salve when you have a party of five to heal for a total of 375 HP or greater. Since the Namingway Edition patch buffs the Salve command, it seems to only be possible with that patch to unlock this achievement. That is why the patch is the only recommended way to play through this achievement set.
Bard cowering in fear Spoony Bard Just manually hide Edward with the Hide command and then win a battle. I'm not sure if it pops the achievement with Edward hiding automatically when his health is low though. I didn't wait to see if that was the case...
White wizard with one eye closed and drawing back a bow with an arrow Supreme Aim Rosa doesn't have the Mini spell right away. I tried to get this achievement with the Tiny Mages but they are not in Mini status so they don't count. You will need to first use Mini on monsters successfully, then use Aim to kill them. Again, Goblins are a perfect candidate for this. There is no pressure for this achievement because it is not missable.
White wizard praying Hoping for a Miracle Another command achievement that is not missable, but it is best to try to get this in a controlled situation. Since Pray is not 100% successful, it could be better to wait to get this when party members enter critical state with a lot of HP left over. You could also just try to Pray often as soon as you get Rosa when two characters are near death. It's up to you.
Monk meditates with eyes closed Fist of the Dragon I wasn't able to get this until I got the Cat Claw in the Tower of Babil and Focused on an enemy weak to Ice with Yang equipped with the Ice and Cat Claws. It was pretty much the final floor before losing Yang for the rest of the game.
Monk in a defensive stance Stance of the Tiger Note that the achievement description mentions "magical effect". Brace has a chance of casting Protect on Yang on top of his defensive stance. Simply use Brace a lot while everyone else parries until you Yang Braces with Protect four times in one battle.
Monk performing a jump kick Flying Falcon You beat Mom Bomb and have Yang in your party! Now go Kick everything until the achievement pops. Another great candidate for the group of 8 Goblins, especially when trying to get the Goblin summon. I actually got the Cockatrice summon while working on this achievement.
Child crying large tears Fake Tears Use the Cry command twice in one battle. That's it.
Child shouting Believing in Oneself Use the Boast command until the achievement pops. I believe it is 5 or 6 times?
Twin children casting a spell Mega Twins Twincast has a random chance of casting Comet instead of Pyro. Just use the Twin command a lot. It's an awesome move anyway.
Paladin with one arm raised Caring is Loving There is only one person that is Cecil's "loved one". Select Rosa with the Cover command and you will get this achievement. I earned it during the Barbariccia fight which is the soonest you can get it.
Scruffy man with helmet and goggles looking through magnifying glass Bestiary Analytics The perfect target for this achievement is the Mad Ogres found in one of the basement treasure chests in Eblan Castle.
Ninja throwing something Bull's Eye The most powerful object in the world is obviously the Kitchen Knife. Once you have it after getting the Sylph summon and returning the Frying Pan to Sheila, feel free to save the game, throw it in battle, get the achievement, and restore the save to keep the Knife for when you really need it. Or wait. It's up to you! Just don't miss getting the Knife in the first place!
Ninja prepares to cast a spell Shadow Hands Zeromus has the Dark Matter. You must have Edge alive and stealing to get the item and this achievement. That locks you out of the Cosmic Duel achievement so you have to do the final fight twice. It took me three steal attempts to get the Dark Matter. I have heard that it can take many more...
Thanks to Kencussion's strategy, it is possible to get both Shadow Hands AND Cosmic Duel in one battle. Check out the strategy spoiler under the Cosmic Duel achievement to see how it is done.
Ninja casting a spell Ninjutsu Master Edge learns his last Ninjutsu at level 38. Once you have the spell, cast all of them at least once in your current play session.
An old man prays Blessings of the Moon Simply use Fusoya's Bless command.
An open book with a white orb floating over it White Mastery Rosa learns her last white magic spell, Holy, at level 55.
An open book with a black orb floating over it Black Mastery Rydia learns her last black magic spell, Meteor, at level 60.
An open book with a bubble containing fire floating over it Summoning Mastery This requires grinding for four very rarely dropped items: Goblin, Cockatrice, Bomb, and Mindflayer. Most are earned from their eponymous monster or related types, with the exception of Bomb. See The Grind section for more details.

Treasure

There are four locations that are missable: Tower of Zot, Tower of Babil first visit, Tower of Babil second visit, and Giant of Babil.

I am not going into details on treasure locations since there are a ton of pre-existing resources out there that map the locations of every treasure and hidden item in the game. I made use of mostly excellent maps at GameFAQs to get all of these achievements.

Some minor notes:
From the beginning of the game, you can start on the Chocobo Forest Treasure Hunter achievement. Don't forget to grab the Gysahl Green in the grass of every Chocobo Forest.
The Chocobo Village has two Gysahl Greens hidden in grass on the far right. There is a path through the trees by the "back of the head" of the Chocobo.
A chest with 1000 gil in Kokkol's Forge is hidden to the right of the stairs going to the second floor.

Dancer

Talk to every NPC in towns to ensure you get these. Since none are missable, I won't go into detail here on where to find them. The dancer in Fabul Castle is VERY close to the King's bedroom though, so that is the perfect opportunity to get the Regal Rest achievement as well!

Chicobo Quest

The achievement set creator, MrGauss, made great descriptions that help to hint at the correct location. However, they also provided close up images of the badges for the Chicobo Quest achievements if the image in the locked achievement is too blurry. These can help in finding the correct location to stand and press the "Y" button on your controller.

Badge Title Closeup
Chocobo next to a waterfall Chicobo Quest I: Great Baron Falls
Spoiler
North of Baron Castle
Chocobo standing on platform edge overlooking deep chasm Chicobo Quest II: Damcyan Waterway
Spoiler
Near entrance of fifth area
Chocobo standing at the southern point of a triangle peninsula Chicobo Quest III: Fabul Peninsula
Spoiler
South of Fabul Castle
Chocobo on mountain pass overlooking forest Chicobo Quest IV: Sacred Vista
Spoiler
Northeast in third area
Chocobo standing in long grass Chicobo Quest V: Chocobo Kingdom
Spoiler
Grass in shape of eye in Chocobo Village
Chocobo standing near a point of a peninsula Chicobo Quest VI: Beak Peninsula
Spoiler
Southeast of Kaipo Desert
Chocobo standing on a throne Chicobo Quest VII: Empty Throne
Spoiler
Eblan Castle throne room
A chocobo stands on dirty floor among hard working game developers Chicobo Quest VIII: Visiting the Creator
Spoiler
Dirt spot in art room
A chocobo stands in a crater Chicobo Quest IX: Underworld Crater
Spoiler
Crater connecting to overworld
A chocobo stands in a corner formed by red cliffs Chicobo Quest X: Underworld Corner
Spoiler
West edge of underworld
A chocobo looks at books on shelves with two cloaked monsters nearby Chicobo Quest XI: Ancient Library
Spoiler
Feymarch Ancient Library
A chocobo surrounded by four treasure chests on a glowing green floor Chicobo Quest XII: Green Maze
Spoiler
Four chests in Sylphs' Cave
A chocobo stands on a lunar mountain cliff over a cave entrance Chicobo Quest XIII: Extraterrestrial
Spoiler
Cliff over Bahamut's Cave
A chocobo looks over a deep lunar chasm Chicobo Quest XIV: Wrong Cave
Spoiler
West edge of third area before Behemoth path
A chocobo stands near a humanoid with mouse features in a lunar cave Chicobo Quest XV: Humming Heaven
Spoiler
Next to purple Hummingway

Endgame Items, a.k.a. The Grind

Setup: When I do grinding for achievements, I make good use of the tools at my disposal to make the grind a bit easier and more comfortable. Since this is a Super NES game, I make use of the triggers (or L2/R2) to do fast-forward toggling. If I want to speed up the action, I hold down the trigger to activate fast-forward. For extended grinding sessions, rather than hold the trigger, I keep fast-forward active (using the '-' key on the keyboard) and then my trigger is used to temporarily turn off fast-forward until I let go.
In the late game, grinds can be done easily by quickly moving left and right (or up and down) in the area where the desired encounters are and hold down the "B" button to run. When the battle starts, I let go of "B" and hold down the "A" button so that everyone attacks. When the battle ends, I make sure to continue to hold down "A" through the item menu if it appears. If you switch back to the "B" button, you could lose the item!
In all item grinds, quantity of the desired enemy matters. Every enemy instance has a chance to drop an item and then if they drop they have a 1/64 chance of dropping the required item for the grind. For example, three Spirits and a Soul in one battle will provide a greater chance at dropping a Cursed Ring rather than one Dinozombie.

Ring topped with jeweled skull emitting evil aura Evil Jewelry: A great time to initially grind for this item would be right after Cecil becomes a paladin. To support this, purchase the armor for a paladin (Light Shield, Light Helm, Knight Armor, and Gauntlet) from Mysidia before going to Mt. Ordeals. Since Cecil is level 1 when he becomes a paladin, you can now grind for levels for him as well as attempting to get the Cursed Ring from the Souls and Spirits on Mt. Ordeals. Once Cecil class changes, go down to the base of the mountain and look for Souls and Spirits to grind on. There is a group of three Spirits and one Soul that is perfect. Make use of Twincast with the Twins to speed up the battles! If you need to heal, you can run out of Mt. Ordeals to the Chocobo Forest to the south and restore your MP at the White Chocobo. If you don't find a Cursed Ring by the time Cecil reaches level 20, then it may be better to wait until later to get it. I personally didn't get the Cursed Ring until the end game, having to grind at Mt. Ordeals while watching Twitch so that I wouldn't get board and leaving the game on fast-forward the entire time. Do note that the achievement pops as soon as you win the battle, since the item drops are determined at that time.

An open book with a bubble containing fire floating over it Summoning Mastery: There are four monster summons you can get as very rare item drops: Goblin, Bomb, Mindflayer, and Cockatrice. See the below chart for enemies and locations to grind for the drop:

Spell Monster Location
Goblin Goblin, Li'l Killer/Murderer Outside Baron, around Mt.Hobs/Antlion Den
Bomb Grenade, Balloon Lunar Surface
Mindflayer Mindflayer Magnetic Cavern
Cockatrice Cockatrice Around and outside of Mt. Hobs

A glittering armored breastplate One of a Kind: This is the grind that most people think of when it comes to Final Fantasy IV. Getting the Pink Tail actually isn't as bad as it could be, if you are prepared. This achievement set actually provides a couple of achievements to aid you in this grind: Alert! and Avatar of Patience.
The Alert! achievement is designed to let you know the ideal area to grind for the Siren item: the Giant of Babil's head. While this is a great location to grind for experience, you don't actually need to grind for the Siren items from the Searcher enemy. That's because Sirens are for sale in the Hummingway Haven on the Moon if you are playing the Namingway Edition patch, like you should be. If you do want to get Sirens from the Searchers, kill off your party except for Edge and steal the item from the Searchers over and over again.
The Avatar of Patience achievement tells you the room to use the Sirens in when you explore the Lunar Subterrane. Using a Siren in this room will make a group of five dancing Pink Flans appear. This fight can be difficult if your party is weak and Cecil doesn't have his Crystal gear or the Ribbons for Rydia and Rosa. Pink Flans can be killed easily with a couple Bahamut summons or just attacks if your party is at a high enough level. Just take care to heal. A lot of progress can be lost with a party wipe.
Once you finally have a Pink Tail, return to Earth and give the item to the tail collector in the Adamant Grotto.

Miscellaneous

Badge Title Tips
Monk in bed asleep Regal Rest This has a VERY narrow window!!! Enter the King of Fabul's bed while exploring the castle for the Treasure Hunter: Fabul achievement. If you talk to the King before hand, you will miss this.
Closeup of moon amid the stars Red Moon You can find a telescope in a house in Agart Village. Simply look through it to see the moon.
Frog in a moat under a starry night sky Prince of the Pond The particular toad to speak with is in the western moat of Troia castle. There is a hidden path to the east and west of the castle entrance, behind the walls.
A happy chocobo with white beak and red body The Dreamer Mr. Sakaguchi's avatar is a uniquely colored Chocobo in the Developer's Room. You can find the Developer's Room via a secret passage in the Dwarves' Castle pub.
Paladin exclaims as they see an open magazine on the table It's a Secret to Everybody The magazine is found in the left side of the bookshelf in the Rest Area of the Developer's Room.
A creepy purple hairless doll Monolithic Fight The fight with Mr. Takahashi is a random encounter in the Developer's Room. Cast Toad on him with Rydia so that physical attacks become more effective. Poison is a very effective debuff and will greatly speed up this fight.
A red shield absorbs the surrounding air Elemental Cure This achievement is currently bugged, popping when the last Fellknight in a Monster-in-a-Box encounter in the Cave to the Feymarch uses an attack that absorbs and heals itself before dying. The intended method of getting this is to wear the Cursed Ring with armor that has elemental resistances, such as the Adamant Armor. This causes the armor to absorb the element rather than reduce the damage.
A robotic floating eyeball Alert! Announces the ideal place to repeatedly steal the Siren item from Searcher enemies. This location is the head of the Giant of Babil.
A falling meteor with the number "9999" over it Maximum Damage! The ideal way to get this early on is to have Rydia use a "-ga" level spell on an enemy that has an elemental weakness. I got this during the Arch Fiend refights in the Giant of Babil.
A pink gelatinous monster Avatar of Patience Announces the location to use the Sirens farmed in the Giant of Babil or purchased at the Hummingway Haven store to grind for the Pink Tail.
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