Embarking on the Flying Fortress in Final Fantasy I? This daunting level 41 dungeon is a crucial step on your path to victory, packed with valuable treasures and challenging encounters, culminating in a showdown with the formidable Tiamat. This comprehensive guide will navigate you through each floor, pinpointing every chest location and offering strategic insights to overcome the trials within. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a newcomer to the world of Final Fantasy, this walkthrough will ensure you conquer the Flying Fortress with confidence and claim the “Adventurous Wayfarer” achievement.
Flying Fortress F1: The Straightforward Start
The first floor of the Flying Fortress is refreshingly linear, serving as a gentle introduction to the dungeon’s layout. Focus on systematically clearing each room to maximize your loot before ascending further.
- West Room Treasures: Begin your exploration in the west room, where a wealth of gil and a useful potion await.
- 9900 gil!
- Potion
- 4150 gil!
- 7900 gil!
- South Room Prize: Venture south to uncover a potent weapon.
- Razer – A saber imbued with the power to cast Scourge, a valuable offensive tool.
- East Room Riches: Finally, sweep through the east room to gather more gil, defensive gear, and a healing item.
- 500 gil!
- Protect Ring – Enhances defense, crucial for mitigating incoming damage.
- 6720 gil!
- Healing Helm – Provides passive healing, aiding in sustain during dungeon exploration.
- 1180 gil!
Once you’ve secured all the treasures on F1, proceed north to locate the stairs leading to the next level.
Flying Fortress F2: Branching Paths and Key Items
Floor 2 introduces a slightly more complex layout with six rooms spread across the west and east sides. We’ll tackle them systematically, starting from the top west and working our way down to ensure no chest is missed.
- West Side Exploration: Begin with the western wing, uncovering a mix of defensive gear and currency.
- Mythril Helm – Top West Room: A solid helmet upgrade, improving your party’s defenses.
- Cottage – Top West Room: A valuable item for restoring party HP and MP outside of combat.
- 1380 gil! – Middle West Room
- 13000 gil! – Middle West Room
- East Side Discoveries & Strategic Gear: Now move to the east side, where you’ll find powerful equipment with strategic implications.
- Diamond Gloves – Top East Room: Durable gloves offering enhanced protection.
- Ribbon – Middle East Room: A highly sought-after accessory granting immunity to poison, petrification, and instant death. Consider equipping this on your Ninja to safeguard against debilitating status effects.
- Diamond Shield – Middle East Room: A robust shield, further bolstering physical defense.
- White Robe – Bottom East Room: A mage-focused robe that provides fire and instant death protection and casts Invisra when used as an item in battle.
- Black Robe – Bottom East Room: A powerful robe for Black Mages, guarding against ice and time-based status ailments (slow/stop), and casting Blizzara when used as an item. Equipping this on your Black Mage and transferring the Diamond Armlet to your White Wizard can optimize elemental resistances.
Elemental Mage Strategy Note: When utilizing auto-attack, consider equipping your mages with the Mage’s Staff for Fira, as it generally deals more damage to undead and earth-based enemies. However, Blizzara offers slightly higher damage against standard foes, making the Black Robe’s spell a viable alternative depending on the encounter.
After thoroughly looting F2, locate the stairs in the south to advance to the next floor.
Flying Fortress F3: Orbs, Rare Monsters, and Western Riches
Floor 3 presents a more open layout. Interact with the giant orb for lore and story progression. Be vigilant for a rare monster encounter on this floor: the Soldier.
- Northern Room Bounty: Commence your search in the north room, reaping a mix of gil, healing, and defensive items.
- 9000 gil!
- Protect Ring
- Potion
- 5450 gil!
- Eastern Room Collection: Proceed to the east room to amass more gil, restorative items, and a defensive cloak.
- 6400 gil!
- Gold Needle – Cures petrification, essential for status ailment management.
- Clothes
- 9500 gil!
- Protect Cloak – Occupies the shield slot but provides valuable defense for casters. Equip this on your Black Wizard to enhance their survivability.
- 8125 gil!
- Western Room Sweep: Finally, clear the western room, conveniently located near the stairs, for more gil and a powerful Ninja weapon.
- Gold Needle
- 4150 gil!
- 3400 gil!
- Sasuke’s Blade – A superior weapon for your Ninja, significantly boosting their damage output. Equip it immediately to maximize melee potential.
With all chests secured on F3, locate the stairs to ascend to the fourth floor.
Flying Fortress F4 & F5: Navigation, Rare Encounters, and the Tiamat Boss
Floor 4’s map might initially appear confusing, but it’s designed to wrap around. To reach the northwestern stairs leading upwards, simply head south twice and then east twice.
Floor 5 is where the intensity ramps up. Be prepared for a potential encounter with one of the game’s toughest rare monsters: the War Mech.
- Optional Rare Monster: War Mech (Flying Fortress F5): This formidable foe is a significant challenge. If you’re utilizing quick saves, now is an opportune moment to save before proceeding. The War Mech is exceptionally rare, and while you can skip this encounter for now and return later, quick saves make farming for it more manageable.
- War Mech Strategy: Engage the War Mech with full buffs. Utilize Giant’s Gloves to maximize physical damage. Cast Invisra and Protectra to enhance your party’s defenses and evasion. Maintain constant healing to counteract its powerful attacks. Unleash your strongest spells like Holy and Flare if available. Patience is key, as encountering the War Mech can take time.
Before interacting with the green orb on F5, brace yourself for a boss battle.
- Boss Fight: Tiamat: The climactic encounter of the Flying Fortress.
- Tiamat Strategy: Buff your party with Protect and Haste spells. Employ Giant’s Gloves on your physical attackers. Unleash your most potent attacks and spells while diligently healing to keep your party healthy. Tiamat boasts elemental attacks, so consider elemental resistances if you have them. Focus on sustained damage output and healing to prevail.
Achievement Unlocked – Winds Caress: Defeating Tiamat automatically grants you the “Winds Caress” achievement, marking a significant milestone in your Final Fantasy I journey.
Post-Fortress Preparations
With the Flying Fortress conquered, use the portal to exit. This is an excellent time to revisit shops and stock up on essential items for the final dungeon. Consider purchasing extra Potions, Phoenix Downs, and other consumables. While Protect Rings offer valuable defense, they don’t negate all forms of instant death, so being well-prepared is crucial. Purchasing 99 of each item can provide a comfortable safety net for the challenges ahead.
With the Flying Fortress behind you and valuable loot acquired, you’re well-equipped to face the final trials that await in Final Fantasy I. Good luck, Warrior of Light!
