Chapter 1: Kilika and the Awesome Sphere

Story mode. Written for a first playthrough and kept free of spoilers — it will not tell you what happens here, only what the game is asking of you.

This is the end of Chapter 1. When the fight at the top of the woods is over, the chapter closes, and with it every scene you have not seen in the places you skipped. Before you set course for Kilika, fly anywhere on the map you have not been this chapter, and rest in the cabin at least once.

The woods

Walk north through the village to the gate into the woods. The mission starts there. Save at the sphere just inside.

The main path is blocked; the game shows you the way round. As you explore, two things are worth your time:

• The monkeys. If a woman on the docks asked you to find the little monkeys living in these woods, this is the time. There are thirteen, all in the first stretch of forest; stand next to one and press the confirm button. If you miss some, you get another chance later in the game.
• A Megalixir. East, then south at the next fork: the second tree curled over the water can be climbed with the action button. There is a chest on the ledge above.

Somewhere in the north there is a dead end with bushes. Peek through them. You overhear two passwords and the rule for which to use.

The guards

Groups of guards stand on the way to the temple, and each one asks for the password. The rule:

• An odd number of guards: “Carved Monkey”.
• An even number: “Craven Monkey”.

Count only the guards actually standing there when you answer — some walk in or out while they talk. Get it right and they let you through, and the later groups hand you items for it. The last group changes its numbers on you; count again before you answer. Getting every group right earns a garment grid.

Get one wrong and you fight them instead. That is survivable, just slower.

The fight at the top

A large machine. It hits hard: one punch takes half of someone’s health, and another is a heavy double hit. Heal promptly, and if you have the Warrior’s breaks, weaken its attack early. If your Gun Mage has learned its anti-machine skill, that does most of the work.

Win, watch the scenes, and the chapter ends. Accept the Trap Pods you are offered.

Completionist mode. Full spoilers, in play order, with every permanent loss called out before you reach it.

Spoilers from here.

Before you land: what Chapter 1 closes

Beating YSLS-Zero ends Chapter 1. X-2 does not lock its chests to a chapter — an unopened chest carries forward until a newer one replaces it — but it does lock its scenes, missions and conversations. Anything below you have not done is gone for this run the moment the boss falls.

A full run reaches Kilika at about 23.4% Story Completion. If you are short, the gap is somewhere in this list.

Lost already, earlier in the chapter

• The Moogle on the Luca docks during the opening chase. Needed for the Perfect Ending and the Sweet Perfection achievement. It closes when the Luca sequence ends, not here — if you missed it, only a new game fixes it.

Closes with YSLS-Zero

• Every optional Chapter 1 hotspot’s scenes: Bikanel (0.8%), Bevelle (0.6%), the Calm Lands (0.2%), Mt. Gagazet (0.4%), plus anything you skipped in Besaid, Luca, the Highroad, Mushroom Rock, Djose, the Moonflow, Guadosalam, the Thunder Plains and Macalania.
• Tobli before the Hypello at the Moonflow, and “Shave the Hypello?” with no cargo lost. Talking to Tobli first is a Perfect Ending requirement.
• Tromell’s Story Completion lines in Macalania Woods. His Full Throttle dressphere most likely still comes with four talks in Chapter 2, but one missables list says Chapter 1 only, so do not count on it.
• “Follow That O’aka!” — letting him hide on the Celsius.
• Crimson Sphere 9, left by Ormi at the Den of Woe entrance in the Mushroom Rock ravine. Without it the Den of Woe never opens in Chapter 5.
• Restless Sleep garment grid, Chapter 1 only.
• Still of Night, from the Bikanel dig.
• The Tiara from Baralai’s second conversation in Bevelle.
• Heart Reborn — already decided by your answer in Zanarkand.
• The first camera conversation in Kilika. The man with the sphere recorder by the Youth League construction: accept his offer to look through the camera. It is the first of three (Chapters 1, 3 and 5) and the Invincible accessory needs all three. He is on the island right now; do it before you head into the woods.
• A cabin rest. Rest in the Celsius cabin at least once in every chapter or you miss a Chapter 5 scene with Brother and Barkeep.
• The Kilika Woods themselves close until Chapter 3.

Has a second chance in Chapter 2

• Kimahri’s answer (“You have to learn to deal with these things!”) — the Chapter 2 conversation is the last chance at the Trainer dressphere.
• Clasko. Inviting him aboard during “Foggy Fiend Frenzy!” is the first chance; you lose the Alchemist dressphere for good only if you never talk to him in Chapter 1 or Chapter 2.
• Thunder Spawn grid at Luca stays available through Chapter 2.

Has a second chance later

• Squatter Monkeys (below) can be finished in Chapter 3.
• Cid’s follow-up scene — your Zanarkand answer decides whether you get one window or two.

Kilika Port

The Celsius picks up word of an “awesome sphere” on the way back from Zanarkand; that bridge scene is 0.2%. Talk to Buddy and land.

Scenes play on the docks automatically. If you never spoke to the woman in blue with the child and the monkey — far side of the docks, second section — talk to her now, several times, until she asks you to search the forest. The hunt only counts if she has asked.

Awesome Sphere Heist!

North through the residential area to the woods gate; the mission starts as you reach it. Save inside. Kilika Woods’ central path is blocked by the Youth League, which is a scene, and you take the long way round.

The Megalixir

East, then south at the next intersection. At the second tree curled over the water, press the action button and you jump to a hidden ledge with the chest. Take it now. You cannot come back into these woods until Chapter 3.

Squatter Monkeys

All thirteen are in the first section of the woods. Search next to each with the confirm button.

1. Beside the Save Sphere at the entrance.
2. Right-hand path, a quarter to halfway down.
3. Back at the intersection: top path, immediately left, by a stone.
4. Left path from the intersection, top-left corner. Do not walk too far or a scene triggers. 5–6. Two on the tree path before the next intersection. 7–8. Two across the bridge to the right, on the side path.
5. The intersection’s top path, round the curve before the main path.
6. Main path, in the corner before the right-hand path.
7. Top path, at the dead end — where you overhear the passwords.
8. Right-hand path, at the corner at its end.
9. Lower path, just before the curve.

The reward, the Chaos Maelstrom garment grid, is handed over by the same woman when you return to Kilika in Chapter 3. If you come up short now, the woods reopen then and you can finish the count. Squatter Monkeys does not count toward Story Completion.

The password

At the northern dead end, choose the options to peek through the bushes. You hear both passwords and the rule:

• Odd number of guards: “Carved Monkey”.
• Even number of guards: “Craven Monkey”.

Guards step in and out mid-conversation. Count the ones present when the prompt comes up.

The last exchange is the trap. Two more soldiers join group 4 after you answer it once. It is still odd — five — so it is still “Carved Monkey”. A wrong answer at any point means a fight with that group, and at the end it means no grid.

Menace of the Deep: auto-abilities Water and Water Eater; the yellow gate adds Waterstrike, red-and-green Watera, all three Waterga.

At the gate, Nooj makes his entrance, the New Yevon side attacks, and the temple’s defender rolls out.

Boss: YSLS-Zero

High defense, so it is a slow fight unless you bring the right tool.

• Blast Punch takes half the target’s HP and delays their turn.
• Haymaker hits twice and can nearly kill a low-level character.
• Power Break from a Warrior cuts the damage of both its punches. Armor Break speeds things up.
• Gun Mage: if you have learned Mech Destroyer, this is what it is for. Darkness Dance from a Songstress also lands on it.
• Thief first for the Mythril Gloves and the Pilfer Gil, then switch.
• Heal anyone below about 100 HP immediately; Protect on the party helps.

The win gives you the Awesome Sphere and the Zeroed Out achievement.

Chapter 1 ends

Closing scenes, then the Celsius. You are handed a Fiend Tale Bonus and offered Trap Pods — accept them, or fiend capture stalls. The Fiend Tale Bonus advances the stories of fiends you have captured automatically; catching a few now starts you toward Monster Master.

A complete run sits at 25.0% Story Completion here.

The first thing Chapter 2 asks is who gets the Awesome Sphere. Give it to the Youth League at Mushroom Rock. Handing it to New Yevon in Bevelle caps Story Completion below 100%.