Jagd Difohr
Regions of Mist-laden winds and magicite-rich soil, precluding the proper operation of skystone. Shifts in weather have been known to make jagd where once there was none, though the reverse has never been recorded by the chroniclers of such things. As airships cannot operate in jagd, no such region is under the control of a major country, making the jagds lawless, perilous places.
Yeah, tell me more about that whole “full of mist” thing...
Golmore Jungle
A sprawling jungle in the Jagd Difohr, it remains much as it always has been, untouched by the hand of Man. Though the viera make their villages within this jungle, the ways to their enclaves are tangled and hidden. Barriers throughout the jungle, too, prevent easy passage. These were erected by the viera to prevent outsiders from intruding, the blessing of their people needed before one may pass.
A sprawling jungle in the Jagd Difohr, it remains much as it always has been, untouched by the hand of Man. Though the viera make their villages within this jungle, the ways to their enclaves are tangled and hidden. Barriers throughout the jungle, too, prevent easy passage. These were erected by the viera to prevent outsiders from intruding, the blessing of their people needed before one may pass.I swear I’m not pulling these location names out of my ass, they all do come from the game.
Golmore Jungle is pretty straightforward, it’s just that this is during that part of the game where you have to backtrack and head all the way back to Henne Mines first. Whoops. You also return here way later in the game to access the Feywood; we’ll talk more about that later.
Gil farm My first and most important note is that every time you see the Treants: steal from them. I don’t care that they’re friendly and just minding their own business; screw that. They carry Lumber, worth 483 gil, and you need it more than they do. Steal from them and kill them.
DangerIn general you should stay away from the lower areas of the Golmore Jungle unless you’ve grinded a lot and can actually take on the enemies down there. Unless you’re ready for them, they can and will murder your ass. That said, if you kill all of the enemies in the Rustling Chapel area you can grind against the Skeletons there.
Apparently you can skip the Elder Wyrm battle entirely by detouring to the Feywood; I’ve never been a high enough level to try. Guess I’ll do that next playthrough. Never occurred to me before, but it certainly makes sense. The Elder Wyrm battle isn’t particularly hard, just annoying with all of the status effects it pulls on you. You also get a reward from Montblanc for killing it, if that’s at all motivating.
Eruyt Village
Hidden village of viera in Golmore Jungle. Viera enclaves are scattered throughout the jungle, but all are warded against entry by those of other tribes or lands. Viera are reclusive by nature, living separate from their own kind, save when necessity demands. This isolation is in part made possible by the viera ability to hear the spirit voice of the Wood, and thereby know all the comes to pass within Her borders. Throughout the history of Ivalice, rarely have the Viera ventured beyond the borders of the Wood, and few outsiders know of their laws or customs. Vieran villages are formed of massive trees linked by suspended paths, with dwellings and small shrines to the spirit of the Wood encircling the trunks. During the day, many Viera come to a clearing in the village, where a glistering spring bubbles up from the earth, to meditate. Their leaders resides in the center of the village and governs according to the Word of the Wood. Those who perform the sacred ceremonial duties of salve-maker or wood-warder stand at her side, defending the ways of the village and of the Viera. Compared to other races, the Viera seem to move at a slower, more contemplative pace, more at peace with the flow of time. However, some younger Viera have begun to question the wisdom of rejecting change in the midst of a rapidly developing Ivalice.
I completely forgot to write about Eruyt until I was coding this page. That should tell you how important it is from a gameplay perspective.
As I recall, this is the first place where you can buy Curaga, so if you're having trouble with some of the sidequests or just grinding on Ozmone Plain it's not a bad idea to run here and buy it. As nice as Larsa's infinite potions are in the original game, sometimes that + Cura just doesn't cut it. After you finish the plot point in the Henne Mines, you'll be able to buy the -ra element spells, which is nice.
In the Zodiac versions I believe this is the first time you can buy Esuna, so if any of your party members can cast it be sure to pick it up. Haste is in a treasure pot in the Fane of the Path area.
I like Eruyt from a design perspective, but it also seems to have come straight out of Lord of the Rings. Viera in general are not that far off from Tolkienesque elves. It's pretty, and it's interesting, but it's also fairly derivative. Just... with bunny women. Okay.
Feywood
An ancient wood deep in the jungles of Golmore. The combination of dense Mist and regular snow, the latter a product of the region's elevation, is enough to keep away even the viera. Many of the trees have stood for several thousands of years, and some have begun to petrify. Numerous plants once thought extinct grow here, and many rare birds and animals can be seen in their primitive forms, unchanged for millennia.
An ancient wood deep in the jungles of Golmore. The combination of dense Mist and regular snow, the latter a product of the region's elevation, is enough to keep away even the viera. Many of the trees have stood for several thousands of years, and some have begun to petrify. Numerous plants once thought extinct grow here, and many rare birds and animals can be seen in their primitive forms, unchanged for millennia.As mentioned above, you’re welcome to go into the Feywood once you finish your business in Eruyt Village if you feel like it, but chances are you’re going to be underlevelled. I always am, in any case, and never head this way early. You can’t actually go through the whole area until the events of Draklor Laboratory, at which point the barrier to the rest of the Feywood is unlocked.
Personally I find the Feywood annoying to navigate; I generally remember where the map is (the right side of the second area, Walk of Stolen Truths), which helps with the minimap’s fuzziness, but it’s still a pain to run through overall. If you need to level up, though, the Mirrorknights are easy to grind against when coming here as directed by the story. A couple loops around the bottom half of the Walking of Dancing Shadows area will generally serve you well.
First-time tip The Rafflesia is an annoying boss due to the fact it saps your MP in no time flat; in the original game it’s not a bad idea to immediately launch a Quickening combo to make use of your MP. Be sure to turn off your Charge gambits for this fight, since they’ll be useless. (In the Zodiac versions Quickenings don’t use MP, so if you feel like taking it out that way you’re free to do so.) Other than that it’s not a hard fight.
Finding your way through the bottom areas can be tricky at first, but it’s actually pretty easy: just look for the shrine with a white glyph in the center. Activate it, then spin your camera until you see a mirage. Check your map so you know which way you’re going; the monsters along the way will probably lead you astray but all you have to do is check your map to get on the right path again. If you get really lost, just look for the next shrine with a white glyph. At the end, summon Belias, and you’re done.
In the original game, the Ensanguined Shield spawns with a 25% rate in the Edge of Reason area. In the Zodiac versions it’s in the Necrohol of Nabudis.
Giruvegan
Ancient city said to lie deep within the Jagd Difohr. A dense mist conceals its actual location. There are some who claim that it holds the secrets of a legendary civilization that flourished before men knew the workings of the world, but none remain who know the truth. Many are the expeditions sent to find this place and record its knowledge, but most have disappeared in the Feywood, or despaired while attempting to understand what artifacts have been found. To this day, we are no closer to discovering Giruvegan, or illuminating its mysteries.
Ancient city said to lie deep within the Jagd Difohr. A dense mist conceals its actual location. There are some who claim that it holds the secrets of a legendary civilization that flourished before men knew the workings of the world, but none remain who know the truth. Many are the expeditions sent to find this place and record its knowledge, but most have disappeared in the Feywood, or despaired while attempting to understand what artifacts have been found. To this day, we are no closer to discovering Giruvegan, or illuminating its mysteries.FUCK GIRUVEGAN.
I mean, okay, it’s pretty. I like the interior and the “staircase” areas. But oh my god, fuck the Great Crystal. Why. Why is there no map. Who wants a sketch of the thing. Give me a map.
Since, you know, you need a guide to get through the place, I recommend this one, which simply tells you whether to go on the “up” or “down” sloping paths within the Great Crystal. It’s a hell of a lot simpler than trying to make sense of anything else in the damn place.
The treasures within the Great Crystal don’t respawn, by the way, so make sure you have a fresh save so you can try again if you don’t get the good ones, like the Holy Lance. In the Zodiac versions, thankfully, the good treasures are all 100% spawns.
Also the Great Crystal has a bunch of Coeurls who toss horrible status ailments at you and Reapers come and throw Doom at you every time you turn around and there are Bombs that keep self-destructing and just. Why, Square. What did I ever do to deserve this.
There is an optional part to the Great Crystal, which I will cover when I figure out why anyone in their right mind would ever want to go back there. (I did do it in 2017, but my notes are sparse!)
I do like the malboros named Vivian, though. Their Bestiary entry is hilarious.