Final Fantasy XII - 40 - The Complete Henne Magicite Mine

Overview: In the Feywood, you'll find a small entrance into a new portion of the Henne Magicite Mines, but it's only part of one map, to truly get at the complete area, you have to fulfill certain requirements. You must A) Complete the Mindflayer Hunt, and have 10 Espers under your command. Then, you can talk to Geomancer Yugelu in Jahara, and he will send a Garif to open the sealed gate in Henne Mines/ Ore Separation. Though the requirement of 10 Espers probably means you're high level, this is one of the hardest areas in the game, and I suggest being level 70 before attempting, but being closer to 80 is more reasonable.

Henne Mines/ Phase 2 Dig

Enemies: Abysteel, Gizamaluk

Treasure: With the Diamond Armlet equipped, you can get very nice treasures in the various chests here, like Ribbons, Brave Suits, and even Zodiac Spears (Though the odds are 1/1000).

Guide: Head east, but keep an eye out for a small off map area on your right as you head down the first passageway. At the far eastern end is an alcove where you can find the Henne Candle to reveal all new areas. As you can see, they're extensive. Head south, into the carved tunnels, then west. In the long, diagonal rough cut tunnel is an off map alcove on your right, when heading west. At the end of the diagonal tunnel, are two southward protrusions. The first leads to a number of off map passages that connect to the southern half of this area. The second is a dead-end, however in the second protrusion is a scrap of paper that leaves clues to where a treasure can be found. More on that later. Near where the off map tunnels drop you on the southern end of the map, is the exit to the next area, heading east.

Henne Mines/ Crossover C

Enemies: Abysteel, Hecteyes, Glaring Eye (Rare Game)

Guide: The first part of this area is disturbingly similar to the first area in the mine, but hey, the game had some serious financial issues towards the end. Head south then west, and watch out for the Hecteyes, they can inflict Confuse. To the east is a gate you can't enter as it's locked from the other side, so west it is. There are some gates along the way, but you'll need to head to the far west, then exit to the south.

Henne Mines/ Pithead Junction C

Enemies: Abysteel

Guide: Okay, by now, you know how these switch rooms work. In this case, when you flip the switch, it's Abysteels that leap out and attack. With 2k damage Leech, it might not be worth hanging around. Ignore the switch for now and run south to the next area.

Henne Mines/ Phase 2 Shaft

Enemies: Abysteel, Hecteyes, Glaring Eye (Rare Game)

Guide: If you head to the southern end of this map, you'll find that blasted mine cart that's blocking you from entering this area from the Feywood (and leaving too). You'll have to wait before it gets moved. For now, head east, past all the Hecteyes, and enter the next area. This pack of enemies can get hairy, so I recommend either running or fighting half of them, running and regrouping, then coming back.

Henne Mines/ Special Charter Shaft

Enemies: Hecteyes, Necrofiend, Etem

Treasure: The chest in the northernmost area can be a Fomalhaut 80% of the time when the Diamond Armlet isn't equipped, and will never respawn. The rest of the chests are also better without the Diamond Armlet, and can contain Ribbons, Lordly Robes, Sage's Rings, and other high level equipment.

Guide: The difficulty here is that almost every enemy you kill becomes a Necrofiend when it dies, essentially forcing you to kill everything twice. Follow the carved tunnel until it ends, then head off map to the rough cut tunnel and head northeast. At the intersection head east, and walk through a passageway full of barely visible Etems. Creepy eh? This area can be extremely difficult if you get mobbed. And it's hard to flee from the battles because the Etem and Necrofiends can teleport after you. About halfway down the long east-west tunnel, you can turn north and head off map to the northern section of this area. Do so, then head due west when you get back on map and you'll head towards the detached western room, where there are usually some chests. Now, halfway between the small detached western room and the rest of the on map area, you can turn north, and you'll reach a tiny sliver of an area, that has the exit to Special Charter Dig. If Yugelu didn't impress upon you the difficulty of what lies ahead, let me remind you that there's no convenient Save Crystal here, and if you enter the next room and die facing what's inside, you'll be stuck doing this all over again. While it may seem tedious, I seriously recommend going back and saving. Even if you can manage this area in the mid-to-high 70's, the boss here is best dealt with in the 80s. Again, you CANNOT ESCAPE THE NEXT ROOM ONCE YOU ENTER, and must either defeat what's inside or die. You make the call.

Henne Mines/ Special Charter Dig

Enemies: Zodiark

Guide: As soon as you enter, the battle begins. For a full strategy for beating Zodiark, check out the Esper post. After he's defeated, the pesky mine cart at the bottom of the Phase 2 Shaft is removed, allowing easy access from and to the Feywood.