Final Fantasy XII - 23 - Salikawood

Overview: Who builds these walkways? Anyway, the Salikawood is an important area. There are a number of Marks here, if you took the hunts and talked to the petitioners. Also, it connects not only to the Phon Coast further north, but to Nabudis. Nabudis is a dangerous place for low level characters, but it has impressive rewards. Namely, the strongest weapon in the game. Nabudis is a completely optional area, but you'd be foolish to never go there. I will talk about it later in the guide. The biggest problem in the Salikwood is Malboros and their Bad Breath attack. Esuna/Remedy Gambits are a welcome addition.

The Salikawood/ The Omen-Spur

Enemies: Wyrdhare, Pumpkin Head

Guide: Head north through a pack of the least intimidating enemies you might ever see. I mean, at least the Rogue Tomato had teeth.

The Salikawood/ Path of Hours

Guide: You'll find a helpful Save Crystal here and some less than helpful moogles. Head north.

The Salikawood/ Trunkwall Road

Enemies: Pumpkin Head, Wyrdhare, Sprinter

Treasure: A chest in the northeastern section of the area may contain a Bone Mail.

Guide: The new enemy here, the Sprinter, is passive....really it's just not a scary place. It's a pleasant, elfin forest it seems. You can reach two areas from here, but head west for the moment.

The Salikawood/ Sun-dappled Path

Enemies: Wyrdhare, Spee (Rare Game)

Treasure: A chest in the middle of the area may contain Winged Boots.

Guide: Yes, this map is all bunnies. A terrifying prospect, eh? Well, the mark Carrot can show up here, so it is mildly terrifying. But the bunnies here are useful for building up Chain levels then going and killing something else. You can move north one map then east another and come back and kill more of them. For now, head north.

The Salikawood/ Garden of Decay

Enemies: Sprinter, Malboro King

Guide: Huzzah! Malboros, finally, something that might kill you. Well..okay just one Malboro King, but it's better than nothing. Head east to the next area.

The Salikawood/ Quietened Trace

Guide: Ah, a Teleport Crystal and an angry moogle. So cute when they're angry. Heal up, put on Protect, Shell, Haste, and equip someone with a Nihopalaoa (Don't have one? Well you should be doing more Hunts then, and you'll be able to purchase them from the Clan Provisioner in the Muthru Bazaar). Then, head east to the next area.

The Salikawood/ Grand Bower

Enemies: King Bomb, Bomb (multiple)

Guide: As soon as you enter, the boss appears.

Strategy: King Bomb can be annoying, but you can run from the battle at any point, but you have to run back to the previous area, not further into this area. First, I recommend Gillie Boots for your whole party, otherwise every attack will be doing almost a thousand damage. Second, early in the battle, Nihopalaoa + Remedy to inflict a number of status effects. Slow and Silence are very useful, but if you're careful with your Gambits, he'll be Asleep for a moment, and you can switch everyone over to Bio and wail on him while he's sleeping. It will also Immobilize him, which is useful because he likes to run around the area like an idiot when he gets low on health. He's weak to Water, but the actual Water spell is pretty weak at this point, and you're better off with Bio or at best Water Motes. Once you've crippled him with status effects, you can wipe out his underlings quickly, and he becomes a pushover without Oil to double the damage of his attacks.

Guide: After defeating him, head west and south to the next area.

The Salikawood/ Corridor of Ages

Enemies: Green Chocobo, Brown Chocobo, Baknamy, Malboro King, Antares, Wood Toad (Rare Game)

Treasure: A chest near the Grand Bower exit may contain a Fuzzy Miter.

Guide: Lots of new enemies here, and the Braegh Mark if you accepted the hunt. It's important to mention that you can enter the Nechrol of Nabudis from here. It's a difficult area to say the least, but if you think you can manage it, pop in and try it out. But I would recommend saving first. Head north through this area and exit to the next.

The Salikawood/ Piebald Path

Enemies: Brown Chocobo, Baknamy, Malboro King, Antares, Rageclaw (Trophy Game)

Guide: From this map you can access the Nabreus Deadlands, an area just as difficult as the Nechrol. For the moment you should head east through the intersection of paths and south back into the Grand Bower. Head south through the Grand Bower and take the eastern exit out of the Quietened Trace.

The Salikawood/ Diverging Way

Enemies: Malboro King, Sprinter, Wyrdhare, Pumpkin Head

Treasure: A chest in the northwestern section of the area may contain a Bone Helm.

Guide: The paths here can get more than a little confusing, and a lot of the dead ends have chests hiding in them. Still, your goal is the eastern exit.

The Salikawood/ Living Chasm

Guide: So here's that blasted gate everyone's talking about. And it's still quite broken. Talk to the Moogle Boss and you'll get a Lazy Moogle Counter on your screen, just under the mini-map. Time to rustle up some workers. Check your map and you'll see markers for the bungalows where the lazy moogles are taking their extended siesta. I'd recommend Trunkwall Road first, then the Path of Hours, then the two in the Garden of Decay. When you've found the last set of moogles, they'll ask if you want to head back with them, which will automatically take you back to the gate, so go with. When you arrive you'll watch them open the gate, then you can talk to the Moogle Boss to receive a pair of Quasimodo Boots, then head on your way. It's good to know that if adventuring doesn't pan out, your party can find a career in middle management.