Final Fantasy 6tells the story of a brave group of adventurers on a quest to defeat the Gestahlian Empire. At the beginning of the game, players will be given control of Terra, an extremely gifted leader who recently escaped the Empire’s clutches. As she sets out to stop the Empire for good, she meets an array of skilled allies, most of whom share the same goal.
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Shadowis one ofthe best party membersplayers can recruit inFinal Fantasy 6, but he won’t always be around to offer his services. This is especially evident during the game’s latter half, wherein the party gets separated and must be put back together. Most party members can be found quite easily, but locating Shadow is a little more complicated.
How To Save Shadow In Final Fantasy 6
Unlike most party members inFinal Fantasy 6, Shadow appears at random points in the story and only joins the party during specific sections of the game. Because of this, players won’t always be able to rely on his skills, but it is possible to recruit him as a permanent party member upon reaching theWorld of Ruin.
For this to be done, players must first defeat theUltima Weapon bosson theFloating Continent. Once the battle ends, a timer will appear on the upper left-hand side of the screen, prompting the player to escape as quickly as possible. To escape, players must head to the Floating Continent’seasternmost pointand thenjump to the airship, butdoing so too early will prevent players from recruiting Shadow later.
To ensure that Shadow survives the Floating Continent,players must wait until the timer has only five seconds remaining; then, Shadow will appear and return to Terra’s side.
If players do not wait for Shadow before boarding the airship at the Floating Continent, they cannot recruit him in the World of Ruin.
How To Find Shadow In The World Of Ruin In Final Fantasy 6
Once Celes and her comrades have acquired the airship in the World of Ruin, they will be free to explore previously inaccessible areas on the map. Players hoping to find Shadow should board the airship and head northeast until they reach theCave on the Veldt.
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Inside, Shadow’s dog, Interceptor, will appear. Following him will lead the party to a group of hunters. From here, players shouldproceed through the northern door and then westuntil they cantravel south through the secret passage.
Continuing south through the next three rooms, the party will eventually enter a room with a Treasure Chest. Opening this chest will reward the players withthe Ichigeki, a weapon needed in order to recruit Shadow.
Once the Ichigeki has been acquired, players should travel back up the stairs andinteract with the switch to the right of the door. Doing so will cause the wall in the previous room to move, allowing the party to venture deeper into the cave.
Traveling east and then southwill lead players to a new area, wherein Shadow and Interceptor can be seen on the ledge above. To reach them, players musttravel down the stairs,walk east, and thenclimb the stairs leading northinto the next room. There’s asave pointhere that players should use in preparation for anupcoming boss fight.
Continuing down the stairs in this room andthrough the hole in the western wall, players canproceed southto briefly reconvene with Shadow. After a short cutscene, aBehemoth Kingwill attack.
This beast can be especially hard to take down due to how muchit relies on powerful magic. If players are struggling to take it down, they should make use ofCeles' Runic ability, as it can absorb most spells that are cast during the battle, increasing the chances of the party’s survival.
Defeating the Behemoth King will cause it to return as an undead enemy. Restorative items likePhoenix Downscan then be used to bring it down with relative ease. Once the battle ends, the party will automatically bring Shadow to Thamasa, but he won’t join the party just yet.
How To Recruit Shadow In The World Of Ruin In Final Fantasy 6
Once the cutscene ends, the party should reboard the airship and head to thenorthwest corner of the map. There, they will need to enter theDragon’s Neck Coliseum, approach the NPC standing in front of the northernmost door, and choose to partake in a fight.
To begin a Coliseum battle, the player will first need to select an item to bet. Winning a battle will usually reward players with something better than what they wagered, but players hoping to recruit Shadow will need tobet the Ichigeki weaponthey found while exploring the Cave on the Veldt.
Betting the Ichigeki will cause Shadow to appearin the Coliseum and attack whoever the player chose to fight. Unlike most enemies who appear in the Coliseum, Shadow will be unarmed, so he won’t be able to deal too much damage to the party leader, so long as they have an adequate defense stat.
The fight against Shadow is anauto battle, so players won’t have the luxury of choosing what their character does. Because of this, players should only send their strongest character into the battle if they hope to emerge victorious.
If the battle is won, a brief cutscene will play in which Shadow explains his reasons for competing in the Coliseum. Once it ends,he will rejoin the partyandthe Ichigeki will be added to the party’s inventory. Shadow will then become a permanent party member, so players will no longer need to worry about him disappearing whenever he feels like it.
Final Fantasy 6is currently available on PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Mobile.
