FINAL FANTASY XII ================= Zodiac Spear, Zodiac Escutcheon and the RNG =========================================== Copyright FF12GandMaster May 2009 Introduction ------------ One of the biggest downers for new players in FFXII is when they find out about the four forbidden chests during their game, usually after they have opened one of them too. It's bad enough that they have missed out on the Zodiac Spear but when they find out they are facing a 1/1000 chance to get the spear from the Henne Mines they must really feel awful about it. I was lucky in my first play- through as I found out about it after just six hours so it was an easy decision for me to start again but if you have already invested say 40 hours in the game you really aren't going to want to begin a new game, yet you'll still want the Zodiac Spear and all you will have to look forward to is that slog in the Henne Mines to get that 1/1000 chance. Well, I'm here to tell you different. Gone are the days of chasing that elusive spear because I have a method that guarantees the Zodiac Spear out of the chest. It's not 100% but I must say that in just a few days I collected over 30 Zodiac Spears from that chest in the Henne Mines. That might sound a bit far-fatched but after you read what I have written down here you will be trotting off to the Henne Mines to get your own. So how is it done? Read on to find out. The RNG (Random Number Generator) --------------------------------- This is part of the programming in your PS2 and it is used, obviously, to gen- erate random numbers during the game. There are two main types of RNG...you have the PRNG (Pseudo Random Number Generator) and the TRNG (True Random Num- ber Generator). I won't go in to details about the TRNG, just to say that it generates truly random numbers (well, close enough). However, the PRNG is a different kind of RNG altogether. What it normally is (and is in your PS2), is a list of random numbers that have already been generated by a machine. Although it is a list, it is actually as random as it comes when it is first made but it goes into your PS2 as a list. The PS2 starts at the top of the list and will pick the first number from the list when it wants a random number, the second number from the list when it wants another one and so on until it gets to the end of the list when it starts again. The list is usually long enough that that won't happen, it will just be reset when you turn the machine off and will then start again from the beginning of the list when you turn the machine back on. It is this predictability that I have used to get the Zodiac Spear from the Henne Mines with ease. Let's look further into this. The 5 hit combo --------------- The Zodiac Spear is the Rare Item in the chest in the Henne Mines and you have, statistically, one chance in a thousand to get it. It is a 10% chance the chest spawns, another 10% chance that you get an item and a further 10% chance that you get a Zodiac Spear, i.e. 0.1 % or 1/1000. This isn't good. But wait! What if we knew where the necessary random number was to produce the Spear from the chest? Well this has been discovered, not by me, but by someone in Japan and when I got to hear about it I could see that there was an opportunity to exploit it and raid all chests of rare items. So how is this number identified? Well, it is the number following the one during the first 100 numbers on the RNG list that will give you a 5 hit combo. Get this 5 hit combo, then open any chest and you will receive the rare item from that chest provided you have the Diamond Armlet equipped. It is as simple as that. Well, actually, it is not quite that simple. The 5 hit combo doesn't appear every time because although the RNG starts at the beginning of the list of numbers, it will then move to one of 39 patterns that the RNG has (Credit BE.Tenner). Personally, I have not found as many as that but then again maybe not all the 39 are used for chests. Perhaps some have been allocated for use in enemy movements, NPC movements, Rare Game spawning etc etc. Anyway, let's look at the patterns I do know about which are the ones that appear nearly all of the time, some good for us and some bad. RNG List Patterns ----------------- First of all let me explain how I am going to pu these patterns. I do not know the actual value of the random number that is produced, only what its con- sequences are. I determine patterns by the multiple hits that are produced and I will refer to these as combos. If I say, for example, that after 5 hits you will get a 2 hit combo I mean that the 5th hit will be a 2 hit combo. All of these patterns were determined after a cold start which means that the game has been booted up after turning the PS2 on. A soft reset will not produce the patterns I am going to show now. Also it is possible that I have not got all of the possible patterns that can be produced but the vast majority of the time you will get one of them. All of the following data was researched by me in Cerobi Steppe. I booted the machine up and I was by the blue save crystal in Journey's Rest. From there I headed into Crossfield and began to hit myself to determine what the different patterns were. Before I give these patterns I must say something about hitting yourself. If you have the Brawler licence activated then you will do serious damage to yourself and you'll be KO'd very shortly. There is, however, a way around this problem and that is to equip yourself with a Shield and a Cameo Belt. The Shield will negate the Brawler Licence and the Cameo Belt will negate any blocking possiblity. If you don't have a Cameo Belt you can buy one from the Stranded Merchant in Old Archades after you get the Treaty Blade or from the Leapin' Bangaa in Balfonheim Port for 9000 gil. Right, these are the patterns I found and their consequences. 1. 26 hits ---> 2 hit combo ---> 31 hits ---> 4 hit combo ---> 25 hits ---> 3 hit combo ---> 4 hits ---> 2 hit combo This pattern produces no Rare Item from any chest. 2. 3 hit combo ---> 32 hits ---> 3 hit combo ---> 22 hits ---> 3 hit combo ---> 75 hits ---> 3 hit combo This pattern starts with a 3 hit combo on your first hit. Unfortunately it produces no Rare Items. 3. 21 hits ---> 2 hit combo ---> 43 hits ---> 2 hit combo ---> 15 hits ---> 3 hit combo This pattern will produce a Rare Item from any chest with a 50% item chance or better. 4. 4 hit combo ---> 12 hits ---> 3 hit combo ---> 1 hit ---> 2 hit combo ---> 43 hits ---> 2 hit combo ---> 15 hits ---> 3 hit combo This pattern starts with a 4 hit combo on your first hit and will produce a Rare Item from any chest with a 50% item chance or better. 5. 18 hits ---> 2 hit combo ---> 26 hits ---> 2 hit combo ---> 91 hits ---> 3 hit combo ---> 11 hits ---> 2 hit combo This pattern produces no Rare Items. 6. 23 hits ---> 3 hit combo ---> 29 hits ---> 4 hit combo ---> 28 hits ---> 5 hit combo This is a great pattern and will produce the Rare Item for ANY chest! 7. 56 hits ---> 4 hit combo ---> 28 hits ---> 5 hit combo] This is another great pattern and will produce the Rare Item for ANY chest! 8. 82-84 hits (varies) ---> 5 hit combo] The 3rd great pattern which will produce the Rare Item for ANY chest! 9. 4 hits ---> 4 hit combo ---> 10 hits ---> 2 hit combo ---> 26 hits ---> 2 hit combo ---> 91 hits ---> 3 hit combo This pattern produces no Rare Items. 10. 36 hits ---> 3 hit combo ---> 46 hits ---> 2 hit combo This pattern produces no Rare Items. 11. 5 hits ---> 3 hit combo ---> 13 hits ---> 2 hit combo ---> 43 hits ---> 2 hit combo ---> 15 hits ---> 3 hit combo This pattern will produce a Rare Item from any chest with a 50% item chance or better. So these are 11 patterns that will appear when you start hitting yourself and you can judge when is the right time to open a chest to get the rare item you want. Please feel free to test these patterns out yourself. You'll see that they work anywhere. Getting the Zodiac Spear ======================== Now it's time to use the above mentioned patterns to get that ever elusive Zodiac Spear. There is a problem though. The Zodiac Spear chest is a 10% item chest which is below the 50% cut-off point for many of the patterns. There are only three patterns mentioned above that will give you the Zodiac Spear out of that 10% item chest and they are the three patterns which will end in a 5 hit combo. Well don't worry because I have found a way around most of them and I will explain it shortly. In the meantime this is what you must do before you begin looking for the patterns. Most importantly you have to get to the chest first. ^_^ 1. First thing I have to say is that this was done on a Phat PS2 (PAL Version) Series 39003. You will have to test this out and see if your machine will also do it. Other people have managed it on a different machine so it probably will work on yours. However, it doesn't appear to work using a PS3. 2. Have one character, who does NOT have the Brawler Licence activated, as the Party Leader. This will be the character doing the hitting. If you don't have a character without Brawler then equip your character with a Cameo Belt and any Shield. The Cameo Belt negates the block and the Shield in your hand negates the Brawler Licence (Credit Flak76e). These are the only two ways to do it. The idea of this is that you have to hit yourself to move the Random Number Generator (RNG) and you could be hitting yourself over 80 times. On my file Vaan is level 99 but has a Grand Armour. He does over 3000 damage with bare hands so three or four hits and he is history. No Brawler, or Cameo Belt + Shield, will remove any damage problems. 3. You need to know how to use the Immobilise Glitch. If you don't then I suggest you look it up in the FAQs and learn pretty fast if you want a Zodiac Spear (or 99). 4. Teleport to the Henne Mines and equip two characters with armour but no weapon. A helm can be equipped, it's up to you. It makes no difference to my character whether they have a Circlet on or not. Equip one character with the Diamond Armlet and make sure that character has 5000+ HP. If not, cast bubble on them now. Cast float on both characters and turn off all gambits. Now put Game Speed on SLOWEST. 5. Put one character into the reserves and just have your main character in the party. Save your game and then TURN OFF YOUR PS2!! This is imperative. A soft reset will NOT work and in trying to save time you will just waste time. Now reboot your game. 6. Head from the Gate Crystal into the Ore Separation and towards the Phase 2 Dig but before you enter the Phase 2 Dig you MUST hit yourself twice. If you forget to do this then you are just going to have to start again. If you don't hit yourself twice then it is unlikely you will ever see the Zodiac Spear Chest. The reason for hitting yourself twice is to move the RNG into a better place for spawning the chest. When I first did this I couldn't spawn the chest at all so I tried hitting myself once. That didn't work either so I hit myself twice and spawned the chest and so you should do it too. Having done this, enter the Phase 2 Dig. 7. Now switch in the other character and get them to use Immobilise on themself which will root them to the spot and then bring your main character back in. Now, with the flee button held in,head down the passage. You will see 3 Abysteels in front of you and you may take some damage in this spot only. Run directly at the Abysteels and don't try to dodge them. I find they use Gnaw (instant attack) more if you try to dodge them. When you get to the inter- section where there are 2 more Abysteels use the Immobilise Giltch to clear all of them away. Keep going through the area towards the ZS Chest using the Glitch to clear all enemies in your way. You won't need to worry about the immobilise running out as you have plenty of time to make this run. 8. You arrive at the Zodiac Spear Chest Location. It may not be there but there is a reasonable chance that it will. Doing it this way I reckon it appears a lot more than 10% of the time. If it's not there then turn off your PS2 and repeat the process until it is there. Now put your other character into the reserves. Do NOT forget to do this. Turn the game speed back to FASTEST and give your character just one gambit. SELF: ATTACK. 9. Now you have to hope that you have the right pattern for the random numbers. What you are looking for is a 5 Hit Combo. There are 3 possibilities and this is what you would ideally like to find: a) A 3 hit combo after about 21 hits. This will then be followed by a 4 hit combo after 29 more hits. Finally, after another 28 hits you will get a 5 hit combo. b) A 4 hit combo after about 54 hits. This will be followed by a 5 hit combo after a further 28 hits. c) A 5 hit combo after 82-84 hits. One very important point to make here. During the 5 hit combo MAKE SURE YOU TURN YOUR GAMBITS OFF!!! If you don't do this and your character hits themself after the 5 hit combo then your Spear is gone. 10. If you got any of a), b) or c) then open the chest and get your ZODIAC SPEAR. If you have the Diamond Armlet on I will GUARANTEE you it will be there. 11. Get the hell outta there and save your game. 12. Rinse and repeat as many times as you want for as many Zodiac Spears as you want. There you have it....a foolproof way to get the Zodiac Spear out of the Henne Mines chest. The only thing wrong is that there are 11 patterns but only 3 are any good to you. Is there anything that can be done about the others? Well, yes there is something that can be done to change the pattern you are in and I have got the answer to that problem in most of the patterns. You can shift the RNG Pattern that you are by doing certain things. One thing to do is cross a zone line to change it but this is the long way to do it and would mean running through the Henne Mines again to get back to the chest. No, a better way is to cast Cure/Curaga on yourself. This will not only move the RNG forward but also change the pattern you are in to a different one (Credit Bmxer3100). All you need to know is what pattern you are in at the present and then you can move to a better pattern, one that will produce the 5 hit combo and the Zodiac Spear. I don't have the solution to all the bad patterns but if I find them I will update this guide as I get them. Hopefully I can produce a final guide which will guarantee you a Zodiac Spear every single time the chest spawns. In the meantime I will give you the ones I know which is most of them. Something that you will have to do is work out which pattern you are in. You may think, "That's easy. I'll just check it with the one's listed." That is fine but for one thing. You have hit yourself twice before entering the Phase 2 Dig and you may also have taken damage along the way. Both of these occurrences will have moved the RNG along and you have to take that into account when deciding which pattern you are in. Sometimes you may get a combo when you're not expecting one so you need to determine which pattern you are in. Let's say you hit your- self twice before entering and then took a hit from an Abysteel on the way to the chest. That makes 3 movements in all. Now let's say you get a 3 hit combo on the 19th hit. Add the three movements you have already determind and that makes a 3 hit combo on the 22nd hit. But wait! There is no pattern that has a 3 hit combo on the 22nd hit. But there is one with a 3 hit combo on the 23rd hit. It is likely that the RNG has moved in a slightly different way to what you expected. I cannot accurately predict the first hit when there are other influences on the RNG apart from me hitting myself. Sometimes it just happens that the RNG acts in a way you are not expecting and you have to factor that into your decision about where you are in the patterns. 99% of the time you will be correct with your assumption. Now I am going to take each pattern and tell you what you must do to turn that bad pattern into one which will produce the Zodiac Spear. I will number them as they are numbered above and then write what you actions should be at a part- icular time. Sometimes I won't tell you exactly how far it is to the next combo because some of the combos will take place at varying times, a factor that I blame the RNG for. Sometimes there are small changes that I can do nothing about and you just have to take it for granted that it will be close when I say (for example) that you will get a 4 hit combo after an approximate amount of hits. Here goes: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. 26 hits ---> 2 hit combo ---> 31 hits ---> 4 hit combo ---> 25 hits ---> 3 hit combo ---> 4 hits ---> 2 hit combo Your first move is as soon as you get the 2 hit combo after 26 hits. You should immediately cast Cure/Curaga which will lead to a 4 hit combo after about 27 hits followed by a 5 hit combo 28 hits laterafter which you can open the chest for the Zodiac Spear. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. 3 hit combo ---> 32 hits ---> 3 hit combo ---> 22 hits ---> 3 hit combo ---> 75 hits ---> 3 hit combo This combo can be mixed up with another pattern but fortunately the first thing you do with both of them is the same. It will become clear which pattern you should take. In this pattern, after the 3 hit combo at 32 hits you should cast Cure/Curaga 4 times. Continue hitting yourself and eventually the next combo you get will be a 4 hit combo and this will be followed after a while by a 5 hit combo. You can then get the Zodiac Spear from the chest. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. 21 hits ---> 2 hit combo ---> 43 hits ---> 2 hit combo ---> 15 hits ---> 3 hit combo As soon as you get the 2 hit combo at 21 hits cast cure once. This leads to a 4 hit combo later followed by a 5 hit combo and then you can get the Zodiac Spear from the chest. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. 4 hit combo ---> 12 hits ---> 3 hit combo ---> 1 hit ---> 2 hit combo ---> 43 hits ---> 2 hit combo ---> 15 hits ---> 3 hit combo Sorry, but if you get this pattern then you will have to try and find the sol- ution yourself for now as it is one that I don't have the answer to just yet. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. 18 hits ---> 2 hit combo ---> 26 hits ---> 2 hit combo ---> 91 hits ---> 3 hit combo ---> 11 hits ---> 2 hit combo After the initial 2 hit combo after 18 hits you need to cast Cure/Curaga once. After about 41 more hits you will get a 3 hit combo at which point you must cast Cure/Curaga 3 times. Having done that you will get a 5 hit combo a while later and you can then open the chest for the Zodiac Spear. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. 23 hits ---> 3 hit combo ---> 29 hits ---> 4 hit combo ---> 28 hits ---> 5 hit combo This is a great pattern and will produce the Rare Item for ANY chest! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7. 56 hits ---> 4 hit combo ---> 28 hits ---> 5 hit combo] This is another great pattern and will produce the Rare Item for ANY chest! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8. 82-84 hits (varies) ---> 5 hit combo] The 3rd great pattern which will produce the Rare Item for ANY chest! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9. 4 hits ---> 4 hit combo ---> 10 hits ---> 2 hit combo ---> 26 hits ---> 2 hit combo ---> 91 hits ---> 3 hit combo This is another fun one. After you get the 2 hit combo after 10 hits cast Cure/Curaga. You will then get a 3 hit combo around 41 hits at which point you must cast Cure/Curaga 3 times. After period of more hitting you will get your 5 hit combo and then the Zodiac Spear from the chest. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10. 36 hits ---> 3 hit combo ---> 46 hits ---> 2 hit combo Don't ask me how I managed to work this one out because I still don't know my- self. When you get the 3 hit combo after 36 hits cast Cure/Curaga 4 times. After a short while you will get a 2 hit combo. Now cast Cure or Curaga twice more. After about 9 more hits you will get another 2 hit combo. Cast Cure or Curaga one more time and then hit yourself until you get a 5 hit combo after a short time when you can open the chest for the Zodiac Spear. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11. 5 hits ---> 3 hit combo ---> 13 hits ---> 2 hit combo ---> 43 hits ---> 2 hit combo ---> 15 hits ---> 3 hit combo Unfortunately, this is another pattern to which I, as yet, have no soloution. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So there you have it. Eleven possible patterns, nine of which will produce the Zodiac Spear. As I said, don't ask me how I got some of the patterns because I haven't got a clue. I just got lucky with my experimenting, I guess. For those who may be a little skeptical about this, here is a video for you to watch of me getting my 16th Zodiac Spear. At the time of writing this FAQ I have 34 in my inventory. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ttyn6AZxqY ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Zodiac Escutcheon ===================== Well you have the Zodiac Spear method so you may as well have the Zodiac Escutcheon too and this is a LOT easier than the Zodiac Spear because the item percentage is 60% which means a lot more patterns will work and you don't have to wait for, or mess around trying to get, a 5 hit combo though that will still work. At the end of this section will be a vid you can watch where you can see me get a Zodiac Escutcheon from the Barheim Passage. It may look quite complicated as to how I got it but I had to do certains things in order to achieve the right location in a specific pattern. There are many of these patterns and I will list them all here but first I'll explain your basic set up. I had one character (Vaan) with a Ribbon and another (Balthier) with the diamond armlet. I have to say that this Zodiac Escutcheon chest is a pig to spawn as early RNG patterns just do not seem to like it. You are going to have to hope that it spawns fast when you want it to. I tried it entering the zone normally, hitting myself once, twice and three times. It is still tough to spawn. In the vid I hit myself 3 times before entering and it produces a combo. The chest was there so hopefully if you get a 3 hitcombo when hitting yourself before entry that it will be there for you too. Ok, on entry I cast immobilise on Balthier and then made my way to the Zodiac Escutcheon chest using the Immobilise Glitch to clear all enemies along the way. When you get to the dead end passage where the chest is, first check to see if the chest is there. There are 2 chests in one spot. Walk up to it and if it flashes 'Treasure' quickly then you know both are there. The ZE chest will be the first one you open. Use the glitch to clear remaining enemies but don't go all the way back to the chest or the glitched enemies respawn. Put the immobilised character back in the reserves, go back to the screen and then switch characters. You are now ready to begin hitting yourself. But what are you looking for? Study the following patterns and watch for them. Because the RNG can move a little they may not be exact but if you get a (say) 2 hit combo on the 27th hit then it is likely the 2 @ 26 pattern so work from that. If you get (say) a 3 hit after 21 hits then it is likely the 3 @ 23 pattern because there is no 3 hit combo at 21 hits. All subsequent combos mostly stick to the pattern with the odd exception. So here is what you are looking for and what you must do when you get certain patterns. Please remember to turn your gambits off during the final combo. If your character hits themself again you will lose your shield. Where it says cast Curaga you can cast Cure instead if you wish. Both will work. a) 3 hit combo after 23 hits - Continue - 4 hit combo after 29 more hits - Continue - 5 hit combo after 28 more hits - Open chest and get Zodiac Escutcheon b) 4 hit combo after 56 hits - Continue - 5 hit combo after 28 more hits - Open chest and get Zodiac Escutcheon. c) 5 hit combo after 82-86 hits - Open chest and get Zodiac Escutcheon. d) 2 hit combo after 26 hits - Cast Curaga - 4 hit combo after 27 more hits - Continue - 5 hit combo after 28 more hits - Open chest and get Zodiac Escutcheon. e) 3 hit combo after 33-36 hits - Cast Curaga TWICE - 5 hit combo after 48 more hits - Open chest and get Zodiac Escutcheon. f) 2 hit combo after 21 hits - Cast Curaga - 3 hit combo after 41 more hits - Cast Curaga - 4 hit combo after 7 hits - Continue - 2 hit combo after 2 more hits - Open chest and get Zodiac Escutcheon. g) 2 hit combo after 18 hits - Cast Curaga - 4 hit combo after 56 hits - Continue - 5 hit combo after 28 hits - Open chest and get Zodiac Escutcheon. h) 2 hit combo after 18 hits - Cast Curaga - 3 hit combo after 21-23 hits - Continue - 4 hit combo after 29 more hits - Continue - 5 hit combo after 28 more hits - Open chest and get Zodiac Escutcheon. i) 2 hit combo after 18-20 hits - Cast Curaga - 3 hit combo after 21-23 hits - Continue - 2 hit combo after 37 more hits - Cast Curaga - 2 hit combo after 9 more hits - Open chest and get Zodiac Escutcheon. j) 4 hit combo after 4 hits - Continue - 2 hit combo after 10 more hits - Cast Curaga - 3 hit combo after 41 more hits - Cast Curaga - 4 hit combo after 7 more hits - Continue - 2 hit combo after 2 more hits - Open chest and get Zodiac Escutcheon. k) 3 hit combo after 56-63 hits (approx) - Cast Curaga - 4 hit combo after 7 more hits - Continue - 2 hit combo after 2 more hits - Open chest and get Zodiac Escutcheon. If you come across any different patterns please let me know because I may have missed them or they could be one of the patterns here but a little further along the RNG pattern. Remember, if you don't see an exact pattern then look for one that is very close and take the appropriate action. If I find any other info I will let you know as soon as I get it. Zodiac Escutcheon Vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihV3oILLSU8 =============================================================================== Credits: To me, FF12GrandMaster, for all the hours of hard work I put into testing these RNG patterns. To Pprincess from FFTogether.com for inspiring me to research this project and supporting me whilst I came up with the solutions. To Okland199 whose post gave me the 5 hit combo details. To Flak76e for drawing our attention to Ockland199's 5 hit combo details. Also credit given to Flak76e for telling me about getting no damage from a character with the Brawler Licence and not changing the RNG Patterns if using a Shield and Cameo Belt. To Bmxer for his pattern contributions and for pointing out to me that casting Cure/Curaga shifts the RNG to the next pattern. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Legal ----- Whilst the info that is in this guide is freely available to the general public who wish to seek it out, the form that it is in here - i.e. THIS GUIDE - has been put together by me, FF12GrandMaster, of FFTogether.com and the copyright to this particular guide lies solely with me. This guide must not be reproduced in any form (with the exception of being printed off for PERSONAL use only) without first obtaining permission from me, FF12GrandMaster. - All requests for permission to FF12GrandMaster@yahoo.co.uk. If permission is granted it will be on the condition that the whole document is left unaltered and in the original plain text format and credit for the guide is given to me. I reserve the right to revoke this permission and ask for the guide to be removed should I find it to be altered in any way or credit taken for my work. Final Fantasy XII and all related media are the property of Square Enix. All trademarks and copyrights are acknowledged.