Final Fantasy 4 (IV) Pixel Remaster: Ultimate Journey Guide 🦉

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👋 Introduction: So, You’ve Been Demoted to Delivery Boy… 📦

Hey there, hero! 🙋‍♀️ Welcome to the definitive masterclass for Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster. Whether you’re an old-school fan feelin’ the nostalgia for the Red Wings or a new recruit wondering why everyone keeps calling that bard “spoony,” this guide is your new best friend.

Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster isn’t just another RPG; it’s a total game-changer. It was the first in the series to drop the revolutionary Active Time Battle (ATB) system, where enemies won’t just sit there and wait for you to take your turn! ⚔️ It was also a pioneer in telling a deep, character-driven story with a fixed cast of heroes, each with their own class, personality, and dramatic backstory.

You’ll follow Cecil Harvey, a Dark Knight and captain of Baron’s elite airship fleet, who starts the story by questioning his king’s super-shady orders. This one moment of doubt kicks off an epic tale of redemption, betrayal, and love ❤️ that takes you from the surface world, deep into a subterranean kingdom, and even to the silent, starry surface of the moon! 🌕

Get ready to team up with an unforgettable cast, from the broody Dragoon Kain and the powerful Summoner Rydia to the amazing White Mage Rosa and so many more skilled allies.

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🌟 What’s New in the Pixel Remaster? (And Why It Matters)

This guide is all about the Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster, the version you can get on Steam and other modern platforms. 🖥️ It’s a faithful 2D remake of the 1991 classic, but it comes with a bunch of awesome quality-of-life updates and gameplay changes that totally switch up the strategy.

First off, it looks and sounds gorgeous. 🎨 The game has universally updated 2D pixel graphics, with character sprites redesigned by the original artist, Kazuko Shibuya. The iconic soundtrack 🎶 has been masterfully rearranged under the supervision of the legend himself, Nobuo Uematsu. (And if you’re a purist, don’t worry! You can switch back to the original soundtrack and old-school font anytime. 💾)

More importantly for us, the gameplay is way smoother. A modernized UI makes menus super clean, and the auto-battle option ⏩ makes grinding through easy fights a breeze.

But the biggest change? The “Boost” features! These let you adjust the EXP you get (from 0x to 4x!) and even turn off random encounters completely. 🤯

These aren’t just cheats; they’re strategic tools 🛠️. Being able to turn off encounters lets you explore a dangerous dungeon to grab treasure 💎 without wasting your resources (HP/MP). This is invaluable for low-level challenges or just making a quick treasure run. On the flip side, you can use the 4x EXP boost to power-level 💪 at a good spot and crush a boss that’s been giving you trouble. This guide will treat these as tactical options to help you customize your adventure.

Veterans of other versions, take note! 📝

• When a character leaves your party, their gear is auto-sent to your inventory! 🙌 No more losing amazing equipment forever.
• Drop rates for rare items (like the Pink Tail 💖 for the Adamant Armor) have been noticeably increased. Getting 100% completion is way more achievable now!
• Boss mechanics are tweaked. For example, Cagnazzo’s deadly Tsunami attack now must be interrupted with a Thunder spell ⚡, so you’ve gotta pay attention!

This guide will walk you through all these new realities, making sure you’ve got the best strategies for this version of Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster.

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⚔️ Chapter 1: The Art of Battle – It’s Active Time, Baby!

Mastering Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster starts with understanding its combat. The ATB system turned slow, turn-based fights into dynamic, time-sensitive challenges. Learning how it works is the first step to becoming a battlefield pro.

The ATB Gauge & You: A Masterclass in Timing ⏱️

The ATB system is, at its core, a total race! 🏃‍♀️ Every character and enemy has a little gauge that fills up. When a character’s gauge is full, they can take an action (attack, magic, item, etc.). The catch? Time doesn’t stop while you’re picking a command (unless you set the battle mode to “Wait”). Enemies will keep filling their gauges and will absolutely wallop you if you’re too slow.

The speed that gauge fills is based on a character’s Speed (or Agility) stat. A speedy character, like the ninja Edge 🥷, will get way more turns than a slower character, like the engineer Cid 🔨. This makes Agility a super-important stat!

You can totally manipulate this race. The White Magic spells Haste 💨 and Slow 🐢 are two of the most powerful tools in your kit. Casting Slow on a tough boss while Hasting your main healer and damage dealer can literally double your turns and make a-once-impossible fight totally manageable.

Here’s a pro-tip: the “Agility Anchor.” The game’s turn order is based on the Agility of the character in the middle (third) party slot. 🏃‍♂️ Putting your fastest character there can give your entire party a small but real speed boost. It’s a high-level trick that can give you a critical edge.

The Pixel Remaster adds another layer. If multiple party members have full ATB gauges, you can select actions for all of them in a row before the first animation even plays! 💥 This lets you pull off awesome, coordinated “alpha strikes”—like having Rosa cast Berserk on Kain, Rydia summon Ifrit, and Cecil attack, all at nearly the same time.

Front Row, Back Row, Know Your Role: The Science of Spacing 🚶‍♂️…🚶‍♀️

Party formation is a fundamental choice in Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster. Your team is split into two rows: front and back.

• Front Row: Characters here deal full damage with melee weapons ⚔️… but they also take full damage from enemy physical attacks. This is where your tanks and heavy hitters go, like Cecil, Kain, and Yang.
• Back Row: Characters here take way less damage from physical attacks 🛡️, making it the perfect safe spot for your fragile mages and support heroes, like Rydia and Rosa. The downside? They also deal less damage with normal melee weapons.

To get around that penalty, a back-row character needs a long-range weapon. Think Bows 🏹 (for Rosa), Whips 🐍 (for Rydia), or throwing weapons like Boomerangs 🪃.

You can change your party’s formation anytime in the main menu (outside of battle). The best setup depends on your team and the enemies you’re fighting. Against a boss that only uses magic (which hits both rows equally), you might as well move everyone to the back row for the free physical defense boost!

Oh, and watch out for Back Attacks! 🔄 This reverses your formation, putting your poor mages up front. If this happens, your first priority is to have a character use the “Row” command (press left on the D-pad during their turn) to swap everyone back to safety.

A Plague of Piggies: Your Guide to Status Ailments 🐷🐸🗿

The world of Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster is full of nasty monsters that would love to turn your heroes into pigs, toads, or statues. Knowing what these status effects do—and how to cure ’em—is key to survival.

But don’t just think of them as annoying! You can use them as weapons, too. Putting a dangerous group of enemies to Sleep 😴 or hitting them with Silence 🤫 is often way more efficient than just trying to burn them down with damage.

Here’s a quick-reference table for all the yucky stuff you’ll run into:

Ailment	Effect	Spell Cure	Item Cure	Strategic Use
Poison ☠️	Target gradually loses HP, in and out of battle.	Esuna, Poisona	Antidote	Inflict on high-HP bosses to add damage-over-time.
Darkness 🕶️	Physical attacks become super inaccurate.	Esuna	Eye Drops	Cripple enemy physical attackers.
Silence 🤫	Target can’t cast magic.	Esuna	Echo Herbs	The ultimate tool for shutting down enemy mages.
Sleep 😴	Target can’t act until hit by a physical attack.	Esuna	N/A	Amazing crowd control. Put tough enemies to sleep.
Paralysis 🥶	Target can’t act for a short time. Wears off.	Esuna	N/A	A temporary “stop” effect, great for buying time.
Confusion 😵	Target acts uncontrollably, may attack anyone.	Esuna	N/A	High-risk, high-reward. A confused enemy can mess up its own team!
Petrify 🗿	Target is turned to stone (counts as defeated).	Esuna	Gold Needle	A form of instant-death. Use the Break spell to remove enemies.
Toad 🐸	Target becomes a toad. Can’t use magic, low stats.	Esuna, Toad	Maiden’s Kiss	A powerful debuff that neuters any threat.
Pig 🐷	Target becomes a pig. Can’t use magic.	Esuna, Pig	Diet Food	Basically a funnier-looking Silence. Oink!
Mini 🔬	Target is shrunken. Super low Attack and Defense.	Esuna, Mini	Mallet	Similar to Toad, great for weakening physical threats.
Curse 🎃	Attack and Defense are cut in half.	Esuna	Cross	A powerful debuff to make tough enemies much easier.
Berserk 😡	Target uncontrollably attacks with more power.	Esuna, Dispel	N/A	Cast on your own fighters for a damage boost, but you lose control!
KO 😵	Character has 0 HP and can’t act.	Life, Full-Life	Phoenix Down	The one you’ll see the most. Always carry Phoenix Downs!

Combat Numerology for the Common Paladin 🧮

You don’t need to be a math genius to save the world, but knowing how the numbers work helps you make smart choices.

Physical Attacks 🗡️:

Your Attack power isn’t just your weapon. It’s a combo of your gear, your Strength, and your level.

$$Attack = (Weapon Attack) + (Strength / 4) + (Level / 4)$$

This shows that Strength and high levels really matter!

How many times you hit is your HitX:

$$HitX = (Strength / 8) + (Agility / 16) + 1$$

See? Both Strength and Agility help you hit more times, rewarding balanced fighters.

Defense and Evasion 🛡️:

Your Defense stat directly subtracts from incoming damage. It’s calculated like this:

$$Defense = (Sum of Armor Defense) + (Stamina / 2)$$

This makes Stamina your main stat for physical toughness.

Evasion (dodging) is also super important! Your number of Evasion chances (EvdX) is:

$$EvdX = (Agility / 8)$$

This shows Agility is a dual-threat stat: it helps you attack more (HitX) and get hit less (EvdX). So good!

Magical Attacks and Defense ✨:

Magic is simpler. A spell’s power is based on the spell itself and your caster’s Intellect (for Black Magic/Summons 💥) or Spirit (for White Magic 💖). These stats also determine your Magic Defense, so they’re vital for both dishing out magic damage and surviving it.

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👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Chapter 2: A Cast of Misfits, Mages, and Moondwellers

The best part of Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster is its cast. Unlike the games before it, you get a big, diverse group of heroes with fixed jobs and real, dramatic stories. Your party will change all the time for most of the game, forcing you to adapt your strategy. Mastering the game means mastering its heroes.

Cecil Harvey: The Knight’s Two Paths 🖤🤍

Cecil is the heart of the story and your only permanent party member. His journey of redemption is perfectly mirrored in his gameplay, as he goes from a self-destructive Dark Knight to a heroic, protective Paladin.

• The Dark Knight 🖤: Cecil starts as a Level 10 Dark Knight, a strong physical attacker. His unique ability, Darkness, hits all enemies with shadow damage… but it costs him his own HP 🩸. It’s a high-risk, high-reward tool for clearing out groups of weak enemies fast. Just be careful not to overdo it!
• The Paladin 🤍: After a life-changing moment on Mt. Ordeals, Cecil becomes a Paladin. He’s reborn at Level 1 (don’t panic! 😱), but his EXP gain is massively boosted, and he’ll be a powerhouse in no time. His whole job changes from offense to defense.
  • His new ability is Cover 🛡️. He’ll automatically jump in front of a badly-injured party member and take a physical hit for them. What a hero! This makes him the party’s shield, and it’s essential for protecting your mages.
  • He also gets White Magic! 🩹 He can cast basic spells like Cure, Cura, and Esuna. He’ll never be as good as Rosa, but having a backup healer is a lifesaver. As a Paladin, he also demolishes undead enemies.

Kain Highwind: The High-Flying, Back-Stabbing Best Friend 🐲

Kain is Cecil’s best friend and rival. He’s… complicated. He’s super conflicted and gets mind-controlled a lot, leading to him betraying the party multiple times. 😬 In battle, though? He’s 100% reliable and a master of one perfect skill: Jump! 🚀

As a Dragoon, Kain is a top-tier physical damage dealer who uses spears. His Jump ability is his whole identity. When he Jumps, he leaves the screen for a bit before crashing down on an enemy for huge damage.

The real power of Jump is defensive. While Kain is in the air, he is completely untargetable and immune to all damage. 😮 This is the ultimate way to dodge a boss’s big, telegraphed super-attack. When Bahamut starts his countdown to Megaflare, just have Kain Jump. He’ll be perfectly safe. A smart player uses Jump as a “get out of jail free” card.

Rydia of Mist: From Child Prodigy to Magical Powerhouse 💥

Rydia’s story is one of trauma and growth, transforming her from a scared kid into one of the most powerful mages in the world.

• Child Rydia 👧: When she first joins, she’s a versatile but fragile little mage. She knows some White Magic, some Black Magic, and can Summon her Chocobo 🐥. After her village is burned, she develops a fear of fire and can’t cast it… a plot point she has to overcome later!
• Adult Rydia 👩: After a… fishy incident… Rydia returns to the party all grown up! She’s spent years in the Land of Summons, and it’s changed her. She has completely forgotten her White Magic 😢… but she’s now an unparalleled master of Black Magic and Summoning! 🔥🌪️⚡
  • From this point on, Rydia is your magical cannon. She gets all the best attack spells, like Meteor and Flare.
  • Her true power is her Eidolons (Summons). Ifrit, Shiva, Ramuh, and later, the mighty Leviathan and Bahamut, will wreck your enemies. Your main strategy with Rydia is simple: protect her at all costs. Keep her in the back row and let her unleash magic.

Rosa Joanna Farrell: More Than a Damsel, The Definitive White Mage 💖

Rosa is Cecil’s love interest and the absolute anchor of your party’s survival. She is the quintessential White Mage. Once she joins your team for good, your ability to survive tough fights goes way up.

• Her main job is healing 👩‍⚕️. She learns every White Magic spell, from the basic Cure to the full-party Curaja and the life-saving Full-Life.
• She’s also the queen of support buffs! Protect (ups physical defense), Shell (ups magic defense), Haste (speeds up allies 💨), and Slow (slows down enemies 🐢) are all in her toolkit.
• She’s not defenseless, either! She has two unique commands: Pray (a free, small party-heal that sometimes fails) and Aim (lets her use a bow 🏹 with perfect accuracy). Put her in the back row with a good bow, and she can contribute consistent, safe damage while saving her MP for healing.
• The fundamental strategy of Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster is: Keep Rosa Alive. ❤️

The Revolving Door Crew: Mastering the Temporary Teammates 🤝

A big chunk of Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster has characters joining and leaving as the story demands. Each one is perfect for the part of the game they’re in.

• Tellah, the Sage 👴: This old guy joins you twice. He knows a ton of White and Black magic, but his MP is tiny (capped at 90!), and his stats get worse as he levels up. 📉 His ability is Recall, which casts a random spell from his youth… it could be a game-winning Meteor, or it could be a weak Cure. 🤷‍♂️ The strategy: Do NOT conserve his MP. He’s a glass cannon designed to be spent. Use his powerful spells to destroy the bosses he’s around for. His final sacrifice is… well, you’ll see. 😭
• Edward Chris von Muir, the Spoony Bard 🎶: The prince of Damcyan is… not a fighter. He’s often called weak, and yeah, his stats aren’t great. But he’s an amazing support character! 👑
  • Heal: Uses a Potion from your inventory and splits its healing among the whole party. Super efficient early on!
  • Hide: He just… leaves the battle. 🏃‍♂️ Perfect for keeping him safe if he’s about to die.
  • His harps can inflict Sleep or Confusion, which is great crowd control. He even helps you win a boss fight later from his sickbed! 🛏️
• Yang Fang Leiden, the Monk 👊: The High Monk of Fabul is a physical powerhouse. He has high HP and hits hard.
  • Power/Focus: Charges up for one turn to deliver a double-damage punch 💥 on the next. It’s awesome for breaking through high-defense enemies.
  • Kick: A flying kick that hits all enemies on screen. 🦵 Great for clearing out groups.
• Palom & Porom, the Twin Mages 👦👧: These five-year-old magic prodigies are sent to babysit Cecil on Mt. Ordeals.
  • Palom is the cocky Black Mage 🔥, learning powerful attack spells super fast.
  • Porom is the mature White Mage 🩹, handling the healing.
  • Their best ability is Twin, where they team up to cast a super-powerful non-elemental spell. It takes a while to cast, but it’s totally worth it. Their sacrifice to save the party is one of the most emotional moments in the game. 😭😭
• Cid Pollendina, the Engineer 🔨: Baron’s chief engineer and a father-figure to Cecil. He’s a tough, front-line fighter who wields hammers and wears heavy armor. His unique ability is Analyze 🔍, which is just like the Scan spell (reveals enemy HP, weaknesses, etc.) but it’s totally free!
• Edge Geraldine, the Ninja 🥷: The hot-headed prince of Eblan is your final permanent party member. He’s all about SPEED 💨.
  • He’s the fastest character in the game, so he gets a ton of turns.
  • He can dual-wield katanas ⚔️ for awesome damage.
  • Steal: Lets him swipe items from enemies. 💰
  • Throw: Lets him hurl weapons and special ninja tools (like Shurikens 💫) for massive, unblockable damage.
  • Ninjutsu: A set of magic spells, including elemental attacks and the incredibly useful Image spell, which makes him dodge physical attacks.
• FuSoYa, the Lunarian 🌙: This mysterious old man from the moon joins you for a short (but critical) part of the endgame. Like Tellah, he’s a Sage 🧙‍♂️ who knows every single White and Black spell, including Meteor ☄️! He has a fixed, limited MP pool (190 MP). The strategy: Go wild. Unleash his most powerful spells without a second thought. He’s a temporary supernova of power, so use him!

Level Up! The Philosophy of Stat Growth 📈

Character growth in Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster is mostly pre-set. From Level 1 to 70, everyone’s stats (Strength, Agility, Stamina, Intellect, Spirit) go up based on a fixed table. This makes sure Rydia always becomes a great mage and Yang always becomes a great fighter.

But after Level 70, things get interesting. From Level 71 to 99, your stat gains are random! 🎲 Each time you level up, the game picks one of 8 possible stat-gain combos for that character. One level-up might give you +3 Strength, while the next could give you -1 to everything! 😱

For a normal playthrough, you’ll probably beat the game long before this matters (around Level 55-65). But if you’re a completionist who wants perfect 99 stats, this is where the grind begins. You can save your game right before a level-up, fight a battle, and if you don’t like the stats you got… just reload your save and try again! 🔄

Here’s a quick cheat-sheet for your final five heroes and what they’re good at:

Character	Primary Stats	HP Growth	MP Growth	Strategic Niche
Cecil (Paladin) 🛡️	Strength, Stamina, Spirit	Very High	Low	Tank / Off-Healer: The party’s defensive core. Uses Cover to protect friends.
Kain (Dragoon) 🚀	Strength, Stamina	High	N/A	Physical DPS: A tough fighter. Jump is his best offensive and defensive tool.
Rydia (Summoner) 💥	Intellect	Low	Very High	Magical DPS: The party’s main magic cannon. Needs to be protected!
Rosa (White Mage) 💖	Spirit	Medium	High	Healer / Support: The essential backbone of the party. Keeps everyone alive and buffed.
Edge (Ninja) 🥷	Agility, Strength	Medium	Low	Speed DPS / Utility: Super fast. Great for burst damage with Throw and defense with Image.

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👕 Chapter 3: The Well-Dressed Hero’s Handbook

In the big fight against evil, a hero is only as good as their gear. A sharp sword or a magic robe can be the difference between “VICTORY!” 🥳 and “GAME OVER” 😵. This chapter is your complete armory.

Weapons: Swords 🗡️, Spears 🔱, Whips 🐍, and… a Frying Pan? 🍳

Weapons are how you deal physical damage. Each character can only use certain types: Cecil uses swords, Kain uses spears, Rydia uses whips and rods, Rosa uses staves and bows, etc. But it’s not just about the Attack number!

• Elemental & Racial Properties: Lots of weapons have special properties. A Flame Sword 🔥 deals fire damage, making it awesome against ice enemies… but useless against fire-absorbing ones. Mythril gear is great against “ghouls” (undead 🧟). Always equip the right tool for the job!
• Back-Row Compatibility: Remember, back-row characters need a long-range weapon to do full damage. This means Bows 🏹, Whips 🐍, and Throwing Weapons 🪃. This makes Rosa a surprisingly good damage dealer from the safety of the back row!
• Special & Thrown Weapons: Some weapons have cool effects, like the Dancing Dagger 💃 (high crit rate) or the Sleep Blade 😴. The most special weapon, though, is the Knife 🔪. You get it from Yang’s wife. You can’t equip it… you can only Throw it with Edge. When you do? It deals a guaranteed 9999 damage! 💥 It’s a one-shot-wonder. Many people save it for the final blow on the final boss. 😉

Armor & Accessories: It’s Not Just About the Defense Stat 🛡️

Armor (Body, Head, Shield, Arms, Accessory) is how you survive. While a high Defense stat is always good, a real pro looks at the other bonuses.

• Elemental & Status Resistances: This is the most important part! A Flame Mail 🔥 gives you a huge advantage against fire attacks, way more than just its Defense stat. It’s smart to keep a collection of elemental gear (Flame, Ice, Diamond sets) and swap them out for different dungeons.
• The best accessories give you status protection. The Ribbon 🎀 is the holy grail. It makes you immune to pretty much every bad status, from Toad 🐸 to Petrify 🗿. Getting the two Ribbons in the final dungeon is a top priority. Give them to Rosa and Rydia!
• Stat Bonuses: High-end gear also boosts your stats! A Power Armlet 💪 boosts Strength. A Black Robe 🧙‍♀️ boosts Intellect. The ultimate Adamant Armor gives you a massive +15 boost to ALL stats! 🤩

Ultimate Gear Guide: The Road to Godhood 🏆

The best gear in Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster isn’t sold in shops. It’s hidden in the deepest, darkest dungeons, guarded by super-bosses, or made from impossibly rare items.

1. The Adamant Armor 💖:
   • This is the best body armor in the game, hands down. To get it, you first need a Pink Tail.
   • Farm a Pink Tail: This is an extremely rare drop from Flan Princesses 🍮. You can find them in a specific rare-encounter room in the final dungeon (Lunar Subterrane). The best way to hunt them is to use Sirens 🎶 (stolen from enemies like Searchers) in that room to force an encounter. The drop rate is still low, but it’s way better in the Pixel Remaster!
   • Trade the Tail: Take your shiny Pink Tail to the Adamant Grotto (a small cave near Mythril) and trade it for the armor. It’s worth it.
2. Legendary Weapons of the Lunar Subterrane 🌑:
   • The final dungeon is a treasure trove of ultimate weapons, most of which are guarded by optional bosses.
   • Ragnarok (Cecil’s Sword ⚔️): Guarded by Dark Bahamut. He casts Reflect on himself. You can either use Dispel to break it or cast your own Reflect spells on your party to bounce magic off yourselves and onto him!
   • Holy Lance (Kain’s Spear 🔱): Guarded by the Plague Horror. This boss puts a “Doom” timer on your whole party. It’s a pure damage race! ⏱️ You must defeat it before the timer hits zero.
   • Murasame & Masamune (Edge’s Katanas 🗡️🗡️): Guarded by the White Dragon and Ogopogo, respectively. Be ready for tough fights!
   • Artemis Bow & Arrows (Rosa’s Bow 🏹): Rare drops from Moon Maiden enemies in the same dungeon.
3. The Ribbons 🎀🎀:
   • There are two Ribbons in the game. They’re in a room with two chests in the Lunar Subterrane, guarded by the Lunarsaur boss.
   • This boss loves to use Bad Breath, which inflicts a ton of nasty status ailments. This is exactly why you want the Ribbons! 😅 Equip any status-protecting gear you have before the fight. Winning this battle gets you the two best accessories in the game.

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🗺️ Chapter 4: The Ultimate Master Journey – A Full Walkthrough

This is it—the grand tour! This walkthrough will guide you step-by-step from Cecil’s crisis of conscience in Baron all the way to the final battle deep inside the moon. 🌕

From Baron to Mist… and the Consequences 💥

• Objective: Deliver the Bomb Ring to the village of Mist.
• Party: Cecil (Dark Knight), Kain (Dragoon)
• Treasure Checklist 💎:
  • Castle Baron: 480 Gil, Ether, Tent (in a secret room in the east wing!).
  • Baron Town: Potion (x3), Dwarven Bread, Eye Drops, Tent, Hourglass (explore everywhere, check pots and hidden paths!).
  • Mist Cave: Potion (x2), Tent, Eye Drops.
• Bestiary Alert 👹: Goblin, Helldiver, Mist Dragon (Boss).
• Walkthrough: After the tense meeting with the king, loot the castle’s secret room (press a switch behind a guard). Talk to Rosa and Cid, then meet Kain. Loot Baron town (shops are closed). It’s a really good idea to grind Cecil and Kain to about Level 12 outside Baron before you go.
• Head northwest to the Mist Cave. At the exit, you’ll meet the boss.

🐉 Boss Clinic: Mist Dragon

• HP: 465
• Strategy: This boss teaches you a key mechanic. It will sometimes dissolve into a cloud of mist. DO NOT ATTACK IT when it’s mist! 🚫 If you do, it’ll hit you with a powerful counter-attack.
• Just have Cecil Attack and Kain Jump when it’s in its dragon form. When it turns to mist, have both characters Defend or heal. Be patient, and it’s an easy win.

After the fight… well, things go bad. The ring explodes, destroying Mist. An enraged girl, Rydia, summons Titan, causing a massive earthquake that separates you from Kain. 😱 Cecil, now alone with the unconscious Rydia, heads to the nearby town of Kaipo.

The Road to Damcyan 🏜️

• Objective: Find a cure for Rosa’s desert fever.
• Party: Cecil, Rydia, Tellah, Edward
• Treasure Checklist 💎:
  • Kaipo: Ether (in a pot).
  • Underground Waterway: TONS. Potions, Tents, Ethers, Ice Rod, Shadow Blade, Hades Set (for Cecil). Explore the hidden passage behind the main waterfall!
  • Damcyan Castle: Ruby Ring, Crossbow, Holy Arrows, and other items.
• Bestiary Alert 👹: Baron Soldier, General, Octomammoth (Boss).
• Walkthrough: In Kaipo, Cecil defends Rydia from Baron soldiers. Pro-tip: Defeat the General first, or he’ll flee, and you’ll lose his EXP. Rydia will join you. You’ll find Rosa in town, sick with desert fever. The only cure is a Sand Ruby from the Antlion.
• Before you go, grind Rydia (who starts at Level 1!) to at least Level 10 in the desert.
• In the Underground Waterway, you’ll meet the old sage Tellah. This dungeon teaches you about weaknesses: use Thunder ⚡ on aquatic foes and Fire 🔥 or Cure 🩹 on the undead. At the end, you’ll face the boss.

🐙 Boss Clinic: Octomammoth

• HP: 2,350
• Weakness: Lightning, Darkness
• Strategy: This is a simple damage race. Have Rydia and Tellah spam Thunder. Cecil should just Attack. As it takes damage, its tentacles will disappear one by one. Keep your health up, and it’ll go down fast.

You’ll exit the cave just in time to see Damcyan Castle get bombed by the Red Wings! 😭 Inside, you’ll meet Edward, the “spoony bard,” and his dying love, Anna. Tellah leaves in a rage, but Edward joins you and gives you his hovercraft. Be sure to loot the ruined castle!

The Sand Ruby and the Siege of Fabul 🏰

• Objective: Get the Sand Ruby, cure Rosa, and defend Fabul Castle.
• Party: Cecil, Rydia, Edward, Rosa, Yang
• Treasure Checklist 💎:
  • Antlion Cave: Spider’s Silk, Tent, Lamia Harp (for Edward), Ether.
  • Mt. Hobs: Tent, Potion, Gold Needle, Holy Arrows.
  • Fabul Castle: Hermes’ Shoes, Demon Shield, Bacchus’s Cider, Deathbringer (auto).
• Bestiary Alert 👹: Antlion (Boss), Mom Bomb (Boss).
• Walkthrough: Use the hovercraft to reach the Antlion Cave.

🐜 Boss Clinic: Antlion

• HP: 1,100
• Strategy: This boss has a trick: it counters every physical attack with a strong hit. 💥 The solution? Have only Cecil attack physically. Rydia should summon Chocobo (magic doesn’t trigger the counter). Edward should use his Heal command or just defend. Easy!

With the Sand Ruby, go back to Kaipo and cure Rosa. She joins the party! 🙌 Now, head to Mt. Hobs. The path is blocked by ice. After a key story moment, Rydia overcomes her fear and casts Fire 🔥, clearing the path. At the summit, you’ll find Yang the monk, and you’ll be attacked.

💣 Boss Clinic: Mom Bomb

• HP: 11,000
• Strategy: This boss has a ton of HP. Just hit it with everything you’ve got. After taking enough damage, it will explode (deals medium damage to everyone) and then reform into a bunch of smaller bombs. Use area-of-effect attacks (like Yang’s Kick 🦵) to finish them off.

Yang joins, and you all head to Fabul Castle for an epic siege. You’ll fight a series of battles as you’re pushed back to the Crystal Room. There, Kain appears… and he’s not himself. Golbez shows up, kidnaps Rosa 😱, and steals the Wind Crystal. The party, defeated, is given a ship to chase him… but the ship is attacked by Leviathan, and everyone is scattered.

Mt. Ordeals: Facing Your Dark Side ⛰️

• Objective: Ascend Mt. Ordeals and become a Paladin.
• Party: Cecil, Palom, Porom, Tellah
• Treasure Checklist 💎: Potion (x2), Ether (x2), Sword of Legend (auto).
• Bestiary Alert 👹: Soul, Ghoul, Lilith, Scarmiglione (Boss).
• Walkthrough: Cecil washes up near Mysidia, the town of mages he raided. 😬 They’re not happy to see him. The Elder offers him a path to redemption: climb Mt. Ordeals. He sends the twin mages, Palom 👦 (Black) and Porom 👧 (White), to “help” (aka spy on) him.
• IMPORTANT: Before you go, buy all the new mage gear for the twins in Mysidia. Also, buy the full Paladin armor set for Cecil. He can’t use it yet, but you’ll need it very soon.
• The mountain is full of undead 🧟. As a Dark Knight, Cecil is terrible against them. The twins will have to carry the load (Palom’s Fire 🔥, Porom’s Cure 🩹). Partway up, you’ll meet Tellah again, who’s looking for the Meteor ☄️ spell. At the summit, Golbez’s first fiend, Scarmiglione, attacks.

🧟‍♂️ Boss Clinic: Scarmiglione

• Phase 1 (with 4 Skullnants):
  • HP: 3,500
  • Weakness: Fire, Holy
  • Strategy: You can’t hurt the boss until his friends are gone. Have Palom cast Fira on the entire group. This should one-shot the Skullnants. Then, focus all your Fire spells on Scarmiglione.
• Phase 2 (True Form):
  • HP: 3,523
  • Weakness: Fire, Holy
  • Strategy: He ambushes you from behind! Your very first action must be to use the “Row” command to fix your party’s formation. 🔄 He’s now super weak to Fire. A single Fira from Palom will do massive damage. He’ll be toast in no time.

After the fight, Cecil confronts his dark side. This is a story battle! DO NOT ATTACK. 🚫 Just use the Defend command. After a few turns, the fight will end. Cecil emerges as a Paladin 🤍, reset to Level 1 but with a huge EXP boost. On the way back down, he’ll destroy the same undead he struggled with. It’s awesome.

The Return to Baron and the Tower of Zot 🗼

• Objective: Infiltrate Baron, rescue Rosa, and get the Earth Crystal.
• Party: Cecil, Palom, Porom, Tellah, Yang, Cid, Kain, Rosa
• Treasure Checklist 💎: (There’s a LOT here, explore!)
  • Old Waterway: Ancient Sword, Elixir, Hermes’ Shoes.
  • Troia / Magnetic Cavern: Twin Harp, Great Bow, Fairy Claw.
  • Tower of Zot: Flame Mail, Flame Sword, Gaia Hammer.
• Bestiary Alert 👹: Baigan (Boss), Cagnazzo (Boss), Dark Elf (Boss), Magus Sisters (Boss), Barbariccia (Boss).
• Walkthrough: Back in Mysidia, the Elder opens the Serpent Road teleporter to Baron. You find Yang in the inn, brainwashed! 🧠 After you snap him out of it, he rejoins and gives you the Baron Key. This key opens the Old Waterway, the secret path into the castle.
• Inside the castle, you’re “greeted” by Baigan.

🦾 Boss Clinic: Baigan

• HP: 4,444 (Body), 444 (Arms)
• Strategy: He has a main body and two arms. The arms will regenerate if you kill them before the body. Focus all physical attacks on the main body. 👊 The body has Reflect, so don’t cast magic on it! 🚫 Have your mages heal. Once the body is gone, finish off the arms fast.

• Next, you confront the fake king, who reveals himself as Cagnazzo, the Fiend of Water.

💧 Boss Clinic: Cagnazzo

• HP: 5,312
• Weakness: Ice
• Strategy: This is a critical mechanic check. Cagnazzo will gather water 🌊 to unleash a deadly Tsunami attack. In the Pixel Remaster, this is a 1,000-damage party-wipe if you don’t stop it.
• The only way to stop it is to hit him with a Thunder spell ⚡ while he’s gathering water. Have Tellah or Palom ready. When he’s not gathering water, hit him with Ice spells (like Blizzara) and physical attacks.

• After the fight, Cid joins! But the walls start closing in! 😱 Palom and Porom sacrifice themselves, turning to stone to save you. 😭😭😭
• The grieving party escapes on Cid’s airship, the Enterprise. Kain contacts you: he’ll trade Rosa for the Earth Crystal from Troia.
• You fly to Troia and find Edward 🛏️, who gives you the Twin Harp. The crystal is in the Magnetic Cavern, a cave where all metal gear is useless! 😱 You must unequip all metal swords, armor, etc. This is a gear check! Equip Cecil with a bow, Yang with claws, and Cid with a hammer.
• At the end of the cave, the Dark Elf attacks. You can’t win… until Edward plays his harp from his sickbed, breaking the magnetic field! 🎶 The game pauses and lets you re-equip all your metal gear. Do it! Now, the real fight begins.
• With the crystal, you fly to the Tower of Zot. This dungeon is ONE-TIME-ONLY, so get all the treasure! 💎 At the top, you’ll fight the Magus Sisters (Mindy, Sandy, and Cindy). Strategy: Focus all attacks on the middle sister, Cindy. She’s the healer and reviver. Take her out, and the others will fall.
• At the very top, Golbez takes the crystal. Tellah, in a rage, casts Meteor ☄️. It wounds Golbez and breaks his control over Kain, but the strain kills Tellah 😭.
• A free Kain and a rescued Rosa rejoin the party! As the tower collapses, the final fiend of wind, Barbariccia, attacks.

🌪️ Boss Clinic: Barbariccia

• HP: 8,636
• Strategy: She’ll surround herself with a tornado 🌪️, making her almost impossible to hit. The only way to break this barrier is with Kain’s Jump 🚀.
• The strategy is simple: Have Kain Jump every single turn. This will break her tornado, letting Cecil and Cid (who has left) attack. Rosa should heal. Just keep Kain jumping, and you’ll win.

Rosa teleports everyone to safety. Kain reveals Golbez’s plan to get the four Dark Crystals from the Underworld and gives you the key: the Magma Rock.

The Underworld and the Tower of Babel 🌋

• Objective: Stop Golbez from getting the Dark Crystals.
• Party: Cecil, Kain, Rosa, Rydia, Yang, Cid, Edge
• Treasure Checklist 💎:
  • Dwarven Castle: Dwarf Axe, Power Armlet, Black Belt.
  • Tower of Babel (Part 1): Ice Brand, Ice Lance, Ice Shield, Ice Armor.
  • Eblan Cave: Blood Sword, Elixir.
  • Tower of Babel (Part 2): Ogrekiller, Ahura.
• Bestiary Alert 👹: Calcobrena (Boss), Dr. Lugae (Boss), Rubicante (Boss).
• Walkthrough: You drop the Magma Rock into a well near Agart, opening the way to the Underworld. Your airship is damaged, and you land near the Dwarven Castle. King Giott asks you to protect their crystal. As you enter the Crystal Room… dolls attack! 🎎

🎎 Boss Clinic: Calcobrena

• HP: 5,315 (Combined)
• Strategy: You’ll first fight six little dolls. Don’t kill them all too fast! Let them merge into the giant Calcobrena doll (you need this for your bestiary!). The big doll hits hard and can Confuse you. Just focus it down.

• After the fight, Golbez shows up and steals the crystal anyway. But just as he’s about to finish you… a grown-up Rydia returns! 👩 She saves the party with her powerful summons and rejoins permanently!
• King Giott sends you to the Tower of Babel to get the crystals back. You fight your way up and meet Dr. Lugae.

👨‍🔬 Boss Clinic: Dr. Lugae & Barnabas

• HP: ~4,900 (Doctor), ~4,800 (Barnabas), 9,321 (Lugae final)
• Strategy: Focus all your attacks on the big robot, Barnabas, first. He’s the main damage dealer. Once he’s gone, Dr. Lugae will transform into his cyborg form. He uses status attacks, so have Rosa ready with Esuna. Rydia’s summons (especially Titan) work great here.

• At the top, the party is trapped. Yang sacrifices himself 👊 to stop the tower’s cannons. As you escape, Cid also sacrifices himself 🔨, using a bomb to seal the passage. 😭😭
• Stranded in the Underworld, the party finds a new path through the Eblan Cave. There, you meet Edge 🥷, the ninja prince, getting beaten by Rubicante, the Fiend of Fire. Edge joins you, and you re-enter the Tower of Babel from the bottom.
• After a tragic fight with Edge’s zombified parents, you confront Rubicante.

🔥 Boss Clinic: Rubicante

• HP: 34,000
• Weakness: Ice (when cloaked)
• Strategy: Rubicante is a total gentleman. He’ll heal your party to full before the fight. ❤️‍🔥
• His trick is his cloak. When his cloak is closed, he’s weak to Ice 🧊. But when he opens his cloak to attack, he will counter Ice magic with a powerful Fire spell!
• The strategy: WAIT until his cloak is closed. Then, unleash all your Ice attacks (Rydia’s Shiva or Blizzaga, Edge’s Flood Ninjutsu). When his cloak is open, just Defend or heal.

After the fight, you fall into a trap… which drops you right into a hangar with a new airship, the Falcon! ✈️

To the Moon! 🌕

• Objective: Get the final crystal and travel to the Moon.
• Party: Cecil, Kain, Rosa, Rydia, Edge, FuSoYa
• Treasure Checklist 💎: So much good stuff in the Sealed Cavern, Cave of Summons, Sylvan Cave, and Cave of Bahamut.
• Bestiary Alert 👹: Demon Wall (Boss).
• Walkthrough: Your next stop is the Sealed Cavern to get the last Dark Crystal. The dungeon is filled with annoying Trap Doors. At the end, the crystal is guarded by one of the most famous bosses in Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster…

🧱 Boss Clinic: Demon Wall

• HP: 28,000
• Strategy: This is a pure DPS race! ⏱️ The Demon Wall slowly moves toward you. If it reaches you, it’s an instant Game Over.
• You must hit it with everything you have, as fast as you can.
• Cast Haste 💨 on Cecil, Kain, and Edge. Have Rydia summon Leviathan or Bahamut (if you got him) every single turn. Rosa should heal, but everyone needs to be on full offense. Go, go, go!

• You grab the crystal… and Kain betrays you again! 😫 He takes the crystal and leaves.
• But wait! Cid is alive! 🙌 He returns and upgrades the Falcon with a drill 🔧, letting you go back to the Overworld.
• You fly to Mysidia, where the Elder and all the mages pray to summon the legendary lunar vessel… the Lunar Whale! 🐋 With this ship, you can fly to the MOON! 🌕
• On the moon, you meet FuSoYa 🌙, a Lunarian. He drops a massive plot bomb: Cecil and Golbez are brothers 😱, and Golbez is being mind-controlled by an evil Lunarian named Zemus.
• FuSoYa joins you, and you all fly back to Earth to stop the Giant of Babil, a colossal robot Zemus activated. Inside the giant (after all your friends—Cid, Yang, Palom, and Porom, who are all alive! 🥳—help you get in), you fight all four Elemental Fiends again.
• At the core, FuSoYa breaks Zemus’s control over Golbez. A remorseful Golbez and FuSoYa leave to fight Zemus on the moon. Kain rejoins the party, for good this time.
• It’s time. The party returns to the Moon for the final dungeon: the Lunar Subterrane 🌑. This place is a massive, confusing labyrinth filled with the strongest enemies and all the Ultimate Weapons and Armor (see Chapter 3!).
• At the very core, you see Golbez and FuSoYa defeat Zemus… but his pure hatred transforms him into the invincible Zeromus. 👾 Golbez and FuSoYa are defeated. All hope seems lost…
• …until you hear the prayers of all your friends from Earth! 🙏 Their hope revives you. Golbez gives Cecil the Crystal, the only thing that can hurt the final boss. The final battle begins.

👾 Final Boss Clinic: Zeromus

• HP: ~130,000 (across both forms)
• Strategy: This is it!
• Step 1: At the start, Zeromus is invincible. Your first action must be to have Cecil use the Crystal item 💎 from the item menu. This will reveal Zeromus’s true, vulnerable form.
• Step 2: Zeromus’s signature move is Black Hole ⚫, which removes all your buffs (Protect, Shell, Haste, etc.). Don’t waste time casting them, except for Slow. Always cast Slow on him after he uses Black Hole.
• Step 3: The Assault!
  • Rosa 💖: She is on healing duty 100% of the time. Zeromus’s Big Bang 💥 attack hits the whole party for massive damage. Rosa must be ready with Curaja immediately after.
  • Rydia 💥: Summon Bahamut 🐲. Every. Single. Turn. It will deal 9,999 damage.
  • Cecil 🛡️ & Kain 🚀: They should be equipped with their holy-elemental ultimate weapons. Just have them Attack. Kain’s Jump is also a great, safe way to deal damage and dodge a potential Big Bang.
  • Edge 🥷: Now’s the time. Have him Throw the Knife 🔪 for a guaranteed 9999 damage. After that, throw all your Fuma Shurikens.
• Step 4: Survive Meteor! ☄️ As his health gets low, he’ll start casting Meteor. This is the final stretch. Don’t let up, keep healing, and you will vanquish the ultimate evil!

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💯 Chapter 5: For Glory and Bragging Rights – The Completionist’s Path

You saw the credits roll, but you’re not done? You’re a true master! 🏆 Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster is packed with optional content, secret summons, and hidden bosses.

Gotta Summon ‘Em All! 🐲

Rydia can learn way more summons than just the main story ones.

• Asura and Leviathan:
  • Where: The Land of Summons. You need to go through the Cave of Summons in the Underworld (southwest lava sea). You’ll need the Float 🎈 spell to cross the damaging floors.
  • Asura Strategy (The Queen 👑): She constantly heals herself. The trick? Cast Reflect 🔄 on her. Her healing spells will bounce off and heal your party instead! 🤣 With her healing stopped, just wail on her.
  • Leviathan Strategy (The King 🌊): He uses a devastating party-wide Tidal Wave 🌊. He’s weak to Lightning ⚡. This is a damage race. Have Rydia cast Thundaga or Ramuh while Rosa heals like her life depends on it (because it does).
• Odin:
  • Where: The basement of the eastern tower in Baron Castle (once you can return).
  • Strategy (The Knight ⚔️): This is a DPS race ⏱️. Odin is charging his signature move, Zantetsuken, which is an instant party-wipe. You must defeat him before he uses it. He’s weak to Lightning ⚡, so hit him hard and fast!
• Bahamut:
  • Where: A cave on the Moon 🌕 (you need the Lunar Whale).
  • Strategy (The Dragon King 🐲): His big move is Megaflare ☄️, which he starts with a countdown from 5. The only way to survive is to have Rosa cast Reflect 🔄 on every single one of your party members. When he unleashes Megaflare, it’ll bounce off all of you and hit him for catastrophic damage. A couple of those, and he’s done.
• Sylph:
  • Where: This is a reward for a quest! In the Sylvan Cave (Underworld), you’ll find Yang unconscious. Go to Fabul (Overworld) and talk to his wife. She’ll give you a Frying Pan 🍳. Go back to Yang and bonk him with it. He’ll wake up, and the Sylphs will grant Rydia their power as thanks.
• Secret Item Summons:
  • You can learn Goblin, Cockatrice, Mindflayer, and Bomb by using rare items of the same name. These are very rare drops from those specific monsters. It’s a grind, but the Pixel Remaster makes it easier! 🔄

Legendary Loot & Unfinished Business 💎

• Excalibur ⚔️:
  • This is a fantastic holy-elemental sword for Cecil. It’s a long trading quest:
  1. Get the Rat Tail 🐀 from a chest in the Land of Summons.
  2. Take the Hovercraft to the small island east of Mythril. Trade the Rat Tail for Adamantite.
  3. Take the Adamantite to Kokkol’s Smithy (southeast Underworld). Give it to the sleeping smith. He’ll take Cecil’s Sword of Legend and start working.
  4. Come back much later (after the Moon events), and the Excalibur will be ready!
• The Frying Pan 🍳 and The Knife 🔪:
  • After you wake up Yang with the Frying Pan, go back to his wife in Fabul. Give the Pan back to her. As thanks, she’ll give you the Knife. Remember: don’t equip it, Throw it with Edge for 9999 damage! 💥

⚠️ Missable Content Master List ⚠️

Pay attention! If you’re a 100% completionist, you cannot go back for this stuff.

• One-Time-Only Dungeons:
  • You must get all treasures and bestiary entries on your first and only visit.
  • Tower of Zot 🗼
  • Tower of Babel (both parts)
  • Giant of Babil 🤖
• Missable Bestiary Entries:
  • General (Kaipo) & Captain (Fabul): These leader enemies will flee if you kill their soldiers first. You must defeat the leader first to get the entry.
  • Calcobrena 🎎: You must let the 6 little dolls merge into the big one. If you kill all 6 little ones, you’ll miss the main entry.
  • Trap Door (Sealed Cavern): The last Trap Door in this dungeon can summon a Yellow Dragon, which is super rare otherwise. Let it summon the dragon before you kill it.
  • All Enemies in One-Time Dungeons: This includes rare encounters like the Green Dragon in the Tower of Babel. Make sure you’ve fought everything before you leave!

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🏁 Conclusion

The journey through the world of Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster is a timeless one. It’s a foundational story of redemption, sacrifice, and hope that’s been hooking players for decades. 💖

This guide was meant to be your strategic codex, a deep dive into the mechanics and character stories that make this game a masterpiece. From learning the rhythm of the ATB system to mastering the unique strengths of its unforgettable cast, you now have the knowledge to become a true master.

You learned why Kain’s Jump is a defensive tool 🚀, why Tellah’s MP should be spent freely 💥, and why a Ribbon 🎀 is better than high-defense armor.

Whether you were a first-time Dark Knight stepping out of Baron or a seasoned Paladin facing down evil on the moon, you’ve forged a legendary path. The crystals are safe, the fiends are gone, and your journey is complete.

You did it! Lali-ho! 👋

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📚 Appendices

Appendix A: The Complete Spellbook ✨

💖 White Magic

Spell Name	MP Cost	Description	Target	Strategic Notes
Cure	3	Restores a small amount of HP.	Single/All	Early game healing. Damages undead.
Cura	9	Restores a moderate amount of HP.	Single/All	Mid-game healing. Damages undead.
Curaga	18	Restores a large amount of HP.	Single/All	Late-game single-target healing. Damages undead.
Curaja	40	Restores a very large amount of HP.	All	The ultimate party heal. A must for bosses.
Life	8	Revives a KO’d ally with minimal HP.	Single	Basic revival.
Full-Life	52	Revives a KO’d ally with full HP.	Single	The best revival. Gets heroes back in the fight.
Esuna	20	Cures all status ailments except KO.	Single	Your all-in-one status cure. Invaluable.
Scan	1	Reveals target’s HP, MP, and weaknesses.	Single	Essential for learning boss strategies.
Sight	2	Reveals the world map.	N/A	Utility spell.
Teleport	10	Warps the party out of a dungeon or battle.	All	The ultimate escape button! Saves so much time.
Protect	9	Increases physical defense.	Single/All	Cast at the start of tough physical fights.
Shell	10	Increases magical defense.	Single/All	Cast at the start of tough magical fights.
Haste 💨	25	Speeds up a character’s ATB gauge.	Single	Game-changing. Cast on your fighters and Rosa.
Slow 🐢	14	Slows down an enemy’s ATB gauge.	Single/All	Cripples fast bosses. Haste/Slow combo is amazing.
Reflect 🔄	30	Creates a barrier that reflects magic.	Single	Use on bosses (Asura) or allies (Bahamut).
Dispel	12	Removes all magical effects from a target.	Single	Use to remove enemy buffs like Reflect.
Float 🎈	8	Levitates the party, avoiding floor traps.	All	Mandatory for the Cave of Summons.
Berserk 😡	18	Causes a target to attack uncontrollably.	Single	High-risk, high-reward buff for a fighter.
Confuse 😵	10	Causes Confusion status.	Single/All	Can neutralize entire enemy groups.
Hold	5	Causes Paralysis status.	Single/All	A cheap and fast way to stop an enemy.
Mini 🔬	6	Inflicts Mini status or cures it.	Single	Cripples a non-boss enemy’s physical stats.
Silence 🤫	6	Inflicts Silence status.	Single/All	The best way to shut down enemy mages.
Holy	46	Deals a large amount of Holy damage.	Single	Rosa’s ultimate attack spell. Wrecks undead.

💥 Black Magic

Spell Name	MP Cost	Description	Target	Strategic Notes
Fire 🔥	5	Deals small fire damage.	Single/All	Basic elemental spell.
Fira	15	Deals moderate fire damage.	Single/All	Mid-game elemental workhorse.
Firaga	30	Deals large fire damage.	Single/All	High-tier elemental damage.
Blizzard 🧊	5	Deals small ice damage.	Single/All	Basic elemental spell.
Blizzara	15	Deals moderate ice damage.	Single/All	Mid-game elemental workhorse.
Blizzaga	30	Deals large ice damage.	Single/All	High-tier elemental damage.
Thunder ⚡	5	Deals small lightning damage.	Single/All	Basic elemental spell.
Thundara	15	Deals moderate lightning damage.	Single/All	Mid-game elemental workhorse.
Thundaga	30	Deals large lightning damage.	Single/All	Crucial for interrupting Cagnazzo.
Poison ☠️	2	Inflicts Poison status.	Single	Deals damage over time.
Sleep 😴	12	Inflicts Sleep status.	Single/All	Excellent crowd control.
Stop 🛑	15	Inflicts Stop status, freezing a target.	Single	A powerful lockdown spell.
Toad 🐸	7	Inflicts Toad status or cures it.	Single	A powerful debuff.
Pig 🐷	1	Inflicts Pig status or cures it.	Single	A cheap way to silence an enemy mage.
Warp	4	Warps the party to the previous floor.	N/A	A utility spell for quick backtracking.
Bio	20	Deals non-elemental damage, can inflict Sap.	Single/All	Good damage for enemies who resist elements.
Osmose	0	Drains MP from a target to the caster.	Single	A way to restore MP in long dungeons.
Drain	18	Drains HP from a target to the caster.	Single	Deals damage while healing you.
Break 🗿	15	Inflicts Petrify status.	Single	An instant-death spell for non-bosses.
Death	35	Inflicts instant KO.	Single	A less reliable instant-death spell.
Tornado 🌪️	25	Reduces a target’s HP to single digits.	All	Doesn’t kill. Good for setting up a kill.
Quake	30	Deals heavy earth damage to all grounded targets.	All	Useless against flying enemies.
Flare	50	Deals massive non-elemental damage.	Single	One of the strongest single-target spells.
Meteor ☄️	99	Deals catastrophic non-elemental damage.	All	The ultimate Black Magic spell.

🐲 Summon Magic

Summon	MP Cost	Description	Target	Strategic Notes
Chocobo 🐥	7	A weak non-elemental attack.	Single	Rydia’s starting summon.
Shiva ❄️	30	Deals ice damage to all enemies.	All	The first major elemental summon.
Ramuh ⚡	30	Deals lightning damage to all enemies.	All	The second major elemental summon.
Ifrit 🔥	30	Deals fire damage to all enemies.	All	The third major elemental summon.
Titan ⛰️	40	Deals earth damage to all grounded enemies.	All	A very powerful summon Rydia gets later.
Mist Dragon 🐉	20	A holy-elemental attack.	All	Rydia’s signature Eidolon.
Asura 👑	50	Casts Cure4, Life, or Protect on the party.	All	A powerful (but random) defensive summon.
Leviathan 🌊	50	Deals massive water/ice damage to all enemies.	All	One of the most powerful offensive summons.
Odin ⚔️	45	Attempts to instantly kill all enemies.	All	An all-or-nothing instant death attack.
Bahamut 🐲	60	Deals massive non-elemental damage (Megaflare).	All	The strongest offensive summon in the game.
Sylph 🧚	25	Drains HP from an enemy to the party.	Single/All	Deals damage while healing the party.
Goblin	1	A very weak non-elemental attack.	Single	From a rare item. Just for completionists.
Cockatrice 🐔	15	Attempts to Petrify an enemy.	Single	From a rare item.
Mindflayer 🧠	18	Deals damage and tries to Paralyze.	Single	From a rare item.
Bomb 💣	10	Deals minor fire damage.	Single	From a rare item.

Appendix B: The Full Bestiary (Bosses) 👹

Here’s a list of all the bosses in the Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster. All bosses are resistant to all status ailments.

ID	Boss Name	HP	Weakness	Absorbs	Location	Gil	Exp
158	Octomammoth 🐙	2,350	Lightning, Darkness	Holy	Subterranean Lake	500	1,200
159	Antlion 🐜	1,100	None	None	Antlion Cave	800	1,500
160	Mom Bomb 💣	11,000	Darkness	None	Mt. Hobs	1,200	1,900
161	Baigan 🦾	4,444	None	None	Castle Baron	3,000	4,800
162	Right Arm	444	None	None	Castle Baron	0	10
163	Left Arm	444	None	None	Castle Baron	0	10
164	Dark Elf 🧝	23,890	Holy	None	Magnetic Cavern	4,000	1,000
165	Dark Dragon	3,927	Holy (Weapons)	Holy (Magic)	Magnetic Cavern	5,000	6,000
166	Sandy 👩‍	2,591	None	None	Tower of Zot	3,000	2,500
167	Cindy 👩‍	4,599	None	None	Tower of Zot	3,000	2,500
168	Mindy 👩‍	2,590	None	None	Tower of Zot	3,000	2,500
169	Calco 🎎	1,369	None	None	Dwarven Castle	500	1,000
170	Brina 🎎	369	None	None	Dwarven Castle	500	1,000
171	Calcobrena 🎎	5,315	None	None	Dwarven Castle	5,000	12,000
172	Golbez	23,001	Fire, Holy	None	Dwarven Castle	10,000	15,000
173	Doctor 👨‍🔬	4,936	None	None	Tower of Babel	2,000	5,500
174	Barnabas	4,832	None	None	Tower of Babel	2,500	5,500
175	Dr. Lugae	9,321	None	None	Tower of Babel	4,000	10,101
176	Barnabas-Z	4,518	None	None	Tower of Babel	2,500	20
177	Scarmiglione 🧟	3,500	Fire, Holy	None	Mt. Ordeals	2,000	3,200
178	Scarmiglione (True)	3,523	Fire, Holy, Projectile	Ice	Mt. Ordeals	2,500	3,600
179	Cagnazzo 💧	5,312	Ice (when closed), Thunder (to interrupt)	None	Castle Baron	4,000	5,500
180	Barbariccia 🌪️	8,636	None (Jump breaks Tornado)	None	Tower of Zot	5,500	9,000
181	Rubicante 🔥	34,000	Ice (when cloaked)	Fire	Tower of Babel	7,000	18,000
182	Demon Wall 🧱	28,000	None	None	Sealed Cavern	8,000	23,000
183	Defense Node	3,000	None	None	Giant of Babel	0	0
184	Attack Node	3,000	None	None	Giant of Babel	0	0
185	CPU	30,000	None	None	Giant of Babel	10,333	50,000
186	Lunasaur 🦖	23,000	Fire	None	Lunar Subterrane	0	29,500
187	Plague	33,333	Projectile	None	Lunar Subterrane	550	31,108
188	White Dragon 🐉	32,700	None	Fire, Ice, Lightning	Lunar Subterrane	0	55,000
189	Ogopogo 🐍	50,000	None	None	Lunar Subterrane	0	61,000
190	Dark Bahamut 🐲	60,000	None	None	Lunar Subterrane	0	64,000
191	Mist Dragon 🐉	570	None	Holy	Mist Cave	200	700
192	Asura 👑	31,005	None	None	Cave of Summons	0	20,000
193	Leviathan 🌊	50,001	Lightning	None	Cave of Summons	0	28,000
194	Odin ⚔️	20,001	Lightning	None	Castle Baron	0	18,000
195	Bahamut 🐲	45,001	None	None	Cave of Bahamut	0	35,000
196	Zeromus 👾	Invincible	None	None	Lunar Subterrane	0	0
197	Zeromus (True)	~65,500	None	None	Lunar Subterrane	0	0

Appendix C: Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster Trivia & Fun Facts ❓

• You Spoony Bard! 🥄: The most famous line in the game! Tellah yells this at Edward in a rage. It was a slightly awkward translation in the original SNES game, but now it’s an iconic and beloved meme.
• A Gentlemanly Fiend ❤️‍🔥: Rubicante, the Fiend of Fire, is a totally unique villain. Right before you fight him, he’ll heal your party to full, saying he wants a fair fight. What a guy!
• The Price of Vengeance ☄️: The spell Tellah was looking for on Mt. Ordeals was Meteor. He does end up remembering it and casting it on Golbez… but the strain is too much for his old body, and it costs him his life. 😭
• Wedding No-Show 💔: At the very end of the game, Cecil and Rosa get married and become King and Queen. Almost everyone who helped them is there… except Kain. He chooses to stay on Mt. Ordeals to atone for all the bad things he did while brainwashed.
• Developer’s Room 🤫: In the original versions of the game, you could find a secret “Developer’s Room” in the Dwarven Castle, where you could talk to NPCs who represented the game’s real-life staff! This room was removed from the Pixel Remaster.
• Namingway, the Traveler 🏷️: You’ll see this little guy all over the world. He lets you change your characters’ names. In later versions of Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster, he got a much bigger side quest.
• The Fake-Out Sacrifices 👻: Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster is famous for its super-dramatic “deaths”… that don’t always stick. Palom and Porom, Yang, and Cid all have heroic sacrifices, only to be found alive and well later on. It’s a classic!

Disclaimer: This is an unofficial fan work, all trademarks and copyrights for Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster belong to the developer Square Enix

 & publisher Square Enix.

Find the game here! FINAL FANTASY PIXEL REMASTER