Wardens of the Aquapolis

Lid's choice and the landing

The chapter opens with a dialogue choice that raises one of Lid's stats: "No matter what happens, we'll have your back" gives +3 Strength, "There might be a reason behind your brother's change" +3 Magic, and the third answer, about siblings, +3 Stamina. The airship has not been tested, and it comes down hard on the beaches of Olderion; the party is stranded there for now. From here on a boat links Olderion with Grandport Harbor, so leaving the continent does not cut you off from it.

The aquapolis and Nichol

Olderion is a city of canals, laid out as one grid, with gondolas to shorten the walk. It has an inn, an all-in-one shop and the Moogle of Light. Talk to the people with the main-quest icon: the Water Shrine is sealed by a barrier, and the clan that tends it is the Wardens of the Waters. One was last seen on the north-west side of the city. That is Nichol. He will not let strangers into the shrine, and leaves when word comes of monsters at the Cave of Waters; follow him there.

Before going on: the Ruby Cave

The continent is worth exploring for its Visions and for Carbuncle. In the Ruby Cave a stone tablet asks for three Ruby Fragments, scattered across the Olderion Federation; bring all three back to it and Carbuncle joins Fina as an Esper. The Visions and optional fights are in section 7. Much of the open land has monsters well above the party's level at this point, so most of it is better left for after the Cave of Waters.

Nichol joins

Nichol is at the entrance, looking for the Maiden, and joins the party here. Only four can fight at once, so swap him in from the Party menu if you want him; set his gear and give him a Vision first. His own command is Formations, buffs for the whole party: Assail raises stagger power, Charge the critical rate, Bulwark both defences.

Pedestals and boats

The cave is crossed by boat. Pedestals raise and lower the water in each room, which opens the way to the boats and to the chests. Among them are a Magicite Shard, Total Calisthenics (a weapon for Nichol), Ninja Gear and Ice Scrolls. The route loops back to the entrance room on an upper level, with a save point before the boss.

Boss: Wave Lopros, Land Snapper and Azure Snapper

Three level-20 monsters. Wave Lopros is weak to Ice, the Land Snapper to Wind and the Azure Snapper to Lightning. Kill the two Snappers first: Wave Lopros devours one to heal and grow stronger, and when both are gone it calls two more. Breaking that cycle keeps most of its turns busy. Siren covers the Land Snapper's Wind weakness.

• Weak to: Ice (Wave Lopros), Wind (Land Snapper), Lightning (Azure Snapper).
• Bring: Ice, Wind and Lightning skills; Siren.

The Water Maiden turns out to be Luka, Nichol's younger sister, and the group returns with her to Olderion.

Three points in the canals

Luka has to sing her prayer at three points in the city's waterways; walk her to each one. The side quest Medicinal Mission starts on the way. At the last point Nichol's older brother, El, arrives: monsters have broken into Old Town, and he will not take help from outsiders.

The point of no return

Old Town is through the north-west of Olderion. The game warns that you cannot come back out until the events there are over. Rest, shop, upgrade your Visions and do whatever side business you want first. After the first fight inside, Lasswell and Nichol stay behind to hold the line, and the party is down to three — Rain, Fina and Lid. Set those three up before you go on.

Boss: Water Dragon

At the north-east end of Old Town, past a save point, El is facing the Water Dragon: level 21, weak to Lightning. With only three party members it is harder than it looks, because it can act twice in a turn. Keep Protect and Shell up on everyone, since it uses both physical and magic attacks, keep health topped off, and put all the Lightning you have into it.

• Weak to: Lightning.
• Bring: Lightning skills, Protect and Shell (or Protectga and Shellga), steady healing.

Afterwards Lasswell and Nichol are back. Check their gear if you moved anything off them for the Old Town section.

Straight into a fight

Heal and save at the cave's entrance. The passage leads out to the lake, and entering it starts the boss fight at once, so come prepared. Alluvion of the Sworn Six is waiting there, and she has used the stolen Divine Signet to drive Leviathan into a rage.

Boss: Leviathan

Leviathan is level 23 and weak to Lightning. The fight is about the Orbs of Light it surrounds itself with: kill each one so that Leviathan can be hurt, and watch its weakness, because each new Orb wants a different element — Fire for the first, Water for the second, Earth for the third. Bring as many elements as you can. Leviathan hits the whole party with Water, from its opening Maelstrom to its Limit Burst, so keep Shell or Shellga up, or use Carbuncle.

• Weak to: Lightning; the Orbs of Light to Fire, Water and Earth in turn.
• Bring: Cloud, Fire, Water and Earth skills, Shell or Carbuncle.

Leviathan can become one of your Espers later in the game, through a side quest. PowerPyx places it in chapter 5, through the side quest Nichol's Duty; Game8 places it in chapter 6, through the side quest Iron Splitter.

The inn, and a change in the party

The objectives send you back to Olderion to stay at the inn. Save before you speak to the innkeeper: resting goes straight into the next events. Luka stays behind at the bottom of the lake to cleanse it, which will take years. The next morning Alluvion floods the city, and her Divine Signet wakes the other Fina, the Archwitch, who drives Alluvion off and takes Fina's place in the party for the rest of the chapter, fighting with a whip. Look over the new party member's skills before you go on.

Waterfall Way

A climb through caves and ledges behind the waterfalls, with a Phoenix Pinion, Devout's Armor and Eye Drops in its chests. Halfway up you meet Gilgamesh again; talk to him before you reach the Altar. At the Altar the spirit of the first Water Maiden gives Nichol the magic to breach the Water Shrine's barrier, but it has to be used at Warden's Cape. Save at the new save point and leave by the exit on the right, which comes out on the road to Amore.

Amore

Amore has shops and the Moogle of Light. A soldier on the north side of town gives the side quest The Tide from the Sky. Leave by the bridge to the north for Warden's Cape, where Nichol raises the stone bridge to the shrine. Leaving Warden's Cape by its northern exit also opens the north of the continent, where Mindflayer waits as an optional boss.

Water levels and crates

Pedestals raise and lower the water, here and in other rooms. With the water low, the crates that were floating sit on the floor and can be pushed; line them up, raise the water, and they become a bridge. Most rooms are a matter of doing that in the right order. Among the chests are a Calm Armlet, which matters for the boss, and the R'lyeh Text, a weapon for Nichol. A Viridian Pot on the lower level wants an item rather than a fight. Stock up on Ethers before the last save point.

Boss: Alluvion

Alluvion of the Sworn Six is level 26 with 48,000 HP, weak to Lightning. She fights alongside Prism Cores, also weak to Lightning: destroy them before she absorbs them to power up her attacks. Later she calls three at a time; split your damage between her and them, and once she is close to dying, ignore them. Her party-wide Water attacks call for Shell or Shellga, and a tank with high magic defence. Put Lightning on as many characters as you can, and keep MP flowing.

• Weak to: Lightning (the Prism Cores too).
• Bring: Cloud, Lightning skills, Ramuh if you have him, Shell, and Ethers.

Olderion, and the port to Zoldaad

Alluvion shatters the Water Crystal before the fight, and El dies of his wounds after it. The Archwitch spends what is left of her power on Rain's arm and gives way to the Fina you know, who remembers none of it. The last objectives send you back to Olderion and after Arsha. Then comes a choice that raises one of Nichol's stats: +3 Magic for "We're a proper team now", +3 Speed for "You be you, Nichol", and extra HP for the first answer (+30 HP according to IGN, +10 according to Game8). Nichol stays with the party. Take the ship at the port south of Olderion to the Zoldaad Empire Territory to end the chapter.

The side quests

• Medicinal Mission — Olderion, the aquapolis, during the purification. Reward: a Magicite Shard and 1,500 gil.
• The Tide from the Sky — a soldier in the town of Amore. Reward: a Magicite Shard and 1,500 gil.
• Mechabo Evolved — from chapter 2: one of its steps asks for three Destroyers in the west of the Olderion Federation.

Visions and Carbuncle

Three Sanctums of Light on the continent hold Firion, Tidus and Squall; each asks its three questions. Firion's Sanctum is in a forest south-west of Olderion, among monsters in their mid-20s. Carbuncle is the Esper of the Ruby Cave: find the three Ruby Fragments and bring them back to the tablet there.

Optional fights

• Rukh — level 26, weak to Wind, in the Rukh Cave.
• Mindflayer — level 28, weak to Earth, in the north of the continent once Warden's Cape is open. Bring protection against Paralysis, Poison, Silence and Blind.
• Blood Dragon — level 28, weak to Fire, out on the open map; one way to get an ingredient for Medicinal Mission.

The trophy of chapter 3

Clearing the chapter earns Olderion Blues. Nothing in the chapter can lock you out of a trophy, though Old Town holds you until its events end; the trophy tracker has the full list.