Balamb Garden Before the Fire Cavern: Disc 1

Learn how to get the Guardian Forces Quezacotl and Shiva and your Triple Triad starter deck in final fantasy viii before the Fire Cavern.

Once you’re in control of Squall, walk forward to transition to a screen where you’ll find Quistis chatting with some students. They’ll scatter as you approach, so talk to Quistis by walking up to her and pressing the [Talk/Confirm] button (X by default). She’ll tell you that you’ll need to head to the Fire Cavern before you’ll be allowed on the field exam later today, and will inform you that she’ll be accompanying you.

She’ll also refer you to consult your “study panel”, which you should do. Interact with the three students who were crowding her earlier - the “Trepies”, Quistis fans, apparently - if you wish, then return to your seat and interact with the computer there. Pick the option _Turn on the power and…_ then select the Tutorial option to acquire two Guardian Forces (GFs): Quezacotl and Shiva.

Guardian Forces, summons, Espers, whatever you call them, they’ve often played a significant role in Final Fantasy games, and final fantasy viii may be their apogee. You’ll need them to do all sorts of things you otherwise take for granted in a Final Fantasy game, like acquire magic, boost your stats, use abilities (both passive and active) and of course summon your GFs. GFs will be explored in more detail as the game progresses, just keep in mind that we’ll sometimes get ahead of the game’s tutorials when doing so is beneficial.

Anywho, peruse the entries on the study panel if you wish to learn a bit of lore about the world, specifically the purpose of your school - a military academy that trains children to be mercenaries. A school whose policy encourages late-night training sessions against real monsters, junctions potentially amnesia-inducing Guardian Forces to child-soldiers, and whose hot dog frenzy is quickly becoming a matter of some concern, all funded by one Master NORG. Yeah… normal place. But at least “sexual promiscuity” is an expellable offense!

As you leave your classroom you’ll bump into a new transfer, who will ask for a tour.

Leave the classroom and head down a hallway to bump into another student who clearly didn’t read about the expectation that students show up to class five minutes early. If you pick the options _Are you okay?_ and _Sure_ you’ll give her a tour of Balamb Garden, which may be useful if you’re unfamiliar with the layout. If you’re gruff or turn her down, however, nothing of value will be lost.

Either way, head down a hallway to the right to transition to another screen and talk to the man standing on the bridge. He’ll offer you some cards, a starter set for final fantasy viii’s card game, Triple Triad. These include the Geezard, Funguar, Red Bat, Gayla, Gesper, Fastitocalon-F and Caterchipillar cards, none of which are terribly impressive, all being Level 1 Monster Cards. That being the case, you probably want to refrain from playing anybody just yet. Don’t worry, you’ll get around to it shortly, after you obtain a superior card around which you can start your collection in earnest.

If you agreed to give the girl a tour, take her to the happy in the 1st Floor Hallway (left). You’ll also find a convenient Save Point nearby.

Continue to the right to reach an elevator and ride it down to reach the 1st Floor Hall area. Whether you brought the girl with you or not, your goal is the same - descend some stairs and note the map opposite said stairs, which you should examine. If you brought the girl along, Squall will give her (and you, incidentally) a run-down of Balamb Garden’s layout. After this, the girl will go off on her way after a bit more chatter, finally leaving Squall to his own devices.

Balamb Garden is fortunately very easy to navigate. You’re in the hall between the front gate (where you’re supposed to meet Quistis) and the elevator to the 2nd Floor. From here you can head either right or left and follow the hall as it loops around in a circle. The areas you’ll encounter if you head left (going clockwise) are the infirmary, the quad, the cafeteria, the dormitory, the parking lot, the training center and the library. There are bridges running off from the main hall to each of these areas, so it’s easy to find them, and if you’re still unsure of where you are, there are signs at the start of each bridge.

Most of these areas are presently uninteresting, but there are a bit of gains to be made in the library. Make your way to the right (counter-clockwise) to the next screen and cross the first bridge you find to reach the library. Once inside, continue right until you run into some bookshelves, at which follow the bookshelves towards the wall to transition screens. At the bottom left of the screen you should notice some purple lights, which just so happens to be a draw point.

Magic in final fantasy viii is somewhat odd in that you don’t so much learn spells as you acquire them from external sources. This magic can then be stockpiled like any normal inventory item, accumulating in stacks of 100. Naturally casting these spells reduces your stock (one cast, one spell), but they can also be used for other purposes, like passively boosting your stats. You can worry about that later, but for now know that drawing magic isn’t something most humans are innately capable of… but a human junctioned with a GF is. That being the case, bring up the in-game menu by pressing the [Menu] button (Circle by default).