Final Fantasy IX

Chocobo Strategies

Chocobos are nearly an essential for all the Final Fantasy games now, here are some explanations of what they do during the game, and what they are useful for.

You'll begin your chocograph/treasure quest in the Chocobo Forest, found after you leave Linblum's Dragon's gate. Here you will dig for chocographs by playing the hot/cold game. Once you've found them all, Mene will tell you there aren't any more chocographs there and you'll have to go to the Chocobo Lagoon, which can be found in a cave SW on the world map. You'll need a light blue chocobo to get here. The ground in the lagoon is harder, therefore the digging process is slower(the higher the beak level, the better). After you've found all the chocographs in this area, you'll need to go to the Chocobo Air Garden. You'll need a gold chocobo and some dead peppers. This location is somewhat elusive, but the chocograph pieces should give you clues. The Air Garden floats above 5 different locations(the coast directly east of the Water Shrine, coast southeast of the Earth Shrine, coast directly west of Alexandria, slightly north and east of the Chocobo Lagoon, and over the ocean almost dead center of the world map). If you fly near these places and find a circle-shaped shadow on the ground, give your chocobo a dead pepper. It will get hyper and fly straight into the air, taking you to the Air Garden. Once you've found it, it becomes a permanent location on the map.

The quest doesn't end here! When you've dug up all the chocographs and corresponding treasures, you can go to Chocobo Paradise. Again, you'll need the gold chocobo and some dead peppers. Fly to the northwest corner of the map to a hidden island. Land in the forest and use the dead pepper to dig at the crack in the mountain. Ride to the right and use the springboard to get to the higher platform where Fat Chocobo resides. He'll tell you of hidden treasures, the chocobo on his side will give you 99 dead peppers, and the other chocobos will give you hints to find the other treasures. When you've found them, return to Chocobo Paradise and Fat Chocobo will give you a Fat Chocobo Card, and tell you that your chocobo needs to stay there. Don't worry! He'll rejoin you once you leave the mountain. (whew!!) Good Luck!