The Beginning

The game starts off with a disembodied voice giving you a lesson on how to play the game, controls, etc. After a coupleof minutes you'll encounter 3 pedestals each with a weapon on them. A Sword, a Shield and a Staff. You can take one and drop one.This will lower one stat and raise another, and it will decide how you learn abilities. See my Abilitiessection for more info. Anyways your starting stats are as follows depending on what you keep and give:

Keep:	Give:	HP:	MP:	AP:	Str:	Def:
Sword:	Staff	18	2	1	6	2
Sword:	Shield	18	2	3	6	1
Staff:	Sword	18	3	3	3	3
Staff:	Shield	18	3	3	5	1
Shield:	Sword	18	2	3	4	4
Shield:	Staff	18	2	1	5	4

Personally I recommend keeping the Sword and dropping the Shield but it's all up to your preference. Anyway you'll get more instructions from the disembodied voice. Follow them until you come out onto a deck with Selphie, Tidus and Wakka on it. Talk to them and answer their questions. Depending on how you answer, the speed of your leveling up is determined. The speeds are: Fast, Medium and Slow. Meaning if you take fast it'll be less EXP between levels, Medium the normal amount and Slow a larger amount of EXP between levels. The answers for each go as follows:

Character:	Slow:	Medium:	Fast:
Selphie:	My Prize Possessions.	Friendship.	Being number one.
Tidus:	Being indecisive.	Being different.	Getting old.
Wakka:	To be strong.	To broaden my horizons.	To see rare sights.

With that done you'll appear at a save point with stairs ahead of you. Save if you like and head up the stairs. I suggest you save because there isn't any going back. Here you'll face your first boss monster.

Darkside:
Hp: 240
Exp: 18
Strategy: This is your first boss encounter, and is thus very simple. When Darkside slams his fist into the ground ignore the Shadow Heartlesshe creates and lock onto his wrist and beat away at it. Once Darkside withdraws his hand remove the target and eliminate the Shadows to gain HP balls and some Experience points. Beware of the energy attack he rarely unleashes from the Heartless emblem on his chest, he rarely uses itbut it is dangerous. If you get the chance (I'm not recommending this) climb up one of his arms and attack his head, this will earn you tech pointsand will do more damage then it would if you attacked his arms. Let it be known that you don't have to defeat this Darkside to continue.


Once you've slagged the boss this section is over and the game truly begins.