Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age - Missable Items and Trophies

"Missables" are the bane of RPG players everywhere. Especially when a game can be 50 hours long or more, you never want to learn you missed out on something 40 hours ago and can't get an item or complete an event. Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age is a dense game with a lot of equipment, quests, and loot. So you might be worried that something might slip through the cracks as you play through the game. We're here to help.

Thankfully, there actually are not a lot of ' missables ' in Final Fantasy XII. We already touched on the Zodiac Spear, the most infamous "Missable" item in the original game (although it was not truly missable, you still had a tiny, tiny chance to get it). In short, the Zodiac Spear is not missable.  

Here we list the truly missable items in the game, and some tips to consider during your playthrough.

General Tips

• Never sell weapons, armor, or equipment. Some can only be obtained once, so it's not a very smart thing to do. 
• Quest items in the game include: Dewdrop Pebble, Great Serpentskin, Jaya Stick, Semclam Shell, Small Package, Nebralim and Valeblossom Dew. Do not sell these - use these for their intended quest purposes, which will give you greater rewards. Even if you do sell these, you don't miss out on anything permanently.
• There are 30 one-time-only rare monsters (as part of the Hunt Club sidequest at Phon Coast), along with several Hunts and Bosses that are only encountered once. While none of them have missable items, it is worth checking what can be stolen or dropped from each as it may be more convenient than trying to get these items later. 

Genji Equipment

Later in Final Fantasy XII, one of the Hunts you undertake pits you against the classic foe Gilgamesh. We won't go into detail about how to unlock this Hunt (don't worry the Hunt itself is not missable) but Gilgamesh has some key items that you'll definitely want to steal. He has four pieces of equipment total, in fact - Genji Shield, Genji Gloves, Genji Armor, and Genji Helmet.

Once you accept the Hunt "Ancient Man of Mystery", you'll head to the Lhusu Mines to find this swordmaster villain. You actually fight Gilgamesh twice, and you can steal two pieces of equipment in each encounter with him. Each battle is separated out into four phases. You can tell when the battle transitions through each phase as a short scene will take place as Gilgamesh pulls out another sword and mutters something. The Genji Equipment must be stolen during certain phases of the battle.

Gilgamesh - Encounter 1

The first encounter is at [Tasche Span], just west of the warp crystal. You can steal Genji Shield in his third phase here (40%-20% health). You can steal Genji Gloves in his fourth phase (20%-0%).

Gilgamesh - Encounter 2

The second encounter is at [Site 7] at the end of the Lhusu Mine secret area. You can steal Genji Helmet in his third phase here (40%-20% health). You can steal Genji Armor in his fourth phase (20%-0%).

This is the only way to get the Genji Helmet, Armor, and Shield. The Genji Gloves can also be potentially gotten as a reward from the Hunt Club sidequest at Phon Coast, which requires the player to turn in 5 trophies to Atak, 5 to Blok, 15 to Stok. 

The Genji Gloves especially are a great item to have, and honestly, you probably want two pairs anyway.

Omega Badge / Wyrmhero Blade

One of the game's final optional superbosses is Omega Mark XII found deep in the extra areas of the Great Crystal. Once again, you cannot lock yourself out of fighting him, but you can miss out on a key item that Omega Mark XII will drop after he is defeated. 

After defeating Omega Mark XII, be sure to pick up the loot bag which contains Omega Badge. If you leave the room before you pick it up, it is gone forever.

The Omega Badge is a loot item used in crafting the Wyrmhero Blade in the bazaar. If you miss out on Omega Bade, the Wyrmhero Blade is also lost to you.

Potential Trophy Missable - Cartographer

Most of the game's trophies are fairly straightforward and clearly not missable. This one is however, questionable whether it can be permanently missed. We were able to obtain this trophy in our review playthrough of the game, but we aren't certain the exact requirements to obtain it. We do not know for sure if this trophy is missable. We don't think it is.

It looks as though this trophy is based on the requirements for the "Old Dalan" figurine for the Sky Pirate's Den in the original release. (Note: The Sky Pirate's Den does not exist in The Zodiac Age.) The requirements to get that back in the original release was:

You just have to enter every (non-one time and non-Great Crystal) zone on the map. You do not have to "light up" all portions of the map. That's it. Now it's a matter of just making sure you enter every zone in the game. The final dungeon Bahamut does not count, and neither does the Great Crystal, so do not worry about those.

Commonly missed areas include: Lhusu Mines - Site 6 North [this is a separate area from Site 6], and Bhujerba - Kaff Terrace. You also need to complete the sandlewood chop sidequest in Archades to access the arcade. You also have to complete the optional Subterra of Pharos.

If you do this all properly, the trophy should unlock as you finish the optional underground (subterra) areas of the Pharos at Ridorana. That's where the trophy popped for us.

Just in case you want to be absolutely sure you get this trophy, we listed the one-time only areas and map locations anyway. Again, you shouldn't have to worry about one-time-only-areas for the trophy.

One-time only locations

• Nalbina Fortress This is the tutorial area in the game where you play as Reks. 
• The Royal Palace of Rabanastre -- Make sure to pick up the Urn with the map right at the beginning in [Cellar Stores]. 
• Nalbina Dungeons 
• Dreadnought Leviathan
• Draklor Labs - We were sure to enter every side room in this dungeon. We do not think it was necessary, but no harm to foul.

Maps - Urns and Cartographer Guild

Throughout the game, you can obtain maps for each area of the game either by finding it in an Urn or by buying it from Cartographer Guild moogles in the various cities of the game. Note: some of these maps are called "candles"  in-game. Make sure you get all of them:

None of the maps are missable.

Cartographer Guild Moogles

• [Rabanastre / Southern Plaza] - Dalmasca Estersand, Dalmasca Westersand, Giza Plains maps
• [Bhujerba - Near Armor Shop] - Bhujerba, Lhusu Mines maps
• [Dalmasca Esterand / North Bank Village] - Mosphoran Highwaste map (can also be gotten in [Mosphoran/ Babbling Vale])
• [Jahara - Near Entrance] - Ozmone Plain, Jahra Maps
• [Mt Bur-Omisace] - Mt Bur-Omisace, Paramina Rift maps
• [Phon Coast / Hunters' Camp] - Phon Coast
• [Archades / inside Bulward's] - Archades, Tchita Uplands maps
• [Balfonheim / near exit] - Cerobi Steppe, Balfonheim

Maps in Urns

• Map of Royal Palace of Rabanastre - Get in [Cellar Stores], or buy from Cartographer moogle in [Old Archades / Alley of Low Whispers] (near the end of the game only)
• Map of Barheim Passage - [Great Eastern Passage]
• Map of Ogir-Yensa Sandsea - [Platform 1-East Tanks]
• Map of Nam-Yensa Sandsea - [Platform 1-East Tanks] (right next to the other map above)
• Map of Golmore Jungle - [Paths of Chained Light]
• Map of Feywood - [Walk of Stolen Truths]
• Map of Henne Mines - [Phase 1 Shaft]
• Map of Salikawood - [Trunkwall Road]
• Map of Nabreus Deadlands - [Vale of Lingering Sorrow]
• Map of Sochen Cave Palace - [Mirror of the Soul]
• Map of Giruvegan - [The Trimahla Water-Steps] (only after you defeat Shemhazai)
• Map of Ridorana Cataract - [Colosseum]
• Map of Pharos First Ascent - [Pharos - First Ascent / Wellspring Labyrinth]
• Map of Pharos Second Ascent - [Pharos - Second Ascent / Station of Suffering]
• Map of Pharos Third Ascent - [Pharos - Third Ascent / Spire Ravel - 1st Flight]
• Garamsythe Candle - [Garamsythe Waterway / East Sluice Control]
• Barheim Candle - [Barheim Passage / The Zeviah Span]
• Lhusu Candle - [Lhusu Mines / Site 5]
• Feywood Candle - [Feywood / White Magick's Embrace]
• Henne Candle - [Henne Mines / Phase 2 Dig] (near where you take on Zodiark near end-game)