The final fight of the game against Ultimecia starts with a "random" party of three characters. Normally this party cannot be controlled and the intention is to have players junction all characters to be strong enough to fight the game's final boss. In reality, however, the final party is controlled by the same RNG that controls the Caraway mansion code, Air soldier and Ruby dragon minigames and is easily manipulated.
Save and reset manipulation[edit | edit source]
The earliest method for manipulating the final party involved saving outside Ultimecia's Castle and performing a hard reset. This action resets the RNG to a known state, allowing precise manipulation of the desired party configuration. In any% speedruns, the key screen is the final one before entering Ultimecia's chambers, where the RNG increases by 1 every 0.5 seconds spent on that screen. Due to variations in the final text box length across different languages, the manipulation process differs slightly depending on the language.
There are two primary methods to control the RNG for optimal results. The first is to spend additional time on the final screen, thereby incrementing the RNG. This can be done by either standing still for a set period or by taking deliberate steps. The second method involves attempting to access the draw point in the clock tower. Each interaction increases the RNG by 1, equivalent to spending 0.5 seconds on the final screen. Although accessing the Draw point takes longer than 0.5 seconds, making it slower than the first method, it offers more consistent outcomes.
RTA manipulation[edit | edit source]
This method loses almost no time, unlike the 15 seconds to 1 minute required for the Save and reset manipulation on PC and PSX. The principle is the same as with pole counting for the Caraway code: the RNG controlling one game aspect also influences another observable element.
Here, we observe Squall's hand and head movements as the party free falls in the cutscene after the Adel fight.
If no buttons are pressed, Squall performs one of four movements—up, down, left, or right—based on his perspective. For example, a right movement is Squall's right hand moving, even if it appears on the left side of the screen.
The RNG freezes if a button is pressed during this scene. By observing 12 movements and then holding a button to lock the RNG, we can pinpoint our position in the RNG sequence and predict the final party setup if we proceed directly to Ultimecia. We can then use the same method as in the Save and reset manipulation to control the RNG by spending extra time on the final screen or accessing the draw point.
Note for the JA version: On the final bridge scene, as the player is running to Ultimecia's door, a step to the left (or 1 walking step, or any other method to consume a fraction of a second) is required due to the timing difference in this version of the game.