Throughout the course of Square Co., Ltd.'s computer role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII, the player will likely encounter most of the following destinations: Square Co. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Final Fantasy VIII ) is a console and computer role-playing game created by Square Co. ...

The world of Final Fantasy VIII

Image File history File links FFviii_world_map_1. ...

Balamb Island

A temperate island between the two major continents, Balamb Island lends its name to both the Garden and the small town located on it.

Balamb Garden exterior

A street in Balamb Town

Ifrit's fiery home

Balamb Garden

A military academy at which SeeDs are trained. Balamb Garden is the second largest of the three Gardens (Galbadia, Balamb, and Trabia). Balamb Garden was founded by Cid Kramer, who became its headmaster, using funds donated from the Garden Master, a Shumi named NORG. Characters Squall Leonhart, Zell Dincht, Seifer Almasy, Quistis Trepe, and Selphie Tilmitt all attended this military academy, the last being a transfer student from Trabia Garden. The hidden secret of the facility is its construction as a Centran mobile fortress, capable of hovering at low altitudes and move freely over lowlands and the ocean. FF8 - Balamb Garden Facility This work is copyrighted. ... Image File history File links FFviii_balamb_town_1. ... Image File history File links FFviii_fire_cavern_1. ... Garden is a group of elite military academies in Squares computer role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII. There are three Garden schools, including Balamb Garden, Galbadia Garden, and Trabia Garden. ... Garden is a group of elite military academies in Squares computer role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII. There are three Garden schools, including Balamb Garden, Galbadia Garden, and Trabia Garden. ... Contents 1 Main playable characters 1. ... Squall Leonhart ) is the main protagonist from Squaresofts (now Square Enix) role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII. He was designed by Tetsuya Nomura with heavy influences coming from game director Yoshinori Kitase. ... Zell Dincht ) is a playable character from Squaresofts (now Square Enix) Final Fantasy VIII. Like Squall Leonhart and Seifer Almasy, Zell is a student at Balamb Garden. ... Seifer Almasy ) (the first syllable is pronounced with a long i sound) is both a playable character and an antagonist in Squaresofts (now Square Enix) role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII. He has short blond hair, green eyes, and a scar across his forehead mirroring Squall Leonharts. ... Quistis Trepe is a main protagonist in Squaresofts (now Square Enix) RPG Final Fantasy VIII. She is an instructor at Balamb Garden, where Squall Leonhart, Zell Dincht, and Seifer Almasy are students. ... Selphie Tilmitt is one of the central playable characters in Squaresofts (now Square Enix) RPG Final Fantasy VIII. Selphies first appearance in the game comes when she runs into Squall Leonhart while late for her class. ...

Balamb Town

A small town on the southern coast of the island, not far from the Garden itself. Being a humid town on the coast, it is not surprising why residents must re-paint everything annually. Zell Dincht lived here with his adoptive parents. Trains travel between Balamb Town and Timber, through the use of an underground transcontinental railroad underneath the ocean.

Fire Cavern

The site used by Balamb Garden for the final individual evaluation of potential SeeD students, and the resting place of the fire-elemental Guardian Force Ifrit who must be beaten in combat. In the introductory sequence, it is just outside this cavern where rivals Squall and Seifer are seen fighting and receive the scars on their faces. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Western continent

Occupying a large area of the upper western hemisphere, this continent has seen the rise and fall of the Dollet Empire and the establishment of the dominant Republic of Galbadia.

Central square of Dollet

A street in Timber

A street in Deling City

Dollet Dukedom

A coastal town on the northern arm of the continent, the last remnants of the empire founded by the Centrans who migrated west after the destruction of Centra. Dollet was formerly the capital of the continent until Galbadia rose to power. Squall Leonhart, Seifer Almasy, Zell Dincht, and Selphie Tilmitt are taken here for their final SeeD examination: a live combat situation in which they are tasked to perform flush-and-hold operations while experienced SeeDs fight off an invasion from the Galbadian military. On a side note, the streets of Dollet resemble those of Venice. Image File history File links FF8_Location-Dollet_Dukedom. ... Image File history File links FF8_Location-Timber. ... Image File history File links FF8_Location-Deiling_City. ... Squall Leonhart ) is the main protagonist from Squaresofts (now Square Enix) role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII. He was designed by Tetsuya Nomura with heavy influences coming from game director Yoshinori Kitase. ... Seifer Almasy ) (the first syllable is pronounced with a long i sound) is both a playable character and an antagonist in Squaresofts (now Square Enix) role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII. He has short blond hair, green eyes, and a scar across his forehead mirroring Squall Leonharts. ... Zell Dincht ) is a playable character from Squaresofts (now Square Enix) Final Fantasy VIII. Like Squall Leonhart and Seifer Almasy, Zell is a student at Balamb Garden. ... Selphie Tilmitt is one of the central playable characters in Squaresofts (now Square Enix) RPG Final Fantasy VIII. Selphies first appearance in the game comes when she runs into Squall Leonhart while late for her class. ... Venice (Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venexia) is the capital of the region of Veneto and the province of the same name in Italy. ...

Timber

A coastal town near the eastern edge of the continent. It was formerly an independent state, until it was invaded and occupied by Galbadia eighteen years prior to the start of the game. Many of the town's residents still oppose the occupation in the present day, and have formed various resistance groups. Rinoa Heartilly is a member of one of these resistance groups, the Forest Owls. However, throughout the game, Timber's independence is not realized nor is it known when it will be. The town's most noteworthy feature is its T.V. station, which retains its radio broadcasting systems in spite of radio communication being impossible (a result of global noise interference beginning with Esthar's silence following the Sorceress War). It is here that President Vinzer Deling of the Republic of Galbadia first announces his nation's alliance with Sorceress Edea. Rinoa Heartilly ) is the main female protagonist from Squaresofts (now Square Enix) Final Fantasy VIII. Born Rinoa Caraway, she has taken her mothers maiden name as her surname. ... Contents 1 Main playable characters 1. ...

Galbadia Garden in flight

Galbadia Garden

The largest Garden, located near the centre of the continental landmass. Originally operated by a man named Martine, Sorceress Edea chose Galbadia Garden as her base of operations when she took power over the Galbadian Military forces. Galbadia Garden has the same flight capability as Balamb Garden. Galbadia Garden can only be visited by Squall's party during two events in the game: when it is a building and still under the Garden scheme's control, and again when it is an airship and under the control of Edea. The final major playable character, Irvine Kinneas, joins the party from Galbadia Garden at the end of the first visit. After Edea withdrew from power, and Sorceress Ultimecia had Seifer take control, the Garden seemingly disappears from existence, nowhere to be found on the map and with the only trace being the crater left over by the former edifice state of the Garden. It can be presumed however that like Balamb Garden, as seen in the end, it roams the world with the remainder of its surviving students. Image File history File links FFviii_galbadia_garden_1. ... Image File history File links FFviii_galbadia_garden_1. ... Irvine’s “butterfly” picture. ... Contents 1 Main playable characters 1. ...

Deling City

Capital of the Republic of Galbadia and named after President Vinzer Deling. Deling City is the largest and most technologically advanced population center outside of Esthar, and is always experiencing nighttime (at least during the game). The city has a relaxed, slightly decadent atmosphere, with several examples of architectural beauty. One of these is the triumphal arch at Deling Plaza, located at the centre of the city, the scene of the failed assassination attempt on Sorceress Edea. Given the events that transpire here, it is possible that the city and plaza are named after Dealey Plaza, the site of the infamous assassination of American president John F. Kennedy. Arc de Triomphe, Paris A triumphal arch is a structure in the shape of a monumental archway, usually built to celebrate a victory in war. ... Dealey Plaza (Warren Commission exhibit #876) Dealey Plaza, (pronounced dee-lee) in the historic West End district of downtown Dallas, Texas (USA), is famous as the location of the John F. Kennedy assassination on November 22, 1963. ... President Kennedy, with his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Texas Governor John Connally in the Presidential limousine shortly before the assassination. ...

Tomb of the Unknown King

The tomb of the Dollet Empire's final king. Because it is considered bad luck to call a dead king by his name, it remains nameless, and therefore unknown. Located northeast of Deling City, the tomb can optionally be explored (requiring the solution of the Tomb's topographical puzzle) to gain an additional Guardian Force, the earth-elemental Brothers.

D-District Prison

This remote, underground prison, located in the Dingo Desert, is run by Galbadian President Vinzer Deling as a holding area for political opponents and insurgents. The prison structure can be raised above ground—thus placing its single point of escape high in the air—when security alerts occur.

Galbadia Missile Base

Galbadia Missile Base

The launch site of Galbadia's intercontinental missile capability. Near the beginning of Disc 2, Sorceress Edea launches an attack on Balamb and Trabia Gardens from this facility in retribution for the assassination attempt on her at Deling City. The missiles miss Balamb Garden when it becomes mobile, but unfortunately Trabia Garden is hit and partially destroyed. Following both launches, the base is destroyed when Selphie and her party trigger its self-destruct system. However, they manage to survive by hiding within the remains of a mobile assault vehicle they destroyed prior to the detonation. Image File history File links FFviii_missile_base_1. ... Image File history File links FFviii_missile_base_1. ...

Winhill

A quiet village near the continent's southern tip. Laguna Loire moved here after leaving the Galbadian army, and began a relationship with a local woman who helped him recover from his injuries, Raine. It is greatly hinted, though not explicitly said, that he fathered Squall Leonhart while living here, though events drew him away before the child was born. Raine died during childbirth and is buried in a field of flowers located next to the village. Ellone also lived in Winhill, before being captured by Esthar soldiers. Esthar's invasion of Winhill led to Galbadian soldiers occupying the village in order to protect the citizens from further attacks. Laguna Loire ) is a playable character in the Squaresofts (now Square Enix) video game Final Fantasy VIII. Laguna is Latin for Lagoon and goes along with the motif of water in Final Fantasy VIII, along with both Squall and Raine. ... Contents 1 Main playable characters 1. ...

Eastern continent

Occupying most of the eastern hemisphere and encroaching into the northern polar regions, this continent is the largest on the planet. It is divided by a near-impassable mountain range that separates the two regions into Trabia, in the north, and Esthar, to the south.

Trabia Garden

The smallest of the three Gardens, located in the northern polar regions of the eastern continent. Selphie Tilmitt studied at this academy before being transferred to Balamb Garden. It is later partially destroyed by Galbadian missiles.

Great Salt Lake

Once a huge, beautiful lake teeming with life, until scientific experiments by Esthar ruined it and left a barren wasteland. It is home to the undead creature Abadon, assumed to be born of ancient bones deep in the Great Salt Lake after the lake dried up.

Esthar

Esthar City revealed

The capital metropolis of the technologically advanced and isolationist country of the same name. At the end of the first Sorceress War, the people of Esthar withdrew from world affairs. They used their advanced technology to erect an immense dome over the entire city, rendering it completely invisible to the outside. Esthar's technology has also led to the creation of the transportation of very high speeds throughout the city and three levels of roads (including the monster-infested highway at the top). Laguna Loire's world travels eventually led him to Esthar, where events transpired to leave him president of the city-state after the confinement of Sorceress Adel. Later on in the game, the city (along with the entire contenant for that matter) is consumed by the Lunar Cry and infested with even more powerful monsters. Whether or not Esthar will share the same fate as Centra remained unclear. Image File history File links FFviii_esthar_city_1. ... Image File history File links FFviii_esthar_city_1. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Final Fantasy VIII. (Discuss) Esthar is a fictional city in the popular Squaresoft role playing game, Final Fantasy VIII. Esthar was once ruled by the ruthless sorceress Adel until she was defeated and sealed by Laguna Loire. ... Contents 1 Main playable characters 1. ...

Lunatic Pandora Research Facility

Esthar's primary centre of scientific study outside of the city proper. The Crystal Pillar, a mysterious artifact originating from the planet's Moon, was recovered and moved here, leading to the creation of Lunatic Pandora.

Lunar Gate

The base of Esthar's space program. The Lunar Gate is essentially a spaceport, with a catapult-like launch assist system for surface-to-orbital vessels.

Tear's Point

Lunatic Pandora dwarfs Tear's Point

After the Lunar Cry that destroyed Centra 80 years ago, it was determined by Esthar scientists that the point of origin of the first Lunar Cry was southerly of Esthar (at Tear's Point). After realizing that the Crystal Pillar works in conjunction with specific points on the planet, they built a container field to prevent the Crystal Pillar from resonating with Tear's Point to trigger a Lunar Cry. However, it could still be triggered artificially by moving the Lunatic Pandora at Tear's Point. The container blocks that surround Tear's Point subdue the energy field created when the Crystal Pillar resonates with the Moon, but can be overloaded when the Lunatic Pandora (holding the Crystal Pillar) is positioned above it. Image File history File links FFviii_lunatic_pandora_1. ... Image File history File links FFviii_lunatic_pandora_1. ...

Lunatic Pandora

A giant enclosure and transport vehicle, 1.5 miles wide and 3 miles high, constructed by Esthar to hold the Crystal Pillar. During a preceding Lunar Cry event, this artifact fell to the planet's surface, destroying the Centra civilization in the process. It was recovered and moved to Esthar's Research Facility for study, during which time the Lunatic Pandora shell was built around it. After the studies were abandoned and the artifact thrown deep into the sea, Pandora was re-excavated by the Galbadia military, led by Seifer Almasy, and used as a mobile attack platform. The name most likely refers to Pandora's Box (in greek mythology, the source of all evil); Lunatic in this case would mean 'of or from the moon', so the name could mean something like "Evil from the Moon". Making of Pandora In Greek mythology, Pandora (all gifted) was the first woman, fashioned by Zeus as part of the punishment of mankind for Prometheus theft of the secret of fire. ...

Sorceress Memorial

A scientific facility used by Laguna Loire to seal Sorceress Adel's power and end of her rule over Esthar. The purpose of this facility is also to seal any more sorceresses who become threats to the world.

Shumi Village

A village located underground in an environmentally-controlled facility. It is located on a small island on the northernmost area of the planet. This island is named Winter Island, and is, at first glance, deserted. The village is inhabited by the Shumi, a people who oddly resemble squids. The Shumi are very technologically advanced, as they have their own "biodome" contained underneath the frigid northern continents. Laguna Loire recovered here after being injured during his search for Ellone. This is also the homeplace of the Moombas, the orange cat-like creatures who help Squall Leonhart out during his escape from the D-District Prison in Galbadia. // This is a list of the particularly intelligent races found in the Final Fantasy series of games. ...

Chocobo Forest(s)

A forest where the player may encounter chocobos.

Chocobo Sanctuary

A chocobo forest where the player performs other chocobo-related tasks.

Central archipelago

Once a landmass in its own right and home to the Centra civilization, this area is the site of a calamatous impact event. During the second most recent Lunar Cry, eighty years prior to the game's events (with the most recent having hit Trabia roughly twenty years ago), the Crystal Pillar fell from the Moon. It liquified much of the central landmass and threw it out to cool into long, jagged island chains, which radiate from the impact site. The remaining Centrans emigrated both to the eastern and western continents.

Edea's House

Flower field behind Edea's House as seen in the opening FMV intro

A stone house next to a lighthouse, located on the western tip of the southernmost island on the planet. It became an orphanage, founded by Edea Kramer, as a result of the Sorceress War. During its time as an orphanage, it was home to Squall Leonhart, Seifer Almasy, Quistis Trepe, Zell Dincht, Irvine Kinneas, and Selphie Tilmitt until they either were adopted or enrolled at one of the three Gardens. Prior to the game's events, it crumbled into ruins as the years of vacancy passed. Image File history File links Ffviii_orphanage_flowerfield. ... Image File history File links Ffviii_orphanage_flowerfield. ...

Centra Ruins

The only remaining remnants of the Centra civilization, annihilated during the last Lunar Cry along with the majority of the continental landmass. It is the home of the Guardian Force Tonberry King and the non-junctionable Odin.

White SeeD Ship

A sailing ship crewed by a special group of young SeeDs. They are responsible solely for the protection of Ellone, who was moved to the ship in order to keep her from Sorceress Ultimecia. The ship is constantly on the move for hiding places, but has developed a liking to hide amongst the jagged, rocky remains of the Centra continent.

Chocobo Forest

Other

Fisherman's Horizon

An artificially constructed atoll built equidistantly between the western and eastern continents, home to ex-pats and wanderers who oppose the use of violence as a solution to problems. In the vast center of town lies the house of pacifist Mayor Dobe and his wife. An intercontinental railroad, known as Horizon Bridge, runs across the central ocean through Fisherman's Horizon and was in use until the end of the second Sorceress War, which saw the self-imposed isolation of Esthar. The bridge has since been sealed off and fallen into a derelict state. Fisherman's Horizon is commonly referred to as "FH," its two-letter acronym.

Moon

While not a location that the player may actually visit, the unnamed planet's Moon plays a big role in the Final Fantasy VIII story. It is revealed through play that the Moon is the original home and breeding ground of the monsters that infest the planet. A natural event called the Lunar Cry occurs periodically, when masses of monsters converge towards a single area of the moon and are subsequently drawn from its surface and towards the planet itself in a flux tube. The massing of monsters on the moon's surface gives the satellite the appearance of an eye when observed from the planet, crying tears down towards the surface.

Commencement Room

A gateway into the time-compressed world, the Commencement Room flows into a synthesis of multiple locations during the present time. These locations are melted with those of other generations to create the compression effect. During time compression, sorceresses of all time periods gather at this location.

Ultimecia's Castle

The gothic home of the main antagonist and final boss, Sorceress Ultimecia, which hovers in the sky near the ruins of Edea's house, held down by a number of massive chains. Upon entering the castle, Squall's party have their abilities sealed by Ultimecia in a last attempt to stop them from confronting her. Only by defeating the guardians of the castle can they restore their powers. The castle is also home to the strongest enemy in the entire game, Omega Weapon. Contents 1 Main playable characters 1. ...

Deep Sea Research Facility/Battleship Island

A mysterious construction that exists separately to the main story. It was originally the mobile research center of a group of scientists that were trying to devise a new Draw system, similar to the one used in-game. It is not shown on the game map, and is located near the extreme southwestern corner of the map projection, at about the same latitude as the southernmost Chocobo Forest. The steam-powered research facility is actually an artificial island that was built to allow access to, and subsequently seal away, an extremely dangerous monster known as Ultima Weapon that had junctioned itself inside a large crystal. The facility also houses the King of Dragons—the Guardian Force Bahamut and the Guardian Force Eden. It has been abandoned for years and has fallen into a state of disrepair.

Cactuar Island

An island off the far eastern coast of Centra, it is only reachable after obtaining the airship Ragnarok. It is a barren place, only inhabited by Cactuars and the Guardian Force Cactuar. The games in the Final Fantasy series often features different types of transportation, but the most significant is the airship. ... Cactuars have a distinct running pose. ...

Island Closest to Hell/Island Closest to Heaven

Both of these islands feature very powerful monsters as well as draw points for high-level magic, such as Ultima, Meteor, and Triple. The Island Closest to Hell, the westernmost island on the map, is the larger of the two islands. The Island Closest to Heaven is therefore the smaller—a fairly rectangular shape northeast of the Chocobo Sanctuary.