Balamb Garden vs. Galbadia Garden
Walkthrough

Edea’s house is located at the south-westernmost tip of Centra. It looks like a lighthouse, and while it’s normally a bit of a challenge to find, its pretty easy at this point in the game because Galbadia Garden is floating nearby giving you an easy landmark to look for.

Travel towards Edea’s House and you will jump right into the next cutscene once you get close enough to the Galbadian ship.

Squall climbing over the wall leading into Trabia Garden to follow Selphie

Squall will be given to option of which orders he chooses to deliver to the Garden prior to commencing with the attack. Nida will scold Squall if he gives too many orders or if he misses any orders, but aside from a tongue-lashing, these selections have no impact on the outcome of the battle. The correct orders to choose are:

  • (Prepare for the attack)
  • (Prepare our defense)
  • (Take care of the junior classmen)

And then select:

  • (No orders/End)
Selphie running into the destroyed Trabia Garden

One of your team members will shout from below the bridge after Squall is done announcing the orders over the intercom. Take the elevator down to meet up with your team, choose two team members to join Squall and then make your way towards the Quad.

Your characters should already be configured with their proper Guardian Forces and junctions, but Squall gives you another reminder just incase.

Squall saying that he is going to head to the Quad and asking who is going to come with him

2F

The elevator will automatically stop on the second floor before it takes your team down to the main floor. Talk to everyone that you can find in the hallway and then head to the left.

Speak to the tiny “MG Junior Classman” that is slowly walking to the back of the hallway and he will give you a free Cottage.

Receiving the Cottage from the student on the second floor of Balamb Garden

You do not need to enter the classroom. Go back to the elevator and head down to the main floor and then head over to the Quad (northwest section of Balamb Garden with the pink walkway). It’s the only section of the Garden that you can access for now.

Quad

You will find Zell standing in front of a group of Balamb Garden SeeD members. Speak to him after descending down the stairs. Zell will pull Squall to the side if he can borrow his ring. After this short bit of dialogue, go back up the stairs and speak with Rinoa.

Try to leave the Quad area and Nida will request Squall’s presence back up on the bridge. You will find yourself in control of Zell following the short cinematic.

Squall, Selphie and Quistis going past the Balamb students in the Quad

Zell will tell you where to go next: “Go straight ahead, to the [left]! We gotta stop’em from comin’ in! Don’t forget to equip your [GF]!”. Follow all of his suggestions; start by double checking to make sure that you characters have their Guardian Forces (GFs) equipped and have magic junctioned correctly. Once you are finished, head back down the stairs towards the Quad for another cutscene.

Approaching Zell who is standing infront of the Balamb SeeD corps

Rinoa will fall down the broken off section of the ship once you reach the leftmost part of the Quad. Take Zell and Irvine and head back up the stairs away from the Quad. Go all the way back out to the main entrance of Balamb Garden to meet up with Squall and the other team members.

Rinoa about to fall off the cliff in the Balamb Garden battle

Squall will suggest splitting up the team into three separate groups. Select two team members to take with Squall - either Selphie/Quistis, Quistis/Irvine or Irvine/Selphie.

Once again, make sure that your party members are properly junctioned. Make use of the “Switch” function to quickly move Guardian Forces back and forth between characters. Take Squall and his two team members up to the 2F using the elevator.

2F

Make your way over to the next classroom. Following the short cinematic of soldiers boarding Balamb Garden, four Galbadia Soldiers will burst through the glass window of the classroom. These four soldiers are very easy to defeat.

Galbadia Garden circling around to attack Balamb Garden again as seen from the front gate
Squall, Selphie and Quistis battling the Galbadia Soldiers in the Balamb Classroom

Walk over to the SeeD cowering on the other side of the desk with the two juniors. Squall will tell them to go seek refuge in the Infirmary and then Nida will call him back up to the bridge to see Dr. Kadowaki. Take the elevator back up to 3F.

3F / Bridge

Dr. Kadowaki and Squall will head up to the bridge with Nida. Squall will give a rousing speech to the Balamb Garden residents before Nida smashes the ship into Galbadia Garden allowing the other team members to board. Take Squall back down to 2F using the elevator.

Nida asking Squall and his team to return to the Balamb Garden bridge

2F

Female Student (ID #8) will ask Squall to help her find her missing student, Mark. Travel down the hallway to find him and you will be ambushed by a flying Galbadian Soldier as soon as you reach the right area.

Female Student ID 8 asking Squall to help find a student named Mark

Do not move at all or the Galbadian Soldier will just pin you up against the wall again. Press the XButton and you will be give the following options:

  • (Run away)
  • (Threaten the enemy)
  • (Look around for another option)

Choose the third option (“Look around for another option”). Press the XButton again to be presented with 4 more options:

  • (Ask the girl down the hall for help)
  • (Press the button for the emergency exit)
  • (Run away)
  • (Threaten the enemy)

Select the option to “press the button for the emergency exit”. You will now find yourself in a mid-air battle with the soldier. Select the “block” option a lot and as you block more and more of the Galbadian Soldiers attacks you will be presented with an option to use a “Deathblow” which hits him for a heavy amount of damage.

Squall battling against the flying Galbadia Soldier and choosing to press the button for the emergency exit

The alternative strategy is to just mash as many buttons as you can; speed can be a factor for this ‘mini-game’ battle. You can take as many attempts as you need to in order to defeat the Galbadian Soldier.

Squall and the Galbadia Soldier fighting high above the garden battle

Run to the left through the battle scene to reach the entrance to Galbadia Garden. Enjoy the ridiculous cutscene involving Squall’s ring. Hundreds of people are fighting just a few feet away but Squall and Rinoa are busy talking about more important things like Squall’s jewelry.

Squall and Rinoa standing outside of Galbadia Garden during the garden battle

You will be given the option to name the lion on Squall’s ring. This will play a small role later on in the story but you may as well leave the lion with its default name of “Griever”.

Check the trees nearby before you head into Galbadia Garden to find a hidden Aura Draw Point.