Final Fantasy VIII

Phoenix
Side Quests

Phoenix is an optional Guardian Force that you can obtain fairly easily. It is not a true Guardian Force like the others that you receive throughout the game; you will not be able to junction it to your characters and it will only randomly appear during battles after that.

Specifically, Phoenix will only (potentially) appear if all three of your characters are KO’d during a battle to revive them. This will potentially save you from a Game Over screen, but Phoenix only has around a ~25% chance of appearing, so its not something that you can rely on but something that serves as a solid backup.

So how do you obtain and summon Phoenix?

All you have to do to summon Phoenix is use a Phoenix Pinion item during a battle. There are four ways that you can obtain a Phoenix Pinion item:

1. Galbadia D-District Prison
   There is a Triple Triad card player on the fifth (5) floor of the Galbadia D-District Prison. He charges you 500 gil per game and there is a 3/256 chance that he will provide you with a Phoenix Pinion if you defeat him. These odds, and the amount of time it could take to potentially obtain a Phoenix Pinion here, make this a really impractical option. This is not the recommended way to obtain the summon, but use the link below for more information:
   
   

   14) Galbadia D-District Prison
   Escaping the prison cells to save Squall and save Balamb Garden.

   
2. Shumi Village Side Quest
   Complete the Shumi Village side quest. This side quest is time consuming but very easy to complete. Check out the Shumi Village side quest page for more information:
   
   

   Shumi Village
   Helping the sculptor in Shumi Village put together a statue for some half decent rewards.

   
3. Lunatic Pandora
   You can pick one up aboard the Lunatic Pandora assuming that Laguna opened all of the trap doors during the Centra Dream Sequence section of the game. Because the Shumi Village side quest is so easy to complete, this option is not recommended, as it is more helpful and easier to have obtained Phoenix earlier on in the game.
   
   

   34) Lunatic Pandora
   The final sequence at the Lunatic Pandora to meet up with Seifer for the last time.

   
4. Refining Mega-Phoenix
   Finally, you can use Siren’s Tool-RF to modify three Mega Phoenix into a Phoenix Pinion. Mega Phoenix items are relatively rare, so again, it is recommended that you utilize the Shumi Village option (number 2).

Use the Phoenix Pinion in battle and Phoenix will permanently have a chance to be summoned and save the day if your party is killed (hopefully saving you from the Game Over screen!)