Macalania Woods
Macalania Woods - South
The team will reach the Macalania Woods after traveling through the Thunder Plains.
Have Tidus walk towards Auron to continue with a few more cutscenes. Tidus will admit to Auron that he is worried about Yuna, but Auron is convinced that Yuna has something up her sleeve. Move forward to catch up to the group after speaking with Auron.
Make use of the nearby Save Sphere and save your game before you do anything. The fiends within Macalania Woods are Water-based. This element is the complete opposite of the fiends you were fighting in the Thunder Plains.
Switch out your weapons, removing any that had the 
Waterstrike ability and adding in any that have the Lightningstrike ability. Switch your armor to any armor that has the Water Ward or Waterproof abilities to make the upcoming fights much easier (and only if you happen to have already found these items as random loot). Additionally, you should also be removing Tidus’ powerful 
Brotherhood sword for this part of the game.
The team will head along the pathway that leads up into the trees; follow them in that direction.
Just around the corner is a hidden treasure chest that contains the 
Sleepy Cait Sith weapon for Lulu. Further down the pathway is another treasure chest which contains 2,000 gil.
Go up the tree branch that leads into the next area.
Macalania Woods - Central
Continue along the pathway until you reach the furthest northern point on the map, and you will find a treasure chest lodged behind a tree. Open it up to obtain three 
Phoenix Downs.
You will run into Barthello once you get far enough along the bottom of the pathway in this area.
Kimahri’s Overdrive - Ronso Rage
Helpful Hint
You can learn the “Aqua Breath” Ronso Rage ability by having him use 
Lancet on a Chimera Brain enemy in this area. Check out the Overdrive section for more information on Kimahri’s Ronso Rage.
Barthello will ask the team if they’ve seen Dona. Apparently, Barthello and Dona lost each other on their way through Macalania Woods. Auron will tell him to remain cool and continue to search. Continue down the path after the cutscene.
Just up ahead is where you can participate in the Butterfly Catcher mini-game. A strange creature will explain that a “Butterfly with rainbow wings will lead the way to secret things”. You should skip the hunt for now.
Failing this mini-game will throw you into a battle against a fairly challenging fiend, and you can’t use the reward, which is the 
Saturn Sigil, to create Kimahri’s Celestial Weapon, the 
Spirit Lance, until much later in the game.
Therefore, you are welcome to attempt this challenge if you prefer, but it is not necessary or recommended at this stage of the game. Use the link below for more information:
Butterfly Catcher
Side Quests
Catching blue butterflies and dodging the red ones within the time limit to obtain the Saturn Sigil for Kimahri’s Celestial Weapon, the Spirit Lance.
Macalania Woods - North
The pathway in the next area is completely straight with no turn-offs, so you can’t get lost. There is a treasure chest along the way behind a tree that contains a 
Remedy.
Macalania Woods - Lake Road
Save your game at the Save Sphere before you continue, as there is a boss battle coming up. Buy any items that you may be running low on from O’aka XXIII, who is just a little further down the pathway. This encounter is the first time that 
Hi-Potions will be available for purchase within the shop, so stock up if you need them.
Firstly, though, enter his shop and then immediately exit the shop. He will ask you if you think the prices are either too expensive, too cheap, or just right. Select “too expensive” and he will drop the prices.
The closest path on the right side of the screen is currently blocked off. It does not lead anywhere and does not come into play until later on in the game.
That being said, there is an 
Al Bhed Primer (Vol. XV) that you will want to pick up partway down the path. Use the screenshot below to help you find it.
Continue north to meet up with the rest of your team. Auron will stop you partway along the trail and insist that the team make a detour into a secret area of the woods. While there, they will be ambushed by the next boss.
Macalania Woods - Spring
Walk forward to initiate another short cutscene and the next boss battle.
Boss Battle
HP: 12,000
It is essential to understand the mechanics of this boss battle, as this knowledge will make it much easier to defeat Spherimorph.
Spherimorph changes and rotates the elements that it attacks with and that it is weak to during the battle. For example, if Spherimorph is attacking with Fire-based spells, it will also be weak to Ice-based magics. Recall the different weaknesses:
- Attacking with Fire means that it is weak to Ice (and immune to Fire)
- Attacking with Ice means that it is weak to Fire (and immune to Ice)
- Attacking with Lightning means that it is weak to Water (and immune to Lightning)
- Attacking with Water means that it is weak to Lightning (and immune to Water)
Just attack Spherimorph with a regular “Attack” to find out what element Spherimorph is currently using and currently immune to. Spherimorph automatically counters each attack with a weak magic spell.
You should start by immediately adding Lulu to your party to start utilizing her magic attacks. Use Auron’s 
Magic Break ability to weaken the attacks Spherimorph will be using against you if you have it as well.
Yuna’s “Nul” spells, such as 
NulBlaze, NulShock, NulTide, and NulFrost function as excellent preventative measures to absorb magic-based attacks.
TThe strategy is to use one character to attack and find out what element Spherimorph currently is (likely Tidus). Swap out Tidus’ weapon if it has any elemental-based attack ability, as this will cause it to heal the boss from time to time. Use Yuna to heal up Tidus while he attacks, and use Lulu to spam elemental spells until you defeat Spherimorph.
Steal:
Ether (common)- Turbo Ether (rare)
Drops:
Lv. 2 Key Sphere
You will obtain a Jecht’s Sphere after the battle. Obtaining Jecht Spheres is how you add to Auron’s Overdrive abilities. Check out the Overdrive section for more information. This Jecht Sphere will teach Auron the Shooting Star ability.
Jecht Spheres
Warning
You need to obtain all the Jecht Spheres to learn Auron’s Overdrive abilities; however, if you get too far into the game (namely, after you have obtained the Airship), a number of the previous locations in the game will be blocked off by Dark Aeons, which appear later in the game.
Therefore, you should take this opportunity to return to a few of the previous areas that you have explored, including Besaid Village, the S.S. Liki, Luca, the Mi’ihen Highroad, Mushroom Rock Road, and the Moonflow to pick up some Jecht Spheres that have now appeared.
Note that the critical Jecht Sphere to obtain is the one in Besaid Village, as the Dark Valefor Aeon will block off this area. The rest are just bonuses that you can pick up during your travels back to Besaid Village. Use the “Jecht Sphere” link below for more information.
It’s at this time that you should consider returning to some of the previous areas to obtain a few Jecht Spheres that have appeared. These are required to get more of Auron’s Overdrive moves. Check out the Jecht Sphere section below for more information:
Jecht Sphere Locations
Side Quests
At this point in the game, you can go back and obtain up to 8 of the Jecht Spheres that are available in the game.
Auron has more things to say to Tidus before you can leave the area, but afterwards, make sure that you save at the Save Sphere before you proceed. The Save Sphere is just south of where Auron broke through the pathway. Go north once you are ready.
The next phase of the game takes place near another Rin’s Travel Agency location at the frozen Lake Macalania. You may need to travel back here on foot if you decide to go back and search for all the Jecht Spheres. Go north from this area (where O’aka XXIII was standing) and into the next zone.
