World of Ruin — Recruitment

Chapter 4 checklist

• Solitary Island: Cid fish sequence; raft to mainland
• Sabin at Tzen (collapsing house)
• Edgar in buried Figaro Castle
• Setzer in Kohlingen → Darill’s Tomb → Falcon
• Terra after Humbaba (Mobliz)
• Cyan on Mt. Zozo; letter quest context in Maranda
• Locke via Phoenix Cave (with party of 3 + empty slot for him)
• Relm (Owzer’s / related paths) & Strago (Thamasa / Ebot’s Rock)
• Gau on the Veldt; Shadow if saved (Veldt inn sleep)
• Mog (Narshe) → Umaro (Narshe caves with Mog)
• Gogo inside Zone Eater (Triangle Island)
• Narshe weapon hall: Ragnarok Esper or sword (choose once)
• Eight Dragons, Cursed Shield, Fanatics’ Tower (Ch.5)

Solitary Island

1. Celes wakes. Explore the house; talk to Cid.
2. Fish mini-game: catch fish and feed Cid. Healthy fish improve his condition; bad fish hurt him. Saving him yields a gentler scene; letting him die still continues the game (raft path differs slightly in tone, not soft-lock).
3. Once Cid’s arc resolves, leave the house, find the raft, and sail to the mainland (south continent near Albrook / Tzen region on the ruined map).
4. Buy basic gear at the first town you reach. You are solo or near-solo — run from overtuned packs until Sabin and Edgar return.

Recommended recruitment spine

1. Tzen → Sabin (easy early join, physical power).
2. Figaro Castle (desert) → Edgar (Tools again).
3. Kohlingen → Setzer → Darill’s Tomb → Falcon (global mobility).
4. With Falcon: Mobliz (Terra), Mt. Zozo (Cyan), Veldt (Gau / Shadow), Narshe (Mog, loot, Ragnarok choice).
5. Phoenix Cave (Locke), then Jidoor / Relm paths, Thamasa / Strago.
6. Optional specialists last or mid-grind: Gogo, Umaro (need Mog), dragons and Fanatics’ Tower in Ch.5.

Sabin, Edgar, Setzer & the Falcon

1. Tzen: A house is collapsing. Sabin holds it up — enter, save the child, finish the sequence. Sabin rejoins. Stock Blitz-friendly gear if shops allow.
2. Mobliz (optional visit): Terra protects the orphaned children. She will not fully rejoin until you defeat Humbaba (often after you have a stronger party / return with airship). Note the town; leave if underleveled.
3. Figaro Castle: On the World of Ruin map the castle sits under desert sand (between the Figaro / Kohlingen landmass). Enter the buried castle; traverse engine rooms and sand-drowned halls; reunite with Edgar. Restock Tools ammo habits mentally — Auto Crossbow still shreds groups.
4. Kohlingen: Find Setzer (pub / story scenes tied to Rachel). He opens the path to Darill’s Tomb.
5. Darill’s Tomb: Full dungeon clear — chests, undead, puzzles. Bosses on the way; claim the Falcon airship. This is your WoR mobility keystone.
6. Open the world map from the Falcon. Save. From here recruitment is non-linear.

Terra, Cyan, Gau, Shadow, Relm, Strago, Mog

1. Mobliz — Terra: Return when ready. Fight Humbaba (multi-phase pressure; keep healing; physical + magic both work). After the children’s arc resolves, Terra rejoins with Morph still relevant for burst windows.
2. Maranda: Letter / Lola side thread ties into Cyan’s emotional arc — read letters, deliver as prompted. Not required to open Mt. Zozo, but complete for story 100% feel.
3. Mt. Zozo — Cyan: Cave and mountain path northeast of the Zozo region. Full clear; free Cyan. Bushido charge times still matter — pair with Haste or Quick for late-game value. Loot includes strong equipment for him and the party.
4. Veldt — Gau: Land on the Veldt. Gau can rejoin via the classic leap-in encounter pattern (fight until he appears / use the same “party of 3 + empty” logic as Balance if needed). Farm Rages while you are here.
5. Veldt — Shadow: If you waited for him on the Floating Continent, rest at the Veldt’s cabin / inn area and do not leave until Shadow is found sleeping and joins. Leaving early can miss the window in classic behavior — stay until he is in the party.
6. Narshe: Revisit for shops, the frozen esper hall, and Mog (moogle scenes / caves). In the weapon exhibition / elder path you choose Ragnarok Magicite (Ultima teach) vs Ragnarok sword. Most 100% magic parties take the Esper; pure physical collectors may want the blade. You only get one.
7. Jidoor — Relm / Owzer: Owzer’s mansion art dungeon — illusions, chests, boss. Relm becomes available through this story thread (Sketch remains a gimmick; her magic growth and dualcast endgame matter more).
8. Thamasa / Ebot’s Rock — Strago: Strago’s WoR path involves cultists, Hidon, and Lore completion pressure. Bring him to learn missing Lores from foes you still need. Strago rejoins when his quest line completes (Relm often helps unlock his resolve).

Locke, Gogo & Umaro

1. Phoenix Cave — Locke: Dual-party cave (two groups of characters). Split reasonably — each team needs survival. Meet in the middle; free Locke. You obtain the Phoenix Magicite (Revive / Fire / Life-line kit). Steal/Capture remains mandatory for rare loot forever.
2. Triangle Island — Zone Eater — Gogo: On the small triangular island, encounter the Zone Eater and let it swallow the party (do not kill it if you want inside). Inside: maze to Gogo, the mimic who can equip almost any command set. Build them as a second dualcaster or tool-user clone.
3. Narshe mines — Umaro: With Mog in the party, explore the northern Narshe caves / yeti lair. Defeat or befriend the sequence to recruit Umaro — berserk yeti, strong physical, limited control (relics moderate behavior). Required for 14/14.

Full roster tracker (14)

• Terra — Mobliz / Humbaba
• Locke — Phoenix Cave
• Edgar — Figaro Castle (buried)
• Sabin — Tzen
• Cyan — Mt. Zozo
• Gau — Veldt
• Celes — start of WoR
• Setzer — Kohlingen / Darill’s Tomb
• Strago — Thamasa arc / Hidon path
• Relm — Owzer / related
• Mog — Narshe
• Shadow — Veldt (if Floating Continent saved)
• Gogo — Zone Eater
• Umaro — Narshe caves (Mog required)

With the Falcon and a near-full cast, proceed to Chapter 5 for dragons, the Cursed Shield grind, Fanatics’ Tower, and Colosseum prizes before the tower in Chapter 6.