New Game+

New Game+

Welcome, seasoned adventurer, to the realm of Final Fantasy IX's New Game+! While FFIX doesn't feature a traditional New Game+ mode where you carry over all your stats and items, the modern re-releases (such as those on PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One) offer a suite of boosters and quality-of-life improvements that fundamentally change the experience of a subsequent playthrough. This section will guide you on how to best leverage these features to achieve specific goals, whether it's speedrunning, collecting every item, or simply enjoying the story with less grind.

Understanding the Boosters

Before diving into strategy, let's familiarize ourselves with the available boosters. These can typically be toggled on or off from the game's menu at any time, offering incredible flexibility.

• High Speed Mode: Dramatically increases game speed, including battles, movement, and cutscenes. Essential for speedruns or quickly traversing familiar areas.
• No Encounters: Disables random enemy encounters. Perfect for exploring without interruption or reaching specific areas quickly. Boss battles and scripted encounters are unaffected.
• 9999 Damage: All attacks, regardless of character stats or equipment, deal 9999 damage. This trivializes most combat, allowing for swift victories.
• Master Abilities: All equipped abilities are instantly mastered, removing the need to accumulate AP. This is a game-changer for character customization and early game power.
• Max Gil: Grants you the maximum amount of Gil (9,999,999). Eliminates any financial concerns, allowing you to purchase the best equipment and items from the outset.
• Max Level: Sets all current party members to Level 99. Combined with Master Abilities, this makes your party incredibly powerful from the moment they join.
• Max Magic Stones: Provides 99 of every Magic Stone. While less impactful than other boosters, it ensures you'll never run out of the necessary resources for ability equipping.

Strategic Approaches to New Game+

I. The Completionist's Dream

For players aiming to achieve 100% completion, including all side quests, Chocobo Hot & Cold treasures, friendly monster encounters, and Trance abilities, New Game+ with boosters is invaluable.

1. Early Game Setup (Disc 1):
   • Activate Max Gil and Master Abilities immediately. Upon starting in Alexandria, purchase the best available equipment for Zidane, Vivi, and Steiner from the weapon and armor shops. Equip all abilities you can with your starting Magic Stones.
   • use No Encounters for efficient exploration. When exploring areas like the Evil Forest or Ice Cavern, toggle No Encounters to quickly reach treasure chests or story objectives without grinding.
   • Focus on Stealing: Even with 9999 Damage, some rare steals are crucial for completion. Zidane's "Mug" ability (mastered instantly) is your best friend. Target bosses like Prison Cage for a Mage Staff and Leather Plate, and Black Waltz No. 1 for a Silk Robe and Wrist.
   • Chocobo Hot & Cold: As soon as you gain access to the world map and Chocobo's Forest, activate High Speed Mode and No Encounters. This allows for rapid digging and quick travel between Chocobo locations. Aim to get the Chocobo's Air Garden and Chocobo's Sky Garden as early as possible to access hidden treasures.
2. Mid-Game Optimization (Disc 2 & 3):
   • Friendly Monsters: With No Encounters off, use 9999 Damage to quickly defeat other enemies in areas where friendly monsters appear (e.g., Goblin in the forest near Lindblum, Mu in the plains near Dali). This speeds up the process of finding and feeding them.
   • Ragtime Mouse: Toggle High Speed Mode to rapidly traverse the world map and encounter the Ragtime Mouse for his quizzes. The 9999 Damage booster doesn't affect this, but quick travel is key.
   • Excalibur II: If you're attempting the Excalibur II challenge (reaching the final save point in Memoria in under 12 hours), High Speed Mode and No Encounters are absolutely mandatory. Combine this with 9999 Damage to obliterate bosses. Plan your route meticulously and avoid all optional content until after acquiring the sword.
3. Late Game & Post-Game (Disc 4):
   • Ozma: Even with Max Level and 9999 Damage, Ozma can still be a challenge due to its unique mechanics and status effects. Ensure your characters have abilities like Clear Headed, Body Temp, Auto-Regen, and Auto-Life (all instantly mastered). Equip the Ribbon on as many characters as possible.
   • Stellazzio Coins: Use No Encounters and High Speed Mode to quickly revisit all towns and areas to collect any missed Stellazzio Coins for Queen Stella in Treno.
   • Card Game: While boosters don't directly affect Tetra Master, Max Gil allows you to buy endless card packs from various merchants, making it easier to build a powerful deck.

II. The Speedrunner's Path

For those looking to blaze through the story, the boosters are your best friends. The primary goal is to minimize time spent in menus and battles.

1. Constant High Speed Mode: Keep this active at all times. The only exceptions might be during precise platforming sections or when you need to interact with NPCs quickly.
2. No Encounters for Travel: Toggle this on whenever you are moving between story points or through dungeons where random battles are not required.
3. 9999 Damage for Bosses: Activate this before any boss fight. Most bosses will fall in 1-2 hits. This significantly cuts down on battle time.
4. Max Level & Master Abilities: These ensure your party is always at peak performance without any grinding. Focus on equipping essential support abilities like Auto-Haste, Auto-Protect, and Auto-Shell for bosses, even if they're trivialized.
5. Skip Cutscenes: Be prepared to skip most cutscenes to save precious seconds.
6. Minimal Item Management: With 9999 Damage, healing items are rarely needed. Max Gil means you can buy anything, but avoid unnecessary shopping trips.

III. The Story Enjoyer

If you simply want to re-experience the rich narrative of Final Fantasy IX without the frustration of grinding or challenging boss fights, the boosters offer a relaxed playthrough.

• Selective Booster Use:
  • No Encounters: Toggle this on when you want to explore a beautiful area or move through a dungeon without interruption. Turn it off if you enjoy occasional battles.
  • 9999 Damage: Activate this for boss fights you find tedious or difficult. You can leave it off for regular encounters if you still want some combat engagement.
  • Master Abilities & Max Level: These are great for ensuring your characters are always capable, allowing you to focus on their unique skills and the story.
  • High Speed Mode: Use this to fast-forward through familiar dialogue or slow-paced sections, but turn it off for important cutscenes or moments you want to savor.
• Experiment with Builds: With Master Abilities, you can freely experiment with different ability combinations for each character without worrying about AP. Try out less conventional setups!
• Focus on Side Content: Enjoy the mini-games, side quests, and character interactions without the pressure of needing to level up or find specific gear.

Important Considerations

• Achievements/Trophies: Be aware that using certain boosters (like 9999 Damage, Max Level, Max Gil) may disable specific achievements or trophies on some platforms. Check your platform's specific guidelines if this is a concern.
• Challenge: While the boosters are incredibly convenient, they can significantly reduce the game's challenge. If you still want some difficulty, consider using them sparingly or only for specific tasks.
• Save Management: Even with boosters, always maintain multiple save files. This is good practice in any RPG, but especially when experimenting with different booster combinations.

New Game+ in Final Fantasy IX, through its modern enhancements, offers a versatile way to revisit Gaia. Whether you're a hardcore completionist, a speed demon, or a casual story-lover, these tools empower you to tailor your experience exactly how you want it.