Escape From the Floating Continent

Stuck on the Floating Continent? Learn how to escape, defeat Nelapa, and save Shadow in this Final Fantasy VI walkthrough. Don't miss your chance to recruit him!

Alright, so you've made it to the Floating Continent, and now it's time to make your escape! First up, you'll encounter a boss named Nelapa. This guy can be a bit tricky with his basic attack, Hit, Fira, Firaga, Fireball, and especially his signature move, Roulette, which he'll use at the start of the battle to hit your party with Doom. He also has Reflect up and is immune to Earth, but he's weak to Ramuh and Shiva Espers. If you're struggling with physical attacks, you can actually cast Reflect on yourselves and bounce his spells back at him, so Thundara and Blizzara become great options then. Honestly though, he's not too tough; a few powerful spells or Cyan's Bushido #1/#4 should take him down quickly.

Now, here's the really important part: after the battle, you'll reach the end of the path and get the option to jump. DO NOT JUMP YET! Seriously, wait around for a bit. If you jump too soon, you'll lose the chance to have Shadow join you later in the game, and trust me, you want him on your team. It feels like forever, but you have to wait until the timer is almost out. If you find yourself with a lot of time left, just wander around and fight a few battles until you're down to about 25 seconds. When you're close to the exit and only about five seconds remain, Shadow will show up and leap off with you onto the Blackjack. After this, the world as you know it is gone, and you'll be facing the World of Ruin.