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Meeting the President of Esthar
Final Fantasy VIII Remastered

Meeting the President of Esthar

Guide to meeting the President of Esthar in Final Fantasy VIII Remastered. Learn how to reach the Presidential Palace, challenge Laguna to cards for the Squall Card, and prepare for future quests.

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Guide to meeting the President of Esthar in Final Fantasy VIII Remastered. Learn how to reach the Presidential Palace, challenge Laguna to cards for the Squall Card, and prepare for future quests.

Walkthrough
  1. 1
    Board the Ragnarok and fly to Esthar. Enter the city and follow the roads to the central, U-shaped building.
  2. 2
    Exit the screen to reach the hub near the city entrance. Since the lifter is not working, proceed to the Presidential Palace on foot.
  3. 3
    Head up using the ramp near the tube, continue upwards, and then left to find yourself outside the palace.
  4. 4
    Enter the building by heading up, use the operational lift, and then head left until you reach a door guarded by two Esthar Soldiers.
  5. 5
    Enter the room to meet the President, accompanied by Ward and Kiros.
  6. 6
    Ask Laguna questions to learn about his plan to defeat Ultimecia, which involves rescuing Ellone and dealing with Adel in Lunatic Pandora.
  7. 7
    After Odine leaves and Laguna takes a break, challenge him to a game of cards. Decline his offer to mix rules until he drops the issue.
  8. 8
    Play Laguna until he offers his Squall Card. Win the card to complete your Level 10 Player card collection. The Squall card can be refined into three Three Stars items, which can yield 100x Triple spells each, or teach a GF the Expendx3-1 ability.
  9. 9
    After securing the Squall Card, talk to Laguna again. Asking _What are you doing here?_ reveals details about Adel's fall, how Laguna became president, and provides context for the Ragnarok's situation.
  10. 10
    Finally, talk to Laguna and agree to his mission. You will return to the Ragnarok for another briefing.
  11. 11
    After Laguna's briefing, you will regain control of the Ragnarok. You can now choose to tackle optional content or proceed with the main story by heading to Lunatic Pandora - Part 2.

Optional Content Recommendations:

  • Visit the Island Closest to Heaven and the Island Closest to Hell to obtain high-tier spells.
  • Head to Cactuar Island to tame the Jumbo Cactuar GF.
  • Explore the Deep Sea Research Center to acquire the final two GFs and face a superboss.
  • Use the Angelo Search ability to gather rare items and potentially play Chocobo World.
  • Complete side quests such as the Obel Lake Quest, the UFO Quest, and the Queen of Cards Quest.
  • Focus on Max Stat Boosting for your characters.

Important Note:

  • There is a point of no return that will lock you out of certain content, particularly in cities and civilized areas. Ensure you have completed the CC Group quest in Balamb Garden and the Queen of Cards questline before proceeding too far.

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