Completing quests back in the day was a little more involved than it is now. Games like Final Fantasy didn't have quest logs or compasses with markers telling you where to go — you had to talk to NPCs and make a mental note of what hints they gave.
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Waking up the Elf Prince in Elfheim in the first Final Fantasy is the first quest in the game that might need a little investigation. When you arrive at Elfheim, you are presented with a problem: the Elf Prince has been put into a magical sleep by a dark elf named Astos, and it's up to the Heroes of Light to wake him up.
How To Wake Up The Elf Prince
The first thing you have to do with this quest is to ask around to find out what the NPCs know. This will lead to you sailing around a little aimlessly until you've spoken to all the right people and realized that this is simply a multi-stage trading quest. Here's the order below.
- Retrieve the Crown from the Marsh Cave.
- Bring the Crown to the King to get the Crystal Eye.
- Trade the Crystal Eye for the Jolt Tonic.
- Use the Jolt Tonic to wake up the Elf Prince.
If you played the game normally and followed the clues, you'd likely learn of these steps in the reverse order, wasting quite a lot of time.
Retrieving The Crown
You can learn from the King at the Western Keep (to the northwest of Elfheim) that his magic Crown is lost in the Marsh Cave. You don't need to talk to him to find this out, you can simply head to the cave and get the crown.
Marsh Cave can be quite difficult if you go in unprepared. Not only is it quite a while away from Elfheim but there are powerful monsters inside who can hit hard and inflict poison. Be wary of Gargoyles and any spider monsters. Dia is a good spell to have handy to deal with the undead Mummies and Wights that can attack you, too.
When inside, keep heading south and use the map to find the next set of stairs down. Be sure to check all the chests though, as many contain lots of Gil which is crucial for decking out your party members in the latest gear. It's especially good for buying spells, as this is the part of the game where spells get very expensive.
On the third floor down you'll be in a room with lots of smaller rooms that you can check out. There's a lot of good loot in the chests on this floor, but you won't be able to get into the rooms at the south. When you find a chest surrounded by statues, be sure to save and heal up, as the chest contains the Marsh Cave's boss. Remember, using the Quick Save function in the Pixel Remaster doesn't boot you to the main menu as it does in previous ports, and can be used as a normal Save.
Boss: How To Beat The Piscodemons
- HP: 84
- Resistances: Fire, Ice
- Abilities: None
This fight can be made a lot tougher if your party is feeling worn down by the long trip made to reach it. If you're running low on restoratives, it may be better to head back to Elfheim to stock up and buy things with the Gil found in the cave, despite how long that would take.
The Piscodemons hit terribly hard and there's not much you can do to stop that. Luckily, they do have rather low HP totals so blitzing them down one by one is a good idea. If you have a Black Mage or Red Mage with Thundara, they'll be of fantastic use here — though Fira and Blizzara would also do a decent amount of damage. It's a simple battle but can be overwhelming if the Piscodemons decide to target the wrong character too many times.
When you win this battle, you will gain what you came for, the Crown.
Bringing The Crown To Astos
TIP: Before you do anything else, it's an extremely good idea to head back to Elfheim. Heal up and purchase whatever you need. Having some Phoenix Downs is a good idea, as is making sure that one of your White Magic users has the Silence spell.
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If you haven't been there already, head to the Western Keep. This is to the northwest of Elfheim. Inside you'll find some locked doors and a throne room containing the King. This is the individual who has the Crystal Eye that you must trade for the Jolt Tonic.
Of course, it's revealed very quickly that the King is actually Astos in disguise and you have played right into his hands by delivering the Crown to him. Make sure you're healed up before you head into this fight as it can be tricky. Definitely save before entering as it's easy to get overwhelmed.
Boss: How To Beat Astos
- HP: 420
- Resistances: None
- Abilities: Death, Slow, Slowra, Dark, Sleep, Haste, Fira, Thundara
Just looking at that list of abilities should give you an idea of how dangerous Astos is. He loves to open the battle with Death, which can be extremely troublesome if it hits. This is why it's really important to have a Phoenix Down — luckily the Pixel Remaster version of the game has them available quite cheaply in Item Shops.
One strategy that absolutely ruins Astos's strategy is to cast Silence on him. This will prevent him from using any of his spells, yet he will still waste turns trying to cast them. It's a foolproof strategy that almost guarantees success.
Alternatively, simply trying to beat him out in a damage race is a viable strategy. This is when the game will really reward using Haste on your physical attackers, so if you have a Black Mage, you should strongly consider getting that spell. Astos only has 420 HP, so he should be down in three turns of constant attacks from tough party members.
When you win this battle, you'll gain the Crystal Eye.
Acquiring The Jolt Tonic And Waking Up The Elf Prince
Now that you have the Crystal Eye, you can trade it to Matoya. She can be found in her cave which is north of Pravoka. Sail over the sea and head north, winding around the mountains until you find the cave at the very tip of a peninsula.
Matoya will trade the Crystal Eye for the Jolt Tonic after talking with her. Once that's complete, it's time to make the trip all the way back to Elfheim. Before you leave, don't forget to pick up the Potions and Antidote to the left of Matoya's room.
To wake up the Elf Prince with the Jolt Tonic, simply speak to his attendant with the item in your possession. The Elf Prince will wake up and thank the heroes for their work, speaking of the prophecy that binds them. He will also give them the Mystic Key.
The Mystic Key is required to pick up the next Key Item in the story, which is found in Cornelia. However, it can also be used to unlock some doors that lead to treasure in the Marsh Cave, the Western Keep, and the Chaos Shrine from the very beginning of the game.
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