This guide was made to show people the different ways to obtain the ultimate weapons for most of your characters on disc 1 without cheating or using boosters (which is still cheating). Irvine is the only character who is unable to obtain their ultimate weapon on the first disc. Irvine requires a Moon Stone which isn't available prior to disc 3.

Here is a list of the items you will need:

• Adamantine x1
  
• Dragon Fang x4
  
• Pulse Ammo x12

Some people have said that you need the magazine titled "Weapons Mon 1st" in order to obtain Lionheart. This is untrue, and those people should play the game before spreading misinformation.


There are multiple ways to obtain Adamantine on the first disc of Final Fantasy VIII:

1. An Adamantoise that is level 30-100 will have a good chance of dropping Adamantine.
   
   
   • It is possible for an Adamantoise to drop Adamantine at level 20-29, but it's such a ridiculously low drop rate at those levels (roughly a 6% chance of dropping Adamantine) that I would not recommend grinding for Adamantine with a level 20-29 Adamantoise.
     
     
   • Obtaining Lionheart before the second Dream World (which isn't necessary, but it is the absolute soonest you can obtain Lionheart) will require you to use this option.
   
   You can encounter the Adamantoise at the beach across from Dollet.
   
   
2. Card Mod the Minotaur card that you receive during your quest to get the GF Brothers.
   
   
   • I do not recommend this as there is no way to get this card back after you have Card Modded it until disc 4.

There are multiple ways to obtain Dragon Fangs on the first disc of Final Fantasy VIII:

1. A T-Rexaur that is level 20-29 has roughly a 20% chance of dropping Dragon Fangs.
   
   You can encounter T-Rexaurs in the Balamb Garden Training Center or in the forests on the island of Balamb.
   
   
2. A Grendel that is level 1-19 has about a 70% chance of dropping Dragon Fangs. A Grendel that is level 20-29 will drop Dragon Fangs roughly 20% of the time.
   
   After you leave the second Dream World scene you can run around that same forest to encounter Grendels.

There are multiple ways to obtain Pulse Ammo on the first disc of Final Fantasy VIII:

1. Card Mod 20 Elnoyle cards to get 2 Energy Crystals. Ammo Refine the 2 Energy Crystals into the 20 Pulse Ammo.
   
   
   • I strongly recommend using this option. With this option you don't need to rely on randomly encountering an enemy in a very specific area that has a low drop rate (or spending the time trying to both level your party to over level 30, as well as spending the time to learn the Mug ability) like you would with option 2.
     
     
   • I would recommend getting all of the Elnoyle cards before you do the first Dollet mission. I found that after the Dollet mission they were played a lot less frequently, making them more difficult to acquire. Maybe that was just me, but I wanted to share it just in case it could be of value to someone else.
     
     
   • Obtaining Lionheart before the second Dream World (which isn't necessary, but it is the absolute soonest you can obtain Lionheart) will require you to use this option.
   
   
2. An Elastoid that is level 30-100 will drop Laser Cannons. You will need 3 Laser Cannons as each Laser Cannon will be able to be Ammo Refined into 5 Pulse Ammo. Laser Cannons are not a common drop. There is roughly a 6% chance that an Elastoid will drop a Laser Cannon.
   
   
   • If you use the Mug ability (most people probably won't have this yet) on an Elastoid that is level 30-100 there is a 100% chance of obtaining a Laser Cannon with a successful steal. Without the Mug ability this is going to be very time-consuming.
     
     
   • It is also possible for an Elastoid to drop a Laser Cannon if it is level 20-29, but there is only about a 5% chance. Also, with an Elastoid at level 20-29 a successful steal with the Mug ability would only get you Dynamo Stones.
   
   Elastoids can be found in the second Dream World when you travel through the forest to go to Galbadia Garden. Once you have three Laser Cannons you can Ammo Refine them into 15 Pulse Ammo.

For both of the above options you will need to have the Ammo Refine ability. Ammo Refine is an ability you learn from Ifrit. Ifrit must be level 10 for this ability to show up.

• If you're doing a low-level run you can junction Ifrit to Seifer in the Dollet mission to level him up without leveling your other characters.This should go without saying, but that means that your other characters should be dead when the battle(s) end so that only Seifer (and any GFs he has equipped) receive experience.

After getting all of your items go to the nearest weapon shop (this will be Dollet's weapon shop if you obtained all of the items as soon as they were available) and get the Lionheart.

Here is a list of the items you will need:

• Energy Crystal x4
  
• Malboro Tentacles x2
  
• Sharp Spike x4

Some people have said that you need the magazine titled "Weapons Mon Aug" in order to obtain Save the Queen. This is untrue, and those people should play the game before spreading misinformation.


There is only one way to obtain Energy Crystals on the first disc of Final Fantasy VIII:

1. Card Mod 40 Elnoyle cards to get 4 Energy Crystals. I would recommend getting all of the Elnoyle cards before you do the first Dollet mission. I found that after the Dollet mission they were played a lot less frequently, making them more difficult to acquire. Maybe that was just me, but I wanted to share it just in case it could be of value to someone else.
   
   
   • Obtaining Save the Queen before the Fire Cavern (which isn't necessary, but it is the absolute soonest you can obtain Save the Queen) will require you to use this option (which is irrelevant as this is the only option you can use to get Energy Crystals on the first disc).

There is only one way to obtain Malboro Tentacles on the first disc of Final Fantasy VIII:

1. Card Mod 8 Malboro cards to get 2 Malboro Tentacles.
   
   
   • Obtaining Save the Queen before the Fire Cavern (which isn't necessary, but it is the absolute soonest you can obtain Save the Queen) will require you to use this option (which is irrelevant as this is the only option you can use to get Energy Crystals on the first disc).

There are multiple ways to obtain Sharp Spikes on the first disc of Final Fantasy VIII:

1. Card Mod a total of 4 Grand Mantis or Death Claw cards to get 4 Sharp Spikes. In my opinion this is the easiest way to gain the four Sharp Spikes that you need.
   
   
   • Obtaining Save the Queen before the Fire Cavern (which isn't necessary, but it is the absolute soonest you can obtain Save the Queen) will require you to use this option.
   
   
2. An Armadodo that is level 1-19 has about a 30% chance of dropping Sharp Spikes. An Armadodo that is level 20-100 will drop Sharp Spikes roughly 25% of the time.
   
   You can encounter the Armadodo in the Tomb of the Unknown King (the optional area where you can get the GF Brothers).

After getting all of your items go to the nearest weapon shop (this will be Balamb's weapon shop if you obtained all of the items as soon as they were available) and get the Save the Queen.

Here is a list of the items you will need:

• Adamantine x1
  
• Dragon Skin x4
  
• Fury Fragment x1

Some people have said that you need the magazine titled "Weapons Mon Aug" in order to obtain Ehrgeiz. This is untrue, and those people should play the game before spreading misinformation.


There are multiple ways to obtain Adamantine on the first disc of Final Fantasy VIII:

1. An Adamantoise that is level 30-100 will have a good chance of dropping Adamantine.
   
   
   • It is possible for an Adamantoise to drop Adamantine at level 20-29, but it's such a ridiculously low drop rate at those levels (roughly a 6% chance of dropping Adamantine) that I would not recommend grinding for Adamantine with a level 20-29 Adamantoise.
     
     
   • Obtaining Ehrgeiz before the second Dream World (which isn't necessary, but it is the absolute soonest you can obtain Ehrgeiz) will require you to use this option.
   
   You can encounter the Adamantoise at the beach across from Dollet.
   
   
2. Card Mod the Minotaur card that you receive during your quest to get the GF Brothers.
   
   
   • I do not recommend this as there is no way to get this card back after you have Card Modded it until disc 4.

There are multiple ways to obtain Dragon Skins on the first disc of Final Fantasy VIII:

1. An Anacondaur that is level 30-100 has about a 95% chance of dropping Dragon Skins. An Anacondaur that is level 1-29 only has about a 6% chance of dropping Dragon Skins.
   
   
   • Unless you're doing a low-level run, this is the recommended option as option 2 has a much lower drop rate than a level 30-100 Anacondaur. If you're doing a low-level run then both options are equally bad.
     
     
   • Obtaining Ehrgeiz before the second Dream World (which isn't necessary, but it is the absolute soonest you can obtain Ehrgeiz) will require you to use this option.
   
   Anacondaurs can be found in the Dollet SeeD mission, in the forest near Dollet, and in the forest with the second Dream World scene.
   
   
2. A Grendel that is level 1-19 has about a 6% chance of dropping Dragon Skins.
   
   After you leave the second Dream World scene you can run around that same forest to encounter Grendels.

There are multiple ways to obtain Fury Fragments on the first disc of Final Fantasy VIII:

1. Card Mod 4 Blue Dragon cards to get 1 Fury Fragment.
   
   
   • Obtaining Ehrgeiz before the second Dream World (which isn't necessary, but it is the absolute soonest you can obtain Ehrgeiz) will require you to use this option.
   
   
2. A Grendel that is level 20-100 has almost an 11% chance of dropping Dragon Skins.
   
   After you leave the second Dream World scene you can run around that same forest to encounter Grendels.

After getting all of your items go to the nearest weapon shop (this will be Dollet's weapon shop if you obtained all of the items as soon as they were available) and get the Ehrgeiz.

Here is a list of the items you will need:

• Adamantine x1
  
• Curse Spike x2
  
• Star Fragment x3

Some people have said that you need the magazine titled "Weapons Mon 1st" in order to obtain the Strange Vision. This is untrue, and those people should play the game before spreading misinformation.


There are multiple ways to obtain Adamantine on the first disc of Final Fantasy VIII:

1. An Adamantoise that is level 30-100 will have a good chance of dropping Adamantine.
   
   
   • It is possible for an Adamantoise to drop Adamantine at level 20-29, but it's such a ridiculously low drop rate at those levels (roughly a 6% chance of dropping Adamantine) that I would not recommend grinding for Adamantine with a level 20-29 Adamantoise.
     
     
   • Obtaining Strange Vision before the second Dream World (which isn't necessary, but it is the absolute soonest you can obtain Strange Vision) will require you to use this option.
   
   You can encounter the Adamantoise at the beach across from Dollet.
   
   
2. Card Mod the Minotaur card that you receive during your quest to get the GF Brothers.
   
   
   • I do not recommend this as there is no way to get this card back after you have Card Modded it until disc 4.

There are multiple ways to obtain Curse Spikes on the first disc of Final Fantasy VIII:

1. Card Mod 2 Tri-Face cards to get 2 Curse Spikes.
   
   
   • This is the recommended option as there isn't too much card grinding necessary to obtain 2 Tri-Face cards. If you would rather grind for Curse Spikes with battles instead of Triple Triad then option 2 is what you're looking for.
     
     
   • Obtaining Strange Vision before the second Dream World (which isn't necessary, but it is the absolute soonest you can obtain Strange Vision) will require you to use this option.
   
   
2. A Forbidden that is level 20-29 has almost an 11% chance of dropping Curse Spikes. A Forbidden that is level 30-100 has about a 75% chance of dropping Curse Spikes.
   
   You can encounter Forbidden in the Tomb of the Unknown King (the optional area where you can get the GF Brothers).

There are multiple ways to obtain Star Fragments on the first disc of Final Fantasy VIII:

1. Card Mod 9 Iron Giant cards to get 3 Star Fragments.
   
   
2. A T-Rexaur that is level 30-100 has roughly a 25% chance of dropping Star Fragments.
   
   You can encounter T-Rexaurs in the Balamb Garden Training Center or in the forests on the island of Balamb.
   
   
3. An Anacondaur that is level 30-100 will also drop Star Fragments, but the drop rate is so low (about 6%) that I would never recommend grinding for Star Fragments this way.
   
   Anacondaurs can be found in the Dollet SeeD mission, in the forest near Dollet, and in the forest with the second Dream World scene.

After getting all of your items go to the nearest weapon shop (this will be Dollet's weapon shop if you obtained all of the items as soon as they were available) and get the Strange Vision.

Here is a list of the items you will need:

• Energy Crystal x2
  
• Force Armlet x1
  
• Regen Ring x1
  
• Windmill x2

Some people have said that you need the magazine titled "Weapons Mon 1st" in order to obtain the Shooting Star. This is untrue, and those people should play the game before spreading misinformation.


There is only one way to obtain Energy Crystals on the first disc of Final Fantasy VIII:

1. Card Mod 20 Elnoyle cards to get 2 Energy Crystals. I would recommend getting all of the Elnoyle cards before you do the first Dollet mission. I found that after the Dollet mission they were played a lot less frequently, making them more difficult to acquire. Maybe that was just me, but I wanted to share it just in case it could be of value to someone else.
   
   
   • Obtaining Shooting Star before leaving Timber (which isn't necessary, but it is the absolute soonest you can obtain Shooting Star) will require you to use this option (which is irrelevant as this is the only option you can use to get Energy Crystals on the first disc).

There are multiple ways to obtain Force Armlets on the first disc of Final Fantasy VIII:

1. You will have a 25% chance of receiving a Force Armlet if you defeat X-ATM092.
   
   
   • You can only defeat X-ATM092 one time. If you do not get the Force Armlet you will have to repeatedly re-load a previous save and defeat X-ATM092 until you receive the Force Armlet. As the drop rate is 25% this shouldn't take too long unless you're finding it difficult to defeat X-ATM092. If that is the case I would advise you to look up instructions on how to defeat X-ATM092 as this guide does not contain battle tips.
     
     
   • Obtaining Shooting Star before leaving Timber (which isn't necessary, but it is the absolute soonest you can obtain Shooting Star) will require you to use this option.
   
   
2. A Forbidden that is level 30-100 has about a 5% chance of dropping a Force Armlet.
   
   
   • This is not recommended as the drop rate is ridiculously low. The only way I can recommend this is if you were unable to obtain the Force Armlet by defeating X-ATM092 for some reason.
   
   Forbidden can be encountered in the Tomb of the Unknown King (the optional area where you can get the GF Brothers).

There is only one way to obtain Regen Rings on the first disc of Final Fantasy VIII:

1. Card Mod 10 Chimera cards to get 1 Regen Ring.
   
   
   • Obtaining Shooting Star before leaving Timber (which isn't necessary, but it is the absolute soonest you can obtain Shooting Star) will require you to use this option (which is irrelevant as this is the only option you can use to get Regen Rings on the first disc).

There are multiple ways to obtain Windmills on the first disc of Final Fantasy VIII:

1. Card Mod 2 Abyss Worm cards to get 2 Windmills.
   
   
   • This is the recommended option as Abyss Worm cards are not difficult to obtain (you can get them before leaving Balamb Garden for the first time). If you prefer grinding for items via battles versus grinding for cards via Triple Triad then you may prefer option 2.
     
     
   • Obtaining Shooting Star before leaving Timber (which isn't necessary, but it is the absolute soonest you can obtain Shooting Star) will require you to use this option.
   
   
2. A Thrustaevis that is level 30-100 has about a 30% chance of dropping Windmills.
   
   
   • If you use the Mug ability (most people probably won't have this yet) on a Thrustaevis that is level 30-100 there is a 100% chance of obtaining both Windmills with a successful steal.
     
     
   • It is possible for a Thrustaevis to drop Windmills at level 1-29, but the drop rate is drastically reduced, and the Mug rate decreases to about 11% as well. For a Thrustaevis that is level 20-29 the drop rate for Windmills falls to around 11%. For a Thrustaevis that is level 1-19 there's only about a 5% chance it will drop Windmills.
   
   You can encounter the Thrustaevis around the Deling City area.

After getting all of your items go to the nearest weapon shop (this will be Timber's weapon shop if you obtained all of the items as soon as they were available) and get the Shooting Star.

I am only putting this in here so that people can see what items are needed for Irvine's ultimate weapon. If you miss this big important opening remark and then tell me in the comments that Irvine's ultimate weapon isn't available on disc 1 you will be subject to ridicule at my discretion.


Here is a list of the items you will need:

• Dino Bone x2
  
• Moon Stone x1
  
• Screw x18
  
• Star Fragment x2

Some people have said that you need the magazine titled "Weapons Mon 1st" in order to obtain the Exeter. This is untrue, and those people should play the game before spreading misinformation.


There are multiple ways to obtain Dino Bones on the first disc of Final Fantasy VIII:

1. Card Mod 2 Armadodo cards to get 2 Dino Bones, or Card Mod 4 T-Rexaur cards to get 2 Dino Bones, or Card Mod 1 Armadodo card and 2 T-Rexaur cards to get 2 Dino Bones.
   
   
2. Card Mod the Sacred card that you receive during your quest to get the GF Brothers.
   
   
   • I do not recommend this as there is no way to get this card back after you have Card Modded it until disc 4, and this is an extremely easy item to pick up.
   
   
3. A T-Rexaur that is level 20-29 has around an 80% chance of dropping Dino Bones. A T-Rexaur that is level 30-100 has approximately a 75% chance of dropping Dino Bones. A T-Rexaur that is level 1-19 has about a 74% chance of dropping Dino Bones.
   
   
   • If you use the Mug ability (most people probably won't have this yet) on a T-Rexaur of any level there is a 100% chance of obtaining Dino Bones with a successful steal.
   
   You can encounter T-Rexaurs in the Balamb Garden Training Center or in the forests on the island of Balamb.

There is no way to obtain a Moon Stone on the first disc of Final Fantasy VIII. Here are some ways you can obtain Moon Stones on disc 3:

1. An Elnoyle that is level 30-39 has around a 20% (45% with the Rare Item ability equipped) chance of dropping Moon Stones. An Elnoyle that is level 1-29 has around an 11% (5% with the Rare Item ability equipped) chance of dropping Moon Stones.
   
   
   • If you use the Mug ability on an Elnoyle of any level there is a 100% chance of obtaining Moon Stones with a successful steal.
   
   You can encounter Elnoyles on the roads outside of Esther on disc 3. These encounters will only become available after the Lunar Cry event.
   
   
2. An Imp that is level 40-100 has around an 11% (5% with the Rare Item ability equipped) chance of dropping Moon Stones.
   
   You can encounter Imps on the roads outside of Esther on disc 3. These encounters will only become available after the Lunar Cry event.
   
   
3. A Torama that is level 40-100 has around a 25% (45% with the Rare Item ability equipped) chance of dropping Moon Stones. A Torama that is level 30-39 has around an 11% (6% with the Rare Item ability equipped) chance of dropping Moon Stones.
   
   You can encounter Toramas on the roads outside of Esther on disc 3. These encounters will only become available after the Lunar Cry event.

There are multiple ways to obtain Screws on the first disc of Final Fantasy VIII:

1. Card Mod 4 Geezard cards to get 20 Screws.
   
   
2. A Geezard that is level 1-19 has around an 89% chance of dropping Screws. A Geezard that is level 20-100 has about a 70% chance of dropping Screws.
   
   
   • If you use the Mug ability (most people probably won't have this yet) on a Geezard of any level there is a 100% chance of obtaining Screws with a successful steal.
   
   Geezards can be encountered on the plains outside of Dollet.

There are multiple ways to obtain Star Fragments on the first disc of Final Fantasy VIII:

1. Card Mod 9 Iron Giant cards to get 3 Star Fragments.
   
   
2. A T-Rexaur that is level 30-100 has roughly a 25% chance of dropping Star Fragments.
   
   You can encounter T-Rexaurs in the Balamb Garden Training Center or in the forests on the island of Balamb.
   
   
3. An Anacondaur that is level 30-100 will also drop Star Fragments, but the drop rate is so low (about 6%) that I would never recommend grinding for Star Fragments this way.
   
   Anacondaurs can be found in the Dollet SeeD mission, in the forest near Dollet, and in the forest with the second Dream World scene.

After getting all of your items go to the nearest weapon shop and get the Exeter. Again, this is the only ultimate weapon that cannot be obtained on disc 1.

There you have it. That is the extent of my knowledge regarding the different ways to obtain the ultimate weapons for (nearly) every character on disc 1. This game is amazing. Let me know if there is anything I left out. I hope people will find this guide to be very beneficial. Enjoy your game!