FF12 Places

Archades: Lies past the Sochen Cave Palace, then north of Old Archades. Vaan and party head here for the big showdown with Cid. The last area can only be reached by collecting a Sandalwood Chop, which requires matching up people in Archades, through being a sort of human classified ad. The area is needed for part of the cockatrice sidequest, and the owner of the Phon Coast Hunt Club hangs around there as well.
CP: The capital of the Archadian Empire. Still small when it first formed as a city-state, it grew tremendously during the long peace fostered by the Galtean Alliance. When the Empire was formed, the city center was relocated, forming the Archades we know today.
Though poor in both natural resources and land, Archades came to prominence as a city of innovation and learning. All information and technology gathers here, and the famed mages and artificers born within her walls are legion. Knowledge, then, is the true strength of the Archadian Empire.
The city of Archades forms an octagon with the Imperial Palace at its center. Around the Palace sit the Senate Chambers and other administrative quarters, beyond which lies a booming mercantile district. The buildings in the city center are quite tall, with the lower floors being used mainly as residences. The difference in heights between the various buildings makes this a city of small airships, that being the most efficient means of accessing all levels of the metropolis.
More than half the population of Archades is hume, and while at one time all lived near the ground, of late, those of power or particular wealth have taken to living in the higher apartments and traveling exclusively by private airship.
Archadia: CP: The mightiest sovereign state in Valendia. Originally a republic governed by an active senate, the rise of the military brought about the shift to an imperial system 200 years ago. With the change in governance, Archadia began invading its neighboring lands, quickly becoming the largest realm in Ivalice. While in the past the emperor was traditionally of military extraction, a purge of key figures in the military by the politically powerful House Solidor led to the installation of a line of Solidor emperors which continues to this day.
Bahamut: The final area, a giant Archadian warship.
CP: No. 1 Sky Fortress Class Airship. Belonging to the Western divisions of the Archadian Imperial Army, a mobile fortress and tactical base, under the control of the commandant of the Archadian forces, Lord Vayne. This was the last sky fortress designed by Dr. Cid, powered both by ordinary skystone and manufacted nethicite, the latter absorbing Mist from its surroundings to generate the massive amounts of energy the fortress requires to function.
Balfonheim: Vaan and party come here with Reddas to recuperate after their fight with Cid in Draklor Laboratory.
CP: Prosperous port on the Naldoan Sea renowned for its rich fishing grounds. In addition to fishing, the port is known for its shipwrights and their numerous contributions to the advancement of seacraft. Though demand has dropped with the spread of airships, the wrights are still able to turn a profit on their craft.
The power in Balfonheim rests with the sea captains and pirates of wealth. Though belonging in name to the Archadian Empire, well-placed regular bribes have ensured the city autonomous governance. The city itself is small, being a classic port town, with many stone-cobbled alleyways winding between buildings which hug the curve of the hills. Fresh seafood can be found in the market stalls daily, along with many other items brought by traders and pirates.
Several waterways run through the city, some carrying drinking water, others used as canals for the transport of goods.
The manse of Pirate King Reddas stands in the western quarter of Balfonheim.
Barheim Passage: A passageway leading from the Nalbina Dungeon to the Dalmasca Westersand. Later in the game, a second area which contains the Esper Zalera can be unlocked.
CP: An underground passage beneath the fortress at Nalbina. Originally a railway to carry goods into the fortress, the passage was closed with the introduction of airships as the primary means of transport. The abandoned railway line is now rife with Mist, and the dwelling place of many fell beasts.
Bhujerba: A floating city which has a very Indian feel to it, even down to the people's accents and foreign words which pervade the language.
CP: An autonomous city-state found on the sky continent of Dorstonis. Originally formed as a magicite mining colony with the advent of airship travel. The magicite mines of the skylands are superior to crystal mines on the surface in both quantity and quality of ore, and Bhujerba developed quickly on fortunes born of rock.
During the years of the Galtean Alliance, the Ondore family took over much of the daily business of Bhujerba's governance, a rule which continues to this day. Their neutral stance during the Archadian invasion two years ago positioned them as mediators of the peace negotiations that followed. Like much of Dorstonis, Bhujerba is a city of hills and sloping boulevards. Merchant houses and shops are clustered near the peaks, while residences are found in the valleys. At the very bottom of the hills lies the network of crystalline shafts known as the Lhusu Mines.
Many visitors come to Bhujerba to enjoy the open-air parks with spectacular views only available to those who live in the sky. Very rarely does anyone fall from the skycity, and curiously enough, not a single death has been reported to have resulted from such an occurrence to date.
Cerobi Steppe: An optional area between Balfonheim and the Tchita Uplands. One of the windmills is the place where you can find the key to unlock the Hell Wyrm fight.
CP: Hilly highlands region in the east of Archadia, through which the highroad to Balfonheim Port passes. Air currents are notoriously unstable between Cerobi and Balfonheim, making land routes here as popular as those of air. In the past, villagers in the region erected windmills to catch the winds from the Naldoan Sea, and used them to mill grain from the harvest. With advancements in the use of magicks and machineries, however, the windmills fell into disuse and now stand merely as a reminder of the past.
Dalmasca: Princess Ashe's kingdom, which she yearns to restore.
CP: A small kingdom comprising the lands around the city of Rabanastre, governing a portion of the Galtean Peninsula. While its territories are small, its situation at the crossroads of three continents has enabled it to prosper as a center for trade. More than 700 years are marked in the charts of history since her founding, yet many are the armies that have sought to claim her for her cultural richness and strategic importance. Upon her defeat to Archadia in the invasion of 704, her lands were placed under the direct control of the Empire.
Dalmasca Estersand: Contains exits to Rabanastre, Giza Plains, the Westersand, and the Mosphoran Highwaste. The village here also boasts the fishing mini-game.
CP: One of the large desert regions of Dalmasca, located to the east of Rabanastre. Rife with all manner of monstrous beasts, it regularly plays host to hunts organized within the city. What settlements there are line the banks of the River Nebra, a vibrant blue vein running through the heart of the sands, wherein can be found ferries for the conveyance of travelers and goods across her flow. Many merchants make a point of stopping in the villages to trade on their way to and from Rabanastre.
Dalmasca Westersand: Contains exits to Rabanastre, the Estersand, the Mosphoran Highwaste, Zertinan Caverns, and the Ogir-Yensa Sandsea. The Earth Tyrant can also be fought here after a short sidequest, which cuts down on the sandstorms.
CP: One of the vast deserts of the Dalmascan region situated to the west of Rabanastre. Few roads pass through this waste, and as such it is little frequented by merchants. In Dalmasca Westersand, the sandstorms are more greatly feared than the beasts; so much so, in fact, that whole societies of natural philosophers in Rabanastre devote themselves to their study.
Draklor Laboratory: Vaan and party can only reach here once, where they have a quite disturbing showdown with Cid.
CP: Weapons research laboratory located a short distance from the administrative district in the northeast of Archades, sponsored by the Archadian Imperial Army, with Dr. Cidolfus Demen Bunansa as its head researcher and maker of policy. Research is divided among airship design projects, sundry weapons projects, and magickal endeavors. In recent years, particular attention has been paid to magicite research, with great strides being made in the manufacting of magicite and improved methods for drawing energy from the stones. A strict system is in place to ensure that none of the knowledge in Draklor Laboratory leaves its door without authorization.
Eruyt Village: The only viera village in the game, lying within the Golmore Jungle. Fran has to open the way to it before it's visible.
CP: Hidden village of viera in Golmore Jungle. Viera enclaves are scattered throughout the jungle, but all are warded against entry by those of other tribes or lands. Viera are reclusive by nature, living separate from the world outside, shunning even the society of their own kind, save when necessity demands. This isolation is in part made possible by the viera ability to hear the spirit voice of the Wood, and thereby know all that comes to pass within Her borders.
Throughout the history of Ivalice, rarely have the viera ventured beyond the borders of the Wood, and few outsiders know of their laws or customs.
Viera villages are formed of massive trees linked by suspended paths, with dwellings and small shrines to the spirit of the Wood encircling the trunks. During the day, many viera come to a clearing in the village, where a glistening spring bubbles up from the earth, to meditate. Their leader resides in the center of the village, and voerns according to the Word of the Wood. Those who perform the sacred ceremonial duties of salve-maker or wood-warder stand at her side, defending the ways of the village and of the viera.
Compared to other races, the viera seem to move at a slower, more contemplative pace, more at peace with the flow of time. However, some younger viera have begun to question the wisdom of rejecting change in the midst of a rapidly developing Ivalice.
Feywood: A Mist-filled area south of Golmore Jungle, west of Paramina Rift and east of Giruvegan. The area closer to Giruvegan can only be reached later on.
CP: An ancient wood deep in the jungles of Golmore. The combination of dense Mist and regular snow, the latter a product of the region's elevation, is enough to keep away even the viera. Many of the trees have stood for several thousands of years, and some have begun to petrify. Numerous plants once thought extinct grow here, and many rare birds and animals can be seen in their primitive forms, unchanged for millenia.
Garamsythe Waterway: The location for several hunts, as well as the Esper Cúchulainn. It can also be reached via a secret passage from the second area of Barheim Passage.
CP: An underground waterway running deep beneath the Royal City of Rabanastre. Built and rebuilt over the centuries, no one alive knows all of its labyrinthine ways. Some are said to lead even to the royal palace. There are stairs leading down to the waterway in Lowtown, but they are normally barred to keep unwelcome visitors down in the sewers where they belong.
Giruvegan: The lost city lying west of the Feywood. Vaan and friends come here after a taunt by Cid. At the end of the city lies the Great Crystal, a confusing area with no map. At the end of the Crystal is the Esper Shemhazai and the Occuria, who speak to Ashe and send her to the Pharos. After beating Shemhazai, another area of the Crystal opens up containing extremely hard monsters, the Ultima Esper, and Omega Mark XII.
CP: Ancient city said to lie deep within the Jagd Difohr. A dense Mist conceals its actual location. There are some who claim that it holds the secrets of a legendary civilization that flourished before men knew the workings of the world, but none remain who know the truth. Many are the expeditions sent to find this place and record its knowledge, but most have disappeared in the Feywood, or despaired while attempting to understand what artifacts have been found. To this day, we are no closer to discovering Giruvegan, or illuminating its mysteries.
Giza Plains: Contains exits to Rabanastre, the Estersand, and the Ozmone Plains. The village here is the basis of the cockatrice sidequest later on. During the game, the weather goes back and forth between The Dry and The Rains, which vastly change the geography of the area.
CP: A vast savannah spreading to the south of the Royal City of Rabanastre, the environs of which vary drastically between dry and rainy seasons. Large dark crystals lie scattered here and there across the savannah. During the Dry, they absorb the sun's radiance and glow with an auric brilliance. A village of nomadic herders is located near the middle of the grasslands. During the Rains, the villagers relocate to the mountains. While they reside in the grasslands, the menfolk rarely return from their herding, leaving the women and children to their own devices in the village. These nomads know the art of capturing the energy of the dark crystals in chunks of magicite, called sunstone, which they then bring to market to sell. The animals by which they make their living are primarily of cockatrice stock.
Golmore Jungle: A dark jungle with exits to the Ozmone Plains, Eruyt Village, the Feywood, and the Paramina Rift. Vaan and pals pass through on the way to Mt Bur-Omisace.
CP: A sprawling jungle in the Jagd Difohr, it remains much as it always has been, untouched by the hand of Man. Though the viera make their villages within this jungle, the ways to their enclaves are tangled and hidden. Barriers throughout the jungle, too, prevent easy passage. These were erected by the viera to prevent outsiders from intruding, the blessing of their people needed before one may pass.
Henne Mines: Lies east of the Ozmone Plains, and also has an exit to the Feywood which can only be accessed later. Vaan and party first venture in here in search of Mjrn. Very late in the game, a garif in Jahara will open the way to the deepest part of the mines, containing the hardest normal monsters in the game and the Zodiark Esper.
CP: Crystal mines in the mountainous region of Bancour still producing a great variety of magicite, even as other mines around them close, their veins dry and spent. The Archadian Empire possesses mining rights here, making this a key location for their acquisition of the stones, bypassing intermediaries and fluctuating markets.
Ivalice: The region that most of the game takes place in.
CP: The region consisting of the three continents of Valendia, Ordalia, and Kerwonm, blessed throughout with verdant natural landscapes and climatic conditions supporting a great variety of life. Regional climate trends are thought to be determined largely by the density of Mist present in the air, though this correlation is not yet well understood. Many humanoids call Ivalice home, each belonging to a distinct cultural sphere. By far the most prevalent of these are the humes, and it is around their civilization that affairs throughout the rest of the world revolve.
Jahara: A village west of the Ozmone Plain.
CP: A garif village in Bancour. Here, a chieftain elder watches over the old ways, and so administers the tribe. Though many other villages dot the area, there is little direct communication between them. The garif have worshipped magicite since ancient times, and tribal legends tend much wisdom concerning the Stones. When the time is right, the elders teach these lessons to the youth of the village, and, on rare occasion, to visitors from other lands.
Abhorring machinery and iron, much of the garif material culture is based on wood and stone and other unmanufacted things. Their houses made of grass and strips of leather allow a breeze to pass through, and are uniquely suited to the hot, arid climate.
On the hill overlooking the village is a meeting lodge, warmed always by a bonfire. Near the lodge are the elders' huts, and below the hill is a clearing ringed by a healer's hut, and the tends of craftsmen, as well as a place to take care of the livestock, called "nanna" in the garif tongue. Dalmasca has for many years honored the ways of the garif, and so kept up peaceful trade and relations with this isolated people.
Kerwon: CP: Largely forested continent lying to the southeast of Ordalia. Climate varies greatly by region, and many less hospitable areas are uninhabited. In the west of Kerwon dwell the garif, in the wooded north dwell the viera, both living in peace, apparently unaffected by the expansionist hunger which has so dominated hume history. Though the hume presence is strong on the other continents, in Kerwon they can only be found in the eastern highlands, on the slopes of the holy mountain of Kiltia, Bur-Omisace.
Landis: A republic somewhere in Ivalice, overrun by the Archadian Empire at some point. Basch and Gabranth are from here.
Leviathan: An Imperial airship, Vaan and party are "captured" by Ondore, sent here, and betrayed by Vossler. They manage to escape, natch. Later on, its captain, Judge Ghis, blows it up by accident while testing the Dawn Shard he liberates from Ashe.
CP: No. 1 Dreadnought Class Airship. Being the flagship of the 8th Fleet of the Archadian Imperial Army. The 8th Fleet was assigned to the Galtea Tactical Force of the Western Armada, under the command of Judge Ghis. Fitted with a skystone made to resist the effects of jagd, the Leviathan was a linchpin of the Imperial army's main force. Sunk in an explosion caused by the uncontainable reaction of the nethicite fragment known as the Dawn Shard.
Lhusu Mines: The party first ventures in here with Larsa (he's looking for manufacted nethicite, they're looking for Penelo, captured by Ba'Gamnan). Later on, further areas of the mine can be unlocked, containing several hunts, including the Antlion, Diabolos, and the great Gilgamesh.
CP: A crystal mine located on the sky continent of Dorstonis. Many years have passed since the ore veins were first discovered here, yet even today, high-quality ones are found and processed in these well-worked shafts. Many claim that the success of the mines is due to a project begun many centuries past by the Ondore family, whereby mining across their domains was closely regulated, never permitting too much to be drawn from one place, thereby allowing the magicite crystals to naturally recover.
The Lhusu Mines are most famous for their high caliber of skystone, the material which enables airships to ply the skies, and memstone, a variety of magicite that can store sound and even images in its unique crystalline structure. Unfortunately, the dense concentrations of Mist in the mines lure all manner of beasts, and when mining expeditions are planned, palings must be erected to keep such creatures at bay.
Lowtown: A city below Rabanastre; the Garamsythe Waterway can be accessed to its north.
CP: Lowtown lies, as its name would suggest, beneath the city streets of Rabanastre. Great pillars standing throughout Lowtown support the soaring edifices above. Prior to the war with Archadia, many merchants used Lowtown as a place to store foodstuffs and wares for sale. With the defeat and occupation of Archadia, many of the former residents of upper Rabanastre were relocated here, leading to its gradual transformation into a residential area. No natural light shines on Lowtown, save where there are passages to the streets above, making it perpetually gloomy. Many orphans from the war have adopted Lowtown as their new home.
Mosphoran Highwaste: Has exits to Nalbina Fortress, the Dalmasca Estersand and Westersand, and Salikawood to the north. Vaan passes through on his way to Archades. He can also return later on and use the floatweed around the shrines to open the way to the Esper Exodus.
CP: Mighty mountain range standing between Dalmasca and Nabradia. Well-known for is odd rock formations: overhangs forming roofs over the mountain paths, and lone spires of rock jutting toward the sky. In a col between the peaks is a flat area where spring water bubbles from the ground, creating an ideal resting place for weary travelers. The shrines standing in the clearing were built during the Galtean Alliance, the names of the gods they enshrine long since lost to the ken of Man.
Mt Bur-Omisace: Vaan and party head here to attempt a peace treaty with Rozarria and Archadia. It is later attacked by Archadia.
CP: The sacred mountain of the Kiltia sect, located to the north of the Jagd Ramooda. A temple was built here by believers to mark the place where the founder of the Light of Kiltia began to spread the teachings. There are accounts of the holy city here dating back to writings from the age of the Galtean Alliance.
In its long history, Mt Bur-Omisace has never fallen under the control of any foreign power. On the understanding that Kiltia's followers would exempt themselves from political dealings in other lands, Kingdom and Empire both formed a pact to guarantee the holy city's independence, an agreement which stands to this day.
It would not be an error to call Mt Bur-Omisace itself a shrine to Kiltia. Apart from the templates, there are only a few residences, with roadside shops catering to the steady stream of pilgrims. In recent years, refugees from war-torn lands have gathered here, forming camps on part of the mountain. The priests of Kiltia give them aid that they might live here in peace.
As Mt Bur-Omisace is surrounded by jagd, the faithful must cross the Inner Naldoan Sea by boat in their pilgrimage to the holy city.
Nabradia: CP: A land neighboring Dalmasca, both kingdoms being founded by the bloodline of the Dynast-King, who first unified Ivalice under one rule. Graced with beautiful leandscapes and rich natural resources, Nabradia prospered for many years as a center of both agriculture and industry. Two years ago, an internal struggle boiled over into civil war, this opening the door to the Archadian invasion of Nabradia. Several days after the beginning of the siege of Nabudis, a mysterious explosion consumed the city, leaving a smoking ruin where the political and cultural heart of Nabradia once stood, and sounding the death-knell for the kingdom.
Nabreus Deadlands: An optional area between Salikawood and the Necrohol of Nabudis. Contains the keys to unlock Chaos in Nabudis.
CP: Place once known as Nabudis, the prosperous capital of Nabradia. In the war against Archadia two years ago, the city was utterly destroyed, leaving nothing but an eerie waste of swirling Mist. Even by day, the sun does not penetrate that ever present fog. Beneath it, the dense Mist has given rise to all manner of bizarre flora and fauna of an invariably vicious temperament.
Nalbina Dungeon: Vaan and party get thrown in here after being caught at the royal palace. They manage to find an exit to the Barheim Passage. You can't return later.
CP: A great dungeon, created when the Archadian army sealed off the lower levels of Nalbina Fortress. Originally a complex lowtown region. In addition to the usual collection of petty thieves and murderers, its inmates include political dissenters and prisoners of war from the Dalmascan and Nabradian armies, all thrown together without discrimination, separation, or order. An oubliette has been created in the depths of the fortress to hold those prisoners whose cases await judgment before the Court of Archadia.
Nalbina Fortress: The first area of the game, where you play as Reks along with Basch. You can't return here later, though.
CP: A fortress built on an oasis located between the old kingdoms of Dalmasca and Nabradia. Defended by high ridges and barren sands, long it stood firm against generations of aggressors. Nalbina Fortress and the merchant town that sprung up in its shadow made the area a focal point for local commerce. The treaty to end hostilities in the war with Archadia was signed at Nalbina, yet immediately after the signing, the Dalmascan king was slain, and as a result, the Kingdom of Dalmasca came under complete Archadian Imperial rule. In the two years since the war and occupation by Archadian forces, the fortress has become a key strategic stronghold against the distant, yet ever-threatening, Rozarrian Empire. Works continue to this day to repair the damage which the fortress suffered during the war. Recently, markets where antiques and rarities can readily be had have sprung up in the outer wards of the fortress, taking advantage of the steady flow of traffic which passes through this midpoint between Rabanastre and Nabudis. It is this pivotal location that gives the fortress its unique character. Many are the travelers who visit Nalbina Fortress to witness this ever-booming oasis that refuses to silt over in neglect, or crumble before the blistering winds of war.
Nam-Yensa Sandsea: Lies just west of Vaan's destination, the Tomb of Raithwall. Lies east of the Ogir-Yensa Sandsea and north of the Zertinan Caverns.
CP: The desert in the west of the Jagd Yensa. Fine sand beats in waves against the feet of the rolling dunes of this region which, together with the Ogir-Yensa Sandsea, is called the Great Yensan Sandsea. To the west of the Nam-Yensa lies the gorge known as the Valley of the Dead, so called because it has been the scene of many an ill-starred adventurer's demise.
Necrohol of Nabudis: An optional area with exits to the Salikawood and the Nabreus Deadlands. Contains very strong enemies and the Chaos Esper.
CP: Palace once home to the royal family Nabradia. Called the Verdpale Palace, it once stood proudly in the middle of a lake. Now it stands in ruin, destroyed in the attack on Nabudis two years ago. Though the ghost of the building remains in the crumbling walls, it is wholly gutted and lies half-submerged in murk. Now Mist flows freely through its abandoned halls, and its glorious memory is profaned by a menagerie of vile creatures.
Ogir-Yensa Sandsea: Vaan passes through this area on the way to the Tomb of Raithwall. It lies west of the Dalmasca Westersand, east of the Nam-Yensa Sandsea, and north of the Zertinan Caverns.
CP: A desert region in the west of the Jagd Yensa, most of it covered in fine-grain sand that ebbs and flows like water, compared from antiquity to a sea. Abandoned drilling rigs can be found here and there, dotted about the ever-shifting terrain. In the past, the Rozarrian Empire sought to draw rich oils from the ground here, but relentless attacks from the Urutan-Yensa, who consider the sandsea to be solely theirs, drove them away. Men are now a rare sight inside the desert borders.
Old Archades: Lies past the Sochen Cave Palace.
CP: District on the outskirts of Archades. With the transfer of governance to the Imperial system, a new city was created, the existing city blocks now belonging to the old quarter. At the time, the underprivileged lived here along with nobles who had lost power with the rise of the Empire, while those with power lived in the new city. Now, several centuries later, little has changed. The residents of the old quarter are largely itinerants and those others outside the protection of Imperial law. Unlike the new city where buildings tower towards the sky, the old city remains brick and stone. Everything feels neglected, abandoned to a fate of slow decay. With officials less than inclined to worry about the old quarter's governance, little or no effort has ever been made to revitalize the area.
Ordalia: CP: Continent on the western edge of Ivalice. The vast plains in the interior are home to the great Rozarrian Empire. To the east of Rozarria the land is arid and largely desert. The Galtean Peninsula on the eastern portion of the continent is a crossroads connecting to Valendia and Kerwon both, and a strategic prize sought by empire and kingdom alike. Though Dalmasca controlled the peninsula for the last several hundred years, it was lost to the Archadian Empire in an invasion two years past.
Ozmone Plain: An area with exits to the Giza Plains, Jahara, Zertinan Caverns, and Golmore Jungle.
CP: Wide region of plains in Bancour, bordering Dalmasca. Mostly tall grasses, though here and there can be seen volcanic rock formations. In the past, a great battle was fought in the skies over Ozmone Plain. The decaying airship wrecks puncutating the plains are monuments to the carnage once wrought there.
Paramina Rift: An area between the Golmore Jungle, the Feywood, the Stilshrine of Miriam, and Mt Bur-Omisace. Vaan and party pass through here on their way to the holy mountain.
CP: Comprising a great ravine running through the mountains of Jagd Ramooda, this is a barren land covered in hoarfrost and deep snows. The spent shells of airships hang in the frozen river, and here and there can be seen the ruins of great cities built during the years of the Galtean Alliance. Many are the scholars who believe that the Paramina Rift was once a rich and verdant land, and that a climate change brought about by the Mist made it into the cold, harsh jagd we see today.
Pharos at Ridorana (Pharos Lighthouse): The largest dungeon in the game, with 100 floors and three different ascents. After beating it, you can come back and try for the Subterra, the lower floors which are the place of the Shadowseer hunt. Vaan and party get the Hashmal and Famfrit Espers here in the course of their denouement with Cid and the Sun-Cryst at the top.
CP: Giant tower standing on an island near the Ridorana Cataract. Though not actually a lighthouse, a curious light emits from its upper reaches, piercing the darkest night, so earning it the name of the Pharos. Similarities can be seen between the architectural style of the tower and that of the ruins about it, but there are none who know the details of its creation.
Phon Coast: Lies between the Salikawood and the Tchita Uplands. Vaan passes through on his way to Archades.
CP: Coastal region lying along the Phon Straits which divide Archadia from Nabradia. Praised for its beautiful beaches of white sand, and lush greenery. A hunter's camp along the coast attracts adventurers and headhunters, forming a community where they might exchange information and rest between expeditions.
Purvama, the Floating Lands: CP: A great landmass, floating in the skies above the Naldoan Sea. Such landmasses are not uncommon, found throughout Ivalice in every sort and size, though the manner of their formation remains a mystery. The region in which they float has some bearing on their climate, however most are warm to subtropical, boasting primordial jungles in which flora and fauna both rare and wondrous can be seen. The crust of these floating islands boasts a high magicite concentration, and after airships became a common mode of transport, mining colonies sprung up on the richest outcrops. Bhujerba, in Dorstonis, is the largest of the skycities, and oversees the administration of many of the rest.
Rabanastre: The homeplace of Vaan and Penelo, and the base of operations for Clan Centurio. Built above Lowtown. Uniquely, a service called the Moogling allows you to freely teleport between areas of the city by enlisting the help of various Moogles.
CP: Capital of Old Dalmasca, and before that, many other kingdoms stretching back into the storied history of the Galtean Peninsula. Rule by the Dalmascan royal family lasted for several hundred years before the city's fall to the Archadian Empire two years past. Now an Imperial territory. The story of the city's people is the story of three cultures, those of Valendia, Ordalia, and Kerwon, who bore trade goods along the many well-frequented routes leading to her welcoming gates.
The town proper of Rabanastre is divided into four sections by the cardinal directions of the compass. The east and west are merchant districts, the streets lined with shops and stalls of every description. In the north, the streets widen into a large piazza facing the palace, and to the South can be found three gates leading beyond the city walls to the Dalmasca desert and Giza Plains. The aerodrome can be found in the western outskirts of town, surrounded by numerous privately owned airship docks.
In the northwestern part of town stands a splendid cathedral built in the Galtean style, the bell of which, when rung, sounds through every hearth and home in the city.
Raithwall's Tomb: See Tomb of Raithwall.
Ridorana Cataract: A small opening area on the way to the Pharos at Ridorana. There's also a coliseum which is the stage for the Yiazmat battle.
CP: A strange opening in the seafloor that has created an endless whirlpool, drawing the surrounding sea ever downwards. An island is situated at the cataract's edge, on which stands a great pharos surrounded by ancient ruins. Its size suggests that once a great city flourished here, but of its rise and fall nothing is known. The area surrounding this island is jagd, preventing approach by airship, while the proximity of the cataract and its tidal pull make it impossible to reach the island by sea.
Royal Palace: Vaan reaches the palace via the Garamsythe Waterway near the start of the game, in search of Dalmascan treasure to steal back from the Archadian Empire. You can't return later, though.
CP: A short walk north from the center of Rabanastre will lead you to the gates of the royal palace. Before the war with Archadia, this magnificent structure was home to the Dalmascan royal family, and barracks to the order of knights that served them. It is currently employed as living quarters and apartments by the recently appointed consul from Archadia. The palace itself was built several centuries ago and has since been home to many Dalmascan monarchs, King Raminas being the most recent.
Numerous additions have been made to the palace over the course of its long history (the Royal City of Rabanastre having several times fallen under the control of foreign powers through invasion), but the overall bearing of its architecture is true to the original Galtean design. Within the palace are secret chambers containing documents and treasures belonging to the royal family. Few who live beyond the palace walls know how they may be found.
Rozarria: CP: Empire located in the west of Ordalia, possessing an army rumored to be the equal of the Archadian Imperial forces. Though an emperor rules, Rozarria is a military state, and the armed forces carry much political power. In recent years, the Margrace Imperial family has sought to limit the military's power, embarking on a series of reforms to restrict the scope of their authority. Archadia's unprovoked invasion of Dalmasca sent shockwaves through the Rozarrian establishment, and many are those who see a war between empires looming on the horizon.
Salikawood: Has exits to the Mosphoran Highwaste, Phon Coast, Nabreus Deadlands, and Necrohol of Nabudis. The King Bomb must be defeated before reaching the latter two areas.
CP: Forested region in central Nabradia. A path strung between the thick-growing trees leads towards Archadia. However, many of the tree-bridges are covered with thick moss, and in advanced stages of decay. As transport by airship gained prominence, the land roads were abandoned. Now more beasts walk the woods than travelers.
The forest is the domain of the Kingdom of Nabradia. Abandoned these two years since its fall, the number of fell beasts within its borders swells daily.
Sochen Cave Palace: Lies between the Tchita Uplands and Old Archades. Vaan passes through on his way to Archades. Also holds the Hell Wyrm fight, once the proper door is unlocked.
CP: A giant underground complex in Archadia, consisting of natural caverns and the abandoned ruins of an ancient palace. Many of its ways and passages remain uncharted on current maps. From the style of the carvings adorning some of the walls, it is thought that the complex was built at some point during the Galtean Alliance, though no records of its construction remain. A survey mission was initiated to chart the many corridors here, but a particularly nasty infestation of creatures has significantly hampered progress.
Stilshrine of Miriam: Vaan and party are sent here by the Gran Kiltias to find the Sword of Kings.
CP: An ancient shrine deep within the Jagd Ramooda. Like Raithwall's tomb, this, too, was constructed in the time of the Galtean Allienace, originally to honor the ancient god of swords and martial might. It is said that a Gran Kiltias of long ago selected the Stilshrine to house the relics of Dynast-King Raithwall, though why he would choose this site, and not a temple of his own sect, is unclear.
Tchita Uplands: Lies between the Phon Coast and the Sochen Cave Palace. Vaan passes through on his way to Archades.
CP: A hilly region reaching to the south of Archadia. Before the widespread adoption of airships as the primary means of conveyance, this region was the highway to the Imperial City, and filled with travelers. Ruins can be spotted here and there amongst the tall grasses, and researchers from Archades often come here to delve into the mysteries left by whatever ancient civilization built them.
Tomb of Raithwall: Vaan and Ashe head here in search of the Dawn Shard. They gain their first Esper, Belias, before they get to it.
CP: West of the Jagd Yensa, deep in the Valley of the Dead, lies the tomb of Dynast-King Raithwall, a titanic stone structure built during the age of the Galtean Alliance to celebrate his subjugation of the lands bordering the Naldoan Sea. Inside can be found many technologies and architectural marvels beyond the ken of modern man. In addition to Raithwall's crypt, the tomb contains priceless royal treasure, and only those with proof of direct lineage are suffered within. Intruders are met with traps and guardians most terrible. Though the sky pirates know of the treasure's existence, none have succeeded in its theft as yet.
Valendia: This is the area that King Raithwall first came from before uniting Ivalice.
CP: Continent lying to the northeast of Ordalia. The climate is overall quite clement, and levels of Mist are far more stable than on the other two large continents. Many towns and villages dot the hilly region stretching from the continent's interior to the shores of the Inner Naldoan Sea, most under the direct control of Archadia. The Kingdom of Nabradia, lying on the Phon Straits in western Valendia, prospered here until its destruction in the Archadian invasion of two years past, its capital of Nabudis becoming a deserted wasteland.
Zertinan Caverns: Contains exits to the Dalmasca Westersand, the Nam-Yensa and Ogir-Yensa Sandseas, and Ozmone Plain. At first only a bit of it can be explored, since sandfalls block the way. Later on, it can be fully explored; the extra area contains the Esper Adrammelech.
CP: A great cavern complex stretching along the length of the inland sea between Ordalia and Kerwon. Its passages twist and turn, winding their way fro the Jagd Yensa to Dalmasca, and even Bancour. Labyrinthine and dark, the caverns provide an excellent place for criminals and bandits to hide from authorities. The reaches near the Great Yensan Sandsea are known for their frequent deadly subterranean sand drifts, and the fierce wyrms that make their home there. Nearer to Bancour, the smell of brine grows stronger, and many of the cavern mouths open out onto cliffs overlooking the sea.