Kingdom Hearts 2: Mastering Orichalcum+ – A Comprehensive Guide to Finding All Seven

Orichalcum+ is the rarest and most sought-after synthesis material in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix. Obtaining all seven pieces is crucial for creating the Ultima Weapon, Sora’s most powerful keyblade. This guide provides a detailed, step-by-step walkthrough on how to find each Orichalcum+ in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, along with tips and tricks to make the process easier.

What is Orichalcum+?

Orichalcum+ is a key synthesis material used to craft the Ultima Weapon in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix. It is significantly rarer than regular Orichalcum and requires specific tasks to be completed to obtain each piece. Gathering all seven Orichalcum+ will allow you to forge the Ultima Weapon, which significantly enhances Sora’s strength, magic, and overall combat abilities.

Why is the Ultima Weapon Important?

The Ultima Weapon is the strongest Keyblade in the game, offering a significant boost to Sora’s stats. It has +6 Strength and +6 Magic, making Sora a powerhouse in both physical attacks and magical abilities. Furthermore, it has the ability “MP Hastega” allowing for MP to recover at an accelerated rate. This means you’ll be able to cast magic more frequently. This is especially helpful against tougher bosses and in the later stages of the game.

Prerequisites Before You Begin

Before embarking on your Orichalcum+ hunt, make sure you meet these requirements:

* **Complete the Main Story:** It’s recommended to complete the main story of Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix first. This will unlock all the worlds and abilities needed to access certain Orichalcum+ locations.
* **High Drive Forms Levels:** Leveling up your Drive Forms (Valor, Wisdom, Limit, Master, and Final) is essential for certain challenges and abilities required to obtain some of the Orichalcum+.
* **Strong Equipment and Abilities:** Equip Sora with strong Keyblades, armor, and accessories. Abilities like Glide, High Jump, and Aerial Dodge are crucial for navigating different areas.
* **Synthesis Menu Unlocked:** You need to have unlocked the Moogle synthesis shop in order to start crafting. You can easily do this by visiting any world and defeating Heartless to collect synthesis materials.

Locations of All Seven Orichalcum+

Here is a breakdown of where to find each of the seven Orichalcum+ in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix:

1. Complete all Gummi Ship Missions with an ‘A’ Rank

This Orichalcum+ is obtained by completing all Gummi Ship missions with an ‘A’ rank or higher. This requires skill and a well-designed Gummi Ship.

* **Gummi Ship Preparation:**
* **Ship Design:** A balanced Gummi Ship with high firepower, defense, and speed is recommended. Consider using a donut or similar ship for ease of manuvering.
* **Weapons:** Equip powerful weapons such as Firaga guns, Thundaga guns, and Graviga guns. Missiles are helpful for dealing damage to distant targets.
* **Armor:** Use the strongest armor pieces to withstand enemy fire. Shells and shields will reduce damage. Don’t forget to add health to your ship.
* **Abilities:** Utilize abilities like Auto-Repair and Auto-Guard to help sustain your ship during missions.
* **Mission Strategy:**
* **Practice:** Familiarize yourself with each mission layout and enemy patterns.
* **Target Priorities:** Focus on destroying enemy ships quickly and efficiently to minimize damage.
* **Collectibles:** Gather as many bonus items and treasures as possible to increase your score.
* **Gummi Route Challenges:**
* **Stardust Sweep:** Requires you to traverse a difficult route and collect all stardust within the time limit.
* **Splash Island:** A very challenging route with difficult enemies. Prepare a fast and agile ship.

2. Complete the Goddess of Fate Cup at Olympus Coliseum

The Goddess of Fate Cup is a challenging tournament at the Olympus Coliseum. You’ll need to fight against a gauntlet of enemies, including powerful bosses.

* **Preparation:**
* **Level:** Be at least level 60 or higher before attempting this cup.
* **Equipment:** Equip your strongest Keyblade, armor, and accessories. The Hero’s Crest Keyblade is effective for its combo boost, or the Rumbling Rose for finishers.
* **Abilities:** Equip essential abilities like Combo Plus, Air Combo Plus, Finishing Plus, and Second Chance.
* **Strategy:**
* **Enemy Analysis:** Study the attack patterns of each enemy and boss.
* **Crowd Control:** Use area-of-effect attacks to deal with multiple enemies simultaneously. Thunder and Firaga are useful for this.
* **Boss Battles:** Focus on dodging and guarding against boss attacks, then counterattack during openings. Use Limit Form for powerful attacks and invincibility.
* **Key Battles:**
* **Hades:** A powerful opponent with fire-based attacks. Use ice magic to exploit his weakness.
* **Cloud:** A strong swordsman with fast attacks. Use Guard to block his attacks and counterattack.
* **Sephiroth:** The final boss of the cup and one of the toughest fights in the game. Be patient, dodge his attacks, and use Limit Form when possible.

3. Collect the Orichalcum+ in Twilight Town

This Orichalcum+ is found in Twilight Town after completing the first visit and the initial story events. Once you have completed the prerequisites, head to the following location:

* **Location:** The Orichalcum+ is located in the **Sunset Terrace** area of Twilight Town.
* **How to Obtain:**
* **Defeat the Gambler Nobodies:** There will be a group of Gambler Nobodies floating in the air. You must defeat all of them to spawn a treasure chest containing the Orichalcum+.
* **Strategy:** Use aerial combos and magic to defeat the Gambler Nobodies quickly. Magnet and Thunder are particularly effective.

4. Complete the Critical Mode Playthrough

This is arguably the most challenging Orichalcum+ to obtain. You must beat the entire game on Critical Mode. Critical Mode is the highest difficulty setting in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, featuring reduced HP, increased enemy damage, and altered enemy AI.

* **Tips for Critical Mode:**
* **Leveling:** Leveling up is essential to survive in Critical Mode. Grind for experience points in areas with high enemy density.
* **Equipment:** Equip the best possible armor and accessories to increase your defense and resistance to status effects.
* **Abilities:** Prioritize defensive abilities like Second Chance, Once More, and Leaf Bracer.
* **Strategy:** Play defensively and learn enemy attack patterns. Use Guard and Dodge Roll to avoid damage. Exploit enemy weaknesses with magic and combos.
* **Starting Bonuses:**
* On Critical Mode, you start with 50 AP and the following abilities: Reaction Boost, Air Dodge, Combo Plus, and Finishing Plus.
* **Key Boss Battles:**
* **Roxas:** The first major boss in the game. Learn his attack patterns and use Guard and Dodge Roll to avoid damage.
* **Axel:** Another challenging boss with fire-based attacks. Use ice magic to exploit his weakness.
* **Xemnas:** The final boss of the game. Be patient and learn his attack patterns. Use Limit Form when possible.

5. Collect the Orichalcum+ in Space Paranoids

This Orichalcum+ is located in Space Paranoids.

* **Location:** The Orichalcum+ is located in the **Pit Cell** area of Space Paranoids.
* **How to Obtain:**
* **Activate the Console:** In the Pit Cell, find and activate the console to open a hidden compartment.
* **Defeat the MCP Heartless:** After activating the console, a wave of MCP Heartless will spawn. Defeat all of them to make a treasure chest appear containing the Orichalcum+.
* **Strategy:** Use fire and thunder magic to quickly dispose of the Heartless. Try to use Magnet to group the Heartless together to maximize the effect of thunder and firaga.

6. Collect the Orichalcum+ in The World That Never Was

This Orichalcum+ is found in The World That Never Was, the final world in the game.

* **Location:** The Orichalcum+ is located in the **Fragment Crossing** area of The World That Never Was.
* **How to Obtain:**
* **Navigate the Area:** The Fragment Crossing is a maze-like area with floating platforms. Use Glide and High Jump to navigate the platforms.
* **Find the Treasure Chest:** The treasure chest containing the Orichalcum+ is located on one of the higher platforms in the area. Be sure to explore every part of the stage until you find the treasure chest.

7. Collect the Orichalcum+ from the Synthesis Shop

This Orichalcum+ is obtained by synthesizing it at the Moogle Synthesis Shop. This requires obtaining various rare synthesis materials.

* **Synthesis Recipe:**
* **Mythril Crystal x1:** Dropped by Berserker Nobodies in The World That Never Was.
* **Serenity Gem x3:** Dropped by various Heartless throughout the game.
* **Serenity Crystal x1:** Dropped by Nobodies in various locations.
* **Lost Illusion x1:** Dropped by the final boss Xemnas in The World That Never Was.
* **Manifest Illusion x1:** Dropped by the Absent Silhouettes or Data Organization XIII Members.

* **Tips for Gathering Materials:**
* **Equip Lucky Ring:** Equip the Lucky Ring accessory to increase the drop rate of synthesis materials.
* **Use the Gull Wing Keyblade:** Increase the odds of getting more materials with this keyblade.
* **Farm Locations:** Certain locations have higher drop rates for specific materials. Research the best farming spots for each material.

Detailed Walkthrough for Specific Challenges

Here are some more detailed tips for some of the more challenging Orichalcum+ locations:

Goddess of Fate Cup Strategies

* **Sephiroth:** This fight is a test of patience and skill.
* **Attack Pattern Recognition:** Study his attack patterns. He frequently uses Heartless Angel, which reduces your HP to 1 and prevents you from using magic. Be prepared to use items to restore your MP.
* **Dodge and Guard:** Dodge or Guard his attacks, especially his quick slashes and teleporting strikes.
* **Counterattack:** Counterattack during his brief openings after his attacks. Limit Form is effective for dealing damage and avoiding attacks.
* **Limit Form:** Utilize Limit Form for invincibility and powerful attacks when you have an opening.
* **Hades:** This fiery fiend can be tough if you aren’t prepared.
* **Ice Magic:** Exploit his weakness to ice magic by casting Blizzaga frequently.
* **Dodge Roll:** Use Dodge Roll to avoid his fire-based attacks, such as his fire pillars and fireballs.
* **Ariel Combos:** Utilize Ariel Combos for more damage.

Critical Mode Strategies

* **Early Game Survival:** The early game is the hardest part of Critical Mode due to your low HP and weak equipment.
* **Prioritize Defense:** Focus on equipping defensive armor and accessories to reduce damage taken.
* **Learn Enemy Patterns:** Learn the attack patterns of common enemies to avoid unnecessary damage.
* **Grind for Levels:** Level up as much as possible in the early areas to increase your stats and gain access to essential abilities.
* **Boss Battles:** Boss battles require careful planning and execution.
* **Xemnas (Final Boss):** The final Xemnas fight can be particularly challenging, requiring precise timing and strategic use of your abilities.
* **Lea (Axel):** Axel is a fast-moving boss with strong fire attacks. Use ice spells to exploit his weakness. Guard his Chakram attacks. Aerial dodge his fire pillars.

Synthesis Shop Strategies

* **Material Farming:** Farming synthesis materials can be time-consuming, but there are strategies to make it more efficient.
* **Lucky Ring:** Equip multiple Lucky Rings to increase the drop rate of rare materials.
* **Gull Wing:** The Gull Wing Keyblade increases the rate at which enemies drop synthesis materials.
* **Specific Locations:** Some locations have higher drop rates for specific materials. For example, the Betwixt and Between is good for farming twilight crystals.

Using Drive Forms Effectively

Drive Forms are essential for navigating certain areas and defeating challenging enemies. Here’s how to use each Drive Form effectively:

* **Valor Form:**
* **Focus:** Primarily a melee-focused Drive Form with enhanced attack power and combo abilities.
* **Abilities:** Learns abilities that increase attack power and combo potential, such as Combo Plus and Air Combo Plus.
* **Usage:** Effective for dealing high damage to single targets and clearing out groups of enemies.
* **Wisdom Form:**
* **Focus:** A magic-focused Drive Form with enhanced MP and magic abilities.
* **Abilities:** Learns abilities that increase magic power and MP recovery, such as MP Haste and Magic Plus.
* **Usage:** Ideal for exploiting enemy weaknesses with powerful magic spells and quickly replenishing MP.
* **Limit Form:**
* **Focus:** A powerful Drive Form that utilizes Sora’s original abilities from Kingdom Hearts I.
* **Abilities:** Uses abilities like Sonic Blade, Ars Arcanum, and Ragnarok. Has invincibility frames during certain attacks.
* **Usage:** Effective for dealing massive damage to bosses and clearing out large groups of enemies.
* **Master Form:**
* **Focus:** A balanced Drive Form with enhanced attack power, magic, and defense.
* **Abilities:** Learns abilities that increase attack power, magic power, and defense, such as Combo Boost and Magic Boost.
* **Usage:** Versatile Drive Form that can be used effectively in a variety of situations.
* **Final Form:**
* **Focus:** The most powerful Drive Form, with enhanced attack power, magic, defense, and mobility.
* **Abilities:** Learns abilities that increase attack power, magic power, and defense, as well as abilities like Glide and Aerial Dodge.
* **Usage:** Ideal for tackling the toughest challenges in the game, such as superbosses and high-level enemies.

Tips and Tricks for Success

* **Save Frequently:** Save your game often, especially before attempting challenging fights or missions.
* **Explore Thoroughly:** Explore each area thoroughly to find hidden items and secrets.
* **Utilize Summons:** Summons can provide valuable support in battles, such as healing, attack power, and crowd control.
* **Experiment with Different Equipment:** Experiment with different Keyblades, armor, and accessories to find the best combination for your playstyle.
* **Practice and Patience:** Be patient and persistent. Some challenges may take multiple attempts to complete.
* **Use Items Wisely:** Use healing items and status effect cures strategically to survive challenging battles.

Conclusion

Finding all seven Orichalcum+ in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix is a challenging but rewarding task. By following this guide and utilizing the tips and strategies provided, you’ll be well on your way to obtaining the Ultima Weapon and conquering the toughest challenges in the game. Good luck, and have fun on your adventure!