ITEMS TO GET: Gold Nugget, Iron GWhip

    ...an underground cave. Fei and Bart agree to temporarily put aside their differences to get out of the cave. This is the first Gear dungeon, so if you still don't get how Gears work, it might be a good idea to go read the Gears. Be sure to stay in your Gears at all time in here; the monsters will make short work of you if you don't. Speaking of monsters, the enemies you'll encounter include Medusoids (one Square button attack will take them out), Tin Robos (two X buttons should do it), May Flies (use X attacks and Deathblows; they have a lot of HP), and Sand Men (use Triangle attacks to save fuel, and take them out last, since they can't do any actual damage to you).

Stalactite Cave Map

   Be sure to save before you go anywhere; there's a bug in the game ahead and you can get stuck. Go southwest and spin the camera around so you can see the south wall. Look for a big gray boulder and carefully inch up to it, hitting X until you trigger an event. If you're too close to the boulder when you examine it, Fei will end up inside the boulder when he tries to push it, and you will be stuck there, forcing you to reset the game (yes, this is a bug).

   Assuming you don't get stuck, Fei and Bart will push the boulder out of the way, allowing you to proceed through into the "Great Hall" area. Remember the scenery here; you'll be back later. For now, just go south and pick up the Gold Nugget in the chest, then exit to the west. You'll be in a long, organic-looking, hallway. Just proceed through into the Waterfall Grotto area. Head southwest through here until you reach a white robot (it just tells you some generic info if you talk to it). Remember its location, then continue south into the Stepping Stones area. Go south here and hop up the steps to the cave. Approach it and you will automatically get off your Gears and enter.

   The cave is home to Balthazar, aka Ol' Man Bal. He's surprised to see Fei and Bart in his cave, and correctly assumes that they must have been sucked down through the sand. Balthazar says he'll open the exit if Fei and Bart can find the two Sand Sensors and turn them off. Before you leave, talk to Bal again. Choose to buy Gear items from him, and you get the Gear upgrade menu. First, refuel and heal your Gears, then upgrade their engines, frame, and armor. You will really need all this stuff, so if you don't have the money, go outside and fight some enemies to get the cash. You may not notice an immediate difference (aside from the HP boost, and you can now probably kill Tin Robos in one hit instead of two), but you'll need the upgrades against the boss.

   Head back to the white Gear you found in the Waterfall Grotto area and take a west turn. Go north at the next turn and you'll reach a small circular area. Hop up on the platforms to the Sand Sensor, and examine it to turn it off. Before you leave, hop up to the top platform (in the northwest corner) and open the chest for the Iron GWhip. Equip it on Brigandier for a slight boost in attack power.

   Return to the Stepping Stones area, and jump up and left until you reach a small path in the northwest corner (make sure it's the northwest corner, and not the way you just came). Follow this path and you'll end up above the Waterfall. Continue along the path, through another organic hallway, until you end up back in the Great Hall, but on a high ledge (be careful not to fall off!). Proceed along the ledge to the second Sand Sensor. Deactivate it, then jump down it. You're now back where you rolled the boulder, so just retrace your steps until you reach Balthazar's cave.

   Balthazar opens the sand gate, then volunteers to take a look at your Gears. He soon returns, shaken by the appearance of Fei's Gear and calling it "the vessel of the slayer of god". He quickly evicts you from his cave (I think you can still go back and buy stuff, though, but I forgot to check ^_^). In any case, head to the southwest corner of the Stepping Stones area and pass through the now-open sand gate. Continue south to the next screen.

   Here, get out of your Gears (R2+L2) and board the tram to your right. It will take you over to a small ledge with a power generator. Turn the generator on, the ride the tram back to your Gears. Board them again, then stand on the elevator and activate the control panel (it's in the corner; it's kinda hard to see) to ride down to the lower level. Go south and make your way across the chasm. Save at the save point, then proceed down the highway. As you descend, you'll see a scene of a white Gear circling around overhead. Hop across the gap in the highway and turn east. As soon as you do, the Gear (Calamity) will fly down and attack.

   A lot of people have trouble with this battle, but it's really not that hard. Basically, you'll want to fight the same way you did against Brigandier, except you have two characters now. Calamity's attacks include a rocket punch (about 200 damage), a missile barrage (about 450 damage), and a simple charge (150 damage), but none of them are that damaging. As long as you upgraded your Gears at Bal's cave, you shouldn't have any trouble winning... but if you didn't, it's a whole different story.

   When Calamity is defeated, it will collapse, only to reform moments later. The Weltall goes out of control again and destroys the Calamity with its Kishin attack. After the scene ends, head east and jump up the steps onto the highway. Exit to the south.