Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age Ribbon Location Guide

The Ribbon is one of the most powerful accessories in Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, offering protection from nearly all negative status effects. The exceptions are Instant Death, Stone, and X-Zone. In The Zodiac Age remaster, the accessory also grants the wearer the permanent effects of Libra, revealing enemy details and hidden traps, and Regen, which periodically restores HP. Given the number of enemies that inflict debilitating statuses, securing a Ribbon for each active party member is a significant advantage in the game’s toughest battles.

There are several methods to acquire a Ribbon, ranging from one-time treasure chests to repeatable farming techniques. This guide covers every available source for the accessory.

Finding the Ribbon in Treasure Chests

Two Ribbons can be found in specific treasure chests, though both have a low chance of appearing, requiring some persistence.

Pharos – Subterra

A Ribbon is located in a chest in the Abyssal – North section of the Pharos – Subterra. This optional dungeon becomes accessible after completing the main story events at The Pharos at Ridorana. To enter, return to the Pharos and use the orange teleport crystal, then take the Dais of Ascendance elevator down to the Subterra.

To progress through the Subterra, players must collect Black Orbs from defeated enemies and place them on a Pedestal of Night on each floor. Each floor has four pedestals, one in each corner room (northwest, northeast, southwest, southeast). Depositing enough Black Orbs will cause the pedestal to glow brightly, unlocking the path deeper. Be careful not to deposit too many orbs at once, as this will reset the pedestal. It is safest to add one orb at a time until the game prevents further deposits. Once all four pedestals on a floor are fully lit, the Dais of Ascendance elevator will grant access to the next level down.

The Ribbon chest is on the Abyssal floor. From the central area, go to the northwest corner room and proceed through the west door. In the following corridor, head straight along the western path and then turn right, keeping to the right-hand wall. The treasure chest has a 10% chance to spawn in the corner. If it is not there, exit back to the northwest corner room and re-enter the corridor to try again.

Henne Mines

The second chest-based Ribbon is in the Special Charter Shaft area of the Henne Mines. Access to this area is restricted. To open it, the player must first have obtained at least 10 Espers, including optional ones. After meeting this condition, speak with the Geomancer in Jahara. He will dispatch someone to open the previously locked eastern gate in the Ore Separation section of the mines, which is the area just above the orange teleport save crystal.

Inside the Special Charter Shaft, the treasure chest containing the Ribbon is located at the very end of the J-shaped passage in the top part of the map. This chest has only a 15% chance of appearing. To reset its spawn chance, leave the zone and re-enter. It is best to move only one zone away; moving two zones will cause all the enemies in the Special Charter Shaft to respawn. The powerful Esper Zodiark is located through the northern exit of this shaft, so players should be cautious not to wander that way until they are prepared for the fight.

Obtaining the Ribbon from Quests and Drops

Beyond treasure chests, Ribbons can be earned as a quest reward or farmed from specific rare enemies.

Rare Game Hunt Club Reward

A guaranteed Ribbon is awarded for participation in the Rare Game Hunt Club side quest. This quest can be initiated by speaking to a group of bangaa hunters at The Phon Coast. The goal is to hunt 30 specific Rare Game monsters and collect trophies from them. After collecting all 30 trophies, players must give at least 16 of them to the bangaa named Stok. Once all 30 trophies have been distributed among the three bangaa vendors, a short ceremony will occur, after which the player receives a Ribbon as a reward.

Vishno Drop

The rare game monster Vishno has a chance to drop a Ribbon. Vishno is found at the top of the First Ascent/Wellspring Ravel – 4th Flight area within The Pharos at Ridorana. To make Vishno appear, the player must create a chain of 10 Deidar enemies on the floor below. This means defeating 10 Deidars consecutively without killing any other type of monster. Once the chain is complete, ascend to the top of the fourth flight to find Vishno.

Vishno has only a 1% chance of dropping a Ribbon upon defeat. Players can use the auto-save feature in The Zodiac Age to their advantage. After defeating Vishno, check for the drop. If it is not a Ribbon, press the Options button and exit to the main menu. Loading the auto-save will place the player just before the fight, allowing another attempt. Do not leave the area after the fight, as this will create a new auto-save and overwrite the one before the battle.

Lv. 99 Red Chocobo Drop

One enemy in the game is guaranteed to drop a Ribbon: the Lv. 99 Red Chocobo. This exceptionally rare monster has a chance to spawn in the Haulo Green area of the Ozmone Plain. To trigger its appearance, first defeat at least six of the normal Chocobos in that area. Then, move two zones away and return to reset the area’s enemies. Upon returning, there is a 1 in 256 chance that a Lv. 99 Red Chocobo will spawn in place of a regular one.

This process can be tedious, but the 4x speed mode added in The Zodiac Age helps significantly reduce the time spent running between zones. Once the Lv. 99 Red Chocobo is found and defeated, it has a 100% chance to drop a Ribbon.

Farming Ribbons in Trial Mode

The most reliable and repeatable method for acquiring multiple Ribbons is through Trial Mode. Any items, LP, and equipment obtained in this mode can be transferred to a main story save file. This is done by loading the auto-save created by Trial Mode from the main game’s load menu.

A Ribbon can be stolen from three bosses in Trial Mode:

• Hashmal (Stage 49): Rare steal
• Lv. 99 Red Chocobo (Stage 93): Rare steal
• Omega Mark XII (Stage 99): Uncommon steal

Farming Hashmal on Stage 49 is the most efficient method. To maximize the chance of a successful steal, the active character should be equipped with the Thief’s Cuffs accessory. This increases the probability of obtaining a rare item from 3% to 6%.

Trial Mode auto-saves at the beginning of each stage. If a steal attempt on Hashmal fails to yield a Ribbon, simply exit to the main menu before defeating the Esper. Loading the auto-save will restart Stage 49, allowing for another attempt. Once a Ribbon is successfully stolen, defeat Hashmal to proceed to Stage 50. At the start of Stage 50, exit to the main menu again. From there, load the main game and select the Trial Mode auto-save file to import the stolen Ribbon. This process can be repeated as many times as needed, though each transfer will reset progress in Trial Mode, requiring the player to start again from Stage 1.