Quick Links
- Chocographs - detailed information on the locations and contents of the Chocograph treasures.
- Chocograph Checklist - ordered listing for completists.
- Special Sites - the hidden Dead Pepper treasures of the world.
- Beak Levels - Choco's beak level statistics.
- Treasures - the treasures to be found by playing the Chocobo Hot & Cold mini-game, and Mene's price list.
Chocobos
Chocobos are great. They have come a long way from simple transportation across the world map. Final Fantasy IX's chocobos can hunt for items, complete side quests, and even play a little game that's more addictive than oxygen laced with crack.
You only get one Chocobo in Final Fantasy IX. His name is Choco, and he's ready for collection from the Chocobo Forest as soon as the party leaves Lindblum. After that, he can be summoned onto the world map from chocobo tracks by using a Gysahl Green. When you get off Choco, he will wait patiently where he is until you either get back on or summon him from elsewhere.
Choco begins life as a standard yellow chocobo, able to run over fields only. As time progresses, however, he may learn new abilities that may increase his range of motion... For Choco to learn a new ability, he has to find a special treasure buried somewhere on the world map. How do you find them? You need a Chocograph. How do you get those? You play Chocobo Hot & Cold, of course.
Chocobo Hot & Cold
Chocobo Hot & Cold is at the heart of the Chocobo side-quest. It can be played by leading Choco into one of the three game venues around the land; the Chocobo Forest is the first one, but a Lagoon and the Air Garden become available later. When in there, you can pay to spend time digging around for treasure. You get to keep what you find, and you also gain points.
| Location | Cost | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Chocobo Forest | 60 Gil | 1:00 |
| Chocobo Lagoon | 30 Gil | 0:30 |
| Chocobo Lagoon (with Ocean ability) | 60 Gil | 1:00 |
| Chocobo Air Garden | 60 Gil | 1:00 |
To find an object, Choco must peck at the floor. After each peck he will report his findings with a "kweh." The more excited the call, the closer he is to finding an item. When the item is found, it must be dug up by repeatedly pecking at it. As Choco's beak gets stronger, he can dig further with each peck. His beak will level up as you gain points. More detailed info is available on points vs levels, and treasures vs points.
You can also use your points to gain more items; Just ask Mene. Be aware that the more powerful items will take a long time to save up for, and the weaker items can be bought or found elsewhere. The price list gives the rundown on Mene's extortion racket.
With the Reef ability or higher, and a ship of some sort, Choco may access the Lagoon on the western archipelago. If Choco has yet to gain the ability to cross deep water, then you'll need to land on a northern island and take the long route around the inner part of the Forgotten Continent in order to reach it.
The final venue is the Air Garden, which can appear in one of five locations on the map and moves every time you enter an area. To fly there, look around for a faint circular shadow and use a Dead Pepper while hovering above it.
Chocographs
While digging for treasure, Choco will occasionally find a very special item called a Chocograph. Each one is unique, and Choco will tell you when he has found all he can for now, so it's best keep going until he finds them all.
Each Chocograph gives the location of a special treasure which may be found by digging on the world map. They give a brief description of the treasure's location, a hint to get to going, and a small screenshot of the overworld. The treasure can be found by following the clues and then looking for the place shown on the little picture. Once there, dig around as per the usual Hot & Cold rules, and Choco will eventually uncover a special chest. Each of these is unique, and won't appear until the corresponding Chocograph is found. You're probably wanting a list of all Chocographs, with details on their locations, and other such things. There are also special treasures that have no corresponding Chocograph. A checklist is available for completists, ordered by time.
Some of the Chocograph treasures will give Choco a new ability that will let him explore more areas, so they are well worth hunting for...
