Final Fantasy X: Village of the Cactuars Walkthrough

To obtain the Mercury Sigil in Final Fantasy X, you’ll need to complete the Village of the Cactuars sidequest by finding and battling 10 quirky Cactuars in Bikanel Desert. The Mercury Sigil is required to upgrade Rikku’s Celestial Weapon, Godhand, to its massively powerful full potential.

Sidequest Tips

The Village of the Cactuars quest is easier and faster to complete if you equip a weapon or piece of armor with the No-Encounter ability. If you don’t have anything in your inventory that fits the bill, the easiest way to obtain one is by using 30 Purifying Salts to add this ability to a piece of armor of your choice. Purifying Salts are dropped by Monks in the Zanarkand Ruins.

Ghost enemies in the Cavern of Stolen Fayth may drop No-Encounter armor. Geosgaeno, the boss found in the water in Baaj, has a 50 percent chance of dropping a No-Encounter weapon.

You’ll be fighting tons of Cactuars during this quest. Though their HP isn’t incredibly high, you’ll want to keep plenty of Phoenix Downs on hand in case anyone in your party is hit with their 10,000 Needles attack.

Starting the Village of the Cactuars Quest

To begin this sidequest, you must have access to the Airship.

Tip

If you need to catch 10 Cactuars for the Monster Arena quest, this quest is a great time to do it.

During this quest, you’ll need to seek out 10 unique Gatekeeper Cactuars across the four sections of the Sanubia Desert. To see which area you’re currently in, pull up the menu and look at the bottom of the screen. You’ll see either West, Central, East, or Oasis.

To begin the sidequest, head to Sanubia Desert – West and head to the northeastern part of the map. You’ll find a cliff overlooking an area covered by a sandstorm. Interact with the stone Glyph overlooking the area to get your first clue.

When you find the Cactaur indicated by the clue, interacting with it will trigger a brief ‘Red Light, Green Light’ minigame. You’ll need to sneak up on the Cactuar, running towards it until the screen flashes “Needletime!” in Al Bhed. When you see that, stop moving until the Cactuar turns away from you again.

Once you successfully sneak up on a Cactuar, you’ll be forced into battle.

Note

If you’re terrible at the Cactuar Tag minigames, don’t worry. Losing against any of the Cactuar will reward you with a Sphere de Perdeor (Sphere of the Loser) instead of the Cactuar’s personalized sphere, and these still count towards the sidequest’s completion.

Take the sphere you receive back to the stone Glyph in the Western part of Sanubia Desert. Interact with the stone will give you your next clue.

Below, we’ve included the location of each Cactaur, their Glyph Clue, and the time you’ll have to complete their minigame. We’ve also included any helpful tips you may need for the more tricky Cactaurs.

Tomay

Glyph Clue: “Tomay’s Gone. Gone to fetch the water.”

Location: Tomay can be found in the Oasis. This is where you first enter Sanubia Desert after disembarking from the Airship.

Minigame Time: 10.0 seconds

Rovivea

Glyph Clue: “Rovivea’s gone walkabout. Be back soon.”

Location: You’ll find Rovivea in Sanubia Desert – East. When you enter the area from Sanubia Desert – Central, head to the small area on the west side of the map.

Minigame Time: 13.0 seconds

Chava

Glyph Clue: “Little Chava likes big numbers. Be back soon.”

Location: Chava is in Sanubia Desert – West, the same area as the Glyph stone. To the left of the stone, you’ll find two makeshift signs. Examine the one on the left to uncover Chava’s hiding spot.

Minigame Time: 13.0 seconds

Alek & Aloja

Glyph Clue: “Alek and Aloja play tag in the ruins of men. Be back soon.”

Location: Brothers Alek and Aloja can be found in Sanubia Desert – Central. From the Save Sphere, head northwest. You’ll see the siblings frolicking between the ruins.

Minigame Time: 13.0 seconds

Vachella

Glyph Clue: “Vachella seeks the shining blue. Be back soon.”

Location: Starting from the Oasis, head to Sanubia Desert -East. Interact with the Save Sphere under the tend to make Vachella appear.

Minigame Time: 14.0 seconds

Warning

Vachella will turn around three times in quick succession immediately after the first “Needletime” trigger. Proceed toward him with caution.

Robeya

Glyph Clue: “O, Robeya’s stuck inside. Be back soon.”

Location: Robeya can be found in Sanubia Desert – Central. Head towards the southwest corner and follow the fence on the northern edge. You’ll find Robeya in a treasure chest.

Minigame Time: 14.0 seconds

Note

Robeya’s minigame is a little different. As you make your way toward him, you’ll see three treasure chests. In order, these contain a Blessed Gem, two Shining Gems, and two Shadow Gems. It’s possible to snag two of the items while still making it to Robeya in time, though you can keep the items even if you lose.

Issra

Glyph Clue: “A fiery inscription- The lord of the hole is gone. Isrra thinks. Be back soon.”

Location: Issra is found in Sanubia Desert – West, the same area as the Glyph stone–however, you’ll need to leave the area and come back to force him to appear. You can find him running around in one of the sand pits.

Minigame Time: 15.0 seconds

Note

Issra’s minigame is particularly tricky, as the Cactaur spends a huge amount of time staring in Tidus’ direction. The easiest way to win is to run into the closest sand pit, which hides an invisible tunnel connecting the two pits on screen. This conceals you from Issra’s gaze, meaning you can run even when the Cactaur is facing toward you.

Elio

Glyph Clue: “Much-curious Elio has left on a journey. Be back soon.”

Location: To find Elio, return to the Oasis, where you’ll see the Cactaur teleport to the Airship. Board the Airship and reach the roof to catch him. You won’t need to fight him to obtain his sphere.

Minigame Time: 11.0 seconds

Flaile

Glyph Clue: “Flaile is always behind. Be back soon.”

Location: Flaile will appear automatically after you set Elio’s sphere in the Glyph stone.

Minigame Time: 13.0 seconds

Note

The “Needletime” messages and sound effects are completely meaningless in this minigame. Flaile will turn around whenever he wants, so watch his movements carefully.

Rewards

After finding and defeating Flaile, you’ll be given a red sphere. Placing this in the Glyph stone will cause the sandstorm covering the Cactuar Village to disappear. Once you enter, you’ll find one treasure chest containing the Mercury Sigil.

The other chest will contain a prize based on how many times you were able to sneak up on these kooky Cactaurs.