After completing the tutorial and choosing Ventus you are taken to the day that Terra and Aqua seek their Mark of Mastery. The task is to defeat the Orbs of Light, fast moving balls that will emit light if left alone for too long. You can basically hack and slash through this using your abilities as you see fit. If the Orbs of Light ever get too far away simply use Ventus Shotlock to close the distance and destroy a few.

Prizes

After the battle and a few cutscenes you will be taken to the World Map – the Keyblade Board (Land of Departure) will be unlocked in the Command Board. When you are ready head over to the Dwarf Woodlands.

Dwarf Woodlands¶

Whistle While You Work¶

After the scene switch out Quick Blitz for Sliding Dash and grab the three chests in this area for two Potions and an Ether . Head north in to the mine and begin the chase with the dwarves. Most of them are in crates; Bashful is the exception and he rides the cart on the west end of the mine. Hit the back of the cart to reveal the last dwarf. Grab the Balloon Sticker and three chests containing a Payback Raid, Panacea, and Mini which is located high above in the room.

Head south through the Mountain Trail until you reach the Cottage. Open the chest inside to get the Attack Recipe then head back to the clearing. The chests here hold a Poison, Dwarf Woodlands Map and a Fire . You can reach the Ice Cream Sticker if you jump and swing the Keyblade at your peak. Go south to the Deep Woods and open its three chests for an Ether, Potion and Shimmering Crystal then talk to Snow White. The mission is to escort her back to the Cottage. Stick near her and when a Treant attacks, use square to block and X to counter and dispel the Treant.

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Wait here for the cart carrying Bashful (left) to arrive. Attack it to free him. Protecting Snow is similar to when you protected Cinderella (right). Block incoming attacks as best you can.

Prizes

Stock up on some Potions and utilize the Save Point before heading in to the Deep Woods to meet Ventus’s first boss fight. You may also want to consider playing the Command Board to get a new Shotlock, Ragnarok. It’s located in the top left corner for 800 GP and is well worth getting.

BOSS - Mad Treant¶

Start off this boss fight with a Shotlock then charge in with physical attacks to trigger the Command Style. When the Mad Treant jumps in the air you need to jump up when it’s at its peak and attack to avoid the stunning shockwave when it lands and deal more damage. Be careful when comboing or you will find yourself caught in the Mad Treants barrage of mini-bombs that it will throw out in a short-range circle. If you get low on health use a D-Link or a Potion. Aqua has healing magic while Terra will help you take the Treant down faster.

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The bomb barrage (left) can mostly be avoided by keeping your distance. When the Treant jumps, attack it when he reaches peak position (right).

Prizes

After the scenes you are taken back to the World Map. Head back to the Dwarf Woodlands via the Cottage Clearing and go south till you reach the Flower Glade. At the southern tip of the map is a chest with a Soothing Crystal . You can also find the Prize Pods in the eastern loop of the Mine if they spawn. When you are all finished, head to the Castle of Dreams.

Unversed Mission - Survival Bottle¶

Location : The Mine

Reward : Illusion S

1 Star: 0’00“00 - 0’59“59

2 Star : 1’00“00 - 1’59“59

3 Star : 2’00“00+

The trick here is to load up on a bunch of Cure commands and have a long Shotlock like Meteor Shower or Ragnarok so you can reach the Survival Bottle. The poison will kill you quickly so chase down the Survival Bottle and use Finishers often since you are immune during them (same with Shotlocks). Use a Cure when you can’t reach the Survival Bottle in time and roll to keep up. Just watch out when the Survival Bottle dashes at you; Guard then counter!