Disguised as a fortune-teller, Cait Sith makes claims of his home and workplace being the grand Gold Saucer, amusement park for the (rich) masses.
The Gold Saucer is a huge amusement park suspended in the sky over the desert of the eastern continent. Its appearance is just as its title describes: a series of mushroom-like saucers decorated in gold that, interconnected through lightning-fast railways, form the theme park. It offers various activities to its visitors, from games to rides to tournament opportunities (in RPG language, it's mini-game haven).
The Gold Saucer was created by Dio, a large, boisterous man with a huge ego. He also created the Desert Prison to protect the amusement park and keep it criminal-free. At the Gold Saucer, he showcases his medals, trophies and collected artefacts (including the Key of the Ancients) and is often found wandering the Battle Square.
Below the Gold Saucer exits the Desert Prison, a vile and dangerous place where wrong-doers are sent and rarely return. It's surrounded on all sides by quicksand, and even if one were to somehow navigate the quicksand, an un-navigable sandstorm would await him or her. The only way to leave is by way of winning a Chocobo race—and that's if you get permission from the hard-to-please prison head, Mr. Coates, first. Things aren't so dire here that the prison doesn't care for its prisoners' lives—if you ever try to escape via the desert and get lost, a caravan will eventually come along to take you back.
 "Corel")
Since the Gold Saucer is not accessible on ground level, visitors must use the Ropeway (air lift) located in the nearly decimated town of Corel to get to it. Ironically, even though the majority of the people in Corel and the surrounding area are poor, admission to the Gold Saucer is very expensive: tickets cost $3000 for one time (one time tickets become void if you leave) and $30000 for a lifetime pass. Subsequently, only the very well-off are able to enjoy the splendours of the amusement park.
Additionally, a special currency is used for most of the attractions at the Gold Saucer: GP. It can be obtained by winning games at the Wonder Square or winning bets placed at the Chocobo Races. There is also sometimes a strange man hanging around the entrance area who will sell you GP illegally at a high price ($100 Gil for 1 GP).
Attractions
The Gold Saucer is divided into seven sectors, each specialising in a different area of fun:
Enjoy the sights of the Gold Saucer...
Wonder Square ∧
"A number of Games await you here. Collect GP at Wonder Square and play some more!!"
There are many games you can play here using Gil and winning GP in return. (This is also where you first meet Cait Sith). You can trade GP for items from a woman here.
| Item | GP |
|---|---|
| Potion Ether X-Potion Turbo Ether Gold Ticket Carob Nut Gil Plus Materia Exp. Plus Materia |
1 GP 20 GP 80 GP 100 GP 300 GP 500 GP 1000 GP 2000 GP |
There are nine games available to be played:
| Game Name | Cost | Game Name | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3D Battler Arm Wrestling Mega Sumo G Bike Fortune Telling |
200 Gil 100 Gil 200 Gil 50 Gil |
Mog House Snow Game Super Dunk Torpedo Attack Wonder Catcher |
100 Gil 200 Gil 200 Gil 200 Gil 100 Gil |
Battle Square ∧
"Go to the limits in heated battles! Try your hand at the special Gold Attack!!"
The Battle Square can be competed in by one character at a time for 10 GP. BP (battle points) are won each time and can be
traded in for some great prizes (see below). If you fail to win, you'll receive a worthless tissue with which to cry into. For added challenge, there
is no save point, and if you leave the Battle Square your BPs will be set to zero.
| Prize | BP Needed |
|---|---|
| Remedy Enemy Lure Materia Right Arm Pre-Emptive Materia Regen Greens Speed Plus Materia Stardust Championship Belt Omnislash W-Summon Materia Final Attack Materia ∗ |
100 BP 200 BP 500 BP 1000 BP 2000 BP 4000 BP 8000 BP 16000 BP 3200 BP 64000 BP 64000+ BP |
∗ After receiving both the Omnislash and W-Summon Materia and collecting 64000 BP, talk to the woman behind the counter to access the special battle rounds. If you complete them, fighting the enemy Proud Clod in the eighth round, you'll receive the Final Attack Materia.
Each battle takes eight rounds to complete. After successfully completing each round, a slot will appear (similar to Tifa's limit break) with a few, mainly handicapping choices (see below). You can also choose to stop further battles if you feel you won't be able to finish.
| Handicaps | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cure Poison Mini Frog Zero MP MP Halved Speed Halve |
HP&MP Halved 5 Levels Down 10 Levels Down Independent Materia Broken Support Materia Broken Magic Materia Broken Summon Materia Broken |
Item Command Sealed Sword Broken Armour Broken Accessory Broken Time x30 Damage All Materia Broken |
Chocobo Square ∧
"Chocobo racing takes you into the world of Virtual Reality! Wark! Wark!"
There are two main attractions here: betting on Chocobo races via the center partition, or racing your
own Chocobos on the left. GP can be won from betting, and various prizes can be won from racing.
Event Square ∧
"An entertaining show awaits you."
Although most of the time closed off, while on the date Cloud and his choice will be able to participate in a funny play having to do with heroes, princesses, and dragons.
Ghost Square ∧
 "Ghost Square")
"Please come and stay at the hotel... Ha ha ha..."
The Ghost Square features a Halloween themed hotel that your party can stay at for 5 GP. There's also a general shop manned by the most popular employee, Mr. Hangman.
Round Square ∧
"Take a tour of the Park and see the beautiful night scenery of Gold Saucer..."
For 10 GP you can ride the Gondola to see the wondrous sights of the Gold Saucer.
Speed Square ∧
"A Shooting Roller Coaster is waiting to take you into the world of excitement."
You can ride this interactive roller coaster for 10 GP. The goal is to shoot as many things as possible (make sure to shoot the UFO for 2000
points and the yellow boulder on the cliff wall for 2000 points).
