Final Fantasy Tactics The Ivalice Chronicles: How to rescue Mustadio (and should you recruit him?)

Final Fantasy Tactics The Ivalice Chronicles features some harrowing battles, and one of the most frustrating is rescuing Mustadio at Zaland Fort City. He’s an engineer on the run from the Baert Gang, who are trying to steal some very valuable items from him. Ramza simply can’t let this kind of injustice slide, and immediately leaps in with his friends to help out. If Mustadio dies, the fight instantly ends, which is already challenging.

Then you add on the Wizards, Archers, and Knights, and you’ve got a bad time coming. The Wizards can also cast Summon Magic, making them the biggest threat on the battlefield. In fact, there can be times where you’ll begin this fight, and then lose before even getting a chance to reach Mustadio proper.

Thankfully, Mustadio seems to have better AI in Final Fantasy Tactics The Ivalice Chronicles. Here are some valuable tips to get through this fight faster.

---

Tips to successfully rescue Mustadio in Final Fantasy Tactics The Ivalice Chronicles

Ideally, Mustadio will immediately get on the roof closest to you in Final Fantasy Tactics The Ivalice Chronicles. In all of my attempts in this fight, he typically did this right away, and didn't die. I reset more for losing my own allies than anything else.

That spot, for the most part, will keep him safe in this fight. I find that if you inch closer to the enemy, they’ll focus on you instead. Your number one target are the Wizards. They need to be eliminated as soon as possible. Below is the squad I used for this fight:

Your sacrifice won't be in vain, Ninja (Image via Square Enix)

Ramza	Monk/Squire/Two-Swords/First Strike/Movement +1
Agrias	Holy Sword/Item/Counter/Movement+1
NPC #1	Monk/Squire/Two-Swords/First Strike/Movement +1
NPC #2	Ninja/Squire/Critical HP/Jump +1
NPC #3	Dancer/Squire/Dragonheart/Movement +1

The Wizards are going to get as close as they can to you to cast from behind the walls. I brought a Ninja a tile away from the wall to be a sacrificial lamb. They used a bunch of spells to kill him, and since everyone was far away, they slowly made their way towards the wall to come over and fight.

After the Ninja died, that’s where the Monk/Squire comes in, who can just use Revive. He was going to be heading that way, anyway. I move them towards the right side of the map, to lure the Knights over the wall, making them easy pickings.

As soon as your Dancer can start, I did a round of Witch Hunt, and then Forbidden Dance to start hitting debuffs after the Wizards had 0 MP, but your mileage may vary. If you aren’t going to run a Dancer, a Chemist with a Gun is an excellent option. Being able to throw High/X-Potions, and also attack at a range is incredible value.

Keep being aggressive on the right side of the map, and the enemy will focus on you (Image via Square Enix)

Agrias absolutely needs Battle Boots, alongside Movement +1, to get her into the battle as soon as possible. I move her towards the right side of the map, so she can spam Northswain’s Strike (for KO) or Hallowed Bolt (for Silence) when enemies are close. She also has item to be a support, in a pinch. Ramza has Monk for damage, and to help with Chakra when heals are needed.

If Mustadio’s not the focus of their attacks, just hang back and let the Mages run out of MP. It won’t take long, between Witch Hunt, and simply tanking the shots and healing with Chakra. If you don’t get too close to the walls, the enemy units will keep coming to you, so you don’t have to chase them.

As enemies start coming closer in Final Fantasy Tactics The Ivalice Chronicles, send Ramza or your Monk to the right side of the wall, and start demolishing them with Bare Hands+Two Swords. At this point, the Wizards should have no MP left to work with, so trigger Forbidden Dance and hopefully you land some Stops, Confuses, or Petrifies.

They'll file in nice and slow, and let you pound them to dust, even on Tactician difficulty (Image via Square Enix)

The Archers are frankly, the least threatening. They deal decent damage in this Final Fantasy Tactics battle to save Mustadio, but with this strategy, we can easily heal them back up without expending any mana. A bonus of leading the enemies to the right side of the wall is that Mustadio can shoot them as they get there.

That’s the general strategy; stay back and to the right of the map, and force enemies to come down to you. In the late phases of this Final Fantasy Tactics fight, when it’s down to just a few, you can go in and take care of any Archers or Wizards that chose not to come to you.

Once enemies start coming to you, you can also bring a Monk onto the wall and use Monk skills to blast them from a distance. The Knights have no counter for it, and the Wizards are out of MP, so it’s no big deal. Just take your time, and take them out one at a time.

---

Should you bother recruiting Mustadio in Final Fantasy Tactics The Ivalice Chronicles?

Don't let his stats fool you; he's very important in the late game (Image via Square Enix)

After rescuing Mustadio in Final Fantasy Tactics The Ivalice Chronicles, you’ll be given a chance to recruit him to your party. This takes place after the Clockwork City of Goug battle in Chapter 2. While he’s not the most powerful character in the game, and I’d understand if you chose not to use him, you absolutely need to recruit him.

Mustadio is a requirement to unlock the extra characters in Chapter 4. If you don’t recruit him, his father won’t help you in the Clockwork City of Goug in Chapter 4, and you won’t be able to pick up the amazing, overpowered extra units. For that reason alone, even if he never joins your active party, you need to recruit him in FFT.

---

Final Fantasy Tactics The Ivalice Chronicles launches on September 30, 2025, and is truly a masterpiece. You can learn more about the revived genre-defining tactical RPG in our in-depth review.