Rhonda may have sold us out and then given us .01% of the bounty on Aerith’s head, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t help her out. I guess. Here’s how to complete When Words Won’t Do in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (FF7).
How to Finish When Words Won’t Do in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (FF7)
If you take a gander at the Community Board in front of the Fish’s Net tavern on the main street of Under Junon, you’ll find that Rhonda’s made a request. She needs a bodyguard for her boy Salmon, and who’s better suited to it than Cloud and crew?
To find Rhonda, make your way to the outside of the inn. You’ll find Rhonda to the left of the giant fish skeleton. Talk to her, and she’ll tell you she needs to deliver the rest of your bounty to someone else. And her porter is a very small dog named Salmon.
It’s a bold request, to be certain. Apparently, the money will go to her son so she can “wash her hands clean of him”. But this quest will open the Crow’s Nest for us, a huge part of Junon. So, it’s essential we agree. Once you do, Salmon will go to the entrance of Under Junon.
Even if you have a checkpoint that’s close to the Crow’s Nest, which is to the far east of the Junon region, you can’t just fast-travel there to expedite this quest. You must head to the Angler’s Stowage fast travel point, where Salmon will be waiting. Speak to Salmon, and you’ll get the prompt, “Follow Salmon?”
Say yes, and the escort mission will begin. Salmon has 2550 HP, which is a lot of health. This dog is tankier than my Cloud. Follow Salmon, and he’ll lead you down the main road towards the Crow’s Nest. It’s quite a long path, dotted with enemies. Barret is particularly useful in Junon because of the wide range of flying enemies. Barret can quickly lock on and Stagger most fliers without consuming MP or ATB, making him the easiest and most effective teammate for this quest.
If you lose track of Salmon, don’t worry. He’ll stop moving once you stop following him. And you can use your minimap or open your larger map to find out where he is. Once you get close to him, he’ll resume his journey.
As you reach the halfway point in the journey, you’ll encounter two Sandstorm Drakes. These fiends are capable of using Petrify, which will turn you into Stone if you take too much damage while you have the Petrify status on you. To cure Petrify, you’ll need Esuna (a second-level spell on Cleansing Materia) or a Gold Needle, which can be purchased at Item Vending Machines.
Sandstorm Drakes are particularly vulnerable to Aero attacks. But the best way to pressure them is when they summon an aura around themselves. When they do this, they’ll spawn tornadoes if you attack from the front or sides. The aura will weaken the more tornadoes that are spawned. But you can attack the Sandstorm Drakes from behind to weaken the aura without conjuring any tornadoes. Ideal, as Salmon is on the battlefield with you, and you’re fighting against his doggy AI and these fiends.
But beyond that, this is the first encounter where you can get the rare item Exquisite Beast Spine. So, if you want to farm it early, save the game before the encounter and grind this fight until it drops. There are two Sandstorm Drakes so that doubles your chances.
Once the two Sandstorm Drakes are defeated, continue following Salmon up the path. You’re almost there, and you won’t encounter any more enemies.
After you turn over the cash, you’ll meet Toby, who will hand over your rewards and unlock new quests in Junon. Those rewards are:
- Ruby.
- Emerald.
- Sharpshooter’s Companion Vol. I (increases Barret’s Skill Points by 10).
- 10 Party XP.
- Deepened relationship with Barret.
You can follow Toby into the Crow’s Nest to start the next side quest, The Hardest Sell.
