One of the hardest dungeons in Final Fantasy IV is the sealed cave, famous for it's annoying Trap Doors and the frustrating Evil Wall. However, there is a way to glitch the game in such a way that you will not need to complete the entire sealed cave dungeon in order to get past that part of the story. This is either a glitch or a programmers back door possibly used to test the game faster.

GAME VERSION COMPATIBILITY:

PERFORMING THE TRICK:

    The first part of this trick begins after you defeat Golbez in the Crystal Room of the Dwarves Castle. After beating him, he disappears but a magical hand comes and takes the dark crystal from it's shrine anyway. After this happens there is an event about Rydia's timely return and then you are taken to a scene where the party is told about the tower of Bab-il by King Jiott. Immediately after you regain control of the party, have Rydia cast her Warp magic spell. When the spell finishes you will still be in the Crystal Room right on the crystal shrine, but the Crystal will have "returned" to the shrine! Go to the shrine and take the crystal. Now you have -a- dark crystal, which the game thinks is the one you are supposed to get after completing the Sealed Cave dungeon. For a graphical representation, see the steps below.

    Now that you can trick the game engine, when you come to the part of the game when King Jiott gives you Lucca's necklace, whose pendant releases the magic seal on the sealed cave, you can then go to the sealed cave. Fly there in any Airship you have available and release the seal on the cave. Why are you going to the Cave if we're trying to skip the dungeon? There is an event that must occur for the game to continue. Therefore, go inside the cave and then come back out. Having a dark crystal in your item inventory triggers the aforementioned event, where Golbez resumes his control over Cain who in turn steals the crystal and returns it to Golbez. So now you don't have to actually complete the dungeon just pay it foot service.

     Congratulations, you've just skipped the sealed cave!

NOTES:

    There isn't much in the way of treasure chest items in the Sealed Cave to miss out on, no matter what version of the game you are playing. However the most notable treasure is the Light sword for Cecil. You may want to venture into the cave far enough to recover it. However, at this point in the game it is just as easy to go through the Land of Phantom Beasts and get the Defender sword, which is the best you can get until you get Adamantium to reforge the Legend Sword into Excalibur.