Serendipity ( Final Fantasy XIII - 2 ) Serendipity is a location in " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 , " labeled as the legendary Palace of Pleasure though it was never completed . Serendipity exists within the Void Beyond and is said to have been molded from nothing more substantial than hopes , dreams , and passions . It is a massive casino city that floats in the sky and is filled with minigame s , such as chocobo racing and slot machines . The Mystic residing in a chamber in Serendipity gives out unique abilities the more fragment s Serah and Noel obtain . Players who possess save data from " Final Fantasy XIII " will get higher success rate in the casino . Serendipity is largely an optional location and Noel and Serah are never required to explore its wonders . However , to obtain the " Odinblade / Odinbolt " paradox weapons , they must purchase the Chaos Crystal with 10 , 000 Casino Coins . Once they do , the casino owner tells them about the nature of the casino , and bids them good luck on their journey . Datalog . " Serendipity ' is the name of a fantastical wonderland that appears in the folklore of Gran Pulse , and was first imagined by a certain minstrel of old . " " This mythical palace exists on the border between life and death , and is said only to open its doors to those chosen by Lady Luck . The fortunate souls that gain entrance experience joy and amusement beyond measure , cavorting in an eternal ' now ' that knows neither day nor night . " Story . In the DLC scenario " Heads or Tails " Sazh Katzroy has ended up in Serendipity after being separated from his son Dajh . Sazh meets the mysterious owner of the establishment who explains both Sazh and his son are in a state between life and death . Instructed to gamble his way into winning Fortune Medals to be reunited with Dajh , Sazh gathers the amount needed while meeting Chocolina , the future incarnation of the chocobo chick that accompanies him . Once reunited with Dajh , Sazh learns from the owner that Serendipity ' s coins are turning up tails as a sign that time is unraveling . Though the owner accepts the waiting doom , Sazh convinces the man to send him and Dajh to a point in time where they can help save the world . Areas . Serendipity is the second smallest locations after the Coliseum . It looks like a fair . Entrance . There is a Time Gate outside the gates of Serendipity and Serah and Noel end up here once by accident , but the gates are closed . They decide to come back some other time and enter back into the Time Gate . Temptation Plaza . The hub of the casino where the player can enter the different attractions . The camera angle is fixed in an overhead view rather than following the player character like elsewhere in the game . This is to pay homage to " Final Fantasy VII " whose Gold Saucer location Serendipity is based on . There is a large revolving roulette table on the floor in this area . Hall of Gaming . The player can play the slot machine and card games here and talk to the casino ' s owner . The card games , Serendipity Poker and Chronobind , are unlocked by downloading the " Heads or Tails ? " scenario . Here the player can exchange their Casino Coins for items at the Exchange Desk . Racing Reception . The player can play chocobo racing here . The layout of the hall is based on a discarded area from within Edenhall in " Final Fantasy XIII " . Chocobo ' s Mystic Chamber . In the Chocobo ' s Mystic Chamber , the player can obtain fragment skills by showing their obtained fragments to the mystic . The skills improve abilities such as improved Moogle Throw and the ability of regulating the frequency of random encounters . After having completed the main storyline the player can come here to obtain Paradox Scope , an ability that lets the player trigger alternative outcomes to events of the main storyline . Mystic ' s Chamber has a different style of music from the rest of Serendipity : the haunting theme of " Ragnarok " from the " Final Fantasy XIII " soundtrack . Casino Coins . The currency used at Serendipity is called Casino Coins . The player can buy them for gil at the exchange desk located in the house where the card tables and slot machines are found . The exchange ratio is 10 : 1 when buying Casino Coins with gil . Casino Coins are also won from the minigames . The coins can be exchanged for various prizes at the exchange desk . The player may also find Casino Coupons during their adventures that can be exchanged for Casino Coins . Amassing 10 , 000 Casino Coins in Serendipity ' s minigames earns the player the " Serendipitous " achievement / trophy . Minigames . Chocobo Racing . Chocobo Racing in Serendipity is similar to the concept in " Final Fantasy VII " . A chocobo is picked from a list , and the player must race it to the end of the track . The chocobo ranking first wins . There are five race tiers of varying difficulty : Cocoon , Monster , Weapon , Guardian and Fal ' Cie . Each yield different items upon succeeding , but by winning races , the player must move up a rank . There are also secret races which can be entered after clearing specific conditions . Four different parameters must be paid attention to when choosing a chocobo . Speed , the measure of how fast the chocobo can run over short distances , and Stamina , how long the chocobo can last in the race for long distances . The other two are RP or " Race Points " , which are used up each time a race is entered , and Skills ; abilities which vary from chocobo to chocobo , but can give each racer an edge on the track . Chocobos can be given items before races to perform actions such as leading the pack or staying in the middle . When the race begins , the confirm button can be pressed to make the player ' s chocobo dash out of the gates . In the middle of a race , the button can be pressed again to make the chocobo dash . This makes the player ' s chocobo run faster , but drains the " boost gauge " in the process . List of Chocobo Skills . Each skill possessed by a chocobo corresponds to a specific passive ability in their arsenal . Chocobo Titles . The following table shows the possible titles a chocobo can win during a career : Slot Machine . Matching up the slots perfectly may allow the player to rack up to 50 , 000 Casino Coins . The slot machines resemble the hoverbikes used in " Final Fantasy XIII " and normally take 5 casino coins to play , but will accept 5 or 10 in Victory Mode , and 5 , 10 or 100 in Super Victory Mode . Winning 7 , 777 coins from the slot machine awards the player with the Lucky Coin fragment . This is one of the hardest Fragments to obtain in the game . It is not necessary to win the 7 , 777 coins in one sitting — all winnings count toward the total . Although often referred to as " nines " , the " nines " on the slot machines are actually the number 7 in the Etro Script . How to play . The player inserts 5 coins , pulls the lever , and then stops the three slots . A row of moogles gives a x1 pay - out ; hitting a single bomb in the left lane grants a pay - out of x2 ; a row of chocobos a x3 pay - out ; a row of cactuars a x4 pay - out ; a row of red sevens a x50 pay - out ; and a row of microchus a x500 pay - out . The machine has colored lights on the sides that light up during play and if the player gets all of them to light up they activate Jackpot Mode . To do this one must first get a bomb in the left reel , or 3 cactuars , followed by either 3 more spins with a bomb in the left reel or 3 cactuars ( and very rarely at random ) . If the bomb appears on the left the player only gets one shot , while with the cactuars they have 3 opportunities to get a bomb in the left slot or 3 more cactuars . In Jackpot Mode , the odds of a player getting a row of sevens or ochus doubles . Super Victory Mode allows the player to bet 100 coins at a time to increase the odds of getting a row of sevens or microchus by 10 . If the player hits a row of moogles in Super Victory Mode there is a 50 % chance the mode will end . There is a potential to hit a row of microchus in Super Victory Mode and get a maximum pay - out of 50 , 000 coins . Mechanisms . The slot machine is based on luck and it is impossible to manipulate the slot machine by trying to aim the reels . Though , having the Eternal Crystal item in the player ' s inventory stops the slot machines from ever having the mood with the worst odds . The item is received by having " Final Fantasy XIII " save data at the starting on a new game of " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 " . The slot machine has the best chance of winning when the attendant in front of it says " It ' s like a hot summer ' s day " . To have the best odds , the player should keep entering the Historia Crux and talking to the attendant until they get her to say either of these phrases . If she states " That machine ' s on fire ! " , the player should then continue talking to her until she states " It ' s like a hot summer ' s day " . The game gives an auto - play option , and one way to win coins with minimal effort is to use a rubber band on the controller to permanently push the button that puts the slot machine on autoplay , and let the machine work until enough coins have been won . This , however , cuts the chances of winning by 33 % . Serendipity Poker . Serendipity Poker is one of the two card games unlocked with the downloadable content episode " Heads or Tails ? " . Only Sazh can participate in this card game . The game works in the same way as in standard poker , where players can stake Casino Coins if they think they have a better hand than the other players , or bluff in an attempt to make the other players think they have a better hand than they actually possess . The player ( Sazh ) and three computer - controlled players start the game . First the player must choose a buy - in amount of either 1 , 000 , 10 , 000 or 100 , 000 Casino Coins ( subject to funds available ) . Depending on the buy - in amount , a standard bet is worth 10 , 100 or 1 , 000 coins respectively . At the start of each game players are designated the following roles : Small Blind ( SB ) , Big Blind ( BB ) , and Dealer ( D ) . in each round The Dealer is always the last player to make their turn . Whenever it is the player ' s turn , the following commands can be selected : Each game goes through the following stages : At any time in the game should all but one player fold , the remaining player also wins all the coins in the pot . The following table shows the possible hands in Serendipity Poker , in ascending order of strength . Should there be more than one player with the same type of hand , the hand with the highest number within the hand will win the game , with the Ace as the highest ranked card ( except in a Straight of A , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ) . Should the hands be identical , if the players have a pocket card that is unused in the hand ( known as the kicker ) , the player with the highest kicker wins the game . If this does not separate the players , the players will take an equal share of the pot . Once a player loses all their Casino Coins in their buy - in stack , they are considered bust and must leave the table . When three players are bust , the remaining player wins a bonus 2 , 000 , 20 , 000 or 200 , 000 Casino Coins depending on the initial buy - in amount . This means a player can obtain up to six times their investment by winning all the other players ' Casino Coins and receiving the bonus payout . The player can also leave the table at any time , and their stack will be added to the player ' s Casino Coin total . Chronobind . Chronobind is the other card game unlocked with the downloadable content episode " Heads or Tails ? " . Only Sazh can participate in this card game . Chronobind is played using a standard deck of 52 playing cards , and a " clock " with one hand and thirteen positions numbered 1 through 13 clockwise . In this game , Ace = 1 , Jack = 11 , Queen = 12 , and King = 13 . Suits are irrelevant . To begin a session of Chronobind , the player must first Buy - In with 1k , 10k , or 100k coins . Depending on the amount chosen , all bets in the session will be made in increments of 60 , 600 , or 6000 coins , respectively . Once the player Buys - In , the first game begins . At any time between games , the player can walk away with their current winnings , but if they have the most winnings at the table when a player busts , the session automatically ends , and the player will earn a substantial amount of coins ( equal to double the buy - in ammount ) on top of their current winnings . In each game , players make increasing bets with each round that passes , represented by four equal Stacks of coins . The goal of the game is to strategically bide time , then swoop in when the pot is large enough . The longer one waits , the more one stands to win . . . or lose . At the start of each game : The game is divided into rounds , which consist of the Draw , Showdown , Clock , and Bind phases . In the Draw phase , each player draws cards until they have five in their hand , and then choose cards to play from their hand . Each player may put down either a single card or multiple cards of a single rank . For instance , if the player has a hand of 3 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 8 , they may play a single 3 , both 3s , a 4 , a 5 , or an 8 . Playing multiple cards in a round does not increase their value ; however , there are other benefits to doing so . In the Showdown phase , all players reveal their chosen cards . The player with the highest ranking card ( or cards ) wins the Showdown . If two or more players tie for the highest ranking card , no one wins the Showdown . In the Clock phase , if there was a winner in the previous Showdown , the following steps take place : If there was no winner in the previous Showdown , the following occurs instead : Finally , in the Bind phase , all players must " bind " one coin to the clock positions for each card they played in the Showdown . For example , if a player puts down two 3s in the Showdown , they must place two coins at the 3 position . As the deck used is a standard deck of 52 cards , the maximum number of bindings any position can have is four . The game ends either when one player chooses to " clockout " or the dealer runs out of cards in the Draw phase . When the game ends by a player choosing to " clockout " , they win all of the coins bound to the clock , plus part or all of the coins wagered by the other players , depending on how many coins are bound to the clock hand ' s current position . Any coins the winner does not take are returned to their respective players . If the game ends as a result of the dealer running out of cards , all wagers are returned to their respective players , but the coins bound to the clock are taken by the house . Creation and development . Serendipity is reminiscent of the Gold Saucer from " Final Fantasy VII " and the Nautilus Amusement Park from " Final Fantasy XIII " . Motomu Toriyama has confirmed that the resemblance to the Gold Saucer is intentional , with the camera view set at a distance rather than following the characters closely . The Chocobo ' s Mystic Chamber is made after the area of Bodhum in " Final Fantasy XIII " that housed the statue of the fal ' Cie , Siren . The fal ' Cie itself , or perhaps a copy of it , is still present ( though only visible during a cutscene in Sazh ' s episode ) . Musical themes . The theme " Serendipity " plays in the main areas . This song was composed by Naoshi Mizuta and his concept was to place the sounds of ' 80s music into the game . Because there are rarely scenes in a game in which this style can match well , Mizuta never had the opportunity to write anything like that until " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 " . Another theme that plays in the Hall of Gaming , " All or Nothing " , is a rearrangement of the area ' s main theme . " Chocobos of Cocoon - Chasing Dreams - " plays within the Racing Reception . The theme " Ragnarok " from " Final Fantasy XIII " plays in Chocobo Mystic ' s Chamber . When playing the slot machine in Victory Mode , the music is " Blinded By Light " from " Final Fantasy XIII " , and in Super Victory Mode it is " Eidolons " . Etymology . In the Japanese version the location is called Xanadu .