Cloister of Trials (Final Fantasy X)

The Cloister of Trials (Original: ; International: ) is a feature of the temples of Yevon in Final Fantasy X. Only summoners and their guardians are permitted to enter the Cloisters of Trials; even summoners themselves may be censured if non-guardians accompany them.
Each cloister is a puzzle which players solve to advance to the Chamber of the Fayth. The player uses three types of spheres to solve the puzzles; Glyph spheres, Destruction Spheres, and spheres named after each temple. Removing and replacing the spheres has various effects, such as opening passages or lighting up icons or glyphs on the walls. Other actions are required, such as pushing moveable pedestals, or strategically activating or deactivating moving elements of the cloister's structure. 
In each temple, walls and other structures hide secret treasure chests. An optimal way to solve the puzzles may be required so that the Destruction Spheres remain accessible, and can then be used to remove the obstacles. When Tidus opens these chests, the symbol of Baaj's seal appears.
After each Cloister of Trials, Yuna obtains a new aeon. Cloisters of Trials are present in all temples to which summoners must make pilgrimage: Besaid Temple, Kilika Temple, Djose Temple, Bevelle Temple, Macalania Temple and Zanarkand Dome. They are not present in the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth, Remiem Temple or Baaj Temple.
The player can unlock the aeon Anima by obtaining all the items from the secret treasure chests revealed by Destruction Spheres. In Bevelle, the player obtains the item automatically, right before the Chamber of the Fayth (as the party will not be able to return).
No battles occur within the cloisters in the first game. Two years into the Eternal Calm, the Cloisters of Trials have been rendered off-limits to everyone, but are traversed by the Gullwings upon the appearance of aeons corrupted by Shuyin. In Chapter 5, the player can undergo the Gunner's Gauntlet in the Besaid Cloister of Trials by talking to the priest.
Completing the Cloisters of Trials in Final Fantasy X HD Remaster earns the player trophies/achievements.
==List of spheres==
Glyph Sphere-rener-ffx.png|Glyph Sphere - A sphere that summons a glyph which can be pressed to activate a door or a switch.
Besaid Sphere-render-ffx.png|Besaid Sphere - Similar to the Glyph Sphere, but without summoning a glyph. Glows violet.Bevelle Sphere - A sphere used to create and remove walkways. Glows blue.
Kilika Sphere-render-ffx.png|Kilika Sphere - A fiery sphere that creates a flame.
Djose Sphere-render-ffx.png|Djose Sphere - An electric sphere that creates a power surge through a specific path.
Malacania Sphere-render-ffx.png|Macalania Sphere - An ice sphere that will freeze a specific area.
Bevelle Sphere-render-ffx.png|"Zanarkand Sphere"
Destruction Sphere-rener-ffx.png|Destruction Sphere - A sphere that destroys an obstacle.
Baaj Sphere-render-ffx.png|"Baaj Sphere"
Each Cloister of Trials has a treasure that can be uncovered with a Destruction Sphere. Collecting the treasure from all six Cloisters of Trials unlocks the path to Anima in Baaj Temple.
Bevelle Temple uses the Zanarkand sphere, and glows blue. Baaj Temple uses the Besaid sphere, and glows blue. In the room in Baaj with glyphs for all the other temples, Zanarkand is represented with a Zanarkand sphere, glowing yellow, and Besaid with a Besaid sphere, glowing violet. The actual spheres underneath are the same, all that changes are the visual glow effects. Bevelle Temple using the Zanarkand sphere may have been a mistake.
There is a purple sphere found within the game data with the "dark" elemental symbol inside it that is associated with Anima. This may be a sphere intended for the Baaj Temple, although the Baaj Temple does not have a Cloister of Trials.
==Strategies==
===Besaid===
Aim: To descend towards the Chamber of the Fayth in order to find Yuna.
*Examine the symbol at the back to make a glyph appear on the right wall, and touch the glyph to open the wall.
*Enter the corridor and remove the Glyph Sphere from the recess, walking down the stairs afterwards.
*Insert the sphere into the door below to open it, and then retrieve the sphere again once the door has stopped moving.
*Walk across the corridor and insert the sphere into the left wall, opening it.
*Ignore the opening and walk past it, turning the corner and touching the symbols to the right of the pedestal.
*Enter the room and take the Besaid Sphere from the recess and insert it into the pedestal outside.
*Return to the small room which was ignored and take the Destruction Sphere from inside, and insert it into where the Besaid Sphere was.
*Go up to the destroyed wall and retrieve the Rod of Wisdom from the chest.
*Return to the pedestal and push it forwards to the shining tile, completing the trials.
===Kilika===
Aim: To extinguish the fire in the main room.
*Remove the Kilika Sphere from the pedestal to the left and insert it into the recess next to the door ahead, incinerating it.
*Take the sphere out again and head through the opening, inserting it into the north wall, creating a glyph.
*Remove the sphere once more and insert it into one of the recesses on the side walls.
*Examine the charred glyph to open the wall and take the Glyph Sphere from the pedestal.
*Put the sphere into the unoccupied side recesses, and go into room ahead and step on the shining tile to bring the pedestal closer.
*Take the Kilika Sphere from the wall near the tile and insert it into the pedestal. Push the pedestal onto the shining tile so that it moves the platform downwards.
*Return to the previous room and collect the Glyph Sphere and then insert it into the vacant recess where the last Kilika Sphere was, extinguishing the flames and opening another wall.
*Ignore the small room and go down the stairs to where the pedestal ended up to collect a final Kilika Sphere.
*Insert this into the door ahead and then go back into the small room to collect a Destruction Sphere.
*Go back down the stairs and to the right recess and insert the sphere, destroying the wall.
*Collect the Red Armlet from the chest and go to the door ahead, take the Kilika Sphere out and head inside, completing the trials.
===Djose===
Aim: To complete the glyph in the center of the main room.
*Insert the Djose Spheres from the recesses to the left and right into the door ahead, opening it.
*Enter the room and take one of the two Djose Spheres from the far wall and walk right.
*Insert the sphere into one of the recesses and repeat the process with the other Djose Sphere.
*Push the pedestal from the middle of the room to the right until it is electrified.
*Now remove the Charged Djose Sphere from the pedestal and insert it into the recess to the right of the large door, opening it.
*Insert the two Djose Spheres from the eastern wall into the sides of the pedestal, and push it back to the center of the room.
*Push the pedestal through the door ahead and into the electrical field so that it floats in the middle.
:Note: If the pedestal did not have two spheres inside and is pushed into the field, it can be teleported back by stepping on the shining tile to the left.
*Walk up to the edge to jump onto the platform and get to the other side. Push the pedestal there into the wall, causing the eye of the glyph to illuminate, and head back.
*Step onto the shining tile to the left to bring the pedestal back, and, one after another, insert each of the Djose Spheres within them into the first recesses at the very beginning of the trials.
*Remove the Charged Djose Sphere from the wall and insert it into the recess to the near left of it to complete the glyph and create a lift.
*Step on the lift to ride it to the top and go to the far end of the chamber to see five pedestals in a circle.
*Push each one into the walls behind them to open the final door.
*Before heading through, ride the lift down again and go left to see a flickering glyph on the wall, which should be touched.
*Once activated, it opens to reveal a Destruction Sphere. Take it and go back up the lift and insert it into the pedestal.
*Retrieve the Magic Sphere from the chest and go up the stairs to complete the trials.
===Macalania===
Aim: To rebuild the ice bridge above the trials.
*Descend the ramp and push the pedestal into the ice formation to the right, causing it to stay in position.
*From the wall at the end, collect the Macalania Sphere from the recess and insert it into the pedestal.
*Push the pedestal into the remaining ice formation, allowing it to slide down a ramp.
*Remove the Glyph Sphere from the central pillar and follow the pedestal down the ramp, pushing the pedestal to the right after doing so, causing one segment of the bridge to be rebuilt.
*Still at the lower level, insert the Glyph Sphere into the recess to the far left, allowing another Macalania Sphere to be accessed above.
*Ascend the ramp and take the new sphere from its recess, and go back down the ramp.
*Insert the sphere into the remaining pillar, causing a second segment to be rebuilt.
*Go back up the ramp and take the Macalania Sphere out of the remaining recess, causing the ramp leading to the lower level to disappear.
*Insert the sphere into the final pillar on the top level, where the Glyph Sphere was, fully building the bridge and completing the trials.
:The next section is optional, but is required if the player is to collect the bonus treasure.
*Remove the Macalania Sphere from the central pillar and insert it into the first recess mentioned, forming the ice formation initial.
*Go up the first ramp to the shining tile which has appeared and step onto it, bringing the pedestal to the top level.
*Remove the Macalania Sphere from the pedestal and then push it down to the lower level, lodging it into a large pillar.
*Walk down the ramp and insert the Macalania Sphere into remaining recess to recreate the ramp leading to the lower level.
*Step onto the shining tile near to it (not on the very top level) to find a Destruction Sphere inside, which the player should take out.
*Push the pedestal into the ice formation and down the ramp as before, and follow it down once again.
*Insert the Destruction Sphere into the recess close to the ramp on the left to destroy a segment of ice which was encasing the Luck Sphere treasure.
*Ascend the bridge once more, taking the Macalania Sphere from the recess to the right and inserting it into the pedestal below.
*Push the pedestal to the right and walk up the ramp a final time.
*Take the Macalania Sphere from the recess forming the ramp and insert it into the central pillar, restoring the bridge.
*Ascend the large ramp, being careful not to step on the shining tile, and exit, completing the trials.
===Bevelle===
Aim: To ascend towards the Chamber of the Fayth in order to find Yuna.
:Note: This is the only Cloister of Trials in which it is necessary to use a Destruction Sphere to complete.
*Press the button to progress forward and pass the first turning. At the second, press again when the arrow is pointing left to enter the niche.
*Remove the Bevelle Sphere from its recess and push the pedestal back onto the path.
*At the end of the pathway, press repeatedly to turn around, and press once again to go into the other niche (now on the left).
*Insert the Bevelle Sphere into the recess to generate a path on another floor and push the pedestal back.
*At the next turning, choose to turn into the lower level to descend onto another turning.
*Choose to go left to stay on the middle level and turn right at the second turning.
:If at any point in the top or middle levels the player accidentally misses a turning, they will automatically return to the start of the level after passing the end point.
*Take the Glyph Sphere, insert it into the pedestal, and push the pedestal back onto the path.
*At the next turning, go right and remove the Bevelle Sphere from inside the pedestal (the pedestal will not transport the player without this).
*Insert the sphere into the recess on the left to generate a path which can be walked along. Remove the Glyph Sphere and walk across it.
*Insert the sphere into the symbol at the end of the corridor to have the barrier dissipate and allow access to the Destruction Sphere.
*Take the sphere and insert it into the pedestal, along with the Bevelle Sphere from the recess, and push the pedestal back onto the path.
*Travel to the point where the Glyph Sphere was found (the second turning) and insert the Destruction Sphere inside the recess to allow a path to be traversed from which the trials can be completed.
*Before taking the path to complete the trials, go back to the first turning of the level (which allows movement between levels) and go to the bottom level.
*Remove the Bevelle Sphere and return to the middle level, taking the Destruction Sphere path (first turning).
*On the platform, push the pedestal away from the main path (the way the player is facing) to enter the final room.
*With the second Bevelle Sphere in hand, climb the stairs and insert it into the recess to allow a path to move.
*Take the HP Sphere Destruction Treasure from its chest on the right and step onto the shining tile in its place.
*Once the pedestal is generated, push it onto the moving path to attain the Knight Lance (this treasure is impossible to open without the second Bevelle Sphere from the bottom level, but is not essential to obtaining the aeon Anima).
*When back to the platform, walk right past the shining tile to complete the trials.
===Zanarkand Dome===
====First Completion====
Aim: To fix the lift to the Chamber of the Fayth.
*Step onto the green square to power the room and allow use of the floor tiles.
*Using the right diagram, step onto all of the colored tiles (not the white ones) in the first room to allow access to the second room and several pedestals in the first.
*Pushing the pedestals into the walls one by one will make symbols appear on the screen in the second room.
*After pushing a pedestal into the wall, enter the larger room to see the tiles needed to activate in order to complete the puzzle. Examining the screen will cause the tiles that need to be activated to light up on the floor briefly.
*Take the Kilika Sphere first and then the Besaid Sphere located next to the screen in the second room and insert them into the two remaining pedestals.
====Subsequent Completions====
Aim: To find the Destruction Sphere treasure (after getting the airship).
*Using the diagrams above, step on all of the white squares in both of the rooms, being careful not to step on any other tiles and having to start again.
*Collect the Destruction Sphere from the recess which appears from the niche concealed in the monitor of the smaller room.
*Insert the sphere into the recess to the right of the monitor of the main room to reveal a chest containing a Magistral Rod.
==Musical themes==
"The Trials" plays in each of the Cloister of Trials. It was composed by Nobuo Uematsu.
==Behind the scenes==
The Baaj Temple glyph blocks the player's path to the Chamber of the Fayth until they meet all the requirements for unlocking it. The seal appears whenever the player opens a hidden treasure chest in the various Cloisters of Trials by using Destruction Spheres, a clue the player must find the chests to pass through the barrier in Baaj. The glyph also appears at the end of Anima's Overdrive.
Various text and symbols written in Yevon script appear on the walls in the Cloisters of Trials. For example, Besaid Cloister of Trials has the path of the pilgrimage mapped out on the wall, starting with Besaid and ending with Sin.
In the Final Fantasy X-2.5 ~Eien no Daishō~ sequel novel to Final Fantasy X-2, Yuna and Tidus travel 1000 years into the past to an ancient Besaid where they find a temple with a set of hallways that resembles a Cloister of Trials.
There is an iteration on the concept of the cloister of trials in Final Fantasy XI in the form of the Elemental Cloisters. These are special zones that contain protocrystals that summoners have to venture to in order to obtain the power of the avatars, which are the summons of Final Fantasy XI.
==Gallery==
Glyphs.jpg|Various glyphs seen in the Cloister of Trials.
Glyph - Arrow.png|Cloister Glyph.
Glyph - Arrow small.png|Cloister Glyph small version.
Glyph - Destruction.png|Destruction Glyph.
Glyph - Destruction small.png|Destruction Glyph small version.
Glyph - Zanarkand Dome.jpg|Zanarkand Dome Glyph Concept Art.
Glyph - Zanarkand Dome.png|Zanarkand Dome Glyph in game.
Glyph - Cavern of the Solen Fayth.png|Cavern of the Stolen Fayth Glyph.
Glyph - Baaj.png|Baaj Temple Glyph.
Glyph - Remiem 1.png|Remiem Temple Glyph.
Glyph - Remiem 1 color.png|Cindy's Glyph.
Glyph - Remiem 2.png|Remiem Temple Glyph.
Glyph - Remiem 2 color.png|Sandy's Glyph.
Glyph - Remiem 3.png|Remiem Temple Glyph.
Glyph - Remiem 3 color.png|Mindy's Glyph.
Sphere Pedestal-render-ffx.png|A sphere pedestal, prominent in most Cloister puzzles.
CoT Besaid 2.png|Besaid Temple Cloister.
CoT Kilika.png|Kilika Temple Cloister.
CoT Djose.png|Djose Temple Cloister.
CoT Macalania.png|Macalania Temple Cloister.
CoT Bevelle.png|Bevelle Temple Cloister.
Cloister-of-Trials-Zanarkand.jpg|Zanarkand Dome Cloister.
Baaj Temple Inside.jpg|Baaj Temple Cloister.
Category:Minigames in Final Fantasy X
Category:Locations in Final Fantasy X