Angelo Search (Final Fantasy VIII)

Angelo Search is an Angelo ability for Rinoa in Final Fantasy VIII that finds items during battle randomly when no other action is currently happening. The ability can be used for automatic item farming by leaving the game running in a battle where the enemy will not fight back. Rare items can also be obtained this way.
Angelo Search is one of four passive Angelo abilities not used via the Limit Break Combine command. It activates automatically, randomly summoning Rinoa's dog, Angelo, to dig up an item amid the battlefield. The items found are random, with no effect from Luck stat, the enemies, or the battle background, i.e. the spoils pool is the same no matter if the battle is on a desert or snowfield or town.
Final Fantasy VIII Remastered adds the previously Chocobo World-exclusive items as spoils to Angelo Search.
==Obtained==
Rinoa learns Angelo Search from reading Pet Pals Vol. 5, bought from Esthar City's Pet Shop for 1,000 gil. It takes ~400 steps to learn. During the time the party enters Esthar, Rinoa is not an active party member. The first chance to begin learning the ability is after the events at Sorceress Memorial, which is close to the endgame. The player needs to have Rinoa in the party, set her to learn Angelo Search from her Status menu, and then take around 400 steps. Steps are quickly accumulated on the world map when driving a car or riding a chocobo. In Remastered, the player can use the fast forward setting to speed up the process further.
==Mechanics==
The search activates randomly during any battle, normal or boss encounter, when nothing else is currently happening. When the search activates, Angelo arrives to dig up an item. The items Angelo digs up are immediately added to the inventory, and are usable via the Items command right away (as long as the item Angelo found is an item that can be used in battle). Angelo will keep searching for new items as long as the battle does not end.
The game has an invisible "Dead Time" timer that counts down from 200 when no one acts (just like the ATB bar only fills when nothing else is happening). After the timer reaches 0 (after 13.3~ seconds), the following things will be checked in this order:
:if (12 >= [0..255]) Gilgamesh is summoned (5.1%)
::else if (8 >= [0..255] Angelo Recover is used (3.3%)
:::else if (2 >= [0..255] Angelo Reverse is used (1%)
::::else if (8 >= [0..255] Angelo Search is used (3.2%)
If the player does not have the skill, its check is skipped. Gilgamesh can be summoned after the player has triggered the event where he is obtained. Angelo Recover will only trigger if there is an ally with less than 25% of their Max HP. Angelo Reverse will only trigger if there is a KO'd ally.
Skipping turns with may speed up the process.
===List of items===
The following items can be obtained through Angelo Search in the original version:
* Potion - 16.7% (48/288)
* Mega Phoenix - 11.1% (32/288)
* Cottage - 7.29% (21/288)
* Potion+ - 5.56% (16/288)
* Hi-Potion+ - 5.56% (16/288)
* X-Potion - 5.56% (16/288)
* Phoenix Down - 5.56% (16/288)
* G-Potion - 4.86% (14/288)
* Tent - 2.78% (8/288)
* Cactus Thorn - 2.78% (8/288)
* G-Hi-Potion - 2.43% (7/288)
* G-Mega-Potion - 2.43% (7/288)
* G-Returner - 2.43% (7/288)
* Protect Stone - 1.39% (4/288)
* Holy Stone - 1.39% (4/288)
* Jet Engine - 1.39% (4/288)
* Sleep Powder - 1.39% (4/288)
* Curse Spike - 1.39% (4/288)
* North Wind - 1.39% (4/288)
* Steel Orb - 1.39% (4/288)
* Dragon Fin - 1.39% (4/288)	
* Combat King 004 - 1.39% (4/288)
* Occult Fan II - 1.39% (4/288)
* Elixir - 0.69% (2/288)
* Antidote - 0.69% (2/288)
* Hero-trial - 0.69% (2/288)
* Hero - 0.69% (2/288)
* Shell Stone - 0.69% (2/288)
* Energy Crystal - 0.69% (2/288)
* Gold Armor - 0.69% (2/288)
* Adamantine - 0.69% (2/288)
* Rune Armlet - 0.69% (2/288)
* Force Armlet - 0.69% (2/288)
* Circlet - 0.69% (2/288)
* Moon Curtain - 0.69% (2/288)
* Pet House - 0.35% (1/288)
* Aegis Amulet - 0.35% (1/288)
* Status Guard - 0.35% (1/288)
* Magic Scroll - 0.35% (1/288)
* GF Scroll - 0.35% (1/288)
* Draw Scroll - 0.35% (1/288)
* Healing Ring - 0.35% (1/288)
* Hungry Cookpot - 0.35% (1/288)
Even if the player has 100 of the item already in their inventory, Angelo will still dig for that item.
The Chocobo World minigame is not featured in the Remastered version, but its exclusive items (Ribbon, Friendship, and Mog's Amulet) can be obtained via Angelo Search. An exception is the Chocobo Tag item, used to rename the player's chicobo. The player does not need to visit a Chocobo Forest for the Chocobo World items to appear in Angelo Search.
==Use==
Angelo Search is a situational bonus most of the time, though the player can use it for deliberate item-farming. In a casual playthrough, the player is unlikely to get much value out of the ability, as most battles are over quickly enough for there not to be time for Angelo to appear, and when she does, she is likely to find common items of little value. Angelo Search is also learned so late into the game that the findable Guardian Force ability items are no longer special. Adamantines and Energy Crystals can be good finds for weapon remodeling.
To find anything worthwhile, the player is likely needing to deliberately fight an enemy that will not retaliate and leave the game running. This is most worth doing in Remastered for the previously Chocobo World-exclusive items, though it can take hours to obtain them.
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Angelo will keep searching for items infinitely as long as the battle continues. If the player finds an enemy that does not fight back, they can leave the game on, e.g. overnight, to accumulate various items. Enemies that can be used for this are the UFO? special battle above the Grandidi Forest, and LV30+ Turtapod in Esthar overworld; after the Turtapod takes a defensive stance, the player can confuse it, and it will never take on an attacking phase unless attacked first.
This method still works in Remastered, where the player can also use the x3 speed boost. If the player has recruited Gilgamesh, the player must hope for him to use Excalipoor, as he can only appear once per battle.
==Notes==
===Annotations===
===Citations===
== External links ==
* Angelo Search Mechanics FAQ (original version)
Category:Combine abilities in Final Fantasy VIII
de:Angel-Suche