Ragnarok (Final Fantasy VIII)

The primary airship of Final Fantasy VIII, the "Super-High-Mobility-Flying-Ship" Ragnarok, is the fastest vehicle controllable by the party. It is capable of autopilot flight, as the player can choose a location from the largest map view while on the world map and the ship will fly there.
The Ragnarok contains two save points and three draw points, and during the endgame, the Card Club group will be available to challenge onboard if the player completed the CC sidequest earlier.
Finding the Ragnarok in any version that supports achievements earns the achievement Ragnarok.
==Story==
===The Sorceress War===
One of three known models of similar design, the Ragnarok was created by Esthar and used during the Sorceress War as its flagship. Seventeen years ago the ship, along with its two counterparts, was commissioned to move Adel's Tomb to outer space where Sorceress Adel could be watched over in stasis.
It is unknown what happened between then and its rediscovery in space, nor is it known what happened to its two counterparts, but when Squall Leonhart and Rinoa Heartilly happen upon it, it is infested by monsters known as Propagators. It can be assumed the crew were killed, as there are notes left behind regarding these beasts, hinting at a history of "Propagator Infection".
===Rediscovery===
Floating in space, the Ragnarok's trajectory happens upon the entwined couple of Squall and Rinoa who had become stranded in space due to the Lunar Base's destruction. The teenagers board the craft through the top airlock and find the ship overrun with Propagators. They must defeat the Propagators of matching colors (yellow, purple, green and red) to kill them—if they kill the wrong colored Propagator, the Propagators will re-spawn throughout the ship.
Squall and Rinoa clear the ship of the monsters and enter the control cabin. They establish communications with Esthar Airbase in lieu of the radio interference lifting, and, with the Airbase's help, pilot the ship back to the planet.
The ship becomes the property of Squall's group and is instrumental in Rinoa's rescue from the Sorceress Memorial and in penetrating Lunatic Pandora's defenses. The Ragnarok mysteriously survives time compression, appearing ready to fly in the Kashkabald Desert with the members of the Card Club inside if Squall challenged their ranks earlier. It is unknown what happens to the Ragnarok after the party defeats Ultimecia and the time compression spell breaks, reverting the timeline to normal, as the party returns to the Balamb Garden.
==Layout==
;Cockpit
The cockpit is the airship's control center located directly above the passenger room. It contains four crew positions: the pilot, co-pilot, comms station and the navigation systems. It is accessed via a lift from the passenger room.
;Passenger Room
Accessed from the top deck directly below the control cabin, the passenger room can seat eight people and features a transparent canopy. The passenger room has a yellow Propagator. Squall and Rinoa can also find a note left by the ship's crew telling how to get rid of the Propagators.
;Elevator
The elevator to the cockpit has a green Propagator guarding it. Later, the player can find CC Joker here, who plays cards and operates a shop and a junk shop. He will be present even if the player did not complete the CC quest.
;Airlock Chamber
An access portal through the "roof" of the vehicle for space travel. It is presumably accessed through a decompression chamber; one must wear a spacesuit before attempting to decompress and open the portal when in space. There is a yellow Propagator in the area and a save point where Squall and Rinoa first board the Ragnarok. Quistis can later be challenged to a card game here as a CC member if she is in Squall's party.
;Aisle
The aisle spans the top deck leading between the lift to the control cabin, over the hangar, and into the airlock chamber.
;Hangar
The hangar is the largest room shown in the Ragnarok. It houses a platform fixed into the floor that may be lowered for the cargo to be boarded. The top deck aisle travels over the hangar deck to the airlock chamber near the rear of the ship. A purple Propagator is fought at the bottom level of this room. The CC Diamond duo can be challenged here later.
;Storage Room
The bottom level of the hangar leads to a room with a save point, a draw point and a green Propagator. CC Spade can be played here later.
*Draw points: Full-life (hidden, never refills)
;Hangar Upper Level
The upper level of the hangar leads to the airlock chamber and the door to the passenger room is initially closed from this side. There is a red Propagator in this area. CC Club can be played here later.
*Draw points: Life (hidden)
;Lower Level
The big door at the bottom of the hangar leads to an area with a red Propagator. There is a hidden draw point at the back of the room. CC Jack can be played here later.
*Draw points: Cura (hidden)
;Boarding Ramp
The boarding ramp is the main access way for the ship's crew onto the vessel. It has a purple Propagator. Xu can be challenged here later.
==Stats==
Ragnarok 	Ragnarok
 	
Weight/Displacement	
-2,850 tons (without propellant, charge, nor occupants)
-3,314 tons (with one third propellant, full charge, and full occupancy)
-3,450 tons (with full propellant, full charge, and full occupancy)
Length 	108 meters
Width 	77 meters
Height 	
-54 meters (at rest)
-65 meters (when flying)
Max Speed 	11.8 km/s
Crew Size 	4 (ship master, pilot, co-pilot, and gunner)
Occupancy 	Up to 10 additional occupants.
Main Armament 	609mm Charged Particle Cannon (x1)
Secondary Armament 	
-152mm Multi-barreled Laser (x2)
-Retractable mandible 'claws' (x2)
Main System 	Reaction-model 12-step compression turbines (22,500 kg propulsion) x2
Auxiliary Engines 	Reaction-model 6-step compression turbines (2,480 kg propulsion) x4
To perform its agile maneuvers, the Ragnarok's fuselage is equipped with an array of jet propulsion nozzles. Sudden acceleration and turns are facilitated by eruptions in the large output mechanism of the rear fuselage, while the finer adjustments of direction and altitude control are moderated via the upper fuselage.
A full crew includes the four positions of ship master, pilot, co-pilot (doubles as radio operator), and gunner, though it is possible to transport up to ten additional personnel. Via coordination of data input with the Esthar Airbase, fully automated navigation is possible.
The Ragnarok bears weapons, and Squall's group uses them to penetrate Lunatic Pandora's shields.
==Shop==
During the endgame, even if the player did not complete the Card Club side quest, CC Joker will be onboard the Ragnarok to sell items and offer weapon remodeling.
Item 	Price
Potion 	100
Hi-Potion 	500
Phoenix Down	500
Antidote 	100
Eye Drops 	100
Soft 	100
Echo Screen 	100
Holy Water 	100
Remedy 	1000
Tent 	1000
Fuel 	3000
Normal Ammo 	20
Shotgun Ammo	40
G-Potion 	200
G-Hi-Potion 	600
G-Returner 	500
==Quests==
===Propagators===
When Squall and Rinoa first board the starship it is infested with Propagators. There is one in every area. They are visible on the screen and coming to contact with one initiates a fixed encounter. The player can run from the Propagators to avoid a battle, but must defeat them to proceed in the story.
The Propagators must be defeated in pairs; once the player has killed one, they must kill another one of the same color or the original one they killed will be revived.
:A good order to defeat the Propagators is such:
From where the player starts they should head downstairs, and defeat the purple Propagator at the lower level of the hangar. The player can then head up and through the large door, and evade the red Propagator by running through the door on the left. This area is the boarding ramp where the player finds the second purple Propagator, and defeating it will defeat the purples for good.
The player can then head back right and defeat the red Propagator they evaded the first time, then go back left and left once more, evade the green Propagator by the elevator, and go south to beat the second red Propagator.
After dealing with the purples and the reds, the player can go back up to the green Propagator they ignored and beat it, then go south, down the stairs, and through the small door on the upper right to find the second green Propagator. This area also has a save point and a draw point.
With only the yellow ones left, the player can find the first one by exiting the screen and going upstairs and then going south to the airlock where Squall and Rinoa first boarded the airship. The last one is found by going north twice and to the upper left, to the passengers' room.
It is possible to farm high-level stone drops from the Propagators by avoiding defeating them in pairs. However, they will eventually stop spawning.
After the Propagators are defeated the player can use the elevator in the middle, where a green Propagator used to stand, to reach the cockpit.
===Triple Triad===
The player can win Squall's card from Laguna when he is onboard the Ragnarok, if the player did not already win the card earlier. If the player challenges Laguna within the Ragnarok he will use Esthar region's rules.
If the player salvages the ship from Kashkabald Desert during time compression and has completed the Card Club quest, the CC members will appear onboard the Ragnarok. They will hold every rare card the player doesn't currently have in their card inventory (apart from PuPu), in addition to the card levels they normally play. The player can modify their rare cards for items and then win them back from the CC group.
CC Member 	Ruleset 	Card Lv 	Location
CC Joker 	Centra 	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7	Elevator room
CC Jack 	Balamb 	3, 4, 6 	Lower level of Ragnarok, room up from hangar
CC Club 	Dollet 	3, 5, 6 	Hangar upper level
CC Diamond	Trabia 	3, 4, 5, 7 	Hangar
CC Spade 	Esthar 	3, 4, 6, 7 	Storage room
CC Heart 	Fishermans Horizon	3, 5, 6, 7 	Boarding ramp
CC King 	Lunar 	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7	Airlock
===Finding the Ragnarok during time compression===
During the endgame, the Ragnarok is found in Kashkabald Desert within Centra. Using the central portal outside Ultimecia Castle, the player can return to the world map and obtain a chocobo from the Forest of Solitude north of the Centra Ruins, then ride it across the continent to Kashkabald Desert. The player can also enter the upper portal, obtain a chocobo from the Chocobo Sanctuary in Grandidi Forest in the Esthar region, and ride it along the coast to Centra.
==As a vehicle==
The Ragnarok becomes the party's airship after Squall and Rinoa have returned to the planet with it. Unlike the airships in many previous Final Fantasy games, the Ragnarok can land on mountaintops and on snow and forests. It can land on several locations directly: Fishermans Horizon, Esthar City and Deep Sea Research Center.
The autopilot can be used in the largest map view while flying on the world map. The controls are the same as for mobile Balamb Garden: to go forward, to go back, to land and to go inside the cockpit. Directional buttons are used to steer and control altitude.
The Ragnarok is piloted by Selphie whenever she isn't in the player party. If Selphie is unavailable, Ragnarok is piloted by Zell, and if both are in the player party, Quistis takes the reins.
The player may run into a game-breaking bug where they lose access to the Ragnarok by landing it too close to a structure on the world map, tangling the airship with it and making it impossible to board again. Because the player needs the Ragnarok to invade Lunatic Pandora, they can become stranded if they lose their airship.
==Musical themes==
"Residents" plays when the Ragnarok is first boarded and must be cleared out. During the scene with Squall and Rinoa in the cockpit, "Eyes on Me", the game's theme song, plays.
"Ride On", the airship theme for the Ragnarok, plays when flying across the world map and will continue to play as the player explores its interior. Composed by Nobuo Uematsu, it is the second track on Disc 4 of the original soundtrack.
==Other appearances==
===Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy===
A Ragnarok-themed laser cannon appears as part of Laguna Loire's artillery. His EX Burst, Ultimate Ragnarok Cannon, fires a laser blast from the cannon, using his other weapons as a focus to charge up energy.
Laguna's best exclusive weapon is the Ragnarok Pistol, another allusion to the Ragnarok airship.
====Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia====
Laguna appears to carry a Ragnarok-themed assault rifle, and uses it in several high-order skills. He further uses a gilded turret based on the ship for his Finishing Burst.
===Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call===
The Ragnarok appears in the Airship Field Music Sequence for the theme, "Ride On".
===Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade===
FFAB Blue Ragnarok Airship Card.png|Blue Ragnarok.
FFAB Red Ragnarok Airship Card.png|Red Ragnarok.
FFAB Yellow Ragnarok Airship Card.png|Yellow Ragnarok.
FFAB Ragnarok XMas Version.png|Ragnarok (Xmas Version).
===Final Fantasy Record Keeper===
The Ragnarok appears as both a regular Record and an event setting. Within the Classic Dungeons, the player must complete all series Records through Great Salt Lake (VIII).
It is also the final regular setting for the Broken Chains Challenge Event.
===Mobius Final Fantasy===
==Behind the scenes==
A background where Ragnarok is stationed in Esthar Air Station before the Lunar Cry (the sky is blue) exists in the game data, but it can never be seen in-game as the player can access Ragnarok only after Lunar Cry has already occurred, and the sky is always tinted pink. By playing the downloadable version of the game for PSP or PS3, however, there is a glitch that may cause the background to appear, though the airship is not accessible.
There is a dummied piece of dialogue in the scene where Squall and Rinoa were onboard the Ragnarok where Rinoa tried to dissuade an assumed jealousy in Squall for her having dated Seifer in the past. When Squall did not catch on, Rinoa commented that Squall does not care about other people's pasts.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-YFy1UDIwU
Event planner Hiroki Chiba made the event where Squall and Rinoa are inside the Ragnarok when "Eyes on Me" plays. Chiba had to adjust it frame by frame so that everything would be in sync with the song.
==Merchandise==
In the Japanese Guardian Force series of Final Fantasy VIII action figures, a piece of the Ragnarok is included with each figure. When all eight are collected, a full model figure of the ship can be assembled. In the English release the Ragnarok pieces were excluded. Currently the bonus parts command exorbitant prices as collector's items, with separate parts costing around approximately $80-$100 a piece and completed models around $1000 on the secondhand market.
==Gallery==
RagnaRok model-01.png|Ragnarok Art From Press Kit 01
RagnaRok model-02.png|Ragnarok Art From Press Kit 03
Ragnarok launched from Esthar Air Station from FFVIII R.png|Ragnarok launched from Esthar Air Station.
Squall and Rinoa find the Ragnarok from FFVIII Remastered.png|Squall and Rinoa approach the Ragnarok.
Ragnarok-Bridge-FFVIII.png|Esthar Airstation establishes contact with Ragnarok.
Squall and Rinoa onboard the Ragnarok from FFVIII Remastered.png
Ragnarok 1.jpg|The Ragnarok's "welcoming party."
Party-Pilots-Ragnarok-FFVIII.png|The party pilots Ragnarok.
Ragnarok flies to the Lunatic Pandora from FFVIII Remastered.png|The Ragnarok approaches the Lunatic Pandora.
Ragnarok-Weapon-FFVIII.png|Ragnarok's cannon.
Ragnarok 4.jpg|The Ragnarok penetrates the Lunatic Pandora.
==Etymology and allusion==
The ship's dragon-based design may allude to Jormungandr or Nidhoggr, two prominent dragons within the stories of Ragnarok said to represent the cycle of creation and rebirth, as well as defiance of the heavens. 
In Final Fantasy VIII, Ragnarok is a pun on Laguna Loire's name, as the first three characters of his full name and that of the airship are the same in Japanese . The ship is called "Lagunamov" and "Lagunarock" in the Spanish and Italian versions respectively.
The link is referred to even in the English translation when Laguna says, "I always wanted to ride that thing. Plus the name sounds so cool!" (Original: "I wanted to ride that thing at least once. It's even got my name on it!") The name can even be interpreted as "Laguna 6", because roku means "six" in Japanese, suggesting there may have been at least five other "Laguna" ships. 
==Citations==
de:Ragnarok (FFVIII)
es:Lagunamov
Category:Transportation in Final Fantasy VIII
Category:Airships