Serendipity is often seen as Final Fantasy XIII-2's "poor man's Golden Saucer." While it might not have the same level of grandeur, it does offer a handful of valuable items and one key NPC, along with countless hours of frustration (and fun). Whether you're there for the slots, the prizes, or simply for a diversion, Serendipity will have you coming back again and again.
At the Casino Shop, you'll find several important items available for purchase using Casino Coins (CC), with each coin worth 10 gil. These items can be redeemed by trading in your CC or tickets, and they are crucial for progressing in the game. Here’s a rundown of notable items:
Chaos Crystal – Trade this for Noel or Serah's ultimate weapon (check the FAQ for more info).
Just 1 gil – A fragment.
Setzer’s Dice – A fragment.
Wild Artefact – One of 10, opens a blue time gate.
Ribbon – Boosts all resistances by 40%.
Each of the above items costs 10,000 CC, so make sure you choose wisely, especially if you haven’t hit the mega jackpot in the slot machines. To buy everything outright would cost a hefty 500,000 gil.
If you're looking to save, you can use the Bargain Hunter fragment skill, which can reduce the cost of items by 25%.
Unfortunately, the card-based content in Serendipity is locked for now and will be made available in a future downloadable update. Stay tuned for more details when it's released.
Ah, the infamous slot machines. Much like traditional slots, these don’t require any skill to play—just patience (or a willingness to waste hours of your life). The process is simple: press and hold LB and wait for the payouts. But don’t be fooled by the tutorial, which makes it seem like triple jackpots are frequent occurrences. They’re not.
I’ve spent over 10 hours just playing the slots, and while jackpots did pop up occasionally, I never really broke even and never hit the elusive 50K payout. There was a time I hit two jackpots during Super Victory Mode, which gave me just enough to snag the Chaos Crystal, but that took hours of grinding.
Start with 1,500 CC. This will allow you to play for longer (about an hour) for only 15,000 gil.
Rubber band your controller’s LB button to automate the process, and you can go about your day (work, school, or even writing a game guide).
If you’re out of luck, don’t hesitate to dashboard out of the game before it auto-saves. This lets you retry with your original 1,500 CC.
Why 1,500 CC? Because if you activate Super Victory Mode, your bet jumps to 100 coins per turn instead of 5, causing your wallet to deplete much faster.
Talk to the cat girl NPC nearby to see how the machine is "feeling." If she says, "That machine is on fire!" or "It’s like a hot summer’s day," then it’s time to play. If not, try coming back later. You’ll notice a difference in the frequency of payouts based on her feedback.
While not as epic as the chocobo races in Final Fantasy VII, the ones in FF13-2 are still more engaging than grinding the slot machines. However, be warned: they don’t pay out well until you reach the highest tier of races.
For those looking to get through the races quickly and collect the items, it’s a good idea to wait until you unlock the Gold Chocobo in a treasure chest in A Dying World, 700 AF. This chocobo is the best, but you'll need to level it up significantly (which requires a lot of gil and expensive monster materials) to make it competitive.
Once the Gold Chocobo hits level 45, you’ll breeze through the races with ease, leaving the competition in the dust.
The Mystic is a helpful NPC found in a tent to the left of the time gate when you first enter Serendipity. Be sure to visit him for useful interactions and hints on your journey.
Serendipity might be a frustrating, time-consuming feature of Final Fantasy XIII-2, but with patience, strategy, and a bit of luck, it can also be one of the most rewarding. Whether you’re grinding the slots, collecting fragments, or racing chocobos, there’s plenty to do in this small casino. Just remember to keep your expectations in check, and enjoy the journey!
