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Things I Wish I Had Known When I Started Playing

By birolay

After getting platinum on PS5 I noticed that man... Did I make some stupid decisions and failed to enjoy the game to its fullest. So I decided to give it another go here on Steam for a flawless, no nonsense playtrough.

These are my *30 things I wish I've known* for Final Fantasy XVI.

Award

Created by

birolay
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Category: Achievements, Characters, Classes, Crafting, Game Modes, Gameplay Basics, Loot, Maps or Levels, Secrets, Story or Lore, Trading, Walkthroughs, Weapons

Languages: English

Posted

Updated

17 Sep, 2024 @ 8:27am

30 Jul @ 8:15pm

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Guide Index

Overview

The Important Part

Exploration and Resources

Abilities and Combat

Assorted Personal Inputs

Suggestions?

Comments

The Important Part

If you're too lazy to read the rest, take note of AT LEAST the following:

Nothing Missable:
Don't stress over missing content; FF16 is a fairly linear game with almost no permanently missable items or quests.
Clive is the Star:
Clive is the only character you'll control, so don't expect party management.
Side Quests:
Do them as they appear; don’t wait and don't let them clump up. They’re easier to manage incrementally, and you’ll get decent gear and crucial story elements.
+ Symbol Quests:
Prioritize these—they give you permanent upgrades like a Chocobo mount, better healing items, and other long-term benefits.
Timely Assistance Accessories:
This is perhaps the, THE most important tip on this guide. Jesus Christ... I've seen too many people on the playstation have their run tainted by this. So, listen up: On your inventory, from the getgo, you'll find these "timely assistance" accessories. They are accessibility items. So, unless you're in need of them, consider not using them, especially early on. They can very, very easily ruin the experience of a game that's already way too easy.

Exploration and Resources

Now, onto bulk of the guide. I guarantee you'll wanna read until the end.

Just do what you have to do:
I'll prolly get bashed for saying this, but just stick to the beaten path. Exploration isn’t the game’s strong point. Most chests have low-value items, like 5 gil. You won't miss out on anything for not exploring that eerie rock on the edge of the map.
Again, just do what you have to do:
The same goes for enemies. Killing mobs won't give you any useful amount of gil, xp or unique items. Doing a single random-*ss delivery sidequest will reward 50x what you would get from mobs. Same goes for loot, as common mobs' drops are purchaseable from shops. You're better off not bothering and just zipping by them.
Don’t sell your items:
Money comes easy in this game, and there’s little to spend it on.
F*ck the music industry:
The only exception to the rule above is your hideout's JUKEBOX. Some songs can cost you dozens of thousands of gil. Trying to keep up and buying them will break your economy. If you want the songs for the completionist in ya, leave it until the end of the game. Until then, save your money for potions. Speaking of which...
Are potions worth your stress?:
Listen up, this is important. You, me, and probably 90% of players are like "oh i'm not buying potions because I just might stumble upon some on the next level". That's bs. Utter bs. Specially late-game wise. Trying to save some bucks is not worth the stress. So, keep a habit of restocking with vendors. If you don't, you'll find yourself losing some important battles in the nick of time and having to redo them just because you wanted to save 200gil.
Notorious Hunts:
Do as many as you can, as early as you can. They drop valuable resources for crafting powerful late-game weapons.
Dragon Hunt:
Avoid this hunt until you’re at least level 40, preferably 45. Just remember this.
Clearing the Hunt Board:
If you're a completionist, consider clearing up the Hunt Board AFTER you finished the game. You'll get the Final Boss' Summon, and it is ridiculously overpowered. Spongy enemies you'd once battle and grind for half an hour to complete can be absolutely OBLITERATED in minutes with your newfound Ultima Abilities.
Mount Quest:
You can infer this by one of my first tips, but in case it wasn't clear enough, a specific side quest will unlock your Chocobo mount. That's how you unlock it.
Non + Symbol Quests:
These side quests are optional unless you’re interested in the story and lore.
Actually, just a bit of missables thx. @phasedcash
As I mentioned, the game has almost no missable content. There about a dozen subquests there are missable, but the game will warn you blatantly about it so don't worry about it. What you should worry about are craftable materials, which are limited. Be careful not to sell 'em willy nilly, otherwise you won't be able to max upgrade certain gear.

Abilities and Combat

Use fire against fire: Thanks @Kuruk
Get a load of this... There is no such thing as elemental advantage/disadvantage in the game. An enemy that clearly should be weak to XYZ element won't take extra damage from it. It was a creative decision, like when BioWare ditched the Renegade/Paragon dialogues in ME:A, to "encourage player-creative gameplay". So, just use whatever you want instead of treating it like a typical RPG.
Weapon Strategy:
Always buy weapons from the merchant first, then upgrade them with the blacksmith. This applies to belts and armguards too. Don't think too much about it, just do it.
Control Schemes:
If you're using a Dualsense/Xbox Controller, the game allows for control scheme customization. I know, 99% of the time we just use the default one. But get this, the community agrees the default one is the worse, "Type C" being a popular one, specially for magic-charged combos. So, try 'em all out and pick your favorite.
Experiment Freely:
I'm editing this guide just to emphasize this: KEEP A HABIT OF RESETTING YOUR SKILLS. Ability points are scarce in this game... 90% of people play it the wrong way, purchasing skills only to have them fully upgraded and abandoned as better ones are acquired. That said, listen up: ❗❗❗REFUND WHATEVER SKILLS YOU'RE NOT USING.❗❗❗ As soon as you unlock new skills, refund the previous ones so you can upgrade your current ones. This is how the game is supposed to be played, yet no one tells you.
Phoenix Wing Attack:
Upgrade the Rising Flames skill early—it’s OP!
Sword Charging:
Charge your sword while performing Eikon skills for extra hits, especially in aerial combos.
Master the Parry:
The parry mechanic is one of the most satisfying in recent games. Man I love parrying in FFXVI. Charged melee attacks (grounded and aerial) have generous active frames for hitting parries.
Taunt Skill:
People usually sleep on this, but BELIVE ME this skill ends up being very useful for blocks, dodges, and parries.
Dodging:
The dodge mechanic is forgiving, making it your main defense. Purchase the increased dodge window—it’s crucial.
Use Potions:
Don't be cheap on these. They're not expensive, they're not hard to find, and you’re not graded on their usage during the main game. Chug on 'em.
Read Skill Descriptions:
Some abilities have specific uses or combos, so take the time to read their descriptions.
Stagger Strategy:
This one is no secret, but in case y'all need to hear it, save your hard-hitting attacks for when enemies are staggered. Also, then, use multi-hit attacks to increase your multiplier before unleashing them.
Ability Slot Upgrade:
If you fully upgrade abilities you can equip 'em in more slots (even though they'll share cooldowns).
Torgal is pretty much your 2nd weapon: thx @Kuruk!
Not only can you command your dog to attack, if you time it correctly, he can perform enhanced attacks and participate in your own combos. Something like combining sword and magic attacks, but instead, you combine sword and DOG attacks. Think of him as an extension of yourself and merge him into your combos!

Assorted Personal Inputs

These are my personal yappings that I wanted to put somewhere, since they actually make a difference in the overall experience.

Cutscenes are Metal Gear Solid-Grade:
GO IN KNOWING THIS. Make sure you have at least 30 minutes to spare before starting a boss fight. So, get your snacks ready, cutscenes can be long. This is not a joke, although long, they're very, very good and emotional. So, get some popcorn ready in the microwave, fry some chicken nuggets, pop a bag of doritos with a coke (and some tissues), sh*t's about to get real. FFXVI is easily at the Top 3 of the series on the cinematics and drama department.
Play with headphones:
The game's composer is right up there with Nobuo Uematsu. So, definitely wear headphones if you can and crank up the volume; the music is absolutely phenomenal!
Stick to English Voice Acting:
Hear me up. There's this unwritten rule that animes and japanese media are supposed to be enjoyed with english subs and ♥♥♥ dubs, right? Well, ditch that. The English voice acting in FFXVI is excellent, and might suit the game's context way better than the Japanese one. There are even rumors about the game director making this a priority during development. If you know anything about it, hmu on the comments!
Dog Companion:
Torgal deals little to no damage. Definitely not enough to stress over switching the menus (dog>consumables) all the time in the heat of battle. It's just my take, but honestly? Just leave the menu on the consumables and let him do his thing on his own. Just, of course, DON'T FORGET TO PET THAT DAWG.
Short Guide?
This is my shortest guide yet. And that's for a reason. FFXVI is pretty straightforward, not too many missables, not too many hidden mechanics. Just kick back, relax, and you'll have a good time!

Suggestions?

Anything I missed? Share your experience so we can update this guide.

SMAAASH THAT LIKE BUTTON, SUBSCRIBE, LISTEN TO MY ALBUM, BUY MY MERCH AND I'LL SEE YOU ON THE NEXT ONE

33 Comments

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몬트바론 15 Jul @ 11:59am

I agree with all the tips above, especially "Stick to English Voice Acting."
Stick to the English dub guys, it's quality voice acting and makes the game more immersive!

Dōb 8 Jul @ 1:26pm

From interviews, the game’s script was written for English voice acting first, to the point that certain parts were changed on the fly based on the in-booth performance of the voice actor for Clive (Ben Starr), and was later adapted into the Japanese script.

It’s more obvious if you realize that the facial capture uses lip movements that match the English dialogue instead of Japanese like it traditionally does.

It was written in collaboration with Koji Fox, who among other things is a localization supervisor and senior translator working for Square Enix. He is also a co-lead world and lore developer for Final Fantasy XIV, so it’s not his first rodeo.

Just some trivia I find interesting, it’s the first and only game in the franchise (afaik) to have had this writing process.

DriftWing 4 Jun @ 3:43pm

Just recently purchased this game and scene that there are 2 DLCs!! : ) mhmmm do you think they will make an MMORPG with this style of menu? So much easier to manage rather than 40 spells per class. Anyways, no spoilers and dont tell me there are 23 eikons because I will believe you.

e.chavez331 21 May @ 12:14am

Thanks for writing this guide note. I am starting this game more in depth after I beat final fantasy rebirth. Or I might play it simultaneously just to enjoy both more and take breaks from each one. I will definitely be taking your pointers to heart.

Vaelynn 1 Feb @ 10:23am

About the English voice acting: I absolutely agree that it really adds to the game. I believe you're right about English being primary focus since in final credits English voice actors are listed first, then Japanese and rest to follow.

Nogurenn 22 Dec, 2024 @ 10:40pm

My two cents is that SE decided a linear path would be more manageable considering they've started targeting bigger things re: FF franchise shifting towards more action-oriented gameplay. I think it's cool of them to try evolving their mainline franchise, all things considered.

The Time Traveler 9 Nov, 2024 @ 3:15pm

@ cid and recloud Its a recommended lvl for the dragon hunt. not an epeen measuring braggart word orgy. no ones cares that you did it at that level. no one.

Cid 20 Oct, 2024 @ 6:58am

lol i do the dragon Hunt with lv 35 xD It was not easy but funny xD

celeste 16 Oct, 2024 @ 4:16am

Awesome lil' spoiler-free tips :D

dethtrain 27 Sep, 2024 @ 10:17am

I 2nd the 30 minutes for cut scenes. I made the mistake of engaging with the typhon fight 15 minutes before going to work. Boy what a bad idea. Redid the whole thing when I got home later in the day.

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