Final Fantasy XVI Beginner Guide: Tips Before You Start

Final Fantasy XVI throws a lot at you in the first few hours. There's a new action-combat system to learn, a wolf that follows you into battle, a wall of settings to pick from before you swing a sword, and a story that loves to jump around in time. The good news is most of it clicks fast once you know where to look.

This write-up covers the stuff worth setting straight before the plot drags you along. Difficulty, Eikon abilities, gear, your dog, and the side quests that actually pay off. Get these right early and the opening stretch goes a whole lot smoother.

Choosing the Right Difficulty Setting

When you start a new game, the first real call is Story Focused or Action Focused. A lot of people overthink this one. There's no wrong pick, and the cool part is you can switch between the two any time you're not in combat.

Story Focused is the easy mode. You begin with a set of Timely Accessories already equipped, and enemies have less HP and hit softer. The Timely rings are the real help here. One slows time right before an enemy attack lands so you can dodge. Another dodges for you. There's one that auto-combos your Eikon abilities, one that auto-heals when your health drops, and one that fires off Limit Break on its own. Basically the game plays part of its own combat so you can focus on the story.

Action Focused is normal mode. None of those rings get auto-equipped, and the enemies hit like they're supposed to. But here's the thing: you can still pop the Timely rings on manually whenever you want. So even on Action Focused you've got an easy-out dial if a boss starts wrecking you. Just open your gear menu and slot one in.

So who picks what? If you've played Devil May Cry, Bayonetta, or any character-action game, go Action Focused. The combat is the main event in this one, and you'll want the full version of it. If you're here mostly for the plot, or action games just aren't your thing, take Story Focused and don't feel bad about it. You're still seeing the same game.

There's also a third option called Final Fantasy Mode, and it's the hard mode. You can't touch it until you've beaten the game once, because it lives in New Game Plus. Enemies have way more health and damage, the level cap jumps to 100, and you can craft the Ultima weapon. None of that matters your first run. Just know it's sitting there waiting for round two.

One small warning on Final Fantasy Mode: once you start a save file on it, you can't drop back down to an easier mode on that file. So save the brutal stuff for after you've cleared the game once. On your first go, Story or Action is the whole menu, and you can bounce between them freely from the System menu under Game Settings.

Understanding Clive's Eikon Abilities Early

Eikons are the big summons of Valisthea, and Clive borrows their powers as Eikonic Abilities. This is the heart of the combat. The whole system is built around slotting a handful of moves and chaining them into combos.

The setup works like this. You equip up to three Eikons at a time. Each one hands you an Eikonic Feat, which is a built-in trick on a cooldown, plus two ability slots you fill with unlocked moves. That's six abilities total to juggle, plus the three feats. Sounds like a lot, but it opens up gradually.

The unlock order runs roughly Phoenix first, then Garuda, then Ifrit, Ramuh, Titan, and on from there as the story moves. Early on you're mostly working with Phoenix and Garuda, and honestly that's plenty to chew on.

| Eikon | When you get it | Standout move | |---|---|---| | Phoenix | Start of the game | Phoenix Shift, a gap-closing dash | | Garuda | Wings of Change | Deadly Embrace, the grapple pull | | Ifrit | The Meaning of Life | Will o' the Wykes, a fire shield | | Ramuh | Cid the Outlaw | Lightning Rod, chaining ball lightning | | Titan | Bolts from the Blue | Titanic Block, the timed parry guard |

Phoenix is your starter, and it's sneaky-good. Phoenix Shift zips you straight to a target, which is a lifesaver against enemies that keep their distance. Rising Flames is a fiery uppercut that launches lighter foes into the air for juggling. Heatwave throws up a wall of fire that bounces projectiles back, pretty niche but it shreds certain ranged mobs. Scarlet Cyclone is a spin that hits everything around you, nice for crowds.

Garuda comes next during Wings of Change, and she changes how you fight. Deadly Embrace is the grapple. It yanks small enemies over to you, or pulls you to the big ones and launches you up. Once you've got this, crowd control gets way easier. Gouge rakes an enemy with twin claws and builds the stagger bar fast. Wicked Wheel is a rising spin that launches enemies and keeps juggles going in the air. Rook's Gambit is a backstep counter, and if the backstep actually dodges a hit, the counter lands much harder.

A bit later you pick up Ramuh and Titan. Ramuh's Lightning Rod drops a ball of lightning that chains to nearby enemies when you smack it, great for groups. Blind Justice locks ball lightning onto targets and lets you detonate it later. Titan brings the parry game with Titanic Block, a guard that lets you fire back counter-punches when you time it right. Raging Fists is a flurry of punches that hits harder if the opening step blocks an attack.

So where do you spend your AP first? The common early picks are Phoenix Shift, Rising Flames, and Garuda's Gouge. Between them you've got a gap-close, a launcher, and steady stagger damage, which covers most situations. From there, branch out based on what feels good. There's no permanent cost here either. You can refund ability points for free at the Arete Stone, so trying things out costs you nothing.

A quick word on the stagger bar. The orange gauge under an enemy's HP is their will. Empty it and they stagger, which opens a window where they take way more damage. Fast multi-hit moves like Gouge shred that bar. Once the enemy staggers, dump your biggest abilities into them and watch the damage number climb.

Each ability can also be "mastered" by spending more AP after you unlock it. Mastery usually lowers the cost or lets you slot that ability on any Eikon instead of just its original one. Don't hoard your points waiting for something better. Spend them, test moves out, refund what you don't like.

Managing Accessories and Gear Upgrades

Clive's loadout is small: three accessory slots, one weapon, a belt, and vambraces (the arm guards). That's the whole kit. The catch is that most folks ignore accessories and armor until they slam into a wall, then wonder why a boss feels rough. A little attention here goes a long way.

Accessories worth grabbing early

The standout early accessory is the Berserker Ring. For a couple of seconds after a Precision Dodge, your attacks get faster and stronger. It only costs 85 Renown at the Patron's Whisper in the Hideaway, which is about two or three side quests' worth. Since Precision Dodging is something you'll be doing constantly anyway, this ring is basically free damage. Grab it first.

Here are the other notables, with confirmed costs and effects:

| Accessory | What it does | How to get it | |---|---|---| | Berserker Ring | Faster, stronger attacks after a Precision Dodge | 85 Renown, Patron's Whisper | | Cleric's Medallion +1 | +40% potion healing | 205 Renown, Patron's Whisper | | High Cleric's Medallion | +25% high potion healing | 715 Renown, Patron's Whisper | | Genji Gloves | +5% damage, or +10% once reinforced | 2,365 Renown, Patron's Whisper | | Adamantite Gauntlets | +500 HP, or +1000 once reinforced | Treasure chest in Waloed, late game | | Badge of Mettle +1 | +30 defense | A Culinary Pilgrimage side quest | | Cobalt Tassels | +6% Limit Break charge when you take a hit | 24,000 Gil at Charon's Toll | | Crimson Tassels | +3% Limit Break charge when you deal damage | 28,000 Gil at Charon's Toll |

The healing medallions are quietly great. You can only carry a handful of potions at once, so making each one heal for more is real survival insurance. The Tassels are a mid-game purchase since they cost real Gil, and they only open up after the Cid the Outlaw quest. Nice once you've got the cash, not a priority before.

And remember those Timely rings from Story Focused? You can equip them in Action Focused too. If a boss is flattening you, throw on the Ring of Timely Focus, which slows time when a hit's about to land, or the Ring of Timely Evasion, which dodges for you. There's zero shame in it. The game hands them to you on purpose.

Reinforcing your gear

All the forging happens at Blackthorne, the blacksmith in the Hideaway. His shop is called The Black Hammer, and he has two jobs for you: Craft and Reinforce.

For accessories, reinforcing means mashing two of the same item into a stronger version. If you end up with two Badge of Mettle, combine them into a Badge of Mettle +2 for a bigger defense bump. Same deal with the Genji Gloves going from +5% to +10% damage, or the Adamantite Gauntlets jumping from +500 to +1000 HP. So don't sell duplicate accessories. Save them for combining.

For weapons, belts, and vambraces, you reinforce with crafting materials you find out in the field or buy from the shop:

• Belts bump your max HP.
• Vambraces bump your defense.
• Weapons are your main damage. You either craft the next tier from a recipe plus materials, or you find a better sword out in the world.

Build a simple habit here. Every time you're back at the Hideaway, swing by Blackthorne and dump your spare materials into your current sword and armor. The cost is low and the bumps stack up over a chapter. Don't sleep on belts and vambraces either. That extra HP and defense is often the difference between surviving a boss combo and getting deleted in one string.

If you're short on materials, Charon's Toll, the shop right next to Blackthorne, sells the basic stuff, so you're rarely fully stuck. A couple of quick purchases and you can push your gear up another notch before a tough fight.

Using Torgal Commands Effectively in Combat

A few hours in, Clive reunites with his childhood wolf Torgal, and from then on the good boy fights beside you. He attacks on his own, sure, but the real damage comes from commanding him yourself. Most players let him auto-attack and leave it there, which is leaving a lot on the table.

The three commands

You control Torgal with the D-pad, and he's got three moves:

• Sic (Up on the D-pad): Torgal bites and attacks whatever you're targeting. Against grounded enemies this is a multi-hit combo.
• Ravage (Down on the D-pad): Torgal launches a grounded enemy into the air, or slams an airborne enemy back down. Think of it as your juggle and spike tool.
• Heal (Right on the D-pad): Torgal casts Cure on Clive. This only refills the dull green recoverable portion of your health bar, so it's a free mini-heal that saves your potions.

Left on the D-pad flips the page between Torgal commands and your item shortcuts. So you're not giving up potion access, you just swap back and forth.

Precision Sics are the whole game

Here's the part most people miss. If you give Torgal a command right after a Precision Dodge, or right after you knock an enemy back, he pulls off a Precision Sic. That's a beefed-up version of the attack with extra damage and a flashy fire effect. Sic into a grounded enemy and he does an extended combo. Ravage into a grounded enemy and he flings them skyward. Ravage into an airborne enemy and he spikes them into the dirt.

The timing is what makes Torgal shine. Dodge, then immediately tap Up for a Sic. The window is pretty generous once you start watching for it, and it turns the wolf from a passive helper into a genuine damage source. Once this click happens, combat feels twice as good.

Fitting Torgal into your combos

Torgal plays best at the end of your strings. Land a charged magic shot or a launcher, then call him to extend the juggle. Use Ravage to keep enemies airborne and Sic to pile on hits while they're stuck floating. Against a staggered boss, dump Sic and Ravage during the stagger window to rack up damage while the multiplier is hot.

One thing to watch out for. The Ring of Timely Assistance automates Torgal's commands for you, which is handy if you're overwhelmed. But it tends to eat your Precision Sic windows, because the ring fires off commands on its own timing instead of yours. If you're trying to land Precision Sics on purpose, take the ring off. If you just want the dog to handle himself while you focus on dodging, leave it on.

And don't forget his Heal. It's easy to overlook, it's on a cooldown, and it only tops up that recoverable green sliver. But that's free healing between potions. Tap Right whenever you see the dull green show up after taking a hit, and your potion stash lasts a whole lot longer through a long boss fight.

Side Quests Worth Doing Before the Story Moves On

FF16 has 76 side quests, and let's be honest, a big chunk of them are basic fetch errands. But a handful unlock real upgrades you'll feel for the rest of the game. These are the ones to grab before the story races ahead, because some quests vanish once the plot moves to a new region.

The White-Winged Wonder: get your Chocobo

This is the headline. Doing it unlocks Ambrosia, your Chocobo mount, and hands you 600 AP on top. Once you've got a bird, crossing the map is way faster, and you stop dreading the run back to a quest giver. It opens up after the Release subquest, early on. Do it the second it appears. The 600 AP alone is a massive boost toward buying and mastering abilities.

The potion upgrade quests

Consumables carry you through bosses, and a couple of short quest chains make them permanently better:

• The Root of the Problem, available after The Storm, gives you Morganbeard Extract, which boosts your potion potency.
• Weird Science, after Letting Off Steam III, hands you the Treated Potion Satchel so you can carry more consumables. It also gives a Bomb Ember, which you need to craft Excalibur.
• Please Sir, Can I Have Some Morbol, after A Song of Hope, gives the Invigorated Morganbeard Extract, bumping your carrying capacity again.
• Even Weirder Science, once Across the Narrow opens up, gives the Expanded Potion Satchel for more potency.

Nigel, the Head Botanist, and Owain, the Engineer, hand these out around the Hideaway. The quests are short, and they permanently improve your healing. More potions and stronger potions means real survival insurance for every boss after.

The Blacksmith's Blues chain: best weapons

Blackthorne has a multi-part questline, Blacksmith's Blues parts II, III, and IV, that hands out design drafts for the game's top weapons: Excalibur, Ouroboros, and Gotterdammerung. You flat-out can't craft these swords without the drafts, so if you want the heavy hitters, these quests are mandatory. They unlock in stages as the story moves, so check back at the Hideaway between chapters and see what's popped up.

Cooldown-reducing accessories

A whole batch of side quests give "Breath of..." accessories that cut the cooldown on specific Eikon abilities. For Great Justice II gets you the Breath of Wind, which shortens Wicked Wheel's cooldown. Onward to Discovery gives the Breath of Earth for Upheaval. There's one for most abilities. If your build leans on one or two moves, hunt down the matching Breath accessory. It's the difference between using your favorite ability once per fight and twice.

The general rule

Don't treat side quests as filler to save for the credits roll. A few of them disappear for good when the story jumps to a new region, and even the ones that stick around still pay out in EXP, AP, Gil, Renown, and crafting materials. Renown matters more than it looks, since that's the currency you spend at the Patron's Whisper for accessories like the Berserker Ring and the Genji Gloves.

A good rhythm to fall into: every time the story drops you back at the Hideaway, sweep the new quests marked with green exclamation points before you push the main plot forward. That one habit keeps your gear, your potions, and your AP ahead of the difficulty curve.

So before you charge into the next story mission, give it five minutes at the Hideaway. Snag the Berserker Ring for 85 Renown, reinforce your sword with the materials piling up in your bag, knock out The White-Winged Wonder for the Chocobo and that chunk of AP, and tap Torgal's Heal whenever that dull green sliver appears. Small habits like those carry you through every boss the game throws at you.