Final Fantasy 16 is one of the strongest game-of-the-year contenders for 2023. We recommend checking out our review if you aren’t convinced yet. It is one of the strongest entries in the entire Final Fantasy franchise but it plays very differently from what you would expect. If you plan on jumping into the game, consider checking out these things that might help enhance your experience.
Note: We will NOT be going over anything that might spoil the story for you.
Use Your Skill Points Freely
After spending a bunch of time in Diablo 4 and then jumping into Final Fantasy 16, I was honestly scared of spending my ability points. The thought of a perpetually increasing cost to respec had me worried but it turns out you can refund your skill points for free. You can upgrade your abilities all you want and refund them later without spending anything. This allows you to try out all of the abilities that the game has to offer without being limited in any way.
Use the Active Time Lore Feature
If you have the memory of a goldfish like me, you can go back to the Active Time Lore feature and jog your memory in case you can’t keep up with the story. You can find information on locations, events, and characters.
Learn the Right Combos
You do not need to min-max your damage when engaging enemies, but there are a few tricks that can help you dish out a lot more damage and move through zones faster. Many attacks in the game have high aerial damage multipliers and they scale with how much height you achieve during your attacks. Knocking enemies up in the air and using aerial attacks before slamming them into the ground with Upheaval can take out most normal foes in the game.
Against bosses, you should also build up your combo before using your hard-hitting attacks. Once you have a 1.5X multiplier, you will be able to dish out massive amounts of burst damage. You should also shift forms and use any abilities you have off cooldown once you build up your multiplier.
Use Your Chocobo to Knock Enemies Away
You can jump into the air with your Chocobo to glide over enemies if you do not want to get hit. You can also attack enemies with your Chocobo and knock them into the air. If you are running into groups of enemies. A friend showed me a neat little trick and it involves hitting the attack button at a specific interval and you will be able to juggle enemies in the air forever without letting them pull off a single attack. This is much slower than actually fighting them but it looks cool and we recommend giving it a try.
Action-Focused vs Story-Focused: What Should You Choose?
Many gamers seek a challenge while others just want to experience the story and look at cool action sequences. Square Enix lets you have it either way and many wonder which combat mode to choose. You can honestly go with either one and change it during your playthrough without consequences. You are not locked into either one so feel free to tinker around. I personally preferred the Action Focused mode and you shouldn’t have too much trouble with enemies.
Take Advantage of Garuda’s Embrace
You should use Garua’s Embrace for all boss fights as it makes taking on some of the toughest foes in the game so much easier. You can enhance the stagger duration and give yourself a damage window that lasts longer than usual.
Complete Important Side Quests
There are many side quests that have a plus sign on them and you should complete all of them. They unlock important aspects of the game and can also give you blueprints for gear. A lot of the side quests offer a closer look at the world of Valisthea and its quests.
Not all side quests are created equal and we would be lying if we said every quest in the game is enjoyable. But there are plenty of them that are worth your time and make your Final Fantasy 16 experience a whole lot better.
Torgal is Your Best Friend
Torgal is a good boy and he deserves to fight by your side every step of the way. There are various combos that allow you to take advantage of Torgal during combat using Punishing Sics. They are very effective at crowd-controlling enemies or setting up massive aerial combos.
While the build system is not as deep as say an ARPG or an MMO, it still has plenty to offer. Torgal contributes greatly to the gameplay experience and he’s truly your best friend as you journey through Valisthea.
Focus on Exploration
There are some powerful hidden items hidden around the map and you should keep an eye out for anything that looks out of place. I even ran into legendary items just by exploring and I recommend you do the same.
The excellent combat makes exploration all the more enjoyable and it is a blast going around Valisthea and finding its secrets. You can wait until you have your Chocobo before you freely explore the map.
Remember to Have Fun!
Final Fantasy 16 is one of the most fun games I have played in ages and while many might argue that it is not a “true” FF title, it won me over and I cannot get enough of it. If you feel that you want more content after completing the story, you can go for the New Game+ option. There are noticeable changes in New Game+ and you will have a slightly different experience.
If you are on the fence about getting the game, we strongly recommend you give the game a try. There is a demo available that will let you experience over an hour of content and you can decide if you want to go for it.
