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Final Fantasy XVI combat guide: how to beat every enemy and stay alive
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Phil Hornshaw
Note that this guide discusses some abilities that can be considered spoilers. It’s been out for a while on console, but it’s new to PC, so if you'd rather not know anything about Clive's story, you might want to come back to this guide after you've had some experience with the game.
Fight well for bigger rewards
You're constantly being graded on your combat performance in Final Fantasy XVI. As you battle an enemy, watch the right side of the screen—when you take certain actions, like using an Eikon ability or a special attack, completing a combo, hitting perfect timing, or staggering an enemy with a Takedown, you'll see it logged. While there are no numbers attributed to any of your moves to tell you exactly how much you're earning from them, you can draw conclusions based on the font color of the words. White attacks score lowest, then blue, cyan, green, and rainbow at the top. How well you perform affects the spoils you receive after a battle, and can earn you better rewards and even accessories you can equip.
Getting the best rewards means using lots of abilities well, but you should also experiment with your capabilities to find more ways to score. For instance, using Clive's Lunge ability against an enemy counts as a white-level attack, but if you Lunge from far away and still hit the target, it'll become a blue-level Extreme Lunge. Attacking enemies on the ground, ending combos with abilities, sending Torgal in at the right time—these can all boost your performance, so experiment with all your abilities and keep an eye on the color of the words to maximize your score.
Dodging is key to survival
Unlike other RPGs and especially Final Fantasy games, your inventory in Final Fantasy XVI is severely limited. You can set items for quick access during a fight, but Clive's pockets are not deep, and if you take many hits, you won't survive long—especially against tough bosses.
Your goal is to always execute a Precision Dodge by hitting the dodge button just before an enemy attack would hit you. The timing can be a little tricky and sometimes feels like it requires you to dodge a little earlier than you think, but it's worth experimenting to get it right. A perfect Precision Dodge gives you the chance for a Precision Counter, which is a fast, powerful melee or magic strike right after a dodge.
While it can be tempting to press the attack right after a dodge, don't get too aggressive until you get a sense of the timing of an enemy's attacks. You'll sometimes have multiple blows to dodge in a row, or bigger delayed hits that come after more obvious weaker ones. Your heals are limited, so making sure you can keep yourself clear of harm is your biggest priority.
Parrying (usually) isn't worth it
Dodging isn't your only defensive maneuver—you can also parry enemy attacks by swinging your sword at theirs, deflecting the blow. This slows time to give you an even better opportunity for a counterattack than dodging does. However, unless you're feeling very good about your parrying ability, this isn't something you want to rely on.
Parrying requires you to swing your sword just after the enemy starts their own attack, but before the attack actually hits you, and that requires tighter timing than even the Precision Dodge. You're also left vulnerable if you miss, where a slightly mistimed dodge may still allow you to avoid damage. The point is, in general, the risks with parrying greatly outweigh the rewards. Parrying is a skill you can master if you take the time, and it can give you huge benefits, but if it's costing you hits, it could cost you your life.
Maximize combos with magic, abilities, and Torgal
The core of combat in Final Fantasy XVI is executing combos by stringing various movies together. Four melee swings counts as a combo, but with the right timing, you can extend your combo with a few extra moves—provided you know what they are.
Hitting the magic attack button after a melee attack lets you do a magic burst, a powerful blast does big Stagger damage. The easiest way to use the attack is to link it at the end of a four-hit melee combo, but if you time it right, you can also fire it off after two strikes and then keep going, potentially lengthening your combo. You can also use Torgal's Sic command at the end of a combo to extend even further.
The tough part is the timing. To get a magic burst or a Precision Sic, you have to execute the move at the end of a combo in the same rhythm as Clive's melee attacks. Hammering the buttons as fast as you can won't get you anywhere; instead, you have to watch Clive's animations and hit the attack buttons with the same timing once the melee combo is complete. You'll know if you've messed it up because Clive will throw a regular fireball and Torgal's attack will be slow and somewhat ineffective.
It's all about the Stagger
Paying attention to and taking advantage of your enemy's Stagger level should command your attention in all fights—Health is a distant second. Deplete an enemy's Stagger and you knock them into a Takedown, leaving them helpless while you lay into them for several seconds. Takedowns are also top-level boosts to your combat score, so the more you can complete in a fight, the better.
To that end, check your Eikon abilities in the Gear and Abilities menu. There, you can see how effective each one is at damaging either Health or Stagger, so you can learn to use your abilities at the right times in a fight. You should use Garuda's abilities first, for example, since they do more Stagger damage. Once you get a Takedown, switch to abilities like Ramuh's that deal more damage to Health.
Don't miss out on the 50% Stagger opportunity, either. If you use Garuda's Deadly Embrace feat right after an enemy hits the 50% mark on their Stagger bar, you'll yank them down for a few free hits. That's a perfect time to tear into their Stagger meter before they have a chance to fight back, helping you get Takedowns early and often.
Unlock these abilities early
Clive has several standard combat abilities you can purchase early in the game that flesh out his standard melee and magic attacks. While all of them are useful in different contexts and accommodate different play styles, there are two you should prioritize no matter what: Lunge and Swift Recovery.
Lunge is exactly what it sounds like, giving you a melee attack that closes distance similar to Clive's Phoenix Shift. However, Lunge can go further and is generally faster, especially if you miss. It's a great way to open up your attack against any foe, especially if you're dodging a lot.
Swift Recovery is essential because it lets you jump back to your feet after taking nearly any hit. It's great for avoiding multiple attacks in a row and getting back on the offensive.
Rather than powering up several abilities right away, it's also worthwhile to save up your Ability Points to purchase the Phoenix ability Flames of Rebirth as early as you can. This is the Phoenix's best ability, dealing high damage to Health and Stagger. It also heals Clive a bit when you use it, making it a great move to have in your arsenal early on.
Master your favorite abilities
You can power up Eikon abilities twice on the Abilities menu: once to Upgraded, and once to Mastered. You'll want to be somewhat discerning about how you spend your points, though, as they're tough to come by, although you can reset any ability if you decide you don't want it.
If you have abilities you really like or suit your style well, consider mastering them. If you do, they'll become available to equip if you're not using their native Eikon. That allows you to create more varied and flexible loadouts for battle.
Limit Break to keep yourself alive
The Limit Break ability gives Clive a powerful longer melee combo, making it great to use during a Takedown to deal maximum damage. But if you're in trouble, you can use your Limit Break to save your life, because you'll slowly recharge Health while your Limit Break is active.
It can be tempting to dive in and hammer away at an enemy once during this time, but if Health is a concern, consider being more judicious. Your Limit Break makes it much tougher to see when you're about to take a hit, and since Clive isn't knocked back during this time, you might actually take more damage without realizing it. You also charge the Limit Break meter by executing moves with precise timing, so if you're hurting for heals, play a little defense and use your Limit Break to get back from the brink.
Final Fantasy XVI is out September 17th on the Epic Games Store.