Final Fantasy 16 is perhaps the most anticipated game of 2023. Sure enough, Final Fantasy games are always the most-talked-about subject when it comes to new entries and 16 promises a lot. From the trailers, many have deciphered that FF16 is a deviant from the rest of the FF games and for good reasons.
The theme and story are way darker and the gameplay has been refined to suit modern video game standards. Essentially, anybody—even those who have not played any FF games before—can look to get a good time in the 16th instalment of this legendary franchise.
Even so, we believe that newcomers will find it a little difficult to navigate this game with zero help. Sure, FF16 is not the most difficult game out there but all of us can use a little from time to time and we’re here to offer beginner assistance to this masterpiece of a game!
Let’s get going!
Choosing the Right Difficulty
Don’t worry. Despite having gorgeous graphics like Elden Ring, this game has a difficulty setting you can choose. If you’re not up for it, it is perfectly fine for you to choose an easier difficulty, especially if you want to experience the game for its story.
However, unlike other games, FF16 only offers two kinds of difficulty setting, either Story Focused or Action Focused. For the first option, the gameplay is generally easier because you will be receiving assistance in the form of accessories right from the get-go. As for the latter, you will be getting nothing. You’ll be starting from zero and you’ll need to earn equipment solely by yourself.
All in all, casual players who are more interested in the story rather than gameplay should choose Story Focused whereas players who are more gameplay-driven can opt for the other.
Parry, Parry and Parry
If you are a Sekiro enjoyer, this lesson should be well-steeped into your gaming veins. Here in FF16, players are rewarded if they can time their defence well. Once you’ve managed to parry an attack successfully, you can for a brief time mini-stun the enemy. Doing this efficiently can greatly reduce the damage taken and in return safely execute your attacks.
Of course, every enemy attack pattern differs. As such, reading the enemy’s behaviour is a crucial subconscious habit you’ll need to pick up to do well in this game. Give it some time and don’t blindly rush into battles. It is perfectly all right to fall in battle the first time.
The most important thing is to learn from these failures so that you can predict enemy attacks/movements better.
Correctly Using Your Limit Breaks
You can somewhat think that the Limit Break is an Ultimate for Clive. It is a very powerful mechanic where Clive can deal tremendous damage and lifesteal from these attacks.
As tempting as it may be to use the Limit Break whenever it is available, it is actually better to use it at the right time so that you can either clutch out dire moments or reach your full damage potential with it. Normally, you would want to use your Limit Break when you are on the brink of death. This is a little bit risky but your Limit Break can serve as a fail-safe due to the health gain you are getting from your attacks.
On the offensive side of things, if you are able to successfully stagger your opponent, using your Limit Break attacks on them can deal some serious damage. It is the best way to capitalise on your Limit Break damage capability, ensuring the highest damage is being dealt.
Pay Some Attention to Side Quests
We are going to be frank here, FF16 doesn’t exactly have the best side quests but some of them are pretty great in terms of rewards. So, if you are not already too immersed in the storyline, it is recommended to get sidetracked a little to finish some of these side quests!
Here are some of the more rewarding side quests you can do that will make your gameplay much easier:
The White-Winged Wonder
You will be granted a Chocobo Mount upon completion.
Weird Science
Allows you to carry more consumables upon completion.
Blacksmith’s Blues IV
Gain access to Gotterdammerung Design Draft upon completion.
Fortunately, most of the side quests in FF16 aren’t excruciatingly difficult to finish. Most of them are just pick-up quests which can be done pretty quickly. This almost makes them a must-do albeit a little boring.
Tinkering Around with the Settings
Aside from the difficulty, there are other settings players can tweak for a more optimised gameplay experience.
One of the more noticeable settings you can change is the Camera Sensitivity. FF16 is a very high-octane game that requires you to turn your camera around a lot. So, it is actually pretty important for you to adjust the right camera speed so that the camera isn’t facing the wrong direction just because you hit the button too hard or too lightly.
Other settings you might want to consider altering are Motion Blur and Brightness Level. These are all preference-based and adjusting them to suit you will yield the best results. Also, remember that the button configuration is comfortable for you. You seriously do not want to be fumbling because of some miss-input of buttons that will spell imminent disaster.
That’s it, I think we’ve pretty much covered the basics of Final Fantasy 16 without spoiling anything. Sadly, we can’t really go into much detail about the core gameplay because this game is so good that you’ll need to play it for yourself for the best experience. And if for some reason you haven’t got the game yet, be sure to do so with our PlayStation Store Gift Card here!
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