Final Fantasy 16doesn’t skimp on main quest length. An average playthrough will last between 35 and 50 hours, depending on how much one chooses to engage with the game’s side content - and really, so many side quests toward the end of the story feel integral, it’s easy to clock in on the higher end of that scale.

Related:Final Fantasy 16: FAQ Guide

And yet, when those credits finally do roll, you might just find yourself curious to know what you’ll get if you start all over again with FF16’s New Game Plus feature. Whether you want to blitz through a replay with a more powerful Clive, or you seek a bold new challenge, New Game Plus is here for you.

Everything That Carries Over To New Game Plus

First, you might want to know what sort of accomplishments from your first playthrough will carry into your second run. Quite a bit, in fact! Clive’scharacter level, equipment, cash,and even progression on fun stuff like Harpocrates’Thousand Tomescoverage.

That last bit might not help you out much on the battlefield, but it’s nice to be able to glance back over late-game entries earlier in the adventure, to help reinforce your newfound understanding of the first act’s many mysteries.

Clive pets Torgal on a stone path

Of particular note is character level, and not just because it’s neat that you’ll be restarting somewhere between level 40 and 50 on average. If you managed to hit 50 on your initial file, you’ll have realizedlevel 50 is the max, a fact that hasn’t been true with Final Fantasy since the originalversionof the original game. Curious…

Final Fantasy Mode Ups The Ante

Right, so,about that level 50 max. When you boot up your old save file for New Game Plus, you’re given the choice to eitherplay the game again in Story or Action mode, or - and this is big! -play the newly-unlocked Final Fantasy Mode.

Now, let’s tackle the less explosive choice before we get into all that. New Game Pluscanbe enjoyed purely as a power trip. If you go with Story or Action again, you’ll trounce through most content like it’s nothing.

Final Fantasy 16 - Bahamut using Megaflare in space

Clive will, after all, be of an exceedingly higher level than most foes until later in the game, and he’ll come with all theunlocked abilities and high-end equipmentbefitting a realm-saving hero. Poor Benedikta won’t know what hit her at Caer Norvent.

Final Fantasy Modeis the far more engaging path forward. In Final Fantasy Mode,enemies start off around the mid-forties level-wise, and move on up from there, which is perfect for players whose Clive can say the same.

Otto in the Hideaway from Final Fantasy 16

The level cap is raised to 100to accommodate all this, which old-school FF fans will feel right at home with, andenemy placements and overall capability will be increasedsubstantially.

Related:Final Fantasy 16: All Renown Rewards

Further Benefits Of Final Fantasy Mode

So, are Clive’s enemies truly so much tougher in Final Fantasy Mode? The plain, simple answer is a resounding yes. Will it be enough, then, for Clive to keep leveling parity with them? Well, maybe, if you’re really good at Final Fantasy 16. But there are lots of mode-specific bonuses to help you out as Valisthea’s nemeses suddenly learn to attack all at once rather than hanging back half the time.

Gear can now be raised from +2 to +5when upgrading. You know how you initially had the option to crank most things up two ‘degrees’ past their starter form? Yeah, you can now add three more.

clive looking at the arete stone final fantasy 16

You’ll also be able to obtainreforgedversions of several swords, all of which are more powerful than the regular mode’s strongest sword, Gotterdammerung. Best of all,the best weapon in FF16, Ultima Weapon, is exclusive to Final Fantasy Mode.

Ultimaniac!

There’s more tough times ahead in New Game Plus, if you’re interested in going the extra mile. Well, perhaps that’s not quite right; added legwork is the last thing you’ll need to worry about whenUltimaniac Mode is available directly through the Hideaway’s Arete Stone. That means New Game Plus players can begin testing their skills against the ultimate challenge as soon as they can access the Arete Stone.

Ultimaniac is exclusive to Arcade Modestages, meaningthe battle-heavy ‘dungeon stages’strewn throughout the main story. You know, the Greatwood, Drake’s Breath, the Ironworks - that stuff. Ultimaniac makes these places positively brutal.

Even folks who don’t find Final Fantasy Mode to be especially challenging tend to be surprised by what these remixed locales toss at you, if you let them. If you thought saving the world was hard…