Final Fantasy 16’s hardest difficulty mode, which is literally called “Final Fantasy”, features the Ultima Weapon as a craftable item and adds much harder enemies than the other difficulty modes.
We’re just a few short days away from the long-awaited release of Final Fantasy 16, which means that I’m sure many of you are planning on spending a lot of time in Valisthea over the coming weeks. While we already know that one playthrough can take anywhere between 35 and 70 hours depending on how much of a completionist you are, there’s also a much more difficult New Game Plus mode that features some exclusive content.
Related:Don’t Watch The New Final Fantasy 16 Trailer If You Care About Spoilers
As revealed by IGN in a video earlier today, Final Fantasy 16 features an unlockable difficulty mode called “Final Fantasy” that becomes available after completing the game. As you’d expect from a New Game Plus mode, your progress from another save carries over, but there are a number of features and surprises that almost make this seem like the definitive way to play the game.
For starters, the level cap for Clive raises to 100 (presumably from 50 but that hasn’t yet been confirmed), and all enemies have their levels raised too. You’ll also find different enemies in earlier points of the game, such as seeing a Chimera as the Greatwood mid-boss instead of a Wyvern.
One element of the difficulty mode that wasn’t directly discussed in the IGN video is something that is sure to excite long-term Final Fantasy (andKingdom Hearts!) fans - the Ultima Weapon. The description for the “Final Fantasy” difficulty mode notes that “To aid you in your journey, the legendary “Ultima Weapon is available for crafting”, which is similar to how it’s unlocked in the mainline Kingdom Hearts games.
For those who don’t know, the Ultima Weapon is a staple of theFinal Fantasyseries and is usually the most powerful weapon in the game. It’s appeared in most of the mainline entries in the series, but considering Final Fantasy 16 has gone for a more grounded approach and decided not to utilise some of the series' iconic elements (such as not letting the player control an airship), it’s a little surprising to see it make the cut here.
We’ve not yet seen the Ultima Weapon in action, as IGN andSquare Enixdidn’t address its inclusion in the video, but even knowing that it’s out there is a good sign for Final Fantasy fans. And hey, crafting it can’t be any more of a pain than it was in the original Kingdom Hearts, that’s for sure.
