Well,Final Fantasy 16is here, and you know what? It isdamngood. After the debacle that was Final Fantasy 15’s action-based combat, this is absolutely a night and day improvement. But it isn’t just feel, which is absolutely superb, it also has a considerable amount of depth. Now, before we get started, we need to address something. Despite what the internet will tell you, Final Fantasy 16 is NOT a character action title.

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Final Fantasy 16 is more limited than aDevil May Crytitle. Meter management, as an example, is a pretty substantial element, and acts as a means for limiting what Clive can do. However, while Final Fantasy 16 isn’t a character action title, there is still a fair amount of flexibility here. This guide’ll help point you in the direction of unlocking all the best elements.

7Tools For Grouping Your Enemies

Typically, a taunt in a video game is used to style on your opponents. Games having taunts that play a role in the core gameplay aren’t unheard of, but they are rarely particularly potent outside of tanking in an MMO. However, the taunt is a versatile move in the early parts of Final Fantasy 16. Until you get your Ignition ability, the taunt is your best way to group enemies.

We probably don’t need to tell you this, but all your Phoenix specials are excellent for hitting multiple enemies at once. To get the most out of this, you’ll want to draw all your foes in. That’s where your taunt comes in. Like, we said, later in the game you will often use Ignition for this instead, as it is brilliant for scooping enemies up and grouping them, but even later on, the taunt has the benefit of not having a cooldown associated with it.

Final Fantasy 16, Pro Tips, Using the Ignition attack

The other purpose for the taunt is that it will cause an enemy enraged by it to attack right away, making for a predictable precision dodge,or even a parry. This won’t work against bosses, but it is still a great tool for dealing with the standard mobs.

6Conceal Your Charges Mid-Combo

You may think that your Charged Magic attack, or the Burning Blade, are only viable for stray attacks, or for beginning combat encounters. Because, you know, those attacks need to be charged. But here’s the thing, the system for charging attacks is extremely flexible here. you’re able to charge these abilities—mid-animation—during an Eikonic attack. During a punishing blow animation? Yup, you can charge during those, too. Even during a combo, you can charge an attack as the animation is playing out.

Related:Final Fantasy 16: Most Cinematic Boss Battles

Another important element that you may not know is that you can charge a Charged Magic attackanda Burning Blade attack simultaneously. So, it doesn’t have to be a one or the other type of situation.

5Torgal Is A Combo’s Best Friend

One element that a lot of people seem to be sleeping on is Torgal and how best to usethis precocious pup. One of the best qualities of Torgal is his ability to help you extend your combos. As an example, once you have upgraded your magic burst ability, you will be able to weave it in between each slash of your sword. Upon the fourth repetition, you will blow your enemy away. Typically, this would be the end of your combo. However, with Torgal by your side you may use his Sic command to keep your enemy suspended mid-air. At which point you can follow-up with a thrust attack.

Or, instead of the Sic, you could use his Ravage to pop them up into the air, then you could Phoenix Shift up to the airborne enemy, perform a full air combo, which will slam them down into the ground, and, finally, you may finish the combo off with a Downthrust. These are two really basic combos, but use Torgal in conjunction with your Stomp ability, which will allow you to perform jump cancels, and you can get even more ornate combos.

Final Fantasy 16, Pro Tips, Charging Heat Blade and your magic at the same time

While Ravage will pop enemies up into the air when they are ground, if they are already in the air, it will slam them down to the ground.

4Use The Stomp For Extended Air Combos

If you read the description of the stomp command, it would have you believe that this attack is primarily a means for landing his Downthrust. But while it can be used for that, the true function of your Stomp attack is to open up air-combo possibilities. While the Devil May Cry comparisons have been a little painfully overstated, this is a somewhat restrained version of aclassic DMC tool:the jump cancel.

Suddenly, instead of launching your enemy, and then Phoenix Shifting to them, and landing an air combo, and then finishing it off with a Downthrust, you can cancel the second to last hit into an additional air combo. This will also give you time to land multiple air combos

Final Fantasy 16, Pro Tips, Double Teaming a goblin with Torgal

3Canceling Attacks WIth Your Limit Break

Generally speaking, once you are locked into an attack, you won’t be able to do anything else. However, this all changes once yougain access to your Limit Break. You can activate your Limit Break at any time, which means that you can lock an enemy into place with an Eikonic attack, and then immediately cancel out of it and transition directly into a combo.

Related:Final Fantasy 16: Hardest Hunts

Obviously, this opens up a ton of new combo routes. However, it isn’tjustan tool for offense, you can also use it to go on the defense. While you are in your Limit Break form, you cannot be killed, even if your HP reaches 0. Which means that you can use it as a panic button if you are about to get murked by a big attack.

This is the best reason to not wait until you have filled all your bars of meter before using your Limit Break. Instead, if you use you Limit Break more frequently, using it one bar at a time, you can get a number of potent combos out of that meter.

Final Fantasy 16, Pro Tips, Jump canceling with the stomp

2Stop Running And Start Dodging

There is an element that becomes more common as you encounter bigger and tougher baddies. They will use attacks that hit a massive area. You will often have just enough time to escape these AOE attacks before the boss lets them rip. Though, sometimes you may find yourself being caught mid-animation, which will leave you less time to escape.

However, if you really want to start making a scene, you need to get off your back heels and start being more aggressive with your precision dodging. That means you need to stand your ground, keep hitting the enemy in questions, and then dodge just when the attack is about to go off. The truth is, these things aren’t random, and they aren’t hard to predict either. Listen for the sound cues and visual indicators. you may learn to time these attacks pretty quickly on the fly.

Final Fantasy 16, Pro Tips, Using the limit break

1Attacks With Counter Abilities

A number of attacks in Final Fantasy 16 have counter-attack properties. Used properly, these attacks are incredibly potent. As an example, your Thrust attack is already a powerful tool that allows you to cover long distances quickly (faster than your Phoenix Shift), but timed to hit the moment before the enemy’s attack lands, this will also stop time and allow Clive to land a full combo without fear of retaliation.

Similarly, there are multiple Eikonic abilities that have specific counter conditions. However, these don’t act as parries per se, and will, instead, to transform into an enhanced version when you successfully. Much like with the Thrust attack, Rook’s Gambit, when timed to hitjustas the enemy is about land an attack of their own, will give you a powered up version. The Heatwave works similarly, but is exclusive to projectile attacks. Another huge benefit here is that if you do land the counter version of these attacks they also recover much faster.

Final Fantasy 16, Landing a precision counter

Next:Final Fantasy 16: Main Characters And Their Voice Actors

Final Fantasy 16, Pro Tips, Parrying with Heatblade