Final Fantasy 16 Guide – Best Early-Game Abilities
Welcome to our Final Fantasy 16 guide! Throughout the next few weeks we’ll be diving into every facet of the new Final Fantasy and helping you uncover the best ways to play the game and unlock everything there is to see. Unlike other Final Fantasy titles, 16 is far more action-orientated and as a result there’s a lot more emphasis on the combat.
With that in mind, when you first start the game you may be wondering what the best abilities are to unlock. Well, fret not as we’ve highlighted the best ones to unlock first as you start playing. As always, if you have a different play-style and think there’s a more effective way of tackling what Valisthea has to offer, do let us know in the comments below!
Getting Started
When you first start Final Fantasy 16, Clive doesn’t have a lot of moves. In fact, the combat is rather lacking altogether. He only has one Eikonic attack, and there aren’t very many basic moves unlocked either. However, once you start battling across Valisthea, you’ll be granted several rewards; Gil and Ability Points. The latter is what we’ll be looking at here, as it’s used to unlock various abilities from our unlock screen which looks like this:
What are the best abilities to unlock first?
Lunge – Lunge is a useful ability and one of the cheapest in the game. It costs 25 AP to unlock. This gives Clive a lunging attack that quickly closes the gap between you and your opponent. It’s very helpful when you’re in the middle of a fight, as it can be used to immediately to close the gap between you and an opponent. It can also be used to launch into different combos quickly. It’s also worth noting that it can be used as a form of blocking attacks, as you can shift your attention across to another enemy and Lunge over, thus avoiding the attack of another enemy.
Swift Recovery – Another low-costing ability, Swift Recovery can be unlocked for 10 AP. It’s an invaluable tool in your arsenal, allowing you to recover more quickly after being knocked down by an enemy. This is especially useful against some of the heavy-hitting bosses the game has to offer, especially if you’re not expecting a move with a large area of splash damage!
Heatwave – One of the Eikon abilities that’s severely underrated in this game, Heatwave doubles-up as both an offensive move and an effective counter. It can allow you to deflect enemy projectiles if you time the move just right (called a Heatwave Counter) and stagger enemies back too. There’s a wide area of damage on this one and it’s unlocked for 120 AP. You can find this right above the main ability ring, within your Phoenix summon moves. It can be a real game-changer, especially during fights with lots of enemies.
Precision Dodge (Mastery) – Unlocking abilities also grants you the ability to Master these same techniques too. These can do more damage, increase the potency of an attack and give you an edge in battle. Executing a Precision Dodge with R1 at just the right moment as an enemy attacks can then be followed up with a much more powerful attack if you hit square just after. Mastering this ability increases the window of time you’re able to pull this one off. You’ll be able to master this for 500 AP.
Parrying – This costs 0 AP but it is a very useful skill to master in battle. When combined with Semi-primed Limit Breaks (which are unlocked much later in the story), it can be a real game-changer.
Parrying is similar to a Precision Dodge but requires you to be standing opposite your opponent and hitting your attack just after they do. If you’ve done it right, time should slow down, giving you the perfect opportunity to land some hits before returning to normal. Do be aware though that the timing for this is far less forgiving than Precision Dodge, so it may take a while to nail this one down!
Scarlet Cyclone (Upgraded) – Scarlet Cyclone is another Eikon ability you should absolutely invest in early on. It’s a great crowd-control move and can quickly damage a whole swathe of enemies. Early on when you’re fighting through waves of soldiers inside compact castle walls, Cyclone can be a great way of damaging a lot of enemies at once. Simply run up to the middle of a battlefield, use a few dodges until a good number of enemies are around you and let rip. You’ll be able to upgrade this one for 475 AP.
As the game progresses, you’ll be unlocking a lot more abilities over time, including extra Eikon abilities and the chance to mix and match various techniques into a play-style that best suits you. For those early hours in the game though, we’d recommend unlocking the above abilities first to give you an edge in battle.
Have a different opinion to us? Think we’re missing a crucial ability that’s a must-have? Let us know in the comments below!