After completing your first playthrough ofFinal Fantasy 16, players are able to start a new game plus playthrough. For a second playthrough, players can choose the new Final Fantasy difficulty, making your second playthrough different from your first.
Related:Final Fantasy 16: Hardest Boss Fights, Ranked
Your levels, gear, and abilities will carry over, and the enemies of this playthrough will now be much stronger, now scaling to the new max level of 100. Final Fantasy mode is a new challenge and isn’t as easy to jump into as a regular New Game Plus playthrough would be.
10Your Gear Is Coming
When you begin a New Game Plus playthrough, you’ll be asked if you want to play through the events leading up to the fall of Phoenix Gate or start after that. For those who play through the events, you’ll notice Clive doesn’t have your gear but does have your level.
This is only temporary, as Clive will wake up after the flashback and have your previous gear and Eikon abilities back. For those who skip the fall of Phoenix Gate, you’ll just start right from when you get your gear back.
9You know Nothing, Clive Rosfield
In Final Fantasy mode, the world will be filled with enemies and items that may not have been there the first time. Enemies are much stronger and have new abilities, along with larger and more fierce ones being used much earlier in the game.
Be wary of this as your progress, as you won’t be cutting through enemies like you were at the end of your previous playthrough. Some enemies that didn’t equate to much in your previous playthrough may also become much more of a threat, requiring a new plan to handle them this time around.
8Max Out Your Potions Before
It’s best tomaximize your inventory space and potion efficiencybefore beginning your new game plus playthrough. Many of these upgrades are obtained later in the game, and you’ll have to wait a long time to obtain them on the second playthrough.
With Final Fantasy mode’s increased difficulty, you’ll also find yourself needing the potion upgrades incredibly early, and after your playthrough has started, they’ll be locked away until much later in the story.
7Difficulty Is Set, Accessories Are Not
Beginning Final Fanasty mode will lock in this difficulty of the playthrough, not allowing you to revert that save file to an easier difficulty if you want. Make sure to leave the post-game save file open to go back and try another new game plus should you want to on a lower difficulty.
While this mode is much more difficult, Clive is still able to use accessories to make the game a lot easier. Enemies hit incredibly hard, so equipping the ring that helps your dodge is priceless.
6Respec Right Away
Clive will have access to all of the Eikons and abilities in the game once he gets his gear from the previous playthrough. While some Eikons were unlocked later in the game, now is the perfect time to try them out against easier-to-fight enemies.
Respecing your skill treeis a great way to try out these later game Eikon abilities, as they may now be more effective with the higher difficulty than before.
5Grind It Out
Final Fantasy mode will have enemies starting around level 43 and will quickly jump to the upper 40s before you face Garuda. Final Fantasy mode aims to get the player to the max level, and you’ll need to reach it for this playthrough’s endgame content.
Related:Final Fantasy 16: Ending Explained
XP earned has been greatly increased, and grinding is much easier. Completing side quests and hunts, or even just farming monsters in the world, are very worthwhile and will keep Clive on pace with the enemies thrown at you.
4New Items, New Upgrades
Even with the most powerful sword from your previous playthrough, it will quickly be outmatched by the swords soon found in your new playthrough. Gear now has higher base stats and can be upgraded further using new materials unique to Final Fantasy mode.
While the early-game swords may not look as flashy as Ragnarok, they can be upgraded with Flawless Meteorites to become even stronger. This also gives players a new arsenal of swords to craft and upgrade throughout their second playthrough.
3Remember Your QTE Buttons
Another addition to Final Fantasy mode is the removal of the QTE buttons in battle. The screen will still give you visuals to indicate what Clive needs to do, but it’s up to you to press the right button before the invisible timer runs out.
While the buttons are the same as in the previous playthrough, players may not remember all of them. Red means to dodge by pressing R1. Blue means to attack by pressing Square, and when the screen is flashing, you’ll need to press Square repeatedly as quickly as possible.
2Find & Upgrade Accessories
Found accessories in Final Fantasy mode are the same as the ones you already have. Collecting a second copy of an accessory allows you to bring them to Blackthorne and upgrade them by combining two of the same accessory.
This new combined accessory will have much higher stats than the individuals and give you further bonuses critical to surviving Final Fantasy mode.
1Forge The Ultima Weapon
The Ultima Sword is the most powerful sword in the game and can only be obtained on a second playthrough. You’ll have to defeat Barnabas on your second playthrough to get the final piece before going to the Blacksmith and making the Ultima Sword.
This weaponmay take a while to obtain, but it is beyond powerful and can make short work of any enemy you still have to fight. It is also a nice reward for those who have invested so much into two playthroughs of the game.
