A Few Things To Take Note Once You Start Final Fantasy XV
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The crew has been at it with Final Fantasy XV - we can't get enough exploring this open world game, and can't seem to get enough of all the appetizing food found in-game. Our full review of the game is currently underway, but before we release our final thoughts on Square Enix's latest entry in the Final Fantasy franchise, here's a few things you should know once start your journey with Noctis and his band of brothers.
Don't Feel Pressured To Finish All The Side Activities
Don't worry about losing your chance on doing certain quests. Just play the game naturally, do whatever you want. Don't feel pressured to complete every quest you come across. From what we understand, you won't miss out in any side quests or activities because you decided to focus on the main story. There is a point in the game where it becomes linear, making the open world unavailable for the time being. Even when you finish the game, a dog named Umbra has the ability to bring you back in time so that you can enjoy everything that you've left behind. Don't think too much why a dog has such an ability, just join us in appreciating that such a dog exists in this world.
There's A Sprint Trick That You Need To Master
Noctis has a stamina bar that depletes as you sprint in the game, it's the fastest way to move when exploring this vast world on foot. Sadly, you eventually have to stop because he gets tired, but there's a trick - if you press the L3 to sprint, before your stamina runs out, you can press L3 right before the bar completely depletes to restore it to back to full, with Noctis still sprinting with no lose in speed. You don't have the stamina bar visible? Go to options, then go to stamina and place it 'on'. Not only is the stamina bar filling up an indication that you've done the trick right, a small green effect will happen around Noctis.
It takes practice to do it naturally, but it's a valuable trick that you'll need to master since you will be running around a lot. Need visual aid to really get this trick down? Gamespot got you covered, check out their video below.
Get All The AP Earning Nodes In The Exploration Tree ASAP
This is very important to take note the moment you start racking up those AP (Ability Points). AP is what you need to further improve Noctis and crew, and since this game will have you traveling from one place to another most of the time, it's best to first invest in the Exploration Tree of Final Fantasy XV's Ascension trees. Which skill nodes do we unlock first to be exact? We suggest Angler Action, Happy Camping, Happier Camping, Chocobump, Roadrunning, pretty much any skill in this tree that allows you to earn AP for doing such activities.
You'll eventually explore fishing, make camp, hit the road and enjoy nostalgia music from the car radio, heck even do chocobo races, what you want is to always earn AP for doing such activities, and getting these nodes unlocked as soon as possible grants you more chances of earning a lot of AP. And trust us, you need a good amount of it.
Use Your Car As A Quick Return To Town
In every restaurant, there will most likely be a list of hunts to participate in, and most of them are usually close by. What has become a routine for us when doing hunts is we head out without the Regallia (the group's car) and head out on foot or with Chocobos. Once there and we've completed the hunt, and since the Regallia is now parked to where you accepted the hunt, you can press the right stick to bring out the map and pick the option to teleport to where your car is. This saves a lot of travel time and gas used in the Regallia. Of course, there are some hunts that are a tad bit too far for your legs to push, so might as well use the Regallia in those cases, or not.
Get Ignis' Regroup Skill Right Away
Yes, we did suggest you spend your first few AP on the Exploration Ascension tree, but next in your list must be Ignis' Regroup skill. Also, it's just 8 AP points, that's nothing.
Regroup can be found in the Techniques tree, and what this does is for two tech bars, the rest of the group regroups in around Ignis' location, and fully restoring all of the party's HP. This is probably one of the strongest skills in the game that consumes two tech bars. Not only is it technically a free Mega Potion for the whole group, it also repositions characters that are being cornered or is in a bad location during a fight. I honestly can't see myself ever removing the Regroup skill from Ignis, and once you try it yourself, you'll understand why.
Final Fantasy XV was finally release on November 29 on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Check out our final thoughts on Final Fantasy XV now.
