The Long Awaited game of Square Enix’s most popular franchise is finally here. Waiting for around a decade was well worth it for fans of the series, exploring the game was tremendous that some players might be having a hard time on which part to start. So it is time that we put up a guide to help out those who are starting out in Final Fantasy XV as well as those who are already halfway in the game.

Explore the World

The world of Eos is vast and there are a lot of secrets that you can unfold when exploring it. So it is best to explore the entire map in the game on foot or with your Regalia, who knows what you might discover in your adventure.

There are some secret areas such as dungeons and secret bosses that not triggered by ordinary side quests, so it is best to roam around the area to uncover them. You came look for suspicious markings in the map that might give hints that there is something that can be explored in that section.

When going around the area, it’s best to go on foot or ride on a Chocobo (which you can avail early in the game) to areas that are inaccessible with your car, you can discover some items scattered are the world and even ingredients that would let Ignis discover new recipes that he can cook while camping.

And whenever you head to a restaurant in a town or outpost (the building with a fork & spoon icon on the map) be sure to talk to the NPC to reveal any treasures or procurement scattered near the outpost.

Pro Tip: You can perform an infinite sprint while on foot by pressing the sprint button at the right moment when the stamina bar reaches between S and T (be sure to turn on the Stamina Bar in the option menu)

Take more Quests

With Final Fantasy XV taking some hints from other popular RPGs, taking quests has become a stable in your journey. There are almost a hundred side quests that you can take when you set foot in the game, so don’t be shy in taking them even if you are still in the early chapters.

Be on a look out for ‘?’ marks in the map when you head to a new outpost, that means there’s a quest waiting for you to take. Since majority of the quests are just hunting down specific monsters or picking up items in designated areas, it will be a breeze for you to finish it. Completing side quests can earn you Gil, experience points or some useful items.

Be sure to take on quests that are doable at your current level, in case you take a high level quest, you may opt to pick an easier one if you have difficulty completing it. And don’t worry if you missed out any side quest later in the game, there is a way to back to the open world.

Pro Tip: Always pick up any items in the field, there are some quests that requires you to find ordinary items for the quest giver. The more you pick up any items, the more likely that you will have all the required items when you take the quest, and you can complete the quest without leaving your spot.

Save up some Gil

Earning money in FFXV is way different from the traditional, you earn them by other methods. So it is best to save up a lot of Gil early on as you will need to stock up a lot of potions.

The best way to rack up some Gil is by taking on Bounty Hunts where you must eliminate dangerous monsters. Even if you can only take one mission at a time, they can give out a ton of Gil, just keep in mind on the recommended level per hunt, if you tackle on a high level mission, you will be wasting a lot of Gil in stocking up items just to beat it than earning from its reward. Pair this while leveling your characters and you can take on six consecutive hunts in in an hour.

Another option is by taking side quests such as completing Vyv’s quest where he will task you in taking photos from landscapes or plant carrots in a cabin at Cape Caem

You can sell any of your items in your inventory, there are rare items that can sell over a thousand Gil per piece, or you can sell some of your old gear for some instant cash. Just be sure not to sell any items that you might need for a certain quest or as a key ingredient in crafting your magic. An Old Coin can be sold for around a thousand Gil but if can also be used as a exp multiplier when using magic, so keep in mind what you sell as you might regret it.

Pro Tip: It is better to just eat meals while in camp than in the restaurant, you can get ingredients from monster loot or picking them up in the field that would not cost you a single Gil when preparing a meal than ordering food from the restaurant. In that way you can save thousands of Gil.

Build up your Levels

Gaining levels in FFXV is a lot different, you need to rest in an inn or camp to accumulate those earn experience points, so be sure to stack up a lof of exp points before you rest.

You can grind right at the start of the game, this can be a good approach to give you time to get used to the battle system of Final Fantasy XV, and once you are strong enough, you can tackle the story quests with no difficulty at all.

Taking up tons of side quests can boost your level faster, and roaming around as well. Just be sure to avoid fighting at night if you are still around level 10 – 20 as majority of the deamons at night are around level 30 and above.

The Ascension system provides stat boost and bonus for your party, but you must focus on unlocking the AP bonus abilities first. That way you can earn more AP when doing other tasks like fishing or riding a chocobo and you can gain powerful abilities early in the game.

Pro Tip: You can earn higher exp by defeating a Cactuar in Chapter 1. Craft a magic with exp modifier and buff up with a high attack meal before you go northwest of Hammerhead in the morning. Listen for any weird noise around the area and you might spot the tiny Cactuar leaping around the desert. Hit him with the exp modded spell and take him out fast for an instant 10k exp points. Then head to any resting point with high exp rate and see your level go up to level 20 in one sitting.

Learn to Fight well

The battle system is more of a real time action game than the traditional turn based one, but mashing the button still won’t get you anywhere in the game.

Always aim for the enemies weak spot, it is usually the back side of every enemy, so plan ahead and always go for the back portion for more chance of landing blindside damage that have a 50% increased damage. The more you do blindside attacks, the more chance a link chain can be triggered, so take that opportunity for an easy battle.

Be sure to set the battle system to ‘Wait’ to let you go into Wait mode when left idle for a couple of seconds. This lets you plan out your attacks while the battle is paused temporarily. You can then use the Libra ability by highlighting an enemy, this lets you scan their stats to reveal its HP and other weaknesses.

Learn to block and evade every now and then, some enemy attacks can knock you down, leaving you open for a follow up attack and recovering from a fall takes up seconds. When the screen prompts you to block; do it, it gives you an opening to parry an attack and even land a chain link attack that leaves an enemy vulnerable. Also keep an eye on your MP when blocking or phasing as using it too much will leave you in Stasis condition that could get you into trouble.

Keep an eye for any nearby warp points, when in a pinch, warp Noctis to that spot to quickly regenerate your MP and HP, then you can use potions to any of your party members. Take note that the battle pauses when any of your party member uses a recovery item, however times continues whenever Noctis uses an item. So keep that in mind and use it as an advantage.

Using Techniques can provide bonus damage to enemies, any party member who uses a technique will be invincible for the duration of the attack. So use any AoE attacking Technique to eliminate surrounding enemies, or use a stat enhancing Technique to turn the tides against a mob.

Pro Tip: Be sure to unlock Ignis’ Regroup Technique, it can heal up the entire party and give out defense bonus at a cost of two tech bars.