Play Through the Tutorial
When you first start Final Fantasy XV, you will have the option of playing a brief tutorial that will give you a rundown of the brand-new fighting mechanics as well as some much-needed practice. While you may want to just jump directly into the action, the combat can prove to be much more difficult than it looks. Sure, hacking and slashing will help against smaller, weaker enemies, but the moment you face off against a tough monster or, even more dangerous, an intelligent one, you’re going to wish you took the tutorial.
If you happened to skip it already, don’t worry. You can still play the tutorial. Simply pause the game (Options/Menu button) and scroll down to Tutorial where you can select from groups of different training sessions. As you learn certain new mechanics, new tutorials will be added in for them, keeping you on top of your game.
Use Wait Mode
Wait mode is found under the combat tab in the options menu. What it does is slow the game down for you to allow you time to scan enemies and think about what you’re going to do. It doesn’t make Final Fantasy XV into a turn-based RPG, but it does pause time completely as long as you’re not moving.
There is a timer, but it’s pretty long giving you ample time to scan any enemies in the vicinity (Hold R1/RB to scan) as well as determine what move you’ll want to make next. Do note that once you move, so will everything else on the screen. You get no speed advantage or anything of that nature, but you’d be surprised how helpful a pause in the action can be. Without Wait, you’d have to think on the move which can be pretty hectic.
You Can Change the Difficulty
There is no shame in wanting to make things easier on yourself, at least until you can get a hang of the new mechanics and fast-paced action. Final Fantasy XV offers two difficulty settings: Normal and Easy. Normal can be pretty tough, even if you’re a veteran of the series, so if you find yourself struggling just switch it over to Easy.
To change the difficulty pause the game and choose the difficulty option, then select Easy. That’s all there is to it.
Fight Everything
There are a lot of enemies roaming the lands as you explore the world of Final Fantasy XV. Surprise battles don’t work in the same way they did in most main Final Fantasy games, allowing you to see what you’re getting into and then granting you the opportunity to get the heck out of there. However, if you want to level up quickly and earn a lot of AP, you’re going to want to get into fights as often as you can.
You should be capable of handling the monsters in every new area you find yourself in as the story progresses. Take advantage of that and fight them all. Also, don’t be afraid if an enemy is a few levels higher than you. Due to the fact that Final Fantasy XV is an ARPG, your skills will determine who wins fights that you’re under-leveled for. If you’re feeling confident in your dodging abilities, go for it.
Jumping While Sprinting Makes Your Stamina Last Longer
Running in Final Fantasy XV requires stamina, and it’s not an unlimited resource. Run for too long and you’ll tire out which will slow you down and keep you from reacting immediately if you happen to stumble into a battle. There is a small trick that can prolong your running time, though, but it may not make it infinite like you’d probably prefer.
While sprinting, simply jump (X/A) and you’ll recover a small bit of Stamina without stopping your sprint. You can prolong your running time by quite a bit, which will really help with all the world traversal.
Warp Points Restore Your Stamina and Heal You
While fighting in Final Fantasy XV, there will be warp points around the area. These take you away from the battle for a quick rest and serve to quickly restore your MP as it also heals some of your HP. Battles can often get pretty hectic, so it’s easy to forget that you can get the heck out of there.
In order to use a Warp Point, you’ll need to stop locking onto any enemies. From there, blue points will appear in certain areas allowing you to instantly head there by holding down Triangle/Y. Do note that you can still be attacked when hanging around, so make sure to charge up then get out of there.
Level Up Your Chocobo
Once you unlock the ability to use Chocobos, you can actually upgrade their abilities by riding them for extended periods of time around the world. This may seem like a no-brainer since it will undoubtedly increase the bird’s speed and stamina, but it provides other major benefits as well. Your Chocobo can actually become useful in battle if you raise its level high enough.
Over time it will gain the skill to attack an enemy randomly, help you flee a difficult battle, and provide buffs to Noctis and the rest of the party. It turns out these adorable little birds are much more useful than you probably thought.
Take Advantage of Your Warp Strike
Your Warp Strike takes you directly to your enemy in order to deal quick damage. It also earns you AP if you get the kill using it. A good idea is to let your teammates weaken a monster or soldier first. When you see their health is low enough, warp in to take them out for a quick and easy Ability Point.
Ability Points are very important in Final Fantasy XV, as they’re required to unlock new skills and abilities. Having a quick and easy way to get some pretty much on command is absolutely invaluable, especially early on in the game.
Make Use of Your Teammates’ Abilities
During battle, you’ll notice a green bar filling just above the area that displays your currently equipped weapons. This is the Technical Bar and it’s what powers the special combat abilities of each of your party members. These abilities can often change the flow of battle, offering either massive damage or useful status buffs that can help you come out on top.
You may get the urge to save them, but the bar actually drains once you exit the battle you’re in which is a huge waste. It doesn’t fill incredibly slow either, so it’s better to make use of it as you need it. The fact that these abilities also have the chance to earn you AP makes them quite useful as well. Just make sure you’re targeting the perfect enemy for each allies’ ability.
Avoid Night Time Until You’ve Leveled Up a Bit and Have Had Ample Practice
Final Fantasy XV’s world has a complete day/night cycle which alters the threats you face when you embark on a quest. At night, enemies are tougher and you also have the chance of encountering Daemons. These are powerful, terrifying creatures who pose a great challenge to anyone who stumbles upon them. Early on in the game, you’ll find it very difficult to defeat one of these enemies, so it’s not worth taking the chance unless you want to spend your time running. You can’t just drive through them either, as your car will stop if they appear in your path unlike what it does against regular, smaller enemies.
Once you hit around level 15, you should start testing the waters, as there is a lot of EXP to be earned out there. But, for now at least, steer clear of the darkness.
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