Pivotal Moment in the Story
After completing the story and the optional sidequests in the Royal Meadows, the town of Moore, and the chapel, your next destination on the world map is “Drake’s Head”. As soon as you select this location on the map, a warning message will pop up that reads:
“You have reached a pivotal moment in the story. If you continue, you will not be able to return. Proceed?”
The game is providing you with a warning message about proceeding further without giving away any spoilers. However, it makes this message unhelpful. What will we not be able to return to? What sections or portions of the game will we lose access to? And most importantly, is there anything that’s super critical for us to complete before we select “Yes”?
First, let’s cover off on the things you won’t lose access to:
- You’ll be able to return to all of the shops to purchase items (including any of the rare and expensive items, like Orchestrion Scrolls, weapons, armor, etc)
- You can return to each of the towns, although there will be minor changes to some of them
- Treasure coffers can still be found and opened
- Achievements/Trophies can all still be earned
So, what do you lose access to? The answer is two things:
- Optional sidequests, and most of the optional sidequests up to this point in the game have unimportant rewards, so there’s no need to panic if you forgot to complete one of them or a few of them.
- Interactions with NPCs. You’ll still be able to find most of the NPCs after this pivotal moment. However, time will have moved forward, so their interactions with Clive will change, so if you’re big into Final Fantasy XVI’s story and want to hear everything that each of the NPCs has to say, now may be your last chance to interact with them.
Optional Sidequests
Below is a list of optional sidequests that you will lose access to following the pivotal moment:
The Hideaway
Food for Thought
Optional Quest
“Kenneth asks Clive to help him in his work by delivering food to some of the hideaway’s residents. Three hungry customers await…”
Make Do and Mend
Optional Quest
“Geoffroy, the hideaway’s head carpenter, needs Clive to fetch him some wood with which to make repairs.”
A Place For Everyone
Optional Quest
“Kenneth asks Clive to deliver three more meals to residents of the hideaway. Who will he be serving this time?”
Moving Heaven and Earth
Optional Quest
“Bohumil, chief botanist at the hideaway, is missing an assistant and anxious to see her return.”
Red Letter Day
Optional Quest
“A courier at the hideaway asks Clive to find some goods he lost, including an important letter for Cid.”
Needs of the Many
Optional Quest
“An old man at the hideaway asks Clive to find his friend Randal, who went to Lostwing to work, and hasn’t come back.”
Martha’s Rest
Crystalline Lifeline
Optional Quest
“A clumsy fisherman from Martha’s Rest has dropped his only crystal, putting his livelihood in jeopardy. To make matters worse, it appears the crystal has been devoured by some of the local fauna… Clive is to find it, by any means necessary.”
False Friends
Optional Quest
“A recently unmasked Bearer has run away from Martha’s Rest due to his true identity having been discovered. The Bearer’s former friend Ronald is extremely upset at what he sees as a betrayal and asks Clive to help him locate the missing man.”
Beast Against Beast
Optional Quest
“A man on the road to Eastpool asks Clive to help deal with some wolves, and to go and tell his friend Brice when he has done so.”
While the Cat’s Away
Optional Quest
“A band of rowdy ne’er-do-wells are raising a ruckus at the tavern in Martha’s Rest and refuse to leave. Clive is enlisted to take out the rubbish.”
Lostwing
Welcoming Committee
Optional Quest
“One of Quinten’s underlings enlists the help of Clive to help two new Bearers settle into Lostwing. Apparently, their former master mistreated them terribly, and they’re extremely nervous as a result.”
Dying on the Vine
Optional Quest
“A field hand at the vineyard in Lostwing turns to Clive to get rid of a monstrous menace. This year’s crop looks to be a particularly fine one, but it can’t be harvested until the plague of pests is dealt with.”
Northreach
The Want Beyond the Wall
Optional Quest
“A merchant requires Clive to deliver some goods beyond the wall in Northreach, along with a mysterious message about them being ‘fresh from the master’s table…’”
Pride Comes Before a Fall
Optional Quest
“Clive is challenged to prove his worth by a pair of soldiers in Northreach. It seems that it doesn’t do to call the Imperial Guard’s competence into question…”
Friend of the People
Optional Quest
“Clive is asked to deliver food to various overworked Bearers around Northreach by a certain concerned noble.”