The Basics

Final Fantasy XVI provides a fairly thorough explanation of the combat system during the tutorial portion of the game in the Prologue. These elements of combat are expanded on in this section of the guide, but as a reminder, here are the areas that are covered:

Lord Commander Training	Explanation
Melee Attacks	Press to perform a melee attack. Up to four attacks can be chained together.
Magic	Press to cast Fire—a ranged spell that can strike enemies from great distances.
Evading	Press to evade an enemy’s attack.
Precision Dodging	Evading an attack at the precise moment it is dealt will temporarily slow the enemy, making it more susceptible to a counter using or .
Eikonic Feats	The Blessing of the Phoenix grants Clive the ability to perform feats of inhuman strength and dexterity. Phoenix Shift is one such Eikonic Feat. Press to swiftly close in on a distant target.
Shift Attack	Both melee and ranged attacks (magic) can be used while executing a Phoenix Shift.
Consumables	Consumable items such as potions and tonics can be used to restore Clive’s HP or temporarily boost attributes.
Item Shortcuts	Consumables can be assigned to via the Items tab in the Main Menu for quick and convenient use. These items can also be used directly from the menu.
Breaking an Opponent’s Will	The Will Gauge indicates an opponent’s will to fight back. Break their spirit by landing attacks, and strike them when they are vulnerable.
Staggering Your Enemies	Lord Murdoch’s will has been broken, leaving him staggered. Try dealing as much damage as you can before he regains his senses. Use + to execute Rising Flames—a powerful Eikonic Ability granted to Clive by the Blessing of the Phoenix.

Mastering Combat

Some players who are used to the old ‘turn-based’ combat systems in the previous Final Fantasy titles may struggle with some elements of Final Fantasy XVI’s new combat system, so how can you go about mastering some of these tactics? Here are some tips to help you pick things up as quickly as possible:

• Learn how to Dodge:
  This seems like an obvious tip, but what if you’re struggling? There are a few things you can do if you’re having trouble getting the timing of an dodge down. Firstly, if you’re struggling, you can use the Ring of Timely Focus to have the game specifically highlight to you when it’s time to dodge. This accessory slows down time; it doesn’t do the dodging for you. If you’re really struggling, you can always use the Ring of Timely Evasion, but don’t give up too easily!
  
  The most important thing to keep in mind is to watch for subtle clues and tip-offs that the game provides to alert you to an incoming attack. Many enemies will flash brightly or give you some visual indicator of when it’s time to dodge.
  
  Finally, practice, practice, and more practice. The more you play through the game, the more you will get used to its combat mechanics. In fact, before you go all out on the offensive during a battle against a challenging enemy or a boss, spend some time hanging back and familiarizing yourself with its attack pattern so you know what to expect when you’re in the middle of executing an attack combo.

• Timing a Stagger:
  You will recognize very quickly that your biggest window of opportunity for dealing a lot of damage to enemies happens when you stagger an enemy, so you need to be very strategic about how and when you stagger them, but also be aware of some pitfalls that come with the “Will Gauge” and enemy staggering.
  
  Firstly, you should be aware that many enemies have soft “stops” in their HP bar or the Will Gauge. For example, when the Will Gauge reaches 50%, the enemy will be briefly stunned (allowing you to haul it down with Deadly Embrace), but any damage you deal that should have dropped the Will Gauge below 50% will be ignored; it’s a soft cap. Only the next damaging attack after the one that causes the enemy’s Will Gauge to hit 50% will continue to drop the gauge, so time your attacks properly. Use a smaller attack if the enemy is very close to 50%.
  
  This rule applies to HP caps as well. Many of the game’s bosses have cinematics that play during the battle. Their HP will stop dropping, even if you’re in the middle of a stagger combo, if they reach certain HP thresholds. This strategy guide will point out the HP caps and stopping points so that you don’t accidentally use up all of your Eikonic Abilities, while the boss’s HP is not dropping.

• Maximizing Damage During Stagger:
  Perfecting the combo of attacks that you use when an enemy is staggered is essential. This guide will provide some recommendations, but be creative! Specific abilities boost up the damage multiplier, so it’s a good idea to use these early (such as Diamond Dust) and then follow up with higher damage-dealing attacks (such as Gigaflare). This will do more damage to an enemy during a stagger than it would if you reversed the attacks.
  
  The most important takeaway, though, is that you need to have a plan. Make sure that your abilities are not on cooldown when an enemy or a boss is staggered, and practice your combos before you reach any tough battles. Head to the “Hall of Virtue” at the Arete Stone to practice.
• Will-o’-the-Wykes:
  One of the easiest ways to master combat and battles against more challenging targets is to rely on a powerful ability you receive fairly early on called Will-o’-the-Wykes. This ability won’t save you from every attack, because the cooldown extends for longer than the shield will last. However, this ability can protect Clive if you’re struggling to dodge or deal with challenging enemy attack sequences.

Advanced Tactics

Here are some advanced tactics that you can explore depending on your playstyle:

• Combos:
  It should go without saying, but mastering combo timing is essential. This applies to the Magic Burst sequence, but also to the combos that Ifrit can complete during the sequences where you play as the Eikon.
  
  Your timing for attacks should be , and if you executed the timing correctly, the final attack is a massive blast of magic that deals significantly more damage than the preceding attacks. Spend some time in the “Hall of Virtue” at the Arete Stone until you have the timing down.
• Aerial Combat:
  Final Fantasy XVI is configured with abilities that allow you to keep Clive in the air, performing acrobatic feats and dealing crazy amounts of damage while airborne. In fact, many enemies and bosses take more damage if you hit them in their “weak points,” and higher points of contact typically deal more damage overall.
  
  Mastering aerial combat is certainly not a requirement, but if this is something that interests you, you’ll want to maximize your use of the Eikon Garuda, including abilities like Deadly Embrace, Phoenix Shift (towards flying enemies), Jump, Stomp, Downthrust, etc.
  
  Final Fantasy XVI has an entire aerial arsenal that some players have managed to master, so give it a try if it suits your play.
• Berserker Ring:
  This isn’t a tactic per se, but it's just worth reiterating in this section how powerful this accessory is. There are certain battles where the slowdown effect from Berserker Ring can cause problems, but on the whole, it provides a significant boost to DPS. More importantly, though, is that it can make dodging attacks very easy.

• Abusing Charged Magic:
  Two accessories can help you get better use out of Charged Magic; they are the Ring of the Swiftshot and the Channeler’s Whispers. Neither of these accessories is a requirement, but you should get into the early habit of constantly charging magic by holding the button whenever a boss is in the middle of an attack animation sequence. This damage adds up, and if you’re cautious, you can deal a boatload of damage to enemies while they are far away from Clive on the battlefield.
• Usage of Rift Slip:
  One of the late-game Eikons, Odin, will give you access to an ability called Rift Slip. On a surface level, this ability doesn’t seem to do all that much; the game describes it as “used to recover immediately from any ability or action. Can be used in midair.” During your first playthrough of the game, where you’re just building familiarity with Eikonic Abilities, it may be tough to find a good use for this ability.
  
  However, it’s worth noting that many long-time players and fans of the game identify this ability as being one of the strongest in the game. If you’re on the cusp of mastering a stagger combo that maximizes damage, or know how to build a Rift Slip into your Arm of Darkness and “Zantetsuken” charging, this ability may be advanced and difficult to use, but it’s one of the strongest abilities in the game.