How to Change Difficulty in Final Fantasy 16

Final Fantasy 16 is one of the biggest shifts the series has ever seen, taking combat into a full-on action RPG that squarely puts the focus on your main character, instead of a party. It’s likely going to be a bit of an adjustment for longtime fans and newcomers alike, but the game takes an interesting approach to difficulty. Final Fantasy 16 wants to make sure you have fun, and has a host of options that make its combat system approachable for players of all skill types. We’ll help break down how difficulty options work, and how to change them.

Story Mode vs Action Mode in Final Fantasy 16

When you first start up Final Fantasy 16 you’ll have to choose between two difficulty options, Story Focused and Action Focused, which essentially correspond to Easy and Normal mode. Story Focused significantly makes combat easier, lowering the HP of enemies, the damage Clive takes, etc. If you’re hoping to just sit back and enjoy the story, this is the mode for you. Action Focused, on the other hand, is more of the typical action game experience, with tougher enemies and bosses.

At any time, as long as you’re not in the middle of a battle, you can open the main menu, head to options, and swap between Story and Action Focused. So if you find a boss is a little too tough, don’t be afraid to toggle the difficulty.

Now with those two difficulty settings out of the way, it’s time to talk about the Timely Accessories, which let you fine-tune your combat difficulty even more.

Final Fantasy 16’s Timely Accessories Explained

Timely Accessories are how Final Fantasy 16 lets players adjust their combat experience, and they can be used in both Story and Action mode. Each of these accessories streamlines a specific part of combat, making it so you have less to juggle at one time. There are five Timely Accessories, and equipping any one takes up one of three of Clive’s accessory slots, that can otherwise be used for standard accessories. Here’s all five.

• Ring of Timely Assistance – Torgal automatically attacks and uses his skills.
• Ring of Timely Healing – Clive automatically uses a potion when his health gets low enough.
• Ring of Timely Focus – Dodges become easier with slowed time and a button press.
• Ring of Timely Strikes – Combos are executed with a single button, instead of requiring two inputs.
• Ring of Timely Evasion – Completely auto-evade attacks

It’s worth trying out every one of the Timely Accessories, mixing and matching, and combining them with Story and Action mode. There’s a lot of variety for all the options, so find whatever works best for you.

Does Final Fantasy 16 Have a Hard Mode?

If you’re looking for an extra challenge, after completing Final Fantasy 16 the first time you’ll unlock a Hard Mode called Final Fantasy Mode, as well as Ultimaniac Mode, which changes around enemy placement. These can both be combined with New Game Plus, which lets you carry over all of your levels, equipment, Eikon abilities, and more. If you want an extra challenge there are also Chronolith Trials, which make you battle waves of enemies with a single Eikon set in a time limit.

Hopefully that gives you a better idea of how difficulty works in Final Fantasy 16, but it still requires a bit of experimentation on your own. If you’re looking for additional tips, make sure to check out our guides on how to get a Chocobo or how to make Gil fast.