What Is the Meaning of Bearer in Final Fantasy 16? Explained

Final Fantasy 16 features a high fantasy world with numerous unique terms, and among them is Bearer. You will encounter this word very early in the game, and it will be mentioned many times during your playthrough. If you are curious about the meaning of Bearer in the world of Valisthea, you’ve come to the right place because we will tell you everything you need to know about this topic.

What Are Bearers in Final Fantasy 16?

Bearers are the term people of Valisthea use to call magic users. Unlike previous titles in the series, where magic comes almost freely, most people cannot channel magic without using crystals in FF16. Unfortunately, this great power does not bring glory and only makes the world view Bearers as monsters.

In fact, there is even a long-standing tradition where parents will test their newborn children to see if they can use magic. If they’re discovered as Bearers, they will be given a symbol on their cheeks that will mark them as magic users. Those who have received this mark are called Branded and treated as slaves.

The people of Valisthea do not shy away from trading Branded and treating them as untouchable. Many do not consider Bearers as humans and are not sad to see them abused and exploited. Clive’s mother is perhaps the best example of the nobles’ attitudes toward magic users in FF16.

The treatment of Bearers varies between Kingdoms. The Grand Duchy of Rosaria is arguably the most humane of all regions, but they still consider magic users as lesser citizens who regular people can own. The worst place for Bearers to live is either the Kingdom of Waloed in the east or the Iron Kingdom in the west since they treat them as less than animals.

As if the fate of Bearers is not terrible enough, they also have to contend with the Crystals’ Curse, where their bodies slowly turn to stone. Excess use of magic will cause their limbs to become immobile and grow hard from their extremities to their inside.

If they do not stop using magic, their bodies will harden completely and turn into dust once they’re dead. Since most people exploit their magic, it is unfortunately not a rare case for Bearers to face this end.

The Dominants are also not spared from this Curse. Every time they tap into their Eikons‘ power, they increase their risk of suffering petrification. This is perhaps one of the reasons why the Dominants prefer not to fully shift into their Eikon form unless absolutely necessary.

Although Final Fantasy 16 does not have an open world, its expansive and rich story definitely helps to make the world of Valisthea feel massive. The developer knows that a lot of background information is needed to understand the complex narrative, and they’ve implemented the Active Time Lore mechanic to explain important subjects.

You can activate this feature by holding the Touchpad for several seconds, and the game will bring out pages about relevant topics in the cutscenes. Not only will the Active Time Lore teaches you about Bearers, but you can also learn about the backgrounds of important characters and locations in Final Fantasy 16!