Exploration: Gameplay Mechanics 2

Learn the treasure system, including spawn rates and the Diamond Armlet, and discover the functions of Save Crystals and Gate Crystals in Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age.

As you explore the world of Final Fantasy XII, you'll encounter various treasure containers like coffers, urns, and crystals. These function as chests, offering a chance to find items and gil. Unlike traditional RPGs, the contents of chests in FFXII are not fixed. Chests have a percentage chance to spawn, meaning they might not always be present when you revisit an area. Some chests, particularly those containing magicks and technicks, have a 100% spawn rate and typically do not respawn.

When a chest spawns, it may contain gil, and then a chance for one or two items. To obtain a specific item, you may need to repeatedly open chests until you get what you're looking for. For example, a chest might have a 75% chance to spawn, with a 50% chance of yielding gil. This leaves a 50% chance for an item, and within that, a 25% chance for a specific item like an Iron Sword.

The Diamond Armlet accessory significantly alters chest contents and percentages. While the chest's spawn rate and gil chance remain the same, the Diamond Armlet changes the item drop rate. If a chest could previously yield an item with a 25% chance, with the Diamond Armlet, this increases to 95%. If the items were an Elixir and a Meteorite, the Diamond Armlet would give a 47.5% chance for the Elixir and a 2.5% chance for the Meteorite. The Diamond Armlet is generally not used outside of a specific late-game area.

Save Crystals

Throughout your journey, you will find Save Crystals, which act as your in-game save points. There are two types: blue Save Crystals and orange Gate Crystals. Both types fully restore your party's HP/MP and cure all status ailments. Gate Crystals have an additional function: they allow for teleportation using a Teleport Crystal item, which can be obtained from hunts, quests, or purchased. You must touch a Gate Crystal to activate its teleportation ability.

Fast Forward

Introduced in the International Zodiac Job System, the Speed Up Multiplier is an option that allows you to increase the game's speed, affecting characters, enemies, and animations. The default setting is x2 speed, with an option for x4 speed. You can toggle this feature on and off by tapping the [L1 button]. Holding L1 and using the directional pad (up/down) allows you to change speeds without accessing the options menu. Importantly, this speed increase does not affect the in-game timer or elements tied to the real-time clock.