FF16 Theory Work/Known facts:Long3 post with pics What We Know, Map, Combat likely decider

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This includes information about how players can enhance Clive’s abilities, the companions players will meet throughout the game, and how the special “Summon” actions will function. [Thanks, Famitsu!]

As a Dominant, Clive will be able to channel various abilities attributed to specific summons, called Eikons in the game. Players will be able to switch between each of these “Summons” in real time and make use of their specific abilities and attacks on the fly. Players will also be fighting these iconic Final Fantasy summons in game as well, through large scale battles. More information on this will appear sometime in the future.

Alongside general combat details, Square Enix further extrapolated on the “Story” and more “Action” focused modes players can choose from in Final Fantasy XVI. The story mode will also allow for summon augmented attacks to be executed with ease, and and to automatically avoid attacks with some of these accessories. Additionally, players will be able to level up various abilities associated with Clive’s weapons and the abilities associated with the various Dominants.

Torgal, Clive’s wolf-dog, will function as a companion throughout the game. Players can instruct Torgal to attack, and to even engage enemies together. Additionally, Clive will be joined by other characters which will function as AI controlled companions. This includes Cid and Jill.

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he third-person action of Final Fantasy XVI is real-time and reactive to your input, most similar to Devil May Cry. This is telegraphed in the trailer by the use of Clive’s numerous different attacks while only having a singular attack button. These attacks could change based on your directional input, as well as whether you are on the ground, aerial, tapping the button or holding it.

Enemies and bosses alike also have an additional staggered state that you can build up with attacks. After you stagger them, enemies can go into a crumpled state where you can exploit them into a highly-damaging combo.





[quote]Eikons can be likened to a skill loadout that you will be able to actively switch between mid-combat. If you possess more than one Eikon, you can switch them with L2. Eikons give you a different set of four skills that you can use that possess some kind of elemental potency. Having Phoenix equipped gives you access to a default elemental cast, such as Fire, in addition to having two unique moves.

These are specific moves that can be used when using a modifier button such as R2, then pressing triangle or square. These moves can be used on a cooldown, as we see them grey out after usage. The way these controls are mapped makes this quite similar to how Dragon's Dogma is controlled - and these games of course share a lead combat designer.

Eikon Skills and their elemental casts could be used to enhance damage on certain enemy types, and could also affect their stagger gauge. This is marked on the HUD with a color of damage in addition to a multiplier that appears after your attack.

Finally, each Eikon will also give you access to a unique skill that can be used with the circle button. This is likely to spend a portion of the yellow meter that you see underneath your health bar and can be built up by attacking enemies. Garuda’s Deadly Embrace will pull the enemy toward you, or could even trigger a toppled state, as we saw when Clive used it to topple a Coeurl, which allowed him to chain into a flurry of additional attacks on the helpless enemy.

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By examining the trailer closely and carefully frame-by-frame analysing the user interface, we can transcribe move names and pull out the move sets of several of these beasts, seeing how they augment Clive's fighting style.

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Elemental Cast: Fire
Eikon Ability: Phoenix Shift
Eikon Skill: Scarlet Cyclone
Eikon Skill: Rising Flames
Phoenix appears to be the default Eikon that you’ll kick off with in Final Fantasy XVI, as we see Clive accessing Phoenix’s skills without the multi-Eikon symbol in the top-left corner of the screen. This gives him access to Rising Flames, a launcher attack that uppercuts your enemies into the air. This can be followed up with Scarlet Cyclone, an aerial barrage of attacks. We have not yet seen exactly what Phoenix Shift does, but judging by the name, it could be some form of dodge or parry.

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We see Clive use Gungnir in the latest trailer, which is a ground-based flurry of attacks. Heaven’s Cloud could also potentially be an aerial area-of-effect attack or launcher based on the icon, but we’ve yet to see it in action. This is the same for Arm of Darkness, which could potentially be a form of command grab or high-stagger skill.

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We’ve yet to see Eikons such as Bahamut or Ifrit playable in-game, and there are potentially more of them that we have yet to see, further widening the numerous skills and playstyles that you will be able to utilise. If we're following the traditionally present elements in Final Fantasy, notably missing are the Water and Holy-type Eikons.

Leviathan seems like the obvious, slightly boring choice for a Water element Eikon, but we could also see Bismark or Famfrit make a return if they really want to get into the weeds with it. The Holy or Light-based Eikon could also potentially be Ultima, Alexander, or Madeen. The Ivalice summons like Famfrit or Madeen could be an incredibly unique appearance from Summons that we have never seen in a mainline Final Fantasy title.

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As we see Clive use Odin’s skills, we see a gauge build up to the left of the screen. It is possible that when the gauge fills, you are able to summon the Eikon who will do an attack for a healthy dose of extra damage. The team could be developing the system and gauge in a similar way to the way that ranks are built up in Devil May Cry V.

Since there are so many similarities to Devil May Cry, it could also be a form-change, where Clive could partially transform into that Eikon in a similar way to how the Devil Trigger works. We actually see this in the trailer as Hugo Kopka faces off against Clive in a partially Titan-like form.

On this topic, also look to the key artwork of Clive - where he has one arm partially ablaze and covered in spiky appendages. Could this be a hint of the power of Ifrit within him, something the Dominance trailer's stinger also appears to wink towards?

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