Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles Journey Guide⚔️

---

Part I: The Art of War in Ivalice 🎨

Section 1: An Introduction to the Ivalice Chronicles

Hey there! 👋 This first part is all about setting the stage. We’ll introduce you to the world of Ivalice, not just as a backdrop 🗺️, but as a living, breathing place full of political drama and class struggles. Our big idea? Getting good at the game’s mechanics is totally linked to understanding its themes of order, chaos, ambition, and sacrifice. 🧠

1.1 Welcome, Tactician: The Philosophy of this Guide 🎓

This guide is for you, the dedicated strategist who wants to master the game, not just win. We’re all about the ‘why’ behind every decision, connecting how you play with the big picture strategy. 🎯

It’s all spoiler-free 🤫, so don’t worry! We focus on gameplay systems and smart ways to play, not how the story ends. Every tip and trick is here to help you build your own awesome strategies. Think of this as a manual for understanding the complicated clockwork of Ivalice’s conflicts, letting you become the master puppeteer. 🤖

1.2 The World of Ivalice: A Kingdom in Turmoil 🏰

The stage for FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles is the kingdom of Ivalice, which is having a really bad time. 😫 They just lost the Fifty Years’ War, and to make things worse, the king died, leaving a two-year-old baby 👶 on the throne.

This power vacuum splits the kingdom between two big-shot leaders: Duke Goltanna (the Black Lion 🖤🦁) and Duke Larg (the White Lion 🤍🦁). You just know they’re gonna fight over who gets to be in charge, and that’s what kicks off the War of the Lions. ⚔️

All this political drama 🎭 is the backdrop for the story of two young men: Ramza Beoulve, a noble, and his best friend Delita Heiral, a commoner. The game is a Tactical RPG, which means it’s a mix of a deep RPG (leveling up, customizing characters) and a grid-based strategy game (like chess ♟️, but way cooler). Every battle is a tactical puzzle where being in the right spot, using your abilities together, and planning ahead are everything.

1.3 The Designer’s Intent: Class, Conflict, and Gameplay 🧐

The world and rules of FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles weren’t just picked at random. They’re a deep reflection of the game’s main themes. The writer, Yasumi Matsuno, was inspired by real-world economic troubles to tell a story about class inequality 🧑‍🌾 vs. 👑, social division, and fighting against a system that wants to keep you down.

You can see this woven right into the gameplay! The Job System, a core mechanic, is like a mini-version of Ivalice’s class structure. You start as basic jobs like Squire and Chemist and have to work your way up a strict ladder 🪜 to unlock stronger, cooler roles. Your journey through this system feels just like a character’s struggle to get ahead in a rigid society.

But here’s the cool part: the game gives you the tools to break this system. 💥 By mixing and matching abilities from different jobs, you can create hybrid roles that nobody saw coming. This mirrors the story’s themes of people breaking free from the roles society gave them. 🕊️

The game’s design was also a smart update from its predecessor, Tactics Ogre. The battle designer, Hiroyuki Ito, simplified some of the super-fiddly bits to put more focus on the in-battle strategic choices, making it easier to get into but still incredibly deep. 👍

1.4 Enhanced vs. Classic: Choosing Your Chronicle ✨ vs. 👾

FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles gives you two awesome ways to play:

• Enhanced Version ✨: This is the modern, polished version. It’s got beautiful HD graphics, full voice acting 🎙️ (which adds so much emotion!), and tons of nice quality-of-life updates. We’re talkin’ a cleaner UI, a “Retry Battle” option (phew! 😅), and an easier “Squire” difficulty if you’re more here for the story.
• Classic Version 👾: This is a picture-perfect recreation of the original 1997 PlayStation release. It keeps the iconic pixel-art style and all the original gameplay mechanics. It uses the super-well-loved English translation from the War of the Lions PSP version, making it a pure, nostalgic trip for veterans. ❤️

This guide is written with the Enhanced version (on Knight/Normal or Tactician/Hard) in mind. But don’t worry! All the core strategies, job tips, and combat mechanics work just as well for the Classic version. 🤝

1.5 Understanding the Deluxe Edition Bonuses (DLC) 🎁

If you got the Deluxe Edition of FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles, you start with some exclusive goodies. They’ll get outclassed later, but they give you a nice head start. 🚀

• Akademy Blade (Weapon) 🗡️: A sword that gives you a little Speed boost.
• Akademy Beret (Headgear) 🎓: Stops you from getting Charmed. 🥰
• Akademy Tunic (Combat Garb) 👕: Automatically gives you Shell at the start of a fight, so you take less magic damage.
• Ring of Aptitude (Accessory) 💍: You earn more Job Points (JP) from your actions.

That Ring of Aptitude is the real prize. 💎 Normally, you’d want to immediately learn the Squire’s ‘JP Boost’ ability (for 250 JP), ’cause it’s the most important skill for speeding up your job leveling. This ring gives you that same benefit but doesn’t take up your precious Support Ability slot!

This is a huge strategic boost. 📈 The character with the ring can skip learning ‘JP Boost’ for a while and use a combat Support Ability instead, like ‘Equip Heavy Armor’ (from Knight) to be tankier 🛡️ or ‘Brawler’ (from Monk) to hit harder 👊. This lets you build a stronger, tougher team right from the beginning, leveling up your jobs and your fighting power way faster.

---

Section 2: The Engine of Combat: Mastering the Battlefield ⚙️

This section breaks down the basic rules of every single fight. The goal is to get you thinking beyond “What can I do?” and start thinking “What’s the smartest, most impactful thing I can do right now?” 🧠

2.1 The Heartbeat of Battle: The Charge Time (CT) System ⏰

The turn order in FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles is all run by the Charge Time (CT) system. This is the #1 most important mechanic you need to understand. For real. 💯

Every unit (your friends 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 and your foes 👹) has a CT gauge from 0 to 100. When it hits 100, you get to take your turn. Simple, right?

The speed it fills up is based on your Speed stat. Every “tick” of game time, your CT gauge goes up by your Speed value. So, a unit with 10 Speed fills their gauge twice as fast as a unit with 5 Speed. 🏃‍♀️💨

When your turn starts, your CT resets. BUT… if you went over 100, you keep the extra!

Example: You have 9 Speed and your CT is 99. The next tick brings you to 108. You take your turn, and your CT resets to 8, not 0! You get a head start on your next turn. 🏁

The takeaway here is HUGE 🤯: Speed isn’t just a small bonus; it’s an exponential one. A tiny bit more Speed, over a whole battle, means you get a massive number of extra turns. And more turns = more damage, more healing, and more control.

So, your main goal 🎯 isn’t just to hit hard; it’s to rig the CT system to get more turns than the other team. This is why buffing Speed with abilities like Ramza’s ‘Tailwind’ or the Time Mage’s ‘Haste’ is one of the most powerful things you can do.

2.2 The Action Economy: Move, Act, and the Strategic Value of Waiting 🧘‍♀️

On a normal turn in FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles, you get one Move 🚶‍♂️ and one Action 💥 (like attacking, using a skill, or using an item). You can move then act, or act then move. Super flexible.

But here’s the pro-tip: you can choose not to do things. And you get rewarded for it! If you skip an action, you get a bonus to your starting CT for your next turn, so it comes around faster.

Here’s the breakdown:

• Move and Act: CT resets to 0 (plus any leftover).
• Act Only (no move): CT resets to 20 (plus leftover).
• Move Only (no action): CT resets to 40 (plus leftover).
• Wait (no move, no action): CT resets to 60 (plus leftover).

This “action economy” rewards you for being efficient. You always have to ask: “Is it better to do this now, or wait and get my next turn sooner?” 🧐 Sometimes, the smartest move is to just wait in a good spot and let your CT build up so you can act right before a key enemy.

2.3 The Grid: Terrain, Elevation, and Positioning as Strategic Weapons 🗺️

Fights happen on 3D maps where your position is everything. The grid is your weapon, so you better learn how to use it.

• Elevation ⛰️: Height matters. A lot. If you’re on the high ground, your archers 🏹 can shoot farther. Melee attacks are also limited by height. You can usually only hit enemies 2 “heights” (2h) above you or 3h below you. If you’re on a tall cliff, you might be totally safe from melee enemies down below!
• Facing 👀: Which way your character is facing at the end of their turn is super important. Attacks from the front can be dodged or blocked. But attacks from the side ➡️ or the back 🍑 are much more likely to hit ’cause they bypass most of your defenses. A core strategy is to always try to hit enemies in the back or side, while protecting your own.
• Terrain Effects 🌊: The type of tile you’re standing on can matter. Water 💧 can slow you down, while forests 🌲 might give you cover. Some jobs, like the Geomancer, can even use the terrain as a weapon!

2.4 The Numbers Game: Deconstructing Damage, Evasion, and Accuracy 📊

Behind every “whack!” and “zap!” is a bunch of math. You don’t need to memorize it, but you do need to know the basics.

• Evasion Stacking 🛡️: Dodging an attack isn’t just one number. 🙅‍♀️ It’s a combo of four different checks:
  1. Class Evasion: Your job’s natural dodge chance.
  2. Shield Evasion: The dodge chance from your shield.
  3. Weapon Evasion: The parry chance from your weapon (you must have the Knight’s ‘Parry’ ability on for this).
  4. Accessory Evasion: Dodge chance from things like cloaks.These don’t just add up. The game checks them one by one. The formula is 100%−((100%−ClassEvade%)×(100%−ShieldEvade%)×…). This means stacking them gives you less and less benefit, but it can still make you super slippery.IMPORTANT: Side attacks ignore your Class Evasion, and back attacks ignore everything except your Accessory Evasion! 🍑
• Damage Formulas (The Gist):
  • Physical Damage 💪: Most physical attacks use your Physical Attack (PA) and your Weapon Power (WP). But some weapons are special! Daggers 🗡️ and Bows 🏹 also use your Speed stat, making them great for fast units. And get this: Staves 🦯 and Poles use your Magic Attack (MA) stat, not PA! This lets your mages hit surprisingly hard.
  • Magical Damage 🔥: A spell’s power comes from your Magic Attack (MA), a secret multiplier for that spell, and (most importantly) the Faith stats of both the caster and the target. The final damage is based on (Caster’s Faith) x (Target’s Faith). This creates a cool dynamic: high-Faith mages are both powerful cannons 💥 and fragile glass. fragile 😥

---

Section 3: The Soul of the Soldier: Brave and Faith ❤️ 🙏

Two special stats, Brave and Faith, affect your units in ways that go way beyond just attack and defense. They’re like your unit’s personality, and learning to tweak them is a total pro move. 😎

3.1 Brave: The Measure of Physical Will 🦁

Brave (from 0 to 100) is all about your unit’s courage and guts. Here’s what it does:

• Reaction Ability Activation 🛡️: For most Reaction abilities (like the Monk’s ‘Counter’ 👊 or Chemist’s ‘Auto-Potion’ 🧪), your Brave score is the exact percentage chance it’ll trigger. A unit with 97 Brave has a 97% chance to counterattack when they get hit. Awesome!
• Damage Modification 💥: Some weapons get stronger with high Brave. This includes Knight Swords, Katanas, and your bare-handed punches. More Brave = more damage.
• Low Brave Penalty 🐔: If a unit’s Brave drops below 10 in a fight, they get the ‘Chicken’ status. They become totally uncontrollable, have terrible evasion, and will just run away from everyone. It’s bad.

For these reasons, you almost always want high Brave on all your fighters.

3.2 Faith: The Double-Edged Sword of Magick 🙏

Faith (also 0 to 100) is about your unit’s spiritual connection. It controls everything about magic, but it’s a risky balancing act. ⚖️

• Magical Potency and Vulnerability 🔥/🩹: How strong a spell is—whether it’s a damaging Fireball, a healing Cure, or a status spell like Slow—depends on the (Caster’s Faith) x (Target’s Faith). A high-Faith mage hitting a high-Faith enemy gets a massive effect.
• BUT… this also means that a high-Faith unit is super vulnerable to enemy magic. 😱 They take way more damage from it, too.
• The Extremes of Faith 🚫: A unit with 0 Faith is 100% immune to all magic. They can’t be hurt by a spell, but they also can’t be healed 🩹, buffed, or revived with a Phoenix Down. A unit whose permanent Faith goes above 94 will leave your party forever 😥 to become a religious hermit. Whoops.

This means you have to balance. Mages need high Faith to be good, but it makes them fragile. Fighters might want low Faith to be magic-resistant tanks, but then your White Mage can’t heal them very well.

3.3 The Art of Permanent Alteration 📈

Here’s one of the coolest, deepest strategies in FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles: you can permanently change your units’ base Brave and Faith.

Anytime these stats are changed in a battle by a skill, a little bit of that change (1/4 of it) becomes permanent after the fight is over. 😯

This lets you “groom” your units over time. 🧑‍🔬 You can use Ramza’s ‘Steel’ or an Orator’s ‘Praise’ skill on your fighter over and over to push their permanent Brave up toward the max of 97, making them super reliable. Likewise, you can use an Orator to raise a mage’s Faith or lower a fighter’s.

And here’s the 500-IQ move: while high Brave is usually good, there’s a specific use for a low-Brave unit. The Chemist’s ‘Treasure Hunter’ 💎 ability lets you find hidden items on certain map tiles. These spots often have a common item and a super rare one. Your chance of finding the rare item is higher the lower your Brave is.

So… you can take one character you never use in real fights, use an Orator’s ‘Intimidate’ skill on them over and over to permanently tank their Brave to the minimum (around 3), and… voilà! 🥳 You’ve created a master treasure hunter who can find the rarest gear in the game. That’s using your head! 🧠

---

Part II: Forging the Ultimate Squad 🧑‍🤝‍🧑

Section 4: The Job System Compendium 📚

This section is a giant encyclopedia of every Job in FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles. We’ll break down each job, its role, its best skills, and why you’d want it in your army.

4.1 The Philosophy of the Job System: A Toolbox, Not a Ladder 🧰

The Job System is the ❤️ of customizing your crew. It’s a big branching tree 🌲 where leveling up in basic jobs unlocks new, cooler ones.

But the real strategy isn’t just to climb the ladder 🪜 to the “best” job. Think of each job as a toolbox of unique abilities. 🛠️

Your character’s final “build” is made of five ability slots:

1. Action Abilities (from your current job)
2. Secondary Action Abilities (from any other job you’ve unlocked)
3. Reaction Ability (from any job)
4. Support Ability (from any job)
5. Movement Ability (from any job)

True mastery isn’t about reaching the final job; it’s about strategically “harvesting” 🧑‍🌾 the best and most synergistic abilities from all over the tree to build a custom-made soldier who’s perfect for the role you have in mind.

4.2 In-Depth Analysis of Generic Jobs 🏊

Let’s dive in! Here’s the breakdown of the 20 generic jobs.

Squire 🧑‍🌾

• Role: Your starting point. Its own skills get old fast, but it has some of the most important support skills in the game.
• Unlocks: Available from start.
• Must-Have Abilities:
  • JP Boost (Support): Earn 50% more JP. Get this first on everyone. Period. 📈
  • Focus (Action): Raises your PA by 1. Its main use is for “JP grinding” – it lets you take an action (and earn JP) even when no enemies are around.
  • Movement +1 (Movement): Move 1 extra tile. A key mobility boost early on. 🏃‍♂️

Chemist 🧪

• Role: Your other starting point. Using items is amazing all game long, giving you instant, no-charge-time healing and revival that magic just can’t match.
• Unlocks: Available from start.
• Must-Have Abilities:
  • Phoenix Down (Action): Revives a fallen friend. You need this. 🙏
  • Auto-Potion (Reaction): When you get hit, you automatically use the weakest Potion you have. Pro-tip: Sell all your regular ‘Potions’ and only carry ‘Hi-Potions’ or ‘X-Potions’. Now this skill becomes an amazing free heal!
  • Throw Item (Support): Lets you use items on friends from far away. 🎯

Knight 🛡️

• Role: Frontline tank and disruptor. They have high HP and can use heavy armor/shields. Their ‘Arts of War’ skills are all about breaking enemy gear (swords, helmets, etc.), which is a great way to cripple a tough foe.
• Unlocks: Squire Level 2.
• Must-Have Abilities:
  • Rend Speed (Action): Lowers an enemy’s Speed. Since Speed is the most important stat, this is the best ‘Rend’ skill. 📉
  • Parry (Reaction): Lets you block attacks with your weapon’s evasion. A must-have for anyone on the frontline.
  • Equip Heavy Armor (Support): Lets any job wear heavy armor. Makes fragile jobs like Monks or Mages way, way tougher.

Archer 🏹

• Role: Your basic ranged physical attacker. Their damage can be a little “meh” 😕, but they have one of the best support abilities in the game.
• Unlocks: Squire Level 2.
• Must-Have Abilities:
  • Concentration (Support): Your physical attacks cannot be evaded. 💯 This is incredible. It makes your damage dealers 100% reliable.

White Mage 🤍

• Role: Your main magical healer and buffer. They’ve got the heals, revives, and defensive spells like Protect and Shell.
• Unlocks: Chemist Level 2.
• Must-Have Abilities:
  • Raise (Action): Revives a fallen friend. 👼
  • Cure Spells (Cure, Cura, etc.): Your bread-and-butter healing.
  • Holy (Action): A surprisingly powerful offensive spell that deals Holy damage. Gives your healer a real punch! 💥

Black Mage 🖤

• Role: Your main magical damage dealer. They specialize in area-of-effect (AoE) elemental spells. 🔥❄️⚡
• Unlocks: Chemist Level 2.
• Must-Have Abilities:
  • Elemental Spells (-ra, -ga tiers): This is your damage. Learn all three elements so you can always hit an enemy’s weakness.
  • Magick Boost (Support): Your magic spells do about 33% more damage. A staple for any offensive mage.

Monk 👊

• Role: A super strong, self-sufficient frontline fighter. They fight with their bare hands 🥋, and their damage is awesome. They have great HP and PA, plus a toolkit that has healing, revival, and ranged attacks.
• Unlocks: Knight Level 3.
• Must-Have Abilities:
  • Chakra (Action): Restores HP and MP to you and anyone standing next to you. It’s so efficient! 🧘
  • Revive (Action): Revives an adjacent fallen friend.
  • Counter (Reaction): A basic, effective skill. You get hit, you hit back.

Thief 🏃‍♀️

• Role: A speedy utility unit. Their damage isn’t great, but their ‘Steal’ ability is the only way to get some of the best gear in the game. They’re also super mobile.
• Unlocks: Archer Level 3.
• Must-Have Abilities:
  • Steal Weapon/Shield/Armor/Helm (Actions): The whole reason you have a Thief. You need this for missable items from bosses. 🎒
  • Movement +2 (Movement): A big mobility upgrade.
  • Poach (Support): Lets you get items from monsters you defeat. Unlocks a whole other way to get rich and find rare gear. 🐾

Time Mage ⏰

• Role: The ultimate battlefield controller. They mess with the flow of battle, speeding up your friends (Haste) and slowing down/stopping your enemies (Slow, Stop).
• Unlocks: Black Mage Level 3.
• Must-Have Abilities:
  • Haste (Action): Makes a unit’s CT fill 50% faster. One of the best buffs in the game. 💨
  • Teleport (Movement): Instantly move to any tile in your move range, ignoring walls and cliffs. So good. ➡️
  • Swiftspell (Support): Makes your magic spells charge twice as fast. A must-have for any late-game caster.

Mystic (Oracle) 🧿

• Role: A debuffer who slings nasty status effects from a distance. They can make an enemy’s life miserable.
• Unlocks: White Mage Level 3.
• Must-Have Abilities:
  • Induration (Action): Turns an enemy to Stone 🗿. This permanently takes them out of the fight.
  • Repose (Action): Puts an enemy to Sleep 😴.
  • Manafont (Movement): You get MP back just by moving. Amazing for any magic user.

Geomancer 🌲

• Role: A hybrid fighter. They can use their ‘Geomancy’ skills to launch ranged, instant-cast elemental attacks that are based on the tile they’re standing on. These can also add bonus status effects!
• Unlocks: Monk Level 4.
• Must-Have Abilities:
  • Attack Boost (Support): Your physical attacks do about 33% more damage. A staple for any physical hitter. 💪

Dragoon (Lancer) 🐉

• Role: A heavily armored warrior who uses ‘Jump’. They leap into the air ⬆️ (where they can’t be hit) and come crashing down ⬇️ on an enemy for big damage.
• Unlocks: Thief Level 4.
• Must-Have Abilities:
  • Horizontal Jump 8 / Vertical Jump 8: Just learn the highest level of Jump. It covers all the shorter ranges, too.

Orator (Mediator) 🗣️

• Role: A one-of-a-kind support class. They use their words 💬 to change Brave and Faith, inflict status, or even recruit enemies (and monsters!) to join your team.
• Unlocks: Mystic Level 3.
• Must-Have Abilities:
  • Praise/Intimidate (Actions): Used to permanently raise/lower Brave.
  • Preach/Enlighten (Actions): Used to permanently raise/lower Faith.
  • Entice (Action): Lets you recruit enemy human units. 🤝

Summoner 👹

• Role: A powerful mage who calls primals for big AoE damage or strong party buffs. Their summons are often way better than Black Magic because they usually don’t hit your own teammates! 🙌
• Unlocks: Time Mage Level 3.
• Must-Have Abilities:
  • Golem (Action): Summons a golem that creates a shield for your whole team, absorbing a bunch of physical damage. So good. 🛡️
  • Moogle (Action): A simple, effective AoE heal. 💖
  • Bahamut (Action): A very strong, huge-AoE damage summon.

Samurai 🇯🇵

• Role: A warrior who casts magic using their katana. Their ‘Iaido’ skills are instant-cast, AoE magical effects that don’t cost MP! The catch? They use up the katana’s “durability” (but katanas are cheap to buy).
• Unlocks: Knight Lv. 4, Monk Lv. 5, Dragoon Lv. 2.
• Must-Have Abilities:
  • Shirahadori (Reaction): Lets you dodge physical attacks. The chance is equal to your Brave. With high Brave, this makes you almost immune to physical attacks. 🤯
  • Two Hands (Support): Lets you hold a single two-handed weapon (like a Katana or Knight Sword) with two hands, doubling its damage. You lose your shield, but the damage is worth it.

Ninja 🥷

• Role: A super-fast, dual-wielding attacker. Ninjas have the best Speed growth ⚡ in the game and can attack twice per turn (once with each hand).
• Unlocks: Archer Lv. 4, Thief Lv. 5, Geomancer Lv. 2.
• Must-Have Abilities:
  • Dual Wield (Support): Lets any job hold a weapon in each hand. This doubles your attacks. One of the most powerful support skills, period. ✌️
  • Throw (Action): Lets you throw items and even extra weapons for ranged damage that gets stronger with your Speed.

Arithmetician (Calculator) 🧮

• Role: The most complicated, and potentially game-breaking, job. They can cast any spell another party member knows, for 0 MP and with 0 charge time, on any unit(s) on the map that fit a math rule (like “Level is a multiple of 5” or “CT is a Prime Number”).
• Unlocks: White Mage Lv. 5, Black Mage Lv. 5, Time Mage Lv. 4, Mystic Lv. 4.
• Must-Have Abilities:
  • All of ’em. You need all the “Target” and “Multiple of” skills to have all your options.

Bard & Dancer 🎶 💃

• Role: These are support jobs that are gender-locked. The male-only Bard sings songs 🎵 that buff your whole team over time. The female-only Dancer performs dances 💃 that debuff all enemies over time.
• Unlocks (Bard): Summoner Lv. 5, Orator Lv. 5.
• Unlocks (Dancer): Geomancer Lv. 5, Dragoon Lv. 5.
• Must-Have Abilities:
  • Movement +3 (Movement): The best non-teleport movement skill in the game. 🏃‍♀️💨

Mime 🎭

• Role: The ultimate endgame job. A Mime can’t equip any abilities or gear. 😶 So what’s the point? They automatically copy the last action an ally took (for free!) right before their turn. They also have the best all-around stat growths, making them the #1 job for stat-maxing.
• Unlocks: Squire Lv. 8, Chemist Lv. 8, Summoner Lv. 5, Orator Lv. 5, Geomancer Lv. 5, Dragoon Lv. 5.

4.3 Analysis of War of the Lions Exclusive Jobs 🌟

These two powerful jobs were added in the War of the Lions version and are in FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles.

Dark Knight 🖤

• Role: A top-tier physical damage dealer. Their ‘Fell Sword’ 🦇 skills can drain HP/MP or deal huge ranged damage, but often at the cost of their own HP. High risk, high reward.
• Unlocks: This one’s a grind! You have to MASTER Knight and Black Mage, get Dragoon, Samurai, Ninja, and Geomancer to Lv. 8, and have that character personally defeat 20 enemies (so they turn into a crystal or chest).
• Must-Have Abilities:
  • Sanguine Sword (Action): A ranged attack that drains HP from the target.
  • Abyssal Blade (Action): A powerful ranged AoE attack that costs 20% of your max HP.

Onion Knight 🧅

• Role: A “blank slate” job. They have zero abilities. 🤷 But… they can equip any piece of gear in the entire game. Their stats also get better and better for every other job you master. A fully mastered Onion Knight has the highest potential stats in the game.
• Unlocks: Squire Lv. 6, Chemist Lv. 6.

---

Section 5: Character Overview & Strategic Builds 🛠️

Let’s move from “what are jobs?” to “how do I build an awesome character?” We’ll cover everyone from your random new recruits to the legends of Ivalice.

5.1 The Generic Soldier: From Blank Slate to Battlefield God 🌟

Your special story characters are great, but a well-built generic unit can be just as good, or even better! The trick is to recruit smart. 🧠

When you hire new soldiers, look at their starting Brave and Faith.

• For a physical fighter ⚔️, look for high Brave (like 70) and medium Faith (50-60).
• For a mage ✨, look for high Faith (like 70) and medium Brave.Zodiac signs ♈♉♊ also matter! They affect how well your units work together, changing the success rate of buffs and spells you cast on each other.

Once you hire ’em, you need a plan. A future powerhouse fighter might start as a Squire (for ‘JP Boost’), then go to Knight (for ‘Equip Heavy Armor’), then spend most of their time leveling up as a Monk or Ninja (to get the best PA and Speed stat growths) before finally landing in their “final” job.

5.2 The Path to Power: Stat Growth and De-Leveling 📈 📉

Every time your unit levels up, their stats go up. How much they go up is decided by what job they are when they level up.

Each job has hidden “growth multipliers.” For example, a Ninja has the best Speed growth, while a Mime has the best PA and HP growth.

This leads to a really advanced, endgame trick for true min-maxers called “de-leveling.” 🤯 It’s a process:

1. Level your character from 1 to 99 as a job with great stat growth (like Ninja for Speed). 📈
2. Take that Lvl 99 unit into a specific map with a “Degenerator” trap (or use a monster skill) that lowers their level.
3. Change their job to one with terrible stat growth (like Chemist or Bard). 📉
4. Let them get de-leveled all the way back down to Lvl 1. The stats they lose are based on the bad job’s growth, so they lose less than they gained.
5. Repeat! 🔁

This takes a long time ⏳ and is only for the most dedicated players, but it’s how you can push your characters’ stats to the absolute max.

5.3 Special Character Dossiers 🦸

You’ll meet a bunch of unique characters who will offer to join you. These folks are awesome, have special jobs, and are often way stronger than your generics.

• Ramza Beoulve (Squire/Mettle) 🦸‍♂️: He’s your main character and he’s super versatile. His special Squire job gets better as the story goes on, and he learns amazing skills like ‘Tailwind’ (a permanent Speed buff for an ally in-battle) and ‘Shout’ (a self-buff to Brave, PA, MA, and Speed). He’s got great stats and can be built as a powerful fighter, a strong mage, or anything in between.
• Agrias Oaks (Holy Knight) 👸: Agrias is an early-game powerhouse. Her ‘Holy Sword’ skills are instant-cast, ranged physical attacks that can also inflict awful status effects like Stop or Silence. Her job’s stat growth is just okay, but her skills are so good she stays a top-tier character for the whole game. 💥
• Mustadio Bunansa (Machinist) 👨‍🔧: Mustadio’s value is his utility, not his damage. He uses guns 🔫, and his ‘Aimed Shot’ skills can inflict ‘Don’t Move’ and ‘Don’t Act’ from a super safe distance. It’s a guaranteed way to shut down a dangerous enemy. He’s also the key 🔑 to unlocking other secret characters!
• Orlandeau (Sword Saint) 👴: AKA “T.G. Cid.” Everyone agrees he’s the most powerful character in the game. ⚡ His ‘All Swords’ skillset is just a “greatest hits” of all the best Knight skills (Holy Knight, Dark Knight, etc.). He joins your team already holding the Excalibur, a sword that gives him permanent Haste. He’s a one-man army who can make the rest of the game a cakewalk.
• Other Special Characters 🕵️‍♀️: There are more! You can find other unique characters like Beowulf (Templar), Reis (Dragonkin 🐉), and even Cloud (Soldier ☁️). Each has a unique job and role to play in your ultimate squad.

---

Section 6: Party Composition & Job Synergy 🤝

This section is all about team building. A pro strategist knows that it’s not about five strong units; it’s about five units that make each other stronger. 🧑‍🤝‍🧑

6.1 The Philosophy of Synergy: Building a Cohesive Unit 🧩

A good team in FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles usually needs to cover five main roles:

1. Tank/Frontline 🛡️: A tough unit who can take a punch and control where the enemies go (e.g., Knight, Monk).
2. Physical DPS ⚔️: A unit focused on dealing big physical damage (e.g., Ninja, Samurai, Monk).
3. Magical DPS 🔥: A unit for big AoE magic damage (e.g., Black Mage, Summoner).
4. Support/Healer 🩹: A unit for healing, reviving, and buffing (e.g., White Mage, Time Mage, Chemist).
5. Utility 🔧: A specialist for things like stealing, inflicting status, or tweaking stats (e.g., Thief, Orator).

CRUCIAL Early-Game Tip: Make sure multiple people can heal and revive. The easiest way? Have everyone learn ‘Potion’ and ‘Phoenix Down’ from the Chemist job. Then, put ‘Item’ as their secondary ability. 🧪 This makes your party so much tougher ’cause you aren’t relying on just one healer who might get knocked out.

6.2 Party Composition Blueprints 📝

• Early Game (Chapter 1) 👶: Focus on building a solid foundation. A good party is: Ramza (working towards Monk), a Knight (for toughness), an Archer (to unlock Thief), a White Mage (for healing), and a Black Mage (for damage). And give ’em all ‘Item’ as their secondary!
• Mid Game (Chapters 2-3) 🧑: Now you can start to specialize. Try a team with: two Monks (for damage and ‘Chakra’ off-healing), a Time Mage (with White Magic as secondary, for Haste + healing), a Summoner (for big, safe AoE damage), and a Thief (to steal all that missable gear from bosses!).
• Late Game (Chapter 4 & Postgame) 👴: Now you have all the toys. 🤩 A top-tier endgame party might look like: Orlandeau (doing Orlandeau things), Ramza (as a dual-wielding Monk), a Summoner (with the Arithmetician skillset), a dedicated support, and a Ninja/Thief for pure speed and utility.

6.3 Advanced Job Combinations: The Art of the Hybrid 🧬

The real fun of the job system is mixing and matching to make powerful hybrid builds. These are the builds that show you’ve mastered the game.

• Ninja 🥷 + Martial Arts 👊: This build uses the Ninja’s built-in ‘Dual Wield’ with the Monk’s ‘Brawler’ support ability. The result? You attack twice per turn with the super-strong unarmed damage of a Monk. This is one of the highest physical damage builds in the game.
• Black Mage 🖤 + Iaido 🇯🇵: Make a character with high MA (level ’em as a Black Mage or Summoner), then give them ‘Iaido’ as their secondary skill. Samurai skills are magical, get stronger with MA, are instant-cast, and have a big AoE. You get a mage who can drop huge magic bombs with zero charge time.
• Arithmetician 🧮 + Magic ✨: This is the famously “broken” combo. An Arithmetician can cast any spell the team knows, instantly, for 0 MP, on everyone on the map who fits a rule. You can have one Arithmetician cast ‘Holy’ on every enemy (and only enemies) or ‘Haste’ on your entire team in a single turn. It’s wild.
• Summoner 👹 + Time Magic ⏰: This makes the ultimate support mage. They can drop ‘Golem’ to shield the party, then turn around and cast ‘Haste’ on your attackers and ‘Slow’ on the enemies. Total battlefield control.

---

Part III: The Spoils of War 🏆

Section 7: The Armory of Ivalice: Weapons and Gear ⚔️

Time to get geared up! 🛡️ This section is your complete guide to outfitting your squad, from basic swords to legendary artifacts.

7.1 Weapon Analysis by Type

Choosing a weapon isn’t just about the attack power. Each type is different!

• Swords & Knight Swords ⚔️: Your standard, reliable weapons. Knight Swords are some of the strongest in the game, and their damage gets better with high Brave.
• Daggers & Ninja Blades 🗡️: Light and fast. Their damage formula uses both PA and Speed, making them perfect for your speedy Thieves and Ninjas.
• Katanas 🇯🇵: The Samurai’s weapon. Like Knight Swords, their damage scales with Brave. They’re also used as “ammo” for ‘Iaido’ skills.
• Axes, Flails, & Bags 🪓: These weapons have random damage (e.g., 1 to 200). This makes them super unreliable and generally not great for serious strategies. 🎲
• Rods, Staves, & Poles 🦯: Mostly for mages. The fun surprise? Staves and Poles also use your MA stat (not PA) for their physical attack damage. This means your Black Mage can actually hit pretty hard!
• Bows & Crossbows 🏹: For your Archers. Bows shoot in an arc (so they can go over walls), while Crossbows shoot in a straight line. Bow damage scales with PA and Speed.
• Guns 🔫: The Machinist’s weapon. Guns have great range, shoot in a straight line, and their damage doesn’t care about your stats at all. This makes them super consistent.

7.2 Defensive Gear Analysis 🧥

Armor is your main source of HP and survival.

• Shields 🛡️: Give you a percentage chance to block physical and magical attacks. A must-have for your tanks. The best ones (like Escutcheon II) offer massive block rates.
• Helms & Armor ⛑️: These give you big HP boosts. Heavy Armor (for Knights/Dragoons) gives the most HP.
• Clothes & Robes 👘: Lighter armor for your other jobs. Robes are for mages and often come with bonus MP or even MA boosts.

7.3 The Power of Accessories 💍

Accessories are often the most important part of your build. They give you status immunities, stat boosts, or special effects.

• Status Immunity Armlets 🧿: Items like the Japa Mala (stops Poison, Toad, etc.), Jade Armlet (stops Stone, Stop), and Nu Khai Armband (stops Confusion, Charmed) are 100% vital for certain late-game bosses. Buy a few of these as soon as you see them in shops!
• Stat-Boosting Gear 📈: The Bracer (+3 PA) and Magic Gauntlet (+2 MA) are huge damage boosts early on. The Thief Hat (+2 Speed) is one of the best helmets in the whole game.
• Mobility Boots 👟: Battle Boots (+1 Move) and Sprint Shoes (+1 Speed) are amazing for helping your units get in position and get more turns.

7.4 Legendary & Missable Equipment Guide 🤫

The best gear in FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles can’t be bought. 🚫 You have to find it as rare treasure, poach it from monsters, or… the most famous way: stealing ’em 🎒 right from bosses during one-time-only story fights. You have to plan ahead for these!

• The Art of Stealing: You need a Thief. Your success chance depends on your Thief’s Speed, your position (stealing from the side or back is way easier), and the target’s stats.
• Key Missable Steals:
  • Genji Set (Helm, Armor, Shield, Gloves): An amazing set of heavy armor. You can only get it by stealing it from a specific boss in a late-game castle fight.
  • Chantage: A perfume for female-only units that gives them permanent Reraise and Regen. ✨ Yes, you read that right. It’s arguably the best accessory in the game. You can only steal it from a specific boss in Bervenia Free City.
  • Unique Weapons: All kinds of powerful, one-of-a-kind weapons can only be gotten by stealing them from bosses in Chapters 3 and 4.

We’ll have a full list of these missable items in the Appendix! 👇

---

Section 8: Managing the War Economy 💰

Getting good at FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles isn’t just about fighting. 🧑‍💼 You need to manage your money (gil) and resources, too. A rich army is a well-equipped army!

8.1 Advanced Gil Farming Strategies 🤑

You get gil from every battle, but here are the “get rich quick” schemes:

• The ‘Steal Gil’ Method 💰: Find a single, weak enemy. Disable ’em (turn ’em into a toad 🐸, put ’em to sleep 😴, etc.). Then, just have a fast Thief use the ‘Steal Gil’ ability over and over… and over. The amount you steal is (Your Level) * (Your Speed). Buff your Thief with Haste or Tailwind and you can make thousands of gil in one long, boring battle. (Balthier’s ‘Plunder Gil’ skill is even better at this!).
• Recruit and Strip 👕: Late in the game, you’ll fight random enemies with really good, expensive gear. Have an Orator use ‘Entice’ 🤝 to make them join your party. After you win the battle, go to your Roster, take all their expensive gear off, sell it 🏪 for a huge profit, and then dismiss the unit. Easy money!

8.2 The Poacher’s Den: A Comprehensive Guide 🐾

Poaching is a super important system you unlock with the Thief’s ‘Poach’ support ability. When a character with ‘Poach’ gets the last hit on a non-human, non-undead monster, its body gets sent to the “Poacher’s Den” at any Outfitter shop.

Each monster type has two possible items you can get: a Common one and a Rare one. You’ve got about a 10% chance to get the Rare item. Many of the most powerful items in the game, like the Whale Whisker (polearm) and Scorpion Tail (flail), can only be gotten from a rare poach. 💎

A smart player will even get into monster breeding (recruit monsters with an Orator, wait for them to lay eggs 🥚) to create a farm for specific rare items.

Table: High-Value Poaching Targets

Monster Family	Monster	Rare Poach Item	Item Type	Strategic Value
Hydra	Hydra	Blood Sword	Sword	Drains HP from target
Hydra	Greater Hydra	Septiéme	Perfume	Grants permanent Haste & Transparent
Hydra	Tiamat	Whale Whisker	Pole	Strongest Pole in the game
Big Cats	Vampire Cat	Catskin Bag	Bag	A powerful Bag weapon
Pig	Swine	Chantage	Perfume	Grants permanent Reraise & Regen
Pig	Wild Boar	Ribbon	Hair Adornment	Grants immunity to almost all status effects
Behemoth	Dark Behemoth	Stoneshooter	Gun	A powerful, rare gun
Dragon	Red Dragon	Dragon Whisker	Pole	A powerful Pole weapon

8.3 Clarifying “Clan Mechanics”: Roster Management and Errands 🍻

You might hear people talk about a “clan system.” That’s really more of a Final Fantasy Tactics Advance thing. In FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles, we have two similar ideas:

• Roster Management 🧑‍🤝‍🧑: Your “clan” is just your roster of 16-24 soldiers. Good management means having your core team of 5-6 powerhouses for story fights, but also keeping specialists on the bench. This includes your low-Brave Treasure Hunter 💎, units to send on errands, and other units you’re training up.
• Tavern Errands 📜: Starting in Chapter 2, you’ll see “Errands” at Taverns. These are dispatch missions. You send one or more units away 📤 for a set number of days (you can’t use them in battle!). When they come back, they bring gil 💰 and a ton of JP for whatever job they were in. This is a fantastic way to level up jobs on your b-team characters without any work!

---

Part IV: Advanced Tactics & Hidden Content 🕵️‍♀️

Section 9: Advanced Combat Strategies

This is where we put it all together. We’re moving beyond “how to fight” and into “how to dominate.” 👑

9.1 Controlling the Timeline: Advanced Turn Manipulation ⏰

Your best weapon 🛠️ is controlling the turn order. Getting way more turns than the enemy is the #1 way to guarantee a win.

• Speed Up / Slow Down 💨: The easiest way is with Time Magic. Cast ‘Haste’ on your key units (especially your fast ones) and ‘Slow’ on the most dangerous enemies. This creates a huge gap in how often everyone gets to act. Ramza’s ‘Tailwind’ is even better, ’cause it gives a permanent +1 Speed boost that lasts the whole battle.
• Instant Turns ⏩: The Time Mage’s ‘Quick’ spell is a game-changer. It instantly sets a target’s CT to 100, so they get the very next turn. You can use this to let a slow, heavy-hitter act right away, give your healer an emergency turn to save someone, or even chain ‘Quick’ on the same person for a bunch of turns in a row! On the flip side, an Orator’s ‘Stall’ skill can reset an enemy’s CT back to 0, delaying their turn by a lot.

9.2 Directing the Enemy: AI Manipulation and Exploitation 🤖

The enemy AI in FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles isn’t a brilliant chess master. It’s a simple program that follows predictable rules. And you can exploit those rules. 🧠

• Target Prioritization Exploit 🎯: The AI loves to attack the target it thinks is “easiest” to defeat. It often decides this based on Max HP. A character with low Max HP looks like a juicy, squishy target. You can use this!
  • In “Protect the VIP” missions (where you have to keep an AI-controlled guest alive), try this: take one of your own high-HP characters (like a Monk) and unequip all their armor. 🧑‍🚀 The AI will see this “naked” character, think “EASY TARGET!”, and ignore the VIP to attack them instead. This buys you precious time.
• Ignoring Victory Conditions 🚩: The AI usually doesn’t care about the actual goal of the battle. In a “Defeat Leader” fight, the enemy minions won’t form a protective wall around their boss. They’ll just attack whoever is closest or squishiest. This lets you use “assassination” strategies: have a super-mobile unit (like a Dragoon or someone with ‘Teleport’) completely ignore the grunts, run straight to the leader, and unload everything to end the fight fast.

9.3 Spoiler-Free Strategies for Notorious Battles 😫

Some fights in this game are famous for being ridiculously hard. Here are spoiler-free ways to beat them.

• Dorter Slums 🏙️: This is your first big test. The enemy has the high ground, with archers and mages on rooftops. 🏹
  • Strategy: Do not charge in. Stay back. Use the buildings on the left for cover. Send one or two fast units (or your guests) to climb up and take out the archer on the nearest roof. Let the enemy knight and mages on the ground come to you. Then, focus all your attacks to take out the dangerous mages first before you deal with the tanky knight.
• Gafgarion at Lionel Castle Gate 🏰: This fight is split. Ramza has to 1-v-1 Gafgarion, while your party is stuck behind a gate fighting other enemies.
  • Strategy: Ramza’s goal isn’t to win the 1-v-1; it’s to survive and open the gate. Give Ramza high mobility (like ‘Movement +1’ and Battle Boots) or, even better, ‘Teleport’. On his very first turn, move him straight to the switch next to the gate 🚪 and open it. Your party will flood in, and you can all beat up Gafgarion together.
• Wiegraf at Riovanes Castle 😫: This is probably the most famous “wall” in the game. It’s a 1-v-1 duel between Ramza and a very powerful Wiegraf. It’s immediately followed by a full-party boss fight against his transformed state, Velius. If you save between these two fights and you’re not ready… you might have to restart your whole game.
  • Strategy: The Speed Cheese 💨. This fight is all about preparation. The most reliable trick is to make Ramza a fast, mobile job (like a Ninja or Monk) and give him ‘Mettle’ (his Squire skillset) as his secondary.
  • On your turns, run away from Wiegraf. Just run. 🏃‍♂️ Use your action to cast ‘Tailwind’ on yourself. And again. And again. Each use permanently (for this battle) raises your Speed. After 4-5 ‘Tailwinds’, you’ll be so fast you get 2, 3, or even 4 turns for every one of Wiegraf’s. Once you’re a speed-demon, you can easily run up, punch him, and run away without him ever catching you.
  • The best part? This massive speed buff carries over into the Velius boss fight right after, letting Ramza get a ton of turns in before the boss can even move. It makes a super-hard fight much, much easier.
• Elmdor and the Assassins 🥷: This late-game fight puts you against a boss who dodges everything and two assassins who can hit you with ‘Stop’ 🥶 and ‘Don’t Act’ 🚫 from across the map.
  • Strategy: This is an equipment check. Equip accessories that make you immune to Stop (Jade Armlet) and Don’t Act (Thief Hat). The boss is almost impossible to hit with physical attacks because he has ‘Shirahadori’. So don’t! Use attacks that can’t be dodged: magic spells ✨ (Summons are great), a Machinist’s ‘Aimed Shot’ 🔫, or a Samurai’s ‘Iaido’ 🇯🇵 skills.

---

Section 10: Secrets of the Zodiac Brave Story 🤫

Beyond the main story, there’s a ton of optional content, including super-powerful secret characters and a dangerous optional dungeon. Here’s how to find ’em all (spoiler-free!).

10.1 Recruiting the Secret Characters 🕵️‍♀️

Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles has several unique characters you can get, mostly in Chapter 4. If you miss the chance or don’t have the right character with you, you can miss them forever! 😥

• Mustadio 👨‍🔧: You have to recruit him during the main story in Chapter 2. You must keep him in your party! Don’t dismiss him! He’s the key to getting several other characters.
• Beowulf and Reis 🦁🐉: In Chapter 4, read the “Haunted Mine” rumor at a tavern. Go to Goland Coal City and agree to help Beowulf. Win the series of battles that follows. Both Beowulf and the dragon Reis will join you. (Later, a different side quest lets human Reis join!).
• Construct 8 🤖: After you get Beowulf and Reis (and the Aquarius stone from their quest), go to Goug Machine City. You must have Mustadio in your party. A cutscene will play, and the robot Construct 8 will join.
• Cloud ☁️: This is the most complicated one.
  1. After Construct 8 joins, go to Sal Ghidos. You’ll see a cutscene with a flower girl 🌸. Buy a flower from her.
  2. Keep playing the main story until you get to Zeltennia. Read the “Cursed Island” rumor at the tavern.
  3. Go to the Nelveska Temple on your map and win the battle there.
  4. Cloud will be saved but will run off.
  5. Go back to Sal Ghidos for another battle. Win that fight, and Cloud will finally join you. 🥳
• Balthier and Luso 🏴‍☠️📚: These two heroes from other Ivalice games are also in this version. You can get them by reading specific tavern rumors during Chapter 4 and completing their quests.

10.2 Conquering the Deep Dungeon (Midlight’s Deep) 🕳️

After a certain event in Chapter 4, a new spot called “Midlight’s Deep” opens up. This is a 10-floor optional dungeon. It’s full of high-level monsters and some of the best equipment in the game, most of which you can’t get anywhere else. 💎

• Navigation: This dungeon is tricky. On each floor, the exit to the next floor is hidden on a random, invisible tile. You have to move a character onto the exact right tile to find the exit. 😵
• Rewards: The treasures you find here (using your low-Brave ‘Treasure Hunter’!) are legendary. We’re talking the Chaos Blade (strongest Knight Sword) and the Setiemson (an amazing accessory).
• Final Encounter: If you clear all 10 floors and beat the final boss, the unique monster Byblos 👹 will join your party.

---

Part V: Appendix: Data and Spreadsheets 🤓

This last part is all just quick-reference tables for you to use while you play. No fluff, just data.

Table 1: Key Job Ability Quick-Reference 🔑

This table shows the most important abilities to grab for your hybrid builds.

Job	Ability Name	Type	JP Cost	Strategic Value
Squire	JP Boost	Support	250	Increases all JP earned by 50%. Essential for accelerating all job progression.
Squire	Movement +1	Movement	200	A crucial and easily accessible mobility boost for the early game.
Chemist	Auto-Potion	Reaction	400	Provides automatic, free-action healing when damaged. Becomes incredibly powerful when only high-tier potions are carried.
Chemist	Throw Item	Support	350	Allows any job to use items at range, turning any character into a potential support healer.
Knight	Rend Speed	Action	250	Directly targets the most important stat in the game, crippling dangerous enemies.
Knight	Equip Heavy Armor	Support	500	Massively increases the survivability of fragile but powerful jobs like Monk or Black Mage.
Archer	Concentration	Support	400	Guarantees physical attacks hit, removing RNG and ensuring consistent damage output.
Monk	Chakra	Action	350	Restores both HP and MP to the user and adjacent allies for 0 MP cost. Incredibly efficient.
Time Mage	Teleport	Movement	3000	The ultimate mobility tool, allowing movement that ignores terrain, elevation, and obstacles.
Time Mage	Swiftspell	Support	1000	Halves the charge time of all magic, making slow but powerful spells viable in late-game combat.
Samurai	Shirahadori	Reaction	500	Provides a chance to completely evade physical attacks equal to the user’s Brave stat.
Ninja	Dual Wield	Support	800	Allows a unit to equip a weapon in each hand, doubling their number of attacks. Game-changing for physical DPS.

Table 2: Master Equipment Compendium (Top Tier & Missable) 💎

This table lists some of the best and rarest gear and how to get it.

Item Name	Item Type	Key Stats / Effects	Acquisition Method
Excalibur	Knight Sword	Attack Power: 21, Grants permanent Haste, Holy-elemental, Absorbs Holy	Found as hidden treasure at Nelveska Temple; Orlandeau joins with one equipped.
Chaos Blade	Knight Sword	Attack Power: 40, Grants permanent Regen, Petrify on hit	Found as rare treasure in Midlight’s Deep (Floor 9 or 10).
Chantage	Perfume	Grants permanent Reraise and Regen	Missable: Steal from Meliadoul during the battle at Bervenia Free City.
Genji Set	Heavy Armor	High HP boosts, PA/MA boosts (Gloves)	Missable: Steal from Elmdore during the battle at Limberry Castle Keep.
Escutcheon II	Shield	75% Physical Evasion, 50% Magical Evasion	Found as hidden treasure at Nelveska Temple.
Thief Hat	Hat	+2 Speed, Immunity to Don’t Move & Don’t Act	Purchaseable in shops starting in Chapter 4.
Setiemson	Accessory	Grants permanent Haste, Protect, Shell, Reraise	Found as ultra-rare treasure in the final floors of Midlight’s Deep.
Ribbon	Hair Adornment	Grants immunity to nearly all negative status effects	Rare poach from a Wild Boar.

Table 3: Comprehensive Poaching List (High-Value Targets) 🐾

This table details the best items you can get from the Poacher’s Den.

Monster	Location (Common)	Common Poach	Rare Poach
Red Chocobo	Finath River	Remedy	Barette
Swine	Fovoham Windflats	Chantage	Nagnarock
Wild Boar	The Yuguewood	Ribbon	Fallingstar Bag
Blue Dragon	Zeklaus Desert	Cashmere	Dragon Rod
Red Dragon	Bervenia Volcano	Sortilége	Dragon Whisker
Behemoth King	Finath River	Envoutement	Artemis Bow
Dark Behemoth	Deep Dungeon	Wizard’s Rod	Stoneshooter
Hydra	Deep Dungeon	Blood Sword	Scorpion Tail
Tiamat	Deep Dungeon	Wyrmweave Silk	Whale Whisker

Table 4: Secret Character Recruitment Quick-Reference Checklist ✅

Use this checklist to make sure you get all the secret characters!

Character	Prerequisite Actions
Beowulf & Reis	1. Reach Chapter 4. 2. Read the “Haunted Mine” rumor in any Tavern. 3. Go to Goland Coal City and agree to help BeowFulf in the tavern. 4. Win the subsequent series of battles.
Construct 8	1. Complete the Beowulf/Reis questline. 2. Have Mustadio in your party roster. 3. Travel to Goug Machine City.
Cloud	1. Complete the Construct 8 recruitment event. 2. Travel to Sal Ghidos and buy a flower from the flower girl. 3. Proceed in the story to reach Zeltennia. 4. Read the “Cursed Island” rumor in the Zeltennia tavern. 5. Travel to Nelveska Temple and win the battle. 6. Return to Sal Ghidos and win the battle there.
Balthier	1. Reach Chapter 4. 2. Read the “Rash of Thefts” rumor in any Tavern. 3. Travel to the cities of Dorter, Gariland, and Goug. 4. Proceed in the story to reach Warjilis. 5. Win the battle that triggers at Warjilis Trade City.
Luso	1. Reach Chapter 3. 2. Travel to Zeklaus Desert to trigger a random battle. 3. Luso will join automatically after the battle.

---

Conclusion: Wrapping It All Up! 🏁

FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles is still one of the best tactical RPGs ever made because it’s just so deep and smart. 🧠

Mastering this game isn’t about grinding levels; it’s about understanding the systems. You’ll win by remembering the core rules: Speed is king ⚡, your position is everything 🗺️, and Brave & Faith are stats you can (and should!) mess with.

The Job System is your giant toolbox 🧰. The real fun isn’t just climbing to the “best” job, it’s about being creative and making powerful hybrids. The Monk who hits twice 👊👊, the Mage who casts instantly ✨—that’s where the real power is. This guide gave you the blueprint for all of it.

By using these strategies—controlling the turn order, tricking the AI 🤖, building smart teams 🤝, and hunting down all the secret gear 💎—anybody can go from just “winning” to being a true tactical master. 🏆

The War of the Lions isn’t won by the strongest sword; it’s won by the sharpest mind. Now go show ’em what you’ve got! 💪

Disclaimer: This is an unofficial fan work, all trademarks and copyrights for Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles belong to the developer Square Enix.

Find the game here! FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles | SQUARE ENIX