Moogles, Cactuars, and third-act plot convolutions are all peak icons of the Final Fantasy franchise, but one mascot ranks supreme as the franchise's most emblematic element — the Chocobo. These beloved birds, with their fluffy feathers and three-toed hooves, essentially replace the role of horses in most fantasy role-playing games. Yet few horses are as versatile as the Chocobo; some games race them, others send them diving underwater, and others let them soar high into the clouds above. In Final Fantasy 13, Chocobos are both an effective means of transport and your personal avian treasure hunters.

Related: Final Fantasy 13: How To Defeat A Long Gui

Indeed, buried treasure is littered all over Gran Pulse, the vast wilderness that becomes available for exploration in Chapter 11. While you won't be able to hop aboard a bird and start pecking away on the open plains immediately upon your arrival, completing the prerequisites can prove to be a worthwhile endeavor, especially if you want to swiftly earn loads of Gil and obtain the Gysahl Wreath achievement.

How to Get A Chocobo in Final Fantasy 13

Your arrival on Gran Pulse will soon lead you to some handy tutorials on how exactly the whole thing works, but any form of direct guide for getting a Chocobo is conspicuously absent from in-game teachings. In fact, it's likely that you'll bump into plenty of wild Chocobos in your early roamings on the Archylte Steppe without knowing how to mount one.

As it happens, this is because the Chocobos simply don't trust Lightning and her motley crew just yet. Solving that little wrinkle requires completing Cie'th Stone requests. Gaining access to Cie'th Stone requests isn't worth worrying over, because one of the mandatory tutorials here not only introduces them to you but sends you off to handle a few before you can progress the main story.

The number of Cie'th Stone requests necessary to get a Chocobo may seem steep at first glance, but since you'll need to do some no matter what, it's really not as bad as it looks. Specifically, you must complete Cie'th Stone requests 01, 02, 03, 05, 07, 12, 13, and 14.

Let's break those down one by one.

Which Cie'th Stone Requests Unlock Chocobo Riding

Since all of the Cie'th Stone marks involved are relatively weak, no grand strategies are necessary. Here are some basic tips and other details should you happen to struggle along the way.

With the Gysahl Reins in your inventory, you can finally ride a Chocobo! All those wild ones you've undoubtedly been running past as you complete Cie'th Stone requests are now Lightning's personal steeds, happy to lend her a lift.

How to Find Buried Treasure

Compelling your mount to become your own personal metal detector doesn't require any training whatsoever. For a blessing, Chocobos on the Archylte Steppe will let you know when you're near treasure all on their own, without any form of player input.

Take your Chocobo for a tour across the Steppe. Before too long, an exclamation point will inevitably pop above their head, indicating something of interest is within the vicinity of your location. The exclamation mark will "bounce" faster and faster the closer you are to your prize. Once you've arrived, a button prompt will appear. Just press it and your bird's beak will do the rest.

You can find a buried treasure as many as five times per session before running out of opportunities until you exit and reenter the Steppe. Considering how quickly that can be done, this can be a good source of Gil — as well as some other goodies.

Chocobo Treasure Hunt Rewards

There are two types of treasure: the kind with a certain probability percentage involved, and the kind that is obtained at fixed intervals. Before we wrap, here's a handy guide to each. And don't forget, your first time digging up treasure will award you the Gysahl Wreath achievement!

The Moogle Puppet sells for 18,000 Gil. The Plush Chocobo nets a cool 35,000 Gil. Not bad for an afternoon out pecking dirt, right?

Next:How Long Does It Take To Beat Final Fantasy 13?