If there's one thing we love to do, it's to provide insight into the games you know and love and reiterate all of the things you already know... just kidding. Contrary to what happens in the wide world of game-writing critiques, we always do our best to bring you fun facts, theories, and opinions, and hopefully tip you off to something you might not have known. If you do happen to scan an entire article and resonate with every point then congratulations, you're a master gamer in your own right.
For the rest of the casual gaming world, however, things are not this obvious which is why we write pieces such as this one. Final Fantasy is a gaming franchise that still has the world shaken over its legacy and will forever have a fanbase that continuously grows. That's the great thing about Square Enix—it doesn't matter what your age is, there will always be a game that resonates with you as a fan.
Every game from Final Fantasy I all the way up to XV is listed here, excluding online games XI and XIV. If you do happen to know all of these tricks and have used them repeatedly, we applaud you and your majestic role in the gaming community. If some of these are new to you, we implore you to give them a shot... because is it technically "cheating" if it's on the internet? Go ahead, debate it.
25 The Allure Of A Bloodsword In Final Fantasy I
This might not be on your list of "must have" items if you're playing Final Fantasy I and that's okay. I'm going to go ahead and say that not many people revisit this outdated game or the one that followed and, sadly, I-III have somewhat fallen to the wayside. If you are an avid fan of the early years of the franchise, however, getting a bloodsword is pretty easy. Simply make sure that you stop in at Pavel's house and around the midway point in the game, he should give it to you, along with some other items.
24 A Secret Puzzle In Final Fantasy I
Who likes mini games? Not I, for one, but I'm sure there are plenty of gamers out there who do. If you're one of them, then you're in luck. Final Fantasy I happens to have a trick to launching a mini-game that not many know about. By holding down the A button and tapping button B simultaneously, you'll execute the command for a tile-sliding game to appear on the screen. By completing this puzzle successfully, you'll be the proud owner of money as well as some items.
23 Leveling Up Faster In Final Fantasy II Is A Breeze This Way
The beautiful thing about older games can be summed up in two words: Helpful glitches. One of which makes it super easy to level up your weaponry.
Once you're engaged in a battle, select the "fight" command and take the option to cancel during enemy selection.
The game recognizes this initial selection of "fight" as a validated move, adding one skill point to your overall level. Once you achieve 100 of these, you'll level up. It's a lengthy, yet working, process.
22 The Wall Spell Glitch In Final Fantasy II
There's a unique oversight in this game that allows you to successfully remove an enemy from a random encounter. By making good use of the wall spell, you first need to use one of your characters to cast this on the enemy of your choosing. Then, use either the Break, Toad, Warp, or Death spells in order to have an enemy removed. The catch is that you need two turns and two characters who are equipped with these attacks in order to use the glitch.
21 The Perfect Bug For Dual-Wielders In Final Fantasy II
This is another interesting tidbit in logistics as far as attacks go. If your character is a dual-wielder, you'll notice that attacks are done with both weapons according to the game's graphics.
However, what you don't see is that the damage being done is based on the information gathered from the weapon in the character's dominant hand.
If you're into the abuse of power, always ensure that the more powerful weapon is in a character's dominant hand, and you'll always deal high damage.
20 Is It Cheating If It's A Glitch? Duplications In Final Fantasy III
If you're a risk-taker like I am, then you might notice a need for more items such as Phoenix Downs in your inventory. This is easy to bring to fruition with a simple glitch in Final Fantasy III. Start by first moving the item you wish to create more of to the first slot. Then, while you're in battle, bring up the item menu and hit the directional "Up" button as well as the A button. After seeing an item flash on the screen, hit the B button to cancel, and now you'll have duplicated items. Don't worry, we won't tell anyone.
19 Defeating Zeromus Is Easier Than You Think
Some gamers will boast about their Zeromus conquests while others will sit there rolling their eyes. To start, you'll need to equip Cecil with the following: the crystal sword, shield, and helmet. You'll also need to equip him with the following items: Zeus Gauntlet and the Adamant Armor. Then, your gameplay should be as follows: Use the crystal sword with Cecil, use Edge for Spoon Dart and normal attacking, use Kain for a jump attack, and finally, use Rydia for Meteor, Nuke, and Bahamut. Rose can cure and cast white spell on the boss—voila!
18 A Glitch For The Crystal In Final Fantasy IV
This is a fun one, albeit a severe oversight in the game. While in the Dwarven Castle, cast Warp after King Giott is done speaking.
This causes a glitchy time travel and will bring you back to the Crystal Room.
Lo and behold, the crystal you seek is still sitting there. This prevents you from having to go to The Sealed Cave and the game will progress as though you had. Kain should accept the crystal, as the game reads it in your inventory as a point checked off the gameplay.
17 How To Get Rich Fast In Final Fantasy V For PlayStation
If you don't have a turbo controller but love Final Fantasy V, we're not going to say it's worth it for the sake of this money cheat... But it's pretty worth it for the sake of this money cheat. It starts by entering the pub in Lugor Boarder town and making your way to the top of the stairs near the stage. If you have the ability for auto-turbo, bind the X button and tape (yes, tape) the "Up" directional button down. This will land you roughly 18,000 per hour while you do other things.
16 Who Would Have Thought 0HP Would Be Helpful In Final Fantasy VI?
This is a trick for skilled hands and those who have timing on their side. It's a glitch in the truest sense of the word and if it doesn't work, well, I warned you. It must be used on a character who has the ability to use the Jump attack in battle. If they've been afflicted with Doom, you can time their jump so that they're in the air when the counter nears zero. This will glitch the attack and your character will remain at zero HP until being healed, but they'll be invulnerable for the time being.
15 How To Save A Character In Final Fantasy VI
This is super easy and something that many have probably figured out by sheer accident. When you're at the point in the game where you have six minutes to escape a crumbling continent, rather than jump off immediately, hang out at the very edge. It might seem nerve-wracking but if you wait it out until five seconds are remaining on the clock, Shadow will come out of nowhere to make the jump with you.
14 The Significance Of 7 In Final Fantasy VII
Square Enix certainly had a sense of humor when they crafted this brilliant game and some of that is evident in "7,777", otherwise known as the magic HP number.
If any of your characters lands on this as their HP, the game will send them into an uncontrolled frenzy of attacks, dealing random damage to whichever enemies are in their way.
It's an interesting thing to watch, yet comes with a price—if their HP is still at that number by the end, their overall HP will be brought down to one.
13 Quadra Magic For Those Who Are Skilled With A Controller
This is definitely a tricky one and probably not worth the frustration. If you have the Highwind, make your way to the furthest Southwestern corner of the map, where you'll see a cave. Following the Mideel way back, stop at the raised portion of the map and proceed to the cliff's edge. The next few moves must be performed quickly: The Highwind should face due south and then you'll need to hit the "land" button and then tap R1 immediately following. The result will be half on, half off the cliff and you'll be within walking distance to the cave.
12 A Risky Move For Selfie's Limit Break In Final Fantasy VIII
I would never recommend this because I'm rather paranoid about my consoles, but evidently, it is a proven trick that actually works. If you're daring, feel free to pop open your PlayStation lid in the middle of Selfie's Slots limit break. This will force-freeze the game and allow you to take your time choosing "The End". The game will resume upon closing the lid, but it's the epitome of cheating and not great for your system. Choose wisely.
11 All Of The "Pause" Menu Tricks In The Final Fantasy IX Re-Release For PS4
The remaster of Final Fantasy IX for PS4 was a huge hit and came with plenty of special features. These are referred to as "built-in cheats" and help to grind without actually grinding. With a variation of button commands, you'll be able to choose one of the following from the pause screen: battle assistance, 9,999 restorative HP, high-speed mode, a safe-travel option, master abilities for whatever is in your inventory, level 99 option for all party members, and an option to max out your gil. You know, in case you don't actually want to play.
10 Winning Blitzball In Final Fantasy X, The Bane Of Every Gamer's Existence
There is a catch! You must already be a score ahead of the opposing team in Blitzball in order to use this trick. Whenever you have the higher score, simply hide behind your goalie.
The rest of your team will function on auto and do a plenty of nothing while time passes in the game.
If an opposing team member finds their way over to you, simply rush them in order to free up the net, then return to your hiding spot. It's the lazy athlete's way of winning.
9 Defeating Braegh In Final Fantasy XII
This is probably pretty common sense for those who despise the "Rodeo to the End" part of the game, but it's going in here anyway. Final Fantasy XII certainly isn't famous for glitches, especially since the remaster came out for PS4, so this is as close as we can get. All you need to do during this battle is cast Reflect on your party, which will automatically coincide with Braegh's casting of Invert. This should dwindle him down to approximately 10% of his previous HP.
8 Final Fantasy XII's Barrel Respawn Glitch
This is a stupid-easy glitch to expose and it is, yet again, probably another common sense method of achieving something you may never even need throughout the game. However, if items are your thing, first start by finding a barrel near a save crystal. Open the barrel, get your item, save, quit, and reload your saved game. It's a silly pastime but one that's great for the over-achievers. It's also a great way to get items super fast without any effort at all.
7 Staggering Enemies Easily In Final Fantasy XIII
As much as I wanted to skip Final Fantasy XIII, it had to be the list because it was only fair. This is my, as well as plenty of other gamers', most hated game in the franchise. In order to stagger enemies more easily, since that is the name of the game, it's helpful to always have your formation as follows: commando, ravager, ravager. There are plenty of tricks to this, but this is the easiest one to remember as well as to follow.
6 A Useless But Amusing Trick In Final Fantasy XIII
During those out-of-battle moments when your character is running from place to place, one neat trick to try is making them dizzy.
This serves absolutely no purpose in regards to the game and is utterly useless, but hey, it's a bright spot in XIII's horrific gameplay.
By simply pushing the analog back and forth roughly six times, your character will send out a realistic emote indicating that they're actually dizzy from the in-game motion. It's probably the most redeeming quality of the series.