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Final Fantasy 16 is home to an array of fun and challenging side quests for Clive to pursue. While the rewards for completing most of the game's side quests aren't always that noteworthy, some side quests offer items and abilities that can not be obtained anywhere else. The Weird Science side quest is a fine example of this, but players will first need to progress the Out of the Shadow main quest before it can be started.
Final Fantasy 16's Weird Science side quest becomes available upon completing the Letting Off Steam 3 objective during the Out of the Shadow main quest. If Clive accepts the quest from Owain, the quest-giver, he will be sent out to find and defeat a pretty ferocious monster known as the Bomb King.
How To Start Weird Science In Final Fantasy 16
Upon completing all three parts of the Letting Off Steam sub-objective, Clive can head to Mid's Dungeon in The Hideaway and speak with Owain, the Engineer, to initiate the Weird Science side quest.
Owain will explain to Clive that he wants to get his hands on some Bomb Ash and that the only to do this is to first defeat a Bomb King. Since Owain lacks the skills needed to combat such a foe, the task of acquiring Bomb Ash falls to Clive.
Before setting off in search of this fiery foe, Clive should speak to Nektar in The Mess and choose the "Ask about bomb sightings" option. After examining the Bomb King's entry on the Hunt Board, the hunt can begin.
How To Find The Bomb King
To begin the search for the Bomb King, Clive should fast-travel to The Dragon's Aery, just east of Northreach. From here, he can proceed south while hugging the map's eastern edge until he reaches a gate leading to The Imperial Chase. Continuing forward and turning left will lead Clive to some ruins, inside which the Bomb King will attack.
How To Beat The Bomb King
The battle against the Bomb King isn't overly intimidating during the first phase; the creature's attacks are all pretty easy to avoid, thanks to how slow they are. That said, the fight gets a little trickier once enough of the Bomb King's health has been chipped away. Aside from the creature's unimpressive projectile attacks and lunge attack, there are two moves players should take note of:
- Coronation: This attack sees the Bomb King surrounding itself in flames before spewing a ball of fire at Clive; it's a slow attack that can be dodged quite easily, but players should make sure to avoid the flames the attack leaves behind. Toward the end of the battle, the Bomb King will release five fireballs during this attack.
- Witan: After enough damage has been dealt to the Bomb King, it will start using an attack called Witan. This move sees the flame-engulfed enemy lunging itself into the ground to produce a shockwave, after which four more Bombs will join the battle. If left alone, these lesser bombs will eventually self-destruct; so long as Clive maintains a safe distance, the explosion will not affect him.
As a reward for defeating the Bomb King, Clive will receive 1 Bomb Ember, a material that can be used to craft and upgrade his gear.
How To Complete Weird Science In Final Fantasy 16
Clive can acquire the Bomb Ash he was sent to get by interacting with the three green quest markers left behind in the Bomb King's wake. Once they have all been added to his inventory, he can fast-travel back to The Hideaway to give the Bomb Ash to Owain.
Interacting with Owain once more, Clive can hand over the Bomb Ash to complete the Weird Science quest. As a reward for completing the quest, he will receive a Treated Potion Satchel and 1 Black Blood. The Treated Potion Satchel increases the number of restorative items Clive can carry; the Black Blood can be exchanged for Gil.
Final Fantasy 16 is exclusively available on PlayStation 5.
