While Final Fantasy 16 is a mostly linear experience that funnels players through contained spaces with epic cutscenes and boss fights, there's still plenty to do after the credits roll, and one of those things is going after all the trophies. Being on PlayStation, Final Fantasy 16 has a coveted platinum trophy to unlock, which players can earn after achieving the other 49 trophies, which range from doing certain things in combat to simply going through the main story missions.
One of the trophies that players might unlock early on in Clive's adventure is the bronze Punisher trophy, earned by punishing ten enemies (excluding battles in the Hall of Virtue). Players will no doubt punish enemies without even trying, but this guide will go into the mechanic a little deeper so that folks can understand how it works so they can take advantage of it.
How to Punish in Final Fantasy 16
Essentially, when fighting in the main story of Final Fantasy 16, there will be moments when the enemies will end up in a downed state, lying on the ground or their back or not standing (flying in their normal position). If players approach the enemy while they are in this dazed state, they can simply press the square button on the PS5 controller (the basic sword attack) to initiate Punish. This will transition to a neat little animation where Clive does a pretty powerful attack, knocking the enemy away. It's worth noting that this doesn't happen with big boss fights --it's only with the smaller, lackey enemies Clive fights during chapters.
To get enemies in a downed state, it's best to just perform a string of moves to get some combos on the monsters. Also, players can try controlling Torgal to use his Ravage ability by hitting the left directional input on the d-pad. The move will cause the friendly dog to launch enemies into the air, allowing Clive to get some aerial combos in, which can potentially put an enemy into a downed state, ready to get punished.
Torgal will perform his actions automatically if Clive has the Ring of Timely Assistance equipped into one of his accessory slots. Players will get this useful item as part of the story. This will also let players level Torgal up without having to control him directly. It's a great item to have on deck for those that feel overwhelmed by Clive's moveset and would like one less thing to worry about.
Final Fantasy 16 is available on PS5.
