The story of Final Fantasy 16 took an unexpected twist in the previous main scenario quest. Clive and the others were able to destroy one of the Mothercrystals, but it came at a terrible cost. On top of all that, a new threat revealed itself. While its goals are unclear, Ultima is interested in Clive's powers but is sealed away by Joshua.
After this series of events, five years pass and that is when the next set of main scenario quests begin. This walkthrough will give Final Fantasy 16 players an idea of what to expect as they go through the main scenario quests "Home, Sweet Home" and "The Gathering Storm".
This walkthrough contains spoilers, so players should proceed with caution.
Five Years Later
After a very lengthy series of cutscenes, Final Fantasy 16 players will find themselves in an arena facing off against some enemies. This is also a good opportunity to test out the abilities that Clive inherited from Cid. Once several groups have been defeated, players will fight a boss next. This boss doesn't do anything noteworthy, and it can be defeated with the usual strategy of dodging its attacks and then staggering it. Once the boss has been defeated, another series of cutscenes will begin and players will begin the next main scenario quest "Home, Sweet Home".
Talk to Otto
Follow the red waypoint and use the elevator to go up. Follow the red waypoint to reach Otto and speak to him. After that, go right toward the map room and talk to Vivian. This triggers a cutscene where players learn more about the state of the realm and how things have changed over the past five years.
Once that is done, speak to Harpocrates. Harpocrates manages the Thousand Tomes feature, where players can refresh themselves on any aspect of the story of Final Fantasy 16. The blacksmith has updated stock, so players may wish to visit him before proceeding. Once ready, head toward Clive's chambers. To progress the story, interacting with the reading table. After a series of cutscenes, "Home, Sweet Home" ends and "The Gathering Storm" begins.
Leave Clive's chambers and go down the stairs toward Otto to discuss Martha's disappearance. After this brief cutscene, the side quest "Caulk & Bawl" will unlock near the entrance to the Hideaway. Players should make any necessary preparations before fast traveling to Martha's Rest.
Find Martha
Upon arriving at Martha's Rest, head up toward the inn. Go inside to trigger a cutscene and learn more about Martha's current whereabouts. After the cutscene head toward the Glaidemond Abbey. While on the way, a cutscene will trigger when players arrive at the bridge. Martha is injured, but she's alive, and she asks Clive and Jill to go help the Bearers at the abbey.
Continue onward towards the abbey while dealing with any monsters that get in the way. A cutscene triggers when players enter the abbey along with a battle against a group of imperials. After the battle, go left toward the house that is next to the abbey and go inside to trigger another cutscene.
Go to Riddock's Jump
Once the cutscene is over, take the remains down toward Riddock's Jump. While on the way, players will encounter a monster called Ahirman. This is an optional boss monster that is classified as a Hunt. Defeating these optional bosses will grant players powerful materials and other items.
If players choose to fight Ahirman, watch out for its Doom spell. When a giant orange circle appears, get out of it to avoid instant death.
Once players have escaped from the Ahirman (or defeated it), they are free to move on to Riddock's Jump. At the edge of the water, press 'X' to scatter the remains. After that, fast travel back to Martha's Rest and speak to Martha to continue the story. While the next objective is to return to the Hideaway, players may want to take a moment to do a newly unlocked side quest called "The White-Winged Wonder".
The reason for the detour is that this side quest unlocks a unique reward upon completing it. Any similar side quest will have a 'plus' on it like this one, so players will want to consider going out of their way to do them. The reward for this side quest is the ability to summon a chocobo mount, allowing players to move around faster. When ready, fast travel back to the Hideaway. Talk to Gav to trigger a cutscene.
After the cutscene players will unlock several new features. The first is the Patron's Whisper which allows players to claim rewards as they complete more side quests. The second is the Hunt Board which allows players to track and defeat notorious marks like Ahirman. In order to progress further in the story, open the world map and fast travel to Hawk's Cry Cliff to begin the next main scenario quest.
Final Fantasy 16 is available now on PlayStation 5.
