Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age / FFXII - What are Gambits?

What are Gambits?

Gambits have always been part of the Final Fantasy XII battle system. Instead of issuing single commands, Gambits appear as a command list. In doing so, the player can issue a variety of orders to have the AI-controlled party members play specific roles. The Gambit system allows players to focus on fighting while assured that their allies will follow their orders.

How do Gambits work?

A Gambit works like programming. They also have priority orders, which is why a majority of the gambits appear similar to equations. However, the priority assumption for the Gambit System can be overruled if the condition of another gambit is fulfilled first.

For example:

1. Foe: HP<90% – Attack
2. Foe: HP=100% – Steal

Even if Foe: HP <90% – Attack is first on the Gambit list, the other gambit, Foe: HP=100% – Steal, will take priority. So, the character’s action order will be Steal then Attack. This will continue until their HP drops below 90%, which will cause the character only to attack until the enemy is defeated. At the start of the battle, the enemy’s HP = 100%, so the Steal Technick will be prioritized. However,  if no such conflict occurs, then the character will follow the next order in the priority chain. Players are not limited to only one or two commands. Once the License Board for the Gambit System is filled, a character can receive up to 10 commands.

License Board

By creating different combos, the player can issue a variety of commands. However, not all the characters jive well with particular commands. Some of the commands work better on particular characters, which not always be the one you are trying to assign it to. Another thing to take into consideration is the character’s Job Class. Some job classes learn skills specific to the class, especially with the International Zodiac Job System.

Job Class

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