Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age / FFXII - Trial Mode

Trial Mode

An option exclusive to Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age that is available at the start of the game. What iss unlocked depends on the Main Save File where the Trial Mode took place. It is advised to finish the Main Story before challenging Trial Mode in order to have access to the skills and equipment essential to surviving the challenge.

Basic Information

• Trial Mode consists of 100 Stages. It will prompt you to save every 10 stages.
• You will have to start over if you lose during the middle of a stage.
• The skills and equipment used in Trial Mode will depend on the data in the Main Save File.
• Provides License Points (LP) while keeping Experience (EXP) constant
• You cannot use recovery items, even if you purchased them in the main story.
• The same set of Recovery items will be available from Stages 1 to 100.

You will not gain any experience as you advance and items consumed will not be recovered.

Recommended Skills and Equipment

Nihopalaoa

A valuable accessory that, when worn, grants the bearer the ability to reverse effects of recovery items of both enemies and party members.
In this case, when used in tandem with Phoenix Down, can instantly fell an enemy.

Reverse Magick

Belongs to the Green Magick list of abilities. When cast, it will temporarily Reverse the effects of Recovery and Damage. This means that units damaged while under the effects of this spell will be healed instead.

As you progress through the stages, damage dealt becomes more severe. As such, Reverse will come in handy as a tool for restoring HP. One of the best times to use it is whenever a character is down to critical amounts of HP. Make use of Reverse by having a mage cast it on a durable Knight. This will grant it the ability to safely tank hits for the party and restore its HP at the same time while conserving consumables.

Warp Mote

Given the vast number of stages in Trial Mode, facing dozens of enemies and sustaining tons of damage is inevitable. To ensure longevity against a battalion of enemies, use a Warp Mote to expel all foes in range. As an added bonus, this item also bypasses the effects of Reflect.

Dispel

Whenever enemies are affected by Reflect, they can bounce back any Magick cast on them. The best way to handle this is to cast Dispel to lift the effects of Reflect and safely follow up with the desired Magick.

Beating Stage 100

Assign Roles

This mode puts the player to the ultimate test as it gauges their performance. Proper role assignments are crucial to surviving the waves of enemies. Once you start Trial Mode, there is no turning back to replenish consumables.

To make the most out of your party’s consumables, make sure to have Gambits assigned to your ally and set the top to be: Ally: Any = Phoenix Down to ensure that they remain in contact with their party immediately. If you can afford to consume MP, having Ally: Any = Raise can help conserve items. Intended to be mixed and matched, be sure to adjust the Gambits to have your allies serve their individual purposes in the trial.

Raising the Party’s level

Stage 100 of Trial Mode pits you against the Archadian Judges, considered the most powerful bosses of Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age. This can seem incredibly difficult if you undertake Trial Mode underleveled, as the party will be vulnerable being wiped out before they even get a chance to read the opponent’s attack pattern. To familiarize with the boss’ attack pattern, be sure to challenge it at level 99 to get a grip on how the AI behaves.

New Game+ Mode

Once you finish Stage 100, New Game+ Mode becomes available. In this mode, you have the option to choose Weak and Strong Modes. In those modes, each enemy will have the same level when encounter. Keep in mind that while playing in this mode, characters are not rewarded with experience after taking out enemies.

Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age / FFXII Recommended Article List