Final Fantasy XVI’s Endgame: New Game+, Ultimaniac Mode, and More

Final Fantasy XVI comes with a New Game+ mode that allows you to replay the entire campaign from the same level you ended your first playthrough. While this may sound like a breeze, choosing the right difficulty can elevate your second playthrough to a whole new level. Let’s dive deeper into this article to find out more.

Also Read: Final Fantasy XVI PC Release Date Speculation, What to Expect?

What Carries Over in New Game+ Mode?

If you choose to play the New Game+ mode of Final Fantasy XVI, you need not worry about any progress being lost. All the weapons, equipment, abilities, and the current level you are on as carried to your New Game+ experience. So you can start pummelling enemies from the very beginning. 

That is why the developers opted to introduce a new difficulty mode in New Game+ mode to make things a little more challenging for players looking to polish their skills further.

New Game+ Difficulty Options in Final Fantasy XVI

You will have the choice to pick between three difficulties for the New Game+ mode. If you are someone who enjoys just massacring their enemies and being overpowered, we recommend you go for Final Fantasy Mode. That said, no new content will be introduced in the Story Focused or Action Focused difficulties to keep that in mind before starting. 

Related: 5 Best Skills in Final Fantasy XVI

Final Fantasy Mode Difficulty

Once you start your playthrough at this difficulty, you will not be allowed to switch difficulties. This difficulty starts your campaign off with the first enemies being level 43 already, so be ready for a challenge. Furthermore, the maximum level you can reach will be increased to 100 compared to 50 for your first playthrough. 

New Things in New Game+ Mode(Final Fantasy Difficulty)

There are a bunch of new and rare weapon upgrades, items upgrades, accessories, modes like the Ultimaniac mode, and of course, the strongest weapon in the game: the Ultima weapon that is unlocked in New Game+.
Also Read: What’s New in Final Fantasy XVI?

Enemy Encounters in New Game+ Mode

To make Final Fantasy Mode as challenging as possible, the game will throw a couple of difficult enemies at you that you would not have encountered in your first playthrough this early, like the Chimera. Furthermore, some weaker enemies are just replaced with stronger ones, like flies being replaced with raptors throughout the playthrough.

Weapon Upgrades in New Game+ Mode

The game allows you to upgrade your weapons further in New Game+ mode to make them even more powerful. Unfortunately, you cannot upgrade +2 weapons already in your inventory from your first playthrough. Instead, you will have to buy the +3 versions from Charon and then upgrade it to the +4. 

To save your crafting resources, we recommend buying a +3 weapon and upgrading it to +4 rather than buying a +4 weapon. The max level for your weapons is now the Reforged level which is available after the +4 level. However, none of these upgrades changes anything about the aesthetics of your weapon.

Belts and Bracers Upgrades in New Game+

As with weapons, you will be able to upgrade your belts and bracers to a higher level in the New Game+ mode. However, this will require some higher quality materials to upgrade, like the Flawless Meteorite. The rule for not being able to upgrade +2 materials remains the same as with Weapons, so you might need to purchase a few belts and bracers in your second playthrough.

Accessory Upgrades in New Game+

Another addition to the New Game+ experience is the addition of upgrades for your accessories. These upgrades will more than double the benefits you receive from most items and can be great in levelling up your character’s stats. Some items even have a +3 upgrade tier that requires you to combine two +1 versions of that item for a further increase in stats.

Ultima Weapon in New Game+

New Game+ mode also unlocks the best weapon in the game: the Ultima Weapon. The first item you will need to craft this weapon can be found in your inventory as soon as you start your second playthrough by the name of Utterance of Creation. The other two are weapons you will be able to get a little late in your New Game+ playthrough. The first one is the Everdark Reforged which is the final version of the Everdark weapon. For the second weapon, you will need the Gotterdammerung Reforged weapon, which is the final upgraded weapon for Gotterdammerung. 

Once you have all these items, you can forge the Ultima weapon with an attack and stagger rating of 700, which is just a huge upgrade from the next-best weapon in the game with a rating of 625.

Ultimaniac Mode in New Game+

The New Game+ mode also adds a new mode for your Arcade Mode in the Ultimaniac game. This mode really ups the challenge even further as not only do enemies hit a lot harder in this mode, but you are also extremely low on healing resources as you start off with just one Potion and one High Potion. 

That said, there is no checkpoint system in place, meaning if you die while playing a level in Ultimaniac mode, you have to start all the way from the beginning. This mode will force you to level up your skills when you are met with the crushing reality that you cannot even get past the second encounter in a level you usually beat easily.

Conclusion

The New Game+ mode definitely has some of the most powerful enemies, items, and accessories in the game. This mode is for players who really want to polish their skills after completing Final Fantasy XVI and have a look at some of the rarest items in the game.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is There a Hard Mode for Final Fantasy XVI in New Game+?

The hard mode for Final Fantasy XVI is the Final Fantasy difficulty in the New Game+ mode. This difficulty will make the gameplay considerably harder for any players who want to test their skills.

Is Final Fantasy XVI Open-World?

Final Fantasy XVI is not an open-world experience. The game will tell you what to do and where you can go during your playthrough, just like in all previous Final Fantasy games.

How Long Is Final Fantasy XVI?

The main story of Final Fantasy XVI will take you about 30 hours to complete one playthrough, but if you are a perfectionist and want to complete the game 100%, it will likely take around 50 hours.