Return to Ivalice — Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age Essential Starter's Guide

The Story of Ivalice

A great era of peace and prosperity is fading. The stability bestowed upon Ivalice in the founding days of the Dynast-King has been darkened by the likelihood of war between empires. Rozarria and Archadia seem destined to collide, crushing whatever stands between them.

Indeed, the Archadian push west toward Rozarria has already consumed Nabradia and its sibling sovereignty, the small, peaceful Kingdom of Dalmasca. FINAL FANTASY XII opens with a quick glimpse of the last throes of pre-Imperial Dalmasca and its desperate fight for freedom, followed by an equally desperate negotiation for peace. In the opening tutorial mission, you participate in a final, fateful attempt to deliver land and king from the clutches of Archadian domination.

Fast forward two years: In the Dalmascan capital city of Rabanastre, a new consul, Vayne Solidor, son of the Archadian emperor, arrives with a message of hope and renewal for the citizens of that subjugated land. However, his silver-tongued speech doesn’t fully convince Vaan, an orphaned street boy who sees the Empire as a thieving bully that has robbed his country of wealth and dignity.

Vaan dreams of escape, seeing his future in the skies as a sky pirate. First, though, he wants some measure of revenge. His bold attempt to infiltrate the Royal Palace during the consul’s inaugural fete to take back some of the treasure that belongs to Dalmasca leads Vaan straight into the clasp of a destiny none could foresee. It is a destiny that includes an exhilarating adventure in the company of sky pirates, a princess, and a great fallen Knight of the Order. As such, the tale begins.

Races of Ivalice

Hume

Some call it the race of “dominance.” Many Humes have an abiding attraction to power, much more so than the other races of Ivalice. The Hume’s insatiable will to power could be a cause of the rising fury that threatens to consume Ivalice.

However, the race’s deep-seated curiosity and desire for knowledge has driven the creation of innovative ways and technologies. Sophisticated and stable internal political systems, stunning and nuanced architecture, and the dogged pursuit of a better, more secure life are the culmination of the Hume race.

Viera

To the Viera, seclusion is a way of life, a given. This nubile race has avoided all political and cultural contact with Humes and other races for hundreds of years. The timeline of their unique history seems uneventful, in an almost monastic way. Over the centuries, the Viera have never migrated beyond the tangled interiors of the forbidding central forests of Ivalice.

Why? Because the Viera see themselves as an inextricable part of “the Wood,” almost as a biological component of a greater being. They have long considered interaction with the outside world to be against the will of the Wood. Those rare Viera who do leave the forest become objects of contempt within their race. However, the imperial conflagrations of recent years, with much of the great forest burnt and villages lost, have awakened many more Viera to doubts about their tradition of seclusion.

Special Characteristics

Long Ears	Prominent, highly sensitive listening organs. Worthy of their name “forest hunters,” Viera can detect even the most subtle sounds.
Silver Hair	There is no individual hair color in the Viera race, as all Viera have silver hair. Those few who migrate into the world of Humes, though, often dye their locks.
Feet	Viera have pointed feet. These unique appendages make stiletto heels the best footwear for maintaining balance.

Moogle

Moogles have a great tradition of expertise in the area of engineering, as the race has long relied on the clever development of machines. An obvious adaptation to their small size, this mechanical skill puts them on equal terms with other races. In particular, Moogles excel at the creation and maintenance of airships, although they are very adept at other types of technology.

Special Characteristics

Pom-Pom	A fluffy fur-ball headpiece is the trademark of the Moogle race. Each individual Moogle has its own color of Pom-Pom.
Wings	Small wings, not unlike those of a bat. Due to the near-vestigial quality of these wings, only a few Moogles can use them to fly.
Hands	Deft, dexterous, highly skilled hands are perfect for delicate technical work or playing instruments. Moogle musicians often provide accompaniment for public ceremonies or parades.

Bangaa

Bangaa body color has many different hues. At one time, many believed that these colors determined the personality and physical abilities of each Bangaa. For example, the yellow skinned “Rugua Bangaa” was said to be friendly and intelligent, while a blue skinned “Fierce Bangaa” displayed a strong sense of justice and great physical prowess. The red “Bista Bangaa” and the steel gray “Sanga Bangaa” featured other social traits of note. However, today there are so many Bangaa of mixed blood that this theory doesn’t apply anymore.

Special Characteristics

Face	Highly reptilian facial features with tiny eyes. Because Bangaa don’t rely much on their eyesight, some of them actually sport blindfolds as a fashion statement!
Hanging Ears	The characteristic Bangaa ears are split in two and droop downwards. Some individuals have short ears, though.
Physical Frame	Always big and brawny. Even ascetic Bangaa monks are blessed with considerable brawn!

Seeq

The Seeq are a more primitive race. They don’t wear much clothing and display little in the way of intellectual curiosity. What they do display is a passion for “shiny things,” like jewels and gold, that they love to drape across their bodies. In the eyes of most other races, Seeq exhibit somewhat poor fashion taste and often end up looking unbalanced and, well, comical.

The Seeq also have a strong interest in the acquisition of gil. Because of their fairly low intellect, simple personalities, and penchant to immediately spend whatever gil they get their hands on, very few Seeq ever achieve significant financial success.

Special Characteristics

Mouth	With its upturned nose and narrow oral cavity, the Seeq struggles mightily with verbal pronunciation. Seeq cannot speak quickly and rarely talk for long periods of time.
Skin Color	Although there were originally only three Seeq skin colors (mauve, light yellow and orange), the interbreeding of Seeq with these skin types has created greater variation.
Physical Frame	Seeq have strong and stable frames that are capable of bringing power to bear quickly. Females have a slightly different frame than males.

Vaan—Age: 17

“A boy who sees freedom in the skies.”

After losing his parents to the plague and his brother, Reks, to treachery and war, Vaan is now a child of the streets. He’s now a leader of a sub-culture of war orphans who roam the slums of Rabanastre.

Level	HP	MP	Strength	Magick Power	Vitality	Speed
1	82~83	30~33	23	22	24	24
10	280~314	67~93	28	27	27	25
20	640~737	120~187	34	32	31	26
30	1103~1284	175~284	39	37	35	28
40	1542~1802	242~404	45	42	39	29
50	2241~2632	300~506	51	48	42	31
60	2859~3364	353~600	56	53	46	32
70	3209~3776	393~667	62	58	50	33
80	3613~4252	434~734	68	63	54	35
90	4164~4905	460~774	73	69	57	36
99	4786~5643	473~786	78	73	61	37

The stat charts in this chapter give the base stat ranges of each character.

Ashe—Age: 19

“A princess who had lost everything.”

The daughter of the Dalmascan king and heir to the throne, Lady Ashe first loses her newlywed husband Rasler and then her country to the Archadian juggernaut. The official story is that she took her own life in the aftermath of the Imperial conquest. However, resistance is in her blood, as is the legacy of the Dynast-King.

Level	HP	MP	Strength	Magick Power	Vitality	Speed
3	99~106	56~65	22	25	24	23
10	251~282	87~116	26	29	26	24
20	584~674	146~219	31	34	29	25
30	1013~1180	205~324	36	40	33	26
40	1418~1659	278~455	42	45	36	28
50	2065~2427	341~566	47	51	40	29
60	2637~3104	400~668	52	56	43	30
70	2960~3485	443~741	58	62	47	32
80	3334~3926	487~814	63	67	50	33
90	3844~4530	516~858	68	73	53	34
99	4420~5212	529~871	73	78	57	36

Basch—Age: 36

“A loyal knight branded as traitor.”

This great hero of Dalmasca, captain of the Order of Knights, now stands accused of the assassination of his oathsworn liege, King Raminas. Word is that Basch saw the King’s attempt to sue for peace with Archadia as a betrayal of the kingdom. But is that word true?

Level	HP	MP	Strength	Magick Power	Vitality	Speed
1	139~146	31~38	26	21	20	23
10	304~338	56~79	30	24	22	24
20	667~765	102~161	35	28	25	25
30	1133~1315	150~245	41	33	28	26
40	1574~1836	209~351	46	37	31	28
50	2279~2672	259~439	51	41	34	29
60	2900~3409	306~521	57	46	36	30
70	3253~3824	341~580	62	50	39	31
80	3660~4303	376~638	68	55	42	33
90	4215~4960	400~673	73	59	45	34
99	4841~5703	410~684	78	63	47	35

Penelo—Age: 17

“Vaan’s friend.”

Penelo loves Vaan like a brother. Her own parents, who were lost in the recent war, took in Vaan after his loss and raised him as one of their own. She sees the natural leader in him, even if he doesn’t quite see it himself.

Level	HP	MP	Strength	Magick Power	Vitality	Speed
1	64~66	38~41	20	21	23	24
10	242~273	79~109	25	26	26	25
20	566~653	139~215	30	32	30	26
30	982~1144	202~325	35	37	34	27
40	1375~1609	278~462	40	43	38	29
50	2003~2354	343~577	45	49	41	30
60	2558~3012	404~684	50	54	45	31
70	2872~3381	449~760	55	60	49	32
80	3235~3809	495~836	60	66	53	34
90	3730~4395	525~881	65	71	56	35
99	4288~5058	539~895	70	76	60	36

Fran—Age: Unknown

“A master of weapons.”

A Viera female with a strong sensitivity to the Mist, Fran is a loyal partner and co-pilot to Balthier. She’s quite a formidable warrior and a mechanic to boot. Her adjustment to the greater world since abandoning the forest dwellings of her race is nearly complete. But can one ever completely forsake the voice of the Wood?

Level	HP	MP	Strength	Magick Power	Vitality	Speed
2	84~89	44~50	23	20	26	23
10	254~286	77~104	27	24	29	24
20	591~680	131~199	32	29	33	25
30	1022~1190	187~297	37	34	37	27
40	1430~1672	255~420	42	39	40	28
50	2082~2446	314~523	47	44	44	30
60	2657~3129	368~618	52	49	48	31
70	2983~3512	409~686	57	54	51	52
80	3360~3956	450~754	62	59	55	34
90	3874~4564	477~795	67	64	59	35
99	4453~5252	489~807	71	68	62	36

Balthier—Age: 22

“A dashing sky pirate.”

A man of wit, charm and a mysterious past, Balthier owes allegiance to no crown or council. He prowls the skies of Ivalice with his partner, Fran, in search of treasure and perhaps something else…

Level	HP	MP	Strength	Magick Power	Vitality	Speed
2	101~105	34~39	25	18	24	24
10	278~311	65~90	29	22	27	25
20	629~723	116~180	34	27	31	26
30	1079~1255	168~272	39	31	34	28
40	1505~1758	232~387	44	36	38	29
50	2186~2566	288~485	50	41	41	31
60	2787~3278	339~574	55	45	45	32
70	3127~3679	377~638	60	50	48	34
80	3520~4142	416~702	65	54	52	35
90	4056~4777	441~741	71	59	55	37
99	4661~5495	453~752	75	63	58	38

Guest Party Members

Reks

Vaan’s older brother and a volunteer soldier in the Dalmascan army.

Level	HP	MP	Strength	Magick Power	Vitality	Speed
3	111~117	38~46	24	23	24	35
4	128~138	42~53	25	23	25	35
5	147~159	46~60	25	24	25	35
6	167~182	50~67	26	24	25	35
7	188~207	54~73	26	25	26	35
10	261~292	67~93	28	26	27	36
30	1011~1176	175~284	38	35	33	38
50	2048~2405	300~506	49	45	40	40
70	2930~3447	393~667	60	54	46	43
90	3801~4476	460~774	70	63	53	45
99	4368~5149	473~786	75	67	56	46

Vossler

York Azelas

A captain of the Dalmascan Order of Knights and sworn protector of Princess Ashe.

Level	HP	MP	Strength	Magick Power	Vitality	Speed
6	211~228	53~69	29	22	21	24
10	323~360	69~95	31	23	22	25
20	715~820	122~188	36	27	25	26
30	1219~1416	176~284	42	31	28	28
40	1696~1979	243~404	47	35	31	29
50	2457~2883	300~505	53	39	34	31
60	3129~3680	353~598	58	43	36	32
70	3510~4128	393~665	64	47	39	33
80	3950~4646	433~731	69	51	42	35
90	4550~5356	460~771	75	55	45	36
99	5227~6160	472~783	80	58	47	37

Larsa

Ferrinas Solidor

Youngest son of the Archadian emperor.

Level	HP	MP	Strength	Magick Power	Vitality	Speed
2	83~87	57~64	21	22	23	24
10	349~280	96~128	25	26	26	25
20	577~665	160~240	30	31	30	26
30	999~1164	225~355	35	36	34	27
40	1398~1636	305~499	40	41	38	29
50	2036~2393	374~620	45	46	41	30
60	2599~3060	438~732	50	51	45	31
70	2918~3435	486~812	55	57	49	32
80	3287~3869	534~892	60	62	53	34
90	3789~4464	566~940	65	67	56	35
99	4356~5137	580~955	70	72	60	36

Reddas

A sky pirate and denizen of the Port of Balfonheim.

Level	HP	MP	Strength	Magick Power	Vitality	Speed
5	208~222	57~68	26	23	26	35
10	342~378	73~95	29	25	28	36
20	726~830	117~172	34	30	31	37
30	1221~1414	162~251	39	35	34	39
40	1689~1967	217~350	44	39	38	40
50	2436~2854	265~434	50	44	41	42
60	3096~3636	309~511	55	49	44	43
70	3469~4075	342~566	60	53	47	45
80	3901~4584	375~621	65	58	51	46
90	4490~5281	397~654	71	63	54	48
99	5154~6069	407~664	75	67	57	49

Emperor Gramis

Gana Solidor

Ruler of Archadia.

Al-Cid

Margrace

A member of the ruling family of Rozarria, Archadia’s great rival to the west.

Vayne

Carudas Solidor

Son of the Archadian emperor and new consul-governor of Dalmasca.

Dr. Cidolfus

Demen Bunansa

Director of Draklor Laboratory, the primary weapons research center of the Archadian empire.

King Raminas

Father of Lady Ashe and benevolent ruler of Dalmasca.

Lord Rasler

Heios Nabradia

Newlywed husband of Lady Ashe and heir to the throne of Nabradia, the sister kingdom of Dalmasca.

Marquis Halim Ondore IV

Head minister of the Skycity of Bhujerba and longtime friend of Dalmasca’s King Raminas.

Montblanc

A Moogle and founder/leader of Clan Centurio, a hunter’s club that is based in Rabanastre.

Judge Magisters

Elite guard and the chief arbiters and enforcers of Imperial law in Archadia.

The Story of Ivalice

Races of Ivalice

Hume

Viera

Special Characteristics

Moogle

Special Characteristics

Bangaa

Special Characteristics

Seeq

Special Characteristics

Vaan—Age: 17

“A boy who sees freedom in the skies.”

Ashe—Age: 19

“A princess who had lost everything.”

Basch—Age: 36

“A loyal knight branded as traitor.”

Penelo—Age: 17

“Vaan’s friend.”

Fran—Age: Unknown

“A master of weapons.”

Balthier—Age: 22

“A dashing sky pirate.”

Guest Party Members

Reks

Vossler

York Azelas

Larsa

Ferrinas Solidor

Reddas

Emperor Gramis

Gana Solidor

Al-Cid

Margrace

Vayne

Carudas Solidor

Dr. Cidolfus

Demen Bunansa

King Raminas

Lord Rasler

Heios Nabradia

Marquis Halim Ondore IV

Montblanc

Judge Magisters

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