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Final Fantasy XV

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An Inauspicious Start

By
Jarrod Garripoli
&
Nathan Garvin

Stranded at Hammerhead

By the time you regain control, Noctis and his crew are stranded in the middle of the road and you’ll need to help push the car (hold R2/RT ). Follow the onscreen prompt to push the vehicle and feel free to look around while doing so and listening to the banter of the party. Eventually, you’ll end up reaching Hammerhead, where you’ll meet up with the mechanic, a girl with a strong accent named Cindy. After a couple more scenes, you’ll be able to move around, but you’ll want to walk on over and talk to Cindy, who will hand you a World Map for the following region.

Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum, heir to the throne of Lucis, on a diplomatic mission to marry Lady Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, and by doing so unite the kingdoms of Lucis and Tenebrae… now stranded in the scrublands, penniless, waiting for his royal chariot to be repaired. Why wasn’t somebody making sure this vehicle was maintained properly? Who knows? But you might need some scratch for the rest of your journey, and you have nothing better to do while you wait than explore, entrusting the fate and future of your kingdom to your sword arm while you attempt to productively spend the time the way all sheltered princelings do - questing!

Getting a Job

To further that goal, head south-west from Cindy and check out the shop nearby, only to be reminded that you have no money. Ignis will walk on over and tell you that you’ve spent all of your money on the car repairs, after which he’ll suggest going to speak with Cindy about finding a way to remedy the situation. Do so, and during your chat with Cindy you’ll get some dialogue options that don’t really matter. Seems that ol’ Cid is trying to use this experience as some sort of “character building” exercise. Or perhaps he’s opportunistically just trying to get you to clear out some wildlife. Either way, you don’t have much choice in the matter, but on the plus side you’ll be rewarded with some AP for your trouble, not to mention your first accessory - a Bronze Bangle - and 1,000 Gil . What a generous girl! This starts the quest “The Pauper Prince”.

Objective Rewards
For talking to Cindy about earning some Gil AP 10, 1,000 Gil, Bronze Bangle

Speaking of AP, you’ll be directed to your menu for a bit of a tutorial on AP. Ability Points, or AP, can be used to buy new techniques and abilities for Noctis and his pals via the Ascension option on the main menu. There are eight different Astralspheres in which you can spend the AP, although you might not have a lot of options available at the moment. Check the dedicated section if you need more explanation on building your characters.

Cindy will give you some starting cash, and a bit of work to do while you wait (left). While you don’t have much in the way of funds right now, buying a few weapon upgrades may be worth the Gil (right).

Shopping at Hammerhead

With that 1,000 Gil in hand, it’s a good idea to use that to update some of your weapons over at the shop, as the merchant here has a superior weapon for every character:

Culless Munitions

Item Name Price
Broadsword 150 Gil
Two-handed Sword War Sword 50 Gil 150 Gil
Daggers Avengers 50 Gil 150 Gil
Handgun Cocytus 50 Gil 150 Gil

Don’t forget to equip any new weapons that you just bought (Menu - Gear), should you have purchased any. Don’t run off just yet, however, as there are two other facilities you can check out at the Hammerhead before setting off to go after the monsters you need to kill. One is a normal shop at the Mini Mart, which sells consumables, ingredients for cooking and some extras, including accessories for the Regalia (your car) and even some musical surprises:

Mini-Mart (Items)

Item Name Price
Potion 50 Gil
Hi-Potion 100 Gil
Elixir 400 Gil
Hi-Elixir 800 Gil
Phoenix Down 1000 Gil
Antidote 10 Gil

Mini-Mart (Ingredients)

Item Name Price
Gighee Ham 30 Gil
Luncheon Meat 100 Gil
Birdbeast Egg 20 Gil
Sheep Milk 10 Gil
Leiden Potato 40 Gil
Funguar 80 Gil
Chocobean 100 Gil
Leiden Pepper 20 Gil
Sweet Pepper 50 Gil

Mini-Mart (Treasures)

Item Name Price
Repair Kit 100 Gil

Mini-Mart (Auto Parts)

Item Name Price
Hammerhead Sticker 150 Gil
Beaux Arts 1,000 Gil
Advanced Color Schemes 3,000 Gil
Memories of FFIV 100 Gil
Memories of FFVIII 100 Gil

The other place you will want to peruse is the diner, where you can speak with the NPC behind the counter to see three different options. The left-most dialogue option “ Talk “ will have this NPC give you some tips on locations of various things in the surrounding area, such as havens, Parking Spots, outposts, and procurement points (items on the map). The middle option, “ Eat “ allows you to purchase meals, which grant various buffs for a certain period of time; if you also purchase a meal, then Ignis might be inspired to learn a new recipe. In this case, the “Chili con Carne” meal will inspire Ignis to dream up the “ Burly Bean Bowl “ recipe.

The last option, “ Hunt “, on the right, is for hunts. You will receive tips on some monsters that need eradicating, with the map displaying a marker after accepting the hunt. As you complete hunts, you will gain stars and once you get enough of those, your Hunter’s Rank will increase, allowing you to take on tougher hunts. Of the available hunts from the diner at the Hammerhead, you will be unable to do one, since it requires you to be a Rank 2 hunter.

Hunts - Hammerhead Outpost

Hunt Name Hunt Level Rank (Stars)
Howling Winds of Hunger 2 *
Varmints of the Wastelands 5 *
Gorgers in the Dust 7 *
Raindrops in the Night 15 **
Wild Beauties 22 **
Bounty-Hunted Beauties 28 **
Rookie Hunter Tragedy 39 ***
The Pride of the King 47 ***
*Serpent of the Abyss 58 ****

*Only available after “Crestholm Channels”.

“Talk” to restaurateurs to gain map intel (left). Many also provide hunts, which are a great way to earn extra Gil and experience (right).

The next section of the guide “Hammerhead Hunting and Exploration” serves as a tutorial of sorts, and it’ll introduce you to basics like combat, Elemancy, camping and other bits of useful information. If you can’t be bothered, skip ahead to the section “The Pauper Prince”.

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Guide Information
  • Publisher
    Square Enix
  • Platforms,
    PC, PS4, XB One
  • Genre
    Action RPG
  • Guide Release
    19 December 2016
  • Last Updated
    11 April 2023
    Version History
  • Guide Author
    Nathan Garvin, Jarrod Garripoli

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After a years-long cold war between the Kingdom of Lucis and the empire of Niflheim over the world’s last crystal, an armistice is finally agreed upon. As part of the peace treaty, the heir to the Lucian throne Noctis Lucis Caelum is to marry Lady Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, an oracle from the imperial province of Tenebrae. After Noctis sets out to meet his betrothed, the treaty collapses. Merely a ruse to bring down the magical barrier protecting Lucis, Niflheim invades and takes the kingdom and the crystal for itself. With the treaty in tatters and his father and betrothed believed dead, Noctis must rely on his own tenacity and the support of his band of loyal followers to get him through what is to come.

**Version 1.4 **

  • Complete coverage of the main story.
  • Basic gameplay section telling you how to play the game.
  • A Skills section showing everything related to the characters’ hobbies, including an extensive list of every recipe in the game.
  • A postgame section telling you how to get through every dungeon, including the brutal Pitioss Ruins.
  • All sidequests in the main walkthrough and in their own section.
  • Every single Hunt in the game, including strategies on how to beat them.
  • A miscellaneous section describing Chocobos and mini-games.
  • An extensive trophy/achievement guide.

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