How to unlock training mode in Final Fantasy XVI (FF16)

Practice makes perfect, Clive

Although Final Fantasy XIV will give you a few pointers during the opening hours of the game (read: mostly through the course of the demo), you kind of need to pick everything up until you go. That is until you unlock training mode! Here’s how to unlock the ability to practice to your heart’s content, and where to find it.

Where to unlock training mode in Final Fantasy XVI

You’ll find the training mode in the Hideaway hub a few hours into the campaign. Just finish a few main story quests and you’ll gain access to it!

Like many RPGs, Final Fantasy XVI requires a bit of legwork before you truly begin to unlock its game systems, and that includes training mode. You’ll unlock training mode several hours into the game, very shortly after the events of the demo, after you reach the Hideaway.

The Hideaway is a critical early game hub that allows you to do all sorts of activities, like crafting, item shopping, and of course, training. It’s what you came here for!

After you reach the Hideaway, continue to complete the quests provided (small errands mostly within The Great Hall that are walking distance from each other) until you speak to Charron. They will direct you toward a glowing pillar in The Great Hall (called the Arete Stone) that has a bag of goods on the ground: grab the bag to attune to the pillar. Training mode unlocked!

You can also find the exact location of the Arete Stone pillar in the Hideaway in the gallery above.

What can you do in Final Fantasy XIV‘s training mode?

After touching the pillar, the game will whisk you away to another “shifting” realm that essentially serves as an X-Men-like Danger Room. You can bend this dimension to your will by pressing the touchpad button, which will bring up an options menu with the following parameters:

• Input Display
• Action Log
• Invincibility
• Regen
• Burst Timing
• Recast Timers
• Enemy Aggro
• Enemy Invincibility
• Select target

You’ll be able to swap enemies in and out instantly with the “select target” menu option. Note that you can only select enemies you have encountered thus far in the story.

To go back into training mode, just interact with the Arete Stone again. To end training, simply press the triangle button after pressing the touchpad while you’re in the mode.