Traditionally, Final Fantasy titles don’t come with difficulty options. As the series has grown leading up to Final Fantasy 16, Square Enix has started to add some options to make the game more accessible to players. Considering this latest entry is more action-heavy than any that has come before, with advanced moves like perfect dodges and parries, these tools are more necessary than ever for longtime fans who prefer a more traditional JRPG experience. While the Timely Accessories can’t turn this action game into a turn-based one like older entries, it can at least give you enough of an edge to feel comfortable getting through combat so you can enjoy the deep and complex story. Let’s go over what these Timely Accessories are and how to equip them in Final Fantasy 16.
What are Timely Accessories?
Timely Accessories in Final Fantasy 16 are basically your difficulty modifiers, but instead of being menu options, they’re items. These types of items have become a bit more common in the last few years and include the Chicken Hat from Metal Gear Solid V. This time, there are five different accessories that you can pick from, each of which modifies the game in different ways to give you an edge in combat. Here are all five of the Timely Accessories and what they do:
Ring of Timely Evasion
When equipped, Clive will automatically evade attacks, as long as the attacks can be evaded.
Ring of Timely Focus
When equipped, time slows before an evadable enemy attack strikes Clive. There’s no effect when equipped with the Ring of Timely evasion.
Ring of Timely Strikes
When equipped, complex ability combinations can be executed by simply pressing the Square button.
Ring of Timely Assistance
When equipped, pet commands will be executed automatically based on Clive’s actions.
Ring of Timely Healing
When equipped, healing potions will automatically be used when Clive’s HP falls below a certain threshold. More common healing items like potions will be used before rarer ones like high potions.
How to equip Timely Accessories
When you first begin Final Fantasy 16 you will need to choose between Story and Action Focused modes. These technically also serve as your difficulty selection, but it’s really just a simplified way of enabling the Timely Accessories. Regardless of which difficulty you choose, you will always have access to all these accessories and can switch at any time while playing (as long as you are not currently in combat).
If you are playing on Action Focused mode, then you will need to play up until you can open up your Gear & Eikons menu. Here, highlight any of your three accessory slots and select it to see all your accessories, including the Timely Accessories by default. Here you can examine and pick out any of the accessories you want to equip to gain that specific advantage. Keep in mind that you only have three slots, so you will need to pick which ones you want at that moment.
Playing in Story Focused mode makes it much easier on you, and is designed for players who are more invested in the story than a challenging combat experience. Just by picking this mode, all the Timely Accessories will be automatically enabled. Unlike Action Focused mode, you gain the effects of all of them at once, with no need to worry about swapping them in or out.
