Regalia

The Regalia, also known as the Quartz Regalia, is the car Noctis Lucis Caelum and his friends use to travel across Eos in Final Fantasy XV. It is King Regis's black convertible identified by its license plate: RHS-113. The party sometimes refers to it as "the old girl," apparently as a habit picked up from Cindy Aurum.

According to Director Hajime Tabata, the Regalia is a member of Noctis's party. It symbolizes the open world of Final Fantasy XV and the idea of "freedom." The Regalia lastly symbolizes King Regis, as the car belongs to him. Overall, the car is a metaphor for the bond Noctis shares with his father, as well as how Regis will preserve his son's journey.

The Regalia can be converted to a flying model, and it is the only aircraft the player can control in Final Fantasy XV.

Profile
The Regalia is a black, five-seat convertible with an interior made of dark leather. Its crest resembles a chocobo talon and appears on its hubcaps and the tires, and its license plate lights up at night. The plate reads "Insomnia RHS-113 - The Royal Capital" in reference to the capital of Lucis and Regis Lucis Caelum.

The Regalia resembles the real-world Cadillac Ciel and Maybach Exelero. Regarding this, Hajime Tabata has said, "I can't really tell you exactly which company we looked at, but certainly the design of the car in the game was inspired by German car manufacturers and a couple of British cars, as well." At a Final Fantasy XV fan event in Tokyo, it was revealed the Regalia was designed to resemble Rolls-Royce luxury cars.

The player can upgrade the Regalia and customize it with decals and paint jobs; some of these were available as pre-order bonuses.

Story
Regis once took a trip across Lucis to Accordo. As shown in an old photograph in Cape Caem, he had the Regalia with him. The car broke on the first leg of their journey, but Cid Sophiar, Regis's mechanic, found a place where he could fix it. Regis returned to Insomnia from his trip, and when he heard his wife Aulea was suddenly entering into labor, he and Cor Leonis—the marshal of the Crownsguard and Regis's friend—dropped everything. They raced the Regalia to the hospital in such a manner they damaged the car. Cor later recounts that Cid was not happy about it, implying he was the one to repair it.

As depicted in the Platinum Demo – Final Fantasy XV, an eight-year-old Noctis fell into a coma following an attack from a daemon. He was guided through a dreamscape by a Carbuncle, who identified the Regalia as the young Noctis's "safe haven" as he associated it with his father. Finding the Regalia in his dream allows Noctis to wake up from his coma.

Noctis Lucis Caelum, Ignis Scientia, Gladiolus Amicitia, and Prompto Argentum drive the Regalia to Galdin Quay where they are to board a ferry to Altissia where Noctis is to get married. As implied in the Final Fantasy XV Prologue Parting Ways, neither Noctis nor Ignis has never driven the Regalia before, and neither has ever driven outside the crown city. Noctis asks Ignis to not let Prompto drive it.

As they drive through the Leide region on the outlands of Lucis, Regalia breaks down. Noctis and his friends push it to the Hammerhead service station for Cindy Aurum to repair it. She is instantly taken by the vehicle. Insomnia was isolated behind a magic barrier 30 years ago, and ever since cars of crown city-make have been rare on the outlands. She comes up with various ways to upgrade the car if Noctis and his friends procure the required materials.

After the fall of Insomnia, Noctis and his friends are on the run from the Niflheim Empire. After they drive the Regalia to the Disc of Cauthess for Noctis to forge a covenant with Titan, the car is confiscated by Niflheim forces. The party infiltrates an Imperial base and reclaims the Regalia, and are allowed to leave with it by Ardyn Izunia, the chancellor of Niflheim who appears to be shadowing them.

When they escape the continent on King Regis's boat, they take the Regalia with them. The Regalia is later held on the train to Gralea, and Noctis drives the Regalia to the Imperial capital while under attack. The Regalia is destroyed and they are forced to leave it behind. Before abandoning the car, Noctis recalls a time from his youth when it brought his father, King Regis, home to him.

After sleeping ten years inside the Crystal, Noctis returns to Lucis and can obtain a replica of Regalia from Talcott Hester.

Alternate timeline
In another turn of events, Ignis is abducted by Ardyn and taken to Zegnautus Keep to lure Noctis and his group. They arrive in Gralea with Ravus Nox Fleuret's help and the train ride to Niflheim and Prompto's separation never happen. The group returns to Lucis, seemingly without the Regalia, making it unclear if it was destroyed after Ignis's capture.

Mechanics
The Regalia can be set to autopilot, driven by Ignis, or driven manually by the player, who controls Noctis. Driving the car manually for the first time earns the Learner's Permit achievement/trophy.

The player can use the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One's shoulder buttons to change camera angles while driving, and they can press and hold or  to raise or lower the Regalia's roof. Players can honk the car's horn by pressing or, and they can fast-travel to parking spots and outposts they have previously visited. The player can fast-travel at night, even when Ignis refuses to drive.

On the world map, the Regalia is represented by. If the player is separated from the car, it can be summoned through use of the "Call Car" command on the map menu. When driving at night, and when drop ships drop troops onto roads, enemies can attack while Noctis and his friends are in the Regalia; this forces the party to exit the car and engage them in battle. In auto mode, the player can select a destination for Ignis to drive to. The Regalia can be stopped at any time.

Locations on the world map marked with a serve as parking spots, and when the Regalia is near one, it parks automatically. There are no loading screens when one drives or flies the Regalia, and the day one patch enables the player to access the main menu and shop when the car is on autopilot.

Initially, Ignis refuses the drive the Regalia at night due to the presence of daemons. This forces Noctis to drive the car himself until he reaches level 30, when Ignis has a change of heart. Regardless of who drives daemons still pose a threat until the player locates the Enhanced Headlights for Cindy and has her install them. These headlights prevent daemons from attacking.

The player can learn abilities in the Exploration grid of the Ascension to earn EXP and AP for car-rides. This can be used to auto-grind by leaving the car running in circles. Roadlife gains 10 EXP every 0.54 miles traveled by car. Roadrunning gains 1 AP every 1.25 miles traveled by car.

Petrol
The Regalia runs on gasoline. The tank can be refilled for 10 gil no matter the per-existing fuel level. The tank can be enlarged by Cindy if the player brings her the required parts. If Regalia runs out of fuel, the player will need to push it to the next gas station, or call Cindy to tow it for 100 gil.

Noctis fills the tank everywhere but in Hammerhead, where Cindy will do it.

Petrol station locations:
 * Hammerhead
 * Galdin Quay
 * Coernix Station - Alstor
 * Coernix Station - Cauthess
 * Taelpar Rest Area
 * Cauthess Rest Area
 * Old Lestallum
 * Coernix Station - Lestallum
 * Burbost Souvenir Emporium
 * Meldacio Hunter HQ
 * Verinas Mart - Ravatogh

Regalia Type-D
The Type-D was added in patch 1.11. Initially it could be installed at any time by visiting Cindy at the Hammerhead, but after the Royal Edition update it can be updated in Chapter 8. The player must inspect the blue prints at the body shop to trigger a quest where Cindy sends the party to find tires at the Norduscaen Blockade.

Type-D allows the player to take full control of the Regalia and take it off-road. The Type-D can jump if the player presses / while on the ground. If the player performs a particularly impressive jump, time will slow down and the party will pose as the car travels through the air. This is called a "Big Jump" and is assigned a score based on distance and the smoothness of the landing.

The Type-D can damage enemies if it rams them or lands on them, but it loses durability if enemies attack it. If the car's durability meter falls to 0%, it will result in a game over. Durability is also lost when the Regalia crashes into objects and walls. Experience cannot be obtained by killing enemies with the Type-D, however items can be looted from the defeated enemies.

The player can't park on havens. Regalia Type-D can be driven on the arches in Duscae.

The Windows and Royal Editions have a quest in Chapter 14 with Talcott Hester in the Glaive base. He gives Noctis a key to a garage where the party will find a replica Regalia Type-D they can drive in Insomnia. The new Regalia never runs out of fuel, and the player is not get ejected from the vehicle when running into enemies. It takes damage, but Talcott can repair it.

Races


The Windows/Royal Edition has three "cross country test drives" around Lucis the player can partake with the Type-D to get further enhancements for it. The racing attendant is the same person who manages the item shop at Hammerhead. The first race at Three Valleys appears after the player has modified their car to Type-D, and the other two appear after the player completes the first race. Talking to the attendant lets the player race even if the player has reverted their car to the base model, and the car will be automatically converted.

The races need to be finished within a rather generous time limit and players can generally manage them even if the go out of course and bump into rocks and trees. Races can be done in any weather and time of day, and weather can change during the race. Completing all races earns Speed Daemon achievement/trophy and various bumper modifications that make Type-D resistant to collision.


 * 1) The Three Valleys - Great Leiden Run
 * 2) Coernix Station - Cauthess - Duscaen Motor Challenge
 * 3) The Vesperpool - Cross-Cleigne Safari

Regalia Type-F
During the post-game, the player can complete the "Into Unknown Frontiers" sidequest to transform the Regalia into the Regalia Type-F, a model capable of flight. The player needs the following key items:


 * Strange Engine - Found in Formouth Garrison, in area behind where the player had the main fight.
 * Warped Wings - Found in Aracheole Stronghold, in a small room to left of entrance to the main fight.
 * Unstable Stabilizer - Obtained during the quest Imperial Infiltration in Fort Vaullerey.

The player can fly anywhere in the skies of Eos, but landing the Regalia Type-F badly, or hitting an obstacle, results in a Game Over. The Regalia Type-F lands on roads, and it is the only means of accessing the portion of the world map in the north near Rock of Ravatogh; landing here lets the player visit Pitioss Ruins. Regalia Type-F has an unlimited fuel supply. By visiting Cindy at Hammerhead, the player can revert the Regalia to its original form. When in flight, the player must keep the "land" button pressed to make a soft landing without damaging the Regalia. If they land too far and a U-turn needs to be made, they should also keep the decelerate button pressed, or Ignis will crash the Regalia when attempting a U-turn. Flying the Regalia the first time earns the Regalia Pilot achievement/trophy.

Events while in the Regalia
Sometimes, Prompto sees photo opportunities while the Regalia is in motion. When he does, he asks to stop, and taking the picture becomes a short sidequest. He also randomly asks Noctis of whom he should take pictures of. When driving late and the party passes an outpost, Prompto will ask the party stay there for the night, but the player doesn't need to heed his request. If the player is on a hunt quest and they drive into the mark's vicinity, Ignis wants to stop there if he is the one driving. Monsters sometimes cross the road, and if the Regalia is on autopilot, it stops to let them pass. If it starts raining while the party is driving, Prompto will ask for the roof to be put up.

In Chapter 4, Noctis is forced to drive the Regalia and must follow Ardyn Izunia to the Disc of Cauthess. If he fails to keep up with the imperial chancellor, it is Game Over. The player cannot drive the Regalia at night when Iris Amicitia is in the party during Chapter 6. When Aranea Highwind is in the party as a guest, she doesn't ride in the Regalia.

Customization
Cindy assists the player in customizing and upgrading the Regalia once Noctis collects the necessary Auto Parts. This includes applying different coats of paint and various decals. The different colors of paint can be mixed from the items the player collects, often from procurement points for minerals. The player can always revert the Regalia to its default look. The customization carries over (excluding Type-F) to New Game Plus and chapter select.

Upgrades
While a majority of the Regalia's upgrades are obtained by completing the sidequests Cindy offers, others can be bought. The player can also expand the car radio's music selection by purchasing additional collections of Final Fantasy music at outposts.

Servicing the Regalia
The Regalia can be damaged, and Cindy repairs this damage for a fee. This service is sometimes unavailable if Ignis is the one who damages the car; in this case, the player must manually damage the Regalia before Cindy can fix it.

Design
A black car appears in trailers for Final Fantasy Versus XIII that seems to be a precursor to the Regalia. It resembled the Jaguar S-Type and had a panoramic roof that stretched to its trunk.

The Regalia's prioritized character over realism, but it was changed to make the car look more modern and befitting of a king. The designers wanted the car to embody royalty and things like dignity, elegance, and intellect.

A black convertible served as the basis of the Regalia's new look, and it was intended to be customizable. The developers gathered a pictures and videos from various car manufacturers and researched luxury cars. They sat in such cars and took pictures to familiarize with their shapes and the feeling of materials. Based on the team's experiences and the reference materials, the aim was to design a realistic, manufacturable car, not just a concept car. The team reached out to specialists to correspond their design to a real product and iterated and adjusted everything until the final result was deemed convincing. The most challenging aspect in designing the Regalia was making sure that even people uninterested in cars would feel the car has value. The designers were instructed that the car should appear it would be priced over $500,000 in real life.

The idea for a flying Regalia came about due to feedback of players wanting traditional Final Fantasy airships to return, and the development team's own thoughts behind adding features beyond just customizing the car's appearance. the flying Regalia was designed based off of an actual airplane. We incorporated the natural movements and necessary wing structures required for flying. When designing the Regalia Type-F the team had two principal objectives: it should be obvious at a glance that the car can fly, and it had to look suitably impressive when airborne. The developers thus wanted to make the car's body as aerodynamic as possible, with wings spreading like those of a living creature. Similarity with an aircraft was enhanced by making the roof transparent, enabling the player to see the party inside. The transformation parts were made using sketches and rough samples based on the finalized 3D Regalia model. The team refined the result through many iterations.

Symbolism
The Regalia belongs to King Regis and symbolizes him. It is a metaphor for "[Noctis] taking his father's love, burdens, and bond on the road to his destiny." It was important to Hajime Tabata that the bond between Noctis and his father, as well as the Regalia, be focused upon. This is because children in Japan are proud of their fathers' car. It is a "big thing" to go on a ride and have the cars' functions explained. Tabata described this as a wonderful experience from his youth that he wanted to portray in Final Fantasy XV.

Gameplay
The Regalia had a big influence on how the open world itself was designed. Originally, the Regalia's steering wheel was on its right side, like cars in Japan. This was changed after a long discussion as a result of Eos's lore, which states cars were first developed in Niflheim and then exported to other nations, which adapted to suit their design. In-game, the location of the car's steering wheel is said to be the result of the large number of right-handed imperial citizens. Square Enix decided to adjust driving so it was a uniform practice; it felt changing the signage and necessary driving position would confuse players. It was then decided cars in Final Fantasy XV would drive on the right side of the road and have their steering wheels on the left side so Noctis's journey could resemble a road trip through the United States. Developers considered allowing players to decide which way traffic moved, but this was deemed too cumbersome.

Games like Need for Speed were consulted to make the driving mechanics in Final Fantasy XV enjoyable. These are designed to replicate the feeling of controlling a car while avoiding the "nitty-gritty" aspects of doing so. The Tokyo Game Show 2014 trailer shows the party driving on a stone arch near the Cauthess meteorite, but the car cannot be driven off the road in its normal state.

The player was planned to be able to craft items in the trunk of the Regalia. For example, putting meat in would turn it into jerky. It evolved into plans for an event in which Cindy puts luggage into the trunk, but ultimately, the trunk was cut from the game.

In the master version of Final Fantasy XV playable at Gamescom, the player held the right trigger to accelerate, and the Regalia steered itself. U-turns and parking were automatic processes activated by a single face button. When Final Fantasy XV appeared next at PAX West, players were free to steer the Regalia. This caused issues in the game, so developers decided to perfect this mechanic before implementing it.

At the Game Developers' Conference in March 2017, Square Enix showed off-the-road footage with the Regalia from a development environment. This version, dubbed Regalia Type-D, was released as a free update in June 2017. The developers had wanted to include the off-road Regalia since release but because of scheduling.

Omen
In a vision King Regis has of the future, his son Noctis drives the Regalia alone and stops by a petrol station. Pryna appears in a nearby field, and Noctis crashes the car after spotting her.

Final Fantasy XV Episode Duscae
The demo features a scenario that is not in the final game, but loosely based on the segment in Chapter 5 where the party loses the Regalia. After Prompto crashes the Regalia, the player must come up with 25,000 gil to pay Cindy for the repairs at the Coernix Station of Duscae region.

The Regalia was originally meant to appear in Episode Duscae, but it was removed because Hajime Tabata did not want the demo to be driving-focused and thus deviate too far from fan expectations for a Final Fantasy game.

Forza Horizon 3
As part of a collaboration with Microsoft Studios and Turn 10 Studios, the 723 Quartz Regalia appears in Forza Horizon 3 as a downloadable vehicle. The car was made free for all players who played either Forza Horizon 3 or Final Fantasy XV on Xbox One prior to August 1, 2017. The announcement trailer for the collaboration depicts a scene that alludes to the Omen trailer.


 * For more information, see this page at the Forza Wiki.

Tekken 7
The Regalia appears in the background of the Hammerhead Service Station stage in Tekken 7. The stage is available as part of the Noctis DLC package.

Merchandise
A Final Fantasy XV sunshade for a car is available from Square Enix Store as a members' reward. It displays the party inside the Regalia parked at Hammerhead, the roof up and Noctis on the driver's seat.

Trivia

 * During a livestream on October 2, 2014, Hajime Tabata discussed internet memes that featured Noctis and his friends in the Regalia. Square Enix encouraged the development of more memes for publicity purposes and released art assets of the scene these depicted.
 * The Regalia would be worth ¥50,000,000 ($440,000) in the real world.
 * Square Enix had stated players in Japan and the United States could have listened to MP3s on the Regalia's radio, but that it would not be allowed in Europe because stricter laws are in effect. Nevertheless the feature was never implemented in the final game.
 * The gauges in Regalia's dashboard display the accurate units. The clock displays the in-game time. The speedometer stays at the maximum speed limit, but after Cindy upgrades the engine, the speedometer matches accordingly. The fuel gauge shows how much fuel is left, and the turn signals on the instrument cluster blink when the Regalia turns. The gear select indicator moves between park, reverse, and drive. When playing without the HUD, these gauges can actually be useful, especially the fuel gauge.
 * In the PC benchmark, using Nvidia Ansel, one can move the camera around, and find a monitor on the dashboard under Regalia's clock that is not normally visible. The car is apparently playing GOLDEN YEARS Singles 1996-2001 by the Japanese band The Yellow Monkey.
 * Another detail is that when Noctis hands Ignis his cup of Ebony, Ignis places it in the cup holder next to his seat, and may take further sips from it as he drives.
 * In the main game opening, the car parked at the bottom of the stairs in the Citadel is not the Regalia; it resembles the car shown in Final Fantasy Versus XIII trailers. In Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition, the car in this scene is the Regalia.
 * Patch 1.21 added new dialogue for an older Noctis when driving the Regalia. However, currently these pieces of dialogue can only be triggered via a glitch that let's one play as the older cast in the earlier chapters. The player being able to drive in Chapter 14 has not been announced to be included in an upcoming update.