Archylte Steppe



The Archylte Steppe is a location on Gran Pulse in Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIII-2. It is a massive open area where most of Pulse's wildlife roam.

In Final Fantasy XIII, it is the only place in the game where the player can ride wild chocobos. The area links the Vallis Media, Faultwarrens, and Mah'habara Subterra. In Final Fantasy XIII-2, another part of the Steppe is explored, possibly the western side, where it is now the home of a hunters' settlement in possession of a weather changing device.

Final Fantasy XIII
These great plains cover a vast expanse of Gran Pulse.

''With an unobstructed view clear to the horizon, creatures can easily spot intruders into their territory. Perhaps this explains why so many beasts of the steppe are merciless predators—victors of the unending struggle for survival.''

Final Fantasy XIII-2

 * Travel Guide: Archylte Steppe

''The Archylte Steppe is a broad plain located in a remote corner of Pulse. The few explorers who reach the steppe return with reports of a tribe of fiercely independent nomadic hunters who have lived off the land here for centuries, cut off from the rest of human civilization.''
 * Area Information

The actual location has not been made public, but tourists with a bent for adventure might consider renting an airship and putting together their own expedition.

''Some believe that the hunters are descendents of the original inhabitants of Pulse, while others claim they are a lost tribe of Cocoon. If you could get close enough to win their trust, they might tell you their story.''
 * From the Editor's Desk:

Final Fantasy XIII
After departing the Vallis Media, the party finds themselves in the Archylte Steppe and come across a Cie'th Stone. Fang explains the purpose, and the party accepts their first mission. After completing another mission, they head for the Mah'habara Subterra in hopes of reaching Oerba, Vanille and Fang's home.

An optional cutscene involving Sazh and Fang talking about Dajh can be accessed in the Font of Namva.

Final Fantasy XIII-2
Serah, Mog, and Noel travel here to fix an anomaly affecting the Sunleth Waterscape 300 AF, and find themselves in a sandstorm-filled field. They come across a hunter's settlement that possesses a weather-changing device that Serah and Noel can access after completing several missions for them.

After earning the hunters' trust, by defeating a pack of Goblins and retrieving wool, they are taught how to use the weather machine. By using it, they uncover the Faeryl, a monster which is sucking up Miniflan. However, the path to the Faeryl is blocked by a Long Gui making Serah and Noel use the device again to remove the Long Gui. They fight the Faeryl and upon defeating it discover that it accidentally ate an artefact which meant whatever Miniflan it would swallow would be transported to the Sunleth Waterscape. With artefact in hand and paradox seemingly solved, the two return to the Sunleth Waterscape.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
After Gran Pulse and Valhalla merge and form Nova Chrysalia, Archylte Steppe dries up and turns into a desert that becomes known as the Dead Dunes. This reveals a vast maze of temples underground that predates even Cocoon's building and contains murals that relate the story of gods and mankind's beginnings. Oretoise skeletons, the formant fal'Cie Atomos and the scattered parts of fal'Cie Titan remain as remnants of the Steppe.

Final Fantasy XIII
The Archylte Steppe has a good grinding spot on the northern expanse near the passage to Mah'habara Subterra. A Behemoth King and Megistotherian are constantly fighting down the path from the Save Station, and all the player needs to do to get the pair to respawn is to backtrack a little and come back.

The pair gives an automatic preemptive strike every time, and rewards the player with 6,600 CP after each battle, 13,200 with the Growth Egg accessory. An easy strategy is to instantly stagger the Behemoth King and then juggle it with a Commando's Launch skill, so it will not be able to replenish its HP.

In addition, players can battle groups of three Gorgonopsid for 1300 CP in a very simple battle. Three groups of Gorgonopsid are arranged closely together and respawn on the Western edge of the map, near the Uridimmu mark.

Final Fantasy XIII-2
There are several notable grinding locations in this area, or rather 'farming' locations for the components needed to level up the paradigm pack monsters.

In the areas of Stonestump Wastelands and Grave Ridge (Sunny), there are plentiful numbers of Buccaboos which drop the Grade 3 Biological monster component Potent Orb.

In Clearwater Marsh (Rainy), the player can encounter Hedge Frogs, Mud Frogs, Swampmonks, and Caterchipillars, all of which drop Potent Essence, a Grade 4 Biological monster component.

In Clearwater Marsh (Sunny), the Microchu spawns in mass numbers allowing the player to collect many Potent Crystals as well as the rare item component Sunpetal, making this the best location for farming Grade 5 Biological monster components. This opponent is also reasonably frequent during the rainy season, allowing the player to collect a number of Potent Crystals at the same time as collecting Potent Essences.

The Vampire Cie'th on Grave Ridge, Stonestump Wastelands, and the Clearwater Marsh (Stormy) offer a 20% chance of dropping Potent Generators, making them the only realistically farmable choice for this Grade 5 Mechanical monster component.

Areas
In Final Fantasy XIII, the Archylte Steppe is a vast plain connecting Vallis Media, Faultwarrens, and the Mah'habara Subterra. Oretoises inhabit only these lands due to their immense size. In the west, there is a small corridor blocked off with a Cie'th Paling leading to the Font of Namva where chocobos live. To reach the Faultwarrens, unlocking chocobos is required as the path leading there is located high. On the way to the Faultwarrens there is a small plain called Aggra's Pasture where the mighty Ochu resides and further along the way there are also ruins of the city of Haerii.

In Final Fantasy XIII-2, a different part of the Steppe is shown, and there is no sign of Cocoon on the horizon, being possibly located early after the second fall of Cocoon. In the northeastern side of the Steppe there is a nomad village where hunters live and possess a device that can change weather on the Steppe.

{| width="100%"
 * width="50%"|

Final Fantasy XIII

 * width="50%"|

Final Fantasy XIII-2

 * valign="top"|
 * Western Benchland
 * Central Expanse
 * Northern Antrepass
 * Eastern Tors
 * Northern Highplain
 * Arid Strath
 * Southern Funnelway
 * The Font of Namva
 * Aggra's Trough
 * Aggra's Pasture
 * The Haerii Oldroad
 * The Haerii Archaeopolis
 * Way of the Ancients
 * valign="top"|
 * Plains of Eternity
 * Sanctorium
 * Nomad Camp
 * Grave Ridge
 * Stonestump Wastelands
 * Clearwater Marshes
 * }
 * }

Final Fantasy XIII
Central Expanse=
 * Behemoth King
 * Gorgonopsid
 * Behemoth King, Gorgonopsid x3
 * Gorgonopsid x2
 * Gorgonopsid x4
 * Gorgonopsid x3
 * Flan x4
 * Flan x2
 * Flan x3
 * Dire Flan, Flan x2
 * Adamantoise
 * Adamanchelid
 * Navidon, Gorgonopsid x2
 * Rangda x4
 * Goblin x3
 * Gorgonopsid x2, Goblin x2
 * Cactuar
 * Shaolong Gui (after missions 56-62)
 * Long Gui (after missions 56-62)
 * -|Eastern Tors=
 * Navidon
 * Navidon x2
 * Navidon, Rangda x3
 * Navidon x2, Rangda x3
 * Megistotherian, Gorgonopsid x3
 * Adamantortoise, Gorgonopsid x2
 * Amphisbaena
 * Adamantortoise
 * Adamanchelid
 * Cactuar
 * Shaolong Gui (after missions 56-62)
 * Long Gui (after missions 56-62)
 * -|Northern Highplain=
 * Amphisbaena
 * Adamanchelid
 * Gorgonopsid x4
 * Megistotherian, Gorgonopsid x4
 * Behemoth King, Gorgonopsid x4
 * Behemoth King
 * Behemoth King x2
 * Behemoth King, Megistotherian
 * Cactuar
 * -|Western Benchland=
 * Amphisbaena
 * Gorgonopsid x4
 * Megistotherian, Gorgonopsid x3
 * Rangda x3
 * Leyak
 * Rangda x2, Leyak
 * Rangda, Leyak x4
 * Rangda x3, Leyak x2
 * Goblin x4
 * Cactuar
 * -|Arid Strath=
 * Dire Flan
 * Dire Flan x2
 * -|The Font of Namva=
 * Sahagin x2
 * Sahagin x3, Orobon
 * Sahagin x3
 * Sahagin x5
 * Orobon
 * -|Aggra's Pasture=
 * Ochu, Microchu x5
 * Triffid
 * Triffid x2
 * Triffid x3
 * Cactuar
 * -|The Haerii Oldroad=
 * Goblin x4
 * -|The Haerii Archaeopolis=
 * Goblin Chieftain, Goblin x3
 * Goblin x4
 * Strigoi, Pijavica x2
 * Pijavica
 * Strigoi
 * Strigoi x3
 * Pijavica x2
 * Seeker x4
 * Strigoi, Seeker x3
 * Cactuar

Final Fantasy XIII-2
The appearance of enemies depends on the area's weather. Defeating the Ochu during rainy weather, Long Gui during sunny weather, Immortal during cloudy weather, and Yomi during stormy weather, earns the player the "Big Game Hunter" achievement/trophy.

Weather can be changed by moving the levers on the weather machine in the hunter's camp.

* The required action that causes a boss to reappear on the Steppe is to return to the Nomad Camp, shift the weather away from the boss the player wishes to respawn, exit to the Historia Crux, reenter, and shift the weather back to the favorable condition for the boss's appearance.

Creation and Development
The In Final Fantasy XIII Archylte Steppe is a single-loading map, meaning it only loads once per visit, or only when the player leaves the map, or saves then loads that file.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 Ultimania Omega has a concept art that depicts the capital of Cocoon, Eden, crashed to Archylte Steppe after the events of Final Fantasy XIII. This idea was never used. Other concept artworks depict Archylte Steppe in 900 AF covered in a vast city with a building reminiscent of the government building in Eden in Final Fantasy XIII. This area would have had two versions: daytime and sunset.

There were also plans to have a downloadable scenario to take place in the Archylte Steppe where Snow would have ridden his Shiva Sisters motorbike across the steppe, killing monsters, but this idea was abandoned.

Final Fantasy XIII
Archylte Steppe has its eponymous theme as a background theme. "Pulse de Chocobo" also plays exclusively in this area, since chocobos can only be ridden here.

The theme also plays in Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy as Lightning's world map theme.

Final Fantasy XIII-2
The Archylte Steppe has multiple themes, with each playing depending on the type of weather. During sunny weather, the two electronic themes "Plains of Eternity" composed by Naoshi Mizuta and with vocals performed by Joelle, serves as the background theme, while its non-lyrical counterpart, "Plains of Eternity -Aggressive Mix-" plays whenever enemies appear. For rainy weather, the "Gapra Whitewood" theme plays. During cloudy weather, the "Vile Peaks" theme plays, and for stormy weather, "Will to Fight" is the background theme.

"Plains of Eternity" Lyrics

 * Our prayers meet no matter where we're going
 * In unison, they beat, the sky is glowing
 * Above our thoughts, we'll find a key together
 * To fill the day with all the things we treasure


 * A crystal view, I'll follow you
 * An open gate invites me through


 * Our prayers meet no matter where we're going
 * In unison, they sing with love
 * Above our thoughts, we'll find a key together
 * To fill the day with all the things we treasure
 * All we treasure


 * A crystal view, I sing to you
 * And in my sleep, you softly speak
 * In stormy seas, or sunny blue
 * I'll remember to trust in you

Pictlogica Final Fantasy
The Archylte Steppe appears in Pictlogica Final Fantasy.

Final Fantasy All the Bravest
The Archylte Steppe appears as a downloadable world in Final Fantasy All the Bravest.

Trivia

 * The Archylte Steppe resembles the Calm Lands from Final Fantasy X: both have vast plains and are surrounded by valleys and mountains. The Gate Seal that enables the player to reverse the events in the Archylte Steppe is called "The Calm".