Final Fantasy XV story

The story of Final Fantasy XV follows Prince Noctis and his friends as he embarks on a journey to reclaim his kingdom that has been invaded by the Empire of Niflheim. He discovers he is on a quest to combat the powers of darkness with the powers of light only the Lucian lineage of kings can wield.

Insomnia's Waking Nightmare
In the city of Insomnia, a young king and his comrades are struggling to fell a mysterious being which has brought ruin to the city, and overwhelms the group with its fiery attacks. After shielding themselves from its barrage of flames, the group readies their next attack and charge forward...

In the present, Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum is given the blessing of his father King Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII of his safe trip to Altissia. As they leave, Regis appears to remind Noctis of his companions that join him in his departure, and Regis tells Noctis's retinue — Gladiolus Amicitia, Ignis Scientia, and Prompto Argentum — to always stay beside his son on his journey. Regis reminds Noctis to be well-mannered to his fiancée Lunafreya Nox Fleuret. As a final sendoff, Regis tells Noctis that once he leaves, he cannot return, and that the line of Lucis flows through his blood. Though Noctis playfully dismisses this, Regis tells his son to walk tall.

Chapter 1 - Departure
In the present, as the group are on their way to Luna in Tenebrae, their car, the Regalia, breaks down in Hammerhead in the middle of the Leide region, and after failed attempts in calling for help, they're forced to push the car to the nearest gas station.

Once there, they meet mechanic Cindy Aurum and her grandfather Cid Sophiar, whom is acquainted with Noctis's father King Regis. While getting the car fixed, the group decide to do a few favors for Cindy for a reduced price on the repairs. After taking out several monsters in the region, the group resume their journey and head the to outpost of Galdin Quay, to ride the ferry to Altissia. Midway, they stop at an outpost where Noctis finds Umbra, one of Luna's dogs, carrying a message book with Sylleblossoms. Remembering what Luna said of the purpose of the book, Noctis writes a message back to Luna and Umbra returns to Luna with it.

Upon reaching Galdin Quay, they meet a suspicious stranger whom informs them that the boats haven't arrived yet, and also of the impending attacks in Lucis, before departing. After doing a few favors for a reporter named Dino, he tells them that the next boats won't arrive until tomorrow, and the group decide to stay the night. The next morning, Noctis is informed and shocked to learn from the papers that Niflheim has succeeded in taking over Insomnia, and King Regis was killed in the attack. After concluding that they won't be let off easily from the empire, the group decides to return to the city.

Unfortunately, by the time they reach there, the border has been barred off by the military, and the group sneak around and fight off the rest of the army to reach the city. Upon reaching the hill overlooking Insomnia, the news reports states that along with Regis, Noct and Luna are also pronounced dead. Noctis calls Marshal Cor Leonis, a loyal follower to the king, who confirms that Regis indeed perished in the invasion. Cor tells Noctis to meet him at Hammerhead in order to learn of truth of the invasion. With their homeland now overthrown by the empire, the group have no choice but to turn back.

Chapter 2 - No Turning Back
When the group returns to Hammerhead, they learn that the Niflheim's peace talks with the crown city was merely a ruse to acquire the city's Crystal and the Ring of the Lucii, and Cid knew that Regis would give his own life for the cause. Cid leaves them a message from Cor, telling them to meet him in the Tomb of the Wise in Keycatrich Ruins.

Upon reaching there, Cor tells Noct that as king, he must inherit the souls of past kings that inhabit one of many tombs of Eos, in order to reclaim the throne. However, Noct bemoans that his father lied to him, and angers over the burden he must inherit. Cor tells him that Regis wanted Noct to remember him not as a king, but as his father, and that he believed in his son to protect his people. Granted the power of royal arms, Cor leads the group to the next nearest tomb, and tells Noctis there are thirteen souls scattered across Eos, though only a few are known.

Heading for Keycatrich Trench, Cor directs the them to the entrance, and gives them a key to unlock their way through the tomb, while he leaves to see what the Niflheim forces are doing nearby.

After acquiring another soul, Noct is informed by Cor that the empire is constructing a new base near the Duscae region. Rendezvousing with the group, Cor helps the group take out the army within the base and defeat Loqi of the Niflheim military. Afterwards, Cor departs, confident that the future king can reclaim his throne. Noctis is doubtful of his duty, but is relieved and reassured of the friends that travel with him, and they continue their journey.

Chapter 3 - The Open World
The group reach the Duscae region, and take time to ride the chocobos and relax with fishing. At one point, they encounter Ardyn again, and decide to their to learn more of what's happening back at Insomnia. Eventually, after the group's business is done in Duscae, they continue their journey and head towards Lestallum to meet Gladio's younger sister Iris.

She tells the group that Luna comes often to the town, and she just came recently, but immediately left afterwards. Relieved, Noct and the group sleep over for the night. The next day, Iris tells Noct that the rest of the group went out sight-seeing, and she suggests that they both head to the market.

Afterwards, they reunite with the rest of the group, and learn from a boy that an ancient sword lies behind a waterfall. Realizing it's a lost tomb, the group enters and Noct acquires another soul. Returning to Lestallum, the group decide to investigate the "disc" far from Lestallum, and head to the outlook. There, they encounter Ardyn again, and informs them through poetry that the Astral Titan is calling to Noctis, and until he heeds the call he suffers severe headaches as a result. He directs the group to head to the disc and heed the pleas from the Astral, before telling them he can take them there. The four decide to take Ardyn's word, but be cautious of the offer. Ardyn simply smiles at them.

Chapter 4 - Living Legend
Titan the Archaean is an Astral god said to have caught the meteorite that fell to Eos and to still be holding up its active remains at the center of the impact site. This tale has become a legend, and the tremors that sometimes emanate from the Disc of Cauthess are said to be the work of Titan himself.

Noctis has a chance of visiting the Disc of Cauthess on his way. If they do so, Noctis's party finds the site closed off by the imperials, although they cannot fathom the reason. Once in Lestallum Noctis experiences visions of the Disc accompanied by searing headaches, and the Disc shakes sending tremors throughout the region. Deducting it to be call from Titan as per legends that the Astrals forge covenants with the kings of Lucis, Noctis wants to head there. Chancellor Ardyn Izunia promises to open the way to the Disc through the imperial barricades, and although Noctis is skeptical he follows Ardyn there, at first unaware he is the chancellor of the enemy empire.

Ardyn opens he imperial gates to let Noctis's party into the Disc of Cauthess, but will not accompany them. Noctis comes face-to-face with the Archaean Titan that rises from underneath the glowing meteorite. Noctis cannot understand what Titan wants until he has a vision of Lady Luna communing with the Astral, realizing that she wants to rouse the Astrals to help Noctis's cause. Titan's awakening sends tremors in the region and Noctis and his bodyguard Gladiolus are separated from the rest of the party as they fall into the pit under the meteorite that is burning hot.

Noctis and Gladiolus make their way to Titan through the burning rock. Gladiolus protects Noctis and grows frustrated, asking the latter to reaffirm his conviction to be the king of Lucis. Niflheim arrives to the site and attacks Titan, and Noctis and his party are caught in the crossfire. Titan engages Noctis who must parry the giant's attacks until his friends arrive to blast Titan's arm off with blizzard spells. Forging a covenant with Noctis, Titan disappears from the Disc. Noctis's party is given safe passage out of the crumbling crater by an imperial airship on Ardyn Izunia's orders. Though unsure why Ardyn, an enemy official, is helping him, Noctis takes the offer, but during the chaos the party loses their car, the Regalia.

News spread that the tremors at the Disc of Cauthess have died down, but that Titan has disappeared. Many worry for what the awakening of the Astrals means for the world.

Chapter 5 - Dark Clouds
The empire closes off Duscae region as roadblocks are erected to all major roads. Regalia has gone missing and Cindy is looking for it, though the party assumes it was taken by Niflheim. Noctis receives a message from Luna via Umbra, in which she lends her support for Noctis's mission. She is seeking to rouse The Six to help him, and Noctis decides to follow with the plan, emboldened by the idea that the gods themselves are on his side.

Duscae is trapped in a perpetual storm as Ramuh is calling for Noctis to forge a covenant with him. Noctis reminisces of the time he spent with Luna when he was 8 years old and learned about the Crystal and his mission to it from her, although he didn't understand what was asked of him then. Gentiana's voice guides him through Ramuh's trials, the Messenger of the gods whose job is to impart the deities' message to mankind. Gentiana is usually always with Luna, but her following of Noctis is made apparent when a ghostly image of her begins to appear in the background of photos taken by Prompto.

After Noctis passes Ramuh's trial the storm clears and he gains the means to summon the Astral. They receive word from Cindy that Regalia has been taken to a nearby imperial base. The party decides to infiltrate the base to retrieve the Regalia, as the empire has been unable to move it due to the storm.

They storm the base in the cover of the night and find the Regalia and demolish the troops stationed at the base by summoning Ramuh. As they try to leave with the Regalia they are accosted by Ravus Nox Fleuret, Luna's elder brother, who claims Noctis is making a pact with the Astrals without understanding the true meaning of his actions. As Ravus overpowers Gladiolus and threatens Noctis Ardyn intervenes and lets the party leave the base with the Regalia. As the party drives to Lestallum now that the road blocks have been lifted, they ponder why Luna's brother is working with the empire, and what Ardyn's gambit for helping them out could be, Noctis loathing both.

In Lestallum they discover that Amicitia family's butler has been killed by Niflheim during their search for Noctis. Iris is determined to flee the town to the rural port Caem. Even if the ships from Galdin Quay don't run due to an imperial blockade, Caem has a secret harbor they could use. Noctis is determined to continue on his journey, and overnight dreams of chasing Luna's white dog Pryna through various terrors.

Chapter 6 - A way forward
Together with Iris, the party heads for Caem. Along the way, they spot another active imperial base, and decide to destroy its magitek generator to avenge Jared. Leaving Iris behind at Old Lestallum, the party makes its way to the base, where they shadow the base commander responsible for killing Jared. They take him captive, but he escapes while Noctis and his friends are laying waste to the imperial troops stationed at the base. The next morning news of the raid have spread to the local area and Noctis and his friends continue to Caem.

Iris decides to stay at an old house at Caem with Talcott. A memorial is erected for Jared, and Cindy and Cid have come over to repair King Regis's boat Noctis hopes to use to escape the continent.

Chapter 7 - Party of Three
Cid needs mythril for the repairs and following a tip from the late Jared via Talcott, the party heads to Vesperpool, a big lake north of Cleigne. Gladiolus opts out without giving a reason, and so Noctis, Ignis and Prompto go without him.

They find the blockades gone and wonder if they have been deliberately let through. They run into Ardyn, who explains he is the chancellor of Niflheim, but that he isn't in charge of the army. Tipping the party off to the mythril's location in nearby ruins, Ardyn departs. The party is accompanied to the ruins by Aranea, who is increasingly skeptical of the empire's goals, as the imperials are hunting for daemons in the area. She explains the daemons are being used to make magitek troops. She thinks of leaving the army and going back to being a mercenary.

They recover the mythril from the depths of the ruins and hitch a ride back to Lestallum on an imperial airship with Aranea's aid. She wishes Noctis well, advising him to choose his own path in life.

Chapter 8 - Seaworthy
Cindy's friend Holly can treat the mythril for their use, but they find the Lestallum power plant swarming with daemons. Noctis helps expel them, rendezvousing with Gladiolus in the process. Though he doesn't explain where he has been, he has a fresh scar on his face. They decide to deliver the now usable mythril to Cid so they can depart for Altissia.

They meet everyone at Caem and Cor is also there to bid them farewell. Cid reminds Noctis that his companions are more than just bodyguards and that Noctis should always depend upon them as they depend upon him. As they set sail Talcott calls after him, asking him to come back soon as Lucis needs a king.

Chapter 9 - Callings
Noctis and his friends travel with Regis's boat to a Altissia. During the trip they discuss Ravus being the high commander of the imperial army, and that he now holds King Regis's sword, although he cannot wield it as he is not of the Lucian line. Noctis feels ambivalent, but believes he'll be able to reclaim the sword from Ravus.

Noctis hopes to make a covenant with Leviathan, the Hydraean, an astral goddess. Luna is being sheltered by the Altissian government, which has some autonomy, but the Empire is demanding for them to release her to them. Noctis discusses the matter with Altissia's first secretary and gains her alliance. As Gladiolus, Ignis and Prompto are helping evacuate the citizens, Luna begins to communicate with Leviathan to have her give her power to the rightful king, Noctis. Leviathan refuses, and imperials under Ardyn's command arrive to destroy Leviathan.

Leviathan destroys the imperials while Ardyn makes his way to Luna and stabs her. Noctis is powerless to help her, as he is amid the chaos of the rampaging Leviathan. With her last strength, Luna invokes the souls of kings to empower Noctis, so he can fight Leviathan, as only by defeating her will she accept the covenant. Noctis defeats her with the help of Titan and passes out. A dying Luna crawls over to him and heals him. Noctis meets her in a dream vision where she passes the Ring of the Lucii to him before her spirit departs from the world. Noctis awakens several days later to discover Luna has died and that Ignis was wounded during the evacuation and lost his eyesight.

Chapter 10 - The Heart of a King
Several weeks later, Noctis' group travels on a train towards Gralea, the capital of Niflheim where the Crystal is said to have been taken. Luna's death has hit Noctis hard, and he refuses to wield the Ring of the Lucii now in his possession. This angers Gladiolus, who deems Noctis's inability to deal with the grief as a sign he is not ready for the task they have at hand. He is also concerned about Ignis' condition: although his wounds have healed, his eyesight hasn't returned.

The train makes a stop at an abandoned mining town, where Cor claims one of the Royal Tombs lies. The group finds the weapon, and afterward Ignis speaks up to heal the rift that has formed between Noctis and Gladiolus. Noctis' resolve is restored, and he decides to continue onward and stop at Tenebrae along the way.

On the way to Tenebrae, Noctis talks with Ignis, who theorizes about the longer nights. For some time now, days have been getting shorter and the nights longer, which also means more daemons. After Luna's death the situation has worsened, and daylight is disappearing from the world. They believe the Crystal has the power to fight the darkness as it had always protected Insomnia from daemons.

Chapter 11 - In the Dark
The train is attacked by Ardyn's imperials. Ardyn stops time and taunts Noctis who is unable to attack him as Ardyn disappears every time he is close to striking. When the time resumes, Noctis and Prompto defend the train from the Imperial forces. Gladiolus and Ignis get the train running again. As Noctis and Prompto board the train after fending off an Imperial aerial assault, Noctis spots Ardyn holding Prompto at gunpoint. Noctis warps to Ardyn, but Ardyn stops time for a split second, allowing him to switch places with Prompto, causing Noctis to push him off the train by accident. Ardyn knocks Noctis out and departs.

Chapter 12 - End of Days
They are unable to stop the train to look for Prompto, and assume he has been captured by the Imperials. They stop at Tenebrae and find the Fleuret manor aflame as revenge by the Empire; Ravus has been executed for high treason, and thus the bloodline of the Oracles has ended. Without Luna holding back the darkness, sunlight has almost vanished from the world and daemons are now spawning even during the daylight hours. As they speculate that the Crystal has the power to repel the daemons, Noctis is even more desperate to seek it out.

Aranea has quit the imperial army and is helping the victims of the empire's attacks with Biggs and Wedge. As the passage to imperial territory is dangerous, Noctis, Gladiolus and Ignis decide to head to Gralea without the other passengers with Biggs and Wedge operating the train. While in Tenebrae, Noctis learns Ravus had always been on Luna's side even though he had been affiliated with the Empire, and that Luna had been looking forward to their marriage.

As they continue they find Tenebrae unusually covered in a blizzard. As daemons spawn to halt the train at Shiva's corpse, Noctis meets Ardyn again. Noctis demands to know what Ardyn's gambit is, but the latter is frozen by Gentiana who reveals her true identity as the astral goddess Shiva. Noctis forges a covenant with her, and learns Ardyn is immortal and all their attacks on him are ineffective. Pondering what Ardyn's true nature is, the party continues onward to Gralea with the knowledge that Prompto is held captive there along with the Crystal.

Chapter 13 - Redemption
Noctis, Ignis and Gladiolus enter Gralea by train but fall under attack and have to abandon the train with the belief that Biggs and Wedge can look after themselves. Noctis drives the Regalia into the city but the car is destroyed and he becomes separated from his friends. He continues alone but finds he cannot summon his weapons to his side as his powers can been sealed. With Ardyn's taunting voice in his ears, Noctis decides to wield the Ring and blasts the daemons and magitek troops that spawn around him with magic.

The imperial city is devoid of human life and swarming with daemons. The magitek troops at the lab the Crystal is said to be kept in have gone rogue. Noctis discovers the Empire has been manufacturing daemons, that magitek troops are made out of their experiments with daemons and clones at the lab, and that a "vanishing disease" has ravaged the Empire that has its citizens turn into daemons the Empire cannot control. Noctis finds Ravus dead and recovers his father's sword.

He is reunited with Gladiolus, Ignis and Prompto who had been brought to the lab by Ardyn. After discovering Prompto was born at the lab to be made an MT, they can use him to open the sealed areas of the lab. They find Emperor Iedolas Aldercapt's throne room with his robes left on the seat, as he has also vanished and become a daemon. After turning off the device that seals his powers, Noctis and his friends are ambushed by a horde of daemons and his friends urge him to go to the Crystal alone to use it to banish the daemons.

Noctis leaves his friends behind with a heavy heart and makes it to the Crystal but is absorbed inside it while being taunted by Ardyn. Ardyn reveals his true name as Ardyn Lucis Caelum, Noctis's ancestor who was rejected by the Crystal for his affinity with the darkness. The Crystal holds inside it the planet's soul, and in this otherworldly dimension Noctis meets the astral god Bahamut and is made aware of his destiny as the True King. The True King is born once all of the Crystal's power is passed onto the Ring of the Lucii. The True King can banish the darkness from the world at the cost of his own life.

Chapter 15 - End of the Road
A special post-game chapter that begins when a clear-save file is loaded. Beginning from a point just outside the Citadel in Insomnia near the end of the game, the player has the freedom to return to the open world by calling Umbra. There are select sidequests that are only available in Chapter 15. If the proper criteria are met, Cindy is also able to upgrade the Regalia into the Regalia F, giving the player an airship. It is also possible to challenge the secret boss Adamantoise.