Final Fantasy XII version differences

This article lists version differences for Final Fantasy XII.

Release

 * Japanese release on March 16th, 2006.
 * North American release on October 31st, 2006.
 * European/PAL region release on February 23rd, 2007.

Version differences

 * Original release of the game.
 * The North American and European versions feature a 16:9 widescreen mode.
 * The North American and European versions use to confirm and  to cancel. It's the other way around in the original Japanese version.
 * The Crystalbug enemies have significantly more hitpoints in the North American and European versions.
 * In the Japanese version, Omega Mark XII has 10,370,699 HP, making him second only to Yiazmat. For the North American and PAL versions, its HP was reduced to 1,037,069, less than the Hell Wyrm and even a couple of the higher Marks. The North American and PAL versions also added the Berserk status effect onto Omega's attack.
 * The underflow glitch was removed out of the European Platinum Hits version.
 * Some boss AIs are changed on releases after the Japanese version, including, but not limited to Vinuskar, and Hashmal.
 * In the Japanese version, even if a spell cast by a party member doesn't hit a target, the amount of MP to cast said spell is consumed. This was changed in later versions by not consuming MP if the spell doesn't connect.
 * There are several unskippable text cutscenes in the Japanese version. Some of these became skippable in later versions, and if they still aren't skippable, they now have voice acting instead of just text.
 * The scene where Penelo is being held hostage by Ba'Gamnan was censored from the Japanese version, but remains in the overseas versions.
 * Voice direction is somewhat different for the English version. Characters have more pronounced accents, like Fran's Icelandic accent, and the writing in the Bestiary entries was given more flair to write them like Ivalician journal entries.
 * Localizers decided to have the actor who played Gabranth (Michael E. Rodgers) mimic the twin brother Basch's voice (voiced by Keith Ferguson) in the scene where Gabranth is impersonating his twin. In the Japanese version the actors' voices play over one another to give the scene the quality of a dream-sequence, but the translators opted to go for the more "realistic" sound.
 * In the Japanese version, movie subtitles were on by default, but in the English version were off by default. This resulted in the programmers changing the otherworldly quality of the Occurian speech, which was difficult to follow without subtitles.

Release

 * Japanese release on August 9th, 2007.

System

 * Addition of a "Zodiac Job System" featuring twelve jobs with individual License Boards corresponding to twelve zodiac signs.
 * Addition of a 16:9 widescreen mode.
 * Addition of three new game modes:
 * Trial Mode—a 100 stage gauntlet unlocked after clearing the game. Features a new battle against all five Judge Magisters as the final trial.
 * New Game+ Strong Mode—unlocked after clearing the original game. All characters start at level 90 and level up normally. Nothing but configuration settings are carried over.
 * New Game+ Weak Mode—unlocked after clearing Trial Mode. All characters start at level 1 and never level up. Nothing but configuration settings are carried over.
 * Pressing will speed up gameplay. Conversations and events continue to play at normal speed.
 * The game features English voices. Some previously unvoiced event scenes now feature voices and new scenes have been added.
 * Quickening doesn't consume MP. Now they use their own Mist gauge similarly to Limit Breaks from previous Final Fantasy titles.
 * Several changes have been made to the UI. Windows that were previously blue with a white border are now a solid "moss blue" color.
 * In the battlefield menu, character job names are now displayed next to character portraits and the LEADER text has been replaced. The charge time gauge is green instead of orange when filling. There is a new, separate Mist charge gauge in place of the HP and MP gauges, which have been removed.
 * The party menu screen now features job names and LP amounts. Overflowing status icons are displayed over top of them. Mist charges are rectangular instead of round and change color when filled.

Characters

 * Playable characters' starting LP, consumables, gil, gambits, equipment, and licenses have been modified.
 * Playable characters' base stats have been altered.
 * Guests have undergone a number of changes:
 * They can gain EXP and level up.
 * They come equipped with better equipment. For example, both Lamont and Reddas can now attack flying targets with their basic attacks.
 * In general, guests are now capable of using a wider variety of magicks and abilities.
 * The player obtains consumables and gil from guests who join the party.
 * Guests consume the player's items.

Battle system

 * Many magick spells and technicks have been tweaked, renamed and recategorized. Also, Green Magicks can only be purchased from the Clan Provisioner.
 * The following magicks and technicks are only found inside treasures chests:
 * White Magicks: Renew, Cleanse, Dispel, Despelga, Protectga, Shellga, Bravery, Faith, Regen, Holy.
 * Black Magicks: Flare, Scathe, Blind, Blindga, Silence, Silencega, Sleep, Sleepga, Poison, Toxify.
 * Time Magicks: Haste, Hastega, Countdown, Float, Vanish, Reflect, Reflectga, Balance, Warp.
 * Arcane Magicks: Death, Ardor.
 * Technicks: Telekinesis, Numerology, Sight Unseeing, Charm, Achilles, Infuse, Gil Toss, 1000 Needles, Revive, Stamp, Shades of Black, Bonecrusher, Wither, Addle, Expose, Shear.
 * Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder now damage all targets within an area of effect.
 * Cure now heals all targets within an area of effect.
 * Certain gambits have been renamed and sixteen new gambits are available. All can be bought after leaving the Barheim Passage. Gambits can no longer be found in treasure chests.
 * Obtaining Quickenings no longer affects max MP and Mist charges do not diminish when MP is consumed (unless the player is affected by a reversed Elixir or Megalixir). The player's MP is also unaffected by the depletion of Mist charges. However, effects that recover the player's MP will also restore Mist charges. One Mist charge is granted each time the amount recovered totals the player's maximum MP. Effects that fully restore a player's MP recover all Mist charges.
 * Espers have been tweaked and their summon durations have been increased from one minute and thirty seconds to four minutes and ten seconds. Adjustments have been made to stat parameters, gambits, augments, and actions. Also, they now require MP to cast magicks.
 * Certain Concurrences now require fewer Quickenings to activate.
 * Certain status effect and item relationships have been changed.
 * Certain status effects have had their duration formulas adjusted.
 * Almost all attacks now break the damage limit by default.
 * Unarmed combat has been adjusted.
 * Poles and spears can now hit flying enemies.
 * Battle chains begin at 2 instead of 1. The first monster defeated is considered the first chain, although nothing is displayed until a subsequent monster is defeated. Drop rate modifiers associated with chains have also been adjusted.
 * Many enemies have been slightly tweaked but new ones have not been added (aside from Trial Mode). Changes include adjustments to parameters, magicks, technicks, augments, movement patterns, as well as steal and drop items. In some cases, players will need to adopt new strategies against monsters.
 * For example: Safety no longer nullifies Numerology, Wither, and Addle.
 * Stamp now only transfer harmful status effects to enemies, and cannot be used to buff party members.

Items

 * New items have been added, such as Cura Mote, Bubble Mote, Domaine Calvados, Baltoro Seed, Dark Energy and various Meteorites.
 * Several equipment pieces were added, while some available in the original release were removed or tweaked.
 * Weapons
 * New "Final Fantasy" weapons were added that share the name and model of an existing weapon but are more powerful in some way. These weapons have a letter at the end of their name, and if the player were to collect all of these new weapons the letters would spell FINAL FANTASY.
 * New invisible super weapons were added that are very hard to obtain: Great Trango and Seitengrat. They don't have weapon models.
 * Bonebreaker and Bone of Byblos are weapons that use models that were dummied in the original version.
 * Some staves have additional elemental potencies: Cloud Staff now boosts damage from Wind, Thunder and Water, whereas it only boosted Water in the original. The Staff of the Magi now boosts Ice, Wind and Holy, whereas it only boosted Holy in the original.
 * Spears and poles now hit flying enemies. High-level spears now have Disable on-hit property. Zodiac Spear is now obtained from the Hunt Club sidequest or from a rare chest in Henne Mines.
 * Armor
 * Escutcheon no longer exists. Ashe joins equipped with a Buckler instead.
 * Gendarme is a new invisible shield that gives 90% Evasion and absorbs all elements.
 * Accessories
 * Berserker Bracers were added.
 * Armguard no longer exists.
 * Gauntlets now reduce physical damage when HP critical (Last Stand augment), rather then offering an extra Shield Block augment. No accessory offers Shield Block anymore.
 * The Diamond Armlet's properties were changed: before equipping Diamond Armlet gave 90% chance of a regular treasure (money or Knot of Rust) and 10% chance of a special treasure (there were exceptions, however). Now the chances are 95% and 5%, and equipping it no longer yields more money from treasures. However, the game no longer punishes the player by missing out on some special loot if opened with Diamond Armlet, like in the original; special treasures are the same item whether the player equips the armlet or not.
 * Most shops had their assortments changed. Many weapons are now available from shops earlier because of the job system, and were thus made weaker. The secret shop in Necrohol of Nabudis was moved to a different spot with different merchandise.
 * Treasures respawn by moving just one area away as opposed to two. Treasures were moved around, changed the items they can give, or were removed altogether. The "forbidden chest" concept was removed, that in the original prevented the player from obtaining the Zodiac Spear in Necrohol of Nabudis if they opened a wrong treasure.
 * Dark Matter can no longer be acquired from the bazaar, and selling the ingredients needed to make it in the original will result in making the Dark Energy instead. The Dark Energy is an item that does not charge up with Knot of Rust or Devour Soul and always deals 50,000 damage to each enemy in range.

Missions and sidequests

 * Rewards for hunts underwent minor changes.
 * Numerous sidequests feature different rewards.
 * The reward received for repeating the sunstone powering quest now depends on the amount of time it takes the player to fully charge the Shadestone. The player receives 200 gil, two Potions, and a Holy Stone for returning within seven minutes, 150 gil and a Holy Stone for returning within fifteen minutes, 100 gil for returning within 35 minutes, and 50 gil for taking longer than 35 minutes.
 * The rewards for giving Pilika her diary back have been changed to a Bangle and a Jade Collar, depending on whether the player says they read it or not. In the original version answering "Read it", acquires a Kilimweave Shirt, and answering "I've done nothing" nets a Shepherd's Bolero the slightly better reward.
 * Finding Renn in the great cockatrice escape quest now yields a Deathbringer rather than a Diamond Sword.
 * The rewards for the Ktjn sidequest are different. If she moves into Clan Centurio hall, the player will now get a Runeblade rather than a Platinum Sword. If she is found outside the clan hall, the reward is now a Hunting Crowssbow rather than a Paramina Crossbow. The rewards for if she moves to Migelo's Sundries have been swapped around: Firefly if she is outside, and Fuzzy Miter if she is inside the shop.

Locations

 * Treasure chests are now in different locations and contain different items.
 * Zodiac Job System has 753 more chests, bringing the total number of chests to 1,676.
 * Certain weather effects occur under different conditions.
 * There are more traps throughout the map.
 * The Baknamy merchant in Necrohol of Nabudis is located in the Cloister of the Highborn instead of the Hall of Effulgent Light.

Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age
This version is based on the International Zodiac Job System version. It has remastered graphics with high resolution textures and lighting effects. An auto-save function is implemented, and it supports up to 7.1 ch surrounded stereo mode. The original people responsible for the localization return for the English version, Alexander O. Smith and Joseph Reeder.


 * List of changes
 * Visual changes
 * High-resolution upgrades for backgrounds, character models, and all 2D parts including fonts
 * High-resolution upgrades for movie scenes
 * Introduction of current generation visual expression
 * A glitch concerning Dyce's character model has been fixed
 * Sound changes
 * 7.1ch surround support
 * High-quality voice support
 * English and Japanese voices (switch between them in the game configuration)
 * Original and newly re-recorded BGMs (switch between them in the game configuration)
 * Usability improvements
 * Shorter load times
 * Auto-save functionality added (game saves automatically when moving to each new screen)
 * Improved high-speed mode and improved play time operability during high-speed mode
 * An overlay map.
 * Game balance
 * The game balance has been overhauled to make it easier.
 * Gameplay
 * A Second Board license has been added to each license board, allowing players to assign an additional license board to each party member. Licenses are shared between both boards owned by a character.
 * Effect Capacity system that limited spell-casting in the PlayStation 2 versions has been removed.FFXII-TZA-Spellcasting.jpg
 * Cure only heals a single target again.
 * In the International Zodiac Job System version, Trial Mode saves and game data saves are separated, because if the game data is overwritten by the Trial Mode save, the game data will be lost. In The Zodiac Age version, players can save Trial Mode data to their main game save and receive items, but overwriting that save with a main game save will erase the Trial Mode progress.
 * Espers' HP values have been doubled, but other stats kept the same as in Zodiac Job System.
 * Other
 * The bestiary in the PlayStation 2 versions shows illustrations of the enemies, but The Zodiac Age version shows 3D models instead.
 * There is an error in the bestiary for the seeq. Where "The Riddle of Myth" should appear, "Ahnas the Holy - Part Two" appears instead, later repeated in its proper place.
 * The Sky Pirate's Den was initially dumped in exchange for the trophy system. As of patch 1.04, the Den has been restored, and operates in concert with PSN trophies where applicable.
 * The introductory cinematic no longer plays when starting up the game. The player is taken immediately to the title screen instead.
 * A new option is added to the title menu, "Credits." Selecting it plays a new credits sequence showing a number of credits new to the version of the game, and featuring a theme newly composed for the sequence by Hitoshi Sakimoto, "The Zodiac Age." The sequence features both scenes from the game and new original artwork.

1.01 1.02-1.03 1.04 1.05
 * Patch updates
 * Addresses various minor bugs between GM and launch releases.
 * Both patches fix very rare bugs that prevent a player from progressing in battle.
 * Restores the Sky Pirate's Den feature previously removed in favor of the Trophy system.
 * Fixes a bug that may randomly halt a player's progress.
 * Other minor bugs addressed.

Steam version
In addition to the improvements added to the PlayStation 4 version over the PlayStation 2 original, the Steam version is further enhanced with new features:


 * 60FPS
 * Compatible with 21:9 ultra-wide monitors - Up to three HD monitors can be used for a potential 48(16x3):9 experience.
 * New Game Plus and New Game Minus are now accessible from the beginning of the game.
 * Three background music options – The original, re-orchestrated and soundtrack versions are now available from the beginning of the game.
 * Maximized License Points and Gil - New functionality added to grant players max License Points and Gil from the configuration screen.
 * Full controller support and Steam Trading Cards