Final Fantasy XIII timeline

This page details the timeline of Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIII-2, and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.

The "BF" stands for "Before the Fall" and is not a term presented in-game.

Genesis

 * The events of the Final Nova Crystallis mythos take place.
 * The creator goddess Mwynn is banished to the realm of the dead after being killed by her son, Bhunivelze, who wishes to rule the world. Bhunivelze comes to believe the world is cursed by Mwynn to one day be destroyed, and seeks to find the door to the world of the dead to destroy her for good. Bhunivelze created Pulse and Etro to find the door to the unseen realm, the latter he discarded upon learning he had unknowingly created her in Mwynn's image. Bhunivelze creates Lindzei to replace Etro, and falls into crystal sleep until the door to the afterlife would be found.
 * As Pulse terraforms Gran Pulse, he and Lindzei bore many fal'Cie tasked with finding the door to the realm of the dead while the purposeless Etro commits suicide. Ending in the unseen realm, Etro finds Mwynn being consumed by Chaos as the fading goddess tasks her with protecting the balance of the universe. At that time, Lindzei uses Etro's blood to create humans with the first human, Paddra Nsu-Yeul, created in Etro's image.
 * To stabilize the balance of the world, Etro established a natural order she infuses fragments of Chaos into the humans to create their souls. As a result, the deceased humans' souls are given entry to the door to the afterlife, Etro's Gate, where they mingle into the Chaos and are eventually reborn in the Visible Realm. However, Yeul's soul is unable to properly fade into the Chaos so Etro enables her to be reincarnated through history so she will not be alone.
 * Having become worshipped by the majority of humans for their apparent actions for their betterment, Pulse and Lindzei eventually disappear from the world with fal'Cie left behind to complete their tasks for them.

Ca. 1300 BF

 * Cocoon is created by Lindzei's fal'Cie, inviting mankind to move in. This creates a schism with those who remain on Gran Pulse.

Unspecified Time

 * Some time prior to the War of Transgression, Caius is a member of the Farseers, led by the seeress Paddra Nsu-Yeul, who had gained the Eyes of Etro as a side effect of being continually reborn, and thus is able to see changes in the timeline and make prophecies of the future. Caius becomes a l'Cie with a Focus of protecting Yeul as her Guardian. One day he performed an incarnate summon to destroy invading forces threatening Yeul, a skill that would cost him his life. Etro freed him from his fate as a l'Cie and infused her heart, the Heart of Chaos, into his body, making him immortal so he could protect every incarnation of Yeul until the end of time.
 * The city of Paddra fell in a civil war and Yeul cast away her role as the leader of Paddra. Her followers became nomads, and Caius remained at her side as her eternal Guardian.

621 BF

 * Oerba Yun Fang is born.

619 BF

 * Oerba Dia Vanille is born.

600 BF

 * During the War of Transgression between Gran Pulse and Cocoon Vanille and Fang become l'Cie and are given the power of Ragnarok and the Focus of destroying Cocoon. Fang becomes Ragnarok alone and damages Cocoon's shell. The Goddess Etro puts Fang and Vanille into a premature crystal stasis, and two are placed in Anima's temple in Oerba.
 * Barthandelus secretly has the Pulse Vestige containing the two Pulse l'Cie and Anima brought to Cocoon.
 * In an alternate timeline caused by Noel and Serah killing Caius in 200 AF Oerba, as depicted in the paradox ending "Vanille's Truth", the crystallized Vanille remained in Oerba.

40 BF

 * Sazh Katzroy is born.

21 BF

 * Claire Farron is born.
 * Snow Villiers is born.
 * Gadot is born.

19 BF

 * Lebreau is born.
 * Yuj is born.

18 BF

 * Serah Farron is born.

17 BF

 * Maqui is born.

15 BF

 * Claire and Serah's mother dies. As the Farron sisters' father had died when they were still young, the girls are left orphaned. Claire casts aside her name and becomes Lightning to toughen herself as she is left to look after Serah as her sole guardian.

14 BF

 * Hope Estheim is born.
 * Alyssa Zaidelle is born.

6 BF

 * Dajh Katzroy is born.

1 BF

 * The events of Final Fantasy XIII take place.
 * Vanille and Fang awake to find themselves in Cocoon, the latter having amnesia with her Focus halted, while her friend lies of losing her memory as well as she no longer wants to destroy Cocoon. During their visit to Euride Gorge Dajh is branded by Kujata and taken into Sanctum custody. Fang and Vanille get separated and the former is found by the Cavalry, a rogue military branch that wish to overthrow the totalitarian fal'Cie government.
 * Serah ventures inside the Pulse Vestige and is branded a Pulse l'Cie with a Focus of destroying Cocoon. With Lightning turning her back on her after she and Snow reveal they have engaged, Serah is trapped within the Pulse Vestige as PSICOM forces attempt to capture her.
 * Declaring a Purge, PSICOM gathers the civilians of Bodhum to be secretly executed. Quitting her job, Lightning gets on the Purge train with Sazh helping her derail the train and make their way to the Pulse Vestige. Snow and NORA lead a resistance faction against the Purge that results in Hope's mother getting killed to protect her son. Snow makes way with the Pulse Vestige with Hope and Vanille following as the former wants to confront Snow about his mother's death. The groups meet up and find Serah who crystallizes while asking Lightning and Snow to save Cocoon. Anima brands Lightning, Sazh, Snow and Hope as Pulse l'Cie as the Pulse Vestige crashes into Lake Bresha and crystallizes it.
 * Ending up in Bresha during the Purge, Alyssa dies while her friend survives. In an alternate timeline caused by a paradox in Final Fantasy XIII-2, their roles are reversed, though Alyssa is haunted by a phantom memory of the original course of the events.
 * Forced to leave Snow behind to flee pursuing PSICOM forces, Snow is found by Fang and the Cavalry who enlist his help in opposing the Cocoon's totalitarian government. The rest of the party splits into two: Lightning and Hope head to Eden, while Sazh and Vanille go into hiding at Nautilus. Sazh and Vanille are captured by PSICOM and taken to the Palamecia to lure in the other l'Cie.
 * Lightning and Hope are ambushed by PSICOM in Palumpolum, reuniting with Snow as he and Fang come to their aid. Snow and Hope settle the matter over Hope's mother's death, and when they are cornered by PSICOM the Cavalry save them and take them to the Palamecia to save Vanille and Sazh. Once the l'Cie are reconvened, they learn that Cocoon's ruling leader Galenth Dysley is actually the fal'Cie Barthandelus in human form. Barthandelus reveals that their Focus is to destroy Orphan, Cocoon's power source, before sending them to the Fifth Ark where the group learn more of the Cocoon fal'Cie's plans from Cid Raines. The fal'Cie intend to use the mass of departing human souls killed in Cocoon's fall to force Etro's Gate wide open and summon the Maker into the world so the world can be reborn.
 * The l'Cie find an airship and leave for Gran Pulse travelling on foot before reaching the village of Oerba where Barthandelus awaits them. Claiming he is having the Cavalry kill Orphan in their stead, Barthandelus has the l'Cie return to Cocoon where they win PSICOM's support prior to finding their way in Orphan's Cradle.

0 AF

 * The l'Cie defeat Barthandelus in Orphan's Cradle, but he is assimilated into the newly born Orphan who attempts to force Fang and Vanille to finish their Focus to destroy it. Deciding to give the fal'Cie what it wants while intending to save Cocoon, Lightning's group destroys Orphan without using Ragnarok.
 * With Orphan dead the Cocoon fal'Cie shut down as Cocoon begins to fall from the sky. Fang and Vanille become Ragnarok to erect a crystal pillar to support Cocoon above Gran Pulse with event labeled as the Catastrophe and the start of a new calendar. Lightning, Snow, Sazh and Hope enter crystal stasis at the pillar's base.
 * Etro releases Lightning, Snow, Sazh and Hope, as well as Serah and Dajh, from crystal stasis. The act has unforeseen consequences as the Unseen Chaos, the past lives of Yeul, drag Lightning to Historia Crux and into Valhalla. With the exception of Serah, who gained the Eyes of Etro, everyone's memories of Lightning's fate are altered to accommodate her removal from that instant of time.
 * Like the other Cocoon residents settling on Gran Pulse, NORA and others build the town of New Bodhum on Gran Pulse where Serah and Snow reside with the former making a living as a teacher.

1 AF

 * Cocoon's governing body, the Sanctum, is overthrown by Rygdea.
 * Bartholomew Estheim and Rygdea found the Academy and the provisional government to replace the Sanctum.

2 AF

 * Snow departs on a journey to find the missing Lightning. He travels through time and becomes a Pulse l'Cie, being branded by the fal'Cie Cactuar. Lightning appears to him in a dream, asking him to protect Cocoon's crystal pillar from the Royal Ripeness.

3 AF

 * Hope joins the Academy.
 * Noel Kreiss arrives from a Time Gate in New Bodhum, and departs on a journey through time with Serah and Mog.
 * Sometime around this time, Sazh and Dajh fall into the Historia Crux and emerge in Serendipity at ??? AF.

4 AF

 * The construction of the Gran Elevator is complete that operates between Pulse and the now crystallized Cocoon.

5 AF

 * Hope becomes leader of the Academy.
 * Serah, Mog, and Noel arrive in Bresha Ruins from a Time Gate they entered in New Bodhum 3 AF. They meet an Academy researcher Alyssa while solving a local paradox.

10 AF

 * After negating the paradox at Oerba 200 AF, creating the 1X AF timeline, Serah and Noel meet Hope in the Paddra Ruins within the Yaschas Massif and play the clear footage within a discovered Oracle Drive, witnessing the crystallized Cocoon's fall by Caius's hand.
 * In an alternative timeline, Serah and Noel's journey to Oerba in 200 AF is caused by a paradox that causes the fal'Cie Fenrir to manifest 190 years early over the Yaschas Massif, causing an eclipse over the area that distorts the Oracle Drive's footage.

13 AF

 * The Academy constructs the Augusta Tower.
 * The Academy conducts the Proto fal'Cie Program with overlook done by Hope and Alyssa.
 * In an alternate timeline, the artificial intelligence malfunctions, kills the people in Augusta Tower, then creates machine duplicates of them as a cover-up for the incident.
 * The Proto fal'Cie Program is abandoned after Hope sees an Oracle Drive prophecy where Serah, Mog, and Noel fight the Proto fal'Cie and Serah shouts at him for creating it.
 * Hope comes up with a plan for a manmade Cocoon and he and Alyssa enter a sleep in a time capsule to wake up in Academia 4XX AF, a time the Thirteenth Ark is said to appear.

200 AF

 * Oerba is caught within a paradox where different eras are merging into one.
 * Arriving to Augusta Tower in an alternate timeline from Academia 400 AF, Noel and Serah are trapped in the structure upon discovering the death of Hope and the other Academy members by the actions of the Proto fal'Cie Adam. They fight Adam but Serah yelling at Hope for having created it alters the timeline and the Proto fal'Cie vanishes.

300 AF

 * Serah and Noel arrive to Sunleth Waterscape through a Time Gate they took from Bresha Ruins 5 AF. They witness thousands of flan merge into a giant flan that is slowly melting the crystal pillar. Snow is here to fight the Royal Ripeness to protect Vanille and Fang residing within the pillar.
 * After resolving the paradox, the number of flan decreases and the big flan is killed off permanently. Snow vanishes from the area, as the timeline has been altered.

400 AF

 * The Thirteenth Ark appears to the skies of Academia. The Academy discover it floats by the use of Graviton Cores and decide to use the same technology to levitate an artificial Cocoon.
 * After negating the existence of the Proto fal'Cie Adam in Augusta Tower 200 AF, creating the 4XX AF timeline, Serah and Noel find themselves in a peaceful metropolis of Academia. They meet Hope who had used a time capsule to travel forward in time to construct a new artificial Cocoon to shelter mankind when the old one would eventually fall.
 * Alyssa, helped by Caius, arranges Serah and Noel to get separated in the Historia Crux by giving them a booby-trapped artefact. Serah and Noel escape their predicament and Alyssa is erased from history as the paradox that ensured her survival is corrected.
 * Once his task is finished, Hope uses the capsule again to oversee the artificial Cocoon's completion in 500 AF.
 * In an alternative timeline, Serah and Noel were killed in Augusta Tower in 200 AF, and the Proto fal'Cie Adam rules Academia unopposed. As Serah and Noel appear in the city from a Time Gate, believing they survived Augusta Tower with knowledge of him killing Hope and the other Academia members, Adam begins converting the citizens into Cie'th to destroy them. Serah and Noel learn of they were supposed to have died in Augusta Tower 200 AF and travel there via a Time Gate.
 * In the Sunleth Waterscape, the Academia scientists learn that the flan have organized and dub this new behavior pattern "Flan Schools". Serah puts the flan in their place when their rough housing almost damages the crystal pillar.

500 AF

 * The old Cocoon falls as its crystal pillar grows weak, and a new one, called Bhunivelze, arises, minimizing casualties. Sazh and Dajh are sent to this time by the Serendipity casino's owner to save Vanille and Fang's crystal before the pillar collapses.
 * Caius's tampering with the timeline by creating paradoxes floods Academia with Chaos, allowing him to enter there from Valhalla. He intends to have the old Cocoon and the new Cocoon crash into each other, but Noel and Serah stop him and follow him onto Valhalla where they defeat him and the final paradox is solved. As the Time Gates close, Serah and Noel return to Academia 500 AF.
 * Serah dies in Noel's arms. Noel realizes that he fulfilled Caius's goal and killed Etro. As Lightning enter crystal stasis to preserve Serah's soul within her, the chaos of Valhalla is unleashed into the Visible Realm as a result of Etro's death. With Valhalla merging unto it to form the deteriorating world of Nova Chrysalia, a new future is created and the god Bhunivelze awakens.
 * In alternate timelines where the manmade Bhunivelze is not created, Cocoon falls with Gran Pulse becoming a wasteland. The reasons vary on each catalyst: A war between factions using the Atlases, the actions of Royal Ripeness in 300 AF, and the crystal pillar's stability.

682 AF

 * Noel Kreiss is born to the Farseer tribe in an timeline caused by Cocoon's fall in 500 AF. In this reality, Gran Pulse has became a Dying World with humans slowly dying out.

685 AF

 * In the alternate timeline the final incarnation of Yeul is born. Her past incarnation had requested Caius to let her final self to live a normal life, and thus Caius does not isolate this Yeul from society like he had done with the past Yeuls.

700 AF

 * In the alternate timeline Noel, Yeul and Caius are the last remaining humans in the world. Caius sees the impending end of the world and abandons Yeul as her Guardian, using his Heart of Chaos to find his way to Valhalla so he can destroy history and release Yeul from her curse of reincarnation.
 * The final Yeul dies leaving Noel alone.
 * Noel follows Caius to Valhalla, a place between time, where he meets Lightning who tasks him with finding Serah and sends Noel to New Bodhum 3 AF where he will begin his time traveling journey with her.
 * In a dream world manifestation of 700 AF, Noel relives his last days with Serah following close behind, but he awakes before being pulled into Etro's Gate in the sky. They find Yeul's Oracle Drive where she had implanted a vision of her reuniting with Noel.

831 AF

 * In the timeline where Nova Chrysalia was created, Hope is recruited by the god Bhunivelze and goes missing, being reverted to his 14-year-old self.
 * With the Order of Salvation rising in power in Luxerion, Noel goes into hiding as the Shadow Hunter. Noel obtains an Oracle Drive from Lumina that tells him to kill Lightning to see Yeul again.

987 AF

 * Fang and Vanille awaken from their crystal stasis and are taken in by the Order of Salvation. Vanille has gained the ability to hear the voices of the dead. Fang departs to the Dead Dunes to seek the relic the Order needs for a ritual they want Vanille to perform, though it would claim her life.

1000 AF

 * The events of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII take place.
 * Lightning awakes from crystal stasis and finds herself in Nova Chrysalia with a maximum 13 days before the end of the world. Bhunivelze makes Lightning the savior tasked with saving the mankind's souls before the world is destroyed.
 * Serah's soul is separated from Lightning, but Lightning's vulnerable side she had wanted to deny is made manifest by the Chaos and becomes Lumina, who becomes a host for Serah's soul.
 * Lightning teams up with Hope not knowing he has been taken over by Bhunivelze.
 * Lightning finds Snow has become the Patron of Yusnaan, but his heart has grown burdened with guilt over Serah's death. Lightning makes him come round and saves his soul.
 * In Luxerion Lightning solves a serial murder case committed by the Children of Etro cult, and fights Noel who realizes Yeul wouldn't want him to kill Lightning, and thus destroys the Oracle Drive with the false prophecy. Yeul's spirit appears to him promising to be with him soon.
 * In Dead Dunes Lightning helps Fang find the relic, the holy clavis, but it is taken by the Order. They promise to meet in Luxerion's cathedral on the world's final day to stop Vanille's Soulsong that would obliterate the dead, and thus erase Serah's soul.
 * In the Wildlands Lightning meets the numerous incarnations of Yeul and Caius, and discovers he has become immortal and bound to the Chaos of the world as the Yeuls do not let him die. In another part of the Wildlands Lightning saves Dajh's soul, rousing him from a deep slumber.
 * On the final day Lightning, Fang and Snow meet at the cathedral and Vanille stops the Soulsong upon learning the dead carry the hope of being reborn and do not wish to be destroyed. Lightning rebels against Bhunivelze upon learning he had lied to her, and wished to condition her to become the new Goddess of Death to replace the late Etro.
 * Lightning accepts her vulnerabilities and Lumina is incorporated back into her, and with Serah's soul freed, she is reborn. Lightning, her allies and the souls of humanity defeat Bhunivelze together. The reality in which Gran Pulse, Cocoon and Nova Chrysalia exist is sucked into the new Unseen Realm and a new Visible Realm takes its place with the many incarnations of Yeul remain to oversee the world balance with Caius staying by their side. The final incarnation of Yeul from the 700 AF alternate timeline departs with Noel to the new world with the rest of humanity, where they can begin their lives anew and determine their own path through life.

??? AF

 * Dislodged from time, some timeless realms exist.
 * Valhalla exists between the Visible World and the Unseen Realm through which souls pass on their way to be reborn. Lightning arrives to Valhalla after falling into the Historia Crux on 0 AF. She battles Caius Ballad, who has arrived from the Dying World 700 AF to slay Etro and destroy the balance of the universe. Noel and Serah enter Valhalla from 500 AF and kill Caius, but he is revived by the Chaos in the Void Beyond and continues a shadowy existence at Yeul's beckoning.
 * After Serah dies in 500 AF her soul passes on to Valhalla. Lightning saves Serah's soul from the spirits of Yeul by housing it inside herself and turning herself into a crystal form that can withstand the corruption of Chaos.
 * Sometime around 2 AF or 3 AF Sazh and Dajh Katzroy fall into the Historia Crux and emerge in the timeless realm of Serendipity, where Sazh must save his son. Afterward, the casino's owner sends Sazh and Dajh to 500 AF. Serah and Noel also ended up in Serendipity at some point, either before or after Sazh and Dajh were there.
 * The Arbiter of Time rules the Coliseum, a battle arena that exists outside of time. Snow ends up here during his time travels, but becomes trapped and is unable to help Serah in her quest.
 * In the Void Beyond, Yeul's numerous incarnations live out a shadowy existence, her soul having splintered as a side effect of being continuously reborn, always unable to fade into the Chaos.
 * Valhalla and the other timeless realms disappear when Caius' Heart of Chaos is destroyed, killing Etro, and the unbound forces of Chaos take over the world. Snow, the many incarnations of Yeul and Caius enter the forming world of Nova Chrysalia at 500 AF.