Basch is a playable character in Final Fantasy XII. He is a Knight-like physical-geared character by his stat growth: strong and resilient. He appears in the prologue as a support character and later as a guest, eventually becoming the fourth permanent character to join the party.
Basch has the highest HP growth of all playable characters, and is tied with Vaan for the highest Strength. His MP growth, Vitality and Speed are the lowest of the party, and his Magick Power is low as well. Basch, alongside Vaan and Balthier, have the best combo speed with the high-combo weapons, and thus are good candidates for job combinations that exploit this in The Zodiac Age version.
Any stat differences can be made up with gear and the animation speed differences are negligible. Basch can be built in any way without drawbacks.
Basch is the only character to not speak when performing his Quickenings, only letting out various grunts and cries. He is the only one shown using a Quickening in a fixed scene (Prologue). He has the most party member character models, from his Dalmascan suit of armor as a knight, to disgraced prisoner, to clothes pilfered from a dead man, to his final Bhujerban-inspired get-up with which he joins as a permanent party member. After winning a boss battle, the currently alive members of the active party perform a victory pose depending on what weapon they are equipped with.
Support character[]
Basch appears as an NPC ally in the Nalbina Fortress prologue. If slain, he will still appear in cutscenes (and his Quickening will still activate for Remora), and reappear when moving to a new area or loading a save file. Basch acts as the tutorial, familiarizing the player (in control of Reks) to the ways of playing the game.
Stats[]
| Name | Stat |
|---|---|
| Level | 20 |
| Weak | ― |
| Target Info | Yes |
| Max HP | 1,300 |
| Max MP | 300 |
| Strength | 25 |
| Magick Power | 11 |
| Vitality | 48 |
| Speed | 23 |
| Attack Power | 24 |
| Defense | 2 |
| Magick Resist | 14 |
| Evade | 22 |
| Magick Evade | 10 |
Final Fantasy XII original[]
Initial data[]
| Name | Initial Stats |
|---|---|
| Level | Vaan's level +2[note 1] |
| LP | ― |
| Magicks/Technicks | ― |
| Items | ― |
| Gil | 0 |
| Gambits | 1. Foe: party leader's target ⇛ Attack 2. Foe: nearest visible ⇛ Attack |
- ↑ Parameters recalculated upon entering North-South Junction of Barheim Passage
Initial equipment[]
| Category | Name | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon | Army Sword | Sword, Attack Power +21, Evade +5, CT 35, Multiple Hits 5 |
| Off-Hand | ― | ― |
| Helm | Bronze Helm | Magick Resist +6, Strength +2 |
| Armor | Bronze Armor | Defense +7, Strength +2 |
| Accessory | Tourmaline Ring | Immune: Poison |
Zodiac versions[]
Initial data[]
| Name | Initial Stats |
|---|---|
| Level | Vaan's level +2[note 1] |
| LP | ― |
| Magicks/Technicks | ― |
| Items | ― |
| Gil | 0 |
| Gambits | 1. Foe: party leader's target ⇛ Attack 2. Foe: nearest visible ⇛ Attack |
- ↑ Parameters recalculated upon entering North-South Junction of Barheim Passage
Initial equipment[]
| Category | Name | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon | Army Sword | Sword, Attack Power +22, Evade +5, CT 30, Multiple Hits 13 |
| Off-Hand | ― | ― |
| Helm | Bronze Helm | Magick Resist +5, Strength +2 |
| Armor | Bronze Armor | Defense +7, Strength +2 |
| Accessory | ― | ― |
Player character[]
Fulminating Darkness.
Despite using his level 1 Quickening (Fulminating Darkness) in the prologue, and being seen dispatching enemies with a bow in the battle at Nalbina Fortress, Basch joins with neither of these licenses.
Final Fantasy XII original[]
Initial data[]
| Name | Initial Stats |
|---|---|
| Level | Vaan's level +2 |
| LP | Vaan's LP -100 |
| Magicks/Technicks | ― |
| Items | ― |
| Gil | 0 |
| Gambits | 1. Foe: party leader's target ⇛ Attack 2. Foe: nearest visible ⇛ Attack |
Initial licenses[]
Initial equipment[]
As a guest, Basch is not equipped with anything until the player reaches the North-South Junction of Barheim Passage, and thus will fight unarmed.
| Category | Name | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon | Mythril Blade | Sword, Attack Power +22, Evade +5, CT 35, Multiple Hits 5 |
| Off-Hand | ― | ― |
| Helm | Bronze Helm | Magick Resist +6, Strength +1 |
| Armor | Bronze Armor | Defense +7, Strength +2 |
| Accessory | Tourmaline Ring | Immune: Poison |
Stats[]
Basch has the same set of stats as a guest and as a permanent party member.
| Level | HP | MP | Strength | Magick Power | Vitality | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 138-145 | 19-22 | 26 | 21 | 20 | 23 |
| 10 | 306-340 | 28-37 | 30 | 23 | 22 | 24 |
| 20 | 673-772 | 46-68 | 35 | 27 | 25 | 25 |
| 30 | 1,146-1,330 | 64-99 | 40 | 31 | 28 | 26 |
| 40 | 1,593-1,858 | 86-139 | 46 | 35 | 31 | 28 |
| 50 | 2,307-2,706 | 105-172 | 51 | 39 | 34 | 29 |
| 60 | 2,93-3,453 | 122-203 | 56 | 43 | 36 | 30 |
| 70 | 3,294-3,873 | 132-225 | 62 | 47 | 39 | 31 |
| 80 | 3,706-4,359 | 149-247 | 67 | 51 | 42 | 33 |
| 90 | 4,269-5,025 | 157-260 | 72 | 55 | 45 | 34 |
| 99 | 4,903-6,347 | 161-264 | 77 | 58 | 47 | 35 |
Zodiac versions[]
Initial data[]
| Name | Initial Stats |
|---|---|
| Level | Vaan's level +2 |
| LP | Vaan's LP -21 |
| Magicks/Technicks | ― |
| Items | ― |
| Gil | 0 |
| Gambits | 1. Foe: party leader's target ⇛ Attack 2. Foe: nearest visible ⇛ Attack |
Initial licenses[]
| Name | Permits use of |
|---|---|
| Command | Attack, Items |
| Libra | Libra |
| Swords 2 | Longsword, Iron Sword |
| Shields 1 | Leather Shield, Buckler |
| Heavy Armor 1 | Leather Helm, Bronze Helm, Leather Armor, Bronze Armor |
Initial equipment[]
As a guest, Basch is not equipped with anything until the player reaches the North-South Junction of Barheim Passage, and thus will fight unarmed.
| Category | Name | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon | Mythril Blade | Sword, Attack Power +23, Evade +5, CT 30, Multiple Hits 5 |
| Off-Hand | ― | ― |
| Helm | Bronze Helm | Magick Resist +6, Strength +2 |
| Armor | Bronze Armor | Defense +7, Strength +2 |
| Accessory | ― | ― |
Stats[]
Basch has the same set of stats as a guest and as a permanent party member.
| Level | HP | MP | Strength | Magick Power | Vitality | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 139-146 | 31-38 | 26 | 21 | 20 | 23 |
| 10 | 304-338 | 56-79 | 30 | 24 | 22 | 24 |
| 20 | 667-765 | 102-161 | 35 | 28 | 25 | 25 |
| 30 | 1,133-1,315 | 150-245 | 41 | 33 | 28 | 26 |
| 40 | 1,574-1,836 | 209-351 | 46 | 37 | 31 | 28 |
| 50 | 2,279-2,672 | 259-439 | 51 | 41 | 34 | 29 |
| 60 | 2,900-3,409 | 306-521 | 57 | 46 | 36 | 30 |
| 70 | 3,253-3,824 | 341-580 | 62 | 50 | 39 | 31 |
| 80 | 3,660-4,303 | 376-638 | 68 | 55 | 42 | 33 |
| 90 | 4,215-4,960 | 400-673 | 73 | 59 | 45 | 34 |
| 99 | 4,841-5,703 | 410-684 | 78 | 63 | 47 | 35 |
Equipment[]
Basch's default weapon is the Mythril Blade, which is not available in shops. In the original version, the player can never reclaim it if sold, but in the Zodiac versions, additional Mythril Blades can be stolen from the Flowering Cactoid in Trial Mode. The game ignores Basch's weapon slot in story cutscenes where he wields a weapon, always wielding the Mythril Blade. Basch's Mythril Blade plays a small storyline role: Dalan gives the blade to Vaan as a quest item, then called "the Sword of the Order", signifying it the traditional weapon of the Knights of Dalmasca. Vaan delivers the blade to a man named "Azelas" in town, who turns out to be Vossler. Vossler passes the sword to Basch, who joins the main party with the blade equipped. Before this, he fought barehanded until picking up the Flimsy Blade from a deceased soldier.
Quests[]
Basch hosts the tutorial in the beginning of the game. He is an uncontrollable ally, similar to the supports sent by Clan Centurio on some Elite Hunts. He teaches the player some game mechanics on how to get started with playing the game. During the boss battle against Air Cutter Remora, Basch always uses his Fulminating Darkness Quickening.
Basch in his pilfered clothes.
Later on, Basch joins as a guest at the beginning of Barheim Passage, dressed in his prisoner's garb. He has nothing equipped and thus fights unarmed. After coming across a dead body, Basch pilfers their clothes and gains the Flimsy Blade for a weapon. His appearance changes for the rest of the Barheim Passage dungeon and the Dalmasca Estersand thereafter, and he fights with a blade. Basch as a guest partakes in the boss battle against the Mimic Queen.
When the party reaches Rabanastre, everyone disbands. Vaan can pick up a Mythril Blade from old Dalan and take it to Lowtown to start a scene where Basch joins as a permanent party member, wielding the Mythril Blade. Finding Balthier and Fran at the Sandsea tavern assembles a permanent four-member party.
Extra scene in the Pharos battle if Basch is in the battle party.
Basch stays with the party from then on. In the battle aboard Shiva, the boss focuses on attacking Basch if he is in the active party. In the battle against Gabranth atop Pharos, Basch has an extended scene if he is in the active party when Gabranth's health drops to 50%. In the rematch aboard Bahamut, Gabranth focuses on attacking Basch if he is in the active party, otherwise, he focuses on whoever draws the most enmity.
Behind the scenes[]
Basch's hair is glitched in the PlayStation 4 version of the The Zodiac Age (for the red-vested model used for majority of the game), as it never moves like the others'. This is fixed in the PC, Xbox and Switch versions.