The Bestiary (ハントカタログ, Hanto Katarogu?) is an option in the Clan Primer in Final Fantasy XII that provides the player with detailed descriptions of the enemies slain. After the first enemy of a particular type is killed, it will appear in the bestiary.
Completing the bestiary by killing every foe once adds a sprite of Ba'Gamnan in the Sky Pirate's Den and awards the "Scrivener" trophy/achievement in The Zodiac Age. Completing the bestiary is considered the most difficult trophy to earn as some are difficult to spawn and several of the Espers and bosses are taxing to defeat (most notably Yiazmat).
To fill the bestiary completely, the player needs to kill at least one of every normal enemy, and defeat all Hunts and Rare Game (trophy Rare Game included). Chocobos and the different types of humanoid enemies (i.e. bangaa, seeq, etc) all share the same bestiary entry, so the player does not need to find every variation. The enemies not needed for bestiary completion are the final bosses and the enemies in the very last dungeon (accessed past the point of no return), as well as the Trial Stage 100 enemies in the Zodiac versions. The player can fill the bestiary by either fighting in the normal game, or in the Trial Mode.
Some enemies have extra lore entries in their bestiary that can be unlocked by killing a specific number of them. Enemies that potentially can only be encountered once (i.e. Marks, Espers, trophy Rare Game, and named members of the Archadian Empire) do not have such entries.
The bestiary in the PlayStation 2 versions shows illustrations of the enemies, but The Zodiac Age version shows 3D models instead.
Entries[]
Area entries[]
This includes every regular enemy. Once a certain number of an enemy has been defeated, an extra page will be unlocked in the enemy's entry giving more detailed information. 78 of these extra entries make up Sage Knowledge, background information on all of Ivalice. The remainder make the collections of Aletap Rumors, A Curious Treasure, Research Notes, and The Town Crier.
The Dalmasca Sands[]
Giza Plains[]
- Hyena b
- Wooly Gator
- Happy Bunny a b
- Great Tortoise
- Sleipnir
- Silicon Tortoise
- Wildsnake
- Werewolf
- Urstrix
- Storm Elemental
- Slaven
- Mardu Entite
Garamsythe Waterway[]
Barheim Passage[]
- Steeling
- Suriander
- Mimic
- Zombie b
- Tiny Mimic b
- Skeleton
- Battery Mimic
- Specter
- Tiny Battery
- Mimeo
- Flan
- Skull Defender
- Bomb
- Dead Bones
Lhusu Mines[]
Yensan Sandsea[]
Tomb of Raithwall[]
Ozmone Plains[]
Golmore Jungle[]
Henne Mines[]
Paramina Rift[]
- White Wolf
- Twintania
- Lizard
- Emperor Aevis
- Garuda-Egi b
- Dark Skeleton
- Slaven Warder
- Skull Knight
- Yeti
- Ice Elemental b
- Wild Onion
- Leshach Entite
Stilshrine of Miriam[]
- Redmaw
- Zombie Warrior
- Blood Gigas
- Nightwalker b c
- Dragon Aevis
- Ghoul
- Darkmare
- Facer
- Balloon
- Miriam Guardian
- Oiling
- Miriam Facer
- Ghast
- Crystalbug b c
Mosphoran Highwaste[]
Salikawood[]
Phon Coast[]
Tchita Uplands[]
Sochen Cave Palace[]
The Feywood[]
- Cerberus
- Deadly Nightshade
- Mu
- Mandragora Prince
- Basilisk
- Alraune King
- Behemoth
- Onion Queen
- Preying Mantis
- Pumpkin Star
- Golem
- Topstalk
- Mirrorknight
- Holy Elemental
- Tartarus
Giruvegan[]
- Ose
- Shadonir
- Giruveganus
- Skulwyrm
- Vivian
- Forbidden
- Gargoyle Baron
- Reaper
- Mom Bomb
- Mythril Golem
- Necrophobe
- Diakon Entite
Ridorana Cataract[]
The Pharos[]
- Abaddon b
- Chimera Brain
- Bune
- Magick Pot
- Reaver b
- Crusader
- Aeronite
- Dragon Lich
- Cataract Aevis
- Brainpan
- Purobolos
- Deidar
- Mistmare
- Undin Entite
Zertinan Caverns[]
Cerobi Steppe[]
Nabreus Deadlands[]
Necrohol of Nabudis[]
Mark entries[]
Entries on all the marks that the player has hunted, including their hunt rank.
- Rogue Tomato
- Atomos
- Thextera
- Roblon
- Flowering Cactoid
- Braegh
- Wraith
- Darksteel
- Nidhogg
- Vyraal
- White Mousse
- Lindwyrm
- Ring Wyrm
- Overlord
- Wyvern Lord
- Goliath
- Marilith
- Deathscythe
- Enkelados
- Deathgaze
- Croakadile
- Diabolos
- Ixtab
- Piscodaemon
- Feral Retriever
- Wild Malboro
- Vorpal Bunny
- Catoblepas
- Mindflayer
- Fafnir
- Bloodwing
- Pylraster
Elite Mark entries[]
Entries on all the elite marks the player has hunted, including their hunt rank. Some of these entries are references to previous Final Fantasy games.
- Chickatrice
- Cluckatrice
- Rocktoise
- Orthros
- Gil Snapper
- Trickster
- Antlion
- Carrot
- Gilgamesh
- Enkidu
- Behemoth King
- Ixion
- Pandaemonium
- Slyt
- Fenrir
- Phoenix
- Shadowseer
- Yiazmat
Esper entries[]
Entries on all 13 Espers, once they have been defeated. Each entry gives some backstory of the war between the gods and the Espers.
- Belias
- Exodus
- Chaos
- Cúchulainn
- Zalera
- Shemhazai
- Zeromus
- Adrammelech
- Hashmal
- Famfrit
- Ultima
- Mateus
- Zodiark
Boss entries[]
These are entries on bosses the player has defeated. These entries only have one page, but whenever the player defeats a new boss, Montblanc gives the player a reward (except for Omega Mark XII).
- Firemane
- Rafflesia
- Mimic Queen
- Daedalus
- Ba'Gamnan b c d
- Tyrant
- Demon Wall
- Hydro
- Tiamat
- Earth Tyrant
- Elder Wyrm
- Fury
- Vinuskar
- Humbaba Mistant
- King Bomb
- Hell Wyrm
- Ahriman
- Omega Mark XII
—. Vossler
Rare Game entries[]
A list of all 80 rare monsters, including their number.
- Aspidochelon
- Aerieel
- Thalassinon
- Anubys
- Greeden
- Barmuu
- Bull Croc
- Vishno
- Gavial
- Etherian
- Wary Wolf
- Melt
- Kaiser Wolf
- Cubus
- Lindbur Wolf
- Pineapple
- Dreadguard
- Bombshell
- Crypt Bunny
- Megabomb
- Spee
- Matriarch Bomb
- Rain Dancer
- Ripe Rampager
- Razorfin
- Killbug
- Apsara
- Minibug
- Rageclaw
- Ithuno
- Biding Mantis
- Kris
- Wood Toad
- Dheed
- Tarasque
- Aeros
- Grimalkin
- Terror Tyrant
- Nekhbet
- Abelisk
- Glaring Eye
- Dustia
- Cultsworn Lich
- Ishteen
- Evil Spirit
- Vorres
- Juggernaut
- Negalmuur
- Molen
- Larva Eater
- Tower
- Arioch
- Grey Molter
- Fideliant
- Midgardsormr
- Crystal Knight
- Nazarnir
- Grave Lord
- Victanir
- Zombie Lord
- Gemhorn
- Drowned
- Luxollid
- Velelu
- Vagrant Soul
- Disma
- Imdugud
- Ancbolder
- Bull Chocobo
- Wendice
- Skullash
- Anchag
- Myath
- Bluesang
- Helvinek
- Avenger
- Pallicant
- Alteci
- Phyllo
- Urutan Exile
Humanoid entries[]
These are entries on humanoid enemies the player has defeated. Only enemies will count (red dots on minimap); killing one that is classed as an ally (green dot) will not. Of those classed as enemies, some are docile so the player must initiate combat. Each entry has a five-page story to unlock, similar to the one-page entries of regular area monsters. The number of required kills listed in game is that needed to unlock only the next page in the set.
Archadian Empire entries[]
These are entries on members of the Archadian Empire's military that the player has defeated. In practice, this entire section will be completed naturally by the time the player has completed the events at the Pharos.
- Imperial a b c d e
- Judge Ghis
- Imperial Elite a b c d
- Judge Bergan
- Imperial Armament a b c d e
- Judge Gabranth
- Doctor Cid
—. Vayne
—. Vayne Novus
—. Sephira
—. The Undying
Behind the scenes[]
The bestiary text was localized with Victorian-era characterization, but reads like "a dry high school Biology textbook" in Japanese, as described by the translators Joseph Reeder and Alexander O. Smith.[1] Alexander O. Smith pored over Victorian-era medical textbooks to emulate their style when describing the creatures in the bestiary.[2]