The party with Shroud effects.
Shrouds (リザーブスモーク, Rizābu Sumōku?, lit. Reserve Smokes) is a special class of consumable items in Final Fantasy XIII that bestow temporary benefits on the party if they enter a battle while under its effect. Shrouds are used by pressing 
/
on the field and are unavailable during battle. The effects stack, so multiple shrouds can be used at once. The shroud effects last for 30 seconds and the shroud icon will begin to blink three seconds before the effects expire.
Shroud list[]
| Name | Effect | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Fortisol | Casts Bravery, Faith, and Haste at the start of battle. | 12,000 |
| Aegisol | Casts Protect, Shell, Veil, and Vigilance at start of battle. | 12,000 |
| Deceptisol | Makes the party difficult for passing enemies to detect. | 30,000 |
| Ethersol | Restores the party's TP. | Unpurchasable |
Most shrouds are obtained from treasure chests or from enemies as drops. In the last chapter a new shop in the Retail Network, Eden Pharmaceuticals, opens up, which sells all shrouds except the Ethersol. It is also possible to obtain shrouds by dismantling pieces of equipment at the upgrade screen. One way to farm Ethersol is to purchase a Speed Sash from Moogleworks for 10,000 gil and level it up to star level, upgrade it with a Mnar Stone, level it up to star level again, and dismantle for an Ethersol and some change.
The effects of Fortisol and Aegisol last 300 seconds, and can be extended with the Synergist's Boon ability. Deceptisol allows for an easy Preemptive Strike on a group of enemies. Deceptisol can also be manipulated with the Retry option; if a player uses a shroud, enters a battle while under its effect, and cancels out of the battle with the Retry option, the player gets the shroud back as if they had never used one. The player can respawn on the other side of the enemy, and thus pass them without having to expend the Deceptisol.
Deceptisol is mentioned in the Brain Blast quiz in Final Fantasy XIII-2, where it is revealed that in the in-universe film MI: Sahagin, the hero uses a Deceptisol to get past the security system without alerting his enemies.
Drop rate[]
| Rank | Shroud Drop Rate |
|---|---|
| 5-3 Stars | Normal |
| 2 Stars | 2x |
| 1 Star | 4x |
| 0 Stars | 8x |
- Pulse Vestige - 12%
- Lake Bresha - 8%
- Vile Peaks - 6%
- Gapra Whitewood - 1%
- Sunleth Waterscape - 3%
- Palumpolum - 2.5%
- Nautilus - 1.25%
- Palamecia - 1.25%
- Fifth Ark - 1%
- Gran Pulse - 0.3%
- Eden - 0.38%
- Orphan's Cradle - 0.13%.
Drop rates are universal throughout each area except the Pulse Vestige, where a few enemies exceed 12%. Each individual enemy group has its own obtainable shroud type. Aegisols cannot be obtained until reaching the Vile Peaks. Bosses and enemies in the Hanging Edge don't drop shrouds, and no enemies drop Ethersols.
Because of this, players can easily accumulate shrouds earlier in the game, where getting 0 stars in the battle rating within the Pulse Vestige yields a drop rate of at least 96%. The probability of dropping a shroud will increase if the player equips the Survivalist Catalog.