Town

A town (町, Machi?) is a game element in the Final Fantasy series, where the player can rest, revive party members, buy armor, items, weapons or magic spells, hear rumors and various information given by NPCs or even catch ferries to other areas. Towns are often in the heroes' way to their goal, and are crucial on quests, since various events necessary for the story to progress may take place in these areas.

They are usually accessed via world map and are void of random encounters, although boss battles may occur in towns. Most notable exceptions are where town areas may also serve as playable areas with monster encounters as in Final Fantasy VIII depending on when the town is visited in the game and Final Fantasy XIII where every town is treated nearly equal as dungeons. Some towns may be located near castles, or castles may even be towns themselves. In few cases, access into towns is restricted until a certain point in the game. Also certain visitable "towns" only serve as ruins, now devoid of their once ancient civilization.

The usual background music for towns in early installments of the series had each game's own staple town theme, which is usually a calm and peaceful melody. Beginning with Final Fantasy VII each town began to have more various musical variations, with many having their own themes that played only when that certain town were to be visited giving it more of a unique motif that separated it from other towns.

Appearances[edit | edit source]

Final Fantasy[edit | edit source]

Towns are home to inns, weapon, magic, armor and item shops and churches. Saving was only possible by sleeping at an inn, or using a Tent or similar item, until the Dawn of Souls version.

Final Fantasy II[edit | edit source]

Saving is no longer available by sleeping at an inn, since the player can now save anywhere on the world map. Shops can be found inside dungeons (Tropical Island has an indigenous village, while Jade Passage has a hidden shop in the waterfall room).

Final Fantasy III[edit | edit source]

Towns now have different background themes and a complete town can be found inside a dungeon. Properties of towns can also be found inside airships.

Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy IV: The After Years[edit | edit source]

Towns without an inn exist and castle-towns also appear.

Final Fantasy V[edit | edit source]

Towns no longer have one building/room per merchant. The world is divided in three world maps, and not all towns are available in each world.

Final Fantasy VI[edit | edit source]

Many towns are featured, some of which approach city size. Zozo is a town that is actually more of a dungeon, as it has puzzles and random encounters and no shops. Narshe becomes a dungeon in the World of Ruin, having random encounters and the shops are no longer available.

Final Fantasy VII[edit | edit source]

Numerous larger towns and cities are featured. Midgar and Junon are so large sections of them could be considered towns on their own.

Midgar (Slums, Wall Market, and Sectors)
Kalm
Fort Condor
Junon
Costa del Sol
North Corel
Gold Saucer
Gongaga Village
Cosmo Canyon
Nibelheim
Rocket Town
Wutai
Bone Village
Icicle Inn
Mideel

Final Fantasy VIII[edit | edit source]

In addition to the usual facilities, one can also rent cars in most towns.

Final Fantasy IX[edit | edit source]

There are many towns in which technological advances vary and house different races of people. Burmecia is a perpetually rain-drenched town that plays like a dungeon as it is full of random encounters.

Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2[edit | edit source]

Few towns are featured, due to Spira being under constant threat of Sin. In place of more traditional towns it has numerous outposts referred to as Rin's travel agencies, which contained inns, shops, and save spheres.

Towns[edit | edit source]

Travel Agency Locations[edit | edit source]

Final Fantasy XI[edit | edit source]

Cities are very large and feature auction houses, specialized vendors for all the player's needs, guards which start the player on missions, craftsmen who can teach the player various professions, as well as the player's Mog House, where they can change their jobs and which they can decorate to their liking. There are also smaller towns which lack the Auction Houses and Mog House, and have a smaller selection of vendors and craftsmen, but are still valuable as sanctuaries in the field.

Cities[edit | edit source]

Towns[edit | edit source]

Final Fantasy XII[edit | edit source]

The towns are large, with several areas for the player to explore, and are mostly densely populated. While residences are not available for the player to access, shops are generally dotted around the location, and several contain bars or taverns in which the player can observe the Hunt board.

Final Fantasy XIII[edit | edit source]

There are no traditional towns featured, as such each are equivalent of dungeons with enemy encounters, and Gran Pulse lacks modern human civilization leaving towns dead. Shops have been replaced by the online market, and the party is fully healed after each battle, doing away with the need for inns. There are few instances of explorable areas that lack enemy encounters such as the Lindblum airship, Bartholomew Estheim's residence, and so on. However at most towns are treated nearly the same as dungeons with their only difference being that on Cocoon towns contain Human NPC's that offer dialogue when approached.

Cocoon[edit | edit source]

Gran Pulse[edit | edit source]

Paddra
Oerba

Final Fantasy XIII-2[edit | edit source]

Several town areas are now distinguishable by the absence of random encounters and a relatively greater presence of NPCs. As locations show different landscapes and accessible areas between different ages, town areas are not persistent in every instance of a location.

New Bodhum -003 AF-
Bresha Ruins -005 AF- (Excavation Site)
Paddraean Archaeopolis (Excavation Site)
Archylte Steppe -??? AF- (Hunters Settlement)
Academia -4XX AF-
Serendipity

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII[edit | edit source]

The world Nova Chrysalia has two city continents and two natural continents. There are several towns on two natural continents. Depending on the time of day different areas are available.

Final Fantasy XIV[edit | edit source]

Nearly every region features at least one small settlement that contain varying amounts of amenities, such as Aetherytes, porters, levemetes, mail, merchants, and menders. There are also the larger cities, housing districts and endgame hubs that mostly exist in their own separate instance. These feature most or all the prior amenities as well as services that can only be found within their bounds.

Cities provide access to Market Boards, hunt boards, Grand Companies, Guilds, retainers, inns, and airship or naval travel between them, and are the most frequently visited locations in the story. New players will start in the cities of Limsa Lominsa, Ul'dah, or Gridania depending on their initial discipline. Housing districts play host to several plots on which both individual players and Free Companies can build customizable houses or purchase an apartment, and also have market board and retainer access. Endgame hubs are smaller cities or towns that provide access to specialized vendors that trade in Allagan Tomestones and other tokens, in exchange for the majority of each expansion cycle's endgame equipment, in addition to boasting retainer access. These hubs can typically only be accessed near the end of that expansion's main storyline.

Cities[edit | edit source]

Housing districts[edit | edit source]

Endgame hubs[edit | edit source]

Final Fantasy XV[edit | edit source]

Few large towns exists in Eos. Despite this Lucis mainland does harbor many outposts, which function similar to towns. The low number of separate large settlements is likely influenced by the Starscourge and daemons it brings, making it dangerous to travel at night and not worthwhile to expand living areas to remote places.

Towns[edit | edit source]

Outposts[edit | edit source]

Final Fantasy Tactics[edit | edit source]

Towns are not explorable, but have shops, recruitment offices and pubs where the player can listen to rumors and undertake errands. Battles can initiate in towns during story segments.