Cloudy in Giza Plains in Final Fantasy XII.
Weather (天候, Tenkou?) is a natural phenomenon in several Final Fantasy games. While it has appeared in earlier games as a cosmetic effect, in later games it is an actual gameplay mechanic, often affecting the potency of elemental attacks, or the creatures that appear in the area.
Appearances
Final Fantasy XI
Template:Sideicon Weather can affect most areas in Vana'diel. There are twenty types of weather, sixteen related to the eight elements:
- Fire: Hot spells/Heat waves
- Earth: Dust storms/Sand storms
- Water: Rains/Squalls
- Wind: Winds/Gales
- Ice: Snow/Blizzards
- Lightning: Thunder/Thunderstorms
- Light: Auroras/Stellar glare
- Dark: Gloom/Miasma
There are also four other weather conditions unrelated to elements: fair, sunshine, cloudy and foggy. While these conditions usually are only used to imply a lack of elemental weather conditions, the foggy elemental condition can cause bombs and Poroggo to appear. Weather can be predicted by non-player characters with the official weather Linkshell. These NPCs are usually wearing white cloaks.
Weather effects
Elemental weather has approximately a 1/3 chance to add a 10% bonus to the power of corresponding elemental spells, by player or by enemy. As an example, Fire or Fireball would have a chance to be increased in power during a hot spell. Enhancement spells such as Enfire or Blaze Spikes will also have their effects have a chance to deal more damage. In addition, Skillchains with the relevant element, such as Fusion or Liquefaction, also have a chance to be increased in power.
An elemental Obi, obtainable via a quest, overrides the "chance" of the effect occurring, allowing for a constant 10% bonus during the relevant elemental effect or day of the week. Weather also has a chance to have the same effects on the element it is strong against, only in the opposite manner. Continuing the example, any ice spells or related skillchains would have a chance to take a 10% penalty towards damage.
In addition, many pieces of equipment have a Latent Effect based on the current weather. Fulfilling these weather requirements allows for their full potential to be harnessed. Most Elementals also spawn only during their related weather effect. Chocobo digging during weather effects also gives a chance of the chocobo digging up a crystal of the same element as the weather effect.
Weather spells
Scholars are capable of replicating the effects of any weather condition, using their Storm spells on allies to grant them weather conditions as necessary to grant benefits to the elemental spells they're casting, or to automatically trigger weather-based Latent Effects on equipment.
Final Fantasy XII
Template:Sideicon Template:See Also Weather is a phenomenon and depending on the current weather conditions, certain Magick elements and weapons behave differently. Certain enemies are only seen during specific weather conditions. Some enemies have the Ignore Weather passive ability, which makes them immune to weather and terrain effects, and the player can achieve the same by equipping the Agate Ring. The player may speak with Weather Eye to determine when the weather within the Giza Plains will change.
Elemental effects
| Weather / Terrain | Fire | Ice | Thunder | Water | Wind | Earth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny | ||||||
| Cloudy | ||||||
| Sunny / Cloudy (strong winds) | x1.2 | x0.5 | x1.2 | |||
| Rain | x0.5 | x1.2 | ||||
| Rain (strong winds) / Heavy Rain | x0.6 | x1.2 | x0.5 | x1.2 | ||
| Foggy / Dense Fog | x1.2 | |||||
| Snow / Snowstorm | x1.2 | x1.2 | x0.5 | x1.2 | ||
| Sandstorm | x1.2 | x0.5 | x1.2 | x1.2 | ||
| Sand Terrain | x1.2 | |||||
| Water Terrain | x1.2 | x1.2 | x0.5 | |||
| Snow Terrain | x1.2 |
The effects of Sand Terrain and Sandstorm do not stack.
Weapon effects
Windy weather reduces the accuracy of bows and crossbows. Bows and crossbows will work poorly during Windy, Heavy Rain, Blizzard and Sandstorm.
Field effects
In addition to these effects, there are also a number of field effects that occur during certain battles, such as when the player is fighting against Ultima. In the Zodiac versions, these effects are also present during certain stages of Trial Mode.
- HP Drain - Characters lose 1% of maximum HP three times every second
- MP Drain - Characters lose 2% of maximum MP three times every second
- Attack command disabled
- Magick command disabled
- Technick command disabled
- Item command disabled
- Magnetic field - Charge time will increase for characters that are using metallic equipment.
Gallery
Final Fantasy XIII
Template:Sideicon
Vanille standing next to a Climate Control Orb.
A device that makes bad weather.
Sazh commenting on the climate control orb.
These spheres modulates precipitation levels in the surrounding area.
Certain indigenous fauna exhibit rain-shy behavior, taking cover during storms. However, inducing showers can result in encounter with otherwise elusive hydrophilic wildlife.Game Information
Climate Control Orb is a mechanism that changes weather in the Sunleth Waterscape. These orbs are strategically placed to allow players to change the weather between parts of the area in an attempt to avoid the more difficult battles against opponents like the Wyvern or the Scalebeast.
The weather also appears to randomly change on Archylte Steppe between sunny and cloudy, although this has no effect on gameplay, apart from affecting what kind of wool the sheep give. Accepting a mission from the Cie'th Stone circle triggers a cutscene with Titan which makes dust blow across the plains, but this has no effect on gameplay either.
Final Fantasy XIII-2
Template:Sideicon A tribe of hunting nomads on the Archylte Steppe has a device which can change weather. Each change brings about different music and monsters. The four types of weather are: "rainy", "sunny", "thunder", and "cloudy". An achievement/trophy called "Big Game Hunter" requires defeating the most powerful enemies from each weather type—Long Gui (Sunny), Ochu (Rainy), Immortal (Cloudy) and Yomi (Stormy). Some cactuar tablets only appear during certain weather conditions, and sheep are found roaming the plains in cloudy weather only. Interestingly, stormy weather makes only Cie'th to appear on the plains and causes other monsters to hide.
Other areas also have weather conditions, but their change is dictated by the storyline. It first rains sometime after the player arrives at the Bresha Ruins 5 AF and defeats Paradox Alpha, but after having defeated Atlas, the rain stops. The Bresha Ruins 300 AF and Vile Peaks 10 AF have snowfall, which also changes the characters' appearance on the field, the tops of their heads and parts of their equipment turn white from the snow. Academia 400 AF is in a continual state of rain during the game. When it rains, rain drops appear on the player's screen, like droplets on a camera lens.
Final Fantasy XIV
Template:Sideicon
Umbral Wind in the Sea of Clouds.
Weather in will randomly change between sunny, rainy, and stormy.
In A Realm Reborn, weather is marked by an icon on the mini-map, and may change every eight hours, at midnight, 8:00 AM, or 4:00 PM Eorzean time. Cutscenes in outdoor areas will depict the current weather and time-of-day. While it has no direct effect on battles or crafting, weather can affect conditions needed for fishing or completing the Sightseeing Log.
Patch 2.35 added Skywatcher NPCs that can provide a 24-hour forecast for a given area. In the overworld the weather may change in 8 hour periods, at 12:02am, 8:02am and 4:02pm (the sole exception to this rule is Tension, which overrides the current weather whenever Odin is present).
In instanced duties the weather is generally constant, however there are certain times that the weather may change, for example once the player reaches the final boss of a dungeon.
Types of weather conditions:
| Weather | Description |
|---|---|
| Clear Skies | Clear skies with no clouds. Visibility is very good. |
| Sunshine | Partially cloudy but otherwise sunny/moonlit. Visibility is very good. |
| Clouds | Grey clouds dominating the sky. Visibility is good. |
| Fog | Thick fog permeates the landscape. Visibility is very poor. |
| Wind | High winds stir particles. Visibility remains fair. Occurs only in La Noscea. |
| Gales | Very high winds. Visibility moderate. Occurs only in Western La Noscea. |
| Rain | Light rain falls in the area. Visibility is moderate. |
| Showers | Heavy drifting rain pours in the area. Visibility is reduced. |
| Thunder | Stormy clouds punctuated with lightning. No rain. Visibility is moderate. |
| Thunderstorms | Stormy clouds with heavy rainfall. Visibility is poor. |
| Dust Storms | A thick sandstorm covers the area. Visibility is very poor. Occurs only in Central Thanalan. |
| Heat Waves | High heat leaves an orange haze. Visibility is good. Occurs only in Southern Thanalan. |
| Snow | Snow flurries fall in the area. Visibility poor. Usually occurs only in Coerthas; will also appear in the three cities and their housing districts during the Starlight Celebration. |
| Blizzards | Snowstorm and winds blankets the area. Visibility very poor. Occurs only in Coerthas. |
| Gloom | Sky turns purple with a distorted purple mist. Visibility is reduced. Occurs only in Mor Dhona. |
| Tension | Black fog with ethereal light particles fills the area. Occurs only in the Black Shroud when Odin is present. |
In addition, Chocobo Racing features weather effects.
Final Fantasy XV
Template:Sideicon
Rain.
Weather affects the characters' appearance on the field; in rain the party's hair and clothes get a damp look. The Hair Gel accessory bought from the market in Lestallum stops the characters' hair from changing with the weather.
Weather has a tactical impact on battle conditions, with different types of Elemancy magic having varying effects. Using fire on a clear day, for example, will not only hurt monsters, but also ignite the surrounding area. Weather is random, but depends on the region. It rarely rains in Leide, being a desert, whereas rains in the north of Cleigne, in the Vesperpool, are common.
Hair in the rain.
Some monsters only appear during the rain, such as the Gigantoad. This also affects some hunts. The Regalia automatically puts up its hood when it starts raining. If the player sets up camp in the rain they won't get a "sitting around the fire" camping scene, as the party won't want to spend time outside in bad weather.
The weather also affects the fishing minigame, as lures work depending on whether it is clear skies, rainy or cloudy. The characters might complain about it being cold when it rains, and Gladiolus will advise Noctis to put on his jacket if he is not wearing one, but it won't affect gameplay.
Final Fantasy Tactics
Template:Sideicon
Weather conditions affect ranged weapons' accuracy and elemental damage. In stormy weather the accuracy of bows and crossbows is reduced, and during rain Lightning attacks are more powerful, and fire weakened. For random encounterd the weather varies between seasons dictated by the calendar, but set battles have fixed weather conditions.
Final Fantasy Type-0
Template:Sideicon With the exception of normal weather, all weather has an effect on battle. Some accessories nullify weather effects, but do not correct the negative effects the weather puts on King's ranged attacks. The enemies that appear in battle sometimes depend on the weather; when enemies are influenced by the weather, there will be a change to damage amount depending on the type of weather.
| Weather Impacts | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Fire | Ice | Lightning | Water | Earth | Wind | King's Gun | Lock-On Distances |
| Normal | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 40m |
| Fog | 50% | 113% | 100% | 150% | 100% | 25% | 100% | 10m |
| Snow Storm | 6% | 150% | 25% | 25% | 100% | 150% | Decreases | 10m |
| HP reduces at a rate of 3.75 per second apart from when standing still. | ||||||||
| Snow | 25% | 113% | 50% | 50% | 100% | 100% | Decreases | 40m |
| Sandstorm | 100% | 25% | 13% | 13% | 100% | 200% | 100% | 10m |
| Heat Wave | 150% | 6% | 100% | 6% | 100% | 50% | 100% | 40m |
| HP reduces at a rate of 2.8 per second apart from when doing nothing. | ||||||||
| Heavy Rain | 13% | 50% | 398% | 100% | 13% | Decreases | 10m | |
| Rain | 25% | 100% | 113% | 200% | 100% | 25% | Decreases | 40m |
In the town of Amiter, tonberries only appear when the town is shrouded in fog.
Template:Recurring elements Template:FFXI Template:FFXII Template:FFXIII Template:FFXIV Template:Type0