Chapter 9 - Callings

Walkthrough

Chapter 9 marks the start of the final 3rd of the game and from here on out the game does incredibly little to slow down from here on out as our group of heroes get closer and closer to their goal: saving the world.

Altissia, City on the Sea

To kick things off in the chapter we’re left with mostly plot building throughout the chapter and it will start off with you and your friends travelling via boat to the city that floats on the sea. There’s a distance of 6 miles to traverse, but Noctis isn’t the one driving so you can simply sit back and enjoy the views and the conversations the friends have throughout the trip. If you don’t wish to sit through all of that, however, you can simply skip it and arrive there instantly – after a loading screen, of course.

After you make your way to Altissia you will have to go through immigration which can go one of two ways depending on your choice:

Ask Cid: Pay 3,000 gil entry fee
Ask Ignis: Get in completely for free

Once you’ve pushed past that section you are free to explore to your hearts content, but once you’re ready to continue on with the story have a quick look at your map and notice that you’ll need to start heading towards the south-end of it. From there you’re going to want to take a gondola to move onto the next section – also known as the Floating Market Station. Step off the boat and look for a fellow by the name of Weskham; talk to him, but do be aware that your responses to his enquiries don’t really affect anything. There aren’t any bonuses and simply give you more information about what’s going on around here.

The Summit

The moment you’re conversation with Weskham ends, an individual by the name of Camelia will appear to you and explain that Lady Lunafreya is currently in her care, but the growing pressure from the empire to hand her over is slowly getting more and more demanding. To combat this, Noctis will speak with her in private to see if he can devise an offer that’s more fitting for all involved.

Before you speak with her in a more professional light, you will be tasked with heading to a nearby hotel to get some rest. Sleep at the hotel whenever you’re ready and depending on how much money/exp you’ve got, you can choose between a regular suite for 500 gil, a price that will net you 1.5X experience or a Royal suite for 30,000 gil that will give you 3X your experience.

Next up on the list is to go and visit the estate and put on your best negotiating cap on, because depending on how well you manage to deal with the situation, you will be rewarded thusly!

You can find online a very deep and in-depth guide to the negotiations, but the rewards will only result in 1, 2, 3, or 4 Oracle Ascension Coins depending on how well you do. Either way, though, throughout the negotiations you won’t be able to fail, so don’t get too hung up on the decisions that you make.

Into the Fray

With the start of the quest Lady Lunafreya makes a start on forging the covenant with the Leviathan, but the imperial army have no plans on making that easy. Due to this and their oncoming attack towards the city, Leviathan, and Lady Lunafreya herself; it’s about time that Noctis and friends jump in to lend a hand.

For this quest you’re going to be alone, as your friends are out helping to evacuate the city. It’s hard to go in the wrong direction during this quest, mainly because the majority of it takes place in a linear corridor filled with a few soldiers here and there, but they go down in pretty much a single warp-strike. Keep on heading straight down the corridors, slicing and dicing your way through anyone who gets in the way. Eventually you will reach the end of the corridor and be picked up by Prompto, but it won’t be all that easy for you as you’ve got Leviathan and his minions coming to land a few nasty hits on you as you travel through the skies. It will take a few blocks and parries to avoid any unnecessary damage, but after the first couple you are bound to have the timing down and the very minute you get into range of the Leviathan – warp-strike and you will be onto the final leg of the chapter.

The Trial of Leviathan

It is about time that the Leviathan gets what’s coming to them, but be warned; she isn’t the easiest of combatants that you’re bound to come across.

Are you on the lookout for an extra 10 AP before you start? Then “Demand her power” in the conversation beforehand and “Maintain a commanding tone” to be awarded the AP, but the following fight will be a little harder for you.

The way the battle will play out is through floating islands that Leviathan will destroy every now and again, so it will require you to warp over to another one before he gets the chance to destroy. Repeat this process, while warp-striking at Leviathan whenever you get the chance until a cutscene finally plays, effectively revealing that the worst is over.

Now you’ll be in Noctis’ Armiger mode which allows him to fly around the battlefield and deal some truly significant damage to Leviathan. Keep this up until you’re treated to one final prompt, leading to the Leviathan’s defeat and earning the Mark of the Hydraean. Unfortunately, that’s the last positive thing to occur during this chapter – seeing as the loss easily outweighs the gain.

Plot

See also: Plot

Chapter 9 - Callings

Chapter 9 starts off with you and your friends heading off to Altissia, City on the Sea to summon one of the few guardians in the game: Leviathan. Noctis is continuing his quest to acquire all of the guardians and their favour to allow him the necessary strength and power to make sure the world he knows won’t sink any deeper into turmoil. Their visit to Altissia isn’t all for the guardian, however, as Noctis’ future bride Lady Lunafreya is currently in the city as well and Noctis is determined to find her.

Throughout your time in the city, the empire demand that Lady Lunafreya is handed over to them; otherwise there will be consequences for all involved. It’s at this point Noctis brings it upon himself to try and take charge of the situation and ensure that he will be able to ensure that the citizens will remain safe and that he will do whatever he needs to keep his word. Soon enough, it’s agreed that Noctis’ plan will work and is considered the best option and outcome, rather than handing over Lady Lunafreya.

Shortly after this decision, the empire commences their attack on the city as Lady Lunafreya begins the covenant ceremony to summon Leviathan, so that Noctis can receive her blessing. Unfortunately things aren’t all that easy for Noctis and his friends and Leviathan decides to put him to the test to make sure that he is worthy of her blessing.

As far as tests go, this one is fairly extensive and dramatic to say the least, because Leviathan feels the need to make a destroyed and floating Altissia her battleground, which will require Noctis to put all of his abilities to the test to make sure that Leviathan sees him as a worthy opponent. This leads to a long battle between Noctis and the serpent-like god who is pulling no punches during the entire encounter.

Despite the odds being incredibly out of Noctis’ favour, he manages to best Leviathan, receives one of the 13 “royal arms” known as the Trident of the Oracle and uses them in a sustained Armiger Limit Break to well and truly bring the Leviathan to her knees for the final time. For such a victory he is bestowed with the blessing of Leviathan, but it comes at quite an extensive cost: his life.

After the battle with the Leviathan, Noctis is left incredibly injured and weak and even appears to be at death’s door. It’s at this point Lady Lunafreya rushes to aid Noctis as best she can with her unique abilities to heal, and as such manages to practically revive Noctis from his previously destroyed state that without her help he might not have been able to recover from quite so easily.

By the end of the chapter, one of the most surprising and heart-breaking parts of the game occurs: the death of Lady Lunafreya. She’s murdered right before Noctis’ very eyes by none other than Ardyn; finally revealing that the man is anything but an ally to Noctis and reveals that he is the main antagonist for FF 15.

Commentary

Chapter 9 is one of those chapters in the game that starts off fairly slow with some plot exposition here and there to set things in motion, but quickly ramps the craziness factor all the way up to 11 the moment it starts to kick off! When you know that the story is only going to become more gripping and intense with each passing chapter, it’s safe to say the run up to the finale of the game isn’t going to be a slow one in the slightest.