Chapter 3 - The Open World
Contents
Walkthrough
Chapter 3 is the first chapter that really brings the game into full swing in terms of the open world and will give you the chance to explore “almost” as much as you please.
Burden of Expectation
Upon entering Duscae, Noctis and friends will make their way to the Coernix Station outpost. From there they will get a message from Iris, Gladio’s sister, who wishes to meet up with them all in the town of Lestallum – quite a ways away, however.
Before you make your way there, I recommend heading towards the Wiz Chocobo Post towards the south of the map to acquire the chance to rent a Chocobo whenever you see fit. The reason they’re so useful is because Chocobo’s can be ridden pretty much anywhere the Regalia can’t go and is a great way to save on time. It doesn’t take too long to finish with, but it’s a very handy part of the game that you won’t want to be without in your adventure.
Whether you choose to make off to the Wiz Chocobo Post or not, Lestallum isn’t too bad and is a straight shot from where you left off from. You don’t even need to drive yourself, you can simply get Ignis to do it for you and arrive outside of Lestallum safe and sound, just before you go and meet Iris.
You will find her just outside hotel Leville and after the introductions/pleasantries and all that, you’ll ne prompted to go and spend the night in the hotel. Unfortunately it’s not quite as lucrative as the one back in Galdin Quay, but it does multiply your XP by 1.5 and is completely free for the first time, so if you want to gain some more experience before resting up; it’s certainly recommended.
The morning after you spend the night at the hotel, Iris will ask you if you wish to see the sights, which will get you one of two potential rewards depending on what you say:
- Agree: Gain 200 XP
- Decline: Gain 2 AP
Regardless of what you say, however, you’ll still be pulled along for a quick walk, so it doesn’t matter too much in the long run which of the two options you decide to pick.
Throughout each one of the sites you will be asked some potential responses to each one – each of them netting you a different reward depending on your response. Here they are with the reward for each response:
1st Stop – Western Markets
- Act interested: Gain 250 XP
- Act uninterested: Gain 2 AP
2nd Stop – Past the Power Plant
- Encourage her: Gain 250 XP
- Express concern: Gain 2 AP
3rd Stop – The Outlook
- Make light of her comment: Gain 2 AP
- Deny it: Gain 300 XP
4th Stop – Back at the Hotel
- Say you had fun: Gain 500 XP
- Make light of it: Gain 2 AP
- Change the subject: Receive an Elixir
Again, regardless of what your choices are, at the end of the conversation she will tease Noctis that she has another present for him, but he won’t get it just yet.
The Sword in the Waterfall
On return to the hotel a young boy will talk to you and tell you about the legend of a sword being hidden behind a waterfall nearby. Considering that this sword could be the location of a Royal Tomb, Noctis and the gang suggest looking for it and seeing what the legend has in store for them. Having a quick exploration around Lestallum before you head off is a smart idea, since there’s plenty of stores and vendors for your party to make use of; including some new weaponry that you wouldn’t want to miss out on.
If you’re ready to make a move, hop into the Regalia and drive your way up towards the Burbost Souvenir Emporium – a location that’s not too much further from the waterfall. With a short walk down the road you’ll come across what looks to be a bridge near a walkway; which will lead down towards a pathway that will take you to a cave inside the waterfall – because as it turns out that’s where the next Royal Tomb is located.
One thing you definitely will want to be wary of before you go down that pathway is a level 54 snake-creature, a beast you definitely don’t want to take on in your current form. Why it’s there is something I still don’t know the answer to, but considering the lack of items it drops when you kill it, even attempting to slay it is a waste of both time and resources.
With this being the second real dungeon in the game, there’s not too much getting in the way between you and your next Royal Arms. Do be aware, however that you will come in contact with a couple of fairly deadly foes that don’t like to play nice. First of all is the Flan – a creature that is resistant to almost every single status type – excluding Holy, which isn’t something you will currently have access to. Be aware that you’re going to come across these guys a fair amount whilst you’re running around the dungeon, but there pattern isn’t anything too special and will soon become a foe that you can best with ease.
An enemy that you won’t want to be dealing with though is the Ronin – an undead samurai type of enemy and one that does not like to mess about. He may be slow when he approaches you, but his attacks are fast and they are deadly, so make sure to avoid their attacks at any and all costs, because they will knock you on your behind quickly and not so quietly!
When you make it to the end of the dungeon you will be tasked with a small onslaught of demons that want to wear your corpse as a hat. If you don’t make any stupid decisions, you should be fine and the demons shouldn’t go down without too much trouble if you play smart.
After they are dealt with, head into the Royal Tomb and collect your new weapon: the Sword of Wanderers. With this 3rd acquisition of the Royal Arms you will gain access to a new ability, known as the Limit Break. This Limit Break is called the Armiger and will increase your attack speed, damage, and pretty much everything else once you’ve filled up the bar enough of the way. Once you’ve acquainted yourself with this new power, you can make your way back out to the entrance of the dungeon and onto the next quest.
The Way of Gods and Kings
As you make your way back to Lestallum, Noctis is treated to a vision of the Cauthess Disc; prompting him to go there for a detour, but first it’s suggested to rest up before making any more moves. On return to the hotel you’ve been staying at, Noctis will get another, more in-depth vision of this disc. It’s suggested that the 4 of you take a look at the disc from a distance, using the outlook’s telescopes to get some scope on the situation.
A mysterious stranger known as Ardyn will reveal himself to the group and suggest that you all go and take a look at it for yourselves and even insists on it! So much so that you have 4 potential responses to his query, all of which have the same end result:
- Agree to drive: Earn 500 XP
- Ignis will drive: Ignis will get 1,000 XP
- Ride with Ardyn: Gain 2 AP
- Drive Ardyn’s Car: Gain 1 AP and 100 XP
In the end it doesn’t matter what you actually pick, since you end up driving the Regalia either way onto the Cauthess disc with your new companion; and onto the next chapter.
Plot
- See also: Plot
Chapter 3 – The Open World
In an aside, Ravus tells Iedolas, the Niflheim Emperor, that Lunafreya has the Ring of the Lucii. So, the emperor orders his soldiers to find and kill her. An advisor recommends taking the girl back alive to understand the secrets of summoning the six. Ravus says he’ll keep looking for Noctis and Lunafreya.
Noctis receives a phone call from Iris, asking him to meet up with her in Lestallum. Lunafreya, who is presently in Lestallum, leaves for the Disc of Cauthess prior to Noctis’ arrival to make a covenant with Titan and strengthen the young king. After making the pact Luna leaves to awaken Ramuh, while Titan calls to Noctis to begin a trial to prove his worth. This causes an earthquake felt all the way in Lestallum and gives Noctis a vision (along with a headache). In light of this and Noctis’ quest to gather Royal Arms, Noctis’ party stops by the Lestallum Inn to meet Iris. At the inn, the gang rendezvous with Iris and greet an old man (they apparently know) named Jared along with a young boy called Talcott. The two immediately leave, giving Iris and the gang privacy for the night.
Next morning, Talcott tells the gang that there’s a Royal Arm behind a nearby waterfall, so they leave town and go claim the weapon. Weapon in hand, the gang leaves the waterfall, and upon doing so Noctis has another more intense vision, this time seeing the Disc of Cauthess clearly. Due to Noctis’ pain, the gang returns to the Lestalum inn to rest. Upon doing so, Noctis has a third vision of Titan, spurring them to take a closer look at the Disc using a viewer at the local outlook. Since the path to the Disc is blocked by the Empire, Ardyn reveals himself again and offers to lead Noctis’ party to the Disc to complete the Trial of Titan. The gang is suspicious of him, but agrees nonetheless.
