In this guide, we will take you through the Final Fantasy 16 controls. The game has a new focus on action combat, with a singular focus on the protagonist Clive Rosfield, who is controlled by the player throughout the game.
The game has a high-fantasy setting in the world of Valisthea, where a small number of mortals are innately gifted as Dominants, hosts for supernatural Eikons, which are essentially weapons of mass destruction. The story revolves around Clive's journey of revenge after an attack from an invading army leaves his younger brother dead.
Final Fantasy 16 action controls
Here are all the action controls in Final Fantasy 16:
- □ - Attack
- △ - Magic
- □ ➝ △ - Magic Burst
- Hold □ - Burning Blade
- Hold △ - Charge Shot
- □ + X (ground) - Lunge
- □ + X (air) - Down Thrust
- R2 + Touch Pad - Provoke
By holding △, you can charge up magic and change the spell, for example, Fire to Fira, Aero to Aerora. The type of magic you can use depends on the Eikon equipped. For example Ifrit for Fire magic, Garuda for Wind magic, and so on. You can also use R2 + Touch Pad to provoke enemies, which is helpful for drawing them to you while dealing ranged damage.
Final Fantasy 16 dodge and parry controls
Here’s how to dodge and parry in Final Fantasy 16:
- R1 - Dodge
- R1 in time - Precision dodge
- □ in time - Parry
While in combat, you can dodge as many times as you like. Note that precision dodge will slow enemy movement for a limited window. Pressing □ or △ during precision dodge enables you to counter. Parrying attacks will slow down time!
Dodging is crucial in Final Fantasy 16. Each enemy has its own attack timing for you to attempt to counter. If you can master it, it is very powerful. Using certain Eikon abilities at the right time can also counter enemy attacks. Additionally, there are equipment items that will automatically dodge for you.
That concludes our guide for Final Fantasy 16 controls. We hope this helped you figure out what the game controls do in advance of the release of the game!
For more, read up on whether Final Fantasy 16 has multiplayer. We've also got a guide to whether it's coming to Xbox, alongside all the Final Fantasy 16 pre order bonuses and editions.
For more articles like this, take a look at our Guides and Final Fantasy 16 page.