Final Fantasy XVI | The Rising Tides DLC Completion Guide

Here's everything you need to know on how long it takes to complete The Rising Tide in Final Fantasy XVI.

Game Guide by Ornstein on Jan 20, 2025

Final Fantasy XVI has an interesting storyline and vast world, with many well-known quests; among them is "The Rising Tides." This quest is very important in the storyline, blending narrative depth with action-packed gameplay. Now, how much time it will take to finish tremendously depends on your playing style, preparation, and experience with the in-game mechanics. Generally speaking, it should take you around 30 to 60 minutes to complete, though this may vary depending on a lot of factors.

Final Fantasy XVI, PC, Gameplay, The Rising Tides DLC Completion Guide, Screenshot, NoobFeed

Average Completion Time

Most players can complete "The Rising Tides" in half an hour if their focus is on the major objectives and efficient navigation through battle scenes. This can easily go up to an hour if you decide to take your time to observe the environment or strategize upfront before fighting. Generally speaking, the quest has a well-rounded pace where exploration, conversation, and combat are molded fluidly into one experience. Your prior knowledge of Clive's abilities and battle mechanics will also factor into how quickly you finish the quest.

Core Objectives and Structure

This quest initiates with a set of story-based interactions explaining what is to come later on. Scenes like these indeed are important since playing gives reason for you to dive more into the characters and the overall storyline, hence rendering the set challenges all the more enriching. From there, "The Rising Tides" proceeds with action-packed scenes: some fights against belligerent factions and then a final boss. The final fight at the end is really a high point of the whole quest-heated and engaging; if unprepared, it may take you a while.

Throughout the quest, you can look around you for treasures, crafting ingredients, and story hints. It's optional, but these detours may enrich your experience and possibly make the subsequent battles easier because rewards often include important consumables or items.

Final Fantasy XVI, PC, Gameplay, The Rising Tides DLC Completion Guide, Screenshot, NoobFeed

Exploration and Playstyle

Those who love uncovering every nook and cranny of the map will obviously spend more time on the quest. Final Fantasy XVI rewards exploration with collector items, crafting material, and story details that add depth to your knowledge of the world. If you only wish to complete the main quests, you can expect a much shorter playtime.

Combat Skill and Preparation

Another major factor is how well you navigate fighting scenarios. As long as you have perfected Clive's abilities and Eikon powers, you will have no problem with opponent engagements. Fights go a little longer for people still comfortable with an action-based fighting system. Especially boss fights, which may take a little longer. You just need to have nice equipment and enough potions for that fight, and that will drastically reduce the time you spend on fights.

Difficulty Setting

In addition, the selected difficulty setting enters the equation of calculating time to complete. If you select the "Story-Focused" option, all your foes become very lenient and not aggressive at all so that you can continue faster and easily. Their fights in "Action-Focused" or at a higher level of difficulty demand attention to timing and strategies, and that will obviously make you play longer in "The Rising Tides."

Final Fantasy XVI, PC, Gameplay, The Rising Tides DLC Completion Guide, Screenshot, NoobFeed

Efficient Completion Tips

Planning is necessary for completing "The Rising Tides" successfully. First and foremost, upgrade Clive's equipment, accessories, and armor to the strongest. Better equipment will allow you to give more damage and block attacks from opponents better. The usage of Eikon abilities should also follow your main combat. Some are in favor of Garuda's aerial assault or Ifrit's massive AoE techniques, which can very well be used to clean up large groups or damage bosses significantly.

The next important tip is to prepare your healing supply first before venturing into the quest. Having enough high-over potions with you means you can sustain yourself during tough bouts and not have to keep replaying the section over and over. While in battle, focus on dodging the opponent's strike and use the right timing to counterattack. This is essentially how you reduce the time used in combat, hence saving time generally.

Balancing Efficiency with Immersion

While you can rush through "The Rising Tides" by focusing on objectives for the most part, you might miss some of the interesting elements of the quest. Storyline and environmental storytelling are big parts of Final Fantasy XVI, and paying attention to such can make the game much more rewarding. If it's your first time playing, give yourself some time to cherish this amazingly designed world and character interactions.

Final Fantasy XVI, PC, Gameplay, The Rising Tides DLC Completion Guide, Screenshot, NoobFeed

Finally…

In a nutshell, completing "The Rising Tides" in Final Fantasy XVI will take you anywhere between 30 to 60 minutes to complete, given how much you explore, your combat efficiency, and the difficulty settings. Be it rushing through it as fast as possible or taking your time to enjoy the story and atmosphere, this quest is an important milestone in Clive's journey, bringing both weight to the narrative and amazing gameplay. You can plan for and clearly focus on how to effectively complete this quest while enjoying all that it has in store.

Also, check our Final Fantasy XVI Review and other guides below: