LIGHTNING RETURNS

Final Fantasy XII

As Lightning, it is your mission to save as many souls as possible so that they may be brought to the new world.

Along the journey, you will encounter familiar faces and engage new foes in all new lands.

You must ultimately choose which souls to save and which to abandon...and fully understand
Lightning's true destiny.

Lightning

Several hundred years have passed since she fell into a deep slumber.

The world, diseased by Chaos, is on the brink of destruction. The people, hopeless and full of despair, stand by hopelessly and watch the horror unfold in front of their eyes.

As the end draws near, she awakens. She is Lightning, humanity's last hope. As the chosen one, Lightning battles her way through the final 13 days in an attempt to save humanity and accomplish her ultimate goal.

"Only 13 days remain until the end of the world."

Lumina

A mysterious girl who appears in front of Lightning at every turn. Her unpredictable nature wreaks havoc everywhere she goes.

A helpful friend or mischievous foe? This capricious little demon plays with Lightning and the rest of the world as if they were toys in a toy box.

"This savior... What is she about, anyway?."

Snow

A one-time ally of Lightning, Snow was engaged to her sister, Serah. Now he is the world's last remaining l'Cie, cursed with a terrible power.

Though devastated by his failure to protect Serah, he has served as the Patron of Yusnaan for five long centuries. He protects the city and its people even as the rest of the world falls apart.

"We all come into the world alone, and that's the way we've gotta leave it."

Hope

Hope watches over Lightning from his base in the Ark, guiding the savior as she tries to carry out all-mighty Bhunivelze's divine mission.
As Lightning's trusted partner, Hope provides key information throughout the quest.

Mysteriously, Hope is no longer a grown man, but has instead turned back into the boy that Lightning first met.

"Welcome back, Light."

Noel

A young man who formerly journeyed with Serah and Mog. Blaming himself for bringing about the destruction of the world, Noel's guilt makes him hide away from society.

He ceaselessly works to maintain public order from the cover of darkness and has come to be known as the "Shadow Hunter".

Vanille

For centuries, Vanille and Fang slept within a crystal pillar, holding Cocoon aloft in the sky. But then, a few short years ago, they awoke.

As Vanille opened her eyes, she realized she was given a special gift; she could hear the voices of the dead. Dubbed the saint, she spends her days under the Order's protection in Luxerion.

Fang

For centuries, Fang and Vanille slept within a crystal pillar, holding Cocoon aloft in the sky. But then, a few short years ago, they awoke.

At first, the pair lived under the care of the Order, until Fang set out to the Dead Dunes to search for a long-lost relic. She did not return, becoming instead the leader of the bandit gang Monoculus, and leaving Vanille in Luxerion.

  • A walkthrough guide to help
    overcome the time limit

    The gameplay mechanics of LIGHTNING RETURNS: FINAL FANTASY XIII have been constructed unlike many other games. We hope you can truly enjoy the uniqueness and challenges this game presents.

    There is a 13 day time limit until the world's demise in this game.
    In other games, no matter how much time the hero spends in a village, exploring, or taking out grunts to grind, the last boss patiently waits atop his throne on the last floor of the final dungeon for the hero's arrival. Having the hero barge into the final dungeon only shortens the life of the world in traditional games. Spending your time fishing by a river actually extends the life of the world in other games!

    The “god” of this game does not patiently wait for our hero Lightning.The only way to save this dying world is to free the people of the curses placed on them as the world constantly heads toward oblivion. You must do your best to travel the world and save as many souls as possible. That is the “realness” we wish to present you with in this game.

    The familiar level system is not present in this game. Questions like “Just how strong am I?” or “Am I at the right level for this section?” don't really apply here. You may feel that it's difficult to gauge your character's strength if you're stuck in the mindset of a traditional RPG and these are the exact reasons we've created this guide ‐ to make the playthrough as enjoyable as possible.

    We get the feeling that some players are anxious about playing this game because of the combination of these two concepts. You may wonder if you're playing the game correctly or if you're going through the game at a good pace or not. Not knowing where you're at can make you feel uneasy. We've created this walkthrough specifically for such gamers.

    If you don't like the time limit system, this guide may be useful for you as well. Fans who like to refer to guides while playing our traditionally “linear” FINAL FANTASY titles should also find this guide helpful.

    If you're the type who loves challenges and wants to unearth everything on your own, do not look at this guide!

  • Day 1

    Head to the Temple of the Goddess

    There's no need to worry if you're in the middle of the soul fragment quest. It'll still be active when you complete this one. So start off by heading back to the Wildlands and make your way to the Temple of the Goddess. A formidable foe in Caius awaits you, but you should be strong enough at this point to handle him.

    Complete Sazh's Quest

    Now, let's finish the soul fragment quest. Refer to your quest list for hints on the locations of the soul fragments and you shouldn't have much trouble finding them. But the side quest at the Slaughterhouse in Yusnaan is only available from 19:00 until 3AM, so keep that in mind as you work to find all the fragments.

    Defeat Caius

    You'll meet the goal for the day if you can defeat Caius. If you've been able to defeat Caius, I suggest working on the remaining side quests in the Wildlands. But if you are having problems beating Caius, don't worry. You still have around 2 more days, and you have completed about 90% of the main quests. There won't be any issues if you delay beating Caius for one more day.

  • Day 2

    Head to the Temple of the Goddess

    There's no need to worry if you're in the middle of the soul fragment quest. It'll still be active when you complete this one. So start off by heading back to the Wildlands and make your way to the Temple of the Goddess. A formidable foe in Caius awaits you, but you should be strong enough at this point to handle him.

    Complete Sazh's Quest

    Now, let's finish the soul fragment quest. Refer to your quest list for hints on the locations of the soul fragments and you shouldn't have much trouble finding them. But the side quest at the Slaughterhouse in Yusnaan is only available from 19:00 until 3AM, so keep that in mind as you work to find all the fragments.

    Defeat Caius

    You'll meet the goal for the day if you can defeat Caius. If you've been able to defeat Caius, I suggest working on the remaining side quests in the Wildlands. But if you are having problems beating Caius, don't worry. You still have around 2 more days, and you have completed about 90% of the main quests. There won't be any issues if you delay beating Caius for one more day.

  • Day 3

    Head to the Temple of the Goddess

    There's no need to worry if you're in the middle of the soul fragment quest. It'll still be active when you complete this one. So start off by heading back to the Wildlands and make your way to the Temple of the Goddess. A formidable foe in Caius awaits you, but you should be strong enough at this point to handle him.

    Complete Sazh's Quest

    Now, let's finish the soul fragment quest. Refer to your quest list for hints on the locations of the soul fragments and you shouldn't have much trouble finding them. But the side quest at the Slaughterhouse in Yusnaan is only available from 19:00 until 3AM, so keep that in mind as you work to find all the fragments.

    Defeat Caius

    You'll meet the goal for the day if you can defeat Caius. If you've been able to defeat Caius, I suggest working on the remaining side quests in the Wildlands. But if you are having problems beating Caius, don't worry. You still have around 2 more days, and you have completed about 90% of the main quests. There won't be any issues if you delay beating Caius for one more day.

  • Day 4

    Head to the Temple of the Goddess

    There's no need to worry if you're in the middle of the soul fragment quest. It'll still be active when you complete this one. So start off by heading back to the Wildlands and make your way to the Temple of the Goddess. A formidable foe in Caius awaits you, but you should be strong enough at this point to handle him.

    Complete Sazh's Quest

    Now, let's finish the soul fragment quest. Refer to your quest list for hints on the locations of the soul fragments and you shouldn't have much trouble finding them. But the side quest at the Slaughterhouse in Yusnaan is only available from 19:00 until 3AM, so keep that in mind as you work to find all the fragments.

    Defeat Caius

    You'll meet the goal for the day if you can defeat Caius. If you've been able to defeat Caius, I suggest working on the remaining side quests in the Wildlands. But if you are having problems beating Caius, don't worry. You still have around 2 more days, and you have completed about 90% of the main quests. There won't be any issues if you delay beating Caius for one more day.

  • Day 5

    Head to the Temple of the Goddess

    There's no need to worry if you're in the middle of the soul fragment quest. It'll still be active when you complete this one. So start off by heading back to the Wildlands and make your way to the Temple of the Goddess. A formidable foe in Caius awaits you, but you should be strong enough at this point to handle him.

    Complete Sazh's Quest

    Now, let's finish the soul fragment quest. Refer to your quest list for hints on the locations of the soul fragments and you shouldn't have much trouble finding them. But the side quest at the Slaughterhouse in Yusnaan is only available from 19:00 until 3AM, so keep that in mind as you work to find all the fragments.

    Defeat Caius

    You'll meet the goal for the day if you can defeat Caius. If you've been able to defeat Caius, I suggest working on the remaining side quests in the Wildlands. But if you are having problems beating Caius, don't worry. You still have around 2 more days, and you have completed about 90% of the main quests. There won't be any issues if you delay beating Caius for one more day.

  • Day 6

    Head to the Temple of the Goddess

    There's no need to worry if you're in the middle of the soul fragment quest. It'll still be active when you complete this one. So start off by heading back to the Wildlands and make your way to the Temple of the Goddess. A formidable foe in Caius awaits you, but you should be strong enough at this point to handle him.

    Complete Sazh's Quest

    Now, let's finish the soul fragment quest. Refer to your quest list for hints on the locations of the soul fragments and you shouldn't have much trouble finding them. But the side quest at the Slaughterhouse in Yusnaan is only available from 19:00 until 3AM, so keep that in mind as you work to find all the fragments.

    Defeat Caius

    You'll meet the goal for the day if you can defeat Caius. If you've been able to defeat Caius, I suggest working on the remaining side quests in the Wildlands. But if you are having problems beating Caius, don't worry. You still have around 2 more days, and you have completed about 90% of the main quests. There won't be any issues if you delay beating Caius for one more day.

  • Day 7

    Head to the Temple of the Goddess

    There's no need to worry if you're in the middle of the soul fragment quest. It'll still be active when you complete this one. So start off by heading back to the Wildlands and make your way to the Temple of the Goddess. A formidable foe in Caius awaits you, but you should be strong enough at this point to handle him.

    Complete Sazh's Quest

    Now, let's finish the soul fragment quest. Refer to your quest list for hints on the locations of the soul fragments and you shouldn't have much trouble finding them. But the side quest at the Slaughterhouse in Yusnaan is only available from 19:00 until 3AM, so keep that in mind as you work to find all the fragments.

    Defeat Caius

    You'll meet the goal for the day if you can defeat Caius. If you've been able to defeat Caius, I suggest working on the remaining side quests in the Wildlands. But if you are having problems beating Caius, don't worry. You still have around 2 more days, and you have completed about 90% of the main quests. There won't be any issues if you delay beating Caius for one more day.