Final Fantasy XVI: How To Unlock Chocobo Travel

The world of Final Fantasy XVI features a handful of large-scale, open-ended maps for you to explore in each of the game’s main regions. So what’s a better way to get around quickly than to take a ride on the franchise’s cutest mode of transportation, Chocobos? However, in FF16, unlocking a Chocobo mount is entirely optional.

Once unlocked, Clive and his companions can hop on their Chocobos by holding in the right thumbstick. As long as you aren’t in a town, approaching a hunt, or entering a quest specific cutscene zone you can dash, drift, and leap to your heart's content. Your Chocobo can also drop kick. Not the most useful for combos, but it can clear a path like nothing else.

This guide pairs well with our FF16 Side Quests guide, if you want to do all of the game’s side content. Once you have the Chocobo, it's actually best used for trekking around the maps in search of each of the FF16 Hunt Locations.

As a warning, this guide will contain minor spoilers for events around this quest. While this won't be detriment to your enjoyment, it does tie up a loose end from the game's prologue you might not want to know about until you do it.

How to unlock a Chocobo in FF16:

Clive’s childhood steed, Ambrosia, will rejoin his quest after the second time skip. So you need to progress the main story until you see a 'five years later' prompt, perhaps most recognizable by Clive having removed the 'Bearer' brand from his cheek.

The time skip isn't actually what unlocks your Chocobo, though - it's just a gateway to the point when you can unlock it. Your trusty steed won’t join as part of the Main Story Quest.

You’ll need to complete the quest “The White-Winged Wonder”, which is unlocked after the MSQ “The Gathering Storm”. Specifically after events of the MSQ sub-quest: “Release”.

You’ll find this quest in Martha’s Rest (the area, not the inn). You’ll start by speaking to Rowan at the Fallen Gate. He’ll mention a heroic band of wild Chocobos local to the area that are in danger of being killed by bandits. The rest is pretty self-explanatory. After going to the marked Abandoned House on the map and killing all the Bandits, Clive is reunited with Ambrosia and is able call upon at any point outside of the game’s linear story missions.

In addition to this, you’ll receive Ambrosia’s Tack curiosity item for Clive's cabin and 60 Sharp Fangs. The former is a special item that will from then on be displayed in Clive’s Chamber, and the latter are useful crafting materials that you've probably already got loads of.