release of FFXIV on Xbox Series X/S consoles – there will possibly be a lot of activity in the game’s open world. To ease quest difficulty and grinding, it would be a good idea to bring along a Chocobo Companion into battle.
After finishing some of the Main Scenario Quests at level 20, players will be able to obtain a Chocobo by ing one of the three Grand Companies of Eorzea. Each company will have a blue Feature Quest called “My Little Chocobo,” which players can complete to acquire a Chocobo. In FFXIV, players can summon their Chocobo using Gysahl Greens, which can be purchased from NPCs for 36 Gil. The Chocobo can be summoned for 30 minutes by default, but players can extend the duration by using two extra Gysahl Greens.
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What Chocobo Companions Do In FFXIV
Creatures Can Take On Diverse Roles To Aid You
Chocobo Companions can act almost like an extra party member, with abilities to tank, heal, and deal damage. As they assist in slaying monsters, they will earn their own EXP and access to new powers. Best yet, players who own city lodging in FFXIV can ively train their Chocobo during downtime or even while asleep. However, it is important to note that you will need to use the Chocobo while Mob Farming, Fate Farming, or feeding at the stable. In addition, you should not ignore the Weekly Logs as they yield tremendous experience points for the companion.
Unlocking a Chocobo Companion in Final Fantasy XIV
Complete My Little Chocobo Quest
To obtain a Chocobo Companion, you must first gain a riding Chocobo from the level 20 quest "My Little Chocobo." There are three different quests, depending on your current Grand Company and starting city in FFXIV:
- Maelstrom: from R’ashaht Rhiki at Limsa Lominsa Upper Decks X: 13, Y: 12
- Twin Adder: from Vorsaile Heouloix at New Gridania X: 9.5, Y: 11
- Immortal Flames: from Swift at Ul’dah Steps of Nald X: 8.5, Y: 9
Once you have a Chocobo, you can then turn it into a battle companion via the level 30 quest "My Feisty Chocobo" from Docette at South Shroud X: 17, Y: 28. During the quest, you will need to acquire Gysahl Greens, which are sold by most merchants in settlements and near town Aetherytes.
Regardless of your Grand Company or starting city, the "My Feisty Chocobo" quest always takes place in the South Shroud.
After the quest is completed, consuming a Gysahl Green while in the field will summon your Chocobo for one hour. This timer is paused while mounted, in a city, attempting instanced content, or logged out. As soon as the timer ends, your Chocobo will leave. However, you may instantly return it to the field with another Gysahl Green. Your Chocobo will always be at the same level as you, even if you are currently level-synced. If you are in a party, all eight can each use their own personal Chocobo in FFXIV.
It is worth noting that Chocobo companions are only actually summonable while in the open-world maps. They cannot be spawned within major city destinations like Gridania, Ul'dah, or Limsa Lominsa. These creatures cannot be used in dungeons, trials, raids, or PvP content either – with the exception, of course, of Chocobos being used exclusively as mounts in certain game modes, like Frontline.
Ranking Up Your Chocobo in Final Fantasy XIV
Farm EXP For Your Chocobo
Even though your Chocobo will match your character level, it won’t be at full power until it gains ranks and experience. Chocobos will gain EXP when you kill monsters around your job level on the field, which can be useful if you are already doing field content like Fates or Beast Tribe quests. Defeating opponents whose levels are drastically below your own will not provide a satisfactory amount of EXP for your Chocobo and will, ultimately, be a waste of your time and efforts in FFXIV.
Grinding levels by defeating enemies can take some time, so you can supplement this by unlocking the Challenge Log via the level 15 quest "Rising to the Challenge" from I’tolwann at Limsa Lominsa Upper Decks X: 11.5, Y: 11. Once unlocked, every week (starting at Tuesday 04:00 AM EST) you can gain 5% of your Chocobo’s level in EXP by killing 20 enemies, and 10% more by defeating another 100.
To unlock "Rising to the Challenge," you first need to complete the MSQ "Call of the Sea" from your respective starting city. This is an early-game quest and it should not take you too long to reach and complete it.
Stable Training
If you or your Free Company own property like an apartment or estate, then you will likely have access to a Chocobo stable. First finish the level 30 quest "Bird in Hand" from Luquelot at Central Shroud X: 20, Y: 21. You can then corral your Chocobo in the stable and feed it every hour to gain some EXP. Best yet, other players can feed your Chocobo when you are busy or offline. If your Chocobo eats enough of the same feed while stabled, they can gain a bonus when eating it in the field as follows:
- Sylkis Bud: Attack Up
- Mimett Gourd: Healing Up
- Pahsana Fruit: Enmity Gain Up
- Tanatalplant: Max HP Up
- Curiel Root: EXP Up
It is important that someone keeps the stable tidy; an unclean stable will incur an EXP penalty during feeding. Also, be sure to release your Chocobo after it is fed, as it cannot be summoned on the field if currently stabled. It is worth noting that these specific foods will not change your Chocobo's colors in FFXIV, so you can feed these without worrying about them overriding your already-achieved coloration or resulting in a color blend that is not to your satisfaction.
Beyond Rank 10
The initial max rank of your Chocobo is 10, but it can be raised 1 rank (to a maximum of 20) by feeding them a Thavnairian Onion (note that they will gain zero EXP until their rank limit is raised). You can gain guaranteed onions from the level 50 quest "Landing a Stable Job" from Mathye in The Pillars X: 6, Y: 9, and the level 57 quest "A Hunter’s True Nature" from Hevoix at The Dravanian Forelands X: 31, Y: 22.
The Pillars can only be reached once you progress into the Heavensward expansion, following the completion of the MSQ and post-MSQ missions related to A Realm Reborn.
Extra onions can be earned by gardening in your apartment or estate, mostly from crossbreeding other seeds and plants along with some luck. This also means that other gardeners will likely be selling Thavnairian Onions on the Market Boards for extremely high s. Check the boards on your server for the current best price, and keep in mind you can avoid market fees by buying directly at the city where the retainer is selling the product.
Additionally, if all prices are high in your World, you can visit other servers on your data center by using an Aetheryte in Limsa Lominsa, Gridania, or Ul’dah. You can buy (but not sell) on another World’s Market Board. Prices tend to vary a lot from server to server, so sometimes it is worth the travel, as you can get enormous discounts from other game Worlds in FFXIV.
You can use the Universalis website to check the prices of products on the Market Board on the servers within the same Data Center.
Chocobo Skills in Final Fantasy XIV
Creatures Can Play Three Different Roles
Every time your Chocobo advances in rank, they will be awarded Skill Points (SP). From rank 1-10 you will gain SP equal to that rank, 11-16 give 10 SP, while from 17-20, you can add an additional 1 over the previous level (11, 12, 13, 14) for a grand total of 165 SP. These points can be spent on one of three skill trees to improve your Chocobo’s performance. If you are unhappy with your chosen skills, they can be reset with a Reagan Pepper sold at all Grand Companies for 48,000 Grand Company Seals or 20 Allied Seals.
Attacker
The Attacker tree will turn your Chocobo into a DPS, making it valuable for defeating tough enemies in FFXIV. They can use Choco Slash for 150 Potency, Choco Beak to deal damage over time (130 instant Potency and 360 Potency across 18 seconds), Choco Rush to inflict Stun, and the conical area attack Choco Blast. This tree also enables bonus Strength and Attack Speed over the other two. Learning all Attacker skills will also unlock Dragoon barding for your companion to wear.
The Attacker role's main deal is providing extra damage output for you. If you play as a healer or a tank, both classes that naturally deal less damage than a fully dedicated DPS, an Attacker Chocobo can supplement your lack of damage while you stick to your regular rotation, dealing your own type of damage while also healing your allies or pulling Enmity toward you.
Healer
The Healer tree will give your Chocobo a means of recovering HP, which should be a top priority if you mainly play DPS jobs. Choco Regen heals at 450 Potency over 18 seconds, Choco Cure heals 300 Potency instantly, Choco Surge boosts all healing by 30%, and Choco Medica will heal in a circle by 150 Potency. The tree also gives a bonus to Mind and HP. Learning all skills will unlock White Mage barding.
A Healer Chocobo is particularly helpful when you are using a Job that deals a lot of damage but usually cannot sustain too much damage income. When facing harder FATEs or even hunting Elite Marks in FFXIV, this role for your Chocobo can help keep you active in battle without concerning yourself too much with the possibility of being killed.
Defender
The Defender tree allows your Chocobo more survivability, however, its Enmity generation isn’t super high, making it hard for it to serve as a real tank. You should only place spare points in this tree after making better investments in Attacker and Healer. Choco Kick deals damage at 150 Potency and increased Enmity, Choco Kick can inflict 20% Slow for 12 seconds, Choco Guard reduces incoming damage by 15% for 15 seconds, and Choco Strike deals 150 Potency in a cone with increased Enmity. The Defender tree also gives more bonus Strength and HP. Completing the whole tree awards Paladin-style barding.
While its Enmity generation is not comparable to an actual player tank, it can provide you with breathing room in tough battles, as it can draw in enemies' attentions while you disengage to recover, for example. This is especially helpful during the earlier stages of the game when you are at a lower level and need someone to take the brunt of the damage. When no one is around, your Defender Chocobo can play that part, even if at a suboptimal level when compared to the other skills it can provide in FFXIV.
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Chocobo can access many of its abilities to function as a great party member. Some of the abilities can be classified as Tank, DPS, or Healer. It is imperative that players put some effort toward weekly log rewards in FFXIV, as it gives Chocobo significant experience for leveling up faster than usual.
It may take weeks or months to fully reach the max rank, but once your Chocobo is powered up it will make many quests, Fates, and other open-world content much more safe and easy. You may be able to win fights above your current level, or solo treasure hunts designed for full parties. Final Fantasy XIV and its expansions are available now on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Universalis
Final Fantasy 14
- Released
- August 27, 2013
- ESRB
- T for Teen - Language, Mild Blood, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
- Franchise
- Final Fantasy
- Platform(s)
- Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
