Final Fantasy Compendium

The World of Ivalice

Ivalice is the world which comprises the settings of FF Tactics, FFTA, FF12/FF12RW, and Vagrant Story. Although the connections are tenuous, there is much evidence that the four games really are meant to take place in the same world. An absolute timeline is difficult to construct, so for the moment we would like to at least present the common themes throughout the different games. Note that FFTA's Ivalice is actually a "fictional" Ivalice, brought to life from a book called the Gran Grimoire, and based on a video game called "Final Fantasy". Hence, it's almost certain that it is not directly connected with the other games.

There are further crossovers to other games, viewable from the main In-Crossovers page.

The Zodiac

The twelve signs of the Zodiac play an enormous role in Ivalice. In FF Tactics, every character has a sign which affects the damage ratio to units with similar or opposite signs. The story revolves around the Zodiac Stones, which are intimately connected with the demon Lucavi. The story itself is subtitled "The Zodiac Brave Story". It also introduces Serpentarius, the thirteenth Zodiac sign. FF12 continues the theme with Zodiac gems sprinkled around the world as general loot items, the best spear and shield being called the Zodiac Spear and Zodiac Escutcheon, twelve Zodiac gates in the Great Crystal area, and thirteen summonable Espers, each representing one sign. Many of the Espers are former Lucavi from FFT, others are Totema from FFTA; bosses from FF1, 4 and 5 and the Zodiac summon from FFT also are involved. Most of them have some sort of connection with their Zodiac sign. The thirteen also appear in FFTA2 where they are one-shot summons. Here is a complete list.
All thirteen Zodiac beasts appear as Espers in FF12, FF12RW and FFTA2. We will also indicate where else they appear.

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Belias

FF12 Title: The Gigas
Also Appears In: FFT as Belias the Gigas
Sign: Aries, the Ram
Limit Break: Hellfire (Ifrit's usual spell)
FF12RW: Ranged unit; uses Painflare and Firaja
Element: Fire

CP: Mesha Ascendant. Scion of darkness and guardian of the Holy Realm, made by the gods in opposition to the Transcendent Loghrif, scion of light. Called the Gigas for his appearance: man and monster fused as one. Considered a mistake upon his making, and receiving not his intended role, the Gigas challenged the gods and lost. Scorned by his masters, he found another: the Dynast-King, whose tomb he swore to protect for eternity.

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Mateus

FF12 Title: The Corrupt
Also Appears In: FFTA as the Human Totema.
Sign: Pisces, the Fish
Limit Break: Frostwave
FF12RW: Floating unit; uses Flash Freeze and Blizzaja
Element: Ice

CP: Meena Ascendant. Scion of darkness ruling and protecting those who live in the underworld, in opposition to Lahabrea, Abyssal Celebrant and scion of light. In the course of his rule, he submitted to avarice, and the darkness took his heart, transforming him until he was both evil and corrupt. Then in his cowardice did he bind a Goddess of the Demesne of Ice, and using her as a living shield, he challenged the gods. Defeated before their might, he fell screaming into the depths of hell, there to be imprisoned for eternity.

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Shemhazai

FF12 Title: The Whisperer
Also Appears In: N/A
Sign: Sagittarius, the Archer
Limit Break: Soul Purge
FF12RW: Thunder-element Melee unit; uses Soul Purge and Thundaja
Element: Soul

CP: Dhanus Ascendant. Scion that is both horse and woman, wielding utter control over the souls that wander the underworld, in opposition to the Martyr Igeyorhm, scion of light. Though she once served the gods as a guardian, when Ultima announced her rebellion, Shemhazai went to her, whispering of the gods' hidden weaknesses. She then descended upon the land without leave of the gods, and taught men of destruction and evil. For this was she stricken down and bound.

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Hashmal

FF12 Title: Bringer of Order
Also Appears In: FFT as Hashmal the Bringer of Order
Sign: Leo, the Lion
Limit Break: Gaia's Wrath (Titan's usual spell)
FF12RW: Ranged unit; uses Roxxor and Stoneja
Element: Earth

CP: Simha Ascendant. Scion sent by the gods to wield and manipulate the laws of his world, and with holy power lead mankind to order. Created in opposition to Fandaniel the Protector, scion of light. Desiring to bring order to all things, he joined with Ultima in her battle against the gods. He gave his body to the Thousand-Years War, and when his strength was spent, down into the burning inferno he fell.

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Famfrit

FF12 Title: The Darkening Cloud
Also Appears In: FFTA as the Moogle Totema.
Sign: Aquarius, the Water Carrier
Limit Break: Tsunami (Leviathan's usual spell)
FF12RW: Ranged unit; uses Briny Cannonade and Tsunami
Element: Water

CP: Kumbha Ascendant. The hideous, darkly clouded form of Famfrit, scion in opposition to Holy Queen Emmerololth, scion of light, was anathema even to his creators. Thus, after a great battle, was he broken and sealed within armor laced with wards. The confines of his armor are void of light, and so is he called the Darkening Cloud. Men fear the rain that falls from the black clouds that ooze from that giant ewer as a herald of chaos and waste.

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Adrammelech

FF12 Title: The Wroth
Also Appears In: FFT as Adramelk the Wroth; in FFTA as the Bangaa Totema.
Sign: Capricorn, the Goat
Limit Break: Judgment Bolt (Ramuh's usual spell)
FF12RW: Does not appear.
Element: Thunder

CP: Makara Ascendant. Emperor among the scions, able to reduce to nothing aught he strikes with a single vengeful blow of his fist, created in opposition to Deudalephon the Benevolent, scion of light. Though he was made by the gods to quell the fiends that raged in the Otherworld, his immense strength and fearsome visage drew the fiends to his side, and turned him against his creators. Adrammelech rose to prominence in the Otherworld, whence he led a fiendish horde against the gods, but in the end, he was defeated.

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Zalera

FF12 Title: The Death Seraph
Also Appears In: FFT as Zarela the Dark Angel
Sign: Gemini, the Twins
Limit Break: Condemnation
FF12RW: Holy-element Ranged unit; uses Holy and Holyja
Element: Death

CP: Mithuna Ascendant. Heretic scion who wrapped the world in dark energies, seeking to take the souls of all living things to himself. Created in opposition to Emet-Selch, Angel of Truth, and scion of light. Originally tasks with the judging of men upon their deaths, his soul was tainted by the curses of those who raged against the heavens, and seizing one of the gods' servants, a shamaness, as a hostage, he rebelled against his creators. Even now, in defeat, he clutches the shamaness to him in his right arm, and with the aid of her death-wail does he summon the soul of darkness to do his bidding.

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Exodus

FF12 Title: The Judge-Sal
Also Appears In: FF5 as Exdeath, the final boss; in FFTA as the Viera Totema.
Sign: Libra, the Scales
Limit Break: Meteor (used in FF5 as well)
FF12RW: Earth-element Floating unit; uses Judgment and Meteor
Element: None

Note that his FFTA version had a tree theme, which is closer to Neo Exdeath, whereas his FF12 version is closer to Exdeath's regular form. The backstory presented in the Clan Primer coincides with FF5.

CP: Tula Ascendant. Most ancient of the scions, created in opposition to Halmarut, the Arbiter, and scion of light. Tasked with keeping watch over the world, with the authority to judge the value of all things. As he watched, unseen, unknown, his attachment to the world dwindled and faded until it was as nothing. Fitting that he would desire to make the world, too, as nothing. Yet he fell in the war against the gods, and was thwarted, imprisoned in punishment for his heresy.

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Cúchulainn

FF12 Title: The Impure
Also Appears In: FFT (PSX) as Queklain, the Impure
Sign: Scorpio, the Scorpion
Limit Break: Blight
FF12RW: Rank II Water-element melee unit; uses Malaise and Blight
Element: Poison

CP: Vrishchika Ascendant. Scion created to rid the world of its impurities by swallowing them within himself, in opposition to Nabriales the Majestic, scion of light. The world, however, was more filled with impurity and corruption than even the gods dared imagine, and having swallowed it all, the once beautiful Cuchullain was transformed into a hideous thing, a deity of filth, and so did he turn against his creators. Wherever his feet should fall, there all life withers to dust.

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Zeromus

FF12 Title: The Condemner
Also Appears In: FF4 as the final boss
Sign: Cancer, the Crab
Limit Break: Big Bang (used in FF4 as well)
FF12RW: Does not appear
Element: Gravity

CP: Karka Ascendant. Honoring the law more than any other, a scion of holy order and condemner of criminals. Created in opposition to Knight-Star Pashtarot, scion of light. He turns his deep, abiding hatred for those who break the law into living darkness, therein to plunge the guilty in fell judgment. Over time, he came to care less for upholding the law and more for condemnation, and so tainted by hate, he sought to condemn the gods themselves to death. Thus did he earn the title of "The Condemner", and thus did he fall from grace.

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Chaos

FF12 Title: Walker of the Wheel
Also Appears In: FF1 as the final boss; in FF7 DoC; in FFU.
FF12RW: Fire-element floating unit; uses Quadrastrike and Flare.
Sign: Taurus, the Bull
Limit Break: Hurricane
Element: Wind

Note that the Clan Primer backstory coincides with FF1's story.

CP: Vrishabha Ascendant. Tutelary deity of the sacred crystals fasioned by the gods at the time of the Great Making. Created in opposition to Mitron the Chastiser, scion of light. Upon entering the world of Man, he was enveloped in the turmoil rampant there. Lost, he died and was reborn countless times, a walker of life's wheel, eventually to rage against the gods that had so fated him. By sitting in meditation upon the Uneh Pedestal does he clear heart and mind until all that has order and reason and thought is made as nothing.

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Ultima

FF12 Title: The High Seraph
Also Appears In: FFT as Ultima, the Death Seraph and final boss; in FFTA as the Nu Mou Totema.
Sign: Virgo, the Maiden
Limit Break: Perfect Ultima
FF12RW: Ranged healing unit; uses Revitalize and Eschaton.
Element: Holy

CP: Kanya Ascendant. Masterpiece among the scions created by the gods, and mastermind of the plot to rise against them. Prior to her betrayal, she was tasked with guiding souls to heaven and aiding in their reincarnation. Called the High Seraph for her angelic wings of glimmering gold, yet it was on wings of deepest black that the tainted angel Ultima rose against the gods. Since her fall, her heart is without light, and impossible to know.

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Tactics in-game
Zodiark

FF12 Title: Keeper of Precepts
Also Appears In: FFT as Zodiac, the final summon
Sign: Serpentarius, the Snake
Element: Dark
Limit Break: Last Eclipse
FF12RW: Non-element ranged unit; uses Graviga and Final Eclipse.

CP: Ashlesha Ascendant. Strongest of the scions created by the gods, they feared his growth, and so kept him a child. So indomitable is his strength that all things are by him twisted and pressed into oblivion. He alone fasions the laws governing all things, and administers punishment in place of the gods. So is he Keeper of Precepts, and his authority is absolute.

History and People

There are several crossovers between the games. Again, this is not necessarily a proof that they are factually connected (the names may just be cute references).

Geography

It is difficult to completely reconcile all areas of geography in the various games, but the names of many of the countries, continents and areas do cross over fairly consistently.

Ivalice

The main area in FFT, FFTA, and FF12. FFT describes it as a country, FFTA as a world, and FF12 as a region:
CP: The region consisting of the three continents of Valendia, Ordalia, and Kerwon, blessed throughout with verdant natural landscapes and climatic conditions supporting a great variety of life. Regional climate trends are thought to be determined largely by the density of Mist present in the air, though this correlation is not yet well understood. Many humanoids call Ivalice home, each belonging to a distinct cultural sphere. By far the most prevalent of these are the humes, and it is around their civilization that affairs throughout the rest of the world revolve.

Ordalia
Described as a country in FFT and a continent in FF12. Ordalia undertook a Fifty Years' War with Ivalice in the backstory of FFT. FFTA2 confirms it is a continent, and half of the game takes place in it.
CP: Continent on the western edge of Ivalice. The vast plains in the interior are home to the great Rozarrian Empire. To the east of Rozarria the land is arid and largely desert. The Galtean Peninsula on the eastern portion of the continent is a crossroads connecting to Valendia and Kerwon both, and a strategic prize sought by empire and kingdom alike. Though Dalmasca controlled the peninsula for the last several hundred years, it was lost to the Archadian Empire in an invasion two years past.

Valendia
Not mentioned in FFT, FF12 describes it as one of the great continents, and the home of the destroyed Nabradian kingdom. More importantly, Valendia is the setting for Vagrant Story.
CP: Continent lying to the northeast of Ordalia. The climate is overall quite clement, and levels of Mist are far more stable than on the other two large continents. Many towns and villages dot the hilly region stretching from the continent's interior to the shores of the Inner Naldoan Sea, most under the direct control of Archadia. The Kingdom of Nabradia, lying on the Phon Straits in western Valendia, prospered here until its destruction in the Archadian invasion of two years past, its capital of Nabudis becoming a deserted wasteland.

Bervenia
The only place other than Ivalice to be mentioned in all three FF games. Bervenia is described in FFT as being the birthplace of St. Ajora, controlled by the Glabados Church. There is also a volcano in the area, identified in FF12RW as Roda Volcano, which also appears in FFTA. Bervenia is the royal capital in FFTA. In FF12RW, it contains an area called Glabados which is the site of the Glabados Ruins.

There are several places which exist in both FFTA and FF12; however, since FFTA's places are arbitrarily positioned and often have no direct bearing on the story, there's no indication if they're really meant to be the same. These place names are: Eluut Sands (possibly turned into Eruyt Village in FF12), Giza Plains, Ozmonfield/Ozmone Plain, and the Salikawood. Al-Cid also mentions the "Ambervale of Clan Margrace" in Rozarria; in FFTA, Ambervale was also a private retreat for royalty. The Feol Warren in FF12RW is in Roda Volcano, which also appears in FFTA.

The city of Goug appears in FF Tactics as a city in Ivalice (or possibly Romanda, given the name of the guns sold there). In FFTA2 Goug is a city of moogles, and is in Ordalia. Both Gougs are cities that sell guns and excavate old ruins. No explanation for the discrepancy of countries is given.

FFTA2 includes Aisenfield, which originally appeared in FFTA.

It's possible that Lesalia from FFT is identical with Rozarria in FF12. Not entirely sure, though.

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