Final Fantasy 16 is a massive departure from the series in terms of combat. Instead of a more classical turn-based or ATB-focused system, FF16 is much more akin to Devil May Cry: an absurdist character action game at its core. As such, styling on enemies and mastering the huge array of Eikon abilities is some of the most fun in the entire game and one of the best ways to do that is to undertake and complete the various Chronolith Trials scattered across Valisthea. Chronolith Trials are special combat encounters where you’ll be pushed to your limit, and forced to use only one set of Eikon abilities under a harsh time constraint. It’s exhilarating, you get to learn a ton about each Eikon’s playstyle and it’s a great way to practice your moves.
Beating all 7 Chronolith Trials isn’t only for personal gain and combat satisfaction: you’ll need to beat all 7 to earn Final Fantasy XVI’s Platinum Trophy. Besting every single Chronlith will drop the Circle of Mailus curiosity, an item required to obtain the For the Hoard trophy. If you wish to learn more about this trophy and how to earn it, you can find our guide on where to earn and obtain every curiosity in Final Fantasy 16 here. Either way, whether you’re doing the trials for a challenge or a more tangible reward, they’re worth doing… so long as you can actually find them, of course.
Here’s where you can find all the Chronolith Trials in Final Fantasy XVI. This guide will also include some tips and tricks for completing the Final Fantasy 16 Chronoliths as efficiently as possible.
Want more Final Fantasy XVI content and articles? You can find more here on KeenGamer:
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- Final Fantasy 16 | All Notorious Mark Locations (All Hunt Locations)
- Final Fantasy 16 | All Curiosities for the Wall of Memories
- How to Get the Best Weapon in Final Fantasy 16 (Gotterdammerung Crafting Guide
- Final Fantasy 16 | How to Get Your Chocobo Mount (Chocobo Quest Guide)
What Are Chronoliths in Final Fantasy 16?
The Chronolith Trials in Final Fantasy 16 are special challenges that Clive can undertake to test the limits of his Eikonic abilities. There are a total of 7 Chronoliths, each of which correlates to one of the seven playable Eikons – those being Pheonix, Gardua, Ramuh, Titan, Bahamut, Shiva and Odin.
In each trial, you will engage in a series of timed combat encounters where you are limited to a single Eikon’s suite of abilities. For example, in the Phoenix Chronolith, you can only use the abilities and the Eikonic feat of the Phoenix, no other Eikon is allowed. The abilities you do have access to will change each round, giving you new approaches to combat as you progress through the trial. Additionally, your currently equipped gear and accessories carry over, so they can still be used to give you an edge over the competition.
An Eikonic Start
Each trial is composed of 4 rounds. The first 3 rounds each have 3 stages with unique enemies and combatants in each. You start with a set 2-minute timer and you can raise the amount of time you have by performing special challenges or combos: using Phoenix as an example once more, you’ll earn additional time by performing consecutive Shift Strikes on airborne enemies. There are about 8 challenges for each Chronlith.
Once you get to the final round, you’ll be faced with a boss fight. At this point, no more time can be gained: fail to defeat your opponent and its lights out. Manage to overcome the Chronolith, though, and you’ll earn yourself a nice Eikon-specific accessory which enhances the most potent move an Eikon has access to. Those accessories are:
- The Favor of Fire (Flames of Rebirth) | Phoenix
- The Favor of Lightning (Judgement Bolt) | Ramuh
- The Favor of Light (Gigaeflare) | Bahamut
- The Favor of Earth (Earthen Fury) | Titan
- The Will of Wind (Aerial Blast) | Garuda
- The Will of Ice (Diamond Dust) | Shiva
- The Will of Darkness (Dancing Steel) | Odin
Powerful Accessories
All Chronolith Locations in Final Fantasy XVI
The Hand of Hyperion (Phoenix)
The Hand of Hyperion is the Chronolith Trial associated with Phoenix, the Eikon of Fire. Befitting the Phoenix, the Hand of Hyperion rests in Rosaria, the land of the firebird, meaning that it will be the first Chronolith many players find on their journey.
The Phoneix’s arete stone is very easy to find, with it being right along the main path from Martha’s Rest to Eastpool. From the Rest head north into the Greensheaves: as you cross the threshold into Rhiannon’s Rest (which is marked by a massive Fallen structure) look to the right of the path where you’ll spy a familiar-looking arete stone.
The stage 4 boss fight of the Hand of Hyperion is against an Ahriman, the infamous one-eyed bat creatures of the Final Fantasy series. This boss will spend a lot of time shooting beams or launching projectiles at you, giving you ample opportunities to Precision Dodge and land some great follow-up hits: unfortunately, it also spends a large portion of the fight running away, resulting in huge amounts of time loss if you don’t fully utilise Phoenix Shift to close the gap. Be extra aggressive in this fight, especially if you have little time.
Phoenix Chronolith Trial
The Hand of Iapetus (Ramuh)
The Eikon of Lightning is up next with the Hand of Iapetus Trial. The Eikon belonging to Cidolfus, Ramuh channels the ferocity of the storm and his trial will expect the same of you and yours.
Ramuh’s trial is in the Holy Empire of Sanbreque. To be more specific, it can be uncovered near the citadel of Caer Norvent in the Norvent Valley, which is just south of Lostwing. From said town, head down the linear southern path that you took with Cid during the early portions of FF16’s story: this will take you straight to the Caer Norvent River Gate. There will be a slight detour in the path, one which leads deeper into the woods, which you should follow to eventually reach the Hand of Iapetus arete stone.
The final boss of stage 4 is the large, imposing form of the Griffin. Honestly, this fight shouldn’t be too difficult so long as you know when to dodge and when to pounce: you’ll have access to Ramuh’s highest damage and stagger-capable abilities, Judgement Bolt and Thunderstorm, which can shred through the Griffin’s health and posture bar at an insane rate. Griffins also have very predictable attack patterns, mostly wanting to get into melee with you. Predict those attacks, dodge out of the way and then let loose with your lightning to steamroll this final obstacle.
Ramuh Chronolith Trial
The Hand of Mimas (Bahamut)
Then we have the Hand of Mimas, located in the Holy Empire of Sanbreque. As you can guess, this Chronolith belongs to the dragon of Light, Bahamut.
To reach this Chronolith, fast travel to Northreach. Once you’re inside the town, exit out by the Imperial Training Grounds. This exit brings you onto an isolated stretch of the Oriflamme coastline to the east of the Royal Meadows, one populated by the Westwatch tower. Keep making your way to the end of this area, past Westwatch and towards Cape Orsiere, and you’ll soon be able to spy the Bahamut Chronolith Trial laying dormant on the cliff’s edge.
Bahamut’s stage 4 boss is one many may struggle with, the Orcish Warlord. On its own, the Warlord isn’t anything too special: paired with Bahamut’s more limiting playstyle and tendency to be more passive, though, can be devastating. The best thing to do here (and the best thing to learn about Bahamut’s playstyle in general) is to be offensive and aggressive, especially when charging Megaflare. If you stand around out of range, you’ll be safe, sure, but you’ll waste far too much time: instead, play near the Warlord while charging and dodge each attack he throws at you, massively reducing the time you need for a level 4 Flare. Additionally, use Gigaflare to pause time and demolish the Warlord’s health and posture.
Bahamut Chronolith Trial
The Hand of Titan (Titan)
After Bahamut, we have Titan, the Eikon of Earth. The following two Eikons both have their Chronoliths in the Dhalmekian Republic, the arid sands of the desert hiding the trials from most who pass by.
To reach the Titan Chronolith, begin at the Velkroy Desert obelisk. From here, head north towards the abandoned town of Ceratina, a winding set of empty streets and broken homes. Navigating Ceratina will allow you to find the Northern Velkroy Desert, a location otherwise completely isolated from the rest of Dhalmekia. Continue exploring this area until you find a small hovel guarded by several small monsters: all you need to do is wipe them out and the the Hand of Titan Chronolith will be yours to access as you please.
The final boss of the Hand of Titan will surely make in-the-know FF fans quake in their boots. You’ll be going up against an Iron Giant, a hulking Fallen monster who can deal very high damage at long and close range. The secret for beating this boss is to abuse Titan’s block and parry mechanics: to be more specific, you’ll be relying heavily on Raging Fists as they have a very large window for parrying and deal absurd amounts of stagger damage on hit. Do be careful not to be too aggressive, though, as counterattacking after a Titanic Block can sometimes put you in the way of another, more deadly attack. Be deliberate with your blocks and know when to move in for the punishment.
Titan Chronolith Trial
The Hand of Dione (Garuda)
Next up is the Hand of Dione, the Chronolith Trial of Garuda. Like Titan’s Chronolith, you’ll also find the Hand of Dione in Dhalmekia. Getting to it is a good deal more difficult, though, mainly due to where it is located.
The Chronolith for Garuda in FF16 is lost within the Drakos Deep, a tight series of caverns and canyons populated by abandoned Fallen. This area is very dark and very confusing to navigate and full of enemies. To find the trial as quickly as possible, teleport to the Laetny’s Cleft obelisk (as opposed to the Krozjit Echoes obelisk) and then head south towards the Abandoned Fishing Village. This area has a direct path into the Drakos Deep and you should take the second right exit when following this path. Once you reach a dead end look right once more and the Hand of Dione arete stone should be well within reach.
Garuda’s final foe is a Ceourl. These monsters are very aggressive, bouncing all around the arena at high speeds. You’ll only have access to Gouge as a readily available move here so make sure to wait for large openings so you can spam it without worry. As for your other move, Aerial Blast, use it as soon as the fight begins to get some huge stagger damage on the boss right away: the tornado you generate will continue tracking the Ceourl for some time, steadily wearing it down so you can yank it with Deadly Embrace or wail on it once it’s posture is broken. Don’t forget that you can also use the aerial jump from Deadly Embrace as a dodge for some of the Ceourl’s ranged lightning attacks.
Garuda Chronolith Trial
The Hand of Rhea (Shiva)
The Hand of Rhea is the first Chronolith off the continent of Storm and it corresponds to the Eikon of Ice, Shiva. To reach it, you’ll have to make land on Ash.
Actually getting to the Chronolith once you’re on Ash isn’t too difficult considering that most of the continent is rather linear. Continue following the golden path from the Shadow Coast, making your way north past Wolfdarr and into the Angry Gap. Before you cross Rikmal’s Roost into the second part of the swamp, head to the southern reaches of the Angry Gap and look for a narrow walkway: following this path will take you into a hollowed-out bit of wall containing the Hand of Rhea Chronolith inside.
The stage 4 boss of this Chronolith is a rare one. You’ll be battling a Necrophobe, an enemy type you’ve only ever fought once during your adventures in Twinside. These enemies are very aggressive with adept mastery over the elements. Fortunately, as Shiva, you have incredible crowd control potential: spam your Cold Snap dodge often to slow down the Necrophobe and then try to perfectly time your dodge on its more predictable moves, giving you a massive opening when it becomes inflicted with Permafrost. Diamond Dust is also great at locking down the Necrophobe, as well as dealing very high damage, whereas Rime will be another thing you spam whenever it becomes available.
Shiva Chronolith Trial
The Hand of Enceladus (Odin)
Finally, we have Odin’s Chronolith Trial, the Hand of Enceladus. As you may be expecting, this Chronolith is also located on Ash, home of Odin’s Dominant Barnabas.
To reach this arete stone, you’ll have to travel basically the entire length of Ash, all the way up to the Vidargraes outside Stonehyrr. These wide, imposing open plains are filled with deadly monsters from all over and the ground is so uneven that you may have a hard time travelling. The area you’re searching for is the Bedlam Boughs, a patchy forest to the south of the Vidargraes. Make your way up past the Badbach Conservatory and through the winding hills of this area and you’ll be able to reach the Hand of Enceladus arete stone, dwelling undisturbed in a small grove overlooking Stonehyrr.
Odin’s final adversary in the Chronolith Trial is a Chimera. Honestly, this monster is kind of a joke if you’re at least decently good at dodging. Many of its attacks are slow, they have massive telegraphs and they don’t even deal much damage. This is perfect for Odin as he doesn’t deal a lot of damage until you ramp up to a Rank 5 Zantetsuken, which should take about 1/4 of the Chimera’s health if you can land it. The slow, plodding nature of the Chimera is great for allowing you to rack up a lot of hits with Arm of Darkness and Dancing Steel. Keep up your assault, trigger as many tier 5 Zantetsukens as you can and the Hand of Enceladus should fall very quickly.
Odin Chronolith Trial
Chronolith Tips and Tricks
To begin with our Chronolith tips and tricks, you might want to consider using Eikon ability buffing accessories like the Favor, Breath and Grace accessories. These each buffs the power, cooldown rate or duration of a specific Eikon ability: in general play, these are okay but very outclassed by other accessories. In Chronolith Trials, though, you’ll only be using a single Eikon’s moveset. As such, you’ll need to learn how to squeeze everything out of your kit. Chucking on an accessory which boosts Ignition or Gungir is a big help, especially when you know when those abilities are going to show up in the stages. Just remember to equip them before the trial as you cannot switch accessories after entering.
Another major thing to note about Chronoliths is the ultimate skills of each Eikon. By ultimate skills, I’m referring to moves like Diamond Dust or Judgement Bolt: the flashy moves with incredibly high damage and very long cooldowns. Whenever you reach stages 3 and 4 of a Chronolith, these skills become accessible and you should use them whenever you can. That recommendation isn’t just for their destructive potential, mind you, but for how they influence the timer. For more extended skills like Gigaflare or Flames of Rebirth, the timer will slow down or even stop completely while the move is performing its animation. You should exploit this in the earlier stages to earn yourself more time for the annoying stage 4 behemoths.
Lastly, know the strengths and weaknesses of your Eikon before going in. This advice may seem really rudimentary but it can help save you a ton of time. The best examples here are Ramuh and Bahamut, both Eikons whose abilities can become very passive if you fall into the trap of not being aggressive enough: between Bahamut’s Wings of Light and Ramuh’s Blind Justice, it can easy to take too many steps back and waste away the timer. Knowing how to play each of these Eikons aggressively, such as pushing in with Ramuh’s Pile Driver to instantly chunk down stagger bars or dodging attacks with Wings of Lights to rapidly raise the Megaflare level, will help massively with getting through these fights as smoothly as possible.
A Dormant Stone
That was everything you needed to know about the Chronolith Trials in Final Fantasy 16, including all Chronolith Trial locations.
