At a glance
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age Trophy Guide Quick Info
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Trophies at a Glance
The complete trophy list, grouped into scan-friendly routes before the full walkthrough.
Efficient route
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age Trophy Guide and Platinum Roadmap
Follow these phases in order to protect the missable work and keep the Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age Platinum cleanup efficient.
Phase 0: Two rules and a speed setting
Do not use your final boss autosave as the save file for the 100 Trial Mode floors, or those battles may not count toward the Bestiary.
Turn on Speed Mode early. It runs the game 2 to 4 times faster and cuts the grind requirements substantially.
Do not sell rare loot, since it makes farming the best bazaar equipment take much longer.
Note that the Zodiac Spear is no longer missable, so you can ignore the old PS2 chest restriction entirely.
Phase 1: The main story and the job boards
Play through the story, choosing jobs from the twelve available licence boards.
Bank the story trophies, which cannot be missed, and the activity trophies like using Attack 300 times and casting Magick 200 times. Speed Mode handles these quickly.
Save before any fight against a named monster that carries a trophy, since some can randomly fail to pop. Gilgamesh in particular, both fights.
Work the hunts and marks as they become available, filling Bestiary entries as you go.
Phase 2: Espers, hunts and Concurrences
Defeat the optional espers and hunt targets that carry trophies, including Deathgaze, Fafnir, Trickster and Carrot.
For Trickster, re-enter the Frozen Brook area of Paramina Rift until Monid says it has appeared, then look for a transparent Chocobo and follow it until it is targetable.
Perform all eight Concurrences for Mist Walker, which requires chaining Quickenings up to 12 deep for Black Hole.
Continue building the Bestiary throughout rather than saving it for the end.
Phase 3: Trial Mode
Start Trial Mode from the start screen, using a save file that is NOT your final boss autosave.
Work through to stage 50 and then stage 100. Later stages realistically need endgame power.
Use Trial Mode to fill Bestiary entries for enemies that are hard to find in the base game, including the Larva Eater.
Trial Mode items are not missable and infinitely available, so there is no pressure to optimise drops.
This is the section buyers most often want handled. One soft mention of DamnModz fits here.
Phase 4: Scrivener and the platinum
Complete the Bestiary for Scrivener, which is ultra rare and usually the last trophy.
Trial Mode will have covered most entries but not all, so expect some targeted hunting.
Finish the game via the Sky Fortress Bahamut if you held it back, and take the final story trophies.
Expect anywhere from 60 to 137 hours in total depending on how much optional content you engaged with.
Guide notes
Do Not Use Your Final Boss Autosave for Trial Mode
First section after the Quick Info box. One player used the autosave from their final boss fight as the save file for the 100 Trial Mode floors, and discovered those Trial Mode battles then could not be used toward the Scrivener Bestiary trophy. Since Scrivener is ultra rare and usually the last trophy, and Trial Mode is one of the best places to fill Bestiary entries, that single choice can cost you the platinum's hardest requirement. It appears in a comment thread and nowhere else.
Guide notes
Speed Mode Is the Main Lever
A button press speeds the game up between 2 and 4 times normal. On a trophy list that would otherwise take an enormous amount of time, this cuts the requirement substantially, and it applies to the grind trophies like using Attack 300 times, casting Magick 200 times and defeating 500 foes. Recommend it early rather than treating it as an optional convenience.
Guide notes
This Is Not the PS2 Game You Remember
The Zodiac Age is based on the Japan-exclusive International Zodiac Job System rather than the Western PS2 release. That means twelve jobs each with their own licence board, the ability to break the 9,999 damage limit, Trial Mode with 100 stages, and Speed Mode. Returning players will be unfamiliar with much of it, and guides written for the original PS2 version describe a different game.
Guide notes
The Zodiac Spear Is No Longer Missable
Famously, the original locked the Zodiac Spear behind not opening four specific chests, which is one of the best known missable traps in the series. In this version it appears in a 1 percent respawning chest in Henne Mines, so you can obtain as many as you like, and it is also available through the Hunt Club. Very little can be permanently missed now, with Genji Gloves the main exception at two missable sources.
Guide notes
Trophies That Randomly Fail To Pop
Under unknown conditions there is a slight chance that trophies requiring you to kill a specific monster will not fire after the kill. The instruction is to save before the fight and reload the autosave if the trophy does not appear. Gilgamesh is specifically named, with a save recommended before both of his fights. Note that several of these monsters can also be fought again in Trial Mode as a fallback.
Guide notes
Scrivener and the Bestiary
Completing the Bestiary is ultra rare and typically the final trophy, essentially requiring the entire game. Trial Mode helps considerably, since it contains enemies that are difficult to find in the base game, including the Larva Eater with its awkward spawn condition, plus access to superbosses that are easier there than in the main game. It will not get you to 100 percent alone but it covers most of it.
Efficient route
Trial Mode's 100 Stages
Accessible from the start screen at any time, with trophies at stage 50 and stage 100. Many later stages are very difficult and realistically require endgame power. Note that Trial Mode items are not missable and are infinitely available, since you can run it as many times as you like.
Mist Walker and the Concurrences
Performing every Concurrence means eight in total, triggered by chaining specific numbers of Quickenings. One player struggled to chain beyond 9 when 12 were needed for Black Hole.
Do Not Sell Rare Loot
Unintentionally selling rare loot makes farming the best bazaar equipment take considerably longer. Publish the list of goods to keep, since the consequence is a long detour rather than a lost trophy.
Cartographer
Fully exploring every map sounds missable and by most assessments is not. Flag it as probably safe while advising thoroughness, since the reassurance is not certain.
Every requirement
Full Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age Trophy List
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Platinum Trophy
Collected all other trophies.
Story and Ending Trophies
Faced Doctor Cid.
Collectibles and Completion
Learned every Magick.
Learned every Technick.
Obtained a Morbid Urn.
Fully explored every map.
Performed every Concurrence.
Obtained every Esper.
Challenges and Difficulty
Obtained the Dawn Shard.
Miscellaneous Trophies
Used Attack 300 times.
Cast Magicks 200 times.
Used Technicks 100 times.
Successfully stole 50 times.
Defeated 500 foes.
Completed a 50-chain in battle.
Took 50,000 steps.
Acquired 100,000 gil.
Obtained 500,000 Clan Points.
Spent 1,000,000 gil.
Sold 1,000 pieces of loot.
Raised your party's average level above 50.
Earned 48,000 License Points.
Completed the Bestiary.
Defeated Deathgaze.
Defeated Fafnir.
Defeated the Trickster.
Defeated Carrot.
Defeated Gilgamesh.
Defeated the Behemoth King.
Defeated Yiazmat.
Defeated the Hell Wyrm.
Defeated Ultima.
Defeated Zodiark.
Faced the Archadian Empire as an initiate in the Order of the Knights of Dalmasca.
Defeated your first mark.
Escaped from the Nalbina Dungeons.
Rescued the Princess of Dalmasca.
Set out from Mt Bur-Omisace.
Restored peace to Ivalice.
Completed the 50th trial.
Completed the 100th trial.
Guide notes
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age Missable, Glitched, and Difficulty Notes
- No missable trophies per most sources, which is a substantial improvement on the original PS2 release.
- The Zodiac Spear is no longer missable. It appears in a 1 percent respawning chest in Henne Mines and is also available through the Hunt Club.
- Do not use your final boss autosave as the save file for the 100 Trial Mode floors. One player found those battles then could not be used toward the Scrivener Bestiary trophy.
- Some trophies requiring a specific monster kill can fail to pop under unknown conditions. Save before the fight and reload the autosave if it does not fire, especially for Gilgamesh.
- Several of those monsters can also be fought again in Trial Mode as a fallback.
- Selling rare loot makes farming the best bazaar equipment take considerably longer, so keep it.
- Genji Gloves remain missable, with two sources both of which can be lost, though no trophy appears to depend on them.
- Trial Mode items are not missable and are infinitely available since the mode can be replayed freely.
- Speed Mode runs the game 2 to 4 times faster and cuts the grind requirements substantially.
Quick answers
Frequently Asked Questions
Which save should you use for Trial Mode in FF12?
Not your final boss autosave. One player used it and found the Trial Mode battles could not then be used toward the Scrivener Bestiary trophy, which is ultra rare and usually the last one.
Is the Zodiac Spear still missable in The Zodiac Age?
No. It now appears in a 1 percent respawning chest in Henne Mines so you can get as many as you like, and it is also available through the Hunt Club. The old PS2 chest restriction is gone.
What is Speed Mode in Final Fantasy XII?
A button press that runs the game 2 to 4 times faster. It cuts the grind trophies substantially, including using Attack 300 times, casting Magick 200 times and defeating 500 foes.
How long does it take to platinum Final Fantasy XII?
Officially 60 to 100 hours. One player who focused only on what the platinum required and skipped the overpowered optional weapons reported 137 hours.
What is the hardest trophy in Final Fantasy XII?
Scrivener, completing the Bestiary. It is ultra rare and typically the final trophy, essentially requiring the entire game plus Trial Mode to fill the harder entries.
Why didn't my monster kill trophy pop in FF12?
Some of these can fail to fire under unknown conditions. Save before the fight and reload the autosave if it does not appear, and note that many of those monsters can be fought again in Trial Mode.
Is The Zodiac Age the same as the PS2 Final Fantasy XII?
Not quite. It is based on the Japan-exclusive International Zodiac Job System, with twelve jobs, licence boards, a broken 9,999 damage limit, Trial Mode and Speed Mode.
Should you sell rare loot in Final Fantasy XII?
No. Selling it makes farming the best bazaar equipment take considerably longer, so hold on to anything rare even if you do not immediately need it.
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