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Final Fantasy XVI

FF16 - Trial and Error Side Quest Walkthrough

By
Shane Williams

The Trial and Error side quest in Final Fantasy 16 can be acquired at "The Hideaway" iconThe Hideaway once you reach Back to their Origin main quest. Here you’ll find an NPC named Nazaire who is one of the Hideaway’s Cursebreakers. He’ll tell you that there is a "Bearer" iconBearer that wishes to join the Cursebreakers and he needs you to check if they’re ready. We’ll take you through the necessary steps to completion and how to defeat the Tot Aevis.

Speak with Nazaire in the Hideaway to begin this quest.

Cursebreaker Nazaire hs asked for Clive’s assistance in the evaluation of a new recruit-specifically one who fancies becoming the hideaway’s next best scout.

How to Start the Trial and Error Side Quest in Final Fantasy 16

First things first, you’ll need to have completed the main story mission Streets of Madness, and be on Back to their Origin. When those requirements have been met, head over to Nazaire who can be found standing at the Boarding Deck. Speak with him and you’ll discover that a Bearer that has recently become free from his master and has requested to join the Cursebreakers and he needs you to see if they are up to the task.

How to Defeat Tot Aevis

Once you’re done speaking with Nazaire, fast travel to the "Northreach" iconNorthreach "Obelisk" iconObelisk and head over to Nazaire who can be found standing just outside The Markets. Here you’ll discover that his reasoning for wanting to become a Cursebreaker is because he wants to save someone in the future like "Gav" iconGav saved him, so make your way over to Eastwatch which is located to the northwest of "The Dragon's Aery" iconThe Dragon’s Aery Obelisk. You’ll immediately discover that the "Ember" iconEmber is currently under attack from a Tot Aevis and requires your assistance.

(1 of 3) Head to this location on the map to find the Tot !Aevis.

This is an elite enemy which means you’ll want to tackle with caution. To begin, you’ll want to work on staggering it, so use Zantetsuken to increase your gauge to level 5, then chip away at the stagger bar with "Magic Burst" iconMagic Burst and other single target attacks like "Heatwave" iconHeatwave until "Diamond Dust" iconDiamond Dust becomes available again. After you’ve staggered, Tot Aevis stick down "Lightning Rod" iconLightning Rod in front of it, then activate your "Limit Break" iconLimit Break before unleashing Zantetsuken and "Gigaflare" iconGigaflare. This should take it down to around the 50% mark, so you’ll want to repeat this process once more to finish it off. Whilst you’re trying to take it down you’ll want to watch out for the following attacks below:

  • Fireball - Tot Aevis will shoot out single fireballs.
  • Swipe - Tot Aevis will lunge towards you and will attempt to swipe you with its claw.

Does Ember Deserve Passing Marks in FF16?

Once you’ve defeated the enemy you’ll discover that Ember is gone, so open the nearby chest for the Kestel’s Beak Braid Accessory (this increases the downthrust damage by 10%). Return to Northreach and inform Nazaire on the recent events, then fast travel back to the Hideaway and speak with Nazaire once more and you’ll be presented with the choice on if Ember deserves passing marks. If you choose yes or no, the end result of the quest will be the same, so go with what you think is best. This will bring the quest to a close and you’ll be rewarded with The Breath of Lightning ("Pile Drive" iconPile Drive) Accessory. This reduces the cooldown for Pile Drive by 4.2 seconds.

Other Side Quests in The Hideaway

As you’re playing through the Main Quest you’ll find more Side Quests pop up in the Hideaway, so it’s a good idea to check back often. Below is a list of all the currently available Side Quests:

Name Location
On Balance The Shelves
Not to Be Outdone The Ale Hall
Blacksmith Blues III The Mess
Blacksmith Blues IV The Mess
Nobody’s Tool Main Decks
Where There’s A Will Main Decks

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Guide Information
  • Publisher
    Square Enix
  • Platforms,
    PS5
  • Genre
    Action RPG
  • Guide Release
    21 June 2023
  • Last Updated
    2 August 2023
    Version History
  • Guide Author

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This is the tale of Clive Rosfield, a warrior granted the title “First Shield of Rosaria” and sworn to protect his younger brother Joshua, the dominant of the Phoenix. This guide for Final Fantasy XVI contains the following:

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