'Final Fantasy XV' Ascension Guide: Top Skills To Unlock Early (PC Version)

Whether you’re just getting started in Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition on PC or experiencing the game on consoles for the first time with the Royal Edition, you’re likely to find yourself agonizing at some point over which skills are best to unlock in FFXV’s Ascension system.  To help you on your journey, we’ve highlighted the nodes we found most useful early on in the various skill trees or grids, and which party members they’ll benefit the most.

Final Fantasy XV Ascension Guide: Best Skill Tree Nodes To Unlock Early

Techniques Grid

The Techniques grid holds two specific skills we found vital during FFXV’s early game: Regroup and Enhancement.

• Regroup (8 AP, for Ignis) - Regroup is one skill we can’t emphasize enough, as it is both incredibly useful and cost-effective. This skill will come in handy in nearly every boss battle or challenging hunt. For two tech bars, Ignis will rally the party around him, restoring HP and getting characters who find themselves in the Danger (aka “death countdown”) status out of trouble. Having extra healing capabilities during the early game, when Gil and curative items are relatively scarce, can be a major boon and will continue to be useful throughout the game. Also, this skill works well for getting everyone in one place so you can use magic without hurting your allies.
• Enhancement (18 AP, for Ignis) - Enhancement is another skill we found vital for boosting the abilities of your stodgy butler. This skill is best used with Wait Mode and the Libra scanning ability as it allows Ignis to impart to Noctis’ weapon any element your enemy is weak to. This skill is great for putting a dent in the HP of powerful enemies quickly.
  • (Pro Tip: Players can toggle between Ignis’ Regroup and Enhancement skills by pressing the menu button in battle at any time.)

Recovery Grid

The two nodes that hold the greatest value on the Recovery Grid are Hang In and First Aid. Here are our reasons for putting them in our top skills list.

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• Hang In (12 AP, for Noctis) - Though the Rapid Regen node for 10 AP is similar to Hang In and also restores MP, when playing as Noctis you’ll likely spend more time Point Warping than crouching for cover. Why not make that HP restoration a bit faster?
• First Aid (24 AP each for Ignis, Prompto and Gladio) - First Aid is a great skill to employ early in the game, when your HP is low and even the most basic healing Potions seem costly. With this skill, your teammates will restore 20 percent of their HP without ever having to use an item. First Aid can only be used on a for character himself, so the best party member to get this AP first is the one most likely to be taking a beating in fights: Prompto.

Combat Grid

While all branches of the combat tree are worth investing in for Noctis, there are two branches in particular that will give you the most bang for your buck for relatively little AP . From the center, these branches point upward and to the right. Here’s the skills worth saving up for.

• Chained Fury (10 AP) and Warp Factor (24 AP) will boost chain attack and warp strike damage, respectively. The latter is especially handy, as you’ll be relying on Noctis’ warp strikes a great deal throughout the game.
• Light Phase (8 AP) and Ultralight Phase (32 AP) reduce the MP cost of Noctis’ phasing and teleportation abilities. It’s easy to burn through MP very quickly without realizing it as you zip around the battlefield, which can make it harder for Noct to be effective in battle. Purchasing these nodes won’t eliminate that problem entirely, but it’ll be a noticeable help.

Exploration Tree

After you’ve invested some AP in these basic cornerstones of the other trees, consider investing in a couple exploration nodes. You can earn some extra AP for stuff you’ll be doing all the time anyway if you invest in Happy Camping (20 AP) and Road Running (32 AP), which earn a small amount of AP each time you camp or take a long ride in the Regalia. Though these passive skill points may not seem like a big deal, they really add up while you’re exploring and doing sidequests in the early sections of the game.

Which Ascension skills have you found most important in the early game? Let us know in the comments below!