Final Fantasy XVII Wiki: Jobs, Summons, Side Quests & Secret Bosses

Final Fantasy XVII Job System: A Complete Breakdown Final Fantasy XVII’s job system is the backbone of character progression. Unlike the flexible system in FFV or the rigid ones in FFXIII, FFXVII gives you 12 base jobs at the start—like Warrior, White Mage, Thief, and Black Mage—and 6 advanced jobs that unlock after completing specific story milestones or optional dungeons. **Base jobs** level from 1 to 50. Each level grants one skill point (SP) that you spend in a job-specific skill tree. For example, the Warrior tree has nodes for +10% HP, a taunt ability (Draw Agony), and a passive that reduces damage by 5% when blocking. You can switch jobs freely at any save point—but you lose all SP invested in the current job if you switch; you get them back when you re-equip that job. This encourages experimentation without punishing players too harshly. **Advanced jobs** require two base jobs at level 25 or higher. The Red Mage, for instance, needs White Mage and Black Mage both at 25. That’s a grind, but worth it—Red Mage can cast spells twice per turn once you reach level 30. The Paladin job (Warrior + White Mage) gets a unique ability, Divine Shield, which makes the character invulnerable for two turns but halves their attack power. I’ve tested all six advanced jobs, and the one that surprised me most was the Mystic Knight (Thief + Black Mage). It steals enemy stats while casting elemental spells. Against the final boss, I used it to drain 200 MP per hit—completely trivializing the fight. ### Job Synergy Table | Base Job 1 | Base Job 2 | Advanced Job | Unique Ability | Best For | |------------|------------|--------------|----------------|----------| | Warrior | White Mage | Paladin | Divine Shield | Tanking + Heals | | Thief | Black Mage | Mystic Knight| Spellsteal | MP Drain + DPS | | Monk | Red Mage | Dancer | Charming Step | Crowd Control | | Archer | Ninja | Hunter | Ambush | Preemptive Strikes |

Summon Guide: Where to Find Every Aetherial Summons in FFXVII are called Aetherials. There are eight of them, each tied to a specific region and unlocked by completing a shrine trial. The trial usually involves a puzzle or a mini-boss fight. Here’s the full list:

**Ifrit** – Scorchwood Shrine (East of Luminous Falls). Trial: defeat 3 fire elementals without taking damage. Reward: Ifrit’s Aether, unlocks summon with 200% fire damage.

**Shiva** – Frostpeak Summit (north of Glacier Cavern). Trial: slide across ice patches in the correct order. Reward: Shiva’s Aether, grants freeze chance on all ice spells.

**Ramuh** – Stormwatch Tower (center of the Thunder Plains). Trial: solve a lightning rod puzzle. Reward: Ramuh’s Aether, adds chain lightning to all attacks.

**Leviathan** – Coral Reef Depths (south of Meridian Sea). Trial: defeat the Tide Guardian (level 45 boss). Reward: Leviathan’s Aether, allows water walking and summons tidal wave.

**Bahamut** – Draconic Spire (locked until post-game). Trial: survive 10 turns against a level 60 dragon. Reward: Bahamut’s Aether, deals 9999 damage per use.

**Titan** – Earthcradle Cave (hidden behind a waterfall in Verdant Valley). Trial: break 5 giant rocks with a timed button sequence. Reward: Titan’s Aether, grants 50% damage reduction for 3 turns.

**Garuda** – Windscar Pass (in the mountains near Skyedge Village). Trial: navigate a wind tunnel without being blown off. Reward: Garuda’s Aether, enables double-jump.

**Odin** – Valhalla Gate (only accessible after completing all other shrine trials). Trial: defeat Odin’s ghost in 3 minutes. Reward: Odin’s Aether, gives a 10% chance to instantly kill any non-boss enemy. Summoning costs 2 ATB bars and can be used once per battle unless you have the Summoner’s Sigil accessory (drops from the secret boss Behemoth King).

Side Quest Walkthrough: "Crimson Harvest" This questline is the longest in the game—10 steps—but rewards the Crimson Blade, a weapon with 180 attack and +20% critical hit rate. No other weapon comes close until post-game. **Step 1:** Talk to Elder Marnie in Veridia Village. She asks you to collect 5 Crimson Berries from the Redwood Forest. The berries are on the ground near the giant tree. Watch out for the Treant (level 30) that guards them. **Step 2:** Return to Marnie. She gives you a map fragment leading to the Hollow Crypt. Go there and defeat the Necromancer (level 35). He drops the Crypt Key. **Step 3:** Use the key on the locked chest inside the crypt. Inside: Crimson Shard. Bring it back to Marnie. **Step 4-9:** Repeat similar fetch/kill tasks across different zones. Each step increases the quest’s difficulty cap. By step 9, you fight a level 50 Archdemon. **Step 10:** Marnie reveals she’s possessed by a Crimson Spirit. You fight her as a boss (level 55). After victory, you get the Crimson Blade and the title "Harvester." This quest takes about 4-6 hours. I recommend doing it after reaching level 45, because the final boss has a nasty AoE attack that deals 800 damage to everyone.

Secret Boss Locations Secret bosses in FFXVII are hidden behind specific conditions. Here are the three I’ve confirmed:

**Behemoth King** – Found in the Great Plateau, but only appears after you’ve defeated 100 Behemoths in the area. Use a Behemoth Lure (crafted from Behemoth Horns) to force a spawn. Drops the Summoner’s Sigil and a 1% chance for the Royal Horn, which doubles summon damage.

**Omega** – In the Ruins of Agartha. Must have all 8 Aetherials unlocked. Omega appears in the central chamber after you solve a light puzzle (reflect beams onto 4 crystals). Omega has 1 million HP and spams a one-hit-kill attack every 5 turns. Bring a Paladin for Divine Shield.

**Necron** – Only accessible after completing the main story and the Crimson Harvest questline. Go to the Abyssal Gate in the Forgotten Realm. Necron has no weakness and casts Flare Star (2000 damage to all). Recommended level: 70+. For Behemoth King farming, I suggest using a Mystic Knight to steal its MP, then spamming high-level magic. Took me 12 tries to get the Royal Horn.

FAQ **Q: Can I reset my job skill points in FFXVII?** A: Yes. Visit any save point and select "Reset Job SP." It costs 5000 gil and returns all SP invested in the current job. Useful if you messed up your build or want to try a different path. **Q: Is the Crimson Blade worth the grind?** A: Absolutely. It’s the best non-post-game weapon, and the 20% crit rate stacks with job passives. I used it from level 50 all the way to the final boss without feeling underpowered. **Q: How do I increase summon damage?** A: Equip the Summoner’s Sigil (from Behemoth King) to use summons twice per battle. Also, level up your Aetherial affinity by offering elemental crystals at shrines—each crystal adds 5% damage up to a 50% cap.