Chocobos are the iconic and most recognizable mascot of the Final Fantasy series. They make a return in Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis but not as transport but for off-screen exploration. You can manage a chocobo farm and send them to explorations to passively obtain rewards after a set amount of time has passed. In this article, we will discuss how this feature works.
FINAL FANTASY VII EVER CRISIS: Chocobo Farm Guide
Chocobo Farm
This feature is unlocked pretty early in the game, once you've reached Player LV5. Once unlocked, you can conveniently access it from the Home menu. The farm is run by three NPCs: Chloe (Exchange), Bill (Chocobo Expeditions), and Billy (Chocobo Stable). Fortunately, you don't need to talk to each of them to access the farm's options. You can simply tap the icons on the left side of the screen to conveniently switch between the various options, which we will discuss below.
There's also a chest containing random items near the entrance of the farm that gets reset/refilled daily so don't forget to collect it every day.
Chocobo Expeditions
This option allows you to send a chocobo to an expedition to obtain items over time. The time it takes to collect and the quality of items will vary with each chocobo's abilities, which we will discuss further within this article. Chocobos also have a "field aptitude" which determines which map terrain they can be dispatched. Some expedition areas have various terrain and you won't be able to dispatch chocobos without the matching field aptitude to those areas.
You can also have one of your characters accompany a chocobo to passively earn EXP, which is a great way for reserved/unused characters to earn EXP consistently.
Dispatch Limit
You'll start off with one chocobo to dispatch but you can purchase additional spots using crystals. You can have up to three dispatches at a time but that will also require you to have three different chocobos. Each dispatched chocobo will have its own timers. The "Next" timer indicates the time remaining for the chocobo to collect an item while the "Max" timer indicates the time it will take to max out the items the chocobo can collect. Once maxed out, the chocobo will stop exploring until you collect the items they're carrying. This will restart the timer and allow the chocobo to resume exploring and collecting items.
Tip : To instantly collect items from all dispatched chocobo(s), tap the Collect All button in the lower-right corner of the Expedition screen.
You can also use a consumable item called a Chocobooster which can significantly cut the collection time of the dispatched chocobos. You're only limited to using this booster 99 times daily but if you're just a casual player, you really don't have to use the booster often. Another paid option is to purchase an EC Pass which will shorten the expedition time by 30% and boost the rare drop rate from expeditions as well by 30%.
Expedition Areas
Before dispatching, you'll be able to choose which area the chocobo will explore. There are several regions available, each with their own set of items that you can collect. You'll start in Midgar and to unlock the next region, you'll need to reach 75% exploration rate on the preceding region.
Each region has several individual areas which have their own set of drops. Tap the magnifying glass icon beside the drops icons to see which items you can obtain from that area. If you decide to change the area a dispatched chocobo will explore, the timers of that re-dispatched chocobo will be reset.
Exploration Rate
Exploration rate is increased steadily as your chocobos collect items from any area in the region they're exploring. In the Change Area screen, you'll see the exploration percentage on the top-right corner. To see what items are still missing to complete the exploration rate, simply tap the magnifying glass icon beside the exploration gauge. This will display all the items that can be obtained from the region. Those with the chocobo stamps indicate that the items have been collected; the ones without are still not obtained so try to dispatch a chocobo to the area
Chocobo Stable
This option allows you to manage your chocobos. Here you can see their stats and traits. You can even rename and lock these chocobos to avoid accidentally retiring them. Their stats are as follows:
- Speed: Affects the time it takes to complete the expedition.
- Stamina: Increases the amount of rewards obtained.
- Intellect: Affects the chance of obtaining rare items or medals.
- Adaptability: Affects the amount of character EXP earned.
Their ranks indicate their rarity and stats. Chocobos don't level up or improve so if you need better chocobos, you'll have to get them through the Exchange option using Chocobo Medals.
Exchange
This is where you can exchange medals to get new chocobos. As much as possible, I recommend saving up and getting the higher-ranked chocobos that you can afford. The only exception for this is when you're just trying to get your second and third chocobos just to reach the dispatch limit. In that case, you can simply get the cheap, lower-ranked ones then eventually replace them with the better ones.
Summary
The Chocobo Farm feature in Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis is worth spending time on especially when you're playing regularly. Passively obtaining rewards is generally pleasantly welcome. Thankfully, learning the basics of this feature isn't that hard as well. Just keep dispatching, collecting, then buying better Chocobos to increase your yield.
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