Final Fantasy XII Chain Basics

Final Fantasy XII introduced the concept of "chaining" where the player is rewarded for killing the same monsters or types of monsters one after the other. As each monster is killed, the Chain number and possibly the Chain level will increase. The higher these numbers are, the better chance the player has of obtaining uncommon or rare item drops from the monsters being slain.

Chaining Basics

Every time you kill a monster, the chain count starts at 1. If you kill another monster of that same type then the chain number will increase by 1. If you kill a monster of a different type then the chain counter resets at 0.

Other things that reset the chain counter include Vaan walking into a town and touching a save crystal. If the crystal makes that chiming sound then you have reset the chain and are starting from 0 once again.

Increasing your chain count increases the chance of the monster you just killed dropping better loot. Every Final Fantasy XII monster has loot that ranges from common to rare, and the higher your chain count the better chance you will have of getting the rare loot. Not only do your chances of getting rare items increase with you chain count, so does the chance of getting multiple items dropped for each kill. For instance after 26 kills of the same monster, there is a 100% chance that you will get more than one common item from the loot.

Chain Levels

By increasing your chain level (not chain number), you increase your chances of getting rare loot drops even more. Chain levels are increased semi-randomly, meaning that for each chain you start you have a random chance of getting a new chain level after each kill past the 6th.

Since many Final Fantasy XII players seem to have terrible luck, there is also forced chain levels every so often. If you get all the way to around 30 kills while still at chain level 0, the game will automatically force you into chain level 1. If you keep fighting you will eventually hit the highest chain level of 3.

Be aware, however, that looting items that are dropped can actually cause you to move backwards in chain levels. If you loot every item on the field you will still eventually reach the higher chain levels, it just takes a bit longer. So if you are targeting a specific drop from a specific monster, don't touch the loot that drops until you hit chain level 3!

Benefits of Higher Chain Levels

While having a high chain count increases your chance of getting valuable loot, having a high chain level increases it even further. For example, at chain level 0 every monster you kill has a 40% chance of dropping a common loot item. For each chain level above 0 the chance of a drop increases by 5%, meaning that at chain level 3, the highest chain level, you have a 55% chance of getting a common loot item to drop.

So if you are hunting rare or valuable items in Final Fantasy XII, you want not only the chain count to be high, but also the chain level. When you are hunting super rare items it is a lot better to have a 5% chance of getting the item than a 1% chance. Even if you are not actively hunting a rare item, the loot you acquire at higher chain counts and levels, such as Hi-Potions and Ethers will come in very handy during long fights, not to mention saving you valuable Gil.

Chain Flashing Loot Free for All

If after you kill a monster the chain number starts flashing, then you are free to pick up all the items laying around on the ground as long as you don't kill another monster. Grab all of the loot you can before engaging the next monster. After the next monster falls the number will probably not flash again, and if it doesn't flash that means the loot free for all period has ended.

Conclusion

Managing your chain number and level is critical for loot farmers in Final Fantasy XII. Just wandering around whacking whatever moves will get you the rare loots eventually, but if you pay attention to your chain you can get them in half the time or less. Even at early stages of the game you can obtain nice items that will give you an advantage, so if you have a few minutes to spare during one of your play sessions go out and do some chain farming. You will soon find yourself flush with potions and might even obtain some uncommon weapons or armor.

Make sure to check out the Final Fantasy XII auto leveling guide while you are here!