ADB - Exploration and battle
Final Fantasy XII probably brings about one of the most radical revision of the battle system for quite some time in the Squenix franchise, and that change has a name: Active Dimension Battle. It is not quite a revolution as I'll point out below, but it does change things around enough that you'll need some time to adjust if you were familiar with previous systems used
So what does stand behind that fancy "Active Dimension Battle" thingy anyway? Basically, the first thing you'll notice is that there are no more random fights: you now see the enemies (well, most of them anyway: you can still be ambushed from time to time) and decide whether you want to try and avoid them, or if you'd rather attack them. From the moment you either attack or the fiend spots you and targets you, you enter into battle, which leads us to our second important change: we now have seamless transition from exploration to battle. No more black screen, no more specific battle field. Instead, you know you've entered into a battle even if the fiend is outside your vision field because one or more of your party members will take a battle stance. That makes for more dynamic exploration, but also means that you should be on your guards: indeed, more fiends that find themselves in the area might join in the battle at any moment. You can end the battle only by defeating the fiend(s) or by escaping far away enough to shake off the fiend's pursuit
What you should keep in mind:
- ADB is really the set of rules that dictate what happens during battle in time and space
- No screen cut at the beginning or at the end of battle: be aware that any other fiend that's in the area can walk in and join during battle
- Battle happens in real time for allies and fiends alike (although that can be slightly altered, as we'll see); since it's not turn-based, fiends can keep aligning actions even if your team doesn't select any action
- Distance will determine whether or not an action can be performed: as the action takes place on the exploration field itself, parties can find themselves at varying distance from each other at any point of the battle; you need to find yourself within a given distance in order for your action to be successul (more about distance below)
ADB - The benefits of fighting fiends during the game
Whenever you defeat a fiend, you are generally rewarded with EXP (experience points), LP (licence points), Clan Points, items and sometimes Gils: it is thanks to those that you can make your characters progress. However, unlike in previous Final Fantasy, because of the ADB system you don't have any summary of what you get at the end of battle: as a result, EXP, LP (licence points), clan points and gils are granted automatically, while dropped items must be picked up by the party
The merits of defeating fiends:
- Obtaining EXP allows your characters to level up
- Obtaining LP allows you to acquire new licences
- Obtaining Clan Points contributes to improving your clan rank
- You can acquire items dropped by defeated fiends
- You automatically receive gils the fiend was carrying
- The Clan Primer Bestiary (JP: Hunter Catalogue) gets updated
Note: instances when you are not rewarded EXP or items for defeating fiends
There are many ways to go about defeating fiends, but you have to be aware that a few of them will actually reward you with either no EXP/LP and/or will not be added to any battle chain that would be ongoing
| Way of defeating fiend | Acquire EXP (and others) | add to battle chain | update Clan Primer Bestiary |
| Defeated by Petrify or Poison damage | O | X | O |
| Use of Warp, Poach or Warp Mote | X | O | O |
| Defeated by Countdown, if fiend use self-destruct or defeated by other members (i.e. allies other than guests) | X | X | O |
ADB - Entering, taking action and exiting a battle (Battle Stance, Wait and Active Modes, Escape Mode)
As already mentioned above, you know a battle begins when you see at least one of your characters getting into a battle stance (characterized by a character drawing its weapon), either because it has initiated an action or because they themselves or an ally has been targeted (note that a character also takes a battle stance when hit by Confuse or Berserk and keeps it for as long as the status lasts, regardless of whether the party is effectively in a battle or not). During battle, a character can act: bring up the battle menu with either the X or [Square] (O or [Square] in the Japanese version), and use the directional arrows to select the command you want that character to execute, then press X (O in the Japanese version) to confirm. You'll note that when you open the battle commands menu, the battle freezes - that default setting effectlvely brings the battle system closer to a turn-based system, as everyone else must wait until you exit the battle commands menu. However, you can change that by going in the party menu (press [triangle]) > Config > Battle Mode Setup and select "Active Mode". This way there will be no more interruption of the battle when an action is selected, but it also makes battles that much tougher. If you're new to FF XII, I'd strongly suggest to stick with Wait Mode at the beginning and give "Active Mode" a try when you've feel at ease with all the commands in battle. Note that even in "Active Mode", the battle still freezes if you open the Party Menu, or if you need to choose another party leader
A battle usually ends when the fiend is defeated. However, you can also choose to escape battle at any time by keeping [R2] pressed (even though you can enter Escape Mode even then, you generally can't effectively escape from a boss). Entering Escape Mode puts an end to battle stance; it also means you can't do anything else, as it not only stops and delays any action that was being charged, but also prevents Gambits from functioning, as well as any exploration you might want to do. If you need to bring up the Party Menu, open a door, a chest, or talk to someone, you have end Escape Mode temporarily by releasing [R2] first
ADB - Distance and Environment in Battle
Distance is a more important parameter in this game than it has been in most other Final Fantasy games. Each weapon, magick or technick has a certain range of action within which the target must find itself in order for it to be effective. Because characters and fiends alike can move all around the area, distance between participants to a battle can change constantly so you might want to either move before acting or change your course of action. Of course, you can also use distance between yourself and a fiend to your advantage
Of course, moving around your environment also means that terrain features are there and some might have an impact on battle: while a slight difference of level or the existence of a valley between the party and fiends do not prevent action (from the moment said action has a long enough range), a wall or larger boulders or cliffs will prevent any action from being taken even if the opposite party is within range
| Distance | Related actions |
| 3 | Attack distance with most short-range weapons (character automatically steps forward within 1 distance at the moment of hitting); execution distance of Steal and other technicks (see Technicks page for details) |
| 6 | Distance covered in one second when running (5 when preparing to attack) |
| 10 | Attack distance with long-range weapons, long-range attack technicks, Mist Knacks, most magicks and items |
| 16 | Distance at which talk icon can be seen |
| 20 | Range within which a character must be of its leader to enter battle command |
| 24 | Distance within which action can be selected against a fiend (coincidently, it is also the distance from which one can see a fiend's HP bar); also range within which a other party members must be in relation with the party leader for them to be able to execute an action (if party member is too far, a warning message will appear on screen) |
| 30 | Range covered by the navi map at the top left corner of the screen |
| 36 | Distance at which characters and fiends alike become visible |
table based on illustration in Final Fantasy XII Battle Ultimania guide
ADB - KOed party members and game over
Any character that's victim of either Banish, Petrify or KO status cannot take part to battle anymore until said status is cured. Game over occurs only if all party members are victim of any of these status - and that regardless of the status of any guest character that may be in your team - and you'll have to start the game anew or from a previous save: however, even if all characters on the field are victim of one of these status, but you still have reserve characters available, you can switch them in and resume battle
A battle usually ends when the fiend is defeated. However, you can also choose to escape battle at any time by keeping [R2] pressed (even though you can enter Escape Mode even then, you generally can't effectively escape from a boss). Entering Escape Mode puts an end to battle stance; it also means you can't do anything else, as it not only stops and delays any action that was being charged, but also prevents Gambits from functioning, as well as any exploration you might want to do. If you need to bring up the Party Menu, open a door, a chest, or talk to someone, you have end Escape Mode temporarily by releasing [R2] first
ADB - Getting about recovery and support
It may seem strange to mention this in this particular chapter, but the system change to ADB brings about important changes to the way one thinks about recovery of HP and MP, as well as the casting of support spells. What you must keep in mind here is that the means of recovery are the same whether you're exploring or in battle (see list below) and that any support spell cast when you're exploring will carry on even if you enter a battle: it's an important aspect of the ADB system as it means that you can prepare your characters before entering battle, meaning you can save valuable time once fighting as you can focus on attacking right away. This is particularly valuable before boss or tougher mob hunts fights
| Means of Recovery | HP/MP recovery |
| Touch save crystal | HP/MP |
| Walk/run in the field | MP |
| Step on a HP Recover Trap | HP |
| Step on a MP Recover Trap | MP |
| Use Potion, Hi-Potion, X-Potion | HP |
| Use Ether, Hi-Ether | MP |
| Use Elixir, Megalixir | HP/MP |
| Use Cure Magick or First Aid Technick | HP |
| Use Charge Technick | MP |
| Use Drain Magick on fiend | HP |
| Use Syphon Magick on fied | MP |
| Let a character get hit by an Elemental Magick they absorb | HP |
| Get Regen status | HP |
| Let a character with Reverse status get hit with physical attack or by magick | HP |
| Pick up dropped items (occasional, depending on the battle chain) | HP/MP |
| Unlock specific Augments Licences | MP |
Follow the links for more details on each method. As for the walking around the field method for recovering MP, note that the less MP you have, the less steps you need to take in order to recover one MP: if you recover 1 MP for every 27 steps if you have 201 or more MP left, you only need to take 9 steps in order to recover 1 MP if you have between 0 and 25 MP remaining
ADB - Other rules of battle
During specific battles, unusual rules can be added to those that normally exist. In particular, there are eight instances when the field has a particular property that cannot be completely escaped - although its effects can sometimes be mitigated with the adequate strategy. You'll find below a list of all those special rules and the battles concerned; these rules will also be specified alongside the description of each fight
| Special Rule | Effect | Battle(s) |
| HP Sap | Constant HP decrease for all party members on the field; it does not bring HPs below one though (and thus a character cannot get KOed through HP Sap only) | Cuchulainn, Ultima (in alternance) |
| MP Sap | Constant MP decrease for all party members on the field | Rafflesia, Ultima (in alterance) |
| No Attack | Attack command (as well as Gambits including Attack command) is disabled for the battle | Chaos (in alternance) |
| No Magick | Magick command (as well as Gambits including Magick commands) is disable for the battle | Zeromus, Ultima (in alternance) |
| No Technicks | Technicks command (as well as Gambits including Technicks commands) is disabled for the battle | Tyrant, Ultima (in alterance) |
| No Items | Items command (as well as Gambits including Items commands) is disabled for the battle | Exodus, Ultima (in alternance) |
| Magnetic Field | Characters on the field get slowed down if wearing metal-intensive items (in particular armor) | Vinuskar, Ultima (in alternance) |
| No Zone Exit | Area cannot be exited during battle | Most boss battles |
| Instant Game Over | Trigger Game Over if cornered by the fiend, regardless of the status of party members | Demon Wall (two instances) |
| No HP Reset | HP of the fiend are not reset in case you temporarily exit the fighting area (unless fiend has Regen status, in which case it will regain HPs) | Yazmat, Hell Wyrm |
