Table of Contents
What is a Chocobo Expedition?
In the game, a Chocobo expedition involves sending a Chocobo and a character to various locations in the world, such as Midgar, to collect items on your behalf. These expeditions yield different types of drops, including exploration drops (collectible items), rare drops (which can include Materia and Chocobo boosters to increase speed), and leveling materials for your equipment, characters, and weapons. Additionally, the Chocobo rider gains experience during these expeditions, making it an excellent way to passively level up units you don't frequently use.
Each area in the game offers a unique set of drops, with later areas typically featuring rarer loot. Progress in all three areas within a region contributes to your overall progression. To unlock other regions, you must explore the current areas up to 75% completion, meaning you need to find 75% of the unique items in the region before the next one becomes accessible.
To expedite the process, consider unlocking expeditions 2 and 3 (costing 500 and 1500 gems, respectively). This initial investment not only speeds up the process but also triples your rewards over time. It's a wise choice, even if it might seem a bit costly at first.
Each Chocobo has a maximum capacity for the items they can collect. If they reach this limit, they will pause until you collect the items. Importantly, there is no penalty for collecting items early, so feel free to do so each time you visit. Additionally, you can use Chocobo boosters to advance an expedition by 3 hours.
Chocobo Medals
In the game, Chocobo medals are like important coins you need to collect to get better Chocobos. You've probably noticed that there are three kinds of Chocobos: F, H, and E. While most players know about the lower-ranked ones, there's a big difference between an E-rank Chocobo and an H-rank Chocobo, especially when it comes to their stats and special abilities.
To get these medals, you'll need to send your Chocobos on expeditions. The number of medals you get depends on how good your Chocobo is and how smart it is. We'll talk more about this in a moment.
You can also find Chocobo medals in a chest that shows up at the Chocobo farm every day.
Chocobo Ranking
Higher-ranked Chocobos have superior stats compared to lower-ranked ones, with better traits that boost Gil rate and rare item drops. Investing in better-ranked Chocobos can make a substantial difference in your expeditions. Moreover, Chocobos have varying carrying capacities, so consider this when choosing which ones to send on expeditions, as more stamina means they can carry more items.
As of now, the highest rank Chocobo available in the game is C+. Rumors suggest that we might be able to obtain S+ rank Chocobos in the future.
Here are the Chocobo prices based on their rarity:
- Rank H: 5 Medals
- Rank H plus: 50 Medals
- Rank G: 100 Medals
- Rank G plus: 300 Medals
- Rank F: 600 Medals
- Rank F plus: 1000 Medals
- Rank E: 1500 Medals
- Rank E plus: 2000 Medals
- Rank D: 3000 Medals
- Rank D plus: 5000 Medals
- Rank C: 7000 Medals
- Rank C plus: 10,000 Medals
- Rank B: 15,000 Medals
- Rank B+: 20,000 Medals
- Rank A: 30,000 Medals
- Rank A+: 50,000 Medals
- Rank S: 80,000 Medals
- Rank S+: 150,000 Medals
S+ rank Chocobos may seem expensive, so consider saving your Chocobo medals, as there may be ways to earn more of them in future updates.
Chocobo Stats
A Chocobo's stats are determined by its rank, and higher-ranked Chocobos have better stats. These stats fall into four categories: speed, stamina, adaptability, and intellect.
- Speed: This affects how quickly a Chocobo completes an expedition. Higher speed reduces the time required. The default time is 1:20:00, with every 10 points in speed reducing the time by a specific amount.
- Stamina: Stamina determines how many items a Chocobo can collect and carry during an expedition. The default limit is 5 items, with an additional item for every 20 points in stamina.
- Adaptability: Adaptability influences the experience bonus the Chocobo provides to the rider. An increase of 10 points in adaptability results in a 5% increase in the experience rate.
- Intellect: Intellect affects several factors, including Gil Rate Up, Rare Drop Rate Up, and Chocobo Medal Rate Up. Gil Rate Up and Rare Drop Rate Up are each half of your Chocobo Medal Rate Up.
Chocobo Boosters
To expedite your expeditions, using Chocobo boosters is a good strategy, particularly when you're close to having enough Chocobo medals to purchase a better Chocobo. These boosters can maximize your time and resources efficiently.
Consider holding onto your Chocobo boosters for now, as there may be events in the future that affect Chocobo expeditions.
Types of Chocobos
There are different types of Chocobos, such as River and Mountain Chocobos, which are essential for specific expedition areas like Wu Tai and Rhadore Archipelago. Mountain Chocobos are exclusively for Wutai expeditions, and River Chocobos are for the Rhadore Archipelago expeditions. In all other areas, you'll need a Land Chocobo. You can identify the Chocobo type by the icon on the top part of their picture, with a paw for ground, a mountain icon for mountain Chocobos, and a river icon for river Chocobos. The color of the Chocobo is purely cosmetic.
There's also a mention of ocean Chocobos, although no location for them is available yet. It's possible that they might be introduced in future updates. Rarer Chocobos that can travel anywhere might also become available, so it's a good idea to save your Chocobo medals for such opportunities.
Selling Chocobos
As you progress in the game, you'll likely obtain rarer Chocobos to replace your lower-ranked ones. Don't worry; you can still make use of these lower-ranked Chocobos by releasing them into the wild. You'll receive 1/5th of the medals the Chocobo would cost to purchase.
Bonus Chest
Once a day, a chest spawns at your farm, providing a small boost of medals, gil, or items. Typically, it's located at the left side of the Chocobo pen.
Best Way to Progress
Begin by ensuring that you have a Chocobo working in every available slot, even if it's just the 5 medal H version. Upgrade all your Chocobos so that they have sufficient stamina to avoid reaching their item limit (usually 10 - 12, depending on your playstyle).
Once you've done this, start saving to purchase the highest-ranking Chocobo you can afford, typically two or more ranks higher than your current Chocobo. Make sure to keep some medals on hand for when you unlock Wutai and Rhadore Archipelago.
Aim to explore the region to 100% to complete the missions connected to them. The missions rewards crystals and other resources.
To speed up your progress, you can also purchase an EC pass.
End Game Farming
Once you've unlocked all the regions and acquired high-ranking Chocobos, it's time to put them to work gathering important items:
- Blue Materia Boosters: Radore Archipelago 1, Stage Three - requires a River Chocobo.
- Green Material Boosters: Grasslands 2, Mithril Mine - necessitates a Land Chocobo.
- Statstream Materials: Radore Archipelago 2, Cove, or CK.
This marks the conclusion of this comprehensive Chocobo guide. I hope you found it useful.
