Weather Effects
Did you know that certain weather conditions can actually affect battles? In this article, we go over how the random elements of weather can play a role in battles and how you should take advantage of it if you come across it.
What Are Weather Effects and the Ivalician Calendar
Weather effects can occur randomly on outdoor maps only and have a few positive and negative effects depending on the weather. Weather cannot stop or change once it has been started. Here are a few tidbits regarding weather depending on the mode you are playing Final Fantasy Tactics in:
● In story missions and multiplayer Rendezvous mode, each battle has its weather determined and is not randomized.
● In random battles, the weather is considered random and follows the Ivalician calendar. In multiplayer Melee mode, weather on outdoor maps is considered random and does not seem to follow the Ivalician calendar.
● Indoor maps and the Midnight Deep dungeon cannot have weather. There are also no accuracy penalties against Bow and Crossbow attacks in these locations.
Ivalician Calendar
| Month | Date Range | Dry or Wet Month? |
|---|---|---|
| Aries | Mar. 21 - Apr. 19 | Dry |
| Taurus | Apr. 20 - May 20 | Dry |
| Gemini | May 21 - June 21 | Wet |
| Cancer | June 22 - July 22 | Wet |
| Leo | July 23 - Aug. 22 | Dry |
| Virgo | Aug. 23 - Sep. 22 | Dry |
| Libra | Sep. 23 - Oct. 23 | Dry |
| Scorpio | Oct. 24 - Nov. 22 | Dry |
| Sagittarius | Nov. 23 - Dec. 22 | Wet |
| Capricorn | Dec. 23 - Jan. 19 | Wet |
| Aquarius | Jan. 20 - Feb. 18 | Wet |
| Pisces | Feb. 19 - Mar. 20 | Dry |
Chance for Weather (Day or Night)
| Weather | Dry Month % | Wet Month % |
|---|---|---|
| Daytime - Clear | 55 | 25 |
| Night - Clear | 25 | 5 |
| Daytime - Rainstorm | 10 | 15 |
| Night - Rainstorm | 5 | 5 |
| Daytime - Thunderstorm | 2.5 | 40 |
| Night - Thunderstorm | 2.5 | 10 |
Clear Weather (Indoor and Outdoor)
Weather can sometimes not occur on an outdoor map and it cannot happen at all on indoor maps. All indoor maps are treated as “clear” as well as the Midnight Deep dungeon areas.
● During night-time with clear weather, the evasion rate against Bows and Crossbow attacks is multiplied by 1.80. Note: Midnight Deep does not increase the evasion rate against Bows and Crossbows even though the area appears dark.
Rainstorms and Thunderstorms
Rainstorms and thunderstorms are both similar in nature; the game depicts them as heavy rainfall and thunderstorms add flashes occasionally to the background to indicate it as such. The following positive and negative effects occur during rainstorms and thunderstorms:
● Evasion rate against Bows and Crossbows attacks are multiplied by 1.33 (or 1.80 if at night).
● Fire-element damage is reduced by 25%.
● Lightning-element damage is increased by 25%.
● Movement through swamp tiles costs 2 Move per tile in rainstorms and 3 Move per tile in thunderstorms. These movement penalties can be ignored via Mystic’s Ignore Weather movement ability.
● Don’t be confused by light rain, it is depicted as slower-moving rainfall animations and is considered “clear” weather, causing no positive or negative effects.
Snowstorms and Light Snow
Battles that take place on snowy terrain have a chance to cause light snow or snowstorms. When either of these weather conditions occurs the following takes place:
● Snowstorms are depicted by horizontal and vertical snowfall animations and increase the damage of all ice-element attacks by 25%.
● Light snow is depicted by only vertical snowfall animations and is treated as “clear” weather.
