Ascension (Final Fantasy XV)

Ascension is a skill tree advancement system in Final Fantasy XV comprised of several trees called Astralspheres, which contain nodes that unlock abilities or enhancements.
AP is used to unlock most nodes. Red nodes are unlocked during the story and do not require AP. Green nodes represent ally Techniques, which can be equipped and initiated by the player in battle. Yellow and purple nodes represent other abilities and enhancements, with yellow favoring combat abilities and purple favoring passive effects and boosts. Each Astralsphere starts out at an empty central point between the starting nodes, marked by a point of light and connecting lines out. Unlocking a node makes immediately connected nodes available.
AP is shared between party members and Astralspheres, allowing the player to spend it however they choose. Learning an ability on the Ascension for the first time earns the New Power achievement/trophy. Activating twenty nodes yields Self-Improved, and activating fifty yields Self-Mastered. Ascension progression carries over if the player uses chapter select or starts a New Game Plus.
New nodes for unlocking character swap were added in a free update in December 2017. However, many story segments must be played as Noctis.
It takes over 18,000 AP to max out the grid.
A similar skill tree exists in Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ardyn, called Descension. The ability skill system in the Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition, still called Ascension, is a little different to fit the scaled down version of the game.
==Armiger==
 
		
		
		
		
		
Name	AP 	Effect
 	Auto	Enter Armiger mode when the Armiger bar is full. Temporarily boosts attributes.
 	48 	Gain 1 AP every time you use Armiger.
 	Auto	Special group attack that ends Armiger mode.
 	48 	Gain 1 AP every time you use Armiger Chain.
 	72 	Gain unlimited MP for 60 seconds after executing Armiger Chain.
 	24 	Boost Armiger bar gain from attacks by 30%.
 	99 	Armiger Chain kills grant 3000 EXP.
 	24 	Boost Armiger Chain damage by 50%.
 	24 	Reduce Armiger bar depletion during Armiger mode by 30%.
==Combat==
	
	
			
			
		
		
			
			
			
Name	AP 	Effect
 	333	Airstep after attacking an unlimited number of times with a sword or polearm.
 	16 	Dodge enemies in midair with the guard button. (Also works in Stasis when used with a shield.)
 	6 	Use the left stick and attack button to step once in midair after attacking with a sword or polearm. Costs MP. However, all weapons with an aerial combo of more than one attack airstep by swapping to a sword/polearm mid-combo before swapping back.
 	52 	Perform a second Airstep after a second attack with a sword or polearm.
 	16 	Phase through an enemy attack without using MP by guarding at the last second. Allows one to cancel attack animations into a phase.
 	32 	Using Blink now restores 5 MP.
 	10 	Boost the damage of each combo hit by 0.3% when at full HP.
 	24 	Warp-Strike can break daemon appendages.
 	28 	From afar, use the attack button in midair to warp above the enemy and strike down with a sword or polearm.
 	99 	Increase Noctis' MP by the formula MaxMP = BaseMP + CurrentLevel
 	333	Negate damage by guarding immediately after being hit. Allows Noctis to recover from knockback, and works in midair; it can be used to continue an aerial combo. Can also cancel status ailments applied on the attack.
 	8 	Reduce MP cost of phasing by 30%.
 	52 	Recover MP when an aerial attack connects.
 	333	Eliminate the damage modifier penalty of close-range Warp-strikes.
 	28 	Blindside damage increased by 25%.
 	64 	Significantly increase damage dealt while in Stasis.
 	64 	Blindside damage now increased by 50%.
 	32 	Reduce MP cost of phasing by 51%. Overrides Light Phase.
 	48 	Leave a hologram to divert enemies after warping.
 	24 	Warp-strike damage increased by 25%.
 	52 	Warp-strike damage now increased by 50%.
==Exploration==
		
		
		
			
	
	
	
		
		
	
Name	AP 	Effect
 	18 	Extends the effects of camp meals to the following sunrise.
 	18 	Gain 1 AP from catching a fish.
 	32 	Gain 1 AP for a critical Snapshot.
 	20 	Gain 1 AP from cooking a party member's favorite food.
 	99 	Gain 10 EXP for every ~0.35 miles traveled by chocobo.
 	32 	Gain 1 AP for every 0.875 miles traveled by chocobo.
 	32 	Gain 1 AP from winning a chocobo race.
 	99 	Gain 50 EXP from winning a chocobo race.
 	555	Triple items gained from fishing.
 	99 	25% chance for Gladiolus to find double items after battle with his Survival skill.
 	999	50% chance for Gladiolus to find double items after battle with his Survival skill.
 	48 	Increases AP gained from camping to 3.
 	20 	Increases AP gained from camping to 2.
 	84 	Double items gained from fishing.
 	99 	Extends food effects from camp to the sunset of the next day.
 	333	Extends food effects from camp to the sunrise after the next day.
 	333	Gain EXP for catching fish (each species has its own value).
 	99 	Gain 10 EXP every 0.54 miles traveled by car (does not apply to flying).
 	32 	Gain 1 AP every 1.25 miles traveled by car (does not apply to flying).
 	12 	Prompto takes a photo mid-battle. Up to 5 photos can be saved at a time. Photos are saved to auto-snapshots. Critical version takes a selfie. Costs 1 Tech Bar segment.
 	99 	Gain extra AP for catching big fish (each species has its own value).
==Magic==
		
		
		
			
			
Name	AP 	Effect
 	333	Gain an extra spell from crafting.
 	999	Gain an additional extra spell from crafting.
 	48 	Increases the chance of draining elemental energy from a foe while using an element-absorbing weapon by 50%.
 	24 	Absorb 20% more energy from elemental deposits.
 	72 	Elemental deposit absorption bonus increased to 50%.
 	99 	Elemental deposit absorption bonus increased to 80%.
 	99 	Spell crafting power increase is now 30.
 	24 	Gain 1 AP every time you cast a spell.
 	48 	Increase Magic for each character by the formula Magic = BaseMagic + CurrentLevel
 	99 	Increase Magic for each character is now Magic = BaseMagic + (CurrentLevel * 3)
 	20 	Increase power of crafted spells by 10.
 	555	Spell crafting power increase is now 50.
 	999	Spell crafting power increase is now 100.
==Recovery==
		
		
		
			
			
			
Name	AP 	Effect
 	99 	Now recover 40% of own HP when using First Aid.
 	99 	Taking an ally out of Danger fully restores the ally's HP.
 	99 	Increase to stamina bar is now 10 seconds.
 	333	Now recover 60% of own HP when using First Aid.
 	24 	Recover 20% of own HP when HP is low for the indicated character, after pausing briefly. Has some super armor.
 	12 	Increase HP recovery rate while hanging from a warp-point position.
 	10 	Raise HP and MP recovery rate by 10% in cover.
 	48 	Taking an ally out of Danger boosts their Strength by 200 for 30 seconds.
 	20 	Taking an ally out of Danger boosts their Vitality by 200 for 30 seconds.
 	48 	Taking an ally out of Danger causes all attacks to be critical for 30 seconds.
 	24 	Increases stamina bar by 5 seconds.
==Stats==
			
			
			
			
		
		
		
		
Name	AP 	Effect
 	16/333	Grants a character an additional accessory slot. Nodes are listed above prefixed with whom they are for. The first one to unlock is cheap, but the second is one of the most expensive nodes to unlock.
 	10 	Increase max HP of each character by the formula MaxHP = BaseHP + (CurrentLevel * 2)
 	99 	Increase max HP of each character by the formula MaxHP = BaseHP + (CurrentLevel * 5)
 	333 	Increase max HP of each character by the formula MaxHP = BaseHP + (CurrentLevel * 10)
 	99 	Increase Spirit of each character by the formula Spirit = BaseSPR + CurrentLevel
 	99 	Increase Strength of each character by the formula Strength = BaseSTR + CurrentLevel
 	99 	Increase Vitality of each character by the formula Vitality = BaseVIT + CurrentLevel
==Teamwork==
			
			
		
		
		
		
		
		
Name	AP 	Effect
 	99 	Increases Antagonize damage modifier to x2.5
 	6 	Ignis attempts to inflict Libra on one enemy, using scan time as resistance value. Used as first action when battle starts, sometimes more than once. No weapon requirement. If Ignis's daggers have an innate a status ailment, he can inflict enemies with it with Analyze (doesn't work for Vigilantes' Stop). He still tries to use the ability on enemies that are immune.
 	24 	Gladiolus performs a disruptive kick while Noctis is defending (no weapon requirement). Damage modifier: x1.5
 	64 	Prompto unleashes a firearm barrage when his HP is high, striking multiple enemies in a wide area once. Damage modifier: x0.4 (every hit). Usually makes enemies stagger.
 	333	Link-strikes always inflict critical hits.
 	16 	Noctis's allies perform powerful attacks against enemies in vulnerable status (i.e. knocked down). If they have their secondary arms equipped, they will only use them for Deathblows. Gladiolus can slam the ground with his shield, creating a shockwave; Ignis can unleash a pair of devastating downward spear swings; Prompto may fire a barrage of bullets.
 	18 	Gladiolus performs a powerful pre-emptive greatsword strike. Damage modifier: x2
 	6 	Prompto fires a pre-emptive firearm shot that adds 1 segment to the Tech Bar (2 with the Tech Turbocharger equipped). Damage modifier: x1.5
 	64 	Gladiolus guards the player character with a shield when his own HP is high. Intercept blocks an attack that was going to hit the player (doesn't matter if the attack was directed at the player specifically or not). Needs to have shield equipped as secondary arm. Gladiolus can use it more than once in battle but not back-to-back.
 	18 	Ignis counterattacks with a polearm and drains 100% of the damage when his own HP is low. Damage modifier: x2.5. Can only restore HP once. The attack can miss.
 	999	Allows link-strikes to break the damage limit.
 	8 	Boost link-strike damage.
 	6 	Gladiolus performs a disruptive area of effect greatsword counterattack. Damage modifier: x2. Only uses when current HP is low and just once.
 	99 	Ignis heals an ally with a hidden item when his own HP is high. No weapon requirement. Ignis will use a free item that applies Revitalized for a few seconds and he can use this consecutively. He can still use his Good/Grand Chamberlain accessories in conjunction. He has to be near the target to activate and the action can be interrupted. Uncommonly, he can apply it to someone in Danger to instantly recover them.
 	18 	Prompto counterattacks with a firearm and inflicts Stop when his HP is low. Damage modifier: x2. Only uses it once.
 	99 	Increases Shock Drop damage modifier to x4
 	24 	Prompto inflicts Shocked for 3 seconds on an enemy Noctis is attacking in mid-air using equipped machinery. Damage modifier: x2
 	32 	Further boost link-strike damage.
 	99 	Increases damage dealt by Deathblows.
 	24 	When Noctis is performing a combo on the same enemy, Ignis will poison the target for 60 seconds with daggers. Damage modifier: x1
 	64 	Increases Venom Fang damage modifier to x1.5
==Techniques==
		
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
Name 	AP 	Effect
Added in patch 1.19	20 	Take control of Gladiolus mid-battle. His playstyle is identical to how he is controlled in Final Fantasy XV: Episode Gladiolus.
Added in patch 1.19	20 	Take control of Ignis mid-battle. His playstyle is identical to how he is controlled in Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ignis.
Added in patch 1.19	20 	Take control of Prompto mid-battle. His playstyle is identical to how he is controlled in Final Fantasy XV: Episode Prompto, albeit without his baton and sniper rifle.
 	18 	Gladiolus damages nearby enemies with a shield shockwave. Noctis can point-warp to Gladiolus for a follow-up attack consisting of multiple area-of-effect spins. Gladiolus needs a shield equipped. Costs 2 Tech Bar segments.
 	8 	Gladiolus leaps, delivering a powerful greatsword slash. Can miss agile enemies. Costs 2 Tech Bar segments.
 	18 	Ignis casts Flameboost, Frostboost, or Stormboost on Noctis, depending on the target's weakness, also boosting his Strength. Noctis must not be incapacitated. Effects can be combined and don't immediately wear off after battle. Its critical version extends the duration of the buff. Re-applying the same buff won't reset the duration length. Costs 1 Tech Bar segment.
 	18 	Prompto shoots a sphere of energy from that sucks in enemies and deals constant magic damage. Prompto needs a machine equipped. Costs 2 Tech Bar segments.
 	72 	Gladiolus pauses for a couple seconds before unleashing a powerful frontal-sweep attack covering a large radius that hits twice. Excels at breaking limbs. Costs 3 Tech Bar segments.
 	999	Allow character's techniques to break the damage limit. They are prefixed above with who they belong to. All are simply called "Limit Break."
 	18 	Ignis orders the party to focus attacks on one enemy. Noctis retains normal attacks with his equipped weapon (will do nothing with magic or the Ring of the Lucii). Allies also attack with Deathblows if they're unlocked, and will use secondary weapons if equipped. Party is invincible throughout duration. The critical version always deals critical hits. Less effective against highly mobile or hard-to-reach targets. Ends prematurely if the target perishes. Costs 2 Tech Bar segments.
 	333	All Tech Bar replenishment increased by 10%.
 	18 	Prompto deals heavy, small area-of-effect damage to a single enemy with machinery. Excels at breaking limbs. Can inflict Burnt. Prompto needs a machine equipped. Costs 2 Tech Bar segments.
 	8 	Ignis summons the party to him, almost entirely restoring everyone's HP. Does not restore Max HP. Rescues any allies in Danger status. Poisoned or Downed allies won't be healed, though Poisoned allies still recover from Danger with 25% HP. The critical version also yields the Stalwart buff. Costs 2 Tech Bar segments
 	18 	Calls Gladiolus to protect Noctis with a shield, preventing damage and providing the Serene status to Noctis, increasing HP and MP recovery. Lasts for a short period of time, or until Noctis initiates the follow-up attack. Cannot bring Noctis out of Danger. Gladiolus needs a shield equipped. Costs 1 Tech Bar segment.
 	72 	Ignis charges forward, dealing three devastating area-of-effect Fire attacks with daggers. Excels at breaking limbs. Costs 3 Tech Bar segments.
 	8 	Prompto draws enemy attention in a wide radius with a firearm. Can inflict Threatened or Enervated, depending on the enemy. Costs 1 Tech Bar segment.
 	99 	Adds to the Tech Bar as Noctis takes damage with the formula AmountAdded = Damage / 500
 	48 	Adds to the Tech Bar when Noctis lands attacks.
 	72 	Prompto fires two separate bullet volleys on a target before finishing with a powerful single shot. Excels at breaking limbs. Each shot utilizes the passive effect of his equipped gun. The critical version fires twice as many bullets, all critical strikes. Costs 3 Tech Bar segments.
==Wait Mode==
	
		
	
Name	AP	Effect
 	32	Boost damage inflicted by a scanned enemy's elemental weakness.
 	12	Scan enemies even faster when using Libra.
 	99	Boost damage inflicted by allies for each enemy scanned.
 	99	Stop the Wait Timer from depleting.
 	48	Restore the Wait Timer by defeating an enemy.
 	18	During Wait Mode, warp-strike an enemy not targeting Noctis to increase the likelihood of breaking its appendage.
 	99	During Wait Mode, warp-strike an enemy with half or less of its HP remaining to increase damage inflicted.
==AP grinding==
Because the Ascension Grid takes so much AP to master, some AP grinding tricks can be used to alleviate this. After learning the ability to gain AP from driving, the player can gain passive AP by setting the Regalia to drive in circles by pinning down the controller and letting the game run. This method requires the player to have acquired and equipped the Magitek Generator, which is won from Totomostro, or obtain the Regalia Type-F, both of which will allow the Regalia to drive endlessly without the need to refuel. It may also helps to have the Turbocharger, also won from Totomostro, which allows the Regalia to drive up to 70 mph, since an AP is gained for every 1.25 mile driven.
In the Windows and Royal Editions, the Old Wall bosses in the expanded Insomnia yield a total of 300 AP, and can be killed repeatedly by defeating Ardyn or using Chapter Select.
A trick utilizing the beast whistle to continually summon sabertusks has since been nerfed via a patch, but the Timed Quest in patch v1.06 for sabertusks and other numerous small enemies can be taken advantage of in a similar manner, by simply holding the Warp button and quickly felling enemies with warp-strikes or Gladiolus's Glaive Arts. The player can get a torrent of sabertusks and flexitusks in short period (e.g. more than 350 targets in a 10 minute period). Timed Quests can be repeated and the player can get the quest they want by manipulating the console's clock. In patch v1.20, the Timed Quest becomes offline-based and caps the limit of the targets to 50 and typically cannot be completed in under 10 minutes; hence, no longer offers a good return on time invested. Instead, fighting a group of sabertusks in normal battles repeatedly using the beast whistle while equipping Warrior's Fanfare, Blitzer's Fanfare, and attacking with Shield of the Just earns more AP with less effort in the same amount of time (around 95~100 AP for about 10 minutes of gameplay). The player can also use the other Timed Quests for farming, and convert 700 QP earned from the quests into 300 AP. The player can manipulate the console's clock to get a desirable Timed Quest.
Each party member has unique ways to rack up AP from kills: Noctis's warp-strikes (particularly with weapons such as daggers for quickness, or the Shield of the Just for its wide area-of-effect warp-strike) as well as parries and linked attacks, Gladiolus's glaive arts (including Earthshatter), Ignis's High Jump technique and Total Clarity skills, and Prompto's crackshots.
==Descension==
In Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ardyn, the player can improve Ardyn's parameters via Descension. Unlike the main game's Ascension menu, any node can be activated in Descension at any time without needing to trigger other nodes first. Ardyn gains AP exclusively by daemonifying enemies.
There are four branches in Ardyn's Descension tree. The first gives Ardyn access to his combat abilities, with four nodes. The second improves Ardyn's shadowstep and ability to daemonify, with seven nodes. The third consists of five Power Up nodes, which improve Ardyn's maximum HP and MP. The fourth consists of Techniques for Ifrit, with three nodes. Ardyn has 4 of 19 nodes unlocked by default.
			
						
				
		
Name	AP	Description
 	0 	Conjure spectral weapons to wield in battle. Press to attack, or use + to sideswipe your foes.
 	16	Press to convert all remaining MP into spectral energy.
 	32	Hold to conjure a swirling whirlwind of dark energy. Use to aim, then release to unleash the blast.
 	32	Press to summon a sniper rifle, then fire with . Hold to hone your precision (costs MP).
 	0 	Press when the marker displays to daemonify a vulnerable enemy.
 	0 	Hold to dematerialize and swiftly move around the field.
 	8 	Press after jumping to leap again in midair.
 	16	Absorb more particles when daemonifying an enemy.
 	8 	Recover MP after parrying an attack and landing a successful counterstrike.
 	16	Press + after stringing together a 100-hit combo to wipe out all enemies in the surrounding area.
 	64	Receive items after daemonifying an enemy.
 	4 	Increase maximum HP and MP.
 	8 	Greatly increase maximum HP and MP.
 	16	Significantly increase maximum HP and MP.
 	0 	Launch an enormous orb of concentrated elemental energy. Depletes bar by two.
 	16	Crash into the ground and raze the surrounding area. Depletes bar by three.
 	32	Engulf yourself in flames that strengthen your power. Depletes bar by two.
== Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition ==
In Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition all of the nodes are on the same screen, and are color-coded as to what aspect of gameplay the node affects, with some aspects returning from the console and PC editions, and some aspects being completely different.
==Gallery==
Teamwork Ascension in FFXV.png|Teamwork.
Stats Ascension in FFXV.png|Stats.
Exploration Ascension in FFXV.png|Exploration.
Wait Mode Ascension in FFXV.png|Wait Mode.
Magic Ascension in FFXV.png|Magic.
Recovery Ascension in FFXV.png|Recovery.
Techniques Ascension in FFXV.png|Techniques.
==Etymology==
ru:Астральная сфера Final Fantasy XV
Category:Character growth systems
Category:Final Fantasy XV