Noctis (Final Fantasy XV party member)

Noctis is the player character in Final Fantasy XV. He can use all weapon types, and the Combat Ascension Spheres exclusively focus on his development. His build focuses on all forms of offense, but his defensive stats are lacking.
While on offense, Noctis chains attacks automatically by holding the attack button. Manually inputting presses, and depending on the direction of the analog held and the weapon in hand, performs different combos. While on defense he can dodge-roll (tapping the defense button), phase through attacks (by holding the defense button), and block certain attacks (by correctly timing the defense when the button prompt appears), allowing him to counter with a parry and follow through with an offensive opening or a link-strike with team mates. Link-strikes and blindside links can trigger when Noctis is wielding a compatible weapon type, and Noctis is the only one who can invoke linked attacks in the main game.
His leisure activity is fishing, a minigame the player can optionally undertake at various points during free roam.
==Stats==
Level	HP 	MP	Strength	Vitality	Magic	Spirit
1 	325	75	19 	22 	63 	40
(Excludes stat-boosts from weapons and attire.)
==Abilities==
A majority of the Ascension grid is focused on Noctis's development, and progressing will further upgrade his capabilities and unlock new abilities and features, from improving MP costs, to warping enhancements, to abilities that help cover weaknesses and reinforce any existing ones. He can rebound HP upon learning Impervious and learn to sprint longer and recover faster while in cover. If he learns the Airstep abilities in the Ascension grid, Noctis can stay airborne when attacking, though this quickly depletes his MP.
===Sprint===
In the 1.00 version of the game, when Noctis runs out of stamina when sprinting, he simply jogs slower. It was patched so that he momentarily stops to catch his breath when this happens, but the player can replenish the stamina gauge by releasing the sprint button just before it fully depletes. He can gain infinite sprint from an attire and from certain foods.
Noctis's sprinting animation changes in Chapter 14, with his arms, legs, and torso being less mobile.
===Warp===
Noctis can warp forward, at the cost of 30 MP, allowing him to instantly cover long distances and reach great heights in battle by tossing his weapons for them to act as a relay point for him to manifest at. Targeting an enemy with the action allows him to warp-strike, performing an accelerated attack with greater damage the farther distance he covers. Royal arms often have unique warp-strikes.
Running out of MP will place Noctis in Stasis, where he will be stuck at 0 MP for a period of time. Point-warping, which doesn't cost MP, can still be performed in Stasis and with any equipped weapon. It lets him get away from the epicenter of battle, fully replenishes his MP, grants him sanctuary to recover HP, and gives players a chance to assess the battle from afar.
===Magic===
Noctis provides the party's magic and can draw elemental energy to craft elemancy. Magic crafted in the menu can be equipped on anyone, but the player can only use it manually when playing as Noctis. The AI casting is a matter of chance, and equipped spells have a shared cooldown between party members. Noctis also has attires that specifically boost his Magic; some of Noctis's weapons also scale off his Magic stat, so he can be specialized without losing too much melee power.
Noctis uses unique spells with the Ring of the Lucii: a counterattack-specialized Holy, gradual mortality inducing Death, and the void-summoning Alterna. Passing Astrals' trials in the story lets Noctis summon them in battle, although this is not always available.
===Armiger===
Armiger, Noctis's "Limit Break", summons his collected royal arms and bestows speed, mobility, greater chaining ability, endurance to weaker enemy attacks, as well as levitation. Noctis cannot run out of MP, his HP regenerates faster, and using the royal arms doesn't deplete his health. Team-up actions (link-strikes and blindside strikes) are nearly impossible to achieve in this state. Armiger is upgraded with every royal arm the player finds, and every node the Armiger Ascension Sphere unlocks.
Armiger Unleashed is a new Armiger mode available in the Windows and Royal Editions after the player acquires all royal arms and inspects the statue of the Founder King in Keycatrich. It lets Noctis perform various combos and use special Techniques.
=== Character swap ===
Upon unlocking the ability to swap to the other party members in the Ascension Grid, the player can freely switch back and forth for the duration of the battle. The game will switch back to Noctis as a battle ends. When switching away, Technique bars will still charge and Gladiolus's Valor gauge is preserved, but they will reset after battle. The player cannot switch to someone if either they or Noctis are afflicted with specific status ailments, they are in Danger, are too far away, or when Noctis is being targeted by a counterable attack. If Noctis charges through a dungeon too quickly, he may get separated for a while and can't swap. Specific chapters and fights, such as Astral encounters and Formouth Garrison, also disable character-swapping. Regardless of who the leader is, enemies often prioritize attacking them.
Noctis will freely attack with his equipped weapons, excluding magic and the Ring of the Lucii, when controlled by the AI. He does not consume MP, nor HP when using royal weapons. If he is confused and tries to warp, he will simply shoot up and fall helplessly to the ground. If he cannot attack, such as if no weapons are equipped, he will merely idle and phase. Noctis can airstep, as long as it's learned in the Ascension Grid, regardless of his equipped weapons, and can perform mini free-warps at will, akin to having a gun or magic equipped.
Regardless of who the leader is, the game will end if they are KO'd and not healed, and they will be revived by Carbuncle on easy mode. Unlike Noctis, who must learn Impervious on the Ascension, his three allies all have an innate version with a more lenient window that can activate more reliably from different attacks. Impervious negates damage taken, and status ailments inflicted, from individual attacks by timing a phase-button press just after. While controlling someone, however, the other three party members will not use Impervious. Only the leader can take damage from long falls, though they won't be knocked into Danger.
==Equipment==
Noctis can use any weapon and switch between four pre-set weapons on-the-fly on the D-pad. The weapon loadout can be changed any time from the menu. One-handed swords, royal arms, the Ring of the Lucii, and the Cerberus sniper rifle are exclusive to Noctis. Royal arms cost HP per landed hit (parries do not cost HP), but have unique movesets, warp-strikes, and deal "special" typeless damage that few enemies resist, making them good against various tough daemons that resist most forms of damage.
Some accessories are exclusive to Noctis. These are:
===Attire===
==Fishing==
Noctis is the team's angler for the fishing minigame. Fishing requires lures and rods and reels. The player cab catch various fish from various fishing spots, and some of the fish unlock new recipes that Ignis can cook at camp. The team's favorites are among the fish recipes, such from Grilled Wild Barramundi enjoyed by Noctis, and Skewered Wild Trout enjoyed by Gladiolus. Some recipes earned from fishing provide extremely helpful effects, from Tide Grouper Carpaccio conferring Deathproof to Golden Tail Soup boasting the highest HP Regen effect and bestowing the critical-hit-dealing Clairvoyant effect.
Noctis levels up his fishing skill by catching fish. Leveling up reinforces the durability of the line and gives discounts at tackle shops. Fishing can also be a source of AP, especially if the Sportfisher ability is unlocked in the Ascension.
:Level 1: No Bonus
:Level 2: Fishing line wears down 25% slower when fish struggle
:Level 3: Tackle shops offer a 10% discount
:Level 4: Chances of hooking a fish increased by 25%
:Level 5: Catch fish up to 31.5 inches long
:Level 6: Tackle shops offer a 30% discount
:Level 7: Fishing line wears down 50% slower when fish struggle
:Level 8: Chances of hooking a fish increased by 50%
:Level 9: Tackle shops offer a 50% discount
:Level 10: Catch fish up to 59 inches long
==Food==
Noctis favors home-cooked meals and comfort foods; due to his dislike of vegetables, he prefers prepared meat dishes and recipes that mask the taste of vegetables well. He often enjoys recipes that can be made by hunting monsters, spending a money at markets, progressing in sidequests, and investing in fishing. Noctis likes hot sandwiches, sauteed freshwater fish, donburi, and decked out fruit-seasoned cakes. His favorites will come along as the player goes through the game at their pace, and are the least complicated in terms of Ingredients.
Category:Character gameplay in Final Fantasy XV