Treasure (Final Fantasy XII)

Treasures are randomly spawning objects that contain items, gil, or gambits (original version only) in Final Fantasy XII. Sometimes what appears to be a treasure is a Mimic type monster, which attacks the player when they attempt to claim the treasure. When a player approaches a treasure, two exclamation marks and the word "Treasure" appear on the screen. The game pauses when the player is picking a treasure, and treasures can be claimed even in the middle of battle—the treasures at the top of Draklor Laboratory and the treasures in Trial Mode can only be looted amid battle.
The treasures were changed for the Zodiac Job System version, which also added 753 chests, bringing the total number of treasures to 1,676.
==Appearance==
The treasure chests' appearance varies depending on the area. In Lowtown, the treasures appear as gray pots covered with cloth, while in the deserts, the treasures are brown pots with patterns. The most common treasures are greenish-hued metallic containers found in dungeon areas; these are the chests Mimics imitate. Mimics can take on various colorful appearances to set them apart from the normal treasures.
In the Tomb of Raithwall and the Stilshrine of Miriam, the treasures are traditional treasure chests, while in Eruyt Village (Zodiac versions), Giruvegan, and the Great Crystal, treasures are represented by large colored gemstones.
FF12 - Treasure Urn.png|Treasure Urn (1).
FF12 - Treasure Urn 3.png|Treasure Urn (2)
FF12 - Treasure Urn (Snow).png|Treasure Urn (Snow).
FF12 - Treasure Gem 2.png|Treasure Gem (1).
FF12 - Treasure Gem.png|Treasure Gem (2).
FF12 - Treasure Chest.png|Treasure Chest (1).
FF12 - Treasure Chest 2.png|Treasure Chest (2).
FF12 - Treasure Pot (Blue).png|Treasure Pot (Blue).
FF12 - Treasure Pot (Gold).png|Treasure Pot (Gold).
FF12 - Treasure Pot (Green).png|Treasure Pot (Green).
FF12 - Treasure Pot (Red).png|Treasure Pot (Red).
FF12 - Treasure Pot (Teal).png|Treasure Pot (Teal).
FF12 - Treasure Pot (Silver).png|Treasure Pot (Silver).
==Mimics==
Mimic is a genus of monsters that take the appearance of treasures and attack only when inspected. Two bosses are also mimics, the Mimic Queen and the superboss Omega Mark XII; if the player ventures to Omega's lair before activating the Hunt for Yiazmat, Omega appears as a gigantic object that resembles a treasure chest that cannot be roused. The Rare Game Ithuno is a notable mimic, for the Deathbringer sword that can be stolen from it.
==Mechanics==
Treasures randomly spawn with random content. Once a treasure has been collected, it can be re-spawned by going three zones away and returning (original version) or one zone away (Zodiac versions). Certain treasures, however, contain specific items and do not respawn once opened.
There are many random elements in place. First, a treasure has a certain chance to spawn (to even appear). If the treasure spawns, it has a certain chance to give a variable amount of gil. If the treasure does not contain gil, it will contain items. When a treasure contains an item, it can be two possible items; if the Diamond Armlet is not equipped, the player has an equal chance of receiving either item. With the Diamond Armlet equipped, one item is common (90% chance) and the other is rare. While some of the best items are hidden in respawning treasures, the chance to get them can be brutally low, with as low as a 0.1% chance. In "The Zodiac Age", rare treasure chances are now rolled even without having the Diamond Armlet equipped.
There are treasures in the Trial Mode in the Zodiac versions. In The Zodiac Age, the player can bring items from the mode to the main game.
==Forbidden chests==
To obtain the Zodiac Spear, the player must not claim certain treasure chests. If a "forbidden" chest is opened, the Zodiac Spear cannot be claimed at Necrohol of Nabudis. This feature is removed in the Zodiac versions.
==Diamond Armlet==
The Diamond Armlet accessory affects the item content when the treasure (1) spawns (2) is not gil. Two items are available, usually splitting the chance in a 90–10 fashion, with the 90% chance usually being a Knot of Rust. In the Zodiac versions, this becomes a 95–5 split. The two items can also be the same item. The Cerobi Steppe is a notable area in the game, because all its treasures can have a rare item when the Diamond Armlet is equipped.
In the original release, the Diamond Armlet increases the gil amount that chests give, but in the Zodiac versions, the gil amount is unchanged.
==Urns==
Urns are not like the other treasures. They are always in the same spot on the field and stay on the field after being opened, the top lid hovering mid-air. Urns are green and easy to spot. They usually contain maps, or "candles" that reveal more of the area's map than what was available previously. The urn in the Tracks of the Beast area in the Giza Plains during the Rains contains the Feather of the Flock that lets the player speak to cockatrices. The only urn that can be missed permanently is in the Royal Palace of Rabanastre, but the map it contains can still be purchased in Old Archades if the player missed it.
==Random number generator method==
There is a way to retrieve the rare Diamond Armlet item from a treasure 100% of the time when playing on the PlayStation 2, which involves the game's pseudo-random number generator (RNG). The RNG is not truly random, but a system known as the Mersenne Twister: a sequential list of numbers with a huge period (0, 2^32-1) that the game uses to determine almost every random action. After the game is turned on, the RNG is set at the start, and each time the game wants to use random numbers it uses them in order. This system will also work when playing on PlayStation 3, but the PS3 has a slightly different random number generator with more sequences.
A way to recognize the RNG pattern is by hitting oneself while unarmed and looking for a pattern in which the character performs hit combos (no Genji Gloves equipped). Whether or not a character performs a hit combo is determined by the RNG, such as any other "random" process during gameplay, and there are ten possible RNG patterns. By noting when the hit combos occur one can determine what pattern of numbers are being used. Eventually, after around 80 random numbers have been used up, the player gets a 5-hit combo, and if a treasure is opened with the Diamond Armlet equipped immediately after getting the 5-hit combo, the treasure always yields the rare item.
Getting just any 5-hit combo does not yet yield the rare item: the random number following the one that gives a 5-hit combo around the 80 hit mark is the one that gives the rare item. Hitting the correct number is difficult, because there are ten patterns the game can choose from and the game will shift from one pattern to another when certain actions are taken. The player needs to identify the pattern they are in and shift it if necessary in order to produce the required 5-hit combo.
The trick can be performed at any point though it is best the character does not deal damage when they hit themselves, as the character will need to do a lot of hitting in order to get the correct combo, so even while doing tiny damage their HP will be eaten away. To prevent damage one should avoid purchasing Brawler augments on the License Board and equip a good armor.
If Brawler augments have already been purchased, the character can equip a shield to negate it, but the player then needs to equip the Cameo Belt so not to block any attacks (and then remember to equip Diamond Armlet before opening the treasure).
The console needs to be turned off before setting off for a treasure. Soft reset does not suffice. With a fresh game, the player needs to make their way to a treasure that can contain a rare item and start hitting. In order to keep the RNG as "fresh" as possible, the player is best not dealing damage or using magick, but enemies can be dispatched either with the Nihopalaoa + Phoenix Down combo, or the Immobilize glitch. Casting Cure or Curaga makes the pattern shift to the next one. Below are the four pointers and the required action to achieve the required 5-hit combo.
;First Pointer
2-hit combo appears from 17-28 hits. The player must then cast Cure once, which leads to the 4-hit and then the 5-hit combo, or it will lead to one of the other three pointers.
;Second Pointer
3-hit combo appears from 30-36 hits. Player must then cast Cure four times, which leads to one of two possibilities:
#The action is shortly followed by a 4-hit combo, which will be followed by the 5-hit combo 28 hits later.
#The action is shortly followed by a 2-hit combo, after which the player must cast Cure twice, which is again followed by another 2-hit combo, after which the player must cast Cure once. The 5-hit combo follows shortly after.
;Third Pointer
2-hit combo appears from 40-64 hits, at which point the player must cast Cure five times, which will be followed by the 5-hit combo, usually after another 19 hits, though, if the 2-hit combo came in 40-45 hits, it is likely the 4-hit combo will come first, followed 28 hits later by the 5-hit combo.
;Fourth Pointer
3-hit combo appears from 50-64 hits, at which point the player must cast Cure three times, which is followed by the 5-hit combo.
There are three other possibilities that may happen that do not require any action:
*3-hit combo after 23 hits followed by a 4-hit combo 29 hits later followed by the 5-hit combo 28 hits after that.
*4-hit combo around 56 hits followed by the 5-hit combo 28 hits later.
*5-hit combo after 82-86 hits
Apart from the four pointers and the three other possibilities that require no player action, any other combo can be ignored. By this method, it is possible to get the rare item from any treasure with a few exceptions: places like Lowtown and Balfonheim Port are excluded because one cannot perform hit combos in towns.
Things that affect the RNG:
*Taking damage
*Dealing damage
*Using Magicks
*Inflicting status effects using the Nihopalaoa
*Setting off a trap
*Crossing a zone line
*Claiming a treasure
*Soft reset
Things that do not affect the RNG:
*Using Nihopalaoa and Phoenix Down
*Healing with Potions
*Collecting loot
*Curing status effects with an item
*Touching a Save Crystal
*Saving/pausing the game
*Switching characters/equipment
===RNG method and spreadsheets===
A new method was developed that lays bare secrets of the RNG and allows players to not only accurately know their location in the RNG, but to use this information to precisely affect game outcomes. By using the Cure spell, which advances the RNG by one number each use, players can find their place in the RNG with startling accuracy. Spreadsheets are needed to help players determine their location within the RNG, detailing the first 60,000 numbers the PS2 uses for random number calculations.
The spreadsheets contain lots of information and can apply the results of the RNG to stealing, poaching, using Sight Unseeing and spawning enemies in addition to opening chests.
The information above is from Final Fantasy XII Treasure Manipulation FAQ/Guide by FF12GrandMaster
==Behind the scenes==
Final Fantasy XII is the first offline main-series Final Fantasy game where the outcome of treasures is random. This was done deliberately as the developers wanted to install the kind of feeling of destiny, that the players will either find good treasure or not, and they will just have to keep going regardless, bringing a different kind of element to the gameplay.Hiroyuki Ito interview from the Final Fantasy XII International Ultimania (Translation) Hiroyuki Itō, who was appointed as the game's director along with Hiroshi Minagawa after Yasumi Matsuno left the project, has reflected that the idea ended up not working perfectly.
The Zodiac versions have around 1.5x the treasures as the original. This was to alleviate frustration, as the player is stuck with fixed jobs and no way to use all of them in a single playthrough (this is the case in the Zodiac Job System version), leading to a situation where the player will acquire treasures that are useless for them.
The concept of forbidden chests was removed in the Zodiac versions, but there is a treasure on the float deck of an airship that appears 1% of the time, and is a Seitengrat (a new ultimate bow) 0.01% of the time. The treasure is invisible, so the player will only find it if they bump into it. If the player acquires the Seitengrat, an arrow will appear in the Cerobi Steppe suspended a few feet in the air.
In the Zodiac versions, half the game's magick and technicks are found in treasure chests, and these are mainly guaranteed to appear. Because the Cerobi Steppe is an optional location, some low-probability treasure, and chests that only contain good items with the Diamond Armlet equipped, were placed there. Some of the Cerobi Steppe treasures are guaranteed to be gil, and in those cases, the numbers are from the multiplication table, i.e. 6636 gil because 6 x 6 = 36.
In the Zodiac versions, the treasures in Site 2 of the Lhusu Mines will disappear and never respawn after Ba'Gamnan attacks the party. If the player defeats Ba'Gamnan immediately, the treasures will still there, but exiting Site 2 means the treasures will disappear for good. This is deemed to be a glitch as it does not happen in the original version.
==Etymology==
==Citations==
==External links==
*Location of every single treasure in the Zodiac versions of the game and their contents.
Category:Gameplay in Final Fantasy XII