After Clive’s second meeting with - and thrashing at the hands of - Barnabas Tharmr during Through the Maelstrom, he’ll slink back to The Hideaway to lick his wounds and prepare for round three. This page will provide a walkthrough for the main quest Across the Narrow in Final Fantasy 16, including the new side quests and crafting recipes you can unlock at this time.

This quest begins immediately after Through the Maelstrom ends, whereupon you’ll be forced out onto world map. Your only option will be to travel to The Hideaway, and once you zone-in, Across the Narrow will begin with a chat between Otto and Clive. Afterwards you’ll be able to check out the new Eikonic power you unlocked - Shiva.

View Full-size

At the start of this quest you’ll be able to invest in your newly unlocked Shiva !Eikon tree.

How to Use Shiva’s Abilities in Final Fantasy 16¶

You know the drill by now - open the menu and navigate to the “Abilities” tab to trigger Shiva’s ability tree to appear. She has the Ice Age and Mesmerize abilities unlocked by default, as well as Cold Snap, the latter of which is arguably the best Shiva has to offer, making it really tempting to finally shelve Phoenix - being able to freeze your enemies when you pull off Precision Dodges is a defensive game-changer right up there with Titanic Block. If you’re willing to spend some Ability Points you can also unlock Rime and the iconic Diamond Dust, which is arguably the most potent Stagger ability in the game, possibly worth retiring Gouge for, if you were still using it. Remember to try these new abilities out in the Hall of Virtue if you want to get a feel for them, and check out our Best Shiva Eikon Abilities in FF16 for a more in-depth examination of what the Shiva Eikon has to offer.

View Full-size

Visit Blackthorne if you wish to craft Icebrand.

New Crafting Recipes - Across the Narrow Main Quest Walkthrough in FF16¶

As usual, there are new items to craft and new Side Quests to pickup now that you’re back in The Hideaway. Head over to Blackthorne and you’ll find that you can craft Icebrand, which should be a marginal upgrade over the Runeblade +2, if you bothered to craft the latter. It won’t change the world, but crafting it will keep moving the chains as far as purple weapons goes, and what else are you going to use that Ice Shard for?

View Full-size

1

2

(1 of 2) There are numerous new side quests available, most of which can be found via Alliant Reports.

View Full-size

View Full-size

There are numerous new side quests available, most of which can be found via Alliant Reports. (left), In addition, there are several side quests in !The Hideaway, including Self-Determination, which requires you to check out a letter on the Reading Table in Clive’s Chambers. (right)

New Side Quests - Across the Narrow Main Quest Walkthrough in FF16¶

A significant number of side quests unlock when Across the Narrow begins, and we’re generally getting to the game’s meatier, more substantial, more lucrative side quests at this point - the sort of side quests that advance or complete character arcs. The new side quests you can (and arguably should) peruse are as follows:

• Blacksmith’s Blues IV (The Hideaway)
• Duty Undying (Dhalmekia)
• Even Weirder Science (The Hideaway)
• Lines in the Sand (Dhalmekia)
• Phoenix, Heal Thyself (The Hideaway)
• Rekindling the Flame (Rosaria)
• Self-Determination (The Hideaway)
• Trading Places II (Dhalmekia)
• Under New Management (Sanbreque)

All of these side quests - save for the ones in The Hideaway - can be started via Alliant Reports. The three Hideaway quests require some running about in The Hideaway, and to start Self-Determination you’ll need to visit Clive’s Chambers and read the “Captain Dorys” letter. All in all, it’s an awful lot of work, but if you want to claim some of the higher-tier rewards from The Patron’s Whisper and see the end of various character plotlines, it’s work that needs doing.

How to Complete Across the Narrow in Final Fantasy 16¶

While there’s a lot of new content to take care of during Across the Narrow, the main quest itself is somewhat insubstantial. You’re really just running around, triggering scenes, talking to various characters, as follows:

• Enter the Infirmary to trigger a scene
• Head to The Shelves and talk to Harpocrates
• Leave The Shelves to trigger a scene at The Ale Hall
• Talk to Otto in The Mess

View Full-size

When you’re ready to move on, leave The Hideaway and travel to !The Shadow Coast.

Once that’s done you’ll unlock The Shadow Coast obelisk. Once you travel there, this quest will end and the next main quest Footfalls in Ash. Since you can leave Ash any time via the world map, you don’t need to worry about moving on too much.