Key Takeaway
Earning a 5-star rating in battle will boost your chances of getting a rare item drop. It will also impact how many Technical Points you’ll recover. Conversely, earning a low rating will increase the drop rate of Shrouds.
Following a battle in Final Fantasy XIII, players are given a rating between zero and five stars. Aiming for five stars may seem like a no-brainer, but the game doesn’t do a great job explaining the bonuses this rating brings.
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Battle Results in Final Fantasy XIII
After a battle concludes in Final Fantasy XIII, players are shown a battle results screen. This includes the target time, the battle duration, the initiative bonus, points per second, and a final score. It also shows all Crystogen Points and Technical Points earned.
Players are given a star rating between 0 and 5 based on these results. The score is calculated as follows:
(Target Time – Battle Duration) x (Points per Second) + 10,000
Those struggling to snag a four or five-star rating will want to test out different Paradigms to find the most powerful combination of characters and jobs.
Why Aim for a 5-Star Rating?
The star rating determines the chance of a rare item drop. It also determines the TP (Technical Point) recovery. Getting a 5-star rating boosts the rare item drop rate by five times and boosts TP recovery by a whopping eight times.
In Final Fantasy XIII, Technical Points are used to utilize Techniques that can give the player’s party an advantage in battle. The most often used Technique throughout the game is Libra, which helps determine an enemy’s elemental weaknesses. Other examples of Techniques include Summon, Quake, Stopga, Dispelga, and Renew. This stat is shared by the entire party.
| Rank | Score | Rare Drop Rate | TP Recover Rate | Shroud Drop Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Stars | 13,000+ | 5x | 8x | Normal |
| 4 Stars | 12,000-12,999 | 3x | 3x | Normal |
| 3 Stars | 9,000-11,999 | Normal | Normal | Normal |
| 2 Stars | 8,000-8,999 | None | 1/2x | 2x |
| 1 Star | 7,000-7,999 | None | 1/2x | 4x |
| 0 Stars | 0-6,999 | None | 1/2x | 8x |
While a poor ranking will result in no rare item drops, players will instead be rewarded with increased Shroud drops. These consumable items can be used to grant special benefits to all party members and include Fortisol, Aegisol, Deceptisol, and Ethersol.
| Name | Effect |
|---|---|
| Fortisol | Casts Bravery, Faith, and Haste at the start of battle. |
| Ethersol | Fully restores the party's TP. |
| Deceptisol | Makes the party more difficult for enemies to detect. |
| Aegisol | Casts Protect, Shell, Vigilance, and Veil at the start of battle. |
Can Players Impact the Base Calculation of the Battle Score?
There are a few things to keep in mind when attempting to earn the highest possible score in battle.
Between a player’s strength and magic stats, only the higher of the two will impact the battle score calculation. The lower a character’s attack power, the higher the target time.
Similarly, the lower a character’s ATB level, the higher the target time. As players manage to collect each character’s Ultimate Weapon, it might be tempting to equip them immediately. However, these Tier 3 weapons will add 1 ATB Level. Not equipping them will make it a little easier to hit the 5-star mark.
The Gold Watch accessory can increase the target time by 10%. It can be earned by completing Mission 64: The Doomherald. This is the final mission in the game and, as such, is not easy. Players will need to defeat Vercingetorix, an enemy with a whopping 15,840,000 HP.
Managing to land a Preemptive Strike will also add a 20% bonus to the base battle score.
