Final Fantasy XV Universe timeline
Ancient Calendar Era (A.E.)
•On the planet Eos, the adamantoise comes into existence, reputedly at the dawn of time itself
•In ancient times, the ice goddess Shiva finds humanity worthless due to the fleeting nature of their existence. The fire god Ifrit, however, sees potential in them, and so gifts them with fire. This warms Shiva’s heart, and the two become lovers. She also begins to believe in humankind’s potential
•Solheim, an ancient civilization, is founded with Ifrit as king. They achieve various technological wonders, such as airships and magitek armor
◦Note: Ifrit being the king of Solheim is mentioned in his English bestiary entry, as well as its Japanese counterpart, but not in the German version.
•Solheim turns their backs on the gods. This earns Ifrit’s ire and causes him to incite the Great War of Old, also known as the Astral War/War of the Astrals
•During the Astral War, Solheim is destroyed and a battle between the Astral gods results in the formation of the Taelpar Crag, a great canyon between the modern day regions of Duscae and Cleigne
•By the war’s end, Ifrit is slain by the other Astrals, his corpse coming to rest atop what is known in modern times as the volcanic Rock of Ravatogh
◦Note: Ifrit’s body residing at the Rock of Ravatogh is only mentioned in a loading screen for the English, German and Portuguese localizations of “Episode Gladiolus”; the statement is absent within the French, Italian and Spanish localizations, as well as the original Japanese text.
•Exhausted from the conflict, most of the surviving gods enter a period of sleep spanning millennia. While Bahamut keeps watch, Ramuh rests at Angelgard, an island off the coast of present day Galdin Quay; Leviathan slumbers beneath the Celluna Cascades of modern Altissia; and Shiva hibernates in the Ghorovas Rift of what will become the Niflheim continent
•At some point, Titan catches a meteorite that fell towards Eos, managing to hold up the larger mass even while many shards scattered elsewhere. It is believed that the craters, lakes and ponds in Duscae were formed when the Meteor fell. Titan continues holding up the Meteor into the present, even as he slumbers beneath it
◦Note: The timing of this event has been ascribed no exact placement at this time, and its positioning here is guesswork.
Approximately 2000 years ago
•A mysterious disease known as the Starscourge spreads, causing countless people to transform into monsters they call daemons, which then prey on ordinary humans
•Ardyn Izunia is chosen by the Crystal, the heart of Eos, to cleanse the world of the Starscourge. He is renamed “Ardyn Lucis Caelum” and is seen as a heroic figure. He chooses to absorb the parasites causing the plague into himself to save the people, and his body becomes corrupted as a result. Though having intended him to become the first king of Lucis, the Crystal now rejects his ascension to the throne. Meanwhile, Ardyn’s younger brother, Somnus, publicly demonizes him. This causes Ardyn to be ostracized by the people he once protected and sentenced to death while the younger Izunia becomes the first king of Lucis. The infection by the scourge renders Ardyn immortal, however, and he lives on. He changes his surname back to “Izunia” and begins plotting his revenge against the Lucis Caelum lineage of his brother, knowing a second Chosen King will someday emerge
•Bahamut chooses the first Oracle from the Nox Fleuret bloodline, bestowing upon her his trident and the ability to understand the gods
•Alongside the Oracle, Somnus — blessed like his brother with the divine power to conjure a collection of glaives — is able to suppress the darkness plaguing Eos. Tasking the replacement king and his line with keeping these most sacred of relics safe, Bahamut bestows upon him the Ring of the Lucii and the Crystal, which will eventually foretell the arrival of the new Chosen King
•As the Founder King, Somnus builds the Kingdom of Lucis, wherein twelve colossal statues are created to serve as caskets for his soul and that of future kings. These souls shall await the arrival of the Chosen King, and can possess the statues during times in which the kingdom faces a dire crisis
•The adamantoise appears in documents dating to around this time
•Gilgamesh serves as the Shield of the Founder King. His soul will remain in the Tempering Grounds within the Taeplar Crag for the next 2000 years to await the arrival of the Shield of the Chosen King
•During Lucis’s nascent years, the daemon naglfar fights the twenty-four Messengers
◦Note: According to the creature’s entry in the Japanese bestiary, naglfar’s battle with the Messengers was recorded in 偽典 pseudepigrapha (i.e. falsely attributed works) of the Cosmogony. Thus, it is unknown whether this event actually occurred. For more information on the topic, see the “Observations about the translation and localization” section of this archive.
2000-755 years ago
•With the world now stable, multiple countries (Niflheim, Tenebrae and Accordo) are founded. Niflheim is ruled by the Aldercapt family, who seek to revive the civilization of Solheim; Tenebrae becomes the home of the Oracle family; and Accordo is a commercially prosperous communal alliance
•According to legend, a sabertusk was the guard dog of an ancient king of Lucis. Consumed by hunger, it devoured the prince, and was cursed into its current form. The sabertusk then became a species of ravenous canines who violently devour their prey
◦Note: The timing of this event has been ascribed no exact placement at this time, and its positioning here is guesswork.
Modern Calendar Era (M.E.)
1 M.E.
•Lucis, Niflheim, Tenebrae and Accordo all elect to use the same calendar system. This is the beginning of the Modern Era
358 M.E.
•Niflheim declares war on the rest of Eos to expand their territory
359 M.E.
•Niflheim gains control of Tenebrae’s territory, but elects not to attack Fenestala Manor, where the Oracle family resides, due to the masses’ faith in the Oracle
501 M.E.
•Daemons are discovered by the empire
605 M.E.
•Lucis and Accordo team up to fight the empire. They are defeated, and Accordo is annexed
606 M.E.
•The current King of Lucis raises the Wall for the first time. The Wall is facilitated by conduits made of adamantite (a special metal found in the adamantoise’s shell) that channel the power of the Crystal
•The Lucian army is dissolved and reorganized into the Crownsguard, a countermeasure-only defense force
679 M.E.
•Cid Sophiar is born
685 M.E.
•Jared Hester is born
701 M.E.
•Clarus Amicitia is born
703 M.E.
•Weskham Armaugh is born
706 M.E.
•Regis Lucis Caelum is born
711 M.E.
•Cor Leonis is born
722 M.E.
•Ardyn enters Niflheim and proposes the development of the magitek army
•July 8: Verstael outfits the magitek troopers with magitek cores, intending to fuel them with daemonic energy
•October 21: Verstael successfully infuses magitek cores with daemonic energy, but finds that such a soldier is incapable of fighting. He then determines that humans would make better test subjects
•December 5: With all previous experiments resulting in the subjects experiencing ego death, Verstael takes to experimenting on infants
723 M.E.
•March 11: Verstael takes to cloning infants from his own cells to expedite MT production
•November 26: The First Magitek Production Facility finishes construction, and Verstael is appointed to oversee it.
Niflheim begins to mass produce its magitek infantry in preparation for war with Lucis
•Cor joins the Crownsguard
724 M.E.
•October 24: Mass production on the MTs is a success, as the Niflheim army overwhelms the Lucians
•Nyx Ulric is born in Galahd
725 M.E.
•February 24-April 1: The war between Niflheim and Lucis occurs. Niflheim manages to breach the regions of Leide, Duscae and Cleigne, and overwhelms the Lucis soldiers sent to oppose them. Prince Regis, who had traveled to Accordo with several of his friends, is forced to withdraw to the Crown City, and the Wall is restricted to surround only Insomnia
•Regis meets Ezma, and makes a vow to slay the monsters locked away in the Menace Dungeons after the war is over
•Regis encounters the adamantoise and fights it, but fails to kill it
726 M.E.
•Aranea Highwind is born
•The Cavaugh Region is invaded by Niflheim
•Lucis discovers the ruins of Taeplar Crag, with many Crownsguard operatives venturing inside only to be slain by Gilgamesh. Cor is the only one to emerge alive, a feat that earns him the title of “the Immortal.” He then becomes the bodyguard of King Mors
728 M.E.
•Ravus Nox Fleuret is born
729 M.E.
•King Mors dies, and Regis succeeds him as the 113th King of Lucis
730 M.E.
•Cindy Aurum is born
Approximately 20-26 years ago
•Cindy’s mother and father, Melba Aurum and Mid Sophiar, are killed by daemons while driving at night. Cindy’s grandfather, Cid Sophiar, assumes the role of raising her
◦Note: The timing of this event has been ascribed no exact placement at this time, and its positioning here is guesswork.
731 M.E.
•September 4: Lunafreya Nox Fleuret is born
732 M.E.
•Regis marries his childhood friend, Auela
•Gentiana moves in with the Nox Fleuret family in Tenebrae
733 M.E.
•April 2: Gladiolus Amicitia is born
734 M.E.
•February 7: Ignis Scientia is born
735 M.E.
•August 30: Noctis Lucis Caelum is born
◦Note: According to the Final Fantasy XV Ultimania Scenario Side, Noctis was born in 736 M.E. and Ignis became his royal retainer while the latter was 6 years old and the prince was 3. However, the main events of FFXV start on May 16 of 756 M.E., when Noctis is 20. His birthday being in August means he is 20 years, eight months old at the beginning of the game while Ignis — whose birthday is February 7th — is 22 years, 3 months old when FFXV begins. Therefore, Ignis is 1 year, 6 months older than Noctis.
When Noctis turned 3, Ignis was 4 years, 6 months old. When Noctis turned 4, Ignis was 5 years, 6 months old. There’s no point at which it should have been possible for Noctis to be 3 and Ignis to be 6.
For this article’s timeline, synthesized from the many official sources, we list that Noctis was born in 735 M.E. for consistency’s sake with a couple of other details of the setting:
◦He is already supposed to be 20, as stated in various official sources and evident in the fact that the Star of Lucis Audi R8 was given to him as a 20th birthday present
◦He and Prompto are both supposed to already be 20; between that and Noctis’s birthday falling earlier in the year than Prompto’s, it becomes necessary then to place their births within the same calendar year
Ironically enough, the Ultimania’s typographical error on this matter actually would make it feasible for Ignis to have been assigned to Noct as retainer when they were 6 and 3, but wouldn’t make it possible for Noct to have received the Star of Lucis for his 20th birthday, as it would not yet have come by May of 756 M.E. were he born in 736 M.E. instead.
Though one may be tempted to rationalize that the car could have been given to Noct for his birthday early, as May isn’t that far from August, the story of “Final Fantasy XV Prologue Parting Ways” makes it clear in a conversation between Ignis and Noctis that the latter has already had the car for a good while before the signing ceremony was to take place. Even without that conversation, though, the fact still remains that various official sources are explicit in identifying the prince and Prompto as both already being 20 when FFXV begins.
•October 25: Prompto is born in Niflheim for the purpose of being made into a magitek trooper, and is given a serial number
736 M.E.
•May 3: One or more Lucians break into the First Magitek Research Facility and abscond with Prompto. He is left with a surrogate family in Insomnia and given the surname Argentum
739 M.E.
•A dozen bussemand storm Saxham Outpost, killing many adults and capturing their children. Many other parents set off to find the lost children, leaving Saxham Outpost a ghost town
740 M.E.
•Ignis is assigned to become Noctis’s royal retainer
•Noctis is given a Carbuncle totem by Regis
741 M.E.
•King Regis learns from the spirits of the old kings that Noctis is the Chosen King
•Regis founds the Kingsglaive
•Iris Amicitia is born
744 M.E.
•An eight-year-old Noctis is attacked by the daemon Marilith. Regis drives her back, but Noctis suffers serious injury, with the king resting his Carbuncle statuette near the comatose Noctis to protect him in his dreams
•Noctis receives medical care in Tenebrae and befriends Lunafreya
•Niflheim attacks and conquers Fenestala Manor, and kills Queen Sylva Nox Fleuret, the Oracle, bringing Tenebrae under their complete control. King Regis and his son manage to flee, but Luna and Ravus are captured
•Niflheim renews their offensive against Lucis in the wake of the attack
•Ignis hears of a dessert Noctis had enjoyed in Tenebrae and becomes interested in cooking
•Prompto treats an injured Pryna until she has recovered. He then receives a letter from Lunafreya asking him to befriend Noctis, and begins a diet in preparation
745 M.E.
•Luna enters a covenant with Shiva
•Ardyn discovers the slumbering Ifrit and corrupts him with the Starscourge, transforming him into a daemon
•November 21: Sensing her lover’s plight, Shiva awakens within the Ghorovas Rift of the Niflheim nation. Setting out to free Ifrit, she attacks and is destroyed by the Niflheim army. This encounter does not truly kill Shiva, however, though she loses her corporeal existence and much of her power
•Having lost most of its army in Shiva’s attack, Niflheim begins developing magitek soldiers strong enough to fight the Astrals. Verstael uses the data gathered to create something he codenames Godslayer
•November 22: Verstael’s research is granted more funding due to Shiva’s death
746 M.E.
•Niflheim attacks Galahd
•May: Regis supplements the Kingsglaive a month after the attack on Galahd via refugees from the area, promising provisions and patrols to Galahd in return
•May 10: Nyx joins the Kingsglaive
•June 3: The Imperial Defense Council motions to reform the MT coding system to better monitor large numbers of new magitek models entering production
•In addition to studying academics, Gladiolus starts training in the duties of the Crownsguard. He also befriends Noctis and begins training him
•Ardyn gets in contact with General Drautos
748 M.E.
•Lunafreya becomes the youngest Oracle in history at the age of 16. She eventually begins traveling the land to heal those who seek her aid, as a mysterious plague has infected many people
749 M.E.
•Talcott Hester is born
•Ignis begins training in the Crownsguard
751 M.E.
•Noctis attends high school and begins living alone. He also befriends Prompto at this time
•Gladiolus formally joins the Crownsgaurd
•August 30: Noctis receives the Engine Blade as a birthday present from Regis
752 M.E.
•Ignis formally joins the Crownsguard
754 M.E.
•Gladio earns his facial scar while protecting Noctis from a drunk Lucian citizen
755 M.E.
•July 25: First Magitek Production Facility staff terminate numerous specimens that were created for the magitek infantry. After this incident, an unnamed worker is ordered to incinerate the remaining plasmodia samples
•July 29: Verstael is informed of the incineration of the plasmodia, but seems overjoyed at the revelation rather than angered
•August 30: Noctis turns 20, and a new car is custom made for his birthday
•September 18: Ravus, now a Deputy High Commander, proposes the invasion of Insomnia
•November 2: Plasmodia samples continue leaking, infecting some of the research team
•December 3: Rumors circulate with the First Magitek Production Facility workers that Verstael is intentionally infecting them with the contagion
756 M.E.
•January 14: A vast majority of the First Magitek Production Facility have become daemons
•February 12: The workers of the First Magitek Production Facility have all become daemons
•April 8: Verstael finishes construction of the Diamond Weapon and requests that Emperor Aldercapt view it personally at the First Magitek Production Facility
•Before May 16: King Regis agrees to sign a peace treaty with Niflheim. The terms outline that, in return for all Lucian territories outside of Insomnia and the wedding of Noctis and Lunafreya, the war will end. This results in significant civil unrest in Lucis, and much of the Kingsglaive betray the kingdom for the empire
•Noctis sets out from Insomnia for the city of Altissia to marry Lunafreya, per the terms of the peace treaty. He is accompanied by Ignis, Gladiolus and Prompto
•May 16: During the signing ceremony, Niflheim invades Insomnia and steals the Crystal. During the invasion, King Regis is killed, but he manages to pass on the Ring of the Lucii to Lunafreya. Nyx Ulric learns of Captain Drautos’s identity as the Niflheim General Glauca, and uses the power of the Ring to kill him at the cost of his own life
•A report is written in Niflheim, positing that those infected with the Starscourge don’t disappear, but are turned into daemons
•May 17: Insomnia’s fall is reported worldwide. Noctis sets out with his friends on a journey to collect the royal arms of his forebears and forge covenants with the Astrals to gain the power he needs to reclaim his throne
•May 21: The first mammal magitek, Unit SAS-0822: Barbarus, is created. It shall serve as a guard for the still in production Unit XDA-1002: Immortalis
•Noctis is once again confronted by the daemon Marilith, who nearly killed him when he was eight years old. With the help of his retinue, he is able to overcome and kill the daemon
•When Noctis reunites with Lunafreya, she gives him the Ring of the Lucii but perishes due to a mortal wound she sustains from Ardyn. Altissia is significantly damaged in the awakening of Leviathan
•Immediately following Lunafreya’s death, Ignis fights his way to the unconscious Noctis and Luna alongside Ravus. Ignis puts on the Ring of the Lucii to defend Noctis from Ardyn, and loses his sight as a consequence of using the Ring’s power
•Ravus is sentenced to be executed for high treason. Niflheim also attacks Fenestala Manor in retribution against him. Many people in Tenebrae are displaced and seek refuge in Accordo
•Following Luna’s death, the Starscourge begins to spread unabated, quickly bringing an end to daylight and causing daemons to become more numerous than ever. Noctis’s goals shift to finding the Crystal in hopes that it can stop the Starscourge
•June 28: More than half of Zegnautus Keep’s inhabitants have become daemons, Gralea is swarmed with daemonified citizens, and control over the MTs has been lost. The threat has grown beyond Niflheim’s capacity to neutralize it
•With the empire collapsing and night now perpetual, those who can flee take refuge in Lucis. As an emergency measure, Dave Auburnbrie invites everyone in Eos to move into Lestallum, which can provide light indefinitely due to drawing power from the Meteor shards
•July 9: Verstael finishes construction of Immortalis
•Noctis finds the Crystal deep within Zegnautus Keep, but ends up being absorbed by it. He learns of Ardyn’s true nature, and is told by Bahamut that, to purge the world of the Starscourge, he must give his own life. He enters a state of hibernation while the Crystal’s power slowly gathers within the Ring of the Lucii
•Eos is covered in darkness and daemons roam everywhere. Lestallum becomes the last major human settlement, save several Hunter outposts across Lucis
757 M.E.
•An amnesiac member of the defunct and disgraced Kingsglaive is taken to Lestallum by Libertus to help protect it from daemons alongside the Hunters, surviving Crownsguard, and other former Glaives
Unknown period from 757-766 M.E.
•Ignis conducts research on Ardyn at the royal tombs
•The Kingsglaive recover their lost memories and journey to Angelgard in response to a mysterious beckoning. There, they are confronted by Bahamut, who judges them by combat for their betrayal of Regis
•After surviving against Bahamut, the god deems the Glaives absolved of Regis’s betrayal, and they begin to defend the slumbering Noctis from daemons while the Crystal’s power continues accumulating within the Ring of the Lucii
766 M.E.
•Noctis awakens from his slumber and reunites with Ignis, Prompto and Gladiolus. He then kills Ardyn and sacrifices himself to restore light to the world
Alternate Timeline
Note: The following events are depicted in Chapter 3, Verse 2 of “Episode Ignis” and do not have bearing on the events of the main game.
756 M.E.
•Immediately following Lunafreya’s death, Ignis allows Ardyn to take him to Zegnautus Keep in Gralea, where the Niflheim chancellor reveals the truth about his past
•Ravus brings Noctis, Gladiolus and Prompto to Gralea in pursuit of Ignis
•Ignis puts on the Ring of the Lucii and loses his eyesight, then fights and defeats Ardyn, temporarily banishing him
•Noctis, Prompto and Gladiolus arrive to find Ignis dying. Noctis resolves to protect his friends from further harm. He is able to tap into the power of the Crystal and compel it to heal Ignis (including his lost eyesight) before willingly venturing into the heart of Eos, where he enters a state of hibernation while the Crystal’s power slowly gathers within the Ring of the Lucii
•Eos is covered in darkness and daemons roam everywhere. Lestallum becomes the last major human settlement, save several Hunter outposts across Lucis
Unknown period from 756-766 M.E.
•Ignis conducts research on Ardyn at the royal tombs
766 M.E.
•Noctis awakens from his slumber and reunites with Ignis, Prompto and Gladiolus. Ravus bestows Noctis with Regis’s sword. The five men confront Ardyn and restore light to the world
•Sometime later, Ignis is seen bowing to the alive and crowned King Noctis
Sources Referenced
• Final Fantasy XV (main game)
• Final Fantasy XV Platinum Demo
• Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV
• Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV
• Final Fantasy XV Prologue Parting Ways
• “Episode Gladiolus,” “Episode Prompto,” “Episode Ignis” and Royal Pack DLC
• Final Fantasy XV Multiplayer Expansion: Comrades
• Final Fantasy XV’s in-game bestiary
• Final Fantasy XV’s in-game Datalog, Dossiers and Documents
• Final Fantasy XV Scenario Side Ultimania
• Final Fantasy XV The Complete Official Guide Collector’s Edition
