Final Fantasy 16: How to Get and Use Torgal the Dog

Final Fantasy 16 has Torgal the Dog, Clive’s best bud, who’ll tag along in your adventures. He’s not just there to woof and ask to be petted, because he’s also got some nifty tricks in and out of combat. Our Final Fantasy 16 Torgal guide discusses when you can get this awesome companion, and how to make use of his abilities.

How to Get and Use Torgal in Final Fantasy 16

How to Unlock Torgal as a Party Member

The FF16 Torgal dog companion will join you a few hours into the campaign. Specifically, after you’ve left the Hideaway hub for the first time, you’ll get the Fanning Embers main quest. Once you head to The Greatwood, Torgal will accompany you.

How to Use Torgal’s Abilities and Other Actions

Torgal has a few commands that you can use while in combat. You can see the controls by pressing the Left button on the D-pad, which will change the input to those of Torgal’s, as opposed to your consumables/inventory. Here are the commands and actions:

• Sic — Press Up on the D-pad to send out Torgal, making him strike a target while on the ground.
• Heal — Press Right on the D-Pad to replenish a small amount of Clive’s health (i.e., at the start, you’ll receive +5 HP).
• Ravage — Press Down on the D-pad and Torgal will rush an opponent. The somersault can lead to potential aerial juggles.

Additionally, Torgal has a couple of commands when not in combat:

• Pet — Hold the X button while facing Torgal to pet him. Do this five times and you’ll earn the “You Can Pet the Dog” trophy.
• Animal Senses — Hold the L3 button and Torgal will look for well-hidden pathways.

Should You Use the Ring of Timely Assistance or Ring of Timely Strikes in FF16?

There are a couple of Timely Rings that can affect Torgal in Final Fantasy 16:

• Ring of Timely Assistance — Makes Torgal’s attacks automatic based on the current situation in battle.
• Ring of Timely Strikes — Allows you to press just the Square button so Clive can do various abilities and moves. This also retains the Ring of Timely Assistance’s effects.

In my opinion, it’s better to equip the Ring of Timely Assistance. This lets you play with Action Focused Mode selected, which is the game’s default difficulty. At the same time, you won’t need to switch between consumables or Torgal’s inputs during combat. I know I’ve experienced a few hassles when I accidentally used a Potion, as opposed to Torgal’s own moves.

As for the Ring of Timely Strikes, although it does retain the Timely Assistance’s effects, I feel that simplifying Clive’s moves makes the game too easy. It’s almost as though I was on autopilot whenever I had it equipped.

And that’s it, that’s everything you need to know about the Story Focused and Action Focused options in Final Fantasy 16. For more tips and strategies, you can visit our FF16 guides hub.