Gran Pulse

Lore & Background

Several hundred years before the game's events, a conflict known as the War of Transgression occurred between Pulse and Cocoon. During this battle, l'Cie from Pulse attacked and ripped a large hole in the floating sphere. The l'Cie eventually completed their focus and were turned to crystal, while the hole was patched with material lifted from Pulse itself. Since then, Cocoon's citizens have lived in fear of another invasion, a sentiment exploited by the Sanctum to maintain power. The fal'Cie on Pulse are capable of marking humans as servants called l'Cie, granting them visions of a Focus they must complete. Failure to finish this task turns them into mindless monsters known as Cie'th, while success transforms them into crystal for eternal life.

In Their Own Story

The narrative shifts when Lightning begins her fight against the government to save her sister, Serah, who has been branded as an unwilling servant to a god-like being from Pulse. This act makes Lightning an enemy of Cocoon. She is soon joined by allies, including Snow Villiers and Oerba Dia Vanille, and together they become marked by the same Pulse creature. Rallying against the Sanctum, the group must discover their assigned task while navigating the dangers of this world. They face the constant threat of being turned into monsters or crystals upon completing their Focus, all while uncovering the history of the War of Transgression and the true nature of the fal'Cie.

Reader's Guide

Players navigate Gran Pulse by foot or by chocobo, exploring areas rendered to scale relative to the characters rather than as miniature caricatures. The environment features open fields where enemies are integrated into the landscape, allowing players to approach or avoid them before triggering a separate battle screen. Combat relies on the Crystarium system for character development and the Paradigm system to control AI allies in roles like Commando, Ravager, Medic, Synergist, Saboteur, and Sentinel. The datalog provides a bestiary and incidental information about this world. Save stations allow players to purchase items from retail networks or upgrade weapons using hard disk drive storage.

Did You Know?

• Gran Pulse is the much-feared world below the floating sphere of Cocoon.
• The War of Transgression occurred several hundred years before the game's events, leaving a large hole in Cocoon that was patched with material from Pulse.
• Ordinary humans can use magic on Gran Pulse only through distilled chemical forms via Manadrives.
• L'Cie who complete their Focus are transformed into crystal to gain eternal life.
• The Sanctum uses the fear of a potential invasion from Pulse to remain in power.