How to Unlock the Fourth “???” Arete Stone Option in Final Fantasy 16

This guide will cover how to unlock the fourth option of the Arete Stone in Final Fantasy 16.

by Christian Bognar
Arete Stone Final Fantasy 16
Image: Attack of the Fanboy

Final Fantasy 16 has a great main story, and there’s no doubt about that. Outside of the main quest, though, there is much side content for players to get lost in. Side content includes activities such as side quests, modes at the Arete Stone, and Notorious Mark Hunts. The Arete Stone’s first three modes are unlocked relatively early into the game, but the fourth one takes some extra time. Here is how you can unlock the fourth slot on the Arete Stone in Final Fantasy 16 — Chronolith Trials.

How to Unlock the Fourth “???” Option on the Arete Stone in Final Fantasy 16

FINAL-FANTASY-XVI_20230623094055
Image: Attack of the Fanboy

Chronolith Trials is the fourth “???” option on the Arete Stone and is essentially just a greater difficulty for Arcade Mode. To unlock the fourth “???” option on the Arete Stone players must complete The Fire in the Sky Main Quest for Final Fantasy 16 and unlock Chronolith Trials. Players must then complete all of Chronolith Trials. Chronolith Trials resemble the same look of the Arete Stone and can be spotted across various locations across the game. Once all Chronolith Trials are completed, the fourth “???” option will become available for a more challenging Chronolith Trials mode.

The good news is that it doesn’t matter which difficulty you complete The Fire in the Sky Main quest — Action-focused or Story-focused. The Fire in the Sky quest is quest number 51, so players won’t be able to activate any Chronolith Trials they may find until toward the end of the main quest.

Related: FFXVI Chapter List: All Main Missions in Final Fantasy 16

There you have it; that is how you unlock the fourth “???” slot in the Arete Stone. Chronolith Trials Mode is the highest difficulty in Arete Stone. It’s the ultimate way to test your skills and shows that you have mastered the fast-paced combat that Final Fantasy 16 offers. Using this mode is a great way to practice for the upcoming challenges that New Game Plus will have.

- This article was updated on June 26th, 2023

About The Author

Avatar photo

Christian has been a writer of Attack of the Fanboy for about a year and has covered Shadows of Rose, Wild Hearts, Remnant 2, Lies of P, and more; his favorite genre is Survival Horror. He has a business degree but felt the need to take his love for video games to the gaming community. Outside of writing, you can find him listening to all types of podcasts, especially Always Sunny Podcast and Morbid True Crime.