Final Fantasy 13-2 features tons of minigames, but the most popular one by far is Chocobo Racing. Chocobo Racing made its debut in the beloved Final Fantasy 7, and it's back by popular demand in 13-2. The basic idea is that you catch and raise a Chocobo and then put it in a race in order to earn lots of gil.

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On one hand, you're rescuing a Chocobo and leading it on to a life of fame and fortune, but on the other hand it's kind of cruel. But that idea is for another day, read this Final Fantasy 13-2 Chocobo Racing guide for everything you need to know about this awesomely complex minigame.

What Is Chocobo Racing?

Chocobo Racing is a minigame within Final Fantasy 13-2. With a bit of effort you'll be well on your way to earning lots of gil and other fantastic rewards from your various Chocobos in the Serenity Chocobo Race casino area of the Historia Crux. If you want to make a lot of money early in the game, or just have something fun to do before you continue along in the main story quest, Chocobo Racing might be for you.



How Do I Enter The Chocobo Races?

If you want to enter the Chocobo Races there are a few things that you should keep in mind. First is, how do you enter your own Chocobo in to the race? This stumped me at first because I had a Chocobo fighting in my party and I couldn't enter him in to the race. It turns out, in order to enter Chocobos in to a race they must be captured but not in your current party's paradigm pack.

If you're not sure where to get a Chocobo, here's a quick list of their general locations:

• Chocobo: The Archlyte Steppe (??? AF)
• White Chocobo: Oerba (300 AF)
• Black Chocobo: The Vile Peaks (010 AF)
• Blue Chocobo: The Archlyte Steppe (??? AF)
• Red Chocobo: The Archlyte Steppe (??? AF)
• Green Chocobo: Yaschas Massif (110 AF, 100 AF)
• Purple Chocobo: Bresha Ruins (300 AF, 100 AF)
• Silver Chocobo: Use the Mog's Manifestation Fragment Skill in Academia in 4XX AF by the holographic projection of Cocoon to acquire the one-of-a-kind crystal.

Be aware that once entered in to the race, that Chocobo will no longer be available to fight in your party until you take him out of the races.

There are a few things that you should know about Chocobos before you enter them in to the race. Every Chocobo has different stats, even if they're the same two types of Chocobos. For example, two Blue Chocobo's will have completely different attributes even though they're still the same type of Chocobo.

These attributes are broken down in to Speed, Stamina, Race Points, and Abilities.

Speed is, of course, how fast your Chocobo runs. A Chocobo with high speed will perform well in short, 600m races. The Speed Rating is expressed by grades, with E being the slowest and A being the fastest. Your Chocobo's speed is determined by their strength stat.

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Stamina is the stat you're going to want to focus on for the 1,200m and 1,800m races. Think about it, if your Chocobo doesn't have stamina, he won't be able to last 'til the end of the race (that's what she said). For Speed, you're going to want to level up your Chocobo's magic stat and it's again graded on an E through A scale.

Race Points are what determines the maximum length of a Chocobo's racing career. It caps out at 600 points and it's based on a Chocobo's HP stat. Every time your Chocobo enters a race it consumes race points. Once a Chocobo runs out of race points they have to retire.

Abilities are the special traits that Chocobos can use to increase their overall racing skills. These abilities can either come pre-baked in to the Chocobos or you can infuse your Chocobo with another monster to get the best abilities possible. Some abilities include Rocket Start, a default ability for a White Chocobo which allows them to increase the window of opportunity for a Sprinting Start, or Dark Horse, a default ability for a Silver Chocobo which offers improved gambling odds on your Chocobo. There are 15 different abilities that Chocobos can learn.

The Basics Of Chocobo Racing

Once you find a good Chocobo and level it up in the Crystarium you can head to Serendipity when you think it's ready to race.

As you'll see once you enter your Chocobo in to the race, there are a few different kinds of races your Chocobo can participate in. Races can be Standard, Graded, or Secret. Graded races are marked with a blue emblem and they unlock Secret races if you win the Graded Race. There are two Graded and two Secret races available per race class.

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Before you get in to the Chocobo ring you're going to want to check out your opponents and set a strategy for your own Chocobo. When you go to enter a race there's a screen that includes all of the race preparation. Yes, it's a lot of stuff but it's worth knowing it if you intend on winning.

Listed in the preparation screen is the name of the Chocobos you're racing against, the favored column that indicates how good each bird is based on their hidden speed and stamina stats. Again, the ranks for from E (worse) to A (best). Next up there's a column showing one of four possible strategies that each competitor plans on using. You can tell what each strategy is based on which Chocobo is lit up in the column.

• First Chocobo: The Chocobo will attempt to lead the pack for the whole race.
• Second Chocobo: The Chocobo will stay towards the front of the pack for the whole race.
• Third Chocobo: The Chocobo will stay in the middle of the pack and become a little faster towards the end of the race.
• Fourth Chocobo: The Chocobo will stay at the back of the pack and pick up speed towards the end for a strong finish.

I find that choosing the fourth option with my Chocobo works the best, but it's all up to you and your personal strategy to know what works best in each situation.

Next up on the preparation screen in the Condition column. This shows the health of the competitors and of your Chocobo. The condition of Chocobos ranges from Excellent to Terrible, with Good, Average, and Poor in between. When a Chocobo is in excellent condition it will race much better than if it's in terrible condition.

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After each race, the condition of the Chocobo goes up to the next one in the cycle of Terrible < Poor < Average < Good < Excellent. However, it's important to note that high level birds in terrible condition can still beat low level birds in excellent condition, it's all situational. If your Chocobo is in bad condition for a race, you can feed it specific items like Health Nuts to boost their condition.

In the preparation screen there's also a column showing the betting odds for each competitor. This is where you're going to make your money from Chocobo racing. You can wager up to 100 Casino Coins on any Chocobo in the race though, not just your own. So even if you don't have a winning bird on your hand, you can still make money off of someone else's.



How Do The Races Work?

After you're done with all of the prep work, it's finally time to race your Chocobo! Unfortunately, the racing of the birds is much more streamlined than setting up the race is, but it's still pretty fun to watch and there can be a lot of strategy at play if you want to try harder to win.

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At the start of the race, just like in Mario Kart, is you press A (X on PS3 controller) right as the race is about to begin you'll get a speed boost that will put your Chocobo out ahead of the pack. Once you get the boost off, all you can really do is sit back and watch your bird race against the other ones. The only really important thing to do is save your boost until the final race to the finish line in order to pull out a win.

How Do I Make Money From Chocobo Races?

Aside from getting to raise your baby up to pro status, the main reason you're probably participating in the Chocobo races is to make gil. Here are a few tips to make the most money while you're racing your Chocobo.

• If you're sure your Chocobo is going to win, bet the maximum of 100 Casino Coins on it. You'll double your money consistently.
•  If your close rival is sure to win the race based on his condition and favored position, bet on them as well as on your own Chocobo. This way, one of the two of you are bound to win and you'll still walk away with some money.

What Do I Get From Chocobo Racing?

Aside from mountains of gil that your Moogle is sure to love, Chocobo Racing awards you with rare Adornments for your monsters. Here's a list the titles, how to get them, and rewards you can earn from Chocobo Racing.

Along with these great items, you'll also be awarded with random stuff for each different type of race you win. Some are things like potions, while others are rare adornments and such depending on how difficult the race is.

With these tips, your Chocobo should be on their way to becoming a great racer in no time. Let us know if this guide helped you on your Chocobo Racing adventures.

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