Guide to Racing and Breeding Chocobos in FFXIV

Chocobo Racing is a mini-game in FFXIV where players can raise, race, and breed their very own chocobos.

Chocobo Racing is one of the main attractions in the Gold Saucer. Players can race their chocobos against NPCs and other players, in addition to completing NPC challenges to earn MGP, titles, glamours, and more!

Players must have first unlocked the Gold Saucer in order to unlock Chocobo Racing. They must then complete the quest "So You Want to Be a Jockey" from the Race Chocobo Registrar in the Gold Saucer at Chocobo Square. This quest will take you to Bentbranch Meadows in Central Shroud to learn about breeding chocobos. To learn more about the Gold Saucer, visit our Gold Saucer hub.

In order to participate in Chocobo Racing, players must first register a chocobo. Any chocobo that you have bred will be taken care of until you register it to race. This is done by exchanging a Fledgling Chocobo Registration with the Race Chocobo Registrar NPC. You will then be given the option to name your chocobo. You have many options from a pre-selected list of names, and you can pay a fee of 2000 gil to change its name at any time.

After naming your chocobo, you must first complete the Training Course before you can officially begin raising and racing your chocobo. This training course will teach you all the fundamentals of racing a chocobo.

You can view your current racing chocobo by opening up the Gold Saucer menu and heading to the Chocobo tab. You will be shown three tabs, corresponding to your chocobo's parameters, pedigree, and appearance.

A chocobo's rank is its level. The maximum rank a chocobo can reach is 50, but chocobos can be retired starting from rank 40. Chocobos gain experience points by participating in races. Each time a chocobo levels up, five random stats will be chosen to be increased by 1% of their maximum value. These stats can be duplicates. Additionally, you gain the ability to feed your chocobo every level, up to a maximum of 50 times.

At Rank 10, your chocobo will learn a random ability.

A chocobo's rating is the measure of its ability. This is separate from its rank, though leveling your chocobo up will also increase its rating. This is because the rating is the average of the chocobo's five stats. The rating determines what class of races the chocobo can participate in - the higher the rating, the more advanced of a race you can challenge!

Each chocobo has five parameters that affect it in a race. A chocobo will have a current stat, as well as a maximum stat based on its pedigree. Stats, for the most part, are self-explanatory.

• Maximum Speed is a measure of how fast the chocobo can run when fully accelerated.
• Acceleration affects how quickly the chocobo can attain said maximum speed.
• Endurance increases the speed at which your chocobo can run before being afflicted with the Lathered status, which decreases stamina usage when running at high speeds.
• Stamina increases the total stamina your chocobo has.
• Cunning improves speed and decreases stamina usage in certain areas of a racetrack with rough terrain (generally uphill or in water).

Each chocobo has access to two racing abilities. One ability can be taught by using a Chocobo Racing Manual purchased from the Tack & Feed Trader or gained randomly when the chocobo reaches Rank 10. The other ability is inherited from a parent through breeding. These abilities are either passive or active, and active abilities can only be used once per race. Abilities grant chocobos the edge needed to prevail in races.

Abilities can be unlearned by using Lethe Water. This can be purchased from the Tack & Feed Trader for 10 MGP. If an ability is unlearned, it will learn a new random ability next level up.

A chocobo's pedigree is inherited from its parents, and players breed chocobos to get one with a high pedigree. Think of pedigree as the maximum potential of a chocobo: the higher the pedigree, the higher the maximum stats it can attain. This is because each pedigree level increases the maximum stats of a chocobo by 40. Remember that when a chocobo levels up, its stats are increased by a percentage of its maximum stats. Therefore, a higher pedigree chocobo will have higher stats.

In addition to pedigree, each chocobo has a Star Rating linked to each stat in the pedigree window. This rating further increases the chocobo's maximum stat by 40 per star. This will be covered more in-depth in the breeding section.

The final tab is the Appearance tab, which displays your chocobo's current appearance. Similar to with your companion chocobo, you can equip bardings onto your race chocobo. As for the colour, it is inherited from its parents, which we also cover in the breeding section.

Feeding your chocobo increases its stats without increasing its rating. There are five different kinds of feed - one corresponding to each stat, and three different grades for each.

1. Grade 1 Feed increases its respective stat by 1% of its maximum. It requires level 30 Culinarian to craft, or can be purchased from a Tack & Feed Trainer for 1500 gil.
2. Grade 2 Feed increases its respective stat by 2% of its maximum. It requires level 50 Culinarian to craft, or can be purchased from a Tack & Feed Trainer for 610 MGP.
3. Grade 3 feed increases its respective stat by 3% of its maximum. It can be purchased from a Tack & Feed Trainer for 1345 MGP, and is untradeable.

Players can feed their chocobo by talking to the Race Chocobo Trainer NPC and selecting Race Chocobo Training. Players must have at least one feed in their inventory. Each stat change will be highlighted before the player confirms feeding their chocobo.

What would chocobo racing be without actually racing your chocobo? Races are similar to Mario Kart, featuring intense matches between 8 different players or NPCs. Players can receive MGP and experience points for their chocobo by racing, with increased rewards given to those with higher placements.

When racing, players can view the item hotbar, upcoming items, their stamina, the position and stamina of all racers, and the current track. We will discuss racing in this section.

There are a few details about chocobo racing that jockeys will need to know in order to succeed. Controlling your chocobo is the most important one, but players who have already participated in some races may find that their movement is unresponsive at times. This is because all movement is done server-side, making for a less responsive experience as the server handles all inputs. What this also means is that your chocobo's exact position relative to other chocobos is extremely accurate.

• To accelerate, hold the key you have assigned to move forward. By default, this is W. Accelerating will increase stamina consumption.
• To decelerate, hold the key you have assigned to move backwards. By default, this is S. Decelerating will decrease stamina consumption.
• To steer your chocobo left and right, use the keys you have assigned to move left and right. By default, these are A and D respectively, but Q and E can also be used.
• Gamepad or controller players can simply use the left joystick.
• To jump, press Spacebar on a keyboard or Y(△) on a controller.

Chocobos will automatically move forward without any input commands.

There are three different racetracks based on the three main regions. Each racetrack has its own advantages and disadvantages, so players must be knowledgeable of each racetrack in order to be a master jockey.

• Sagolii Road is the racetrack in Thanalan.
• Costa del Sol is the racetrack in La Noscea.
• Tranquil Paths is the racetrack in the Black Shroud.

To enter a race, players can queue up through the Gold Saucer tab in the Duty Finder. Players can select a random track or a specific track. Players can also queue with party members, but all party members must have a racing chocobo registered. In a party, stats will be synced to the lowest rated chocobo.

Panels bestow various effects onto the player's chocobo. These are placed in fixed locations across the race course and can bestow either beneficial or detrimental effects based on panel colour.

• Blue panels grant a short burst of speed.
• Green panels instantly restore Stamina by roughly 6%.
• Purple panels inflict the Heavy status for 5 seconds, decreasing speed.
• Red panels instantly reduce Stamina by roughly 15%.

After a certain rating, players will begin running into course hazards in race courses. These consist of enemies running around the course that must be avoided. Running into a hazard will temporarily slow down the chocobo, as well as decrease Stamina by a small amount. Some hazards prevent the player from using items or abilities.

Treasure coffers will appear in fixed locations across the race course. Running into one of these treasure coffers will bestow an item, which the player can view in the bottom right of their screen. Whenever a player picks up a treasure chest, that item is given to the player, and subsequent items are pushed up the list. Stronger items will appear later in the list to help players who are potentially falling behind.

Racing items are automatically added to your hotbar, and you can hold one racing item at a time. There are a total of 11 racing items, 8 of which are common and 3 of which are rare.

• Choco Potion instantly restores stamina by 10%.
• Stamina Tablet prevents stamina reduction for 10 seconds and restores stamina if it is at 0%.
• Sprint Shoes grant a burst of movement speed for 3 seconds.
• Choco Aether refreshes previously used race abilities, allowing them to be used again.
• Bacchus's Water inflicts the chocobo in front with Frenzy for 15 seconds, increasing its stamina consumption and forcing it to run.
• Graviball inflicts the chocobo in front with Heavy for 10 seconds, decreasing their movement speed.
• Briar Caltrop surrounds your chocobo with a ring of thorns. Chocobos that enter the ring will have their stamina drained by 5% per second for up to 4 seconds.
• Spiderweb prevents the chocobo directly behind yours from using any items for 10 seconds.
• Hero Tonic is a rare item that invigorates your chocobo for 15 seconds. This effect increases its overall performance, decreases stamina consumption, and prevents and nullifies any enfeeblements.
• Choco Meteor is a rare item that targets all chocobos in front of you. It will reduce their stamina by 20% and inflict Lamed for 8 seconds, preventing all acceleration.
• Stamina Swapper is a rare item that swaps the stamina of your chocobo with a chocobo in front of you. It will not go off if they have less stamina than you.

The weather of the racetrack can affect the performance of chocobos. There are three types of weather: Fair, Foul, and Neutral. The different weathers inside these types are functionally the same. For example, Sunshine and Clear Skies are both Fair, and there is no difference between the two. Only Foul weather has an effect on the race.

• Foul weather decreases the maximum speed of chocobos that prefer Fair weather by roughly 10%.
• Foul weather decreases the maximum speed of chocobos that prefer Foul weather by roughly 5%.
• Foul weather decreases the threshold at which chocobos become Lathered, greatly increasing stamina consumption.

The weather can change over the course of a race. There are certain rules that weather follows when changing.

1. Weather cannot change more than twice during a race.
2. Weather cannot change to a different weather of the same type.
3. Weather will randomly change, if possible, when the foremost chocobo reaches 20% increments in the race.
4. Weather must change at least once if the race starts with a Neutral weather.

Chocobo Challenge races become available when the player's chocobo reaches a certain rating. These are special races where players have to beat specific NPC opponents in order to win. These grant rare rewards such as race abilities, as well as large sums of MGP upon completion, which can be further increased if players have MGP buffs active!

Name	Rating Required	Course	MGP Reward
Race 1 - Hugging the Inside	41	Tranquil Paths	20000
Race 2 - Keep Away	61	Costa del Sol	21000
Race 3 - Inability	81	Sagolii Road	22000
Race 4 - Heavy Hooves	101	Tranquil Paths	23000
Race 5 - Defending the Rush	121	Costa del Sol	24000
Race 6 - Road Rivals	141	Sagolii Road	25000
Race 7 - Field of Dreams	161	Costa del Sol	26000
Race 8 - Playing Both Ends	181	Tranquil Paths	27000
Race 9 - Stamina	201	Sagolii Road	28000
Race 10 - Cat and Mouse	221	Costa del Sol	29000
Race 11 - Mad Dash	231	Sagolii Road	30000
Race 12 - Bag of Tricks	241	Tranquil Paths	35000
Race 13 - Tag Team	251	Sagolii Road	40000
Race 14 - Heavier Hooves	261	Costa del Sol	45000
Race 15 - Ultimatum	271	Tranquil Paths	50000

Once a race chocobo reaches rank 40, players can choose to retire it. This will permanently retire that chocobo and give you a Retired Chocobo Registration. In addition, you will be able to praise one of the two abilities the chocobo had, turning it into a hereditary ability that can be passed onto offspring. You can retire a chocobo by talking to the Race Chocobo Trainer NPC.

Once players own a race chocobo rank 40 or higher, they can accept the quest "Like Sire Like Fledgling," which unlocks the ability to breed chocobos. This is done in Bentbranch Meadows.

In order to breed chocobos, you need two chocobos: one male and one female. These are represented as Retired Chocobo Registrations or Covering Permissions. You can purchase Covering Permissions from the Tack & Feed Trainer, but at least one of the chocobos you are breeding must have belonged to you previously. Covering Permissions can only be used once, while Retired Chocobo Registrations can be used up to ten times. In addition, the appearance, ability, and pedigree of Covering Permissions is random.

After you have selected the chocobos you would like to breed, you can pay a small sum of gil to receive a Proof of Covering. After the time indicated on the covering, you can pick up your new race chocobo! You'll have to register it like any other racing chocobo at the Racing Chocobo Trainer NPC in the Gold Saucer.

Fledgling chocobos will inherit parameters from its parents. Each chocobo will inherit a hereditary ability from one parent, in addition to a colour from one parent. This is chosen at random with a 50% chance for either parent.

A chocobo's pedigree and star rating is determined based on the parent. The fledgling's pedigree will be equal to the pedigree of the parent with the lowest pedigree plus one. Therefore, you ideally want to breed two chocobos with the same pedigree. You can purchase chocobos of all pedigrees from the NPC, however, at least one chocobo must have belonged to you. In order to reach the maximum pedigree (9), you must raise, race, retire, and breed chocobos for each pedigree level until you reach the highest level.

Regarding star rating, inheritance is not based off the star rating of the covering chocobos. Instead, it considers the star rating of the parents of those chocobos. This is why the star rating of a chocobo's parentage is displayed. There is an equal chance for each star rating to be passed down from the parentage of the father's father, father's mother, mother's father, and mother's mother.

To breed the ideal chocobo, you will need to take into consideration its pedigree, ability, and colour.