Final Fantasy 15 Episode Prompto DLC guide and walkthrough, how to unlock Lion Heart and other rewards
How to complete each main story mission and find hidden costumes.
Final Fantasy 15 Episode Prompto is the second of four major pieces of add-on content for Square's open-world role-playing game, centering on the fan-favourite photographer and gives us an opportunity to learn more about his backstory.
Unlike the last DLC Episode Gladiolus, there are some huge spoilers in this DLC chapter, so we'd highly recommend completing the main story before delving in.
When you get round to it, expect a new, shooter-inspired combat system with a few welcome Final Fantasy 15 touches, some action-packed set-pieces and a little taste of a new open-world area.
We'll be explaining how it plays differently, and what else you should look out for, in our Final Fantasy 15 Episode Prompto guide and walkthrough below.
Final Fantasy 15 Episode Prompto walkthrough
To access the DLC, make sure it's downloaded with the most recent patch (select PlayStation Store from the game's main menu, then find it from there) and select Downloadable Content from the main menu once it's downloaded. It's the same patch as the addition of the Type-D off-road car.
As such, it's separate from the main story and can be accessed at any time. While it features a number of side-quests as the game opens up in its second half, you cannot reload a completed save, instead requiring you to return to a previous one just before the final boss.
- Episode Prompto - Life in Captivity, Find a Way Out, Confront Verstael, Escape the Base
- Episode Prompto - Sins of the Father, Barbarus boss fight strategy
- Episode Prompto - Immortalis final boss, how to beat the Magitek Monstrosity
Additional guides:
- Episode Prompto - Kaiser Behemoth location and boss strategy
- Episode Prompto - Attire locations for new Mask and Goggle costumes
Final Fantasy 15 Episode Prompto rewards
Once you have completed the episode - which will take around 90 minutes if you ignore side-quests - you'll unlock the Lion Heart weapon (a 200+ strength pistol) and the Tundra Attire for Prompto (increases max HP, vitality and lowers ice damage) to take into the main game, as well as the Trigger Happy Bullet Art for future replays of Episode Prompto.
No prior steps required - just loud your save and it'll waiting in your inventory.
You'll also have access to two additional bonus modes - Time Trial and Intensive Training - to further test your snowmobile and combat skills. Both have Trophies / Achievements to unlock and give you a little extra something to do once the short main adventure is through.
Final Fantasy 15 Episode Prompto guide
Just like Episode Gladiolus, the shift to a new party member allows the DLC to experiment with a new style of combat, this time styled around third-person shooters.
Like in the main game, you have a weapon wheel which you can use to choose between different weapons. The main one to focus on is on the right D-Pad; this will be either an SMG, sniper rifle or bazooka, depending on what you picked up last, and all are fired by aiming with L1 / Left Bumper, and firing with R1 / Right Bumper.
If you are familiar with shooters then learning how combat works will come easy, with a similar avoidance of attacks by holding Square / X on Xbox behind cover and tapping it to roll when out in the open - and is a tactic that comes in handy here.
Once you've mastered this, most of the combat in the game is fairly straightforward. That said, there are some other things worth noting to help you along the way:
- Once you have stunned an enemy, turning them stationary and glowing blue, you can perform one or two finishers - Crackshot from a distance with Triangle / Y, and Overkill up close with X on PlayStation or A on Xbox. Though the latter is useful if you need a top up of ammo, the latter is by far the preferred option, allowing you to chain attacks after using the sniper, bazooka, or Dragoon Dive - essentially the three most powerful attacks in the DLC. Use Crackshot and use it often.
- For standalone enemies, use the sniper where possible, allowing you to kill with a single hit or follow up with Crackshot to see them off. For groups, use the Bazooka, or better yet, the Flare (down on the weapon wheel) followed by a string of Crackshots.
- Once you complete Life in Captivity, you can freely explore with a snow mobile, allowing you to pick up some side-quests before completing the story. However, this is entirely optional - like Episode Gladiolus, there is no individual character levelling, and it's simply used to get currency to upgrade the snowmobile - which in itself is entirely optional and won't carry over into future playthroughs or the main game.
There is, however, some challenge enemy encounters to be found including the Kaiser Behemoth which results in an optional Trophy or achievement, as well as three Goggle and Mask attire costumes to find.
Need more help? Our Final Fantasy 15 guide and walkthrough can provide tips on main story, as well as the open-world's many quests and activities. Learning how to get AP fast, EXP fast and money or Gil fast will aid you in many optional dungeons and tombs - including how to open and explore their locked doors. There's also plenty of interesting side-quests, too, such as the Scraps of Mystery and Professors Protege frog locations. And if you want to get around easier, you can rent a Chocobo, learn the infinite sprint trick and later in the game, get the flying car Regalia Type F. There's also more to see and do with DLC, such as Episode Gladiolus and Episode Prompto.
- If you need to save, find a vending machine. These are littered throughout each facility you explore, and are also usually surrounded by some collectables that expand some of the game's backstory.
- There are a series of Documents you can find which help flesh out the back story (which aren't tied to Achievements, so don't worry about missing any) which are found on the critical path as well as a hut in the far north past the research facility as part of the Sins of the Father mission. There are also reports that replaying the DLC will add 10 Photo Ops in key scenes and locations, if you need an incentive to revisit.
- Though this is the second major story episode for the game, these aren't the first pieces of add-on content we've seen in Final Fantasy 15 so far - there have been two time limited drops, the Moogle Chocobo Festival and Timed Quests, which gave us a few new unique items and activities to keep us busy until this launched.