Final Fantasy 12 update finally removes Denuvo, adds console-exclusive features

Pictured: Final Fantasy 12 with Denuvo, probably. (Image credit: Square Enix)

We rejoiced when Final Fantasy 12 finally made it to PC in 2018, and since then the HD remaster has also been released on the Xbox One and the Nintendo Switch, with some exclusive features. Until today, the PC version's only exclusive feature was the inclusion of unpopular DRM Denuvo. In a new patch, Square Enix has quietly removed Denuvo and added in those features that were previously only available in the more recent console ports.

They're minor, but still nice: 

  • Job reset function has been added
  • Gambit system has been expanded to 3 sets

The first change lets you talk to a character named Montblanc in Rabanastre and switch up the job classes of your characters at any time, rather than being locked in. The second gives you more flexibility with the game's Gambit system, basically orders you assign to your party to automate their behavior. More gambit sets will allow you to create behaviors specific to boss fights or situations that differ from the usual random battles.

Square Enix didn't announce that it had removed Denuvo in the patch, but SteamDB and the PC Gaming Wiki picked up on the change. Some players on the Steam forums also mentioned critical game files have gone missing with the new patch; you can find those files on the PC Gaming Wiki if you run into the same issue.

There are a significant number of mods for Final Fantasy 12 on Nexusmods, many of which rebalance the game or change character models. The new patch will likely require many of those mods to be updated, but keep an eye on the Nexus if the new features (and lack of DRM) inspires you to jump back in for another jaunt across Ivalice.

Wes Fenlon
Senior Editor

Wes has been covering games and hardware for more than 10 years, first at tech sites like The Wirecutter and Tested before joining the PC Gamer team in 2014. Wes plays a little bit of everything, but he'll always jump at the chance to cover emulation and Japanese games.

When he's not obsessively optimizing and re-optimizing a tangle of conveyor belts in Satisfactory (it's really becoming a problem), he's probably playing a 20-year-old Final Fantasy or some opaque ASCII roguelike. With a focus on writing and editing features, he seeks out personal stories and in-depth histories from the corners of PC gaming and its niche communities. 50% pizza by volume (deep dish, to be specific).

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