Searches like ff reward usually come from a specific moment of being stuck, so this starts with the answer and explains the reasoning afterwards.
Bookmarking the exact step you stopped at saves more time than remembering the whole guide. Where a guide and the game disagree, the game is right and the guide is old. Anything presented as a hidden trick is normally just a step that a popular guide left out. The step people skip in ff reward is the one that makes everything after it reliable.
If you only read one section
If you only do one thing from this page, do the first step properly.
The straightforward version
Anything marked optional really is optional, so skip it without guilt. Most pages on ff reward either assume too much or explain too little. Checking the outcome takes seconds and prevents the most common category of wasted effort. The version number is the single most useful thing to note before following instructions.
- Try it once without shortcuts to see the full behaviour.
- Write down what you changed, so you can undo it if the result gets worse.
- Check which version you are on before trusting any specific numbers.
- Set aside enough time to finish, since stopping halfway causes most of the confusion.
- Write down what worked, in case you need it again later.
Doing it faster once you know the method
Two answers to ff reward circulate online, and both were correct at some point. Doing this in the wrong order still works, it just costs more time than it needs to. Most guides are written once and never revisited, which is worth remembering when one does not match. Anything described as a known issue is worth checking before assuming the fault is yours.
How to check it worked
What worked last season may still work, but it is worth confirming before committing an evening. There is a point where further refinement stops being worth the time, and it arrives early. The second time takes a fraction as long, which makes the first attempt worth doing carefully.
A method that works for everyone is usually slower than one tuned to your situation, and worth it anyway. Where two methods both work, prefer the one with fewer places to go wrong.
Related things worth knowing
The simplest explanation that accounts for what you are seeing is usually the correct one. If a step feels pointless, it is usually there to prevent a failure you have not hit yet. Interfaces move between versions; the underlying logic almost never does.
- Stop once you have a working result rather than optimising forever.
- Confirm the result before moving on to the next step.
- Check whether an update landed since you last played.
- Confirm the starting conditions before following any steps.
- Keep the original settings somewhere you can restore them from.
Things that waste the most time
- Optimising before the basic version has worked once.
- Reading only the summary and missing the condition it depended on.
- Mixing instructions from two versions and getting neither.
- Giving up one attempt before the point where it usually clicks.
- Spending an hour on preparation for a step that takes two minutes.
Questions people also ask
Do I need to finish the story first?
No, though a few things are simpler afterwards. Where progression matters, the relevant step says so.
Is there an easier way?
Often, but the easy route tends to be less reliable. The method above trades a couple of extra minutes for a result that works the first time.
How long should this take?
Most people get through it in one sitting. The first attempt runs long because of reading; the second is much quicker.
Is any of this reversible?
Nearly all of it. Anything that is not is flagged in the steps, and there is normally a safer alternative worth considering first.
Is there a faster method?
Usually yes, and usually it is riskier. The route above trades a little speed for a much lower chance of having to start over.
None of ff reward is difficult in isolation — the difficulty was only ever in the sequence.