Part 156: Missed Content - Search Points

I only really tangentially talked about Search Points in the main LP, so here's a small in-depth description of them.

Search Points can be found all over the World Map. There are five different kinds:




Tree stumps are the most common type. They are genrally found in grassy and forest areas.




Animal bones are less common. They are found in desert/wasteland and cliff areas.




Shells are comparatively rare. They can be found on beaches.




Shells can also be found underwater, but these can only be collected once you have a boat and the Salvage Crane from Sicily.




And finally, you can find seagulls and fish circling spots in the water. These also require the Salvage Crane.



If you search around the internet you can find some Japanese Search Point maps and item lists to go along with them, but that's inconvenient for an English speaking player base, plus I have no good way to verify that the information is accurate or complete.

So I did the thing I like to do and searched for the file that defines the actual search point data in the game. It's in npc.svo -> FIELD.DAT -> file #5, header starts with "TOVSEAF". Oddly enough I can't find this file on the 360 game disc, so this info is from the PS3 version only, but I can't imagine that they made a lot of changes to Search Points between versions.

You can see the ripped list of what point contains what items here.

As far as I can tell, Search Point mechanics are as follows: Each search point has a spawn rate, and every time you load the world map (by exiting from a town/dungeon or by loading a save) each active Search Point is rolled whether it shows up or not.

When you check a Search Point it will give you an item set, and then the point may or may not become inactive. If it doesn't, you can check the point again to get another item set. All Search Points have five of these item sets. Once a search point becomes inactive, it will not spawn again even when reloading the world map. When you rest at an inn, all search points may become active again at the same time. Supposedly this happens whenever the weather after resting is Sunny.

Search Points contain all kinds of synthesis materials. If you know where to look, you can find some rare stuff and synth some items earlier than you would by just progressing through the story.

And that's about it, really!