Final Fantasy XIII-2 Walkthrough Part 17: New Bodhum 700AF

You’ll immediately notice that the future of New Bodhum does not look good. Go to the pier area, which is now in ruins, to find a Spacetime Distortion. A long series of cutscenes will begin. Sit back and watch the story as it begins to tie up. After the cutscenes, you will gain access to the Advanced Moogle Hunt ability, which as the name implies is essentially a version of Moogle Hunt with greater range and power. It can detect items hidden farther in the Space-Time Continuum. To the left of what is left of the NORA house you can find a chest by using Advanced Moogle Hunt. The chest contains the Artefact of the Ark. You should also loot the chest in the center of the town to obtain a map of the area.

There are also three Fragments that you should collect while you’re here. Each one will reward you with 600 experience points for collecting it. The first is the Cartesian Board, which is to the far right. Look around the tree branches and use Moogle Throw to access it. The second Fragment is located on the southwest side of the Town Square area. The treasure box will be out of phase at first, so wait for Mog to react and use your Advanced Moogle Hunt once you get near it. This will reward you with the Laplacian Board. Finally, the third Fragment is located in the center of the Town Square area. It will be out of phase, so use the Advanced Moogle Hunt to find it when Mog has a reaction. This will earn you Hope’s Message.

Now head back to the Gate and use the Artefact of the Ark to activate it. This will unlock A Dying World. Although you have already been there once before, you may now visit anytime from the Historia Crux. It will also unlock New Bodhum circa 700AF for your visiting pleasure. Several more Fragments are hidden in this area, but can’t be accessed right now, so you’ll want to make a note of that and come back sometime later. Finally, the Artefact of the Ark will add a third, new, location to the Historia Crux. You may now visit Academia 500AF. This future version of Academia is essentially the end of the game, and will lead into the last major boss battles, so be sure that you’re ready to advance to that point before even thinking about heading that way.

It is recommended that before you go to Academia 500AF you go to Serendipity. If you’ve never been to the gambling haven before, take some time out to peruse some of the attractions. See the earlier guide on Serendipity for great gambling strategies if you’re hurting for gil and would like to purchase new items or weapons from Chocolina before entering the final stages of the game. Otherwise, simply visit the Mystic.  The Mystic will reward you for the Fragments you’ve collected, which at this point should be a lot. You’ll get the Anti-Grav Jump, which upgrades your jumping capabilities. You can now hold in the jump button to stay up in the air for a longer period of time, and you can jump longer distances as well. You’ll still need Chocobos to visit some areas, but it’s helpful nonetheless. You’ll also get the Bargain Hunter passive ability, which lowers Chocolina’s prices by 25%. It also influences the prices of the two stores in the Casino. Now you should be fully equipped to head to Academia.