Sphere Grid

The Sphere Grid is the name of the character development system used in Final Fantasy X. it is a predetermined grid of interconnected nodes that branch out from a center point. The grid consists of literally hundreds of nodes (somewhere around 800), depending upon whether one is playing in Normal or Expert Mode (only available in the International version). In Normal Mode, each playable character begins in a semi-isolated area and their path through the Sphere Grid is more definite, only allowing deviation near the middle and end of the game. In Expert Mode, the characters begin closer to the center and are free to choose their own paths (which very roughly correspond to certain jobs in the Final Fantasy games). The direction the player chooses to move on the Sphere Grid will determine the type of abilities and statistics each character will gain. By allowing the player to start at the center and move off in any chosen direction, the Sphere Grid gives the player the ability to choose what type of fighter a certain character will be.

Every battle fought will gain each character a certain amount of AP depending upon how they fought during the battle. When this AP reaches a certain amount, it returns to zero again and the character gains a Sphere Level. These Sphere Levels may be used to move to an adjacent node in the Sphere Grid, each movement decreasing the Sphere Level obtained until it reaches zero, at which point more Sphere Levels must be gained to progress on the Sphere Grid.

At each node, a sphere must be used to activate it, thus giving the character the bonus of that node. Depending upon the type of node, a different outcome will be achieved. For instance, a node that increases strength requires a Power Sphere to activate but a node that teaches an Ability requires an Ability Sphere. Spheres may be collected throughout the game from battles or as prizes in some of the mini games. However, some nodes are empty (meaning they cannot be activated) by default.

Other sphere types include Master (activates any node), Teleport (moves to any node on the Sphere Grid without using Sphere Levels), and Return (returns to any node the character has activated). The Clear Sphere turns an adjacent node into an empty one. Empty nodes can be converted into usable ones through another set of spheres with names corresponding to the statistic that will be increased if the newly made node is activated. For instance, the use of an 'HP' Sphere on a null node will convert it into a node that increases HP, requiring a Power Sphere to activate it and give the character the bonus.