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Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles Update 1.5.1 Restores Buried Items in New Game+

17 July 2026
Nintendo SwitchNintendo Switch 2
9 min.
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Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles Update 1.5.1 Restores Buried Items in New Game+

Summary:

Square Enix has released version 1.5.1 for Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, bringing another small but useful adjustment to the acclaimed tactical RPG. The update is available for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, with its main change focused on New Game+. Players who begin a fresh New Game+ playthrough after installing version 1.5.1 will once again be able to discover every buried item scattered across the battlefield maps. These hidden treasures can provide useful equipment and rewards, so giving players another chance to collect them makes repeat adventures through Ivalice more rewarding.

There is an important limitation to keep in mind. The buried item reset only applies to New Game+ save data created after version 1.5.1 has been installed. A New Game+ journey that was already underway before the update will not automatically receive the refreshed hidden items. Players hoping to collect everything again will therefore need to begin another New Game+ run rather than continue an existing one.

The update also includes minor Traditional Chinese text revisions and resolves several unspecified issues. Although version 1.5.1 is much smaller than the previous update, it complements the major improvements introduced with version 1.5.0. That earlier release added New Game+, Zodiac Compatibility information, several interface adjustments, additional gameplay settings, new language support, and stability improvements. Together, the two updates make repeat playthroughs smoother while giving returning tacticians more reasons to revisit familiar battlefields.

Final Fantasy Tactics Update 1.5.1 Is Available Now

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles has received another update from Square Enix, bringing the game to version 1.5.1. Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 players can download the patch through their system, ensuring they have the latest adjustments before returning to the War of the Lions. It is not a towering update filled with dozens of new mechanics, but that does not make it meaningless. Sometimes a small adjustment can remove an awkward wrinkle that players repeatedly encounter, much like straightening a crooked tile before someone trips over it. In this case, the primary change improves how buried items behave when players begin another journey through New Game+.

Version 1.5.1 arrives after the much larger version 1.5.0 update, so it feels more like a carefully placed finishing touch than a major expansion. Square Enix has focused on one particular New Game+ issue while also making text revisions and cleaning up minor problems. Players who have already completed the campaign and are considering another run will receive the greatest benefit, especially if they enjoy hunting for rare equipment hidden beneath seemingly ordinary battlefield tiles.

Buried Items Return in Newly Started New Game+ Saves

The headline change in version 1.5.1 is straightforward: all buried items become available for discovery again when beginning a new game through New Game+. These hidden objects are found on particular battlefield spaces and can be uncovered by moving a suitable unit onto the correct tile. They are easy to miss, especially during a first playthrough when the story, job system, enemy positioning, and general chaos of combat are all demanding your attention. Few players are calmly checking every suspicious patch of dirt while arrows, spells, and angry chocobos are flying across the screen.

Resetting buried items gives returning players a clean opportunity to search for those rewards again. Someone who missed a valuable object during the original campaign is no longer permanently locked out of finding it during a newly created New Game+ adventure. Even players who collected everything before can rediscover the items, adding another layer of progression to their repeat playthrough. It turns familiar maps into treasure fields once more rather than leaving them picked clean after the first journey.

Why the Buried Item Reset Matters

Buried items may sound like a small detail beside the grand political drama of Ivalice, but they can be surprisingly meaningful to players who enjoy building powerful parties. Final Fantasy Tactics rewards careful preparation, clever job combinations, and a willingness to squeeze every advantage from the battlefield. Hidden equipment naturally fits that style of play. Finding an item beneath a tile feels like spotting a loose stone in an ancient castle wall and discovering a secret compartment behind it. The reward is useful, but the discovery itself is part of the fun.

The reset also makes New Game+ feel more complete. Carrying levels, items, and other progress into a new campaign is meant to provide a fresh way to experience the adventure, not merely replay the story with an overqualified army. Restoring the hidden collectibles gives players another practical reason to explore maps and experiment with movement. It is particularly helpful for completion-minded fans who would rather not create an entirely separate standard save simply because a buried object escaped their attention during an earlier battle.

Existing New Game+ Saves Do Not Receive the Change

There is one condition that players need to understand before marching back into battle. The buried item refresh only applies to New Game+ save data created after version 1.5.1 has been installed. Existing New Game+ campaigns do not receive the reset retroactively. In other words, loading a run that began under version 1.5.0 will not suddenly make every hidden object available again. The change is tied to the creation of the save, not simply to launching the game after downloading the patch.

This distinction could easily catch someone off guard, particularly if they are already several battles into a repeat playthrough. Players who want the reset will need to start another New Game+ campaign using completed save data after updating. That may be inconvenient for anyone deep into the story, so it is worth checking the version number before beginning. A few seconds spent confirming the update can prevent hours of progress from being attached to a save that does not include the refreshed buried items.

Version 1.5.1 Also Adjusts Traditional Chinese Text

Alongside the New Game+ change, Square Enix has made minor text revisions to the Traditional Chinese localization. The notes do not identify individual lines or explain whether the changes address wording, consistency, grammar, or formatting. Nevertheless, localization updates can improve clarity in a game with as much political dialogue and mechanical terminology as Final Fantasy Tactics. Ivalice is packed with noble houses, military ranks, religious institutions, job abilities, and enough betrayal to keep a royal historian permanently nervous.

Even small text corrections can make menus easier to understand or ensure that dialogue communicates its intended meaning more naturally. Version 1.5.0 recently introduced Traditional Chinese support to the enhanced version, together with Simplified Chinese and Korean. It is therefore unsurprising to see Square Enix refining the newly added localization after release. Translation work rarely ends the moment a language option becomes available, especially in a game whose script contains formal speech, tactical terminology, and a densely woven historical narrative.

Minor Fixes Continue to Polish the Enhanced Version

The patch notes also state that other minor issues have been resolved, although Square Enix has not provided specific examples. This familiar phrase can cover everything from unusual interface behavior to rare gameplay errors that only appear under particular conditions. Without further details, it would be unwise to attach imaginary fixes to the update. What we can say is that version 1.5.1 continues the gradual polishing process that has followed the release of The Ivalice Chronicles.

Small maintenance updates are valuable for a tactical RPG because its interconnected systems leave plenty of room for unusual situations. Units can combine jobs, equipment, reactions, support abilities, movement skills, status effects, terrain advantages, and zodiac relationships. That is an impressive number of spinning plates, and players have a talent for finding combinations that developers never expected. Resolving minor issues helps keep those systems running reliably without changing the strategy or balance that longtime fans value.

Update 1.5.1 Builds on the Larger Version 1.5.0 Release

Version 1.5.1 makes more sense when viewed as a companion to the major version 1.5.0 update released recently. That update introduced New Game+, allowing players to begin another campaign while carrying over unit levels, item data, and other progress from a completed playthrough. It significantly expanded the game’s replay value by letting experienced parties return to early encounters with established abilities and equipment. The result can be delightfully uneven, rather like bringing a siege engine to a village snowball fight.

The earlier update also added practical improvements beyond New Game+. Players gained clearer job unlock information, a command for removing all equipment, persistent camera settings during individual battles, and the ability to inspect the status of a unit beneath the selection cursor. These changes reduce unnecessary menu work and make important information easier to reach. Version 1.5.1 does not attempt to match that scale, but its buried item reset closes a gap within the newly introduced replay mode.

New Game+ Makes Repeat Playthroughs More Flexible

New Game+ gives veterans a chance to approach the campaign from a different angle. Instead of rebuilding every unit from the ground up, players can carry established progress into a fresh story run. That opens the door to unusual job combinations, alternative party compositions, and tactical experiments that may have been impractical during the first campaign. A character who spent the original journey mastering physical jobs can be pushed toward magic, while rarely used abilities can finally receive their moment in the sun.

The feature also helps players focus on narrative details they may have overlooked before. Final Fantasy Tactics tells a layered story involving class conflict, political manipulation, personal loyalty, and competing versions of history. During a first playthrough, it is easy to become preoccupied with surviving difficult encounters. Returning with a powerful party takes some pressure away from combat, leaving more room to appreciate character motivations and foreshadowing. With buried items available again, exploration remains part of that second journey rather than becoming an already completed checklist.

Zodiac Compatibility Offers Better Tactical Information

Version 1.5.0 also introduced a Zodiac Compatibility function, allowing players to view a unit’s zodiac sign and its compatibility from the status screen. This information matters because zodiac relationships can influence how effectively units interact in battle. Damage, healing, and other calculations may be affected by compatibility, making it another factor to consider when choosing targets or assigning roles. The system can seem mysterious to newcomers, almost as though the stars themselves have decided that one particular knight deserves a harder slap than another.

Making compatibility information visible removes some of the guesswork without simplifying the underlying mechanics. Players can make better decisions because the relevant details are presented through the interface rather than hidden behind outside calculations. This reflects the broader direction of The Ivalice Chronicles, which preserves the original game’s tactical identity while making its systems easier to read. The 1.5.1 update follows the same philosophy on a smaller scale by ensuring New Game+ handles buried items in a clearer and more rewarding manner.

Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 Players Can Download the Update

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles version 1.5.1 is available for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. Players can normally trigger the download by connecting their system to the internet and launching the game. The update can also be checked manually through the software options on the HOME Menu. Confirming that version 1.5.1 is installed is particularly important before creating a New Game+ save, since the buried item change will not be attached to campaigns started under an earlier version.

The game offers both enhanced and classic ways to experience Ramza’s story. The enhanced version features refined gameplay, updated presentation, voiced dialogue, interface improvements, and an accessible Squire difficulty option. The classic version retains the appearance and gameplay of the original release while using the well-known War of the Lions translation. Version 1.5.1 specifically lists its adjustments under the enhanced version, so players should keep that distinction in mind when deciding how they want to return to Ivalice.

Conclusion

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles version 1.5.1 is a modest update, but its main adjustment makes New Game+ more rewarding for players who enjoy exploring every corner of the battlefield. Newly created New Game+ saves can rediscover all buried items, giving collectors another opportunity to recover hidden rewards while replaying the campaign. The restriction on existing saves is important, so players should install the update before beginning their next journey.

Combined with the larger version 1.5.0 release, the patch strengthens the game’s replay options without disturbing the tactical foundations that made Final Fantasy Tactics a classic. New Game+, clearer compatibility information, useful interface adjustments, additional settings, and refreshed buried treasures all give veterans more freedom to experiment. Ivalice remains a dangerous place filled with schemes, steel, and suspiciously valuable patches of soil, but at least those hidden treasures are waiting once again.

FAQs
  • What is the main change in Final Fantasy Tactics version 1.5.1?
    • The update makes all buried items available for discovery again when a player creates a new New Game+ save after installing version 1.5.1.
  • Will buried items reset in an existing New Game+ campaign?
    • No. The reset only applies to New Game+ save data newly created after version 1.5.1 has been installed.
  • Do I need to start the entire game again to receive the change?
    • You need to begin a new New Game+ run. You can use eligible completed save data, but a New Game+ campaign already in progress will not receive the reset.
  • What other changes are included in version 1.5.1?
    • Square Enix made minor Traditional Chinese text adjustments and resolved other unspecified minor issues.
  • Is update 1.5.1 available on Nintendo Switch 2?
    • Yes. The update is available for both Nintendo Switch 2 and the original Nintendo Switch.
Sources
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