Chocobo Racing

Chocobo Racing is an activity released with the Gold Saucer in patch 2.51. During this activity, players act as breeders, trainers and jockeys of their chocobos. Players can enter their well-bred and carefully trained chocobos into races to increase their ranks and win Manderville Gold Saucer Points.

Note that the chocobo you use in Chocobo Racing is NOT your companion/mount chocobo.

Unlock

Players must complete the level 15 questline starting with So You Want to Be a Jockey. Players can start the quest by talking to Race Chocobo Registrar in the Gold Saucer (X:6, Y:4). Players must have previously completed It Could Happen to You.

Quests

Quest	Type	Level	Quest Giver
So You Want to Be a Jockey		15	Race Chocobo Registrar
So You Think You Can Ride This Chocobo		15	Katering
Like Sire Like Fledgling		15	Chocobokeep (Race Counter)

Levels

Rank

A chocobo's Rank is its level, which can be increased with experience from racing. The maximum rank is 50, but chocobos can be retired as early as rank 40.

Every time your chocobo's rank increases, 5 stats will be randomly selected and increased by 1% of their maximum value. A particular stat can be chosen multiple times in a single level-up. It also earns a feeding opportunity.

At Rank 10, your chocobo will learn a new ability, chosen at random. If the ability is removed (using   Lethe Water), a new ability is selected the next time your chocobo's rank increases.

Rating

A chocobo's Rating is a comprehensive measure of its ability, and determines which racing class your chocobo may enter. It is the average number of your 5 stats (without any bonuses from feeding).

A higher rating grants entry to more prestigious races, but may also prevent racing in lower classes.

Maiden Class is for Rating 1-20, R-40 Class is for Rating 1-40, R-60 requires Rating 41-60, R-80 requires Rating 41-80, and so on, R-300 being the highest with a range of R241-300. Your chocobo will earn far greater EXP and slightly more MGP in higher tier races.

If you don't feed your chocobo or use lower Grade Feeds, you will have a slight disadvantage against well-fed chocobos with a similar rating.

Stats and Abilities

Stats

Stat	Effect
Maximum Speed	Affects how quickly your chocobo can run.
Acceleration	Affects how quickly your chocobo can attain maximum speed.
Endurance	Affects the threshold at which your chocobo gains "Lathered" status and consumes stamina at an increased rate.
Stamina	Affects the total amount of stamina your chocobo has. The max stamina in a gauge is approximately 1,000 at 2 stars and 2,000 at 4 stars.
Cunning	Affects how effectively your chocobo can navigate a course with rough terrain.

The stats of your chocobo are displayed in the form (current stats)/(stat cap). Each rank up increases all of your stats, and they can also be increased through training with feed. All gains through all sources are proportional to your respective maximum in that stat. The game keeps track of decimals internally. You'll notice that if you train your bird with the same feed, the amount you get will sometimes differ by 1 due to internal rounding.

The formula for your Stat Cap is:

Stat Cap = 40 * (Pedigree Level + Star Rating) - 20

Your first chocobo will start with 1 Pedigree Level and 2 Star Rating in all stats so it will have stat cap of 100 in all stats. A chocobo with Pedigree of 2 and 2 Stars in all stats will have stat cap of 140. The maximum stat cap is 500, requiring a Pedigree Level 9 Chocobo with a full 4 Star Rating.

Abilities

Icon	Ability	Type	Effect
	Choco Dash	Active	Temporarily boosts speed without depleting stamina for 1s / 2s / 3s.
	Choco Cure	Active	Restores 6% / 9% / 12% of total stamina.
	Choco Esuna	Active	Removes all current enfeeblements with a 75% / 90% / 100% success rate.
	Choco Ease	Active	Cures Heavy status while restoring stamina by 80 / 130 / 180. Stamina is only restored when curing the Heavy status.
	Choco Calm	Active	Cures Frenzied status while restoring stamina by 100 / 150 / 200. Stamina is only restored when curing the Frenzied status.
	Choco Reflect	Active	Repels any non area-of-effect enfeeblement back to its point of origin for 10s / 15s / 20s.
	Choco Steal	Active	Take an item from the satchel of the forerunning jockey with a 50% / 70% / 90% success rate.
	Choco Silence	Active	Creates a vacuum of silence preventing any nearby chocobo from using abilities for 35s / 40s / 45s.
	Choco Shock	Active	Creates a disconcerting aura which distracts nearby chocobos and prevent them from using items for 25s / 30s / 35s.
	Head Start	Passive	Begin the race at maximum speed. This uses the chocobo's current max speed stat.
	Increased Stamina	Passive	Reduces stamina depletion during acceleration by 9% / 12% / 15%.
	Heavy Resistance	Passive	Increases chance of resisting Heavy by 60% / 70% / 80% / 90% / 100%.
	Level Head	Passive	Increases chance of resisting Frenzied by 60% / 70% / 80% / 90% / 100%.
	Speedy Recovery	Passive	Increases ability-induced stamina recovery by 50% / 65% / 80%.
	Dressage	Passive	Increases EXP earned in races by 10% / 20% / 30%.
	Choco Drain	Active	Generates a field which drains the stamina of nearby chocobos at a rate of 15 / 25 / 35 per second.
	Paradigm Shift	Active	Swaps current item with a different one.
	Mimic	Active	Repeats any ability or item used by a forerunning chocobo. Duration: 7s / 11s / 15s.
	Feather Field	Active	Nullifies the detrimental field effects of any nearby chocobos. Duration: 10s / 20s / 30s.
	Super Sprint	Active	Sprint without weather or terrain penalties until all stamina is spent. Consumes significantly higher stamina. Cannot be toggled. Chocobo will have a movement speed of 500 (maxed stat) for the duration of the effect, regardless of their max speed stat. Chocobo cannot decelerate for the duration of this effect. Effect fades when stamina reaches 0 (regardless of stamina restoration afterwards, such as from Choco Reraise).
	Choco Reraise	Passive	Instantly restores 60 / 130 / 200 stamina when stamina meter reaches zero.
	Enfeeblement Clause	Passive	Reduces enfeeblement duration by 20% / 35% / 50%.
	Breather	Passive	Restores stamina at a rate of 0.8% / 1% / 1.2% per second while decelerating.

Your chocobo can have a maximum of 2 abilities: one learned and one hereditary.

Your chocobo will learn an ability at Rank 10.

• You can force your chocobo to unlearn its ability by purchasing   Lethe Water from the Tack & Feed Trader for  10 MGP, then speaking to the Race Chocobo Trainer and selecting "Unlearning Race Abilities". On the next Rank increase, your Chocobo will randomly learn a new ability.
• Chocobos with higher rating (not rank) will generally learn higher-tier versions of abilities.

You can also purchase Training Manuals from the Tack & Feed Trader to teach your chocobo a specific ability.

• Once a manual has been purchased, talk to the Race Chocobo Trainer and select "Teaching Race Abilities" to apply it.

Your chocobo can inherit an ability from its parents. Each parent has a 50% chance of passing on its hereditary ability to a specific offspring.

Tips

• Generally speaking, the most effective abilities are Choco Cure, Choco Dash, and Choco Drain (especially if paired with Speedy Recovery).
• When leveling a new chocobo through ranks 1-20, it is highly recommended to use the ability Dressage III to increase EXP gain.

Feeds

Performing a feeding session to increase a chocobo's stats.

You can feed your chocobo once per rank-up. The feeding sessions are stockpiled. You can save up for better food if you need to.

Item	Effect	Acquired By
Grade 1 Feed - Acceleration Blend	Acceleration +1% of Stat Cap	Level 30 Culinarian Recipe Purchased from Feathertrader in Central Shroud (x20,y22) for  1,500 gil.
Grade 1 Feed - Balance Blend	Cunning +1% of Stat Cap	Level 30 Culinarian Recipe Purchased from Feathertrader in Central Shroud (x20,y22) for  1,500 gil.
Grade 1 Feed - Endurance Blend	Endurance +1% of Stat Cap	Level 30 Culinarian Recipe Purchased from Feathertrader in Central Shroud (x20,y22) for  1,500 gil.
Grade 1 Feed - Speed Blend	Maximum Speed +1% of Stat Cap	Level 30 Culinarian Recipe Purchased from Feathertrader in Central Shroud (x20,y22) for  1,500 gil.
Grade 1 Feed - Stamina Blend	Stamina +1% of Stat Cap	Level 30 Culinarian Recipe Purchased from Feathertrader in Central Shroud (x20,y22) for  1,500 gil.
Grade 2 Feed - Acceleration Blend	Acceleration +2% of Stat Cap	Level 50★★ Culinarian Recipe.
Grade 2 Feed - Balance Blend	Cunning +2% of Stat Cap	Level 50★★ Culinarian Recipe.
Grade 2 Feed - Endurance Blend	Endurance +2% of Stat Cap	Level 50★★ Culinarian Recipe.
Grade 2 Feed - Speed Blend	Maximum Speed +2% of Stat Cap	Level 50★★ Culinarian Recipe.
Grade 2 Feed - Stamina Blend	Stamina +2% of Stat Cap	Level 50★★ Culinarian Recipe.
Grade 2 Feed - Special Acceleration Blend	Acceleration +2% of Stat Cap	Like Sire Like Fledgling Purchased from Tack & Feed Trader in Chocobo Square (x6,y4) for  610 MGP.
Grade 2 Feed - Special Balance Blend	Cunning +2% of Stat Cap	Like Sire Like Fledgling Purchased from Tack & Feed Trader in Chocobo Square (x6,y4) for  610 MGP.
Grade 2 Feed - Special Endurance Blend	Endurance +2% of Stat Cap	Like Sire Like Fledgling Purchased from Tack & Feed Trader in Chocobo Square (x6,y4) for  610 MGP.
Grade 2 Feed - Special Speed Blend	Maximum Speed +2% of Stat Cap	Like Sire Like Fledgling Purchased from Tack & Feed Trader in Chocobo Square (x6,y4) for  610 MGP.
Grade 2 Feed - Special Stamina Blend	Stamina +2% of Stat Cap	Like Sire Like Fledgling Purchased from Tack & Feed Trader in Chocobo Square (x6,y4) for  610 MGP.
Grade 3 Feed - Special Acceleration Blend	Acceleration +3% of Stat Cap	Purchased from Tack & Feed Trader in Chocobo Square (x6,y4) for  1,345 MGP.
Grade 3 Feed - Special Balance Blend	Cunning +3% of Stat Cap	Purchased from Tack & Feed Trader in Chocobo Square (x6,y4) for  1,345 MGP.
Grade 3 Feed - Special Endurance Blend	Endurance +3% of Stat Cap	Purchased from Tack & Feed Trader in Chocobo Square (x6,y4) for  1,345 MGP.
Grade 3 Feed - Special Speed Blend	Maximum Speed +3% of Stat Cap	Purchased from Tack & Feed Trader in Chocobo Square (x6,y4) for  1,345 MGP.
Grade 3 Feed - Special Stamina Blend	Stamina +3% of Stat Cap	Purchased from Tack & Feed Trader in Chocobo Square (x6,y4) for  1,345 MGP.

Racing Items

In addition to magicked panels, you may come across treasure coffers containing race items. Race items will be added to your hotbar automatically.

While some offer beneficial effects for you and your chocobo, others can be used to hinder your opponents. Blue chests tend to contain beneficial skills, while red chests tend to contain hindering skills.

Icon	Item	Type	Rarity	Effect
	Choco Potion	Self	Common	Instantly restores stamina by 10%.
	Stamina Tablet	Self	Common	Prevents stamina reduction for 10 seconds. If stamina is at zero, restores a small amount of stamina. Also prevents all other forms of stamina loss, such as being hit by Briar Caltrop or Choco Meteor.
	Sprint Shoes	Self	Common	Summons a quick burst of speed for 3s. Functionally identical to the ability Choco Dash III.
	Choco Aether	Self	Common	Allows a previously used race ability to be executed again.
	Bacchus's Water	Offensive	Common	Sends the forerunning chocobo into a Frenzied state for 15 seconds and increases its stamina loss.
	Graviball	Offensive	Common	Inflicts the forerunning chocobo with Heavy for 10 seconds.
	Briar Caltrop	Offensive	Common	Surrounds your chocobo with a ring of thorns which will sap the stamina of any chocobos that enter at a rate of 5% per second (up to 4 seconds).
	Hero Tonic	Self	Rare	Invigorates your chocobo for 15 seconds, increasing its overall performance while preventing and nullifying any current enfeeblements. Stamina is consumed at a decreased rate.
	Choco Meteor	Offensive	Rare	Summons a meteor from the heavens to wreak havoc on all forerunning chocobos. Inflicts 20% stamina damage to all chocobos in front of you, as well as the "Lamed" status for 8 seconds which prevents all acceleration, including from items and abilities.
	Stamina Swapper	Offensive	Rare	Interchanges your chocobo's stamina with that of a forerunning chocobo. Swap is made only if the forerunning chocobo has more stamina than yours.
	Spiderweb	Offensive	Common	Renders the chocobo running immediately behind you unable to use items for 10 seconds.

After acquiring an item, you can activate it through your hotbar.

Tips and Tricks

• Avoid getting hit by Briar Caltrop at all costs. Briar Caltrop appears as a circular wall of thorns; move away from it ASAP, or it will drain about 10 to 20% of your stamina. Do not trade Briar Caltrops with another player(s), because even if you sap their stamina, they will sap yours as well. Unaffected players will easily overtake the both of you.
• If you are ahead, try to control what items your opponent can get. Do not take an item if the next one will be far more useful to you, or if leaving it behind may allow your opponent to catch up.

Racing

Up to 8 players and their chocobos can enter into a race, allowing you to enter a race as a full party.

During the race, your chocobo will run along the course automatically. Players can increase the speed of their chocobos by holding forward, which increases the rate of stamina consumption. The course is divided into invisible "tracks" spanning the width of the course and pressing left or right will move you onto the adjacent "track". You want to steer your chocobo into speed boosts and out of speed decreases. When you pick up an item, you will be able to use it from your hotbar.

As you continue to enter races and your chocobo gains experience, it will grow stronger, and its rating will increase. A higher rating will earn you entry to races in higher classes. However, your chocobo will become barred from participating in lower class races.

Accessing Chocobo Square

To acquire a racing chocobo, register your chocobo, and begin racing, players must first proceed to the Chocobo Square by speaking with the lift operator Saethrith at the Entrance Square of Gold Saucer (X:4, Y:6).

Preparing for Chocobo Racing

Obtain a Registration Form

After completing the prerequisite quest, players can register their racing chocobo. Over the course of the quest, players will receive either Fledgling Chocobo Registration G1-M or Fledgling Chocobo Registration G1-F depending on the preferred gender of their chocobo.

• In the event you accidentally discard your registration form or wish to acquire a new racing chocobo, a new registration form can be purchased from the Feathertrader NPC at Bentbranch Meadows in Central Shroud (X:20, Y:22).

Register Your Racing Chocobo

After acquiring your registration form, speak with the Race Chocobo Trainer NPC at the Chocobo Square (X:6, Y:4) to complete registration for your chocobo and give it a name.

• Each name change costs  2,000 gil.

How to Enter a Race

To enter a race, speak with the Race Chocobo Registrar NPC at the Chocobo Square (X:6, Y:4) to select from the races available at your rating. Players who wish to practice the basics of chocobo racing can repeat the training course as many times as desired.

• Please note that you cannot register for duties when queuing to enter a race.

To view your race chocobo's rating, select Character from the main menu, followed by Gold Saucer, then select Chocobo from within the interface.

Controls

Steering

To steer your chocobo left and right, press the following buttons or keys:

Steer Left

• A (Move Left)
• Q (Strafe Left)
• Left Analog Stick

Steer Right

• D (Move Right)
• E (Strafe Right)
• Left Analog Stick

Speed and Stamina

To accelerate, press any of the following buttons or keys:

• W (Move Forward)
• LB (L1) Button
• Left Analog Stick Up

To decelerate, press any of the following buttons or keys:

• S (Move Backward)
• Left Analog Stick Down

Be warned, however, that accelerating increases the rate at which your chocobo's stamina gauge depletes. If you run out of stamina, your speed will drop, and you will be unable to accelerate for the remainder of the race.

Magicked Panels

Magicked Panels

Magicked Panels have beneficial and detrimental effects. The green and blue ones are beneficial, while the red and purple ones are detrimental.

• Green - Restores about 7% stamina.
• Blue - increases speed temporarily.
• Purple - inflicts Heavy status for 5 seconds.
• Red - decreases stamina by 15%.

Weather Effects

Chocobo races are held outdoors, and therefore subject to varying weather conditions. However, certain chocobos can turn this to their advantage. For instance, some chocobos perform well under cloudless skies, while others thrive in storms. Players can receive several beneficial effects when racing in their birds' preferred conditions.

Completing the Race

A race will conclude when all participants have crossed the finish line, or 30 seconds after a winner is declared. The results will be determined at this time, with MGP and experience points awarded based on your performance. Furthermore, among those who finished 2nd to 7th, one person will be selected via roulette to receive bonus experience points.

Racing UI

The following unique UI elements are displayed during chocobo races.

• Position in Race, top left corner by default.
• Stamina Gauge, bottom-center of the screen by default.
• Race Item Notices, bottom right corner by default.

These UI elements are displayed in place of the currently existing UI elements:

• Party List --> Position in Race
• Parameter Bar --> Stamina Bar
• Notices --> Race Item Notices

Tips and Tricks

• There is collision between chocobos, so don't use Sprint Shoes when you are directly behind another. Doing so would cause you to be walled by the other chocobo's back, instead of making any forward progress.

• Budget your stamina. Look at your track completion percentage and your stamina gauge, and try to ensure that they sum to 100%.
  • If the sum is higher than 100%, then you have excess stamina and should push spending it, even into Lathered state.
  • If the sum is 100% or less, you should consider slowing down to clear the Lathered state, while maintaining a medium stroll. Spend stamina to speed up only when you start to have excess stamina, or when opponents start to approach.
  • In an ideal scenario, your stamina will hit 0 right when you cross the finish line.

• In R-60 or higher races, avoid mobs. When you hit a mob, you lose speed and 3-5% stamina. You can jump over some smaller ones such as mandragora.

Chocobo Challenge

Chocobo Challenge is a mode added in patch 3.25.

Entry

Challenge races will be available upon speaking with the Race Chocobo Registrar in the Chocobo Square (X:6.1, Y:4.8).

• Chocobo rating must be greater than 41 to qualify for Chocobo Challenge races.

Speak with the Race Chocobo Registrar in the Chocobo Square (X:6.1, Y:4.8) and select your desired challenge race.

• Players cannot register for challenge races while in a party.

Challenge Races

Increasingly difficult challenges will be made available as players complete each race. Please note that your chocobo's rating must exceed a certain threshold to participate in each race.

Players will only receive a reward for their first-time completion. Completing specific challenges unlocks additional ability manuals for purchase from the Tack & Feed Trader.

• Note that the first-time MGP rewards are affected by MGP-boosting buffs, such as from the   Gold Saucer VIP Card - so it's recommended to have this buff active when attempting a race.
• However, the MGP is not affected by the The Make It Rain Campaign.

Race	Rating	Course	MGP Reward	Ability manuals unlocked
Race 1 - Hugging the Inside	41	Tranquil Paths	20,000
Race 2 - Keep Away	61	Costa del Sol	21,000
Race 3 - Inability	81	Sagolii Road	22,000
Race 4 - Heavy Hooves	101	Tranquil Paths	23,000	Choco Drain II Mimic II Feather Field II Super Sprint
Race 5 - Defending the Rush	121	Costa del Sol	24,000
Race 6 - Road Rivals	141	Sagolii Road	25,000	Choco Reraise II Enfeeblement Clause II Breather II Paradigm Shift
Race 7 - Field of Dreams	161	Costa del Sol	26,000
Race 8 - Playing Both Ends	181	Tranquil Paths	27,000	Choco Esuna III Choco Ease III Choco Calm III Choco Reflect III Choco Steal III Choco Silence III Choco Shock III
Race 9 - Stamina	201	Sagolii Road	28,000
Race 10 - Cat and Mouse	221	Costa del Sol	29,000	Increased Stamina III Heavy Resistance V Level Head V Speedy Recovery III Choco Reraise III Enfeeblement Clause III Breather III
Race 11 - Mad Dash	231	Sagolii Road	30,000
Race 12 - Bag of Tricks	241	Tranquil Paths	35,000	Choco Dash III Choco Cure III Choco Drain III Mimic III Feather Field III
Race 13 - Tag Team	251	Sagolii Road	40,000
Race 14 - Heavier Hooves	261	Costa del Sol	45,000
Race 15 - Ultimatum	271	Tranquil Paths	50,000	Race Barding (achievement reward)

Rules

Special opponents will appear in each race. Challenges can only be cleared by placing higher than these special opponents.

• Players will be matched with other players and regular NPCs in addition to special opponents.

Special Racing Opponents

Special racing opponents are denoted by an aggression icon next to their name, as well as a different colored nameplate. Multiple special racing opponents may be present depending on the challenge selected. In such cases, players must place higher than all special racing opponents to clear the challenge.

• The color of their display names is adjustable by going to "Character Configuration" -> "Display Name Settings" -> "NPCs" -> "Engaged Enemies".
• By default, special opponents' nameplates are red, players' are blue, and normal NPCs' are green.

Breeding

A pair of chocobos, ready to breed.

Retired racing chocobos can breed with other chocobos of the opposite sex in a process called "Covering". Their offspring will increase in Pedigree Level, inherit Stars for each stat, inherit an ability from its parents, and gain some of its parent's characteristics, such as color. The breeding process allows the player to raise stronger chocobos.

Only chocobos that are at least rank 40 can retire and become breeders. Breeding requires a retired male chocobo and a retired female chocobo.

"Covering permissions" that represent pre-made breeding chocobos can also be bought from the Tack & Feed Trader in the Gold Saucer, in exchange for Manderville Gold Saucer Points.

Unlock

Talk to the Chocobokeep to start the quest "Like Sire Like Fledgling"

To unlock Covering, players must complete the quest Like Sire Like Fledgling. They can start the quest by speaking to Chocobokeep in Chocobo Square (X:6, Y:4) in Gold Saucer. Players must have completed the So You Think You Can Ride This Chocobo quest and have a rank 40 or higher Chocobo.

To retire a race chocobo, talk to the Race Chocobo Trainer in Chocobo Square (X:6.0, Y:4.7) in Gold Saucer.

When retiring a race chocobo, the player can offer some parting words, praising one of the chocobo's two abilities. The ability praised will remain as its hereditary ability to be passed down through covering.

• Please note that a race chocobo cannot be re-registered once retired.

Preparing Chocobos for the Covering

Both male and female chocobos are required when arranging a covering. Furthermore, only one of the pair may be a breeding chocobo purchased from the Manderville Gold Saucer.

Arranging the Covering

Talk to Katering to arrange for chocobo coverings.

When the chocobos have been prepared for covering, speak with Katering in the Central Shroud at Moogle's Gift Mounts (X:20, Y:22). Please note that arranging a covering will incur a small gil fee.

Receiving a Proof of Covering

Upon payment, Katering will take the two chocobos into her care, and the player will receive a   Proof of Covering, which indicates when the fledgling chocobo can be retrieved. Speak with her again after 30 minutes to receive the new chocobo's license.

Collecting the Fledgling

After the appointed time, speak with Katering to exchange the   Proof of Covering for the fledgling's license.

Strategy

The covering menu, with a summary of possible traits to inherit from the parents.

Pedigree Level

Breeding allows for creating a child chocobo with a higher Pedigree level than their parents. Every Pedigree Level on a chocobo increases all of their maximum stats by 40. For example, if a Pedigree Level 1 chocobo has a max of 100 in all of its stats, a Pedigree Level 2 chocobo will have a max of 140 in all of its stats.

Note that Pedigree Level of the child will be the lowest Pedigree Level among the parents, plus 1. Therefore, it is only necessary to breed with a chocobo that has equal-or-higher Pedigree Level. For example, don't waste MGP by breeding a Pedigree 1 chocobo with a Pedigree 9 one - just breed it with another Pedigree 1 chocobo. Their offspring is going to be Pedigree 2 in both cases.

• Due to this, purchasing a pedigree 9 covering has no advantage over purchasing a pedigree 8, as breeding parents of pedigree 8+8 or 8+9 will produce a pedigree 9 child in both cases.

Traits inherited from parents

• While breeding a chocobo, each parent has a 50% chance of passing on its ability to its offspring (if a parent chocobo has two abilities, the player can choose which one to be considered for passing down).
• Each parent's color has a 50% chance of passing down.
• Offspring inherit Star Ratings randomly from their parents' genes.
• An offspring's weather preference is randomly determined between fair or foul, regardless of the parents' weather preferences.
• The offspring's sex is randomly decided between male and female.

Star Ratings

Star Ratings on a chocobo are listed in 3 sets: "own", male "parentage", and female "parentage". These work similar to phenotypes and genotypes in real-life genetics - essentially, the "own" stars are the physical expression (phenotype), which the chocobo will use for racing - but these stars are not passed down by breeding. Instead, the parentage stars (genotype, or genes) are what gets passed down by breeding. For the child chocobo, their male "parentage" stars randomly pick one of the father's two genes for each stat category (maximum speed, acceleration, endurance, stamina, and cunning). The female "parentage" stars repeat the process, but for the mother's genes.

Note that a chocobo's stat numbers (calculated based on current rank, feed trainings, etc) do not matter while breeding. Only its Pedigree Level, Stars and Abilities matter. To create powerful chocobos (Pedigree 9, 4 Stars across), breed the current chocobo as soon as it hits rank 40. Do not waste time and money to raise the stats of low-pedigree chocobos through feed trainings.

After retiring a chocobo, it can breed up to 10 times. Covering permissions purchased from the Gold Saucer can only breed 1 time each. If an offspring is unsuitable, the offspring's certificate can be discarded.

Optimization

Chocobo breeding path example

Time optimization with coverings:

• When breeding, the player is given a   Proof of Covering item that is tagged as unique - the NPC will not allow for starting another covering while the player possesses a Proof of Covering in their inventory. However, if they put a Proof into other inventories, such as Retainers and Chocobo Saddlebags, then the NPC will let them do another covering. By using the base inventory, 1 Chocobo Saddlebag, and 2 Retainers, it is therefore possible to perform 4 Coverings at the same time.

Leveling process:

• When leveling a new chocobo through ranks 1-20, it is highly recommended to use the ability Dressage III to increase EXP gain.
• Higher placement in a race gives more exp, but the main concern is to avoid placing 8th (dead last), as this grants significantly less exp than 7th place.
  • In higher-rating races, it may be necessary to use some feed trainings to increase stats, to ensure consistent non-last placements.
• Racing with other players present grants an exp bonus to everyone, regardless of placement.

Ability:

• The ability can be directly controlled through using manuals (with the exception of Head Start, which has no manual). Assuming both chocobos are owned by the player (as opposed to purchased covering permissions), it is possible to teach the same ability to both parents before retiring them, to guarantee that ability is passed down.
  • Most endgame builds use Choco Cure III, so this is generally recommended as the hereditary ability. The other ability slot can be freely switched by using manuals, allowing for trying out multiple builds.

Stars:

• Since racing chocobos purchased from the Feathertrader will always have the default Desert Yellow color and 2-star genes across the board, players will need to purchase covering permissions from the Tack & Feed Trader to add other colors and higher-star genes into the gene pool.
• If a chocobo receives 4-star genes from both parents for the same stat, then this chocobo will be guaranteed to pass a 4-star gene for that stat to its offspring.
  • Obtaining all ten 4-star genes on both a male and female chocobo is technically ideal, as this means the RNG element for the child's stars is completely removed - the child will be guaranteed to have 4-stars across the board, effectively "cloning" the parents (while increasing pedigree, if it isn't already at 9).
  • However, getting all ten 4-star genes is more work than necessary. For optimal racing performance, all that matters is whether the chocobo's phenotype (the "own" column) has 4 stars in every stat, and that the chocobo is pedigree 9.
• As pedigree increases, so does the exp needed to rank up the chocobo - and since a chocobo must reach rank 40 before it can breed, this means the breeding process slows down. Due to this, it is recommended to aim for 4-stars long before reaching pedigree 9.
  • For an estimate: in the video by Squintina linked above, it took 651 races go from a pedigree 1 default chocobo to a rank 50 pedigree 9 chocobo with all 4 star genes (effectively a "perfect" chocobo).

Final Chocobo:

• Once a pedigree 9 chocobo with an optimal phenotype has been obtained, its stat build can be considered. Effectively, a chocobo has 2,250 points to work with (275 at base, 1,225 from rank-ups, and 750 from grade 3 feeds), and each stat has a max of 500 points.
  • This means that only 2,250 of the 2,500 stat points can be assigned, leaving a "gap" of 250 points.
  • Since stats from rank-ups are random, and rolling a maxed stat means the rank-up points are lost, this means it is best to refrain from using feeds until the chocobo is at-or-near max rank. Once feeds are considered, use only grade 3 for the +15 points per feed.
  • Aim to max 3 stats, as this is fully within the player's control, whereas maxing 4 stats requires that the random rank-up points leave one stat at 250 or below.
  • Generally speaking, Maximum Speed > Stamina > Endurance > Cunning > Acceleration.

Achievements

Chocobo breeding and racing are associated with the following achievements:

Name	Points	Task	Reward	Patch
Go Forth and Multiply	5	Obtain a new chocobo through covering.	Chocobo Breeder	2.51
Pedigree Champ	5	Obtain a new chocobo with a pedigree level of 9 or higher.	Racing Chocobo Mask	2.51
Training Day	5	Train your chocobo to a rating of 285.	Chocobo Trainer	2.51
Off to the Races I	5	Participate in a sanctioned chocobo race.	Bug Boy (Male) / Bug Girl (Female)	2.51
Off to the Races II	5	Participate in 100 sanctioned chocobo races.	-	2.51
Off to the Races III	5	Participate in 300 sanctioned chocobo races.	Senior Jockey	2.51
Off to the Races IV	10	Participate in 3,000 sanctioned chocobo races.	Veteran Jockey	2.51
Breaking the Maiden	5	Place first in a sanctioned chocobo race.	-	2.51
Winning Jockey I	5	Place first in 10 sanctioned chocobo races.	-	2.51
Winning Jockey II	5	Place first in 50 sanctioned chocobo races.	-	2.51
Winningest Jockey	10	Place first in 500 sanctioned chocobo races.	The First Across	2.51
Ride to the Challenge I	10	Complete the first 15 Chocobo Challenge races.	Race Barding	3.25

External Resources

Chocobo Racing guides - Loki Iridescia on Gilgamesh