How to complete On Balance side quest in Final Fantasy 16

The On Balance side quest in Final Fantasy 16 is more a string of cutscenes than a mission. The only interactive parts that come into play in it involve reaching quest markers and inspecting an instrument’s materials. Taking the cutscenes into consideration, On Balance takes about a dozen minutes to complete. It’s also worth noting this quest involves no combat involved.

In fact, when fine-tuning young minds and their moral compasses, violence is rarely the answer. The On Balance side quest in Final Fantasy 16 will see Clive looking for an instrument that has gone missing at the request of Shirleigh. As it turns out, the kids she was teaching had been involved in its disappearance, and Clive must now mitigate the matter in a mature and adult-like manner.

Final Fantasy 16 side quest guide: On Balance

Location of and solution to the On Balance side quest

Location of On Balance side quest in Final Fantasy 16 (Image via Square Enix)

This quest can be unlocked after you complete the main mission Things Fall Apart. When you are back in The Hideaway, find and meet Shirleigh, the Tutor.

Here are the steps to completing this side quest:

Step 1: Talk to Shirleigh to trigger this mission. The instrument in question is a pair of scales that she borrowed from Mid to teach the kids about weights. She is certain that they had something to do with its disappearance and points Clive towards the Atrium.

Step 2: Head west towards the Atrium where the kids usually hang out. Your quest marker will guide you nicely to this place if you prioritize the quest.

Head to the Atrium of the Hideaway in Final Fantasy 16 (Image via Square Enix)

Step 3: Talk to Josselin about the mechanical parts lying on the table. Interacting with the kids will reveal that they took apart the scales to try and put them back together to learn how the instrument worked.

Step 4: Since they got confused while reassembling the scales, Clive steps in to inspect the parts:

The Arm
The Pan
The Gear

Inspect the different parts of the scales one by one (Image via Square Enix)

Step 5: As you start inspecting these parts, Clive will encourage the kids to put their minds to fixing the scales and impart wisdom as everyone’s working.

Step 6: Once the reassembling is done, head back to Shirleigh to report the proceedings and complete the quest. The rewards that follow are:

900 Experience Points
1 Black Blood
2 Gil Bug

Other than that, you will get some amount of Gil and Renown as well. You can put the former towards buying or upgrading gear as you deem necessary. Additionally, going around doing nice things for people will earn you a good reputation.

You can check more tips and walkthroughs if you want to at our Final Fantasy 16 guides.