Updated Timeline (1997)
Hello all,
I know there’s been topics on this before and I know I’ve commented what I thought to be the most accurate timeline (ignoring sidequests and propositions); but I have an update to this. I just completed another playthrough of FFT mostly to acquire the ages of all characters during each of the chapters throughout the game.
My current findings dispute some old timey gamefaqs and the Fandom wiki page for FFT. (I believe Fandom wiki is using WoTL version for ages, which arguably should no longer be correct, but ultimately I will have to cross-examine for true dispute)
Anyways, enough of that, here is my current timeline, from the 1997 version, that is story battles only and fastest path to each destination, no stopping at other cities for gear or anything.
In the game, it’s stated that in the year of the end of the Fifty Years’ War, the people began to revolt due to coming home with no pay. When we pick up in Chapter 1, six months of revolts / rebellion have already taken place.
Chapter 1 picks up on January 1st. The final battle is at Fort Zeakden, which happens on January 22. Then, time advances by 1 year into Chapter 2. Therefore, 387 days happen before we pick up in chapter 2.
Chapter 2 picks up one year after the end of Chapter 1. You start on the same day when starting Chapter 2, so January 22. The final battle of Chapter 2 takes place at Lionel Castle, occurring on February 5th. Therefore, Chapter 2 = 15 days long.
Chapter 3 begins exactly three months after the death of Cardinal Draclau and the Nanten’s surprise attack on Lesalia. It starts May 5th, but Chapter 3 gets tricky.
Those 3 months are the rest of February (Feb 6 - Feb 28, 23 days), all of March (31 days) all of April (30 days) and the first 5 days of May. In total, that three month span = 89 days.
From May 5th to May 18th, those 14 days take place in the same year. BUT. After completing the scenes at Yardrow, time advances by 1 year.
You can verify this by checking Ovelia’s record in the Brave story, along with Marach’s. See, Ovelia’s birthday is May 11th, so on May 5 she’s 16. May 11 she turns 17. And then after the events at Yardrow, before even going into Yuguo Woods, Ovelia turns 18. Everyone else also gets 1 year older, so it’s not just a few months.
You meet Malak in Dorter May 13th after the battle at Orbonne, and if you check his age from May 13-May 17, he’s 17. But once May 18 passes, he’s 18.
SO. That being said:
89 day time skip at the start
Chapter 3 part 1: May 5th to May 18th = 14 days
Time advances 365 days.
Chapter 3 part 2: May 18th to May 20th = 3 days
Therefore, in total, Chapter 3 is 471 days long, concluding at the battle of Riovanes.
Chapter 4 does not time skip and picks up the same day, with the final battles taking place June 24th.
So, May 20 - June 24 = 36 days.
This brings our total time to: 387 + 15 + 471 + 36 = 909 total days, or 2 years and 4 months and 28 days. So just shy of 2 years 5 months
Now, to find the length of the actual “Lions’ War,” we need to go back to the invasion of Lesalia by Goltanna, which takes place February 5th. Now, given that we don’t have an official end to the war, but we can assume that it ends shortly after Ramza’s intervention at Orbonne due to all other players being killed, we can simplify it to roughly 1 year and 4 months. A relatively short but very bloody war
TL; DR:
Total Game timeline: 909 days, about 2 years 5 months
Total length of Lions’ War, about 1 year 4 months
Fun fact: Elmdore dies on Fusse Plains at the age of 36 on May 12, but due to his birthday plus the time skip he will be killed (again) by you at Age 38, according to the Brave Story Person records