Two centuries ago, a group of people known as the Lufenian, who used the power of the wind crystal to craft giant aerial stations Flying Fortresses and airships, watched their country decline as the wind crystal went dark. Eventually, the earth and fire crystals also went dark, plaguing the earth with raging wildfires and devastating the agricultural town of Melmond as the plains and vegetation decayed.

Freedom. This is a concept that men have fought about for as long as stronger men found out that it might be a good idea to oppress other people in order to make their own lives easier. It is something that they would gladly die for, and that they want above all other things. The citizens of the Paramekian Empire are not free. The empire itself is ruled by a psychotic, hellbent on conquering the planet, and able to summon evil monsters to crush and wage war on his enemies.

In the original NES version of the game, the player controlled four generic Light Warriors, four children without distinct identities, who literally fall into their adventure and upon finding the Wind Crystal were granted its power in order to save the world.

The advent of the airship marked the realization of Baron's dreams, but also the birth of its militarism. With its Royal Air Force Red Wings, Baron soon reigned supreme. Now, as monsters multiply and stir unrest, the king has ordered the fleet to claim the Crystals held by other nations at any cost.

The very objects that make the world work are in jeopardy. Everything that makes life happen: Wind, Fire, Earth, Water; are dying. The crystals that govern and represent them are shattering. The lives that they protect are losing the means for society. The worlds that rely on them are hanging in the balance. The evil that they entrap is plotting to break free. The Warriors that are destined to fight for them are meeting.

One thousand years ago three gods known as the Warring Triad who served as the source of all magic in the world started a conflict known as the War of the Magi. This quarrel released magical energy into the world, transforming any human touched by it into an esper, who were used as soldiers by the gods. Eventually repenting of the war, the Warring Triad returned free will to the espers and turned themselves to stone. Their only request was that the espers ensure their power remain sealed so that it could not be misused again.

The Plane, also known as Gaia is made up of three continents; east, west, and one in the north. It's not simply a planet in space, it is a living organism from which all living creatures are born and to where they all return when they die. Its life blood is the Lifestream, a flow of energy that contains all the knowledge of all the creatures that ever lived on its surface.

The world has no known name, yet is diverse as it is large. It is covered in large parts by water, and is composed of three large continents and several islands of varying sizes.

It consists of four major continents: the Mist Continent, the Outer Continent, the Lost Continent, and the Forgotten Continent. The vast majority of people in Gaia live on the Mist Continent, and very few travel to, or are even aware of, the other three continents that make up their world, largely because the main mode of transport, airships, run on mist, and mist only exists on the Mist Continent, meaning they cannot fly to other continents.

Greatly resembling a single large island, Spira is composed of one mainland continent with several smaller islands to the east, west and south of it.

Ivalice is an entire geographical region in the unnamed world. It consists of three continents: Valendia to the north, Ordalia to the west and Kerwon to the south. The region is populated by a handful of unique races, each with its own culture and traditions.

This world takes place in seems very similar to the real world, with modern technology such as cars and highways being visible. The world also contains medieval elements, such as castles and armored soldiers.