The party with Shroud effects.
Shrouds (リザーブスモーク, Rizābu Sumōku?, lit. Reserve Smokes) are a special class of consumable items in Final Fantasy XIII that bestow temporary benefits on the party if they enter a battle while under its effects. They can be used by pressing 
/
on the field and are unavailable during battle. The effects stack, so multiple shrouds can be used at once. Shroud effects last for 30 seconds and the shroud icon will begin to blink three seconds before the effects expire.
Shroud list[]
| Name | Effect | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Fortisol | Casts Bravery, Faith, and Haste at the start of battle. | 12,000 |
| Aegisol | Casts Protect, Shell, Veil, and Vigilance at the start of battle. | 12,000 |
| Deceptisol | Makes the party undetectable to passing enemies. | 30,000 |
| Ethersol | Fully restores the party's TP. | Unpurchasable |
Most shrouds are obtained from treasure chests or from enemies as drops. In the final chapter, a new shop in the Retail Network, Eden Pharmaceuticals, opens up, which sells all shrouds except Ethersol. It is also possible to obtain shrouds by dismantling pieces of equipment at the upgrade screen. One method to farm Ethersol is to purchase a Speed Sash from Moogleworks for 10,000 gil and level it up to the star level, upgrade it with a Mnar Stone, then level it up to the star level again and dismantle.
The effects of Fortisol and Aegisol last 300 seconds in battle, and can be extended with the Synergist's Boon ability. Deceptisol allows for an easy Preemptive Strike on a group of enemies, and can be manipulated with the Retry option; if a player uses a shroud, enters a battle while under its effect, and cancels out of the battle with the Retry option, the player gets the shroud back as if they had never used one. The player can respawn on the other side of the enemy, and thus pass them without having to expend the Deceptisol.
Deceptisol is mentioned in the Brain Blast quiz in Final Fantasy XIII-2, where it is revealed that in the in-universe film MI: Sahagin, the hero uses a Deceptisol to get past the security system without alerting his enemies.
Drop rate[]
| Rank | Shroud Drop Rate |
|---|---|
| 5-3 Stars | Normal |
| 2 Stars | 2x |
| 1 Star | 4x |
| 0 Stars | 8x |
- Pulse Vestige - 12%
- Lake Bresha - 8%
- Vile Peaks - 6%
- Gapra Whitewood - 1%
- Sunleth Waterscape - 3%
- Palumpolum - 2.5%
- Nautilus - 1.25%
- Palamecia - 1.25%
- Fifth Ark - 1%
- Vallis Media - 0.7%
- Yaschas Massif - 0.65%
- Archylte Steppe, Mah'habara Subterra, Sulyya Springs, Taejin's Tower, Oerba - 0.3%
- Eden - 0.38%
- Faultwarrens, Orphan's Cradle - 0.13%.
Drop rates are universal throughout each area except the Pulse Vestige's Sacrarium, where several encounters have either 50% or 60%. Each individual enemy group has its own obtainable shroud type. Aegisols cannot be obtained until reaching the Vile Peaks. Bosses and enemies in the Hanging Edge do not drop shrouds, and no enemies drop Ethersols.
Because of this, players can easily accumulate shrouds earlier in the game, where getting 0 stars in the battle rating within the Pulse Vestige yields a drop rate of at least 96%. The probability of dropping a shroud will increase if the player equips the Survivalist Catalog.