Synopsis

Episode Prompto takes place during Chapter 12 in the main game.

In Chapter 11, Ardyn disguises himself as Prompto (and makes Prompto look like Ardyn) through use of some sort of magic (the game calls it a “stitch in time”) and tricks Noctis into attacking Prompto and knocking him off the train. Noctis thought he was attacking Ardyn but in reality it was Prompto. (Prompto was actually Ardyn the entire time during Chapter 11)

The scene Noctis sees landing on the train car at the end of Chapter 11

Noctis attacking Ardyn (who is actually Prompto)

“Ardyn” falling off the train
After the illusion wears off, it’s revealed to be Prompto

Episode Prompto begins with Prompto trudging through the snow after falling off the train only to pass out and be captured by Magitek Soldiers.

He awakens to find himself in a strange facility. Here he finds Ardyn, who tells him he’s at the First Magitek Research Facility, and sets him on a path to learn of his origins and meet Reasearch Chief Verstael Besithia.

Shortly afterwards, Prompto comes across a hallway with a large window overlooking dormant Magitek Troopers. Prompto questions if what Ardyn told him about the facility is actually true

Prompto makes his way through the facility, stealing weapons lying around, and taking out Magitek soliders along the way.

Along the way Prompto finds documents and audio tapes that seem to give credibility to what Ardyn told him. Learning of Verstael, the clones, and his barcode tattoo.

Prompto listening to an audio tape left in the facility

He eventually comes to a large door that leads him to a room with dormant clones. Here Prompto finally comes face to face with clones of himself.

Prompto face to face with one of his clones.

Prompto eventually confronts Verstael in the adjacent room, who is infected with the plasmodia and in the process of turning into a daemon. Verstael confirms that Prompto is cloned from him, and mocks him, calling him a failure for not fulfilling his purpose of becoming fodder for the magtiek infantry. Verstael threatens to return him from “whence he came”, saying maybe then he would be of some use.

Verstael infected with the plasmodia

Prompto shoots and kills Verstael whose miasma is then absorbed into the nearby machine.

Prompto killing Verstael

The machine in Episode Prompto
The machine absorbing the miasma
The machine after the alarms have been set off

Ardyn mocks him over the loud speaker for committing patricide and having no one left now. Prompto appears to become despondent.

Afterwards Prompto appears to almost give up

After the miasma is absorbed, alarms trigger and Aranea Highwind suddenly comes crashing through the roof of the room killing an Iron Giant in the process.

She displays interest in nearby blueprints, the “new model” seemingly the reason she is there. Before telling Prompto that they need to evacuate the facility.

Prompto is unresponsive, continuing to sit on the floor in despair. Aranea sternly brings him to his feet and tells him if he gives up here he’ll lose any chance of her helping him.

This pushes Prompto to get moving and escape the facility. Aranea stays behind to fend off the attacking daemons and soliders, giving Prompto a map and telling him to meet her at the camp site.

Prompto takes control of a snowmobile and escapes the facility, making his way down the mountain. On the way down he is attacked by riflemen and mechs on dropships firing missiles at him

At the bottom of the mountain he is knocked off his snowmobile by nearby exploding missiles. Before getting back on the snowmobile he notices the second facility in the distance

Prompto makes camp at the site Aranea told him to meet her at. After picking at a can of preserved mushrooms, he then proceeds to try to scratch off his tattoo.

When that doesn’t work he then grabs a smoldering stick from the nearby fire and contemplates burning the barcode off his wrist. (the player can chose to either let him burn his wrist or not at that point) If you choose not to, Prompto throws the stick on the ground exclaiming “what was I thinking?” If you choose to burn his wrist, he will burn his wrist.

Aranea will then show up at the camp. If you chose to burn his wrist, Aranea will then use a potion on him to heal him (regardless of which option you choose she still says the line “don’t tell me you thought that would work?”)

Aranea then proceeds to tell Prompto she ran into Noctis, Ignis and Gladio in Tenebrae (which happens in Chapter 12)

Aranea with Noctis, Ignis, and Gladio in Tenebrae during Chapter 12

She lets him know that they are worried about him and that Noctis asked her to find Prompto (the line about looking for Prompto isn’t actually said in the main game in Chapter 12, I personally believe this line was said cause it was what “Prompto needed to hear at the moment” In Chapter 12, they actually ask Aranea to help evacuate the passengers, nothing is said about looking for Prompto)

Below is the full conversation between the bros and Aranea, from her asking about “one of them missing” to them asking her to help with the passengers. It is also revealed during this conversation that Aranea no longer works for the Empire.

You then have the option to ask about the guys, and ask about yourself. Aranea tries to convince Prompto that the guys want him around still but Prompto believes he isn’t worthy of accompanying them anymore. Aranea then scolds him for being so focused on doing what everyone else wants that he’s never asked himself what he wants.

She then leaves him, telling him that she’s going after the new model and that he’s on his own now. The next morning Prompto wakes up to the sound of barking. Following the barking leads you to a deactivated Magitek Axeman laying on the ground.

Prompto sits near the soldier and closes his eyes, seemingly dozing off and waking up hours later. He then hallucinates being an MT and being chased and attacked by Noctis.

After running from Noctis and coming to his senses, he encounters the spirit of Pryna and follows her to a damaged Magitek Axeman.

While staring at the trooper reaching out for him, he briefly hallucinates again and sees himself laying on the ground reaching out instead of the trooper. After shaking the image from his head, he then readies his gun and shoots the trooper, killing it.

Afterwards his child self is sitting nearby, hands over his ears appearing fearful. Prompto goes up and puts his hand on his back to comfort him.

This then leads to a scene where kid Prompto takes an envelope from Pryna which has a letter from Luna in it and several pictures of the group on their journey. He hears Luna’s voice reading the letter, where she asks him to “continue to support Noctis and remain ever at his side”

The line Luna says in the letter “ever at his side” is the same line Prompto repeats to Noctis after the credits of the Episode (“ever at your side”), basically acknowledging Luna’s wishes.

Prompto finally knows what he wants, and realizes that he does want to regroup with the guys despite his past. He then meets up with Aranea and tells her he’s ready to face his fears once and for all.

Prompto and Aranea then infiltrate the nearby facility, going after the new model the Empire has been working on. This leads them face to face with SAS Unit-0822: Barbarus

Barbarus is a quadruped robot that is half mammal, half magitek. It’s top half resembling an ape with fur even, while it’s bottom half is more robotic:

According to the document found in the hallway before encountering it, it’s still being tested but is in place to fend off any would be intruders until development on Immortalis finishes.

After defeating Barbarus, Verstael’s consciousness finishes uploading into Immortalis, activating it. The facility starts to shake and Aranea and Prompto run outside to find Immortalis, a massive worm like magitek, rising from underneath the facility.

Aranea then runs to grab a nearby snowmobile, riding up and instructing Prompto to hop on the back and man the gun.

Immortalis then chases Prompto and Aranea through the tundra while Prompto takes it down from the back of the snowmobile.

After defeating Immortalis, Prompto and Aranea part ways, with Aranea telling Prompto he did good, and that Gralea is up ahead.

Prompto thanks Aranea for her help and rides off towards Gralea on the snowmobile alone

It is revealed that Ardyn is on a hill nearby watching Prompto ride off towards Gralea. He ominously hums the Final Fantasy Victory Fanfare before the screen fades to black and the credits begin to roll.

Between the ending scene and the scenes during the ending credits he is recaptured by Ardyn and held prisoner in Zegnautus Keep where he is eventually rescued by Noctis, Gladio, and Ignis in Chapter 13. Unfortunately it is never revealed how he was captured by Ardyn after leaving Aranea at the end of Episode Prompto.

The ending credits show Prompto coming to, strung up in the contraption you find him in in Chapter 13. He tries to struggle a bit before giving up and hanging limp accepting his current fate. You are then shown Prompto’s point of view of his rescue in Chapter 13, where Noctis, Ignis, and Gladio barge in and free him. The rest of the rescue scene from Chapter 13 then plays out in the credits.

After that an extra scene is shown where Prompto is sitting on a bed in one of the dormitories in Zegnataus Keep. Noctis walks in and sits down behind him, apologizing for everything that happened and promising to bring the nations together once he becomes King. Noctis asks if Prompto is with him and Prompto replies with the line Luna said in her letter: “mmm hmm ever at your side”