A hotspot or active link is a location featuring key events which the player must visit in order to continue with the game's storyline in Final Fantasy X-2. These hotspots are shown with an indicator on the Celsius's location selection screen. Any time that a location is designated as a "hotspot", the location will light up with this indicator and will remain lit until the events for the area within the particular chapter are cleared.

At the beginning of Chapter 5, it is possible for every location to light up as a hotspot. This generally indicates that it is possible to obtain Episode Complete status for the area, though certain areas will light up even if the player has not completed the requirements necessary for this status. Calm Lands is an exception to the rule; if it is not lit as a hotspot at the start of Chapter 5, it still will once the player has earned enough publicity points for either Open Air or Argent Inc. to reach Level 5.