The combat system of Final Fantasy 16 chooses to abandon any strategic ambitions of the series' legacy to embrace a formula based on pure action. This clear change has pleased and displeased fans in equal measure, but the experience brought into play by Ryota Suzuki - creator of the architecture of Devil May Cry and Dragon's Dogma - has undoubtedly given life to a winning mechanism, based on the abilities of the Eikons and on the concatenation of the same, with the ultimate aim of staging extremely spectacular battles.
Everything is based precisely on the Eikon techniques and the possibility of equipping them and varying them during combat, to create rotations in the typical style of MMORPGs that allow you to silence even deities. On this page we will analyze the best skills of Final Fantasy 16 trying to make a Tier List, with the ultimate aim of presenting you with the best possible builds to exploit in combat, as well as the best methods for inflicting more damage on single targets and hordes.
Have you seen our Final Fantasy 16 guide?
Phoenix / Ifrit
Phoenix and Ifrit represent Clive's initial blessings, as well as abilities present since the prologue section. The amalgamation becomes deeper following the unlocking of Ifrit's true potential, which opens up Transcendence and therefore Clive's possibility of transforming during combat. These are two very powerful Eikons, both in area combat and in single target battles.
Animal S
- Native Skill - Phoenix Translation: Phoenix Shift is the only movement ability - other than Garuda's Grasp - that allows you to reach flying enemies, so it's a critical component of any build.
- Combustion - S+: This fiery charge from Ifrit is the strongest AoE cooldown ability in the entire game, both in terms of damage but more importantly due to its versatility in clearing the stage. The damage is also excellent on single target, especially when downed, so this is an option to always keep in mind, regardless of what type of build you have.
- Flames of Rebirth: Phoenix's final ability that deals a decent amount of damage across the screen - enough to one-shot any horde of basic enemies - and slightly heals Clive in the process. When upgraded, she increases the level of healing and doubles the amount of damage, proving herself to be a total cleansing technique suitable for all palates.
- Rising Flames: An excellent ability both in terms of direct damage and stunning ability, it acquires even more value in Final Fantasy mode, proving to be an effective launcher for starting aerial combos on the toughest enemies. In normal mode, a single activation is enough to take down any basic enemy.
Other skills
- Incandescent Wave - Tier A: Very powerful ability that allows you to cancel the effect of any enemy projectile and respond with a counterattack; the power grows based on the bullets absorbed, but given its nature it remains a situational technique: if the enemies do not use bullets, its effectiveness is more than halved.
- Scarlet Cyclone - Tier B: Very simple circular attack of the Phoenix that inflicts moderate damage to health and resistance, but which has no combo possibility and is resolved in a situational use when you find yourself surrounded by enemies.
- Wisp - Tier -: Theoretically this attack serves to reward sword fighting and greatly reduce the opponents' resistance, but in practice it is undoubtedly the worst skill in and of itself in the Phoenix and Ifrit's arsenal. Potentially, however, it is one of the strongest: to be best used it must be exploited with attacks that reward different combinations of damage such as Ramuh's static charge or Bahamut's Satellite, and the basic problem is that it ends up taking up three or even four skill slots that could be reserved for other options. This is a very strong ability if you create an entire build around it, but disappointing if used extemporaneously.
Garuda
Garuda is - in all likelihood - one of the strongest Eikons ever. Oriented towards the use and extension of aerial combos, she is also the most skilled at breaking the enemy's guard. Not even by combining all the abilities of all the other Eikons present in the game is it possible to stun opponents like with a couple of hers.
Animal S
- Native Skill - Deadly Grasp: Garuda's claw that allows you to attract lighter enemies or grapple with heavier ones, transforming into an aerial launcher, a projection or a harpoon when needed. When used on large staggering enemies, it drags them to the ground providing a huge window of damage.
- Tower Castle - S+: Simply, the strongest counter ability in the game. Once upgraded, just use it in the exact frame in which you are hit to transform it into a devastating counterattack capable of reducing the enemy's will bar by a third. One of the few skills that should be used in any build, therefore to be mastered as soon as possible.
- Cruel Stunt: An AoE aerial launcher that can be used to both lift enemies off the ground and extend combos in the air. Its peculiarity lies in the invincibility frames that accompany the attack when the enemy blows are at ground level, transforming it into a sort of counter capable of avoiding most blows and making Clive invulnerable during use.
Other skills
- Air Burst - Tier B: Garuda's final ability is the attack in the game that reduces the enemies' Willpower bar more than any other option, but the long cooldown time and negligible damage make it a situational choice, especially considering that the rest of the kit allows to do the exact same thing with much less effort.
- Laceration - Tier C: Quite simply, Garuda's weakest ability, practically irrelevant. Get rid of it as soon as possible: the amount of damage is low, the amount dealt to the will is good, but the attack lasts too long, blocks Clive in the animation and offers worse drift than any other choice.
Ramuh
Ramuh is probably one of the weakest Eikons, and this weakness comes to its worst mainly in Final Fantsy mode and higher. It offers good balance and some versatility, but it is absolutely not comparable to the other options in terms of damage and coverage. In fact, it is the only Eikon with a single ability capable of earning the Tier S rating.
Animal S
- Judgment Lightning - S+: Simply, the most powerful single target damage ability in the entire game. Enhanced to the second level, it hurls two bolts at the enemy capable of reaching 30.000 damage, and if further improved through the appropriate amulet which reduces the cooldown time by 8 seconds, it becomes an almost inevitable attack for any build, to be used every time which is possible when the enemy is knocked down.
Other skills
- Lightning Rod - Tier A: The ball lightning created by the player with this technique inflicts area damage every time it is hit and especially every time it is touched by enemies, effectively doubling - even if in a very limited area - the damage inflicted by Clive's basic combos. Very strong against static bosses, much less against all the others, it can be a good option for those who prefer using the sword. If we put it in Tier A rather than S it is because to express itself to the fullest it must be used by players who are truly expert in action.
- Crash - Tier B: A very simple and balanced area attack which however fails to make sense from the perspective of the combo system, limiting itself to repelling enemies and inflicting a fair amount of damage.
- Storm - Tier B This situational rain of lightning has a hidden perk that deals increased damage to knocked down enemies, or even just opponents without a Will bar who have slipped to the ground. The damage is great, but there are better alternatives.
- Native Skill - Blind Justice - Tier C: Native ability completely negligible; once upgraded, allows you to fire a maximum of 8 ball lightning at a single enemy or multiple enemies; once statically charged, these can be detonated with a slash or ranged magic in order to unleash further chain lightning that damages all opponents in the area. The charge time is too long, the damage is too low, so you'd better get rid of it as soon as possible.
Titan
Impenetrable defense, devastating attack. These are the characteristics of Titan, an Eikon powerful enough to allow entire builds to be built around his abilities. With Titan, the true concept of choice enters the scene for the first time in Final Fantasy 16, because you have to start thinking about what to sacrifice to make room for at least some of his best techniques.
Animal S
- Native Skill - Titanic Parade: Counter inspired by the famous Royal Guard Style which allows you to parry any kind of blow with perfect timing and respond with a combo of three punches that inflict heavy damage. This is an essential skill to say the least for anyone wanting to create a build based on counterattacks.
- Mighty Fist: The most powerful single-target ability - other than a long-cooldown finishing move - in the entire game. If charged and released when you reach the red area of the ring that appears in the interface, there is no other technique capable of causing such heavy damage to a single target.
- Furious Fists: Counter ability that serves as a perfect counter to Garuda's Tower Castling. Rather than focusing on damage to Will, this deals the majority of it to health, stopping time and allowing Clive to quickly respond to subsequent slashes from enemy combos. This is undoubtedly one of the most versatile moves in the work.
Other skills
- Upheaval - Tier A: This particular AoE ability is better than all its counterparts for a couple of very simple reasons. First of all, it is the most powerful in terms of pure damage, but above all it also consists of a very powerful aerial launcher that gives its best in Arcade mode and in the higher difficulty levels, opening up variants of air combos that would otherwise be impossible.
- Earthly Fury - Tier A: Titan's devastating final attack is the area ability that can count on the most damage in the entire game, but it is much less effective against single bosses and has a very high cooldown in relation to its actual versatility. In any case, it is a terrifying technique, and the animation is no different.
Bahamut
Having reached the point of the adventure where you obtain Bahamut, testing his still unenhanced abilities, it is very easy to run the risk of moving on and leaving him aside. This is a wrong choice: Bahamut is one of the most powerful Eikons in the entire game, capable of opening up a further level of the combat system dedicated mainly to those who - rather than relying only on skills - are looking for different variants, capable of reward sword battles. For fans of normal combos, this is undoubtedly the best choice.
Animal S
- Native Skill - Wings of Light - S+: The second strongest native ability in the game, Wings of Light lets you charge Bahamut to level 4 and then unleash a rain of death on your enemies. The fundamental element to understand is that, while the wings charge, each perfect dodge increases the aforementioned charge by one level, allowing you to reach the maximum level of charge in a very short time, especially if you use the taunt (R2 + Touchpad) in order to to "bait" enemies and dodge. Once the attack has been launched, it is possible to fight normally, once again rewarding the basic combos, a characterizing element of Bahamut's entire style.
- Gigafusion: Bahamut's historic final ability, it is the move that in terms of pure damage inflicts the most, not to mention that it can be directed to manage single monsters or entire hordes. If what interests you is to sweep away your opponents with an immense energy wave, there is no better choice.
- Satellite: This is the classic ability that is very easy to dismiss without giving it a chance. Basically, it summons a pair of floating spheres which, every time you cast a spell, launch twenty additional magical attacks against the enemy you are targeting, especially damaging their will. The real hidden strength lies in the fact that the activation of Satellite also includes every single exploitation of the Elemental Explosion, practically tripling the damage you can inflict in simple combat armed with sword and magic.
Other skills:
- Impulse - Tier A: The perfect attack for anyone looking for an ability that can passively damage enemies over time while you do the rest of your rotation; By forcing up to four enemies into a damage loop, you can focus on melee combat while Bahamut's magical orbs do the rest of the work. An excellent technique, nothing more and nothing less.
- Blazing Breath: Tier C: Bahamut's worst ability is unusable against the toughest enemies, the damage inflicted on those knocked down is almost useless, while it is very effective for cleaning up hordes of light opponents; these, however, absolutely do not need a dedicated technique.
Shiva
Exactly as happened in the case of Bahamut, Shiva is also obtained in a moment of the game in which it is very easy to "fall asleep" on his abilities because you have become accustomed to your favorite set, and you do not want to invest points in order to overturn your own playing style. However, the Ice Queen offers greater control of the arenas than any other Eikon, as well as the ability to immobilize even the largest bosses, making her the deadliest when it comes to going through entire battles without ever getting hit.
Animal S
- Native Skill - Frost Wave - S+: Without half measures, one of the most powerful abilities in the game. This multi-directional dodge, in addition to allowing you to avoid attacks, allows you to release a flake of ice with the second press that freezes any enemy in place, without sparing even bosses and elites. It can also be spammed, allowing the player to render even the most dangerous opponents completely inert for several seconds.
- Diamond Dust: Evergreen attack of good old Shiva, in Final Fantasy 16 Diamond Dust is a devastating large-scale blow that deals considerable damage, destroys enemies' defenses and throws them backwards, essentially doing what other final abilities do but with a significantly superior effectiveness. Despite being one-hit, the damage dealt to Will can compete directly with Garuda's Aerial Burst.
Other skills
- Brina - Tier A: If we don't put this attack in Tier S it's because - like all Shiva's abilities - it is much more difficult to use than those of the other Eikons. Brina places a flake of ice capable of trapping enemies inside it three meters away from Clive, and this characteristic can be exploited to inflict very heavy damage over time on bosses; on the other hand, it is very difficult to use it from the ideal distance, so it is designed for more expert players.
- Ice Age - Tier A: The exact same thing applies to Ice Age as to Brina. This ability in fact inflicts very heavy damage, but only if all the ticks of the aforementioned damage hit the enemies; to do this it is necessary to position yourself at the ideal distance, so that both waves of ice are able to hit the enemy and perhaps even project him into the air to further increase the power of the final blow. Against larger enemies, you don't need to worry too much.
- Malia - Tier B: A great move that damages all enemies in the area and draws them close to Clive, allowing him to follow up with abilities like Ramuh's Smash or other moves with a large area of effect. This is, however, the most situational ability in Shiva's kit.
Odin
In addition to being the strongest Eikon in the game in terms of damage and versatility, Odin is also the only one who manages to completely overturn the gameplay mechanics, equipping Clive with another weapon - namely the Zantetsuken - and profoundly modifying the its basic moveset. Odin's mechanics are very simple: using combos and skills you load the Zantetsuken bar up to level 5, and at that point you simply need to release the attack to exterminate all enemies with a single blow.
Animal S
- Native Skill - Arm of Darkness - S+: Odin's basic ability swaps out Clive's sword for the Zantetsuken, changing his entire moveset and causing each attack to charge the final strike bar. The lunge, the dodging counterattack and above all the parry completely change the moves, leading to the accumulation of further charges. Once charged, the blade can be released at any level: if level 4 deals very heavy damage to a single enemy, level 5 allows you to wipe out the entire screen with one blow.
- Cloud of Heavens - S+: This succession attack takes inspiration from the classic Sonic Crossover from Kingdom Hearts. Once you have landed the first blow, you can press the attack with the right timing to chain up to five slashes which enormously charge the Zantetsuken bar. Basically, it is enough to equip just this attack and after just two uses you will be able to throw a level 5 Zantetsuken.
- Displacement Fracture - S+; This move is every action-stylish player's dream. Using it in the middle of a combo - before the final blow - it works like a "cancel" capable of stopping time and allowing you to do whatever you want while the enemy is inert, allowing you to multiply the duration of the combos and create totally new ones . The cooldown is also very low, so it can be used very frequently, becoming one of the most powerful options in the game: imagine Cereza's Witch Time, but instead of dodging perfectly you can use it whenever you want.
Other skills
- Dancing Steel - Tier A: Odin's final attack launches a very long autocombo against the enemy which proceeds autonomously after having landed the first blow. It doesn't deal much damage, but it charges the Zantetsuken gauge quite a lot; if we put it in Tier A, it is because there is an accessory that increases the posture damage inflicted by this attack by 20%, transforming it not only into a charging tool but also into an excellent option for stunning enemies.
- Gungnir - Tier B: This move has great arena control capabilities, managing to render many basic enemies inert for a long time. On the other hand, it doesn't do much beyond charging the Zantetsuken bar, so it's a complementary technique that doesn't, in itself, bring much to the table.
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