As a Final Fantasy 16 enthusiast with over 70+ hours played, I‘ve tested every ability combo imaginable on the long road to 100% game completion.
In this guide, I‘ll be sharing my picks for FF16‘s most game-changing abilities worth mastering to crush even the toughest optional bosses. Whether you‘re looking to respec a more optimized Clive or simply upgrade your arsenal, read on for the abilities that will take your combat to the next level!
Ability System Fundamentals
Before getting into specific recommendations, let‘s review some ability system basics:
- Abilities are special combat skills Clive unlocks with Ability Points (AP)
- Expand his attacking, defending, recovery options
- Enable potent combos for big damage
- Eikon questlines unlock additional unique abilities
- Abilities can be Upgraded to Mastery levels
- Enhances effects, unlocks bonus perks
- Mastery upgrades make abilities exponentially more powerful
- Optimized ability loadouts cater to your playstyle and needs
- Flexibly respec at any time to reconfigure Clive
Understanding these fundamentals will help grasp why I‘ve singled out these game-changing abilities as the best for dominating FF16 combat.
Flames of Rebirth: Phoenix‘s Scorching Storm
"Imbued with Phoenix‘s flames, the land is swallowed by raging fires, engulfing foes while healing wounds."
Eikon: Phoenix
Ability Type: Ground AOE
AP Cost: 1695
Mastery Bonus: +50% Burn Damage
Flames of Rebirth rapidly became my #1 most used ability after unlocking it 30 hours in. Calling down Phoenix‘s iconic firestorm to incinerate groups of enemies never lost its appeal!
Beyond the tremendously satisfying animation, this ability brings some of the highest AOE damage output in the game:
- 14,000+ total damage by Master rank
- 3000+ burn damage per second at max Mastery
Burning all foes simultaneously enables effortless crowd control and aggro manipulation. Meanwhile, the firestorm‘s healing-over-time effect grants immense sustainability for Clive. Through intense testing, I determined optimizing damage and survival here best enables aggressively decimating packs of mobs.
Activating Flames pre-pull allows rushing headfirst into large groups. By scattering the health regain across its duration, Clive achieves pseudo-invincibility against moderately damaging enemies. This "aggro sponge" strategy carried me through much of FF16‘s challenging late-game content.
In tougher fights, dropping Flames mid-battle serves as both disruption and recovery. Its knockdown/stun gives breathing room when overwhelmed while recouping lost HP. Alternately, cast as finishers against solitary heavyweight foes at under 30% health – the burn effect expedites mopping them up.
Mastering Flames of Rebirth costs a hefty 24,300 AP, but unquestionably magnifies offensive capabilities. The exponential 50% burn damage increase significantly accelerates defeating harder enemies.
Ultimately, no other ability captures Phoenix Eikon‘s sheer destructive power quite like her namesake. Once obtained, Flames become permanently engraved into your ability rotation.
Stomp: Spiking Airborne Enemies
"While airborne, press ○ to swing leg and stomp the enemy below."
Ability Type: Aerial
AP Cost: 15
Mastery Bonus: +3 Midair Kicks
Despite its low 15 AP unlock cost, Stomp is an easy contender for most generally useful aerial ability. Chaining its brutal downward kick into air juggle combos enables masterfully keeping enemies suspended while inflicting tremendous damage.
- Hits single target for 1200 base
- Launches foes for extended air combos
- Flows smoothly from other launchers
When initially obtained, Stomp‘s singular stomp keeps opponents airborne for follow-up attacks. But upgrading to Mastery dramatically expands combo potential by granting up to 3 rapid midair kicks!
This multi-hit air attack opens hugely damaging juggle opportunities by further manipulating enemy trajectory. Chaining Stomps with other launch abilities (Fang & Claw, Windshear, etc) enables effortlessly racking up 10K+ before final spike down.
As an early pickup, Stomp sees frequent use whenever battles go aerial. It offers excellent versatility – spike grounded targets up for air combos or pound airborne ones down. Later on, chaining its multiple kicks truly takes flight.
Example combo: Fang & Claw (launch) -> Storm‘s Grasp -> Stomp x3 -> Downthrust (spike finish)
Shield Bash: A Sturdy Counterattack
"Right after guarding, attack to bash with shield and brute force."
Ability Type: Block Counter
AP Cost: 25
Mastery Perk: Disarm Humanoid Enemies
An efficient fighter recognizes solid defense enables strong offense. Shield Bash embodies this concept as a go-to counterattack coming out of blocking enemy strikes.
Activating Frame 1 post-guard, Shield Bash employs Clive‘s equipped shield offensively for a crushing shield strike. Against heavier blows, this swift counter knocks foes off balance, interrupting their onslaught.
- Counters enemy attacks out of a block
- 600 damage bash attack (1000 maxed)
- Strips humanoid foes‘ weapons at Mastery
Shield bashing smaller hits inflicts damage while creating space to retaliate. Following heavier attacks, it returns offense momentum to Clive – strike, gain ground, retaliate! Upgrading to Mastery, Bash even fully disarms humanoid opponents of weapons/shields.
This disruptive counter-offense tactical flow helped overcome numerous challenging story boss fights:
| Boss | Strategy |
|---|---|
| Ifrit King | Bash his Burst Strike combo finisher to stop momentum, counterattack |
| Hugo | Block his Shield-Shatter into immediate Bash to break his stance for punish window |
| Black Guard Commander | Block then Bash combo to strip her Sword/Shield for opening |
Whether deflecting bandits early on or hardcore secret bosses in endgame content, Shield Bash proves a reliable defensive countermeasure that also seizes windows for aggressive retaliation.
Closing Thoughts
Mastering Final Fantasy 16 combat requires optimizing a frequently adjusted toolkit of abilities complementing your ever-evolving playstyle needs.
Hopefully this guide clarified abilities that offer consistently high power spikes across any stage of progression. Learning to wield enhancements like Flames of Rebirth and Stomp will push your gameplay to exciting new heights! Weaponize defensive fundamentals like Shield Bash to shut down enemy offenses decisively.
Feel free to comment any other ability gems discovered on your FF16 journey that warrant sharing! I may just have to try respec‘ing them into my loadout for another 70 hours retesting approaches with fresh battle solutions!
