As an avid Final Fantasy fan who has logged over 100 hours in Final Fantasy 16 and completed numerous playthroughs of earlier franchise titles, I‘ve experimented extensively with the various abilities and crafted powerful builds optimized for domination.
In this guide, I‘ll leverage my deep franchise experience to share recommendations on FF16‘s best abilities – whether you‘re just starting out or looking to optimize your late-game party.
Unlocking Abilities Early On
When you first gain access to the Abilities menu early in FF16, you‘ll be starved for ability points (AP) – so choose carefully which abilities to invest that precious AP into. Based on extensive testing, here are the 5 abilities I highly recommend unlocking first:
Precision Dodge (0 AP) – This ability allows you to execute a well-timed dodge counterattack. It‘s an absolutely vital survival tool in the early game, especially for new players still getting accustomed to FF16‘s demanding real-time combat. Upgrade Precision Dodge later to expand the timing window as you improve your reflexes.
First Aid (10 AP) – Unlock this cheap self-heal spell as soon as possible. A clutch heal can easily make the difference between victory or defeat in prolonged battles.
Steelguard (30 AP) – One of the most efficient protective buffs available early, reducing damage taken from enemies. With only a 30 AP cost, it‘s very farmable even in the opening acts.
Barthundara (70 AP) – Lightning attacks are common amongst early game enemies, making lightning resistance extremely useful. Barthundara gives you great magical protection for its low 70 AP cost.
Chakra (15 AP) – Restores your MP with a quick meditation. Useful if you find yourself running dry on magic too often.
As you progress through the story and earn more AP, you can start expanding into more offensive abilities that suit your preferred playstyle. Rising Flame and Precise Shot are great universally. Customize based on whether you lean towards hard-hitting melee combos or precise ranged attacks when electing your offensive choices.
Specializing Your Builds
Once you begin acquiring Tier 3 abilities in the late game, it‘s time to truly specialize your builds based on your weapon and style preferences.
For playing as the main protagonist Clive and maximizing physical damage output, this is the optimized late game ability loadout I recommend based on damage testing:
Smasher – A devastating two-handed smash that breaks guards and deals up to 8,000 HP per use. It has a long wind up animation so timed use is key, but sneaking this in on a vulnerable target can instantly turn the tide.
Gale Slash – Unleash up to 30 rapid wind-imbued slashes dealing ~5,000 HP if all connect on a staggered enemy. Incredible damage-per-second when chaining this full combo against vulnerable opponents.
Soul Impact – A mid-air diving strike that covers a lot of distance and deals a colossal 14,000 HP against wounded targets. Use Soul Impact to aggressively chase enemies trying to flee.
Spineshatter Dive – Another hard-hitting jumping attack, made even more lethal if you time the crippling strike for bonus damage. Deals up to ~11,000 HP.
Breath of Blight – Spew a wide poison mist, dealing 300 HP per tick to all enemies in the area of effect. Great for consistent damage over time against groups.
With these high damaging abilities, you‘ll cleave through enemies by mixing up your combo chains. Round it out with defensive/support options like Steelguard, Chakra, and item abilities as the situation demands.
For players favoring magical combat, this FF16 build maximizes caster DPS through synergistic high-tier spells:
Firaga – The ultimate fire spell, dropping explosive bursts dealing 6,000 HP per blast. This is your bread-and-butter offensive magic.
Blizzaga – The Firaga equivalent with ice cold damage instead, useful against fire-resistant enemies. Deals up to 5500 HP per blast.
Thundaga – Call down thunderbolts for 5000 HP, enabling you to bypass shields through defense penetration.
Ultima – The pinnacle FF spell, Ultima deals a colossal 10,000 HP per use in a wide area, hitting entire groups. Big investment at 500 AP but well worth it.
Holy – Deals up to 8,000 HP of devastating light magic damage against demonic enemies. Holy has a long activation time, but brings the pain.
With these five optimized spells covering all elements, you‘ll crush enemies through overwhelming magical firepower. Support them with mana regeneration abilities like Manafont and Ether to enable extended spellcasting. Precision Evade also helps you avoid attacks while locked into casting animations.
Eikon Ability Breakdown
One of Final Fantasy 16‘s most unique features is the ability to transform into Eikons – powerful elemental beings with access to special attacks. Here is an ability analysis of each Eikon form:
Phoenix – Wields versatile fire spells with short 2 second action costs, enabling constant pressure from range. Lacks raw power at 500 damage per action, but begins with a strong arsenal to carry new Eikons.
Titan – The physical wall of the Eikons. Titan form grants massively enhanced defenses and HP, with hard-hitting area attacks summoning environmental weapons. Slow movement and activation times limit his offensive potential.
Garuda – Extremely mobile wind mage specializing in tornado projectiles and slashing dive bombs for high single target damage. Her access to jump cancels and openers enable complex combo chains. Squishier than other Eikons though.
Shiva – Controls icy battlefield through wide-reaching freeze attacks, excelling at crowd control over raw damage. Huge mana costs necessitate MP management and good dodging fundamentals while casting slowly.
Ifrit – Wreathes weapons in flame to enable devastating melee combos. His close range arsonal combines quickly activated attacks like Rising Fang and Infernal Torrent for brawling pressure. Not as tough or hard hitting as Titan and Odin though.
Ramuh – The old lightning mage himself. Ramuh specializes in an array of ranged thunder attacks capable of defense penetration, knockdowns, paralysis infliction and even respawning temporary clones. Lightning Rod is a noteworthy siege tool for objectives. Lacks HP and escape options however.
Bahamut – Avatar of massive magical destruction channeled through flare projectiles and beam attacks. Short activation times enable Bahamut to bombard enemies with quick non-elemental nukes. Impressively balanced offensive powerhouse.
Odin – Physical warrior Eikon with extreme attack combos through his Zantetsuken greatsword. Spatial manipulation gives Odin unmatched battlefield control for gaps closing, traps and repositioning. Mastering his technical combo chains enables unrivaled damage.
As you can see, each Eikon has situations they excel in based on their attack properties. Learn their abilities thoroughly to transform appropriately during battles when the tide needs turning.
Ability Synergy and Combos
Simply spamming abilities randomly often wastes potential. You can optimize your action economy by chaining abilities together into tactical combos.
Here are some high IQ ability combos I‘ve crafted through extensive experimentation:
Stomp -> Spineshatter – Spring off an enemy with Stomp then crash down with the diving Spineshatter for immense falling weapon damage as the combo finisher. Easily deletes unprepared targets.
Chakra -> Manafont – Recover MP with Chakra, then quickly amplify your max MP with Manafont to enable an epic follow up chain of spells for exponential magic burst.
Imperil -> Holy – Cast Imperil to weaken enemy lightning resistance, then follow up immediately with Holy while the debuff is active. This inflicts 25% more damage for tremendous pressure, shredding most enemies.
Thundaga -> Electrocute – Stagger enemies through the knockdown effect of Thundaga, then instantly call a giant lightning bolt onto defenseless targets with Electrocute before they recover for ability chaining mayhem.
Properly chaining your diverse toolkit of abilities together into fluid combos drastically improves your performance and leads to those sweet dopamine-fueled steamroll domination moments. Think beyond simplistic ability spam!
Counter Picks Against Tough Enemies
Certain ability loadouts fare better against specific encounters. When facing off against the following notorious enemies, these are the ideal counter picks from my experience:
Against Phantom – Phantom shifts between physical and ethereal states. While ethereal, only magic damages him. Bring Firaga, Blizzaga, and healing abilities like Chakra/Pray to outlast his onslaughts.
Against Svarog – The fire wyrm is impervious to heat based attacks. Ice is his weakness – pelt him with Blizzaga spells and Shiva‘s Diamond Dust while keeping health high.
Against Blighted Lord – The holy resistant Blighted Lord demands dark elemental magic instead. Ramuh‘s shadowy Judgment Bolt bypasses his defenses alongside other gloom abilities that accent his weaknesses.
Against Garuda – Reflect will send Garuda‘s projectiles back at her for lethal damage. Combine with Chainspell/Manafont for unrelenting magical barrage against her own tornado and wind slash spam.
As you battle more elaborate enemies, inspect their strengths and weaknesses then counter pick your ability choices to turn the tides decisively in your favor. This small act of metagaming goes a long way!
Parting Words
I hope this extensive guide gives you plenty of ideas on how to crush FF16‘s enemies by combining your diverse ability toolkit into op builds. Let me know which unique ability combinations worked best for you against end game super bosses! I‘m always seeking more insight on how to perfect my ability crafting.
