until you arrive Final Fantasy XVIProtagonist Clive Rosfield can reach the final after at least 35 hours Call upon the power of eight different magical beings called Eikons, each of the guardians of a specific element. Phoenix’s fire offers several ways to burn enemies, and Shiva’s ice can freeze them. However, if you want to be prepared for what’s coming in the endgame, you should prepare with a very specific build. In fact, it’s a build so good you can take it into virtually any encounter, whether it’s a high-tier hunt or a side quest.
Some Eikon abilities are great for crowd control. Others are ideal for single target damage. As such, the best skills for a particular fight will depend on what you encounter. Without giving too much away, the final fight is against a single target about the size of Clive. It is therefore similar to fighting the supreme commander of the kingdom of Waloed, Sleipnir, or fighting Odin’s dominant, Barnabus Tharmr. Therefore, the best gear will focus on counterattacks and single target damage.
With that in mind, these are the Eikons you want to channel:
Once you’ve leveled up the best Eikon abilities enough, you can equip them regardless of which three Eikons you channel (or equip). The only reason you would channel an Eikon is to benefit from his Eikonic feat, the innate feature like that Phoenix shift teleport.
Channeling Titan is a must, especially in single enemy fights, so you can capitalize on Eikonic’s innate power Titanic block. Pressing the circle at just the right time unleashes a Precision Block that launches a three-hit counterattack that refills Clive’s Limit Break gauge at an accelerated pace and deals a significant amount of damage.
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With arm of darknessWith the circle button, Clive can wield Odin’s sword. All attacks charge the Zantetsuken gauge to become an ultimate attack that slows time and deals great damage.
These are the Eikonic skills you need:
- pulse
- air blast
- Rising Flames
- angry fists
- gigaflare
- Dancing steel
Bahamuts pulse has great bonus DPS potential as it emits multiple bullets that track targets and deals continuous damage, and its cooldown is very reasonable. Whether you’re dealing with a horde of enemies or a boss, it’s a good choice. Garudas air blast Summons a tornado that deals massive Will damage, causing it to stagger and pursue enemies faster than anything else… just like Impulse!
Phoenix’s Rising Flames is a must for any build at any stage of the game. Although its damage is low compared to most other abilities, it has one of the shortest cooldowns of any attack and is easy to land. Spam it as often as possible between regular attacks. Titans angry fists pairs well with Rising Flames as it has a modest cooldown, reduced by 50% if you perform a well-timed block against enemy attacks. In theory, if you time your blocks well, you should be able to spam both attacks. And that gives you a counterattack opportunity on two of your three Eikon channels.
Odins Dancing steel is an excellent ability that summons dual blades for a series of attacks that charge the Zantetsuken gauge. So you want Odin channelized so you can benefit from accessing it Zantetsukenpart of his Eikonic feat, dealing massive amounts of damage with two powerful swipes. gigaflare is hands down the absolute best Eikonic ability. Not only does it get top marks for raw damage, but it also has a slow effect while Clive summons Bahamut wings and blasts enemies in a straight line with a massive beam of energy.
The Final Fantasy gear you need
- Bahamut’s Mercy – Reduces Gigaflare’s cooldown by 6.0 seconds.
- Genji Gloves – Increases damage dealt to enemies by 5%.
- Berserker Ring – Temporarily increases attack ability with each precise dodge.
The big downside of Gigaflare is its long cooldown, so gear Bahamut’s Mercy mitigates that significantly. It’s a reward for completing the A Tail to Tell quest, where you’ll find a flower for Harpocrates to give to Dion at the very end of the game.
Increases all damage by 5% with Genji Gloves is also preferable to virtually any other damage-boosting accessory. (Most of them increase the damage of a single ability by 10%.) This is a reward for reaching 2365 Patron’s Whisper standing. So if you fall short, keep completing more side quests and hunts until you can get it from the NPC Desiree in the canteen.
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The Berserker Ring is also an excellent choice as it boosts attacking ability with each successful precision dodge, which is something you want to be doing all the time anyway. It is the first reward from Whispers of the Patron at 85 Renown. However, if there’s one item you can swap out for something else, this is it.
The strategy to bring everything together in FF16
Always start with air blast and then pulse. This deals a significant amount of Will damage, causing the enemy to stagger. And use as needed Titanic block against any attack that comes your way.
Then it’s time to move to Phoenix for use Rising Flames and go for a angry fists Block. But once that’s done, switch straight to Odin and let go Dancing steel. This will significantly charge Zantetsuken. If you’ve managed to stagger the enemy, now is the time to start blasting gigaflare. Otherwise, you might as well use Odin’s Arm of Darkness for a while and focus on the Flash of Steel precision dodge counterattack and Steel Counter Parry. (This is where the Berserker ring will come in handy.) Pop Zantetsuken as soon as it’s done. And keep testing your skills in this way.
You’ll be hard pressed to find a more effective combat flow that handles just about anything Final Fantasy XVI can throw your way.
