Final Fantasy XV has, as in all opus, magic! However, its obtaining, its making and its use change in radically different ways.
Magic, kézako?
As stated in the introduction, the magic in FFXV is very different from that of other games. First of all, you should know that using magic does not consume MP (Magic Point) at all. To use magic, it will first be necessary to obtain essences, then use its essences by combining them with each other and even with objects (in order to add new effects) and then, equip it on our characters.
All spells in FFXV are based on three elements:
- Feu
- Ice
- Lightning
There are also the elements "light" and "darkness" in play, but the latter do not have any essence attached to them and only the element Light can be used, but only via weapons having this element or by the command "Enchantment" of Ignis. The darkness element is not usable by the player.
The spells, once made, work like "grenades" that are thrown at enemies. Be careful, however, because in FFXV, magic is subject to Friendly Fire (damage inflicted by allies, on allies) In addition, magic has a fairly substantial range and pushes the vice until it leaves stigmas on the environment during long minutes that will damage and alter states to everyone (different depending on the type of gasoline).
Each spell will have an area effect which will therefore stay on the ground for a longer or shorter time:
- “Fire” type spells will burn the area and inflict the “Ignite” penalty, which will do continuous fire damage, to anyone unfortunate enough to walk in the flames, but in addition, you will be automatically knocked out of the area. zone as soon as you approach, even in combat.
- Ice-type spells will inflict "Frostbite", which creates continuous ice damage and may even, from time to time, inflict the "Stop" penalty, which prevents the victim from acting.
- Lightning-type spells will inflict the "Shock" penalty, which, like the other two states, will inflict continuous lightning-type damage, but may additionally inflict the "Invalid" penalty, which makes characters / enemies unable to move and to attack / defend.
It burns ! Call the fire department !
The damage over time penalties caused by spells can do very high damage regardless of the amount of your health points, because it is a value calculated in% of your maximum health points, namely 3%. , and that, in spite of your resistance. These effects can be very crippling, as they can prevent you from approaching an enemy that will have remained in the area.
Magic spheres
The spheres are in fact the places available to create your spells. Very limited at the start of the game, it will be possible to increase the number by finding, in various ways during your adventure, Magic Spheres. If you want to know the location and the way to obtain all the spheres, unroll the banner just below!
Be careful though! Some spheres are mostly obtained during the story quest, if you don't want to get spoiled mission titles (and potentially, story) don't click!
Location of magic spheres
- Obtained during the mission: The hunter hunted.
- Obtained during the mission: A Father's Wish.
- Obtained during the mission: The Weight of Fate.
- Obtained during the mission: To a new country. (Talk to Cor before getting on the boat.)
- Pick up in the field: Fociaugh Cave.
- This is the last cave you visit to gain Ramuh's favor. It is located west of Chocobos Wiz Relay. The Magic Sphere can be found in the cul-de-sac just to the left of the Magic Ice Ore, located near the middle of the dungeon.
- To be collected on the ground: Bois de Steyliff.
- This is the dungeon in which Aranéa accompanies you during the scenario. It is located at the far north of the map, above Lake Vesper. The magic sphere is in the middle of the "balcony", just before the stairs, on the floor where you arrived.
- To be picked up on the ground: Cap Caem.
- This is where the lighthouse is. The sphere is located on the first floor of the house.
- Pick up on the ground: Ravatogh Volcano.
- This dungeon is located in the far west of the continent, just after the “Verinas de Ravatogh supermarket”. The magic sphere is in the middle of the dungeon, on the left when there is a fork with a lava flow.
- Pick up in the field: Ruins of Pitioss.
- Honestly, given the architectural ordeal that this dungeon is, it would be impossible for me to explain where exactly the sphere is located. Those who have already visited this dungeon will understand the pain I feel trying to remember it!
The essence harvest
Gasoline can be recovered in several ways:
- By collecting essences directly from magical mineral deposits associated with a specific element.
- To be collected in certain containers.
- By sucking it on certain enemies with certain weapons that can absorb essences.
Ore depots and containers recharge over time. Noctis can store a maximum of 99 essences of each type.
Magical ore deposit. Magical ore deposit. Container of magic.
Catalysts
In addition to gasoline, it is possible to combine everything with catalysts. These allow you to add effects to basic spells, which can make spells overpowering and terribly devastating. There are a total of 15 different effects that are added via the catalysts, namely:
- Chain 2 - allows you to cast 2 spells in a row for the price of one.
- Chain 3 - allows you to cast 3 spells in a row for the price of one.
- Chain 4 - allows you to cast 4 spells in a row for the price of one.
- Chain 5 - allows you to cast 5 spells in a row for the price of one.
- Infectious - inflicts the "Poison" penalty on targets hit.
- Weakening - adds a penalty reducing the attack of enemies hit.
- Immobilizer - inflicts the “Stop” penalty on targets hit.
- Lethal - gives a chance to inflict "Sudden Death" effect on targets hit.
- Repairman - heals the character using the spell.
- Parsimony - grants a chance not to consume elemental essence when creating the spell.
- Auspicious - grants bonus experience.
- Random - 50% chance the spell does no damage, but also has a 50% chance to deal above-average damage.
- Insidious - increases the power of the spell.
- Immolator - increases the power of the spell, but sacrifices the user's health in return.
- Ultimate - as its name suggests, allows you to cast the ultimate elemental spell (spell that exceeds the level of 9 damage points).
The catalysts are the same regardless of the type of spell created with the essences.
List of catalysts.
It is possible, as for gasolines, to use up to 99 examples of the same catalyst. Of course, it is impossible to use several catalysts for a single spell. The more catalyst you put into a spell, the stronger its effect. However, the effect of a catalyst cannot exceed level 99. If, for example, you reach level 99 for "Chain 5" after using only 15 catalysts, there is no need to add more. If you are only looking to increase the effect of the catalyst, it is totally useful to add more.
But, because there is a but, the catalysts also increase the power of the spells and this also allows to increase the rank of the spells. (Something I expand on below!) It's up to you to decide if, once the level of the catalyst effect is at level 99, you want to continue adding the catalyst to increase the level of the spell or to use the essences ( or both, to maximize spell power).
Catalysts can also, in addition to adding the above effects, increase the number of spells created. Basically, a spell has 3 charges, but thanks to catalysts, it is quite possible to get 4, 5, 10, 20, etc. up to a maximum total of 99 charges. Each catalyst has a duplicating coefficient. The formula is as follows:
- N x Y
N corresponds to the number of catalysts and Y to the duplicating coefficient of the catalyst in question. The duplicating coefficient is the index that determines the number of catalysts needed to obtain the desired number of additional charges of the spell. It is very important to know that the game automatically rounds up to the next whole number. A small example with the “Metal Fragment” catalyst (the most “common” catalyst) which has a duplicating coefficient of 1,25.
- 1 x 1,25 = 1,25 -> rounded to 2.
As a result, with 1,25 as a duplicating coefficient, you will have to use 2 objects in order to obtain 1 additional charge. If, with this object, you want to obtain two additional charges, you will have to use 3 catalysts (2 x 1,25 = 2,50 -> rounded to 3).
Second example: Aiguille d'or - Coefficient of duplication: 16,67
- 1 x 16,67 = 16,67 -> round to 17.
If you use gold needles to increase the number of spell charges, you will need to use 17 to have only 1 additional charge! If you want to have 2 additional charges, you will therefore have to use no less than 34 gold needles! (2 x 16,67 = 33,34 -> round to 34)
It is therefore very interesting to note that if this is the number of spells you are looking for, it is strongly advised to use catalysts with a low duplicator coefficient, because that is what is the most profitable! Indeed, when a catalyst has a duplicating coefficient lower than 1, the latter automatically grants 1 additional charge, given that the game rounds up to the higher unit! So by using 10 catalysts with a duplicating coefficient less than 1, you will have 10 additional charges!
But when is it Extra, Mega, etc. spells? and their power?
There are three ranks for spells in FFXV:
- Rang 1
- Rang 2 - Sort « Extra »
- Rank 3 - “Mega” spell
To increase the rank of a spell, you must have a minimum power related to the essences, namely:
- Rank 1 = Power between 1 and 99
- Rank 2 = Power between 100 and 199
- Rank 3 = Power of 200 and +
And finally, you should know that:
- 1 gasoline = 1 power
But then, if you can only have 99 essences at most, how do you get more powerful spells? Well for that, there are two methods:
- Use catalysts
- Increase "base" power via skills:
- Improved Synthesis: Adds 10 power points to spells - 20 CP
- Improved Synthesis II: Adds 30 power points to spells - 99 CP
- Improved Synthesis III: Adds 50 power points to spells - 555 CP
- Improved Synthesis IV: Adds 100 power points to spells - 999 CP
Ranks increase the power of the spell, but also the area of effect of the latter, which therefore allows you to inflict huge damage to potentially many targets (but beware of your allies who may be caught in the spell!) .
It is possible to create spells by combining several essences to make a single one. First, let's talk about bi-elemental type spells. The latter therefore combine two types of essences to make a spell. The gasoline use rate determines the type of spell that results. If, for example, you use 10 essences of fire and 5 of ice, the spell will be a fire spell. However, if you use 10 Fire Essences as well as 10 Ice Essences, it will still be a Fire Spell created. This is due to the fact that at equal quantity, one species always prevails over another:
- Fire> Ice
- Ice> Lightning
- Lightning> Fire
The second case of combining spells is to use all three types of essences at the same time. Here again, if one species is mainly used compared to the other two, it is this element that will be created. However, there must be a certain gap between the “dominating” and the “dominated” species. For this, it is in fact necessary that the dominant species represents at least 50% of the totality of the species used. If this is not the case and no essence exceeds 50%, then a “Random” spell will be created.
Example 1
- Fire: 10 - Ice: 4 - Lightning: 4
- The fuel gasoline is in the majority and represents 55,56% of the total gasoline used. It is therefore a fire spell that will be created.
Example 2
- Fire: 10 - Ice: 6 - Lightning: 6
- The essence of fire, despite being the majority compared to the essences of ice and lightning, represents only 45,45% of the total of the essences used. It is therefore an Aléarcane spell that will be created.
The Random spell is, as its name suggests, a spell that randomly uses one of the three elements. When using the latter, you have no way of knowing if it will be a fire, ice, or lightning spell that will be cast. If you combine the latter with a catalyst, the effect of the latter will not be changed.
There is, however, something very important to note, and that is when creating a Random or Hybrid spell that has the "Chain" effect. The latter, as explained above, is used to cast the spell several times in a row, in the case of a hybrid or Random spell, there is a certain logic as to the spells that go.
- Hydride: the first spell will always be the one whose essence was the majority when it was created, the following attacks will be random between the other element (s).
- Random: all attacks will be launched randomly, without priority.
The list of spells
The spell list is quite phenomenal despite the fact that there are only 3 items available. This is due to the catalysts, but also to the three ranks.
Essence-based spells: Fire
Final Fantasy XV - Pure Fire Spells
List of spells and effects based only on Fire.
Final Fantasy XV - Hybrid Spells of Fire - Ice
List of spells and effects based on Fire and Ice, with Fire dominance.
Final Fantasy XV - Hybrid Spells of Fire - Lightning
List of spells and effects based on Fire and Lightning, with Fire dominance.
Essence-Based Spells: Ice
Final Fantasy XV - Pure Ice Spells
List of spells and effects based only on Ice.
Final Fantasy XV - Hybrid Spells of Ice - Fire
List of spells and effects based on Ice and Fire, with Ice dominance.
Final Fantasy XV - Ice Hybrid Spells - Lightning
List of spells and effects based on Ice and Lightning, with Ice dominance.
Essence-based spells: Lightning
Final Fantasy XV - Pure Lightning Spells
List of spells and effects based only on Lightning.
Final Fantasy XV - Hybrid Lightning Spells - Fire
List of spells and effects based on Lightning and Fire, with Lightning dominance.
Final Fantasy XV - Hybrid Lightning Spells - Ice
List of spells and effects based on Lightning and Ice, with Lightning dominance.
Sorts aléarcanes
Final Fantasy XV - 100% Hybrid Spells
List of spells and effects based on Lightning, Ice and Fire.
The list of catalysts
The following lists present all the catalysts, the effects they add as well as the force index, the effect level and, finally, the very important coefficient of duplication! As a reminder, even if a catalyst does not grant any effect, it can still be interesting to use it to increase the power of spells, but also to increase the number of spells during creation, see both at the same time !
If you are looking for a specific effect or what is the catalyst with the highest coefficient, you can sort the lists by clicking on one of the categories at the top of each table.
Catalyst: combat items
Final Fantasy XV - Catalysts: Combat Items
List of catalysts in the "combat objects" category
Catalyst: ingredients
Final Fantasy XV - Catalysts: ingredients
List of catalysts in the "ingredients" category