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As you go through Final Fantasy XVI, Clive will eventually gain the Eikonic Abilities of the Eikons Phoenix, Garuda, Ramuh, Titan, Bahamut, Shiva, and Odin. However, you can only have three of them equipped at once. This means that his build, moveset, and capabilities will vary depending on which ones you choose. Some also may appeal to you more than others. I know I came across some Eikons and Eikonic Abilities I favored more than others. So, here’s who I’d recommend using.
In general, there are four Eikons I favored most in Final Fantasy XVI
Phoenix is fantastic. I went through the entire game basically with it equipped. It features a launching move, all of its attacks do great damage, and it even has an attack that massively hurts a huge range of enemies while slightly healing Clive.
I really like having Garuda equipped with an Eikon that’s more grounded. That means you can juggle between the two sorts of movesets. Plus Deadly Embrace is amazing for enemies. This is also one of the few Eikons that you know will always have you covered for midair and ground attacks, which is handy.
Bahamut is the best ranged Eikon to equip. The abilities are phenomenally powerful. Almost all of them can hit multiple foes. It’s practically perfect. However, the downside is many attacks require Clive to be susceptible, so you sort of need allies around to help. Wings of Light forces you to charge. Flare Breath ends if you take damage. Gigaflare requires you to aim it. It’s a weakness, to be sure.
Predictably, the two end-game Eikons may be best for you. Shiva is incredibly versatile, with attacks that let you control where opponents go on the battlefield, hit single and multiple foes, and even freeze enemies. Odin is equally powerful, though that power comes from building up a gauge for his Zantetsukan attacks.
Screenshot by Siliconera
Here’s are some of what I would say are the best Eikonic Abilities from every Eikon in Final Fantasy XVI:
- Arm of Darkness (Odin) – You’re basically building up power for the Zantetsuken attack with it. That means there’s a trade-off of less power for a bit as that fills, before you press square to unleash it.
- Dancing Steel (Odin) – Clive gets to wield two swords with this “ultimate” Odin attack, with all hits filling the Zantetsuken gauge.
- Deadly Embrace (Garuda) – This is great for combos and positioning, since it can get you airborne. Plus, it can pull large, boss-type enemies to topple them.
- Earthen Fury (Titan) – This is one of the expensive ones! It’s 1,895 to learn. But it launches lots of enemies, which is good for crowd control and getting space.
- Flames of Rebirth (Phoenix} – This is the first healing skill Clive can get, and it’s great since it also does damage to enemies. It’s costly early on at 1,695 Ability Points (AP), but worth it.
- Flare Breath (Bahamut) – Simply an incredible AOE attack that does tons of damage.
- Gouge (Garuda) – I love this as a combo continuing attack, since it works on grounded and launched enemies.
- Ignition (Ifrit) – This is good as an attack to pursue enemies, and it works well with Garuda due to midair capabilities.
- Impulse (Bahamut) – Fantastic for keeping an enemy at bay while dealing consistent damage.
- Judgment Bolt (Ramuh) – It’s expensive at 2,300 AP, but great for boss fights due to the damage it does to enemies.
- Mesmerize (Shiva) – This is a handy ability to deal damage and pull multiple enemies toward Clive for combos and AOEs, and it can be used in midair.
- Pile Drive (Ramuh) This is a good crowd control move for AOE damage against a group.
- Raging Fists (Titan) – I like to think of it as an upgraded Gouge, since it’s devastating and can be used as a defensive move. However, since there’s no midair option, it’s a little more limited.
- Rift Slip (Odin) – This is your cancel. It lets you stop any attack, immediately recovering from it, so you can go into another attack or combo.
- Rime (Shiva) – I would consider this one of the best Final Fantasy XVI crowd control abilities, as it freezes enemies in place and does damage.
- Rising Flames (Phoenix) – This is fantastic for combos, due to its launching ability.
- Satellite (Bahamut) – I love this skill for when Clive doesn’t have a human ally around, as it means familiars help deal additional damage.
- Scarlet Cyclone (Phoenix) – I like this one for its AOE ability, since it hits everyone around Clive. It’s best when facing a group, though.
- Titanic Block (Titan) – This is a great skill if you’re tired of dodging and want to take a hit, then counter.
- Wings of Light (Bahamut) – It takes a bit of getting used to, since you have to hold and cast Megaflare, but it’s easily my favorite “always there” Eikon ability.
Final Fantasy XVI is available for the PlayStation 5. There is a six-month exclusivity period.
