Mastering Combat in Final Fantasy XVI: Maximize Damage During Stagger

In the immersive world of Final Fantasy XVI, the action combat system affords players a high degree of freedom when confronting enemies, offering a variety of abilities to create deadly combos. The challenge is amplified when facing larger enemies, whose actions are not easily interrupted, thus posing a limitation to the protagonist, Clive's, combo and damage potential. The key to overcoming these formidable foes lies in mastering the art of staggering, leaving enemies defenseless for a brief period. This article will explore the best abilities in Final Fantasy XVI to maximize damage during stagger.

The Art of Staggering and Maximizing Damage

The Stagger Bar is your ticket to bringing down big-sized enemies in Final Fantasy XVI. By launching attacks that deal Wil damage, you can reduce the enemy's Stagger Bar, knocking them off their feet and leaving them vulnerable for a short duration. This is the perfect time to unleash your deadliest moves. One of the most effective abilities to use against staggered enemies is Shiva's Eikonic Feat Coldsnap. It inflicts Frostbite, freezing the Stagger Bar and thus extending your window to inflict damage. Use Wings of Light to cast Megaflare before the enemy is staggered and then frozen. This enhances the damage over time as you execute your combo on the staggered enemy.

Key Abilities and Combos During Stagger

Once the enemy is down and frozen, it's time to turn up the heat. Activate Limit Break and employ Odin's Zantetsuken, which ideally should be charged to the maximum level before the enemy is staggered using abilities like Dancing Steel and the Arm of Darkness Eikonic Feat. After unleashing Zantetsuken, you can use a series of abilities to deal the highest damage. Shiva's Diamond Dust, Ramuh's Judgment Bolt, and Lighting Rod are excellent choices. Coupled with Odin's Dancing Steel, these allow you to charge another Level 5 Zantetsuken and activate the rod for extra damage. Round off your attack with Bahamuth's Gigaflare and Phoenix's Flames of Rebirth for devastating damage.

Tailoring Your Attack for Different Modes

The damage from this combo is usually enough to dispose of any enemy in Story-Focused or Action-Focused modes. In Final Fantasy mode or Ultimaniac mode, this combination might not be enough to finish off heavy enemies and bosses, but it will still inflict substantial damage and shorten the fight duration. It's important to note that as all Eikon and their most powerful abilities need to be unlocked, you'll only be able to use this combo during the final segments of Final Fantasy XVI and from the second playthrough onward.

Maximizing Damage in the Early Stages

Players who are still working through the main campaign might need to deploy different techniques to maximize damage. Ramuh's Lighting Rod is a terrific ability for this purpose. It creates a ball of lighting that chains to nearby enemies, and any AOE or multi-hit attack will set it off. Combine this with Ifrit's Will o' the Wykes, which summons fireballs that circle Clive dealing damage to nearby targets, to set off Lighting Rod repeatedly. This combination inflicts substantial damage and quickly increases the staggering damage multiplier to 1.50. Lighting Rod synergizes well with various abilities, such as Gouge, Thunderstorm, Raging Fists, and Dancing Steel. Hence, acquiring Lighting Rod should be your top priority, giving you the flexibility to equip it to any Eikon without having to equip Ramuh and sacrifice any Eikonic Feat more useful than Blind Justice.