Battle ( term ) A battle , also known as a fight or an encounter , is an event in the " Final Fantasy " series and one of the key modules that make up a game . A battle can be triggered from either the Field or world map modules , most commonly through the random encounter system . In simple terms , a battle is commonly made up of a player party and an opposing party . The common objective of a battle is to defeat the opposing party by utilizing the abilities on the command menu . A unit is removed from battle when its HP stat reduces to 0 , imposing the Knocked Out status . Battles are made up of a large number of intricate systems and devices that affect the way the game is played . Each game is usually defined by its primary system , known simply as its battle system . Different battle systems vary on the time gauge , or lack thereof , and the order of attacks launched by each individual unit . All of the games have a status bar that include the player ' s important stats , such as HP and MP . On this bar is a command window that appears when a party unit has a chance to select a command . The commands have different effects , affecting a varying number of targets , and may make use of different elements and statuses . Outside of battle , players can incorporate support abilities into the mix , where a player automatically has an in - battle effector equipped . While the enemy party only varies in its abilities , and in some games its level , the player party has many more components that affect their performance in battle . The player ' s equipment allows them to use different strength and strains of weapon for different purposes . They also have different types of armor to protect against enemy attacks . Many games in the series also emulate an accessory option , which allows players to add support abilities and resist or absorb different statuses and elements . Further things that develop as the party progresses are the leveling systems . In the majority of games in the series , players increase levels based on the Experience Points gained . In a smaller number of games , abilities are learned by gaining Ability Points . After the player party defeats the enemy party , they will receive these rewards , often in addition to gil and any Item drop s the enemy may harbor . These are often displayed in the Battle Results screen . If the player should lose , with a few exceptions , the player will receive a Game Over . Encountering . A battle can be entered from either the World Map screen or the field screen . The most common type of encounter on the World Map is the random encounter , however , some games have a number of fixed encounter s on the World Map , such as Ruby Weapon , Emerald Weapon , and Ultimate Weapon in " Final Fantasy VII " . The field is where most forms of battle encounters are engaged , particularly in dungeon s . Random encounters . Random encounters are the primary method of engaging in battles in most games in the series , and the primary source of Level grinding . The World Map is covered in random encounters over different terrains . Usually encounters are avoided when traveling in vehicles . Different places have different encounter rates , for example , the lower areas of the Deep Sea Research Center in " Final Fantasy VIII " have a more intense encounter rate on the descent to Ultima Weapon , but after defeating it , there are no encounters on the way out . There are also a number of support abilities that affect the encounter rate ; Encounter Half and Encounter None . Sometimes there are one - off random encounters , such as the Mystery Ninja found in forest s in " Final Fantasy VII " , Ramuh found in the forest west of Istory in " Final Fantasy V " , or the friendly enemies of " Final Fantasy IX " . These often yield results , such as the recruiting of a new party member , the recruiting of a summon , or other healthy results . Enemies spawning on the field . In the later games in the series the random encounter method of initiating battle has been dropped , replaced by enemies that can be seen on the field . Getting close to the enemy initiates a battle , but the player also has the option to try and avoid battles by steering clear of the enemies on the field . In the Active Dimension Battle system utilized in " Final Fantasy XII " , the transition to a battlefield no longer happens , but all battles take place on the field . After an enemy has been killed the player usually has to travel far enough away for the enemy to respawn . Some enemies , such as the trophy Rare Game , never respawn once killed , akin to the one - off random encounters detailed above . Fixed encounters . Fixed encounters refer to encounters fought when a player moves into a set position . There are two primary types : the invisible , and the visible . Invisible fixed encounters can be found in the entire left area of the first floor of the Cavern of Earth in the original " Final Fantasy " . These are often used to protect treasure chests or to hinder progress through dungeons . Visible fixed encounters are visible things the player can see before they move into it . Visible fixed encounters are used to allow the player to choose their route to avoid traps , such as the webs in the Cave of the Gi that trigger an encounter against the Stinger enemy in " Final Fantasy VII " . They are also so the player knows there is something to gain , like the Cerberus boss in " Final Fantasy VIII " that leads to obtaining the Cerberus summon . Some fixed encounters remain after the battle is engaged , while others disappear after being encountered once . One - time only fixed encounters are used for boss battles or semi - boss battles , like the Iron Claw boss battle in " Final Fantasy V " , or the Four Fiends encounters in Memoria from " Final Fantasy IX " . Permanent fixed encounters can be exploited as a quick source of grinding as the battle can be reentered in less steps than random encounters , and often hold more rewards . Script encounters . Script encounters differ from normal fixed encounters as they are not an instant battle . Instead , after moving into a trigger area , or onto the trigger screen , a scene ensues . These are often used for boss battles . An example of this is when the player returns to Baron and the party converse with Baigan before encountering him in a boss battle in " Final Fantasy IV " . Action encounters . Action encounters are encounters that require the pressing of an action button before a battle occurs . An example of this are the Pirate enemies in Pravoka , encountered when the player talks to Bikke in the original " Final Fantasy " . Due to the options involved , the player can easily withhold from these battles before they happen and Menu grind before starting them . Action encounters are a common method for boss battles . Action encounters are exploited by the game through treasure chests spiked with Monster - in - a - box . Optional encounters . Optional encounters are a subordinate of an action encounter . Optional encounters , in terms of action encounters , refer to battles that can be avoided through the options the player may choose . An example of an optional encounter is the submarine crew in " Final Fantasy VII " the player only has to battle if they choose the option to . A conditional optional encounter is whether the party has completed Yuffie ' s sidequest in Wutai in the course of the game . If this is the case , the party can avoid the battle with the three Turks underneath Midgar . Types . There are numerous types of battle the player can participate in . The bulk of battles have the simple requirement of defeating all units of the enemy party . However some will only require the player to defeat a certain enemy to become victorious , or not allow a certain target to be defeated or face defeat or other lesser drawbacks . Other types of battle give the player little or no control over the outcome of the battle and lets various scripted components make the decision . Normal . Usually triggered by random encounters . A normal battle sets the basic objective of defeating all units of the enemy party through any means available . Most battles use this format , and all but a few random encounters and spawning enemy encounters do not . Boss battle . A regular boss functions exactly the same as a regular battle , but it is usually encountered through fixed script encounters , or action encounters . The music is different to a regular battle , usually sporting the boss theme , and there is a notable higher level of difficulty . The player is more likely to use a strategy as various parts of their arsenal may be less effective , while other less used abilities may be more beneficial in the battle . In a regular boss battle there is more often only a single target than in normal battles . Other boss battles will also commonly use an optional targets system . Furthermore , most other types of battle will only occur in boss battle situations . Phased battle . Certain battles will occur in phases , which means that when one enemy is defeated , another enemy will take its place , it will transform into another enemy , or its battle script will change . An example of battles where an enemy will take its place is the Hundred Gunner , which once defeated , is replaced by the Heli Gunner in " Final Fantasy VII " . An example of transforming enemies is when Fake President transforms into Gerogero after depleting its HP in " Final Fantasy VIII " . An example of a battle where the enemy changes its script after a certain depletion of HP is the Intangir in " Final Fantasy VI " , which will use Flee when its HP drops beneath a certain amount . A battle may often have more than two phases , as with the Bomb boss in " Final Fantasy IV " , which , after a script change , transforms into Mom Bomb . Once Mom Bomb is defeated , the Mom Bomb transforms into three Bomb enemies , and three Gray Bomb enemies . Yunalesca also is a three - tier battle in " Final Fantasy X " , where she transforms into the next form once the previous is defeated . Optional targets . An optional target battle refers to a battle where a number of the enemy targets do not have to be defeated for the battle to end , but instead usually only one target . These are often the case with enemies with boss - parts attached to them , such as the Arms of the central boss , like Left Arm and Right Arm to Baigan in " Final Fantasy IV " . In other situations , other boss - parts are just support to the central boss and are still defeated when the main boss is , such as the battle with where it is not necessary to defeat the enemies . In these sort of battles , the main boss will often respawn fallen boss - parts . In other cases , while the enemy is technically not optional , the primary enemy will have to be defeated to stop it from respawning the secondary enemy once defeated , and only then can the secondary enemy be defeated , such is the case with Zephyrus from " Final Fantasy V " and the Magus Sisters in " Final Fantasy IV " . Three - way battle . The three - way battles is a system added to " Final Fantasy XIII " . The two enemy parties will usually attack each other until one is defeated . Allied units . Battles with ally targets are battles where the player has to keep a target not in the player party alive . This often means the player should not use spells that attack all units in the enemy party , and have to dispatch enemies that do damage to it . This occurs with both forms of Prison Cage when it holds Vivi and Garnet in its separate situations in " Final Fantasy IX " . Another form of battle with ally targets is one where the Golem appears with the Zombie Dragon and Bone Dragon enemies in " Final Fantasy V " . The Zombie Dragon and Bone Dragon will attack the Golem , and the player has to dispatch them before they defeat it . If the player does , they obtain the Golem . Scripted battle . Scripted battles refer to battles where the player does not control the player party , and the battle functions as a cinematic sequence . An example of this is when Golbez is battled in the Tower of Zot in " Final Fantasy IV " , an uncontrolled Tellah will use a series of attacks until taking both himself and Golbez out with an unconventional Meteor attack . Another example where the player party isn ' t controlled by the player is during the battles at the Dragon ' s Neck Coliseum in " Final Fantasy VI " . The player character will battle using a script and the outcome of the battle relies on the Relics equipped , the stats of the player , the abilities available , and the luck of using appropriate abilities . Impossible to defeat . Impossible to defeat battles are usually a type of scripted battle where despite all the player ' s efforts , they are intended to lose . The player has full control over their characters , but the enemy is not intended to be defeated . An example of an impossible to defeat battle is the Black Knight battle at the start of " Final Fantasy II " where the player is supposed to be defeated . Though the fight can be won with cheat devices , some versions of the game will continue the story as if the player was defeated , whereas in other versions the game will go back to the main menu screen . Another example is the Guardian in " Final Fantasy VI " , which cannot be defeated in its non - storyline encounters and the player must escape the battle or be defeated and receive a Game Over . Impossible to lose . Impossible to lose battles are a type of battle where the player is not meant to lose . On some occasions , the player can still lose , but only through deliberate acts to lose ( such as attacking your own party ) . The final battle of " Final Fantasy VII " pits the player against Sephiroth , where the player has the option to use Omnislash , or another command . Using a non - offensive command , or letting Sephiroth attack first will result in Cloud instantly counterattacking to defeat Sephiroth . Another example in " Final Fantasy VII " is where a script - controlled Sephiroth in the player party will dispatch of enemies , even if the player - controlled Cloud may fall . Another example is the battle against the Sahagin in Kaipo in " Final Fantasy IV " , where the battle is won after Edward attacks three times . Another example exists in " Final Fantasy V " during Galuf ' s battle against Exdeath . Even when his HP depletes to 0 , Galuf can still continue fighting . In " Final Fantasy X " the last fight against Yu Yevon and the player ' s possessed aeons is impossible to lose normally due to permanent Auto - Life cast on the party through the entire series of battles . The party can still deliberately lose by petrifying themselves . Action requirement . A battle with an action requirement means the battle ends , or proceeds to the next phase , when a certain action is done . With friendly enemies , battles end when they receive the item they demand . When Gau originally makes an appearance in the battle on the Veldt in " Final Fantasy VI " , he joins the player if he is given Dried Meat . The Vargas boss is defeated once Sabin uses Raging Fist . An example of an action requirement to move a battle onto its next phase is during the first Zeromus boss battle where the boss can ' t be defeated until the Crystal is used , which moves it onto its next form . Battle layout . Battles use a basic layout in most games where the player party and enemy party are set in a formation , normally on opposite sides of the screen , on top of a battle background . The bottom of the screen holds the status bar , and a bar at the top of the screen reads enemy ability names and dialogue when necessary . Player party . The player party is comprised of a number of playable characters . A party usually consists of three or four members , but varies to a maximum of six . The series ' spin - off games that are of different genre often have just one party member in a battle , the sole playable character throughout the game . The earlier games of the " Final Fantasy " series organize the players into one of two Row s , the front row and the back row . The front row is often considered the norm , where attack damage and damage endurance are at a normal rate . Moving a player to back row will decrease damage dealt to enemy units , while decreasing the damage inflicted by the enemy to the player unit . Accuracy rates may also differ in some games , and the Long Range support ability found as its own ability , or sometimes automatically equipped to weapons , allows players in the back row to deal damage as if they were on the front row . The player party is built up of differing units . There is usually an amount of user customization in how the player wants to manipulate their units , however , there is also a level of initial individual differences , as well as different level progression in different areas . For example , in " Final Fantasy II " the player has three main playable characters throughout the game , but while any character can equip any weapon , Guy has the most Strength , HP , and Stamina , suiting him for a front row , strong weapon wielder . Maria starts off with a higher Intelligence stat making her better suited as a Black Mage , and her low HP suits her for a back row positioned Bow wielder , as her equip defaults suggest . Other games give more inclination into what a character is best suited for by limiting their equips . In the original " Final Fantasy " , the job system allows the player to choose jobs for their characters . This predefines what Magic they can learn , and what equipment they can equip . On the opposite end of the scale , other games with the job system may give less inclination into what each character is best suited for . " Final Fantasy V " allows each character to switch job class as the game progresses , with little individual differences between the characters , allowing them to customize each character ' s role in battle . In most games the player ' s party is fixed once the battle begins . In the old games the player can never change party members , the party members changing at predetermined point in the game , dictated by the game ' s plot . This evolved into a system where the player is allowed to choose the battle party , but only allowed to switch members in specific locations , such as the airship in " Final Fantasy VI " or Save point s in the games on the PlayStation One era . In " Final Fantasy X " and " Final Fantasy XII " , the player can freely switch members in and out of the battle party even during battle . Enemy party . There are a number of different compositions the enemy party can appear as in different locations . Each area where random encounters are available will have a number of different formations that can be encountered with different encounter rates for each . The enemy party also uses a row formation in early entries to the " Final Fantasy " series , albeit with a different functionality . Where the player party can put all their units on the back row , this cannot technically be achieved with the enemy party . The enemy party is organized into a formation ; units behind other units are on the back row , while units without a unit in front of it are on the front row . If all units in the front row are defeated , the next row behind them becomes the new front row and can be attacked for full damage . A player unit can attack an enemy unit for the same physical damage regardless of row with the Long Range support ability . While the player party always consist of units with the same cause , an enemy party may have split causes , or a different cause than to defeat the player party . Examples of this are the Golem battle in " Final Fantasy V " , the chocobo battles in " Final Fantasy VII " , the UFO ? battles in " Final Fantasy VIII " , the friendly enemies battles in " Final Fantasy IX " , and the three - way battles in " Final Fantasy XIII " , where enemies fight each other and only target the player once their opposing enemy target is defeated first . Enemies often have fixed stats and don ' t vary , or progress as the player party progresses . An exception to the rule is " Final Fantasy VIII " where weaker enemies are still fought towards the start and they get progressively harder , but their HP raises and their Magic gets stronger as the player ' s level increases . Attack formation . The term attack formation refers to both the placement of the two parties during a battle and the order of turns . In a normal formation , where the player party is at one side of the screen , and the enemy party is at the opposite , there are three types of battle . A normal battle gives both parties an equal chance of launching the first attack . In a preemptive attack the player is guaranteed to get the first chance to strike , whereas a surprise attack guarantees the enemy party will strike first . In " Final Fantasy XIII " , the player party can preemptive enemy parties , but enemy parties can ' t surprise attack the player . In the earlier games , the back attack formation has the player party on the left - hand side of the screen instead of the ordinary right - hand side . All the sprites are flipped horizontally so both parties still face each other , however , the player party ' s rows are switched , so units set to the front row are on the back row and vice versa . An example of a battle which is always a back attack is the second Scarmiglione battle in " Final Fantasy IV " . In later games , the player has their back to the enemy formation at the start . An example of a battle that is always like this is the Motor Ball battle in " Final Fantasy VII " . In the latest installments in the series back attacks have been eliminated completely . Introduced in " Final Fantasy VI " , side attacks have the party split in two and attack on either side of the enemy . If the sprite ' s back is to the attacking unit , they will deal double damage , and the sprite will be flipped . Pincer attacks , also known as ambushes , are the opposite , introduced in the same game , where the enemy attacks the player from both sides . An example of a battle that is always an ambush is the formation of six Touch Me enemies , three either side , fought outside Gongaga in its jungles in " Final Fantasy VII " . Status bar . The status bar holds important information about the player party during the battle . It will display the unit ' s names , their HP and MP stats , and any other necessary information , like the time gauge and the Limit gauge , if applicable . The status bar will also define the players in HP Critical health by highlighting the HP in yellow , and in red or gray if the player is Knocked Out . When a unit ' s time gauge is full , or when it is the player party ' s turn to select attacks , a command window appears that allows the user to select the unit ' s commands , often navigated with the famous finger cursor . There is often a list of commands , some of which are battle commands , others leading to skillsets with sub - menus , such as Black Magic or Item . Most units have the Attack and Item command by default , in addition to the Defend and Row options that allow the player to take half damage for a round or switch rows . These options are usually found by pressing left and right on the Command window . In earlier games , the player has the Escape command as a turn ' s action instead of the controller input device that allows the player party to attempt escape during their turns . Battle background . In the games where battles take place in a separate battlefield , as opposed to battles taking place directly on the field , the battle background defines where the player is . In the sprite - based games , the camera movement is flat and the background remains the same , perhaps with small animations , while the party units animate over the top . Model - based games have a moving camera that exposes different parts of the battlefield . Different field locations have different battle backgrounds relevant to the location ' s scenery . The World Map often uses the same battle background over the entire map depending on the terrain . In the original " Final Fantasy " , dungeons use the same battle background for all of its levels , except during the boss battle , which uses a unique one . In some of the earlier games , while there are no visible beach es , the player encounters enemies on a beach background by facing a random encounter on the border of an island . In certain locations , some places notably use the wrong battle background for the terrain , such as battling on a grass background when on beach terrain . In games where random encounters exist in the sea when on a boat , the player fights the enemy party on the deck . Oddly , the player party can still escape from these battles , clearly leaving the enemy intruders on - board . If the player encounters Emerald Weapon underwater in " Final Fantasy VII " , they will leave their submarine and battle it in an underwater background . Due to the problems with breathing underwater , the game gives a timer of twenty minutes to defeat the enemy until an automatic Game Over . The timer disappears if the player has the Underwater Materia , its Japanese name literally being " Underwater Breathing " . Underwater battles also occur in " Final Fantasy X " , limiting the party members to Tidus , Wakka , and Rikku , and in " Final Fantasy VI " during Sabin ' s scenario . Systems . Battle systems . The battle systems are the core engine for battles , that defines when a player can take a turn and who the player can control . The original games released on the NES use a traditional turn based system where the battle is fought in rounds . Each unit selects a command , and the units ' speed decides the order each one fights . The battle system developed further for the SNES era , where the system developed into the Active Time Battle system , allows the speed stat to decide how fast the time gauge fills . Active Time Battle battles aren ' t in rounds , and units attack whenever their time gauge fills , so the number of attacks from each unit doesn ' t have to be even . The Conditional Turn Based system is used in the " Final Fantasy Tactics " games , and in " Final Fantasy X " . In this system the game uses the speed stats to create an order of attacks . In this system the amount of time it takes to select a command has no effect over the order the unit attacks as it is always fixed . Statuses such as Haste and Slow affect the order . The Real Time Battle system used in " Final Fantasy XI " and " Final Fantasy XIV " works by removing the encounter systems , and the battle module is merged with the World Map module where enemies can be found . Players can choose to attack enemies , just as some enemies can choose to attack players . The Active Dimension Battle system in " Final Fantasy XII " is a merge of the traditional ATB system and the Real Time Battle system , and the Command Synergy Battle system of " Final Fantasy XIII " has the time bar not decide when it is the player ' s turn , but how many and what type of attacks a player can execute on their turn . Abilities . Abilities can be split into two types : Support abilities , divided into external support abilities and internal support abilities , or battle support abilities , and command abilities . Support abilities are automatic abilities , where command abilities are selectable commands . Support abilities . External support abilities are either for the World Map , or abilities like Alert and Encounter None , which prevent back attacks and all attacks respectively . The other pool of support abilities keep fixed statuses on players during the battle . These include counter abilities , or Reaction abilities such as the basic Counter for physical attacks , Magic Counter for returning spells , and Auto - Potion which counters an attack by using a Potion on their self . Other abilities keep a status afflicted during the entire battle , such as Auto Regen for Regen , and Auto - Reflect for Reflect . Another type of support ability are other effectors , like Chemist increasing the potency of restorative items , and Half MP reducing the cost of spells . Support abilities can in some games be learned and then be equipped , such as the Independent Materia in " Final Fantasy VII " , Guardian Force s ' support abilities in " Final Fantasy VIII " , support abilities in " Final Fantasy IX " . In some games , once the support ability has been learned , the character has it permanently , such as the augment system in " Final Fantasy XII " . In other games the player can only get these effects from equipment . In " Final Fantasy XIII " the player can synthesize special effects by equipping the correct pieces of equipment simultaneously . Command abilities . Command abilities often refer to the items shown on the primary command window . Commands that open up into further skills are known as skillsets . Due to this , the Item command is known as a skillset , where the items are its abilities . Command abilities have many different effects , physical or magical , non - elemental or elemental , or status - inflicting . Some abilities like Defend and Hide allow the player to avoid damage . What commands a character can use depends on the game ' s character development system . In games with a job system , the character ' s job determines which commands they have available . In other games each character is a blank slate and the player can customize exactly what commands they can use . Most games also have a Limit Break system , which works differently in every game , but is not always a command ability . Stats . Each party unit has a set of stats , which affect different aspects of the battle . Some stats are primary stats and are just raw stats , others are secondary and are calculated based on primary stats and equipment . Most stats are raised by level ing up , and some are raised by specific items . Accessories also impact stats . Some abilities can affect stats , for example , Dischord halves the level of its target , and all the stats affected by the level , and Haste , which affects the speed . Elements . Each enemy unit has a set of elemental affinities . Most of the time , elements will remove a standard amount of damage ; however , units can be weak to it and take more damage , they can halve the damage dealt by it , be resistant to it and lose no health , or they can absorb it , which means they gain health from the element . Some games use a general system where Fire is strong against Ice and vice versa , and Lightning is strong against Water and vice versa . Other games use a more complex system with up to nine elements that affect different types of enemy . Robots are often weak to Lightning and the Undead are weak to Holy , and sometimes also Fire . A number of weapons are elemental , such as the Flametongue for Fire and Icebrand for Ice . Armor can protect against or absorb elements , as can some accessories . Status effects . The battle system is rife with status effects . Some status effects affect the party members ' stats , such as Haste and Slow affecting the speed stat and therefore changing how many turns they get , and Blind heavily reducing the hit rate . Silence stops targets from using MP consuming abilities . A number of status effects have both negative and positive effects . Berserk limits a unit to just the basic Attack command , but makes attacks stronger . Some characters fall into a status depending on their HP . When their HP is 0 , they are Knocked Out and must be revived . When a unit has below a certain percentage of their HP remaining they enter the critical status , which makes their HP turn yellow , and their pose often changes . Positive effects of this status are different depending on the game . In many games , units with the Cover support ability will protect an allied critical unit , and in some games , the critical status is when the Limit Break system comes to life . A notable status is All Lucky 7s in " Final Fantasy VII " entered when a player has exactly 7 , 777 HP . When a character enters the status they will do a sequence of 63 attacks for exactly 7 , 777 damage , and take 7 , 777 damage for every attack after while in this status . Individual units can have statuses unique to them . Vincent ' s Limit abilities in " Final Fantasy VII " have him morph into different forms , give a loss of player control , and change many stats . The Guard Scorpion of " Final Fantasy VII " has two statuses . Its normal status is encountered normally , and its alternate status is when it raises its tail where its movement changes and it gains a new counter ability . While status effects were designed for battle , some have an effect out of battle . Float can allow players to move harmlessly over Damage floor s , and Poison can cause a player to take damage for every step . In some games , like " Final Fantasy VII " and " Final Fantasy XIII " status effects don ' t last after battle . Equipment . Equipment is a feature only available to the party in most games . Equipping the party members with the range of equipment is one of the systems which develop the character . Types of equipment are usually specific to a number of characters , where Mages and similar jobs wear light armor and equip weaker weapons , and offensive job classes have stronger weapons and equip heavier armor . Games where the characters can switch their job class usually also have a job class that can equip anything , such as Onion Knight from " Final Fantasy III " , and Freelancer from " Final Fantasy V " . Basic equipment categorized by their material can usually be found in shop s , such as the Bronze equipment and Mythril equipment . Unique weapons , like the Flametongue or the Blood Sword , are often found in dungeons . Weapons . Weapons are the attacking force of the player party in the series . Weapon types range in their purposes . Bows , Crossbows , and gun s are designed for long - distance attacks . Axes , hammers and the variety of swords are meant for physical attack . Many weapons are designed for specific job classes , such as staves and rods for Mages , spears for Dragoon , unarmed , gloves and claws for Monks , and cards and dice for Gamblers . Most games assign a particular type of weapon to a character or types of weapon to job classes . In some games , such as is " Final Fantasy II " and " Final Fantasy XII " , every character can use and master any weapon . How much damage a character deals with their weapon is often calculated as a combination of their strength / magic stat and the weapon ' s attack stat . Armor . Armor is divided into different groups in different games . Job class games often have a number of different weight classes . There are also different types of armor depending on its placement on the body , such as body armor , helmets , and shields , where some other games limit it just to body armor . Heavy armor is often used by Warriors , Dragoons , and Berserkers . Units are slowed down by its weight , has no evasion effector , but has high defense . Light armor can be used by most job classes , weighs less , has no evasion effector , and has slightly less defense . Robe s can be used by Mage job classes , has less defense , weighs less , but has high Magic Defense and Magic Evasion stats . In games without job classes , all characters often have access to all armor . In " Final Fantasy VIII " and " Final Fantasy XIII " the player can equip no armor at all . Accessories . Accessories each have their own ability . They can increase a unit ' s stat , protect against statuses , and decrease the effect of , cancel the effect of , or absorb elements . They can also grant support abilities like automatic statuses , and increase rates . Accessories can often by equipped by every player unit . Summon . A common ability in many entries to the series , summon calls the assistance of another unit during battle . This unit is not always part of the enemy or player party , but a unique entity involved only in its calling . Earlier games of the series used summons as an ability , which called upon a sequence , for a higher MP cost than normal spells , but for a greater effect . Later installments have integrated summons into different aspects of the battle . In " Final Fantasy VIII " , when a player selects the GF command the Guardian Force imposes their name over the user ' s name , and the GF ' s HP replaces the unit ' s HP and takes all damage dealt to the player unit . If their HP hits 0 before the ability is used , the summon is not called . Furthermore , each character has a compatibility with the individual Guardian Force , and the Guardian Force give their abilities to the players , essentially meaning the GF system controls most of the battle system since players only have access to the Attack and Item command without them . " Final Fantasy X " evolved this system with its aeons . Aeons summoned into battle replace the player party , and when the summon is withdrawn or has their HP reduced to 0 , the player party returns . Each aeon has their own set of commands and Overdrive , essentially making them playable characters . Similar systems are seen in Espers from " Final Fantasy XII " and Eidolons from " Final Fantasy XIII " . Limit Break . The Limit Break system is an addition made to the " Final Fantasy " series in " Final Fantasy VI " , known then as a Desperation Attack . Desperation Attacks are part of a simple system where a character has a chance to perform their Desperation Attack , a unique ability to them . The simple system developed into the Limit Break system of " Final Fantasy VII " that added a development system to Limit Breaks , where the amount of times certain Limit Breaks are used , or the amount of enemies killed or the use of specific items , would allow the character ' s to learn new Limit Breaks . In some games , the chance to use Limit Breaks appears when the character ' s Limit gauge fills after being hit . " Final Fantasy IX " has a gauge system , but the player loses the control to use the command ; instead Trance occurs instantly when the gauge is full . In " Final Fantasy VIII " each character is given a unique Limit Break system , such as Quistis ' s Blue Magic , and Zell ' s button input within a certain time . If the player is in critical health , they have a chance of randomly getting a chance to use a Limit Break . This chance is affected by a hidden stat known as Crisis Level , and the game also has a spell that allows the player to use Limit Breaks even in full health . " Final Fantasy X " uses a gauge that is filled in different ways , set by Overdrive Mode . Much like " Final Fantasy VIII " , each character has their own system , such as Lulu using a different amount of spells matching the amount of times the analogue stick is rotated , and Auron having to press a sequence of buttons to determine the strength of his attack . In " Final Fantasy XII " the player can chain their Limit Breaks , known as Quickenings , together , and depending on the type of Quickenings chained can trigger special attacks known as Concurrences . Critical hits . Critical hits are an increased damage strike on the enemy . In some games , a critical hit ignores the target ' s defense , allowing the player to deal normal damage to Flan type enemies . In some games , critical hits only apply to certain weapons . Other attacks , such as Limit Breaks in some games , can also achieve critical hits . Enemy sourced abilities . In the series , there have been many occurrences of using or learning abilities originally used by enemies , taught by enemies , or utilized from enemies . The most common form used in most games is Blue Magic under one of its many guises . Blue Magic is a skillset that stores abilities learned from enemies . The advantages of using Blue Magic is it can grant access to stronger abilities than would be available at that point in the game , and they generally have lower MP costs in comparison to similar spells . It also grants access to special attacks that wouldn ' t otherwise be available in the other Magic skillsets . There have been a number of different methods used throughout the series to learn these abilities . One of the most common methods is for the player with the skill to be attacked by the ability . This method usually takes longer in some situations where the enemy is reluctant to use the ability , and doesn ' t always use it on the character with the ability that allows them to learn it . Some enemies will only use the ability under certain circumstances , such as Chocobuckle from " Final Fantasy VII " , and in some games enemies may never normally use the ability , or use the ability on the player party in regards to restorative spells . These abilities are only available to the player if they use Control . The other common method used is to learn the abilities from specific enemies with a command , such as Kimahri ' s Lancet command in " Final Fantasy X " , and Quina ' s Eat or Cook commands in " Final Fantasy IX " . While Lancet in " Final Fantasy X " can be used on any enemy at any point and guarantee the learning of the spell , Eat in " Final Fantasy IX " requires the target to be in the critical status beneath a percentage of their max HP for it to succeed . Due to this , enemies don ' t technically need to possess the ability for the player to learn it from them . In " Final Fantasy VIII " , Quistis learns her abilities through items dropped by enemies or modified from their cards . In some games , enemy abilities can be permanently missed if all enemies that are sources of the enemy ability are bosses or only encountered in Unrevisitable locations . Other methods of enemy sourced abilities exist , usually parallel to Blue Magic . The Catch command allows players to catch individual enemies , and then use the Release command to release them to deal an attack . Only one enemy can be caught at a time and caught enemies are kept until they are released . The Catch command will only be successful if the enemy in a low enough level of the critical status . Sketch in " Final Fantasy VI " allows its user to use one of the target ' s attacks against itself if the ability is successful . The Rage skillset allows the user in the same game relinquish the player control and has a fifty - percent chance of using one of the enemy ' s attacks on their turn . The Draw and Cast commands in " Final Fantasy VIII " allow the player to use an enemy ' s spells on itself immediately . They can also be stocked for use later on . Control . Control allows the user to take control of a target in the enemy party if the command is successful . On the player ' s turn , the player will be able to select a command from a list of attacks the enemy will use . This allows for easier learning of , and in some cases , necessary to learn , Blue Magic abilities . It can also be used to stop a particular enemy from being able to attack , and it can be used so weaker enemies can knock down small amounts of HP , particularly useful in " Final Fantasy VII " to obtain a HP count ending in 77 to help achieve the All Lucky 7s status . During the control , the the player controlling the enemy cannot attack . Units in the Control status will fall out of the Control status when it is attacked . The user cannot use it on a member of its own team , and no enemies have this ability , meaning its a player exclusive ability and an enemy exclusive status . In " Final Fantasy VII " during a battle against two enemies , if one is manipulated , the other will counter , and the other will counter the counter and this continues until one loses all its HP . Inventory . The Item command is available in most entries to the " Final Fantasy " series , appearing at the bottom of the Command window . Labeled a skillset , with its abilities being classed as the usable items , known as Use items , the Item command allows the user to spend items from their inventory to gain an effect in battle . With the exception of Tent and other items only available at Save point s , all recovery items can be used during battle . A number of offensive items are also available , usually inflicting both positive and status effects . Most games also assign multiple items to each key element , for example the Antarctic Wind , Arctic Wind , and White Fang usually deal ice - elemental damage comparable to Blizzard , Blizzara , and Blizzaga respectively . In some games , the health restored from restorative items is specific , which makes it easier for the player to land on a specific number . In " Final Fantasy VII " , All Lucky 7s can be achieved easily by getting a character to have their HP end in the digits 77 . After this , they can use a number of types of Potions to restore to 7 , 677 HP , and using a Potion immediately in the next battle to guarantee achieving the status . Some items with their primary use being used in the field also serve a purpose in battle , such as the Dead Pepper from " Final Fantasy IX " , and the Greens from " Final Fantasy VII " . The Throw command allows items from the player ' s inventory to be spent on damaging the enemy . The Throw command specifically allows the player to throw unequipped weapons to inflict damage to the enemy based on the weapon ' s attack , and also the user ' s Level and Strength depending on the game . In addition , usually a number of Shuriken items that have no other purpose than the Throw command can be thrown . Another method the inventory has an effect on the battle is through the Auto - Potion support ability , that causes the user with the ability equipped to use a Potion from the user ' s inventory when they are attacked . A similar ability , the Auto - Phoenix ability does the same for Phoenix Down items when they fall into the Knocked Out status in " Final Fantasy X " . The Mix command allows the player to select two items from their inventory to create a new item the player uses instantly . While many of these items are also available as inventory items , the better outcomes are usually unique abilities to the Mix command . The result of the command usually depend on the two items picked , and the order they are placed . Steal . Items are further involved in battles through treasures kept by enemies . These items can be retrieved from them and added to the player ' s inventory through use of the Steal command . The Mug command which appears in some games is another method which attempts to steal the item , and inflicts additional damage . Some games assigns enemies with the Steal command , or similar commands , which allow them to steal an item from the player ' s inventory . Furthermore , these enemies are also equipped with Escape so the player can permanently lose the item . If the enemy is defeated before escaping , the item is returned to the player ' s inventory . Enemy ' s items work in different ways in different games . In many games , each enemy has a common and rare steal , whereas in others enemies may have a number of different items , all at different steal rates and in different priorities . Certain equipment can increase the chance of a successful steal , such as the Thief Gloves . Poach . The Poach command allows players to instantly defeat units with a certain level of Critical HP , and those not immune , and receive an item . In some games , the Poach command inflicts a smaller amount of damage than an average attack , and if the strike reduces the enemy ' s HP to 0 , they are defeated and the item is received . Items received are often rarer , such as the Guide Book , an item only only available by successfully beating the Ghost Ship using the command in " Final Fantasy VII " . Gil . Some abilities allow for the amount of gil spent on the attack to contribute to the damage the attack will do . The most common way of doing this is using the Gil Toss ability . In " Final Fantasy X " , the summon Yojimbo uses this method to contribute to the decision of which of the five abilities he does , including both variations of Wakizashi , to one unit and to all enemy units . The Bribe command allows the player to spend an amount of gil to retrieve items from the enemy . If a specific amount is given , the enemy will leave the battle and the player will get an item . Items retrieved from this are usually rare . Limits . Limits , or caps , refer to a max output number that cannot be exceeded through ordinary means . The term occurs most often with Damage , HP , MP , and Level , but there are other limits present in games such as Gil , 99 of an item , or 100 or 255 with a particular stat . Ordinarily , Damage and HP are capped at 9 , 999 , MP at 999 , and Level at 99 , however there have been instances of capping at Level 100 . During most situations , the game won ' t allow the player to do anything that would ordinarily increase a figure that has already reached its limit , however some games allow the player to waste things , such as items , even when a maximum is reached , such as the source items of " Final Fantasy VII " . The " Final Fantasy XIII " system notoriously breaks the tradition and removes the 9 , 999 HP cap from characters , and Damage is initially capped at 99 , 999 , which can later be extended to 999 , 999 . Some things are naturally designed to not be limited by a cap . An example of this is Eden from " Final Fantasy VIII " . " Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII - " is notable for allowing the limits for HP , MP , and SP to be exceeded when a player gets a successful combination in the DMW . However , if the limits are at 9 , 999 , 999 , and 999 respectively , they will not be broken . Damage limits can unnaturally be broken when there ' s a " damage overflow " , such as killing a large number of enemies makes the Death Penalty an instant kill weapon , and equipping a great number of AP to the Missing Score weapon does the same , both in " Final Fantasy VII " . There are a number of support abilities that allow some of the limits to be broken , but these abilities just extend the cap to another digit more . These are called Break Damage Limit for damage , extending the cap to 99 , 999 , Break HP Limit for HP , extending the cap to 99 , 999 , Break MP Limit for MP , extending the cap to 9 , 999 , and Break AP Limit for AP , extending the cap to 9 , 999 . In " Final Fantasy VII " , the caps for MP and HP can be exchanged for a 9 , 999 MP cap and a 999 HP cap by equipping the HP < - > MP Materia . Other special attacks . A number of abilities use non - logical mechanics to determine the outcome . Examples include Chocobuckle from " Final Fantasy VII " that take off damage based on the amount of battles escaped from . The ultimate weapons of " Final Fantasy VII " are based on different things , including how full the Limit gauge is , the closeness to maximum HP or MP of a character , and the amount of kills done with the weapon . There are also Level based attacks that only connect with targets with a level divisible by the specified number . Due to the Level 100 maximum in " Final Fantasy VIII " , Level 5 Death will defeat all enemies if they are at maximum level . A number of attacks reduce player ' s HP to single - digit , or low HP . In some games these are considered Gravity elemental , however in others it isn ' t treated as an element . A number of spells , including Death , are classified as Instant Death attacks . Also aerial enemies , essentially in a Float , can avoid earth attacks . Other systems . Individual games use systems unique to them . In " Final Fantasy VI " , Gau and Gogo can use the Rage command that opens up a menu with 252 possible commands , all based on enemies from whom they can be taught . When a character uses a Rage , they are granted status effects , status immunities , and elemental affinities . The player loses control of the character and they will have a fifty - percent change of using a normal physical attack on their turn , and a fifty - percent chance of using a specific ability , originally used by the enemy it was taught from . In " Final Fantasy VIII " , the game revolves around a Draw system , both in and out of battle . Its use in battle is to stock up on the enemy ' s spells , cast the enemy ' s spells against them , and , for a number of bosses , to draw GF from them . The GF drawn from bosses are permanently missed if they are not drawn from the boss , however , if they are missed from the original bosses , a number of bosses in Ultimecia Castle also have the GF . " Final Fantasy VIII " is also home of the trigger for Squall ' s Gunblade . When Squall strikes an enemy , a timed R1 press guarantees a critical hit . This can also be used in his Renzokuken Limit Break . The Devour command allows the player to " eat " enemies for negative or positive effects depending on the enemy . It will only work on a target in a certain level of the Critical status . Conclusion . The outcome of an ordinary battle is either a victory , followed by its rewards , or a defeat , followed by Game Over , if they haven ' t escaped prematurely . However , different battles demand different things from the player , and defeating the entire enemy party isn ' t always the target battle . It is not possible to defeat some enemies , and the idea of the battle is to be defeated . Escape . Battle can end with the party escaping from battle . Battles can be escaped from with the escape command , although this does not guarantee an escape , or via Smoke Bombs or Warp type of magic , which are more reliable . Escaping from a battle usually ends with the party not earning any EXP , and in some games , the player loses money if they escape . In " Final Fantasy VIII " , the player does receive some EXP if the player attacked enemies before escaping . In " Final Fantasy XII " the player characters sheath their weapons and cease all actions at the escape command , but the enemies can still chase the party . In " Final Fantasy XIII " the escape option has been completely removed , replaced by the Retry option . This same mechanic is used in " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 " , with the added caveat that the option to Retry is locked if the player runs out of time on the Mog Clock , though even if locked , it will still be offered if the battle ends in defeat . Not all battles can be escaped from , including almost all boss battles . The optional Guardian battles of " Final Fantasy VI " must be escaped to avoid Game Over since the battles cannot be won . Victory . A victory is usually earned when the entire enemy party is defeated . After this the player will be rewarded with Experience Points , Ability Points , gil , and any items dropped . Sometimes an alternate victory is achieved by satisfying the enemy ' s needs in an action requirement battle , or defeating enemies but sparing allies in allied unit battles . Game Over . A Game Over is received when the entire player party is defeated . A Game Over can also be received during allied unit battles when the ally is defeated . Nonfatal defeat . A nonfatal defeat usually occurs in impossible to defeat battles , or in battles that the party doesn ' t necessarily have to win . During the battles against Beatrix and Kuja in " Final Fantasy IX " , the party is supposed to be overpowered before being defeated . In " Final Fantasy X " , the player can lose to Belgemine ' s aeons without it being classed as a defeat . Musical themes . There are three notable types of battle themes in the games . The normal battle theme against normal encounters , the boss theme against boss enemies , and the final boss theme against the final boss of the game . Often other bosses are fought with their own battle themes , and sometimes music from the field overflows into the battle instead of playing a battle theme , such as " Dust to Dust " continuing playing during battles in Oerba in " Final Fantasy XIII " instead of changing into the regular battle theme . Other special battles often have their own theme such as the friendly enemies in " Final Fantasy IX " . The " Victory Fanfare " is a notable piece in the " Final Fantasy " series that plays after the player victors in a battle .