Stagger Stagger ( Bonus in the " Final Fantasy XIII " demo ) is a gameplay feature in " Final Fantasy XIII " , " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 " , and " " . For the first two games , as the party consistently attacks an enemy , its chain bonus will increase . When the chain bonus reaches the enemy ' s stagger point , the chain bonus is instantly increased by 100 % and the target is generally more vulnerable to all kinds of attack ( including status ailments ) . In addition , a staggered target ' s chain bonus increases more rapidly due to its chain resistance being ignored for the duration . A modified version of stagger appears in " Lightning Returns : Final Fantasy XIII " . While staggered , the chain gauge will steadily decrease ( although percentage damage may still build as usual ) , and the enemy stops being staggered and has its chain bonus reset to 100 % when the timer runs out . In the Easy Mode of " Final Fantasy XIII " , a mode available in the Japanese and PC versions only , staggered enemies receive much more damage than in Normal Mode . Appearances . " Final Fantasy XIII " . Chain bonus . The enemy ' s chain bonus is a direct multiplier for all damage dealt to it ; if an attack ' s base damage is 1000 , a chain bonus of 250 % results in 2500 damage being done . This occurs whether the enemy is staggered or not , so it is always to the player ' s advantage to raise the number . The chain percentage affects the success of most actions from damage dealt to the chance to inflict statuses , and even things like the chance of Odin ' s Zantetsuken inflicting Instant Death . When an enemy becomes staggered , its chain bonus instantly increases by 100 % , and continues increasing with attacks to a maximum of 999 . 9 % . When calculating damage dealt by an attack , the game first calculates the increased chain bonus ; for example , if an attack would increase an enemy ' s chain bonus from 100 % to 110 % , the damage is calculated with the 110 % . The amount that an attack increases the chain bonus does not depend on the damage it deals , though it is affected by relevant resistances of the enemy . The chain bonus can rise even if the enemy takes no damage , such as against enemies that are immune to damage . The player may notice when using restorative and enhancing abilities that allies also have a chain gauge . A player character ' s chain gauge does not increase when attacked , but when healed or enhanced by a Medic or Synergist respectively , and the chain gauge directly improves further healing and enhancement duration . Chain resistance . Each enemy has a chain resistance ranging from 0 to 100 , which decreases the base chain bonus impact of abilities targeting it . Some enemies have 100 chain resistance , meaning that abilities don ' t increase their chain bonus on their own . Several sets of circumstances can increase an enemy ' s chain bonus separately , such as attacking with enhancements , attacking while the enemy has negative status effects , attacking with different abilities , and attacking an enemy ' s weak element or type . While an enemy is staggered , its chain resistance is reduced to 0 . Staggering enemies . Ravagers increase an enemy ' s chain bonus the fastest , but do not increase the chain gauge timer by much with each attack . On the other hand , Commandos , Saboteurs , and Sentinels have abilities that do not increase the chain bonus much , but are effective at slowing down the rate the enemy ' s stagger gauge depletes . The target ' s elemental resistances play a role in building the chain bonus ; attacking with the ice element increases the enemy ' s chain bonus more effectively when the enemy is weak to ice , and is less effective when the enemy resists it . The Ravager ' s role bonus allows them to fill the chain gauge faster , and this bonus is bigger the higher the Ravager ' s role level is , and the more Ravagers there are in the current paradigm . Full ATB skill s , like Lightning ' s Army of One and Sazh ' s Cold Blood , boost the stagger percentage value fast , but are more effective the higher the percentage already is . Certain passive abilities boost the party ' s ability to amass chain bonuses . The Commando ' s Jeopardize adds + 1 . 0 against a staggered target . The Ravager ' s Overwhelm adds + 1 . 0 for each ally targeting the same enemy , and the Ravager ' s Vigor adds + 1 . 0 when the Ravager ' s HP is above 70 % . Sazh ' s Antares Deluxes class of weapons have the Chain Bonus Boost abilities , which add + 1 . 0 for the regular version of the ability , and + 2 . 0 for the upgraded Chain Bonus Boost II . The actual formula by which the game adds to the chain percentage on attack is quite complicated with a long list of variables and conditions . For example , Commandos add slightly more to the chain percentage when they attack a launched opponent , Ravagers add more chain percentage when they alternate their spells , and the chain bonus effect is greater the more enhancements party members have and the more negative status effects the target has . For an exact list of all the variables , see the link in external links section at the bottom of this page . Near stagger . When a target ' s chain gauge is about 90 % - 92 % full , the enemy turns red and the gauge will flash , which indicates the enemy has reached the " near stagger " status . This is most applicable to Lightning ' s weapon ability , Quick Stagger , which will instantly stagger enemies in near stagger status . Performing a preemptive attack causes all enemies to enter near stagger for 10 seconds regardless of their respective stagger points . When the enemy becomes staggered , the chain bonus immediately increases by 100 % ( but does not exceed 999 . 9 % ) and the enemy ' s chain resistance drops to zero . The effects on individual enemies vary : some enemies are weaker against type / elemental damage and statuses , some enemies ' attack patterns change , and most regular enemies can be launch into the air when they are staggered . Players can launch opponents with the Commando ' s Launch auto - ability . - Ga level spells and Aero - series abilities can also lift enemies up in the air , but not as high as the Commando ' s Launch . Launching an enemy allows for even greater damage , as the foe is held aloft by attacks and prevented from action until it falls and stands again . Aerial enemies cannot be launched , and most boss es are immune to Launch as well , though there are some exceptions , such as the " the Proudclad " while ground - borne . Enemies about to be staggered strobe golden - orange , while staggered enemies have a slowly - pulsing glow of the same color . Fang ' s and Snow ' s special attacks ( Highwind and Sovereign Fist ) will clear a stagger chain gauge , as does performing an Eidolon ' s special attack in Gestalt Mode . Stagger status lasts minimum of 8 seconds and maximum of 45 seconds . The time is equal to double the remaining gauge time when the enemy was staggered ; thus enemies that take longer to stagger also stay staggered longer . Abilities that affect stagger . Stagger Lock . Stagger Lock is a weapon auto - ability , which prevents the wielder from staggering an enemy . The character can still raise the chain bonus up to the stagger limit , but can ' t bring the opponent past the stagger threshold , meaning the other allies in the party will have to do it . If the enemy is already staggered , the character with Stagger Lock can continue to raise the chain as normal . Every character has a Stagger Lock weapon , and they have higher stats than most other weapons to counter the handicap . Quick Stagger . Quick Stagger is a weapon auto - ability , which staggers an opponent in " near stagger " status . Lightning ' s Lionheart ( " Final Fantasy XIII " ) and the ( " " ) have this ability . Stagger Maintenance . Sazh ' s Procyons and its upgrades have this auto - ability and increase the stagger time limit by 10 % ( Stagger Maintenance ) or 30 % ( Stagger Maintenance II ) if Sazh was the one who staggered the target , but will not increase the stagger duration past the maximum limit of 45 seconds . Random : Instant Chain . Random : Instant Chain is a synthesized ability , gained by equipping enough equipment pieces at once that have it as a trait . Random : Instant Chain gives the character a 0 . 5 % chance of instantly raising the chain up to the Stagger Point with each hit . It does not stagger the target , but any next attack will . Random : Instant Chain does not work on enemies over level 49 , which means it won ' t work on bosses and some of the more difficult mission marks . The random chance of instantly raising the gauge to the Stagger Point is based on the number of times the chain bonus value is calculated . Since Sazh ' s Attack command calculates the chain bonus only once , he has one chance to activate Random : Instant Chain during his attack , despite him actually attacking twice per each Attack command . Sazh ' s Full ATB Skill on the other hand calculates the chain bonus 17 times , giving 17 chances for Random : Instant Chain to activate . Raising the chain is not a requirement for Random : Instant Chain ; the command used only needs to have a chain bonus calculation step . Stagger - stopping . When staggered , attacks from the player will occasionally prevent build - up attacks , such as Enlil ' s Raging Tempest attack or summoning moves . Sometimes , attacking the enemy will prevent normal physical or magic attacks . This only works while the enemy is staggered . " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 " . The formula for chain bonus is as follows : The formula for stagger duration is as follows : When launching a preemptive strike on an enemy the party can no longer fill the stagger gauge to full , but instead , they can fill it up to 120 . 0 % on the first strike , still gaining an advantage . Enemies can be launched in the air incapacitating them by the Commando ' s Launch ability , and several Paradigm Pack members can do so as well , such as the Behemoth - types ' Heave ability . Allies have a chain gauge even if allies cannot be staggered and their higher chain gauge does not have them take more damage , as with enemies . Instead , the allies ' chain gauge is raised whenever the respective ally receives healing or enhancements from Medics and Synergists . The Synergists ' enhancements aren ' t notably affected by a higher chain gauge , but healing spells restore more HP to an ally the higher their chain gauge is . Healing spells deplete the gauge faster than Synergist enhancements ; in a way , the Synergists may be seen as a Commando , and the Medics as a Ravager ; the Synergist stabilizes the gauge while the Medics raise it . Using this method , it is possible to raise an ally ' s gauge to 999 . 9 % . Several passive abilities that affect stagger return in " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 " . Such abilities are found in weapons and learned by monsters in the Crystarium system . New to " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 " , certain bosses can be staggered by correctly performing Cinematic Action s . Caius Ballad can perform " Chain Break " to reset his chain gauge . This effect is random and has no set conditions , as such it cannot be anticipated and makes his boss fight all the more intimidating . Staggering enemies 50 times earns the player the " Staggering " achievement / trophy . Stagger , also known as Knock Out in the Japanese version , appears in a modified form with different mechanics from previous games in the series . Killing a staggered enemy raises its chances of dropping after battle . Staggering fifty enemies earns the achievement . Stagger Wave . The " Stagger Wave " appears with an enemy ' s HP gauge . It has three colors : initially blue , it will turn yellow when the enemy is approaching being staggered , and turns red when the enemy ' s Stagger Wave has reached 70 % . Each monster has its own stagger point and conditions for raising the Stagger Wave . These conditions are listed in each monster ' s bestiary entry . The Stagger Power of every ability used by the player against an opponent is added to the target ' s Stagger Wave . When enough Stagger Power is accumulated and the enemy reaches its Stagger Point , it will be staggered . Each ability is ranked from A to E , with E rank being the weakest . Stagger Power by rank : The Stagger Wave deteriorates when no abilities connect with the enemy , and the accumulated Stagger Power eventually expires to 0 . This is known as Stagger Decay . . " Commando " - type abilities , such as , Ruin and Blitz help to maintain the Stagger Wave to prevent Stagger Power from decaying . The rate of decay is a modifier unique to every monster . Lightning can temporarily stop the Stagger Wave from decaying through Stagger Preservation . All monsters have a cap on this value . Generally , this value does not exceed 600 , but Ereshkigal has a maximum Stagger Preservation value of 1000 . Each ability has its own Stagger Preservation value and is ranked in - game from A to E , with E rank being the weakest . Stagger Preservation by rank : Preservation Decay is a value unique to each monster , which is used to calculate the amount of time where the Stagger Wave does not decay even though Lightning is not using abilities on the monster . formula _ 3 Where A = Stagger Preservation , B = Preservation Decay , and C = the amount of time where Stagger Decay does not take effect . For example , if Lightning casts Blitz twice on a Chocobo Eater , the Stagger Preservation value will be 600 . The Preservation Decay of a Chocobo Eater is 100 . Thus , formula _ 4 The Stagger Wave will not decay for 6 seconds after Lightning casts her second Blitz even if Lightning does not connect with any abilities . Stagger levels . Some enemies may have more than one level of stagger . For some enemies the Stagger Wave is reset after the initial stagger , allowing the player to build up the Stagger Wave again . The second level of stagger is required for the player to launch the target into the air . Only Aeronite has more than two levels of stagger . Aeronite must be staggered four times in succession for it to become vulnerable to Lightning ' s abilities . Stagger effects . When the player staggers an enemy , certain pre - determined effects may be applied on the target . Any combination may be applied , or none at all . The following stagger effects can be applied on the enemy : Staggering strategies . The best abilities for staggering are second tier spells for their fast casting speed and Stagger Power of 40 per cast ( 80 for finales ) . First tier spells have a Stagger Power of 20 per cast ( 40 for finales ) . Third tier spells deal more damage , have higher Stagger Power ( 50 ) but have long animation times and consume a lot of ATB . The strongest spells , such as Flare , are very ATB - expensive and have extremely long animation times . The best spells for staggering purposes are Fira , Thundara , and Aerora due to the speed at which the projectiles travel . Aerora is not quite as fast as Fira and Thundara , but hits targets multiple times . For faster staggering the player can use two or more abilities , even on different schema ta , and avoid executing the final hit . E . g . Fira and Thundara can be cast thrice in a row for a three - hit " combo " , but the final hit is always slow . To compensate for this , second tier finales have Stagger Power of 80 instead of 40 . To avoid the finale , the player can use Fira twice , then Thundara twice , then Fira twice again , etc . While not as ATB - efficient , this method has the advantage of increasing the Stagger Wave more quickly , as well as cancelling the spell into a defensive ability . For physical options , Beat Down has a Stagger Power of 50 , and its finale has Stagger Power of 100 . transform the finale of Beat Down into Jump , which increases its Stagger Power to 120 . Certain are imbued with auto - abilities that empower certain abilities when used against staggered opponents .