Critical Hit A Critical Hit , also known as a Critical Strike , Mighty Blow , and Mortal Blow , or simply as Critical , is the term given to a physical attack that is somewhat stronger than the attack ' s normal version , and is a common element in several RPG ' s with the " Final Fantasy " series being no exception . Critical hits have a chance of occurring when the Attack command is used . They commonly deal double the normal damage , but cannot break the damage limit . Depending on the game , critical hits either play a different sound effect , the screen flashes , or the word " Critical " is displayed . The chance of a critical hit is usually related to the Luck stat . Some equipment or support abilities may increase the hit rate . Some command abilities also always hit with a critical hit , albeit sacrificing the accuracy of the strike . Some games also have a status effect that makes all attacks deal critical hits while the status is in effect . Appearances . " Final Fantasy " . The chance of a critical hit occurring is equal to the weapon ' s index number , though this is a bug in the game as it was supposed to be another variable . For armed non - Black Belt / Monks , the critical hit is equal to 0 , while for unarmed Black Belts / Monks , it is equal to double that character ' s level . The percentage chance of a critical hit is equal to the Critical Hit + 1 , divided by 201 . " Final Fantasy III " . In the 3D version , critical hits are signaled by a screen flash and a different sound effect . " Final Fantasy IV " . Critical hits are only caused through physical attacks through the Fight command , and are not applied to other commands such as Jump or Kick . In the 3D version however , Kick can cause critical hits . The chance of critical hit occurring when selecting the Fight command is 1 / 32 , and cannot occur if the character is in Toad or Mini status . While the screen will flash on critical hits in all versions , the 3D version also plays a different attack animation , and the sound played is louder . A higher Speed stat awards for more critical hits . A bug concerning the critical hits exists in the game ' s SNES version , in which some weapons prevent criticals from ever happening , and the state will never fix itself , even after unequipping the weapon . The following weapons have the No Critical " status " applied to them , and as such are the cause of the No Critical Bug in the SNES versions . " Final Fantasy V " . Critical hits are only caused by a physical attack from certain weapons ( katana , bare fists , and Yoichi ' s Bow ) . The chance to get a critical hit , is a fixed percentage that depends on which weapon is being used . Most have a 12 % critical rate , but some have higher chances , most notably the Murakumo , Murasame , and the Mutsunokami . There are also three other weapons that can score critical hits : Rune Blade , Rune Chime , and Rune Axe each consume MP with each physical attack they do to get a critical hit each time . The Rune Blade consumes 8 MP per attack , while the Axe and Chime consume 5 MP . Critical hits ignore defense . The Critical Hit formula is : In the GBA and subsequent ports , the Gladiator job class has an attack called Finisher . One of the three possible outcomes is to score a " Critical Hit , " which is essentially a stronger version of a physical attack . The chances of getting a critical change as the character increases his / her job level . " Final Fantasy VI " . Standard attacks have a 1 in 32 chance of being a critical hit . If the attack is a critical hit damage is doubled . Some weapons , for example the Rune Blade , Ragnarok , Lightbringer , Final Trump , consume [ 12 . . 19 ] MP from user upon attacking for an automatic critical hit . If a weapon does automatic criticals and also has an added spell , the spell does a critical as well even though spells normally can ' t do critical hits . However , if a weapon does a critical because of the standard 1 in 32 chance , the spell does not do a critical . " Final Fantasy VII " . Nearly all physical attacks have a chance of being a critical hit , which means they deal double the normal damage . The chance of a critical hit is determined by the user ' s Luck and level , and the enemy ' s level . The math to work out the chance of scoring a critical can be worked out in three steps : the first step involves the user ' s Luck added onto the user ' s level , with the target ' s level being subtracted from the total , and having the new total divided by four . The result is then truncated to reach a whole number . When determining a playable character ' s chance of landing a critical hit , the weapon ' s own critical percentage is added to the result to reach the total . In most instances , the weapon ' s critical percentage is zero , and no weapons make a considerable difference ( apart from Sephiroth ' s Masamune , which only deals critical hits ) . The second step is to find a random outcome . The math for this is as follows : The third step decides whether it is a critical or not . If the result for Random is less than or equal to the result for Critical % , then the user will score a critical hit . So as an example , if a user has a luck of 46 , a level of 50 , against an enemy with a level of 32 , with a weapon critical % of 0 . And a random number of 23432 . The result would not be a critical hit as 36 is more than 16 . There are 26 weapons that affect the Critical % . Tifa ' s Kaiser Knuckle is the only weapon to add just one . Tifa ' s first eight weapons ; the Leather Glove , the Metal Knuckle , the Mythril Claw , the Grand Glove , the Tiger Fang , the Diamond Knuckle , the Dragon Claw , and the Crystal Glove ; all add two . Her second best weapon , the God ' s Hand , does the same , as does Aeris ' s Striking Staff , Yuffie ' s Spiral Shuriken and Magic Shuriken , and Cait Sith ' s Battle Trumpet . Barret ' s Drill Arm and Pile Banger are the only two to add three . Cloud ' s Nail Bat , Barret ' s Rocket Punch , Tifa ' s Work Glove , Yuffie ' s Superball , Cait Sith ' s Trumpet Shell , and Vincent ' s Silver Rifle add four . Aeris ' s Umbrella , Red XIII ' s Hairpin , and Cid ' s Mop all add five . Sephiroth ' s Masamune always scores critical hits when he is a guest in the party . There are other ways to score critical hits : through the D . blow command , a player can score a definite critical attack if it hits ( three times less likely than a normal attack ) , although some weapons have the maximum hit rate of 255 % . Another method of definitely scoring a critical is through the Lucky Girl status inflicted by one of Cait Sith ' s Slots Limits . Three Limit Breaks deal critical hits all the time : Yuffie ' s Gauntlet , Barret ' s Satellite Beam and Cloud ' s Omnislash . Units in Berserk status never deal critical hits . Attacks to the targets ' backsides in Side Attack and Back Attack formations deal increased damage . The battles in Wutai Village ' s pagoda , and Cloud ' s final showdown with Sephiroth , are unique battles where the player ' s first physical attack always deals double damage even if the battles are not of any special battle formations . " Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII - " . The player will score a critical hit when striking an enemy from behind , and will also occasionally do so otherwise as well . Rolling a 6 - 6 - 6 on the DMW gives Zack a 100 % critical accuracy for a limited time , as well as Cissnei ' s Modulating Phase , Lucky Stars . The Sniper Eye and Genji Glove accessories also grant the status . " Final Fantasy VIII " . Whenever a critical hit occurs , the damage is doubled , unless if done via Squall ' s or Seifer ' s gunblade trigger , which will do x1 . 5 damage . The formula for a critical hit is as follows : It is worth noting that Squall and Seifer cannot perform critical hits beside triggering their gunblades correctly . Also worth noting is that whenever Squall performs his [ [ Renzokuken ] ] [ [ Limit Break ( ability ) | Limit Break ] ] , if the player times the R1 button in accordance to the bar in the gauge that appears at the bottom of the screen , in the window the moment it flashes , the damage dealt will be an instant critical . If the timing is mistimed , the damage is normal . Some other characters ' Limit Breaks can also critical , such as [ [ Zell Dincht | Zell ' s ] ] [ [ Duel ] ] . The [ [ Self - Destruct | Kamikaze ] ] command is also treated as a physical attack and can thus critical . " [ [ Final Fantasy IX ] ] " . Critical hits are signaled by large yellow " Critical " with the damage , and only physical attacks may critical . The formula for a Critical hit is as follows : " [ [ Final Fantasy X ] ] " . Critical hits are signaled with a screen flash and a different sound effect . The chances of a critical hit increases the higher the unit ' s Luck is and the lower the target ' s Luck is . It is possible to raise a character ' s Luck stat so high every hit they deal is critical . In the original Japanese and NA versions , this is achieved by raising luck to 127 . 133 Luck is required to ensure [ [ Overdrive ( Final Fantasy X ) | Overdrive ] ] critical hits . While in " International " , PAL , and " HD Remaster " versions , this is achieved by raising luck to 230 ( due to [ [ Dark Mindy ] ] ' s Luck at 130 ) . Luck of 214 is enough for all other enemies ( [ [ Dark Yojimbo ] ] has Luck 114 ) , luck of 133 is enough for all except the Dark Aeons ( Hornet has Luck 33 ) , and luck of 115 is enough for most enemies . Luck is generally the sole determinant of critical hits ; the chance of inflicting one is simply the user ' s Luck minus the target ' s Luck . However , when using physical attacks , equipment ( including armor ) generally provides a small critical hit bonus . This is 3 % for most equipment , but drops from [ [ Penance ( Final Fantasy X ) | Penance ] ] give 10 % , and drops from Dark Aeons or certain [ [ Monster Arena ] ] creations give 6 % . Some enemy attacks also carry a bonus critical hit chance . Enemies that drop equipment with + 6 % Critical Bonus in the Monster Arena are : Uses of the ability Luck increase the chance of dealing a critical hit by 1 % per use , up to a maximum of five uses , but have no impact on the chance of receiving one . Jinx does the opposite to the enemy . " [ [ Final Fantasy X - 2 ] ] " . Critical attacks are determined the same way as in " Final Fantasy X " . The accessory [ [ List of Final Fantasy X - 2 accessories # Key to Success | Key to Success ] ] causes critical hits to happen every turn . [ [ Lady Luck ( Final Fantasy X - 2 ) | Lady Luck ' s ] ] Critical skill makes all of her hits critical , 100 % of the time . The player can [ [ Chain ( term ) | Chain ] ] attacks to deal increased damage . After being hit there is a two second window the target takes to recover from the attack , unless the attack was a critical hit . When being hit by a critical attack , the target takes a second longer to recover , making building chain slightly easier . The units can move around the battlefield more freely than in previous installments , meaning players can at times move behind opponents . Whenever hit from the behind , the attack is doubled , but this is not the same as a critical hit . If the player is to deal a critical hit to a target from the behind , it deals quadruple the normal damage . If an enemy hits the player characters from behind , their attacks are also doubled in strength . " [ [ Final Fantasy XI ] ] " . Critical hits are determined based on the user ' s dexterity versus the target ' s agility . When the stats are right there is a chance for a critical hit . The chance of a critical hit can never be less than 5 % or greater than 25 % . One can also increase the chance of getting a critical hit by spending [ [ Merit Points ] ] to increase the critical hit rate . " [ [ Final Fantasy XII ] ] " . Only [ [ Long Range | long range ] ] weapons ( [ [ gun ] ] s , [ [ Bow ( weapon type ) | bows ] ] , and [ [ Crossbow ( weapon type ) | crossbows ] ] ) and measures deal critical hits ; other weapons aren ' t capable of doing so , but have a chance of [ [ Hit ( term ) # Final Fantasy XII | multiple attacks ] ] . Each time a character uses the Attack command , there is a small chance of getting a critical hit with the appropriate weapon type equipped . The chance is determined by the weapon currently in use . " [ [ Final Fantasy XIV ] ] " . The chance to land a critical hits is determined by the Critical Hit secondary stat . All physical attacks , attack magic , and even healing spells have a chance of being a critical hit , in which case the numerical output will be displayed in bold and marked with a " ! " at the end . Certain job abilities and traits may have additional effects when a critical hit lands ( e . g . Scholar ' s [ [ Adloquium ] ] spell has the galvanize effect doubled if it is a critical hit ) . " [ [ Final Fantasy Tactics ] ] " . When a character attacks another unit , they may trigger a critical hit . This is noticeable if the numbers have a larger number than the ones in the predicted attack damage , players may also hear a high - pitched version of the attack sound and the attack also has a slight chance to [ [ Knockback ( term ) | Knockback ] ] the enemy . " [ [ Final Fantasy Tactics Advance ] ] " . Critical Hits works the same way as in " [ [ Final Fantasy Tactics ] ] " , only that every critical hit knockbacks an enemy and a yellow text stating ' critical ' appears . " [ [ Final Fantasy Tactics A2 : Grimoire of the Rift ] ] " . Each time a character uses the regular Attack command and hits there is a small chance a critical hit will occur . When this happens the attack will inflict double damage , the screen will flash , the target will make a facial expression and pose indicating that hurt and the target will be knocked back . [ [ Dual Wield ] ] ing characters will have an equal chance of scoring a critical hit with each weapon , essentially giving them double chance of scoring a critical . If a critical hit is scored with a dual - wielding character ' s primary weapon but not the secondary , the target will be knocked back after the combo is finished . " [ [ Final Fantasy : The 4 Heroes of Light ] ] " . Physical attacks can randomly inflict double damage . The [ [ Ranger ( The 4 Heroes of Light ) | Ranger ' s ] ] Smashing Blow ability deals a guaranteed critical hit on an opponent and has a chance of inflicting instant death . The [ [ Fighter ( The 4 Heroes of Light ) | Fighter ' s ] ] Combat ability increases the chance to deal a critical hit for four turns , and their ability Jugular lets the Fighter deal a guaranteed critical hit . The [ [ Party Host ] ] ' s Pot Luck ability has a chance to bestowing the party with a status that makes all of their physical attacks critical hits . The chance of the ability being used is random . " [ [ Final Fantasy Mystic Quest ] ] " . Critical Hits can occur through physical attacks from the party , and by enemy attacks . " [ [ Final Fantasy Legend II ] ] " . Some weapons that target elemental weaknesses or a certain type of enemy deal extra damage and they have a 100 % hit rate against those targets . These attacks randomly cause mighty blows which automatically kills the target regardless of stats or damage . " [ [ Final Fantasy Legend III ] ] " . Mighty blow can occur through attacks from both the party and the enemy . " [ [ Dissidia Final Fantasy ( 2008 ) | Dissidia Final Fantasy ] ] " . There is a one - in - sixty - four chance of a critical hit occurring under normal circumstances , and critical hits do 5x the base damage . The chances to land a critical hit can be increased by attacking a staggering opponent , while attacking whilst in [ [ EX Mode ] ] increases the occurrence rate to fifty percent . Attacking while recovering [ [ Bravery ( stat ) | Bravery ] ] will ensure all attacks are critical hits , and all attacks used in EX Bursts are also critical hits . Activating certain Extra Support abilities will also increase the critical hit occurrence rate when certain conditions are met . Some [ [ Manikin | Battle Pieces ] ] allow the player to earn [ [ Destiny Points ] ] by scoring a critical hit within a time limit . " [ [ Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy ] ] " . Critical hits function the same as in the original game with regards to likelihood to appear and critical hit - rate boosting abilities . However , the based damage multiplier has been decreased from 5x normal damage to 2x . As a benefit though , the higher the opponent ' s Bravery is past a certain threshold , the higher the player ' s damage multiplier rises , allowing up to 8x base damage depending on the levels of the two characters and the opponent ' s Bravery . A new accessory called the Prayer Beads lowers the opponent ' s critical hit rate chance by 2 % . With a high enough multiplier to make this chance penalty 100 % , the opponent will be unable to land critical hits , even with the benefit of critical hit rate boosting abilities . " [ [ Theatrhythm Final Fantasy ] ] " . If the player hits a note perfectly they score a critical hit . " [ [ Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call ] ] " . In addition to the above , some [ [ Trigger ] ] s appear with a white glow . If these notes are hit perfectly , the player gains some sort of bonus effect depending on the music stage ( extra damage for [ [ Battle Music Sequence ] ] s , speed boost in [ [ Field Music Sequence ] ] s , and treasure in [ [ Event Music Sequence ] ] s ) . If the player manages to fill the Total Critical gauge they receive All Critical upon finishing the song , this adds a small crown next to the rank on the song selection menu . Note that this does not have to be done on one try . " [ [ Final Fantasy Record Keeper ] ] " . The chance to inflict a critical hit is based upon a party member ' s equipped weapon or an enemy ' s Critical stat . Normal critical hits do 1 . 5x damage , but some [ [ Soul Break ] ] s and [ [ Burst Mode ] ] commands inflict double damage with critical hits , and some Soul Breaks can increase all critical hit damage inflicted by 50 % of the base damage for a limited time . Some Soul Breaks can raise the critical hit chance to 25 % or 50 % . Some abilities and Burst Mode commands , such as the Exploding Fist and Sky Grinder abilities or [ [ Cloud Strife | Cloud ' s ] ] Whirl Slash and Quad Cut commands , have an innate raised critical rate . The highest critical hit rate given from equipment , abilities , and buffs is used , rather than the sum of all critical hit rate buffs . " [ [ Final Fantasy Trading Card Game ] ] " . One of Squall ' s cards can use Critical Hit as an ability . For one Ice CP and the discard of a Squall card , Critical Hit grants Squall the First Strike ability for the rest of the turn . References . [ [ Category : Battle Elements ] ]