Mist ( Final Fantasy XII ) Mist is the main source of magick in Ivalice , and appears as a key term , gameplay feature and a command option in " Final Fantasy XII " , and a stat in the " International Zodiac Job System " release . As a command , it allows the player to summon Espers or perform Quickenings . As a term , it is important within the lore of Ivalice , and as such also appears in the spin - off sequel " " . Profile . Nature . A mystical phenomenon related to crystals that allows the use of magic and other phenomena is a recurring element in the " Final Fantasy " series . In this sense , Mist is akin to the Lifestream from " Final Fantasy VII " , the Mist from " Final Fantasy IX " , and pyreflies from " Final Fantasy X " . In many " Final Fantasy " games this magic energy is related to the souls of humans and referred to as the life energy of all beings . In " Final Fantasy XII " Mist is not directly referred to as a life energy , but Mist - wielding beings who are biologically immortal exist : the Occuria , whose crystalline bodies ooze Mist . Certain people also fade into Mist upon death . Mist appears linked to an alternate dimension , as Espers are said to have been banished from the mortal realm to " walk the Mist " and can only manifest in the physical realm when called upon by a summoner , or when a trespasser breaches an area they have been bound to guard . Mist is linked to crystals , the smaller ones known as magicite or nethicite . The Espers ' glyphs are inside crystals that shatter upon the Esper ' s defeat , releasing the Esper from guarding the area it was defeated in , but becoming the servant to the one who felled it . Sun - Cryst is the motherlode of deifacted nethicite , a large crystal housed atop the Pharos . The Great Crystal is speculated by the party to the origin of Mist in Ivalice , but in many areas the Mist appears to seep up through the ground . This is similar to the substrata natures of the Lifestream in " Final Fantasy VII " , Mist in " Final Fantasy IX " and the Farplane in " Final Fantasy X " . Areas thick in Mist are rarely inhabited by the main sentient races of Ivalice , as it inhibits some use of magicite ( such as airships ' skystones , resulting in the impassable Jagd s ) and breeds vicious monsters . Undead are especially numerous in Mist - abundant areas . Appearance . When densely concentrated , Mist becomes visible as a fog . Mist gathers in both living beings and stones called magicite . Anyone , either wielding these stones or not , can extract Mist to use magick . A form of magicite , nethicite , absorbs Mist , thus nullifying any magick effects . If deifacted nethicite absorbs too much Mist , it will release it suddenly if someone tries to extract it , resulting in a violent explosion . Manufacted nethicite cannot handle too much Mist , simply shattering if it absorbs too much . Mist comes in different colors depending on whether it is active or cooled . Active Mist , such as that found in a nethicite explosion , is bright gold orange , whereas cooled ( inactive ) Mist is a darker gold with subtle blue and green overtones . The most notable sights of cooled Mist are in the Edge of Reason in the Feywood , just before entering Giruvegan , and the areas where an Esper appears . Interactions . The viera are sensitive to Mist ; if they are exposed to too much , they will go into a " Mist frenzy " , their strength increases and they will attack anyone who gets in their way . When captured on the " Shiva " , the Mist from the Dawn Shard drives Fran berserk , and for gameplay purposes places her in Berserk status . She also enters Mist frenzy when she enters the top chamber of the Pharos , which houses the Sun - Cryst , but the sheer concentration of Mist energy causes her to lose consciousness instead . Using Mist , the immortal Occuria can manipulate people . While the viera Mjrn is under the influence of manufacted nethicite , the rogue Occuria Venat controls her and the same happens to Judge Bergan . Ashe and Vaan see illusions of Ashe ' s late husband , Lord Rasler , in areas with abundant Mist , revealed to be apparitions conjured by the Occuria . When the Mist becomes thick enough other people are also able to see the illusion . People who have been infused with manufacted nethicite disperse into Mist upon death . This is seen with Judge Bergan ( whose body explodes into Mist ) , Dr . Cidolfus Demen Bunansa ( who disappears into the Mist that is sucked into the Sun - Cryst ) and The Undying , the fused creature of Vayne Carudas Solidor and Venat ( that explodes into wisps of Mist ) . In the Pharos Fran collapses after Cid ' s defeat and repeats Cid ' s last words to Balthier as he rushes to her side ; whether she is being " taken over " by Cid ' s spirit via the Mist that his body dissolved into , or she is merely disoriented due to her sensitivity to the Mist , is unclear . Archadia finds uses for Mist as a weapon . The Sky Fortress " Bahamut " is fitted with a colossal Mist cannon that can destroy enemy ships in a single blow . Gameplay . Field . Mist has many effects when encountered on the world . In areas where mist is thick , such as the Nabreus Deadlands , Feywood , Necrohol of Nabudis , and the Great Crystal , MP recovers at a faster rate than normal . In Giruvegan , Diakon Entite s appear in areas where the mist is thick , and in the Nabreus Deadlands , Leamonde Entite s appears only during misty weather . Though viera are known to go berserk when exposed to mist , Fran suffers no ill effects when fighting in these areas . At some points during storyline events , heavy mist will prevent the use of Gate Crystals . Mist also serves as an indicator of Esper activity . Should an area where an Esper is bound be encountered , mist begins to appear and fade in steady intervals . If the mist grows too thick , it indicates an Esper is nearby . Gauge . Each character can have up to three Mist gauges , which are used in the Mist command . A character gains a new Mist Gauge when a license for either an Esper or a Quickening level is unlocked on the License Board . In the original release , the Mist Gauge contains the characters ' MP ( and doubles the MP with two Mist gauges unlocked and triples it with three unlocked ) , while the " International Zodiac Job System " uses its own Mist stat separate from MP . Command . The Mist command is unlocked whenever the player obtains a Mist gauge . Both commands require the use of a — or multiple — Mist gauges . When the player selects the Mist command , it will open a submenu containing the option " Summon " and " Quickening " . Even if the player is afflicted with the status Silence , these menus will not be disabled . However , if they are afflicted with Disable or Confuse they will be . Summon . Summon allows the summoning of an Esper to the field . Level 3 Espers use up three Mist gauges while level 1 Espers use up a single gauge . Summoning is instantaneous , and upon use , the other party members save the summoner disappear . Espers cannot trigger traps , have the same level as their summoner , but a fixed Attack , Defense and Magick Resist , cannot combo attacks or deal critical hits , and can use magicks without using up MP . They last until the Esper uses its ultimate move , or either one minute thirty seconds in the original , or four minutes and ten seconds in " Zodiac Job System " . Espers work like guest s ; they cannot be controlled and follow their own gambits in the original , but can be controlled in the " Zodiac Job System " version . Quickening . Quickening is the equivalent of a Limit Break . It involves real - time input of button commands , and fast reflexes are required to chain multiple characters ' attacks before the timer expires , meaning potentially multiple characters can use multiple Quickenings that can deal massive damage . Similar to Espers , Quickenings require multiple Mist Charges to use ( though it is possible to gain a Mist Charge during the Quickenings if the right input is used ) , and although using several characters ' Quickenings at once can deal high damage , it can also potentially deplete all characters ' MP ( in the original , this is less of a problem in the " Zodiac Job System " release ) .