Area of Effect Area of Effect refers to an ability ' s capability to strike more than one target . Since " Final Fantasy XI " , fighters during battle move around far more frequently , so instead of spells striking one or all targets , they instead target all enemies or allies in range . Appearances . " Final Fantasy XI " . In " Final Fantasy XI " , Area of Effect ( AoE ) describes magic , abilities , or effects which affect multiple targets within a certain area instead of a single target . AoE spells and abilities cover many types of effects , including restorative , defensive , damaging , debilitating and transporting . With Magic , " Final Fantasy XI " uses the signature " - ra " , " - ga " and " - ja " suffixes to indicate the spell is AoE . For example , Fire II and Cure will affect a single target , while Firaga II and Curaga will affect an area and anything in it . This allows for players to easily distinguish between AoE and non - AoE spells . " - ra " refers to spells with an AoE centered around the caster , whereas " - ga " spells are centered around a selected target . " - ja " merely means the spell is target - based AoE , but becomes stronger with consecutive usage . For example , if Firaja is used three times in a row on an enemy , the damage will increase each time . Types of AoE . The game uses three radius types , which ever AoE adhering to one of the types . These types each carry their own peculiarities and necessary precautions : Radius AoE is the most commonly occurring of the AoE types . With radius AoE , a center point is specified and all targets within a certain radius of that point are affected by the spell . Radius AoEs can be more difficult to avoid as generally the only way to avoid the AoE is to run a large distance away . All " - ra " , " - ga " and " - ja " spells are radius type AoEs . Cone area of effect spells and abilities affect targets within a " cone " of space , originating from a certain point on the user and expanding outward to a specific distance away from the origin . Generally this type of AoE can be avoided by standing to the side of the point of origin , though since the area of effect is conic in shape , the amount to the side can be more substantial than expected . An example of a Cone AoE would be a dragons fire breath attack , which fans out further away from the dragon ' s mouth . Linear area of effect spells and abilities could be considered a special case of the cone variety , wherein the cone is consistently very narrow . In the case of linear AoE , the ability affects only those in a line directly in front of some originating point , out to a certain distance . Again , this can be avoided by standing to the side of the origin of the attack . " Final Fantasy XII " . Most upgraded spells hit an area . For example most Magic spells that end in - ra or - ga have an area of effect . The exception is Curaga which only heals one target . " Final Fantasy XIII " . Ravagers ' second and third tier spells are area of effect dealing less damage to surrounding enemies than to target . Also Saboteurs ' and Medics ' upgraded spells are area of effect working similarly to Ravager ' s second and third tier magics . In addition , the Commando abilities Blitz and Ruinga operate with an area of effect , as do Saboteur - ga abilities , which target all enemies . " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 " . As in the original game , in " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 " the Ravager , Medic , Saboteur and Commando roles have Area of Effect type attacks . In addition , almost all Synergist abilities have - ga variants which apply buffs to the entire party , rather than just on an individual basis . While both Serah and Noel have access to Area of Effect abilities within the Commando and Ravager roles , only Serah has access to the Area of Effect Saboteur abilities and respectively only Noel has access to the Synergist Area of Effect abilities , of the human characters . " Final Fantasy Tactics " . As a Strategy Role - Playing Game , several skills in " Final Fantasy Tactics " have an area of effect . An attack can have an area of effect centered on the caster or any point in the caster ' s range , or even entire parties , regardless of the fighters ' positions , like in the case of a Bard ' s songs or a Dancer ' s dances . Arithmetician s can select groups of fighters through several conditions and inflict them with a wide selection of previously learned magicks from other mage jobs . " Final Fantasy Tactics Advance " . The targeting in this game vary through the various skills of the game , but the options of a skill ' s area of effect are the same as the original " Final Fantasy Tactics " . Due to being a sequel to " Final Fantasy Tactics Advance " , skills present in this game have the same area of effect as they did in the previous game , and no new skills debut any changes to the types of areas of effect .