Garuda ( summon ) Garuda is a recurring Wind - elemental summon in the series . She is usually depicted as a green - tinted woman with claws and talons and wings protruding from her back . Aerial Blast is a common summon ability for Garuda . Appearances . " Final Fantasy XI " . Garuda appears as one of the eight celestial Avatar s , also known as sleeping gods , representing Wind . She can be acquired from the Cloister of Gales at Cape Terrigan . She can cast a number of wind - based spells and abilities in addition to using her claws to physically damage enemies . Perhaps one of her more commonly used abilities is Aerial Armor , which gives every member of the party the effect of Blink , or Hastega which grants haste to every member of the party and is exclusively available to Garuda , but she also does have limited abilities which allow her to heal party members . Garuda is also highly respected for her Predator Claws attack , a devastatingly powerful strike that is often the Summoner ' s staple attack for notorious monster fights . Garuda was a small bird raised by a young prince . When the prince got attacked by a viper , Garuda looked for means to cure him . Another bird informed her that she should seek the aid of the King of Birds , who could awaken the healing wind , Vuychap . Garuda flew ever further upwards , looking for the King of Birds , but couldn ' t find him anywhere . Having reached the limits of her strength , she fell from the sky , but her resolve was so powerful that she transformed during her fall , gaining a humanoid shape and regaining her vitality . She realized that she now had the power to heal the prince , and did so , leaving him afterwards , as she no longer looked like the little bird he had raised . However , it is said that , once the prince grew up , he managed to find her and married her . Upon Garuda ' s death , Altana transformed her into the Celestial Avatar of Wind because of her loyalty and devotion . Vuychap is the name of the brightest , green - colored star of the Garuda constellation . " Final Fantasy XIII " . Garuda was planned to appear in " Final Fantasy XIII " as a fal ' Cie . " Final Fantasy XIV " . Garuda returns in " Final Fantasy XIV " as the Primal worshiped by the Ixal , and is known as the Empress of Birds . It is said that in past ages , Garuda slew the malevolent Lord of Snakes to end his foul attempt to bind the world ' s creatures to the earth . Though birds became free to roam the skies , Garuda was terribly wounded by the battle and was forced to feast upon the snake ' s carcass to recover her energies , said to have since then a taste for the flesh of land - bound mortals . Among the primals , Garuda is infamous for her destructive and unstable behavior , usually outright killing people . In 1 . xx , she is first seen attacking the Quarrymill , unleashing strong winds over the hamlet and laughing madly . After being defeated , Garuda laments over losing her power as she dissolves into wisps of energy which ascend upwards towards Dalamud . In V2 . 0 " A Realm Reborn " , she expresses a desire to become an all - powerful goddess , a sentiment that is brutally shot down by Gaius van Baelsar . Garuda can be fought as a boss during two quests . One balanced towards level 40 light parties and one for level 50 full parties , and features a unique boss theme . Patch 2 . 1 of " A Realm Reborn " added a third " Extreme " version for high end players . The box art for the Collector ' s Edition depicts a feminine creature swirling around a generic adventurer . The design of this creature strongly resembles Garuda , particularly at the head and feet , although the wings are not as defined . " Final Fantasy Legends II " . Garuda appears as an obtainable summon . She can be obtained as a summon through the game ' s summon drawing shop . An alternate variant , Garuda ( God ) , also appears as a summon . Garuda appears as a wind - elemental summon in " Final Fantasy Legends II " . Garuda ' s special attack is Aerial Blast , which deals wind - elemental damage to all enemies . Summoning Garuda costs 2 points from the Consumption Gauge . In addition , Wreig has a rank six Garuda Phantom Stone equipped to him during the game ' s opening prologue . Depending on the Garuda summon ' s type and rank , the user is able to learn the following abilities : Garuda ' s default design for her rank 4 Phantom Stone resembles her original humanoid appearance in " Final Fantasy XI " , however her rank 5 and 6 artwork changes her design to resemble her more bestial design from " Final Fantasy XIV " . " Final Fantasy Trading Card Game " . Garuda appears in " Final Fantasy Trading Card Game " with two Wind - elemental cards . " Triple Triad " . Garuda from " Final Fantasy XIV " appears on " Triple Triad " cards in the version available via " Final Fantasy Portal App " . Non - " Final Fantasy " guest appearances . " Bahamut Lagoon " . The bird - dragon Garuda appears as one of the many dragons , alongside other " Final Fantasy " summons , in " Bahamut Lagoon " . In the game he is one of the Holy Dragons and can be summoned for a powerful neutral - elemental attack .