Datalog / Primers : Battle ( Final Fantasy XIII ) The following is a list of Datalog entries for Primers : Battle in " Final Fantasy XIII " . Battle Basics . Characters perform abilities in battle by expending segments of the ATB gauge , which charges continuously over time . Auto - battle and other similar commands queue up a set of abilities automatically , only requiring you to choose a target . The Abilities command , on the other hand , allow you to specify individual abilities as you see fit . The number to the right of each ability ' s name is its ATB cost - The number of charged segments required to perform that action . If you add an ability to the queue by mistake , cancel it with / . By pressing / at the Abilities command , you can select Repeat , which queues up the last set of abilities used . Pressing / executes a partial command queue . Queue up a single ability and press / to execute it immediately , or press / after entering a full queue to act before your ATB gauge has filled . Abilities corresponding to charged segments will be performed , and the rest will be canceled . Item use does not deplete the ATB gauge , but permanently consumes the item . If the battle team leader ' s HP reaches zero , the game is over - regardless of whether or not other members are still standing . Always keep a close eye on your leader ' s HP . Once you have entered a battle , there is no way to flee . Appraise enemies carefully beforehand . If they appear too powerful , it may be best to avoid the battle entirely . You can however press / after pausing a battle with / to select Retry , which will return you to a moment just before the battle . Items will be returned but all damage to enemies will be reset . Battle Results . The speed with which you complete a battle determines your rating . Ratings influence rewards , such as the spoils obtained after battle . For each second you undercut the target time , your score increases by the battle ' s PPS ( Points Per Second ) value . This score , in turn , determines your rating . Finishing at the target time will earn you an average rating of three stars , out of a maximum of five . Initiating combat with a preemptive strike provides an initiative bonus , pre - applied as an extension of the target time . Synthesized Abilities . Open the main menu by pressing / and then select Equipment , and you will see a list of passive abilities along with the right side of the screen . These are bonuses granted by equipped weapons and accessories . Certain combinations of equipment grant additional hidden bonuses that none of the items provide when equipped individually . These are known as synthesized abilities , and are identifiable by a special icon . Experiment with a variety of gear to discover which combinations produce the most beneficial results . Chains and Staggering . Each time you land a successful attack on an enemy , the enemy ' s chain gauge - displayed in the upper right corner of the screen - will charge slightly . This gauge drains slowly over time , but by maintaining a steady flow of attacks you can drive the chain bonus ( the percentage of damage dealt by each attack ) upward . Deliver enough hits in rapid succession , and the gauge will eventually fill . If you connect once more with an enemy in this state , you will stagger that enemy . Staggered enemies take a great deal of damage from every attack . Increased damage is not the only effect of staggering a foe . Some abilities behave differently against staggered targets . Note that some enemies are more easily staggered than others . The chain gauge for easily staggered opponents will charge significantly even as the result of a minor attack . It is always to your advantage to stagger enemies quickly , so keep a close eye on their chain gauges and try to maintain a high rate of attacks in order to keep chain bonuses as high as possible . Paradigm s . Each character fights using one of six different roles . Changing a character ' s role changes his or her abilities , and also the way in which that character behaves during combat . Combinations of role assignments for your battle team are known as paradigms . You can create and edit paradigms by pressing / to open the main menu , and then selecting Paradigms . During battle , you can change the team ' s paradigm at any time . Press / to open your paradigm deck , then select a paradigm and press / to perform a paradigm shift . Good combat strategy means keeping a careful eye on your situation and shifting paradigms accordingly . When facing strong enemies , use a paradigm featuring a Sentinel . Once you ' ve thinned their numbers a bit , shift to a paradigm featuring Commandos or Ravagers to finish them off more quickly . When things look grim , call in the Medics . Role : Commando . Commandos are offensive specialists , employing brutal physical attacks and damaging magic as the tools of their trade . Enemy chain gauges drain less rapidly when charged by Commando attacks than when charged by those of other roles . Commandos are at their most effective when working in tandem with Ravagers , who drive chain bonuses upward , thereby increasing the damage dealt to enemies . Physical and magical attacks deal extra damage . Allies share a reduced bonus . Role : Ravager . Ravagers wield powerful magic spells dealing damage of fire , ice , lightning , water , and other elemental affinities . Combining different abilities allows them to boost enemy chain bonuses significantly , increasing the damage dealt by subsequent attacks . Striking at enemies ’ elemental weaknesses will further boost chain bonuses . Attacks impact chain bonuses more severely . Allies share a reduced bonus . Role : Sentinel . Sentinels are defensive specialists . They provide interference , drawing enemy aggression toward themselves and using their enhanced defense to minimize damage to the party . Sentinels have access to the Provoke ability , which extends the duration of enemy chain bonuses . They can also use counterattack abilities , which allow them to retaliate when attacked . Physical and magic resistance are increased . Allies share a reduced bonus . Role : Medic . Medics are healers capable of restoring HP , removing status ailments , and even reviving KO ' d allies . When they remove status ailments , the most recently inflicted ailment is always removed first . Medics are incredibly helpful , but they also reduce a battle team ' s damage - dealing capacity . If you with to end battles quickly , it may be necessary to fight without them . Healing abilities and items restore more HP . Allies share a reduced bonus . Role : Synergist . Synergists employ a wide range of abilities to enhance their allies ' effectiveness in combat . Enhancements range from defensive bonuses to increased damage and the ability to deal elemental damage via normal attacks . When facing a particularly powerful enemy , it is a good idea to enter the battle using a paradigm that includes a Synergist . Once enhancements are in place , you can always shift to a different paradigm . Abilities grant longer - lasting status enhancements . Allies share a reduced bonus . Role : Saboteur . Saboteurs use their skills to weaken enemies . Their bag of tricks includes not only attribute - lowering abilities , but also those that inflict status ailments , like Poison . When successful , these abilities increase enemy chain bonuses . Even if they fail to inflict status ailments , Saboteur abilities still deal damage . However , once enemies have been weakened sufficiently , it is generally best to shift Saboteurs to other roles . Abilities are more likely to succeed on enemies . Allies share a reduced bonus . The Crystarium - Part 1 . When you wish to develop characters and teach them new abilities , open the main menu with / and access the Crystarium . By spending the crystogen points ( CP ) that you earn from fighting , you can advance characters ' paths of crystogenesis , obtaining new crystals that provide a variety of enhancements . After selecting Crystarium from the main menu , select a character and then press / . Character development paths are divided between the different roles . First , select the role in which you would like to develop the chosen character and press / to confirm . The finger cursor will jump to the last crystal obtained for that role . Next , press and hold / and the path of crystogenesis will advance automatically , consuming the CP necessary to do so . As the glowing line passes through new crystals , the character will obtain their benefits , such as improved attributes or new abilities . When the character runs out of CP , crystogenesis will grind to a halt . Characters earn CP at the end of every battle . If you wish to develop them further , fight more enemies , and then return to the Crystarium to spend the CP earned . Abilities learned along each path are role - specific and cannot be shared . For example , learning Ruin for the Commando role will not allow a character to use Ruin as a Ravager . Techniques are the exception to this rule , and can be used in any role once learned . Boosts to attributes like Strength , Magic , and HP also apply across roles . Gaining levels in a role increases the effect of that role ' s bonus . Consider whether you would rather focus on a single role for each character , gaining faster access to powerful abilities , or spread development evenly across multiple roles for flexibility . The Crystarium - Part 2 . You can normally perform crystogenesis until running out of CP , simply by pressing and holding / . However , the process will stop upon reaching points where the path branches . Here , you must press / while holding / to choose a direction in which to proceed . By pressing / without holding / , you can explore various routes to see what crystal lie along them . / , changes which crystal names are displayed , cycling between only names near the cursor , all names , and none . Pressing / or / will allow you to develop a different character . The Crystarium - Part 3 . Now that all roles have been unlocked , you can assign roles freely to your characters . However , a character must have learned at least one ability for a role before he or she can don it . If you wish to cast a character in a new role , first access the Crystarium and teach that character an ability for the desired role . Master enough roles , and your choice of paradigms will expand significantly . Status Effects . During the course of battle , the status of enemies and allies can be altered in various ways , some beneficial and some detrimental . Synergist abilities grant status - enhancing effects that strengthen or protect the recipient . Saboteur abilities , on the other hand , inflict troublesome status ailments . Some enemy attacks can also result in these disadvantageous conditions . It is possible for up to 8 status effects to stack simultaneously . Ignore the harmful ones , and you may soon find your fighting capabilities severely limited . Common status effect include bonuses and penalties to offensive and defensive attributes . These can result from using abilities or even equipping certain pieces of gear . Changes to Strength and Magic primarily affect the damage characters deal to enemies , with Strength affecting physical attacks and Magic affecting spells . Strength can be boosted with the Bravery ability , while the Faith ability enhances Magic . Changes to resistances affect the amount of damage characters take from enemy attacks . Physical resistance can be improved via the Protect ability , or eroded with Deprotect . Likewise , magic resistance can be fortified with Shell or hampered by Deshell . Elemental Damage and Resistance . Some enemies are exceptionally vulnerable to certain elements . Attacks that deal damage of the proper type are especially devastating to these opponents . By using Libra technique , you can reveal an enemy ' s resistances to the six elements ( earth , fire , ice , lightning , water , and wind ) as well as to physical and magic damage . The Ravager role is particularly skilled at elemental attacks , using spells like Fire and Blizzard to deal fire and ice damage respectively . In addition to spells , some physical attacks like Sparkstrike deal elemental damage ( in this case , lightning ) , while the technique Quake inflicts earth damage . A character need not be a Ravager to deal elemental damage . Affinity - granting abilities like Enfire cause normal physical attacks to deal damage of the corresponding element . An Icon of a sword combined with the imbued element indicates this status . Enhancements like Barfire minimize the damage from enemies who employ similar attacks and magic , providing bonuses to elemental resistance . These effects are represented by an icon of a shield combined with the resisted element . There are no abilities that grant resistance to , or cause attacks to deal , earth or wind damage . However , there are accessories that do so when equipped . Physical and magic resistance always take priority over elemental vulnerabilities . For example , if you attack an enemy who is weak against lightning - but immune to magic - with the Thunder spell , it will deal no damage . However , attacking the same enemy with Sparkstrike - a non - magical lightning attack - will be highly effective . Some enemies are immune to both physical and magic damage . If you should happen to encounter such fearsome foes , use Libra to glean information that might help you overcome them . Status Ailments . The debuffing and debilitating status ailments inflicted by some abilities render enemies weak and vulnerable . However , opponents can and will use those very same abilities against you . If you do not take steps to counteract them , you may find yourself fighting at a disadvantage . Some accessories grant resistance to status ailments , as does the Veil spell . An icon with an upwards arrow ( ↑ ) represents an active resistance bonus . Icons with a downwards arrow ( ↓ ) represent detrimental status effects . Items remove some status ailments : The Esuna spell can also remove status ailments . This ability removes only the most recently inflicted ailment , so it must be used repeatedly if a character is suffering from more than one . There are also a small number of special status alterations , such as the following : Neutralizing Status Effects . Status effects can be neutralized by applying the opposite effect , which effectively cancels out both . This enables a Synergist to remove status ailments in place of a Medic , and also allows a Saboteur to remove status enhancements from enemies . Libra and Other Techniques . Techniques are special abilities you can perform by spending technical points ( TP ) . They do not require any ATB gauge expenditure . You can perform techniques in battle by selecting the Techniques command and then choosing the desired ability . To replenish your TP supply , unleash successful ability queues or earn high ratings after battle . Certain items also restore TP . Libra reveals vital information about your enemies after revealing enemy weaknesses with this technique , your allies will do their best to take advantage of this intel when deciding their actions . To view the information you have gathered on enemies , press / during battle , or just press / to open the main menu outside of battle and then select Datalog followed by Enemy Intel . A check mark icon will be shown by the name of any enemy whose attributes you have fully discerned . Using Libra does not change enemy strengths or weaknesses . Even if you do not know an enemy ’ s elemental vulnerabilities , using attacks of those elements will be just as effective . Eidolon Battles . When battling Eidolons , it is possible to deal damage to them as you would to any other enemy . However , this alone will not end the battle . As you attack Eidolons , a special gauge fills . When this gauge becomes full , you must press / to assert your dominance over the Eidolon and claim victory . Attacking is not the only way to charge the gauge . There are other methods , differing between Eidolons , which are just as effective . Experiment with a variety of abilities to see which work . Summoning Eidolons . A character who has overcome the challenge of an Eidolon learns the Summon technique . Performing this technique calls the Eidolon to the summoner ' s side , where it will attack enemies and restore HP to allies . A summoned Eidolon will continue fighting for the party until its SP gauge is empty . The SP gauge drains slowly over time , and also whenever the Eidolon takes damage . After summoning an Eidolon , you can press / to activate Gestalt Mode at any time . The level of the Eidolon ' s Gestalt gauge determines how long you can remain in this mode . The gauge is charged by working with the Eidolon to build attack chains against enemies , so the longer you fight together before activating Gestalt Mode , the longer you will be able to maintain it . In Gestalt Mode , you can perform various devastating attacks by pressing the buttons indicated on the screen . Alternatively , you can press / to use Autogestalt , leaving the choice to your Eidolon . Each ability expends a certain number of time units shown next to the ability ' s name , thereby reducing the overall duration of Gestalt Mode . Once time runs out , the Eidolon will be dismissed . Enemy chain gauges will be reset and staggered enemies will recover , but the Eidolon will restore your entire battle team ' s HP and remove any status ailments from members before departing . Skipping Summoning Sequences . The animated scenes played during the summoning of Eidolons cab be skipped at any time by pressing / , as can the scenes shown upon activating gestalt mode . Three - way Battles . At times , you will encounter enemy groups engaged in battle with one another . With their attention occupied , it becomes easier for you to initiate combat with a preemptive strike . Coming into contact with a member of either side will initiate a battle against both . However , the enemies may not even notice your presence at first , continuing to fight one another instead . When this occurs , it is most effective to concentrate all your attacks against the side you expect to have the most trouble defeating . Once you have defeated the first group of enemies with help from their foes , you can turn and fight the already - weakened second faction . Pick your targets poorly , and you may be left waging a long and bitter battle against overwhelming odds .