Curaga (Final Fantasy VI)

Curaga, also known as Cure 3, is a Healing spell in Final Fantasy VI. It is the highest-tier curative spell that can be used to restore HP to one target or an entire party. Against undead enemies, it will damage them greatly instead. It can be earned by party members through magicite.
Curaga is also an enemy ability used by General, Level 80 Magic, Cherry, Moebius, Desert Hare, Number 024, Clymenus,
==Obtained==
Curaga is taught by Lakshmi at a x1 rate and Phoenix at a x2 rate. Because neither magicite is available before the World of Ruin, the spell is unavailable for the World of Balance.
==Mechanics==
As a spell with a power of 66, it heals with the following formula:
:66 \times 4 + (Level \times Magic \times 66 / 32)
where "Level" refers to the user's level, and Magic refers to the user's Magic stat. When it is group-cast, its healing effect is split. The spell will always connect.
When used against undead enemies, the same formula will instead be used to calculate damage dealt, and will ignore Magic Defense and shell.
Several relics augment Cura along with other spells. If the caster is equipped with an Earring or a Hero Ring, the effect is multiplied by 5/4 (or a 25% increase). If the caster is equipped with two Earrings, two Hero Rings, or one of each, the effect is multiplied by 3/2 (a 50% increase). If the caster equips Gold Hairpin or Celestriad, its MP cost is cut by half or reduced to 1, respectively.
==Use==
Curaga is a tremendous heal that will likely refill a party member to full or close to full HP. However, its MP cost is also high, meaning it should not be relied on too heavily. The spell is greater than any healing items (aside from X-Potion or Elixir, which are both single-target), and is one of the strongest heals in the game. Curaga heals more as the level and Magic stat of the caster improves. Curaga can also be used effectively with Reraise; if one or more party members are revived by Reraise, Curaga can quickly pick them back up to full HP.
Curaga's MP cost is just under twice that of Cura while its heal is double in potency, making Curaga a much more MP-efficient heal. However, its effect is 6.6 times that of Cure. while its MP cost is eight times that of Cure, making Cure more MP-efficient overall. As such, Cure should still be used when healing on the field or for small heals, while Curaga should be used in-battle, and Cura is obsolete. Other curing spells tied to party members' unique abilities are White Wind and Chakra.
As a Healing spell that relies on the Magic stat of the caster, the spell should be taught to everyone, but prioritized to party members with a high natural Magic stat and access to mage equipment. This includes Celes, Relm, and Strago; Mog and Shadow have high Magic stats, while Gogo has access to mage equipment. Though Sabin has a low stat initially, he will be built toward magic damage, and will thus likely become a great caster for the spell.
Curaga's MP cost means that overreliance on the spell drains MP from casters quickly. Party members focused on spellcasting will want to keep MP for damage, while party members with lower Magic stats will have less effective cures, making Curaga an inefficient use of their turns. As such, it is best to have at least two characters in a party with high Magic or spellcasting prowess, where one focuses on curing; if only one spellcaster is included, that spellcaster should expect to be focused on healing. With Gold Hairpin, Celestriad, or Soul of Thamasa, having one spellcaster is very viable.
If used as an offensive spell against undead enemies, Curaga's damage is close to that of high damaging spells, and is even stronger than other Magic Defense-ignoring spells such as Flare (but below that of spells such as Ultima).
==Gallery==
CuragaFF6.png|GBA.
==Citations==
Category:Magic in Final Fantasy VI