Lightning Rod (Final Fantasy XVI)

Lightning Rod is one of Ramuh's Eikonic Abilities in Final Fantasy XVI that the player can assign to Clive's loadout. Clive will conjure a magical ball of lightning onto the battlefield, and whenever it is hit, it damages all enemies nearby. Lightning Rod is perhaps Ramuh's best ability when used with good timing and placement, for both defense and offense, having synergy with Clive's other Eikonic Abilities beyond just Ramuh's loadout.
Having an enemy strike a single lightning conductor thrice earns the Road to Redemption trophy.
==Obtained==
Clive gains access to Ramuh's powers as part of the story, during "Cid the Outlaw", usable in his loadout after the events inside Drake's Head. Lightning Rod is then learned by spending 120 AP in the Abilities menu.
==Mechanics==
Clive can use Lightning Rod in battle whenever it is equipped to his current loadout. He can have two Eikonic Abilities alongside his Eikonic Feat, which for the lightning loadout is Blind Justice.
Lightning Rod has Clive place a conductor onto the battlefield, onto the position where he currently is. It persists for around 30 seconds, damaging all enemies around itself whenever it is hit, both by Clive himself and by enemies. The attack from the conductor is stronger when hit by an enemy than when hit by the player. There is a limit, however: the ball lightning has a maximum trigger rate and beyond that, will not trigger on every hit if the hits-per-second rate is high enough. However, the player would need an especially high hit rate to max out the lightning ball's output.
Pressing the execute button after placing the Lightning Rod will move it to Clive's current position one time.
Lightning Rod can be used defensively by keeping it between Clive and his enemy, and offensively by improving other abilities' damage and stagger outputs, as well as Clive's Limit Break and Zantetsuken recharge rate.
Lightning Rod activates the eponymous battle technique when it damages an enemy triggered by the enemy's own attack.
After being used, the ability has a 55-second cooldown before being able to be used again. As the Lightning Rod persists for around 30 seconds, the "real" cooldown is closer to 25 seconds. Upgrading/mastering the ability, or repositioning it, has no effect on its cooldown. 
AP cost 	Effect
120 (Base) 	Able to equip Lightning Rod to Clive's lightning loadout.
525 (Upgrade)	Extends the conductor's reach.
1000 (Master)	Able to equip Lightning Rod to any loadout.
==Use==
Lightning Rod's boon is in its versatility. It is worth upgrading as well as mastering if the player elects to swap Ramuh's skillset in favor of another Eikon to be able to assign it to any loadout.
The player can hold the melee attack button ( by default) or magic execute button ( by default) during Lightning Rod's casting animation to immediately strike the newly placed conductor with a burning blade/charged shot. Clive's Taunt action ( + by default) can be used to lure enemies into attacking the lightning conductor. It is best placed amid where the action is, and can be repositioned once by tapping the execute button again.
It can be worthwhile to have a Lightning Rod near to where Clive is fighting at all times to add passive damage and protect Clive by having it absorb enemies' attacks. It can be especially potent to help stagger enemies faster, and when placed next to a staggered foe to deal maximum damage to them.
It can be good against bosses that have grand attacks with large areas of effect so they will take damage when using them; when placed in front of a boss before they are about to use their ability, they may end up staggering themselves with little input from the player otherwise. Lightning Rod can be good against Barnabas Tharmr's "Blinding Steel" and the Undertaker's "Spirits Within", the Fallen Guardian's spinning attack, and the final bosses' "Neutron Flare" and "Ultima" spell.
A Lightning Rod can supplement Clive's Limit Break damage, and also help his Limit Break recharge faster.
Lightning Rod can greatly supplement Clive's other abilities, for example, by placing one in such a manner that Ignition, Gigaflare, or Dancing Steel will hit the rod as well as the enemy at the same time. When a formidable foe is half staggered, Clive can briefly topple them with Deadly Embrace, then follow up with Gouge onto a Lightning Rod to stagger the enemy fully, and continue to make use of the Lightning Rod for elevated damage during the enemy's stagger. It is also great when placed onto an enemy frozen with Shiva's Cold Snap, and has synergy with Will-o'-the-Wykes, dealing passive damage from both the rod and the wykes while Clive continues using other abilities. Bahamut's Impulse orbs can be detonated near a Lightning Rod to amplify their damage and will damage. The player can also place the Lightning Rod next to Rime.
When the player has the final Eikon, its Eikonic Feat can be made even more potent via Lightning Rod. Lightning Rod can help build Zantetsuken fast, such as from using Gungnir on it alongside a couple enemies, or simply using the lunge command with the Arm of Darkness.
Lightning Rod's potential downsides would be that against enemies that move around a lot it may not be practical, and it has limited use in Arcade mode as its battle technique only activates when enemies strike it.
During the chronolith trial with the Ramuh's abilities, triggering by having an enemy hit a single Lightning Rod three times earns a 12-second time bonus.
==External links==
*Video guide by relhiya
category:Eikonic Abilities in Final Fantasy XVI
Category:Battle techniques in Final Fantasy XVI