Expend

Expendx2-1 and Expendx3-1 are support abilities in Final Fantasy VIII. When equipped while a character is in Double or Triple status, the character will use a single stock of a magic instead of multiple stocks of a spell.
==Obtained==
Expendx2-1 can be learned through the GFs Cerberus, Cactuar, and Bahamut, while Expendx3-1 can be learned through Eden and taught to any GF by using the item Three Stars. Both abilities take 250 AP to master.
Cerberus can learn Expendx2-1 after reaching Level 30. Cerberus is recruited by fighting him as a boss during the Battle of the Gardens, or drawing him from Gargantua in the final dungeon. Cactuar can learn Expendx2-1 after mastering Eva+30%, which itself becomes available after mastering Eva-J. Cactuar is recruited by defeating Jumbo Cactuar on Cactuar Island, reachable on a flying transport. Bahamut can learn Expendx2-1 from the get go and is recruited from the hidden island on the corner of the world map.
If the player removes Expendx2-1 with Amnesia Greens, there is no way to get it back.
Eden is drawn from the superboss at the bottom of the aforementioned hidden island, or from Tiamat in the final dungeon. Three Stars that teaches Expendx3-1 to any GF is mugged from the same boss that has Eden, drops from Omega Weapon, is modded from Squall's card, and is the final reward in the Obel Lake sidequest.
==Mechanics==
Expend lets the magic-caster spend fewer spells when multi-casting under Double and Triple statuses. For example, if a character in Double status uses two Flares while equipped with Expendx2-1, the character will only lose one Flare. A character in Triple status equipped with Expendx3-1 would lose one spell instead of three stocks of the same spell.
Expendx3-1 does not encompass Expendx2-1's effect, and so if the player only has it in effect, they cannot get the benefit when using spells under Double. However, as using a spell thrice would still only consume one spell from the stock, it does not matter if one of the castings was not needed.
==Use==
Expend abilities let the player consume only one spell when multi-casting, however, in practice this is not much of a boon worth using up a support ability slot for. Spell stock can usually be fairly easily replenished with refine between battles if the stock levels begin to fall. The player can also multi-cast random spells without using up spell reserves with Selphie's and Rinoa's Limit Breaks.
The best way to bestow Double and Triple is to summon Cerberus to bestow the statuses to everyone.
Category:Support abilities in Final Fantasy VIII