Rough Divide (Final Fantasy VIII)

Rough Divide is a Renzokuken finisher for Squall in Final Fantasy VIII that deals physical damage to an enemy depending on his Strength stat. It is his default Limit Break finisher, usable with any weapon he has equipped. Whether a finishing move is going to trigger is calculated using the hidden stat Crisis Level, but which finisher is used is indiscriminate. Renzokuken is randomly available when Squall is on low health or under Aura.
Squall also uses Rough Divide in the opening FMV when he scars Seifer. When using Rough Divide, he charges toward the enemy and slices them with a diagonal upwards cut, triggering the chamber of his gunblade, causing an explosion.
==Mechanics==
Squall has a (Crisis Level * ~23.6%) chance to perform a random finishing blow after the Renzokuken sequence. Hitting the critical prompts during the Renzokuken sequence does not matter whether Squall will use a finisher or not. Crisis Level is a hidden stat calculated based on how low Squall's current HP is compared to his maximum, the number of dead allies in the active party, and the number of ailments he is afflicted with. The worse off he is, the better chance he has on using a random finishing move. Crisis Level is also raised with the Aura status.
The stronger weapon model Squall equips, the more finishing moves are available. With Revolver, Squall will always use Rough Divide when a finishing more initiates. With any other weapon equipped, Squall has a 25% flat chance of using Rough Divide when a Renzokuken finisher begins.
Rough Divide deals non-elemental physical damage to an opponent as per the following formula:
:Critical Determination
:Critical\% = (Luck + 1) / 256 \times 100
Where "Luck" is Squall's Luck stat. If the attack criticals, it will deal double damage. Squall's normal Attack and the Renzokuken sequence use the trigger button () to determine critical hits rather than his Luck stat, and so criticals for his Renzokuken finishers is the only time in the game where he will use his Luck stat.
:Base Damage Calculation
:Damage = Strength^2 / 16 + Strength
:Damage = Damage \times (265 - Target's~Vitality) / 256
:Damage = Damage \times 48 / 16
Where "Strength" is Squall's Strength stat and "Vitality" is the target's Vitality stat.
All damage is randomized slightly:
:Damage = Damage \times ([0..32] + 240) / 256
If the target has Protect, damage is halved.
Limit Breaks never miss and are unaffected by Elem-Atk junctions.
==Use==
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Rough Divide is Squall's default Limit Break finisher, which simply damages one enemy. It is stronger than his Fated Circle and Blasting Zone, but only targets one enemy whereas the aforementioned target all enemies. As its damage potential does not drop off toward the end of the game, Rough Divide is a good finisher to get throughout the game. Typically bosses appear alone, meaning Rough Divide can be the second most preferable finisher to get after Lion Heart.
As a physical ability, Rough Divide can critical and randomly do double damage. However, it cannot break the 9999 damage limit, and so on higher Strength will have diminishing returns. Squall is best geared toward physical damage with Str-J and Str+% junctions; of the starter Guardian Forces, both Shiva and Ifrit have Str-J. As Squall is almost always a mandatory party member, it is worthwhile to prioritize his junctions other the others. Though Renzokuken does not reach the damage potential of Zell's Duel and perhaps even Irvine's Shot, it is reliable and all his finishers are strong.
Though Squall's Luck stat affects the chance of Rough Divide being a critical hit, the other party members likely benefit from Luck-J and Luck+50% more, as Luck will also determine their other critical hit rates, whereas the trigger button is used for Squall aside from his Renzokuken finishers. Luck junctions are especially good on Zell and Irvine for their Limit Breaks, as each individual strike can critical.
Rough Divide can be safely used against Adel, but as the player cannot choose their finishers, they are likely better off not using Squall's Limit Break in this battle lest Fated Circle or Blasting Zone initiates instead, as by this point, Squall should have a better weapon than Revolver.
==Citations==
Category:Renzokuken finishers in Final Fantasy VIII