Will-o'-the-Wykes (Final Fantasy XVI)

Will-o'-the-Wykes is one of Ifrit's Eikonic Abilities in Final Fantasy XVI that the player can initially assign to Clive's fire loadout, sharing the ability pool with the Phoenix's Eikonic Abilities. Clive will conjure persistent expirable fireballs that circle around him, damaging nearby enemies while also absorbing damage directed at Clive, protecting the player from being interrupted when using other abilities.
==Obtained==
Clive gains access to Ifrit's powers as part of the story, during "The Meaning of Life", usable in his loadout after the events at the Phoenix Gate apodytery. Will-o'-the-Wykes can then be learned for his fire loadout by spending 100 AP in the Abilities menu.
==Mechanics==
Clive can use Will-o'-the-Wykes in battle whenever it is equipped to his current loadout. He can have two Eikonic Abilities alongside his Eikonic Feat, which for the fire loadout is Phoenix Shift. 
Will-o'-the-Wykes has Clive conjure persistent fireballs that circle him for a time while Clive can continue to act and use other abilities. While present, the fireballs will passively damage enemies near to Clive, while also absorbing damage when enemies attack him, preventing Clive from losing health or being interrupted. Each nullified attack extinguishes one fireball, and so Clive can potentially absorb four attacks without needing to dodge or block.
If Clive is near to a Lightning Rod when he has Will-o'-the-Wykes active, the fireballs will continually set it off.
Will-o'-the-Wykes activates the eponymous battle technique, , when damaging one enemy multiple times with a single use of Will-o'-the-Wykes.
After being used, the ability has a 35-second cooldown before being able to be used again. Upgrading/mastering the ability has no effect on its cooldown. 
AP cost 	Effect
100 (Base) 	Able to equip Will-o'-the-Wykes to Clive's fire loadout.
600 (Upgrade)	Adds a fourth fireball.
1000 (Master)	Able to equip Will-o'-the-Wykes to any loadout.
==Use==
Will-o'-the-Wykes is worth upgrading to add another fireball to the mix if the player is using it in their loadout. As it is generally useful, Will-o'-the-Wykes may be worth mastering to be able to assign it to any Eikon's loadout, as the player can only use three Eikons at a time, so after acquiring Titan's powers the player needs to decide which previous Eikon to retire.
Will-o'-the-Wykes is good to use before beginning a combo, adding damage to Clive's other's attacks and preventing interruption, especially when using Garuda's Gouge or any other abilities lengthened by tapping the execution button, and abilities with windups like Titan's Windup, Shiva's Ice Age, and Odin's Dancing Steel. Will-o'-the-Wykes is also good for Garuda's most expensive Eikonic Ability, Aerial Blast, which summons a windstorm that severely obscures visibility, making avoiding damage difficult without the Will-o'-the-Wykes active.
Will-o'-the-Wykes has synergy with Ifrit's other Eikonic Ability, Ignition, Ramuh's Lightning Rod, and Odin's Rift Slip. Ignition has Clive barrage a target with numerous hits while any small enemy stays stunlocked. After placing down a Lightning Rod, it will shock all nearby enemies when attacked by either Clive or enemies. Will-o'-the-Wykes's fireballs do this as well, so whenever Clive is fighting near to the Lightning Rod, he can add even more passive damage and will damage to his combos. The player can also do the Ignition + Will-o'-the-Wykes combo into a Lightning Rod, though this may max out the rod's trigger rate and have diminishing returns.
Rift Slip's time freeze, meanwhile, slows down time for everyone but Clive himself and his ability cooldowns, also making persistent effects last effectively longer, potentially allowing nigh 100% up-time for Will-o'-the-Wykes.
Will-o'-the-Wykes is good for both staggering formidable foes by adding passive will damage to Clive's other attacks, and for improving damage during an enemy's stagger. Adding a Lightning Rod next to a staggered foe, and then activating Will-o'-the-Wykes (and then potentially chaining into Ignition), can be especially potent.
Will-o'-the-Wykes's ability to absorb damage also helps with any "no damage" challenges.
One downside to Will-o'-the-Wykes could be that always using it effectively removes one aspect of the gameplay, the need to dodge/block/watch enemies' movements to avoid damage and time Clive's attacks so they will hit, potentially making the gameplay more boring. Another argument could be that the basic dodge and Titanic Block are powerful enough at negating nigh all damage, meaning using up an ability slot for a defensive-focused ability could be seen as a waste.
Another way to add damage to Clive's attacks is Bahamut's Satellite, though the player needs to press a button to fire the drones, whereas the fireballs from Wykes operate passively. The player can have both Satellite and Will-o'-the-Wykes active at the same time.
==Etymology==
Wyke may derive from "wikke", Middle English for something wicked, which derives from "wicce", an Old English term for a witch.
"Will-o'-the-Wykes" was used previously in the Final Fantasy series as a name for an enemy in Final Fantasy XI, reused for Final Fantasy XIV, the same development team that made Final Fantasy XVI.
Category:Eikonic Abilities in Final Fantasy XVI
Category:Battle techniques in Final Fantasy XVI