Firaga (Final Fantasy VI)

Firaga, also known as Fire 3, is an Attack spell in Final Fantasy VI. It is the highest-level -elemental spell, an upgrade on Fira, that can be used to hit one target or an entire party. It is learned naturally by Terra at level 43, and can be earned by other party members through magicite.
Firaga is also an enemy ability used by several enemies, first of which being Ifrit.
==Obtained==
Firaga is learned later in the game in comparison to the earlier two fire-elemental spells. Terra learns Firaga naturally upon reaching level 43, while other party members must learn it through magicite. It is taught by Valigarmanda at a x1 rate, and Phoenix at a x3 rate. Because both magicite are not acquired until the World of Ruin, and Terra will likely not reach level 43 before this point, the player will most likely not learn Firaga in the World of Balance.
==Mechanics==
As a spell with a power of 121, it deals damage with the following formula:
:121 \times 4 + (Level \times Magic \times 121 / 32)
where "Level" refers to the user's level, and Magic refers to the user's Magic stat. As a standard spell, when Firaga is group-cast, its damage is halved, the target's Magic Defense and shell play a role in mitigating damage, and the spell can potentially be blocked by Magic Evasion.
Several relics augment Firaga and other spells. If the caster is equipped with an Earring or a Hero Ring, the damage 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 damage 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.
Because the spell deals fire-elemental damage, the enemy's elemental affinity affects its damage output. If fire is nullified, or the target is immune to fire, the spell will deal 0 damage. If the target absorbs the element, it will heal HP instead of dealing damage. If the target resists the element, it will deal half damage; conversely, if the target is weak to the element, its damage will be doubled.
==Use==
Firaga is a strong but costly spell to cast, doubling Fira's damage, but more than doubling its MP cost. Firaga is stronger group-cast than summoning Ifrit. Of the three high-level elemental spells, it is the most MP-efficient (although Blizzaga and Thundaga are both slightly stronger, the difference is negligible in comparison to the MP cost increase). As with both Fire and Fira, it is strongest against enemies weak to the fire element, against whom its damage will double. This means against these enemies it can even deal more damage than spells such as Ultima or Flare, for a lower MP cost. The MP cost of Firaga means that it should typically be reserved for tougher enemies and bosses, and in other cases, Fira should be used.
Terra learns Firaga naturally, but will likely have learned the spell from another magicite beforehand. For other party members, as an Attack spell, the player should prioritize teaching Firaga 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 will be built toward magic damage, his access to Aura Cannon makes him less of a priority than others. Firaga is essential to teach to party members focused on spellcasting, but is a pure luxury for other party members, who should prioritize healing and utility spells and improvements to their stats over Firaga.
Firaga outclasses Fira in terms of damage output and turn-efficiency, but not in terms of MP-efficiency. Furthermore, its prohibitive MP cost means that it should not be used regularly until party members either equip Celestriad, or have immensely large MP pools. When more powerful spells such as Flare, Ultima, Holy, and Meteor are available, Firaga should be reserved for enemies weak to lightning only.
Meltdown is also a very damaging spell that deals fire-elemental damage, but its effect is not a one-for-one comparison with Firaga. Meltdown's spell power is higher and the spell ignores Magic Defense, as well as being unblockable and ignoring reflect. However, Meltdown will damage allies as well as enemies. This means Meltdown should is risky to use unless the party equips armor that resists fire; if the party equips armor absorbing fire, Meltdown will even heal the party while damaging the enemy (assuming the enemy does not absorb fire). In other cases, Firaga is the better spell to cast to exploit fire-elemental damage.
==Gallery==
FiragaFF6.png|GBA.
Firaga from FFVI 2014.jpg|2014.
==Citations==
Category:Magic in Final Fantasy VI