Ultima (Final Fantasy VI)

Ultima is an Attack spell in Final Fantasy VI. It is a powerful non-elemental spell that is the strongest spell in the game. The spell is unblockable and hits all enemies, piercing Magic Defense and ignoring reflect, for immense damage. It is learned naturally by Terra at level 99, and can be learned by other party members through magicite.
Ultima is also an enemy ability usable by Brachiosaur, the final boss, Magic Master, Ultima Buster, Dark Behemoth, Kaiser Dragon, Red Dragon in the Dragons' Den, and Glutturn (Elixir).
==Obtained==
Terra learns Ultima naturally upon reaching level 99. Other party members can learn it from the Ragnarok magicite, which teaches the spell at a x1 rate, and the Paladin's Shield. The Paladin's Shield requires the user to have fought 255 battles with the Cursed Shield, while the Ragnarok esper is permanently missable if the player instead chooses the Ragnarok weapon. Given the strength of Ultima, it is worth using one or the other to learn the spell, and the spell is an endgame spell.
==Mechanics==
As a spell with a power of 150, it deals damage with the following formula:
:150 \times 4 + (Level \times Magic \times 150 / 32)
where "Level" refers to the user's level, and Magic refers to the user's Magic stat. Ultima ignores the target's Magic Defense and shell plays no role in mitigating damage, and the spell cannot be blocked by Magic Evasion. Ultima is affected by split damage.
Several relics augment Ultima 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.
Ultima's damage is unaffected by elemental affinity.
==Use==
Ultima is the strongest spell in the game, both against single targets or multiple targets. However, its prohibitive MP cost means that there are some instances where the player may wish to use Flare against a single target, or Meteor against multiple targets. In some cases where an elemental weakness can be exploited, it may also be better to use a spell like Quake or Flood or third tier elemental spell instead.
Ultima has similar spell power to Meltdown, which also ignores defense and hits all enemies, though Meltdown also hits all allies. If the player equips armor that absorbs one of Meltdown's elements, Meltdown is a more turn-efficient ability, as using it will heal the player while damaging the enemy simultaneously. In other circumstances, Ultima is the stronger spell.
Though Terra learns Ultima naturally, she learns it so late that it is better to teach her the spell earlier. For other party members, as an Attack spell, the player should prioritize teaching Ultima 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 Phantom Rush means he can already cause strong magic damage for no MP cost. Ultima should be prioritized to spellcasters, but can be taught to any party member as a reliable way of dealing strong damage.
With party members whose Magic stat has been raised to a high enough level, using Meteor can be a more MP-efficient alternative to Ultima if the party member can reliably reach 9999 damage with Meteor. However, if the spellcaster is using Celestriad and MP is no object, Meltdown or Ultima can just be used without taking this into consideration.
==Gallery==
FFVI Gogo Mimicking Ultima.png|GBA.
FFVI Android Ultima.png|2014.
==Etymology and origin==
 Ultima is a recurring "final spell" in the series, notably serving a storyline role in Final Fantasy II.
Category:Magic in Final Fantasy VI