Fated Circle (Final Fantasy VIII)

Fated Circle is a Renzokuken finisher for Squall in Final Fantasy VIII that deals physical damage to all enemies, its power depending on his Strength stat. It is his second Limit Break finisher, usable when Squall equips Shear Trigger or any weapon stronger than that. 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.
When using Fated Circle, he jumps up into the air while charging energy into his gunblade. At the apex he spins and releases a shockwave that damages all enemies.
==Obtained==
Squall can use Fated Circle as soon as he upgrades his weapon from Revolver. To make Shear Trigger, the player needs Steel Pipe x1 and Screw x4. To make the slightly stronger Cutting Trigger, the player needs Mesmerize Blade x1 and Screw x8. The player can easily get the various weapon remodeling items from Triple Triad cards via Quezacotl's Card Mod.
==Mechanics==
Squall has a (Crisis Level * ~23.6%) chance to perform a random finishing blow after a Renzokuken sequence. Hitting the critical prompts during the Renzokuken sequence does not affect the chance of Squall using a finisher. 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 Shear and Cutting Trigger, Squall has a 75% chance of performing Fated Circle when a finisher initiates. From Flame Saber onward, he has a 25% chance of performing Fated Circle when he ends his Limit Break with a finishing move.
Fated Circle deals non-elemental physical damage to all enemies 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 both use the trigger button () to determine critical hits rather than his Luck stat; 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 40 / 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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Fated Circle damages all enemies. It is his weakest finishing move, but targets all enemies, whereas his initial Rough Divide targets only one. Fated Circle is thus luckiest to get against groups, whereas Rough Divide is better against single enemies. There is no way to bias the outcome as the gunblades simply have a flat percentage chance for each finisher.
As a physical ability, Fated Circle can critical and randomly do double damage. 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 Fated Circle 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.
==Citations==
Category:Renzokuken finishers in Final Fantasy VIII