Gladiolus (Final Fantasy XV party member)

Gladiolus is a party member in Final Fantasy XV who acts autonomously in battle. He can rescue party members in Danger status, invoke link-strikes with Noctis and perform Techniques and use items on himself by the player's beckoning. Patch 1.20 added a character swap feature to the main game that can be unlocked via the Ascension. He is the toughest party member with the most HP and strength.
Gladiolus is also the main playable character in his own DLC episode, and in an added segment to Chapter 13. His "leisure" activity is Survival, where he nets extra spoils at the ends of battles. Gladiolus can be fought against as an opponent during the tutorial, and optionally at campsites whenever he is in the party in Lucian overworld.
==Party member==
In battle, Gladiolus uses greatswords as his Primary Arm and can equip shields as Secondary Arm. He has the highest physical power and HP of the group. Though he has a great deal of Spirit to allow him to outlast magical attacks, he lacks in Magic, which is best left to anyone else in the group. He is best as the tank and the fighter.
Gladiolus has a good range due to his use of greatswords, which he can also throw, and he can thus attack enemies without need to cover distance in close. His shield comes in handy to bolster his defenses, especially from long range attackers, and increase his stats further. He can use his shield as a makeshift knuckle to pound the ground to throw enemies off balance and strategically attack enemies with the bonus of doubled damage. He is the worst equipped when fighting aerial enemies, as he has little way of intercepting their flowing offensives, and his intervals compared to gun-wielding enemies see him vulnerable to their attacks.
His skills are centered on supportive, offensive, and defensive actions. Though he only provides cover for Noctis, Gladiolus acts defensively through brute force, kicking away enemies who come in too close, and even providing cover, defending himself as well as his charge if they are in close and nullifying the oncoming attack.
At the beginning of Chapter 8, Gladiolus is considered a guest during the fight at the power plant—he is simply called Hunter, cannot enter Danger state, and does not appear in the party menu, but otherwise acts like he always does. He also wields the same weapon he had equipped at the end of Chapter 6.
===Stats===
Gladiolus's statistics, disregarding stat boosts from weapons and attire.
Level	HP 	Strength	Vitality	Magic	Spirit
1 	534	27 	40 	7 	36
===Abilities===
As Noctis's party member, Gladiolus learns First Aid abilities from the Recovery grid in the Ascension that let him recover his own health when low.
====Survival====
Gladiolus's skill is Survival, which has him find items during and upon winning battles; the higher the Survival Skill Level, the better items he can find. The chance of finding items is better the more steps the player has taken between battles. Gladiolus can find consumable items like potions and elixirs and treasures from animal parts to coins and notes. The higher level Survival skill provides better quality items at the end of fights, no matter what the outcome is. The number of items he finds can be doubled via abilities learned in the Ascension's Exploration grid.
Survival levels up by running on the field. The player can leave the game to run on its own with the controller in a position the party will run in circles to accumulate steps to level up Gladiolus's Survival.
====Teamwork====
Gladiolus learns the following Teamwork abilities in the Ascension Grid. He will perform these autonomously.
		
		
Name	Effect
 	Perform a disruptive area of effect greatsword counterattack. Damage modifier: x2. Only use when current HP is low and will only use once.
 	Perform a powerful pre-emptive greatsword strike. Damage modifier: x2
 	Gladiolus guards the player character with a shield when his own HP is high. Intercept blocks an attack that was going to hit the player (doesn't matter if the attack was directed at the player specifically or not). Needs to have shield equipped as secondary arm. Gladiolus can use it more than once in battle but not back-to-back.
 	Perform a disruptive kick while Noctis is defending (no weapon requirement). Damage modifier: x1.5
 	Increases Antagonize damage modifier to x2.5
			
			
The group Teamwork skills also apply to Gladiolus. The linking skills make linked attacks (see below) stronger, whereas the Deathblow abilities have him perform specific abilities on enemies that are in vulnerable state. Which Deathblow Gladiolus uses depends on equipment; if he has a shield equipped, he will only use that. Ultimate Deathblow boosts the damage done.
====Techniques====
Gladiolus can learn the following Techniques from the Ascension Grid. They can be invoked by the player, and Noctis can usually do a follow-up-attack with them. Gladiolus starts with the Tempest Technique.
			
			
Gladiolus excels in bringing on massive direct damage on single targets and controlling crowds of enemies. 
Tempest allows him to attack through wildly brandishing his greatsword, spinning across the field with an opening swing, indirectly hurting enemies in his path, before finishing with a mighty swing on the designated target; depending on the situation, it comes in handy as either a crowd-controlling technique, or a multi-hitting damage attack with no excessive cost. It requires accuracy and strategic placement to properly realize its full effect. The critical version adds an additional opening swing. It costs a single tech bar.
Dawnhammer brings Gladiolus to prepare a mighty downward slash capable of inflicting a critical hit and Break. It is especially useful for breaking appendages; having Noctis following in for the additional attack further increases its chances. The strike can miss agile enemies. It costs two tech bars.
Cyclone causes Gladiolus to slam the ground with his shield, delivering an area-of-effect shockwave. He then holds up his sword, creating a temporary warp-point for Noctis. Warping to it will have Noctis spin around the sword repeatedly before swinging it himself. Gladiolus needs a shield equipped. It costs two tech bars.
Royal Guard makes Gladiolus stomp the ground around him before calling Noctis to him, immediately giving him Serene status. This allows Noctis makeshift sanctuary from enemy attacks and expedited HP/MP regeneration. Noctis can wait around 10 seconds, walk away, or charge back into battle with a prompt unleashing a follow-up attack. This cannot bring Noctis out of Danger. Gladiolus needs a shield equipped. It costs a single tech bar.
Impulse has Gladiolus pause briefly, wielding his weapon in front of him, and promptly cutting a quick slash from left to right. The cut unleashes a wide, sweeping and shredding vacuum that hits all in the vicinity in front of him with massive damage multiple times. It is especially useful for bringing down tanks of enemies with enormous amounts of HP, clearing out numbers of enemies who have power in groups, and for quickly wrapping up battles when the opportunity arises. This technique often deals 9,999 damage, especially when critical blows are landed, and can easily deal more if Gladiolus's Limit Break node is activated. It costs three tech bars.
Limit Break lets Gladiolus break the damage limit of 9,999 damage with his Techniques. Along with Impulse, Dawnhammer is also capable of soaring past the limit.
====Linked attacks====
When parrying an enemy's attack (called link-strike) or blindsiding them as Noctis wielding either a one-handed sword, polearm or a greatsword, Gladiolus has a chance to join in for a linked attack. Gladiolus must be near Noctis (with Friendship Band equipped, he can be a little further away), not incapacitated and not amid performing another action. He has one link-strike per weapon type, but various blindside links; if a blindside link triggers with Gladiolus the game chooses randomly which attack to use, although some require Gladiolus to have a shield equipped as a secondary arm to appear. Linked attacks only happen in the main game when playing as Noctis.
Player's weapon	Gladiolus's weapon	Type 	Description
Sword 	Greatsword 	Link-strike	Gladiolus pulls Noctis away from the enemy the former just parried and strikes it.
Sword 	Greatsword 	Blindside 	Gladiolus rushes in and attacks Noctis's target over his head while Noctis grouches down.
Sword 	Greatsword 	Blindside 	Gladiolus rushes in and takes Noctis's hand, flinging him into the air. Noctis strikes the enemy with his one-handed sword in the air while Gladiolus attacks with his greatsword below.
Sword 	Shield 	Blindside 	Noctis grouches and Gladiolus uses him as a "launching pad" to jump into the air and bash the enemy with his shield.
Polearm 	Greatsword 	Link-strike	Gladiolus lowers his sword to the ground, Noctis steps on it and Gladiolus launches him as they attack the enemy together. (Video)
Polearm 	Greatsword 	Blindside 	Noctis cartwheels away from the opponent to make room for Gladiolus who attacks Noctis's target together with him.
Polearm 	Greatsword 	Blindside 	Gladiolus grabs Noctis and spins and then throws him at the enemy before following with a strike of his own. (Video)
Polearm 	No weapon 	Blindside 	Noctis grabs onto his spear and acts as a weight when Gladiolus picks up the spear with Noctis still on it to attack the enemy. Noctis lands on Gladiolus's back and hops back down.
Greatsword 	Greatsword 	Link-strike	Gladiolus and Noctis stand side by side and attack Noctis's target in unison. (Video)
Greatsword 	Greatsword 	Blindside 	Noctis attacks and then throws his greatsword into the air. Gladiolus comes up from behind, grabs Noctis's weapon and dual-wields greatswords as he descends upon Noctis's target.
Greatsword 	Greatsword 	Blindside 	Noctis and Gladiolus attack Noctis's target in unison with their greatswords.
Greatsword 	Shield 	Blindside 	Noctis uses the shield Gladiolus is holding out horizontally as a stepping stone to attack the enemy.
In Episode Gladiolus, Gladiolus has three blindside links with Cor, and the player can do them one after another, unlike in the main game. Linking five times earns the Master and Pupil achievement/trophy.
*Gladiolus strikes an enemy with his greatsword and Cor climbs onto his back and does a jumping attack on the enemy with his katana.
*Gladiolus strikes an enemy and Cor comes up from behind for a follow-up attack.
*Gladiolus and Cor attack Gladiolus's target in unison, Cor doing a little somersault.
====Character swap====
The ability to character-swap to Gladiolus during battle is unlocked in the Ascension Grid for 20 AP. Gladiolus attacks with a straightforward, somewhat-slow but decently-ranged 4-swing blitz with his greatsword. The opening swing is altered depending on his position and the target's, and can also change by tilting the analogue stick while attacking, sprinting, or attacking after rolling or blocking. Like Noctis, Gladiolus has a simple downward slam for an aerial attack. By tilting the movement stick away from his target, Gladiolus can toss his sword towards them (his only ranged attack), or, if holding the attack button, charge his greatsword in a similar manner to Noctis (though his swing is quicker).
Gladiolus lacks a stamina gauge, and thus can sprint indefinitely. He has 100 base MP, and like Ignis, he constantly loses MP when holding the phase button, but recovers it very quickly. His Stasis period is much shorter than Noctis's, and he cannot dodge-roll or brace attacks in Stasis. Unlike Noctis and Ignis, Gladiolus blocks attacks with his shield, and can still do so without one equipped. There are only a handful of attacks that can't be blocked with Gladiolus's shield, which are typically the same attacks Noctis can't phase through (often AOE attacks); attempting to block them will stagger him briefly and may inflict damage.
By blocking enemy attacks, taking damage, or blocking attacks at the last second, Gladiolus can build up his "rage" meter to increase his damage output with a maximum potential of quadruple damage. Blocking attacks at the last second will also leave the enemy vulnerable and bring up a visual counterattack prompt, which unleashes a strong sword swing. The rage meter drains slightly after every attack Gladiolus performs, and will automatically begin to drain during battles.
Gladiolus has a "valor" gauge, rather than an auto-charging Technique bar, that can be built by chaining regular attacks. Once full, a Glaive Art can be performed. The gauge can be filled multiple times and each full gauge will unlock a more powerful Glaive Art. The valor gauge resets after battles.
Gladiolus can't attack with his shield or use magic. He cannot utilize his Magic stat in any way, and does not benefit from the passive abilities of his shields; however, his equipped shield will be shown in his block animation, and he still benefits from any raw stat bonuses. Like Ignis and Prompto, Gladiolus has Impervious by default when he is playable (Noctis needs to unlock it in Ascension for 333 AP), and has a bigger recovery window than Noctis. Impervious negates the damage the player just took from some attacks by pressing the dodge button just after getting struck, even restoring Max HP or canceling an ailment inflicted by the attack. 
===Equipment===
====Greatswords====
====Shields====
Gladiolus cannot make use of shields' passive abilities.
====Accessories====
Some accessories are exclusive to Gladiolus.
====Attire====
==Food==
Gladiolus's tastes reflect his nature as an outdoorsman, enjoying wild game cooked with the bare essentials and seasoned with the gathered flora of the surrounding area. He especially enjoys meaty dishes, a majority of them skewers, and is fond of Cup Noodles. Much of the game that compose his favorites are powerful monsters ranging from bulettes to behemoths, and some of the fish he enjoys are among the more challenging to land. The sidequest "A Perfect Cup" requires the player to hunt down either a Karlabos, a Zu, or a Behemoth, for the pursuit of sharing with the team the "real" experience of feasting on a cup of noodles. Eating Gladiolus's favorite food at camp empowers his Techniques.
==Chocobo racing==
Gladiolus is the second chocobo racing opponent after winning against Prompto. Winning against him scores the Destria Medal, and makes Chocobo Hoops available. The Xelphatol Pear can be found on his course.
Tough Gladiolus is tougher than Prompto, the player should win without the need to level up their chocobo much or feed it greens, though these will make the task easier.
Gladiolus will also race alongside Prompto and Ignis in "Full Field", but if the player can win against Ignis, they should be able to do this course as well.
==Training==
The player can train with Gladiolus on campsites. New training levels are unlocked as the player levels up, and the Final Trial is open in Chapter 15. Completing a training session earns 5 AP. Gladiolus does not appear in the bestiary and Ignis is not available to use Analyze, and thus it is impossible to observe Gladiolus's training stats.
==Downloadable content==
Gladiolus has a downloadable episode where the player takes control of him directly. Gladiolus faces Gilgamesh, and fight alongside Cor.
Gladiolus's combat style functions the same as his character swap in the normal game, though the episode's font style is unique. The valor gauge won't reset after fights. In certain areas, Gladiolus can use stone pillars as weapons. Enemies will flash red when executing unblockable attacks.
==Gallery==
Cyclone Technique in FFXV.png|Cyclone.
Royal Guard Technique in FFXV.png|Royal Guard.
Impulse Technique from FFXV.png|Impulse.
Earthshatter Glaive Art in FFXV.png|Earthshatter.
Razor Edge Glaive Art in FFXV.png|Razor Edge.
Tempest-Gladiolus-FFXV.png|Tempest.
ru:Гладиолус Амицития/Геймплей
Category:Character gameplay in Final Fantasy XVCategory:Guest characters