Blasting Zone (Final Fantasy VIII)

Blasting Zone 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 third Limit Break finisher, usable when Squall equips Flame Saber 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 Blasting Zone, he raises his gunblade, extends a pillar of energy to the outer atmosphere, then slams the blade and the light pillar with it into the ground to hit all enemies.
==Obtained==
Squall can use Blasting Zone as soon as he upgrades his weapon to Flame Saber or better. Flame Saber is made with Betrayal Sword x1, Turtle Shell x1, and Screw x4. With the Turtle Shell, the player could aim straight for the Punishment, which needs Chef's Knife x1, Star Fragment x2, Turtle Shell x1, and Screw x8. The player can get all of these weapon modeling items from Triple Triad cards with Quezacotl's Card Mod. Because Squall's weapons upgrade his Limit Break finisher, it is worthwhile to prioritize his weapon for upgrading.
==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 Flame Saber, Twin Lance, and Punisher, Squall has a 50% chance of performing Blasting Zone when a finisher initiates. With the Lion Heart, he has a 25% chance of performing Blasting Zone when he ends his Limit Break with a finishing move.
Blasting Zone 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 44 / 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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Blasting Zone damages all enemies. It is his second weakest finishing move after Fated Circle, but targets all enemies, whereas his initial Rough Divide targets only one. Blasting Zone 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.
Blasting Zone's animation still shows the light pillar rising from the planet even when used against Propagators, Sorceresses, and the final boss.
As a physical ability, Blasting Zone 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 Blasting Zone 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