Also like the other games in the series, each playable character has their own unique limits. And in Final Fantasy VIII they have a much larger variety. From Blue Magic to gunfire, everybody brings something to the table. But what’s more worth your time? Let’s take a look at every character and figure out which limit breaks are worth using in Final Fantasy VII.
6. Selphie Tilmitt – Slot
When she breaks her limit, Selphie brings up a window that presents the player with a spell and the option to either cast it, or roll again for another option. This can be one of any of the spells in the game – though which ones you get and the frequency they show up as you roll depends on how much danger Selphie is currently in. There’s also spells unique to Slot, and these are where the true value of the limit break comes in. Full Cure and Wall come up fairly frequently and do what you’d expect. Her other two unique spells come up much less frequently. Rapture has a chance to instantly beat an enemy, and The End simply finishes the battle in your favor, no questions asked, and works on every enemy (including super bosses). Unfortunately, you won’t see the last two very much, if at all. A lot of your time with Slot will be rolling and rerolling for what you want, which is a gamble true to its name. There’s a lot to gain. But at the same time, lots to lose.
5. Zell Dincht – Duel
When in Duel, the player has to input simple button combinations to execute various melee attacks. Be quick, though – you’re under a time limit! The amount of time you have depends on how much danger Zell is in, from a meager four seconds all the way up to twelve. If you execute enough attacks, you’ll be able to deliver a devastating finishing move (which can be learned by finding Combat King magazines). While Zell can’t break the damage limit, the sheer amount of attacks that can be delivered makes up for it. The downside to it all is that Zell requires lots of practice to achieve high damage. You’ll have to know the input for each attack and what leads into what, as well as how to get to the finishing moves. Zell’s damage output potential is super high, but the skill required to get to it may be something a lot of players don’t want to bother attaining.
4. Rinoa Heartilly – Combine and Angel Wing
Rinoa is in the unique position of being the only party member who has two different limit breaks. Both are strikingly different as well, and serve very different purposes. And to make it that much more interesting, she doesn’t obtain her second limit break until very late in the game. Her first limit break is Combine. With it, the loyal canine Angelo comes to Rinoa’s side to enable her to execute a variety of moves that both deal damage and buff the party. Learning new abilities is as simple as finding the corresponding Pet Pals magazine, setting the ability from the menu, and walking around until it’s learned. A neat trick to goad Angelo into doing what you want (and ultimately breaking the mechanic) is to only teach him what you want him to use. If you wait until the end of the game and only teach him Wishing Star, then that’s just about all you’ll use when triggering Rinoa’s break. Rinoa’s other limit break is Angel Wing. For that she’ll go into an uncontrollable state and cast spells from her inventory at 4 times the power, without consuming the spell. This mode is very situational, and your mileage may vary. Although if utilized correctly it can do a lot of damage.
3. Irvine Kinneas – Shot
Irvine is a simple guy. He has a gun and he’ll shoot it. It’s what his limit break is all about too. Pick an ammo type, unload on the enemy, and then revel in your glory. There are eight different types of ammo, ranging from elemental shots to higher powered fare. Press the right shoulder button as fast as you possibly can to get off as many shots as you can before time runs out. Yes – that’s the extent of his limit break, but it can do a ton of damage. A strong Irvine with a good weapon against an enemy with Vit-0 status can use Fast Ammo to deal well over 100,000 points of damage in a single break. It can take some time to get him strong enough, but once he’s ready, Irvine can easily be a top damage dealer.
2. Quistis Trepe – Blue Magic
Quistis’ limit break is another example of simplicity. She learns blue magic spells through items, such as Bad Breath from a Malboro Tentacle. There’s a tremendous variety of spells, from straight damage dealt to moves offering strong party buffs. Stuff like Might Guard and White Wind are super helpful. Although attack spells like Laser Eye, Ray-Bomb, and Degenerator continuously do great damage the whole way through as well. Quistis also gets Shockwave Pulsar, one of the very few spells that can break the 9999 damage limit. This alone makes her a force to be reckoned with – though the sheer utility of her Blue Magic makes her one of the best characters in the game.
1. Squall Leonhart – Renzokuken
No surprise to anybody, our number one boy for limit breaks is our main man Squall. His Renzokuken break requires pulling the trigger on his gunblade at the correct time (according to the gauge) and watching the damage rack up. Randomly after finishing a Renzokuken, Squall will execute a powerful finishing move. These do excellent damage, and are unlocked by upgrading his gunblades at weapons shops. The best of these finishing moves comes with his ultimate weapon of the same name: Lion Heart. A true successor to Omnislash, Lion Heart attacks seventeen times with great strength. Squall can start hitting for 9999 much easier with even only a middling strength junction. This means that a full Lion Heart break can deliver about 250,000 points of damage to a single target – and that’s enough to end just about anything in one or two turns.
