As a long-time Final Fantasy veteran, I‘ve always loved the strategic depth that summons add to the iconic RPG series‘ battles. FF16 takes the summoning system to the next level by tightly integrating dynamic "Eikons" with the game‘s central characters and story.
Based on my experience with the FF16 demo and details revealed so far, here is the definitive guide to mastering all of these powerful elemental beings and unleashing their full potential against the forces of evil!
An Expert FF Player‘s Overview of Eikons
Eikons in FF16 lend themselves perfectly to thrilling risk-vs-reward gameplay. As the resident battle expert in my gaming friend group, I always push my understanding and skill to master complex combat mechanics like FF summons.
At their peak strength, Eikons can absolutely devastate groups of foes or turn the tide against an overwhelming boss. But you must judiciously manage their use to avoid losing complete control. Finding this perfect balance and customizing your Eikon strategy to each battle provides tremendous replay value!
Below I share everything you need to know about these dynamic living weapons from story connections and strategic guidance to ability rundowns and my personal favorites. Let‘s dive in!
The Tragic Ties Between Dominants and Eikons
Understanding the background of each Eikon makes wielding their fearsome powers even more impactful…
Phoenix: Bound to Joshua Rosfield, Phoenix‘s fiery rage consumes his soul – setting the stage for FF16‘s central conflict…
Ifrit: Protagonist Clive Rosfield barely contains destructive fire beast within, struggling to satiate its ceaseless battle lust…
As these examples illustrate, Dominants walk a razor‘s edge to command their Eikon while retaining humanity. Their internal clashes channel energy into abilities to crush exterior foes.
How To Unlock All 8 Summons in FF16
Activating each Eikon requires progress milestones:
| Eikon | Dominant | Unlock Method |
|---|---|---|
| Ifrit | Clive | Default Ability |
| Phoenix | Joshua | Main Quest "Sunrise, Sunset" |
| Garuda | Benedikta | Main Quest "Wings of Change" |
| Ramuh | Cidolfus | Main Quest "Cid the Outlaw" |
| Titan | Hugo Kupka | Main Quest "Captital Punishment" |
| Odin | Barnabas Tharmr | Main Quest "The Last King" |
| Shiva | Jill Warrick | Main Quest "Through the Maelstrom" |
| Bahamut | Dion Lesage | Main Quest "Fire in the Sky" |
Mastering these milestone quests allows Clive to summon each new Eikon in battle!
Now let‘s analyze each Eikon‘s powers and ideal combat roles…
Phoenix: Raining Fiery Death from Above
With Wings aglow like the dawn itself, Phoenix‘s abilities to scorch scores of foes and self-resurrect make this firebird deadly from range:
Unique Value: Multi-target attacks, revival skill, and aerial combos
Key Abilities
- Flames of Rebirth: Revive with 50% HP (120s cooldown)
- Scarlet Cyclone: Become a fiery tornado, dealing 1000% weapon damage per second. Costs 80 Eikon gauge.
- Rising Flames: Detonate for AoE fire damage over time (80000 dmg total). Costs 40 gauge
Eikon Gauge: Recovers at 60 points per second. Gains 10 per normal attack landed.
Playstyle
Pepper the battlefield from safety with widespread fire explosions using Phoenix‘s arsenal of ranged attacks. If enemies close distance, take to the skies and scorch them from above or resurrect yourself!
Chaining Ifrit‘s Hellish Melee Onslaught
Ifrit complements Phoenix as a vicious melee fire beast, unleashing punishing blows with claw and horn:
Unique Value: Extreme single target DPS and gap closing abilities
Key Abilities
- Limit Break: Gain 30% ATK speed and 80% bonus fire damage for 20s. Costs 60 gauge.
- Ignition: Create explosion around Clive (50000 damage). Cost 50 gauge.
- Hellfire: Ifrit channels flames onto Clive‘s weapon for +150 fire damage per hit for 30 seconds. No cost.
Eikon Gauge: Identical to Phoenix. Generates from attacks landed and time.
Playstyle
Get up close and personal to maximize Ifrit‘s damage by repeatedly using empowered attacks like the lengthy Hellfire buff. Use gap closers to stick to targets then obliterate them with Ignition!
Support Your Party with Ramuh‘s Widespread Storm
While lacking raw damage output, Thunderlord Ramuh paralyzes hordes of foes with relentless lightning strikes:
Unique Value: Excellent crowd control and weakness exploitation
Key Abilities
- Thunderstorm: Blanket arena in thunder strikes randomly (500% magic dmg). Costs 25 gauge.
- Lightning Rod: Next 5 attacks have 100% lightning damage. Ten second duration for 30 gauge.
- Judgment Bolt: 15 deadly thunder meteor strikes batter targeted enemy. 50 gauge cost.
Eikon Gauge: Starts battle completely filled. Recovers at 40 points per second.
Playstyle
Open fights by hindering groups with Thunderstorm and Lightning Rod‘s combined paralyzing electrical fury. Use Judgement Bolt to pressure isolated threats while your party cleans up the immobilized masses!
Conclusion: Master All Eikons to Rule FF16‘s Battlefield
While I omitted Shiva, Titan, Garuda, Odin, and Bahamut for brevity, each summon brings lethal and unique powers to bear. Master them all!
Hopefully my decades of Final Fantasy expertise have armed you with everything needed to dominate using FF16‘s revenant Eikons. See you on the blood-soaked battlefields of Valisthea! Let me know which is your personal favorite summon based on abilities and backstory appeal.
