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Bravely Default

About Special Moves

By
Vincent Lau

(1 of 2) In a game as tough as this, any advantage is a plus and Special Moves are a pretty big advantage!

In a game as tough as this, any advantage is a plus and Special Moves are a pretty big advantage! (left), (right)

During those tricky boss battles, when normal moves don’t cut it, it’s time to crack out those Special Moves! The available moves depend on your character’s equipped weapon(s) and how many Special Moves you unlocked from rebuilding Norende Village. Initially, you will have the Level 1 Sword Special Move, which characters can use with a Sword equipped.

Using Specials

To use a Special Move, you must first achieve certain requirements in battle; for instance, the Level 1 Sword Special Move requires your character to use the Brave command 10 times. Having fulfilled the condition, a new command “Special” will appear in your character’s list of actions–choose this to select from one of the character’s Special Moves.

Your character will now spend an action (1 BP) and use the chosen Special Move when their turn arrives. Special Moves have a variety of effects–most of them deal powerful damage to the enemy, while some heal your party or weaken the enemy. As Special Moves are standard actions, you can use them multiple times in one turn and/or in combination with Brave.

Once you’ve used a Special Move, you can’t use the same one (or from the same weapon family) until your character meets the requirements again. As such, it’s a good idea to store up Special Moves in preparation of a boss battle, so you can use them at any time.

Morale-boosting Music

(1 of 2) After triggering a Special Move, you’ll want to up the pace a little to make the most of your temporal stat boosts.

After triggering a Special Move, you’ll want to up the pace a little to make the most of your temporal stat boosts. (left), (right)

After using one Special Move, the battle music will change abruptly; for the duration of the music, your party will receive a boost to their stats, dependent on the Special Move. Ideally, you’ll want to issue commands at a speedy rate to make the most of your buffs; some of the buffs are pretty amazing and can turn the tide of battle in their own right.

You can also chain Special Moves to prolong the music–when you think the music’s about to end, quickly issue another Special Move to keep the music going! Finally, when you’re out of Special Moves, you could turn to friend summons for help–summons can have Special Moves and their specials can trigger the heart-lifting music too.

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Guide Information
  • Publisher
    Square Enix
  • Platforms,
    3DS
  • Genre
    RPG
  • Guide Release
    14 February 2014
  • Last Updated
    23 January 2021
    Version History
  • Guide Author
    Vincent Lau

Share this free guide:

Welcome to the most comprehensive guide to the Final Fantasy-esque JRPG from RPG veterans Square-Enix. Inside our essential guide to the entire game we’re leaving no stone unturned as we show you:

  • A complete breakdown of the combat and game mechanics.
  • How to rebuild Norende in record time (for the very best upgrades).
  • All of the Jobs and the craziest combinations to destroy all enemies with.
  • How to conquer the main story (and get the true ending).
  • Easy-to-follow tricks to pummel every boss into the ground with!
  • Every single item, weapon or piece of armor in the game.
  • A complete enemy bestiary (and what items you can steal from them).
  • Killer tricks needed to beat all of the ultra-tough Nemeses bosses.
  • Exclusive 720p HD videos.

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