Ramuh is the third Eikon Ability set you get access too, and if you’re a fan of the combat in FFXVI, you’ll want to get full use out of it. You are, however, limited to just two abilities (for the most part) that you can equip from any one Eikon so you are left to make a choice. This page will give you all the details on the best Ramuh Abilities to use.
As mentioned above, Ramuh is the third Eikon that Clive will attune with, and you’ll have access to all of his available abilities from the Cid the Outlaw Main Quest. The table below shows a list of all the abilities that you have access to:
Ability | Description | AP Cost | Upgrade Cost | Mastery Cost |
---|---|---|---|---|
Blind Justice | Launch a barrage of ball lightning at one or more enemies. Targets are determined by locking onto them before executing the ability. Ball lightning will affix itself to a target and can be caused to discharge, dealing additional damage, if the target is attacked. | – | – | 500 |
Pile Drive | Drive Ramuh’s staff into the ground, electrifying all enemies with a radius of the strike. | – | 660 | 1000 |
Thunderstorm | Call forth a powerful thunderstorm that rains multiple bolts of lightning down upon a target. | – | 575 | 1000 |
Lightning Rod | Create a ball of lightning that, upon being struck, chains lightning to other nearby enemies. | 120 | 525 | 1000 |
Judgment Bolt | Summon from the heavens a mighty levinbolt that deals massive damage to a single target. | 2300 | 3140 | 5500 |
With that in mind, we would rank (Blind Justice aside) their usefulness in the following order:
- Lightning Rod
- Judgment Bolt
- Pile Drive
- Thunderstorm
Below, you can find a breakdown of each ability with our own personal feelings on how useful each one is.
Ramuh Ability Breakdown¶
Blind Justice¶
The Circle Button ability for Ramuh is one of the less useful ones out of all the Eikons and takes a lot of setup to make the most out of it, something that goes against the fast-paced nature of the combat system. Upgrade the ability and you’ll increase the number of targets that Blind Justice can lock on to.
How Blind Justice works in nature is by pressing the Circle Button , Clive will float in the air and you’ll get a targeting reticule. Line up enemies in this to the maximum amount of targets and fire away. It’ll deal minimal damage but will leave orbs of lightning on the targets struck by it. This will then cause a discharge when struck (or be discharged from other abilities).
So where would we rank Blind Justice? We’d argue it’s one of the less useful Eikon Abilities for that button, especially when you’re limited to equipping three Eikons. As such, we’re a big fan of mastering any Ramuh abilities you may like and equip them on an Eikon with a more useful ability such as The Phoenix or Garuda, once you have more than three to choose from.
Pile Drive¶
Pile Drive is a very useful ability to use when you find multiple enemies close to you. When used, Clive slams the staff into the ground, causing a knockback and damage to any that are caught up in it. This is one ability that does work well with Blind Justice should you choose to use it, as it will trigger the orbs stuck on the enemies previously and cause them to discharge.
Upgrade Pile Drive you increase both the radius and the number of hits, making it far more effective. If Pile Drive is an ability you wish to go for, then getting the upgrade is a must have as it increases its effectiveness massively as a tool when surrounded.
Pile Drive has another useful application for skilled players, you may notice that enemies are momentarily in the air when knocked back, if you time a Sic from Torgal while they’re in the air, you can keep them in there longer and follow-up with an Aerial Combo. For us, Pile Driver is the clear winner over Thunderstorm.
Thunderstorm¶
Thunderstorm’s biggest crime is that it’s a fairly basic ability, and in a game where there are so many unique abilities, it stands out less. When used, Clive will spin the staff in the air and call down bolts of lightning on a single target, knocking them down to the ground. It works fine as a ranged magical attack, but beyond that, nothing special.
When upgraded, Thunderstorm will call down more lightning strikes. This doesn’t change up to much how Thunderstorm works, so if you’re looking to spend your AP, there are better places first.
Arguably the best use for Thunderstorm is as another launcher, especially if you’re not confident with using Burning Blade as your launcher. Use Thunderstorm when standing next to your target and it will launch them in the air for a while, allowing you to use an Aerial Combo before the lightning strikes hit. Still, when it comes to it, we prefer the area-of-effect capabilities of Pile Drive over Thunderstorm.
Lightning Rod¶
Lightning Rod can take a while to learn how to get the best use of it, but once you do, we’re convinced it’s one of the better abilities in the game and should be part of your main rotation when it comes to a Stagger phase. When used, Clive will place a ball of lightning that can be targeted (you can even lock on) by Clive and enemies and when struck, will discharge an electrical storm around it.
Upgrade Lightning Rod and you’ll increase the range of the shock that is discharged when the ball is struck. This is a must have upgrade to make the full use out of Lightning Rod and one you should look to get early on (you should arguably master this ability).
To make the best use of Lightning Rod, you should first Stagger an enemy, then, while they’re down, use Lightning Rod before popping Limit Break and using your other skills. Being so close to the enemy will usually cause the majority of your attacks and abilities to strike it and cause it to add to the damage. This should become part of your Stagger strategy to massively increase the damage you deal during it.
Learn how to use Lightning Rod effectively, and it’s by far the best ability on this set. Due to Blind Justice being lackluster, it’s a good idea to master this when you unlock the fourth Eikon and equip it on another set.
Judgment Bolt¶
Like with most of the “ultimate” Eikon Abilities, Judgment Bolt is all about dealing heavy regular and Will damage to a target at the cost of a long cooldown. When used, Clive will conjure a massive levinbolt that he slams down toward a target, causing a large explosion and catching other nearby enemies in it.
Upgrade Judgment Bolt and you’ll increase the number of bolts that come crashing down from the sky and thus, hit more enemies nearby in the resulting explosion.
The obvious caveat with Judgment Bolt is the huge AP investment like most Eikon ultimates, then there’s the long Cooldown to think about. You’ll have to wait until the final third of the game to get the Accessory that decreases this cooldown, making it even less attractive. Still, as pure-damage, like all ultimates, it’s a great ability to use during a Stagger phase, especially in Limit Break.
Ramuh Ability Accessories¶
So now you’ve seen all of the abilities and what they can do, how do you get the Accessories that enhance them even further? These should come into your thinking when using these abilities as you should enhance them through these Accessories. This will have effects such as increasing the damage or decreasing the cooldown, and on Final Fantasy Mode (New Game+), you can even synthesize two Accessories together to make them even stronger!
Accessory | Effect | Location |
---|---|---|
The Will of Lightning (Pile Drive) | Increases Pile Drive Will damage by 10% | Chest during the Capital Punishment Main Quest |
The Breath of Lightning (Lightning Rod) | Reduces Lightning Rod’s cooldown by 5.0 seconds | Purchase at the Dhalmil Inn for 12,200 Gil |
The Favor of Lightning (Lightning Rod) | Increases Lightning Rod’s Damage by 9% | Chest during the Into the Darkness Main Quest |
The Favor of Lightning (Thunderstorm) | Increases Thunderstorm’s Damage by 10% | Dropped by the boss during the Into the Darkness Main Quest |
The Breath of Lightning (Judgment Bolt) | Reduces Judgment Bolt’s cooldown time by 9.0 seconds | Chest during the Fire in the Sky Main Quest |
The Breath of Lightning (Pile Drive) | Reduces Pile Drive’s cooldown time by 4.2 seconds | Reward for completing the Trial and Error Side Quest |
The Favor of Lightning (Judgment Bolt) | Increases Judgment Bolt Damage by 6% | Reward for completing the Ramuh Chronolith Trial |
More Final Fantasy 16 Eikon Guides¶
If you’re looking for the lowdown on all of the other Eikons in FFXVI, check out our pages below:
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