Quickening (ability)

Quickenings (called Mist Knacks in the Japanese version) are Limit Breaks in the game Final Fantasy XII. A Quickening can only be used if a character's MP gauge is full, and hence has a Mist Charge. Quickenings are divided into three levels, with each level being more powerful than the previous and needing more Mist Charges. When a character uses a Quickening, the player has a specific amount of time to press a button which will allow another character or the same character to perform another Quickening. This can lead to large Quickening chains. If the chain is big enough, a finishing move will be performed which is variable on the number and type of Quickenings performed.

Quickening Chains
After selecting a quickening you can chain other quickenings by paying attention to the on screen menu and pressing the right button. Each member of your current party is assigned to one of the three face buttons. Use the R2 button to shuffle the options. Once the timer runs out, a concurrence might activate.

During a quickening chain you may be able to use quickenings even when your characters are out of MP by selecting Mist Recharge on the on-screen menu. Mist Recharges are random, and may not appear at all.

In the Japanese version, Quickening chains were accompanied by a message, like "Cool" and "Very Cool!", beside the chain number. The higher the chain, the better the message. These were removed in the American version.

Concurrences
Concurrences are the finishers you get at the end of a quickening chain, if you fulfilled certain conditions. While they may all look elemental based, they are all in fact physical attacks.

Note: Pulling off every concurrence unlocks Judge Gabranth in the Sky Pirate's Den.


 * Inferno - 3x level 1 quickenings
 * Cataclysm - 5x level 1 quickenings
 * Torrent - 2x level 1 quickenings and 3x level 2 quickenings
 * Windburst - 5x level 2 quickenings
 * Whiteout - 5x level 3 quickenings
 * Ark Blast - More than 2 hits on each of the 3 quickening levels
 * Luminescence - More than 3 hits on each of the 3 quickening levels
 * Black Hole - More than 4 hits on each of the 3 quickening levels

Priority goes to the concurrence that deals most damage. So even if you fulfil the conditions for Inferno, if you fulfilled the conditions for Ark Blast, it will activate instead.

The damage a concurrence deals is dependant on its power and the target's level.