Shiva (Final Fantasy XV)

Shiva, also known as the Glacian, is an astral in Final Fantasy XV. She is one of the Six and is the astral that most resembles a human. She is the most friendly and compassionate of the Six, and is a Messenger of the gods to mortals. Prince Noctis forges a pact with Shiva in Chapter 12.

Profile
Like the other astrals, Shiva is based on a recurring summon in the Final Fantasy series. She is the smallest astral, not much larger than a normal human. She is a woman with pale blue skin, purple eyes with white eye shadow, pointed elvish ears and hornline protrusions that resemble icicles. She wears her long silvery hair in elaborate braids, and her body is covered by lace-pattern frost that resembles lingerie. She has sheer white sleeves made of frost and a filigree choker made of ice. Shiva appears as a flock of fairy-like ice goddesses, but she has also appeared as a giantess.

In the Chinese version, Shiva's appearance is altered, giving her a more human skin tone and a more conservative cheongsam-style dress.

Shiva is the fondest of mortals out of all the astrals.

Story
Shiva is an astral who is fond of humanity and acts as a foil to Ifrit. In M.E. 745, she awoke in the form of an ice giantess in the desert plains surrounding Gralea, the capital of Niflheim. Shiva led an assault on the Empire, but she was felled by its magitek infantry resulting in an environmental anomaly: the desert transformed into a vast tundra trapped in a perpetual snowstorm.

Having lost most of its army, Niflheim began developing magitek soldiers strong enough to fight the astrals. The research documents within Zegnautus Keep, the imperial magitek laboratory, suggest that the imperial "Wallbreaker" technology was used against Shiva during the battle, enfeebling her powers. The corpse of Shiva's giantess incarnation remains outside Gralea, where it can be seen from aboard the trains that pass the Imperial capital by.

Shiva is the true identity of Gentiana, the divine messenger who stays by the Oracles' side. Whereas the Oracle can commune with the gods to deliver mankind's message to them, Gentiana does the same for the gods. Shiva seems able to co-exist in multiple bodies, as when her ice goddess form was felled by the magitek soldiers, she was also living as Gentiana by Lunafreya Nox Fleuret's side. After the Oracle, Lunafreya, begins rousing the astrals to help Noctis, Gentiana guides him telepathically. Her following of Noctis is made apparent when her image begins to appear on the background of photos taken by Prompto.

Gentiana reveals her true nature to Noctis when she steps in to temporarily stop Ardyn while aboard the train to Gralea, as they pass by Shiva's giantess corpse in Ghorovas Rift. She grants Noctis her power, forging a pact with him while also bestowing him with the Trident of the Oracle, one of the royal arms. From there on, Noctis can call upon Shiva when he's in danger.

After Noctis returns after his ten-year slumber inside the Crystal, he heads to the ruins of Insomnia to fulfill the prophecy as the True King. Ardyn ushers Ifrit upon him, and Noctis and his friends fight him with the power of astrals behind him. As a finishing blow, Noctis summons Shiva whose illusions torment the wounded Ifrit. Flying into the sky, she casts down Diamond Dust, freezing Ifrit, before slaying him with an icy kiss.

Obtained
Noctis obtains Shiva at the end of Chapter 12.

Battle
The chance to summon will appear randomly while in battle, and the player can summon once per battle. Each astral has its own requirements to be considered during the "summon roll", which happens every 10 seconds. While possible to summon during the first roll, it is rare. Shiva's summon chance increases for each party member in KO/Danger, and the time the player has spent in battle. Shiva needs some space to be summoned, but can be summoned nearly anywhere.

When summoned, Shiva enters the battle, with her presence freezing the surrounding landscape, and appears alongside several copies of herself who surround a shivering Noctis. She uses her signature attack, Diamond Dust, which envelops the party's foes in a constant vacuum of super-chilled air. Shiva is the most powerful summon, as her attacks hit foes the most amount of times.

Her summoning against Ifrit has a unique animation.

Etymology
In Final Fantasy XV Shiva also assumes different forms, appearing as a giantess, a flock of taller-than-human pixies, and even as a human.

Trivia

 * If the player views the map when the train stops near the giantess Shiva's corpse, the outline of her body is visible.