Ravager (Final Fantasy XIII-2)



Ravager is a role in Final Fantasy XIII-2. Its main function is to increase the foe's chain gauge.

Role Bonus: Improved Chaining
The Enhanced Role ability adds 1 rank; if the wearer has no boosts they would instead be treated as having Bonus Boost I and so forth.

Shaman
The Shaman role is exclusive to Lightning in the Requiem of the Goddess downloadable content scenario. Specific to this role is the emphasis put into physical damage enhanced with the element of Wind. Fast ATB Rate.

Mage
The Mage role is exclusive to Lightning in the Requiem of the Goddess downloadable content scenario. Specific to this role is the emphasis put into magical damage enhanced with the element of Lightning. Fast ATB Rate.

AI Mechanics
Ravagers controlled by the computer select abilities designed to drive up enemies' chain gauges as high as possible, based on enemy data the player has discerned. If no elemental, physical or magical resistances have been discerned from the enemy, AI Ravagers will continue to use abilities of differing elemental properties until a weakness or resistance is found.

AI Ravagers try to avoid using the same ability twice in a row. For example, they will almost always queue up Fire, Flamestrike, Fire, Flamestrike if they know an enemy is weak against Fire, and has the same physical and magical resistance, because this drives up the chain gauge more than four Fires or four Flamestrikes.

In a normal paradigm, AI Ravagers will always target the same target as other characters. If there are two Commandos in the party, the party leader's target is given priority.

AI Ravagers will prefer to use first-tier spells and -strike abilities when faced with a single, unstaggered opponent. If an opponent is staggered, or if there are at least two opponents close together, AI Ravagers will also add one or two second-tier abilities in their attack queues. AI Ravagers will only use third-tier spells if there are many enemies close together.

X-Paradigms will make AI Ravagers perform almost the same while exclusively using single target (re: first-tier) attacks, while W-Paradigms will make AI Ravagers use third-tier attacks more often, even without close groupings of enemies.

Trivia

 * Only Fire, Blizzard, Thunder and Aero spells are available in Final Fantasy XIII-2, but Final Fantasy XIII had two additional elements that have since been removed: Water and Earth spells (though, the only earth spell was Quake). Galestrike, Windstorm and Bladestorm have been added in Final Fantasy XIII-2 as new Wind-elemental strike attacks.
 * Aero has been changed from being a specialty spell in Final Fantasy XIII to a regular spell in Final Fantasy XIII-2. In Final Fantasy XIII, Aerora and Aeroga cost more ATB than other same level spells, but in the sequel it performs like regular -ra and -ga spells.
 * While Ravagers are no longer able to cast Water, enemies of the Sahagin species are capable of casting Water. However as Water has been removed as an element in Final Fantasy XIII-2, this attack has been reclassified as a non-elemental spell.
 * The name of the item "Blaster's Sapphire", an item boosting the Ravager role bonus, may come from the Japanese name of the Ravager: Blaster.
 * Lightning's Shaman and Mage roles serve as physical and magical versions of the Ravager, while also getting a large boost to ATB speed.