Conjure a ward. Attack spells cast within the ward will automatically be cast twice.
Description
Arcane Ward is an ability for Aerith in Final Fantasy VII Remake, provided to her by the 
Guard Stick. It creates a large ward on the ground, where any kind of offensive magic used while standing on it will be cast twice.
Mechanics[]
| Weapon Ability | Guard Stick
|
|---|---|
| Effects | - Creates a large Arcane Ward on the ground at target ally's location for 180 seconds - Offensive magic cast within the ward are cast twice - Bonus spells deal 50% less damage and stagger than the original - Bonus spells cost 75% less MP than the original - Only 1 Arcane Ward may be active at a time |
| Interrupt stats | Interrupted by attacks with ≥40 interrupt strength |
| Compatible spells | - Fire, Fira, Firaga - Blizzard, Blizzara, Blizzaga - Thunder, Thundara, Thundaga - Aero, Aerora, Aeroga - Bio, Biora, Bioga |
Arcane Ward is a support ability for Aerith that provides a unique buff to party members standing inside it. Aerith places a large ward on the ground, centered around her target for 180 seconds. Any party members who cast a spell inside the ward will follow up with a second bonus spell. Aerith has an interrupt defense of 40 while conjuring an Arcane Ward.
The bonus spell granted by Arcane Ward will be used after the initial spell. It will have 50% attack power and stagger rate of the original spell, at 25% of the original MP cost, but will cost no additional ATB.
Use[]
Arcane Ward is possibly Aerith's most important ability, as it allows for tremendous damage output, especially when combined with the 
Magnify Materia. It also provides a major advantage for a party focused on spellcasting, as all characters within its radius benefit from it. This ability truly shines against bosses that have exploitable elemental weaknesses, allowing the party to damage them from safe distances with the correspondent magic, increasing the stagger gauge quickly. Once staggered, using the higher magic graduations within Arcane Ward will often result in devastating damage. Although the follow-up spell is only half as powerful, it is more efficient because it only costs a quarter of the MP cost. If Aerith has Fleeting Familiar active and casts an offensive spell within Arcane Ward, the red familiar attack will also summon twice as many projectiles.
The MP Absorption Materia can further improve efficiency, allowing the character to recover significant MP with the dual cast. This is especially useful on the hard difficulty, when MP is scarce. HP Absorption Materia can also allow the users to heal themselves by casting spells, mitigating the need for curative spells, and greatly helping with Aerith's fragile durability. Though costly for ATB, Arcane Ward can be combined with Aerith's ATB Ward to use spells frequently. Spells cast via Synergy Materia can be dualcast with Arcane Ward.
The main drawback of Arcane Ward is that the character must be standing within the ward for it to take effect. This can be less optimal in fights that demand mobility. On the other hand, the ward lasts a significant amount of time, making recasts only necessary when in need of repositioning. Ideally, the ward should be cast roughly in the middle of the arena during boss battles, allowing quick accessibility regardless of where the characters are. In boss battles that have "safe areas", like the pillars in the Arsenal battle, Aerith can place the ward there. She can also use a Lustrous Shield to somewhat protect the warded location from one angle.
Behind the scenes[]
Arcane Ward was Aerith's second-most popular ability among survey respondents at 23%, below Ray of Judgment at 32%, and Healing Wind at 20%.[1]
Gallery[]
Etymology[]
Arcane is a synonym for esoteric. It refers to various secret philosophical and religious doctrines and traditions.
References[]
- ↑ Square Enix (2020, August 14). "Results of the FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE Post-Play Survey". From Final Fantasy Portal Site. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020.