Automatically casts Regen in battle.
Description
Auto-Regen is a support ability in Final Fantasy IX that every permanent party member can learn. It bestows them with automatic Regen status while in battle for the cost of 10 Magic Stones, allowing the wearer to intervally accumulate HP during battle. It is one of the most valuable support abilities, which party members will equip non-stop after learning it.
Obtained[]
Auto-Regen is learned from numerous equipment pieces for variable amounts of AP; Zidane and Freya learn it the fastest at 25 AP, while Steiner learns it the slowest at 75 AP.
Auto-Regen is learned from numerous equipment pieces, and the first opportunity for a character to learn it varies because of this. Eiko's Golem's Flute is the first chance for anyone to get it, and she starts with it. Golden Hairpin teaches it to everyone but Freya and Steiner, first found in Mount Gulug. Glutton's Robe for Quina is first synthesized in Daguerreo when the party has a flying transport.
Light Robe is first found in the Ocean chocograph after the party has Blue Narciss. Carabini Mail is first found in Pandemonium and is Steiner's means of learning the ability (he learns it the latest). Brave Suit is an endgame light armor synthesized in Black Mage Village. Maiden Prayer is first found in a chocobo treasure on the Forgotten Continent near Oeilvert. Finally, Angel Earrings is first obtained from correctly instructing the Knights of Pluto during the Battle of Alexandria, and could be the earliest Auto-Regen for most of the party.
Mechanics[]
The wearer has automatic Regen whenever they are alive in combat. Auto-Regen cannot be dispelled. The wearer recovers 1/16th of their maximum HP every few seconds. Interval decreases with the character's Spirit attribute, and the interval is affected by the Battle Speed set in the Config and if the target has Slow or Haste. If the character has Zombie, Auto-Regen damages them instead. Under Stop, or when Freya is airborne due to her Jump, the HP accumulation is halted. Auto-Regen still ticks even if the character is frozen.
Use[]
Auto-Regen is one of the best support abilities in the game and supersedes any other healing most of the time, allowing the party to focus solely on damage-dealing. The only times the player may not want to use it, is when they may get Zombiefied, or when they specifically want to use an ability that requires low or specific HP: Quina's Limit Glove or Pumpkin Head, Steiner's Charge! or Minus Strike, or Zidane's Lucky Seven.
Equipping Auto-Haste alongside Auto-Regen makes the HP recover faster, but Auto-Regen on its own is already so potent that this is likely not even needed. As Auto-Regen is so good at keeping the party's health topped up, the player can deploy a party without dedicated healers even to boss battles. As Auto-Regen "ticks" even during animations, the player can deliberately use lengthy abilities to recover back any lost health, such as summon eidolons, or double up with Auto-Potion, more for the animation than for the measly top up.