Restores HP.
Description
Cure is a Healing spell in Final Fantasy VI. It is the basic curative spell that can be used to restore HP to one target or an entire party. Against undead enemies, it will damage them instead. It is learned naturally by both Terra and Celes, and can later be earned by other party members through magicite.
Cure is also an enemy ability used by Level 80 Magic, Desert Hare, Number 024, and Soul Saver.
Obtained[]
Terra knows Cure naturally at level 1, while Celes learns the spell at level 4. Other party members must learn it through magicite. It is taught by Kirin at a x5 rate, Shiva at x4, Seraph at x20, and Lakshmi at a x25 rate. Cure has a wide number of magicite teaching the spell, making it very easy to learn.
Mechanics[]
As a spell with a power of 10, it heals with the following formula:
where "Level" refers to the user's level, and Magic refers to the user's Magic stat. When it is group-cast, its healing effect is split. The spell will always connect.
When used against undead enemies, the same formula will instead be used to calculate damage dealt, and will ignore Magic Defense and shell.
Several relics augment Cure along with other spells. If the caster is equipped with an Earring or a Hero Ring, the effect is multiplied by 5/4 (or a 25% increase). If the caster is equipped with two Earrings, two Hero Rings, or one of each, the effect is multiplied by 3/2 (a 50% increase). If the caster equips Gold Hairpin or Celestriad, its MP cost is cut by half or reduced to 1, respectively.
Use[]
Cure is reliable early on as a basic healing spell. Its effect will likely be greater than using a Potion and comparable to that of a Hi-Potion. Depending on the Magic stat of the caster, it could quickly become a greater heal than a Hi-Potion, and as the caster's level and Magic stat improve, Cure will become a greater heal. However, the rate at which enemy's damage and party member's HP increases also typically outpace the rate Cure improves, even with magicite to improve stats.
Both Terra and Celes know Cure naturally, and will be reliable as healers. For other party members, as a Healing spell that relies on the caster's Magic stat, the spell should be taught to everyone, but prioritized to party members with a high natural Magic stat and access to mage equipment. This includes Relm and Strago; Mog and Shadow have high Magic stats, while Gogo has access to mage equipment. Though Sabin has a low stat initially, he will be built toward magic damage, and will thus likely become a great caster for the spell.
Cure has a low MP cost, but especially at early levels, overreliance on Cure can drain MP from casters who will likely be using other spells for damage output. Conversely, Cure will be much less effective when cast by a party member not geared toward magic damage, meaning it will be less MP-efficient, and in battle, less turn-efficient. As such, for most of the game, it is optimal to include two characters in a party with high Magic or spellcasting prowess, where the second should focus on curing; if only one spellcaster is included, that spellcaster should focus on healing. When Gold Hairpin is available, it is more viable to focus one party member on casting curative spells, but doing so will make them preoccupied with healing over dealing damage.
Cure is outclassed by Cura, which has almost three times the effect of Cure but five times the MP cost. Cure therefore becomes better to use on the field, while Cura is better in battle or when being conservative in MP for smaller heals.
If used as an offensive spell against undead enemies, Cure's damage is close to that of Fire, Blizzard, or Thunder, due to ignoring Magic Defense.
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