A Dark Arts spell being cast.
Call upon evil forces to perform Dark Arts.
Description
Dark Arts (あんこく, Ankoku?, lit. Darkness) is the name of the Necromancer job's ability in the Advance and iOS/Android versions of Final Fantasy V.
Mechanics[]
Dark Arts is more powerful than the Black Magic and Summon skillsets, and can be further boosted due to the equipment choices the Necromancer has (rods for Fire, Ice, Lightning, and Poison, and Air Knife for Wind). The Necromancer is similar to the Blue Mage, in that to learn any Dark Arts, the Necromancer has to learn it from opponents; the Necromancer must deal the finishing blow to a specific enemy to learn a Dark Art spell. Dark Arts is disabled if the user is silenced.
The Dark Arts are divided into five levels with increasing MP cost. These abilities are among the most devastating in the game, since they deal respectable damage, often with an elemental affinity and an added status effect.
Dark Arts Level 1 will give the character base Freelancer Magic +13. For each Dark Arts level gained, up to level 5, the Magic bonus is increased by 4 per level, for a maximum of +29 Magic at Dark Arts Level 5.
Level 1 takes 30 AP to learn, level 2 takes 45, level 3 takes 60, level 4 takes 100 and level 5 takes 200 AP.
List of Dark Arts[]
| Ability | Effect | Learned from | Lv.Level | MPMP cost | Pwr.Spell power | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drain Touch | Absorbs HP, non-reflectable | Mindflayer, The Damned | 1 | 15 | 80 | 
|
| Dark Haze | Deals non-elemental damage to all enemies, inflicts Old and Confuse | Lemure, Exoray | 1 | 18 | 190 | 
|
| Deep Freeze | Deals Ice-elemental damage to one enemy, inflicts Stop | Assassin, Dark Elemental | 2 | 38 | 190 | 
|
| Evil Mist | Deals Poison-elemental damage and inflicts Poison to all enemies | Zombie Dragon, Unknown | 2 | 38 | 190 | 
|
| Meltdown | Deals Fire-elemental damage and inflicts Sap on all enemies with a searing heat | Liquid Flame, Claret Dragon | 3 | 38 | 190 | 
|
| Hellwind | Attacks all enemies with cursed winds, dealing Wind-elemental damage and inflicting Petrify | Objet d'Art, Stingray | 3 | 38 | 190 | 
|
| Chaos Drive | Deals Lightning-elemental damage and causes Paralysis to all enemies | Mini Satana | 4 | 38 | 190 | 
|
| Curse | Causes various status ailments | Ironclad | 4 | 42 | 0 | 
|
| Dark Flare | Damages all enemies with a burst of dark energy. Ignores targets' magic defenses. | Exdeath's Soul, Tonberry | 5 | 52 | 200 | 
|
| Doomsday | Forbidden Dark Art, deals incredible damage to all enemies. Non-reflectable | Hades | 5 | 66 | 254 | 
|
Gallery[]
Etymology[]
Dark arts may refer to black magic or maleficium.
