Remove harmful status effects from one ally.
Description
Esuna is a White Magicks spell in Final Fantasy XII, both in the original PlayStation 2 version and the Zodiac re-releases. It is a single-target status heal spell. A multi-target version also exists, called Esunaga. Esuna does not heal all statuses, but does help with most of them.
Esuna is also used by Mandragora and Mandragora Prince to heal themselves and their allies from ailments.
Obtained[]
Esuna's license costs 60 License Points in the Zodiac versions, and 30 LP in the original version. In the Zodiac versions, it is bought from various shops that sell magicks for 2,700 gil from Eruyt Village onwards. It is also found in a treasure in Trial Mode Stage 84 with the Diamond Armlet equipped.
In the original version, Esuna is bought for 2,800 gil from Rabanastre (after defeating Belias), Eruyt Village, and Mt Bur-Omisace.
In the Zodiac versions, Esuna can be used by the job classes White Mage, Knight, and Red Battlemage; Knight must first obtain the Esper Mateus license and Red Battlemage must obtain the Shemhazai license.
Mechanics[]
Esuna removes most status abnormalities from a target, except Slow, Stop, Doom, Disease, Oil, X-Zone, and Stone. The ailments it heals are: Poison, Blind, Confuse, Silence, Disable, Immobilize, Sap, and Reverse. Esuna heals Petrify (the countdown status to Stone), but not Stone itself. Berserk is considered a status buff in Final Fantasy XII, and Esuna does not remove it.
Esuna costs 24 MP to use without any Channeling licenses. It bounces from Reflect unless the caster wears the Opal Ring.
Use[]
Esuna is a good utility spell the player can easily set up via the gambit system (Ally:Any→Esuna near the top is good). For battles where the enemy is known to use party-wide status-infliction moves, Esunaga may be preferable after it becomes available, but Esuna suffices most of the time.
Esuna does not heal all status abnormalities. For Slow, the player can set up a Haste/Hastega gambit; for Stop, the player can set up a Chronos Tear gambit (or Dispel, but that would also remove buffs); for Oil the player can set up a Handkerchief gambit; for Disease the player can set up a Cleanse or Vaccine gambit; for Stone the player can use a Gold Needle or Stona, though an Esuna-gambit should prevent a character petrifying before they turn to stone.
Once a character has all Remedy Lores, a Remedy used by them also heals Stop, Slow, Doom, and Disease. X-Zone cannot be healed in any other way but leaving the current area, however, only one enemy inflicts it: Demon Wall.
As Esuna removes Reverse, the player needs to turn off the gambits for Esuna-use if they are using Reverse on their own party, such as against Omega Mark XII.
As an alternative to using Esuna, the player can equip accessories that inoculate against status ailments. Ribbon is the best of them. This helps the party to not get stuck in a loop of constantly casting Esuna. Having status-protection on the character who has an Esuna-gambit is useful to ensure that they remain sober and able to use the spell to heal allies, as they cannot cast spells if afflicted by Confuse, Disable, or Silence.
Etymology[]
Esuna (エスナ?) comes from the first kana of Eikyū (