Fire element attack
Description
Flare is a magic spell in Final Fantasy VII granted by the Contain Materia. It is the strongest Fire-elemental spell that can be cast by the player, and one of the most powerful offensive spells in the game.
Mechanics[]
| Magic Materia | Contain, Master Magic |
|---|---|
| Effect | Heavy fire-elemental damage |
| Compatible Support Materia | Added Cut Final Attack HP Absorb Magic Counter MP Absorb MP Turbo Quadra Magic Sneak Attack Steal as well |
Damage formula:
![{\displaystyle (115/16)\times [(Level+MagicalAttack)\times 6]}](https://services.fandom.com/mathoid-facade/v1/media/math/render/svg/51978cbf5c930d4f84161e9044e9922501e3787c)
where "Level" is the caster's current level and "Magical Attack" is their Magic atk stat. This is effectively 7.1875x the base magic damage.
Use[]
Flare can be used by characters with the Contain Materia at level 4. It deals immense Fire damage to one target, and is one of the most powerful damaging spells in the game. Its element is both a strength and a weakness, however, as enemies that absorb or resist Fire will take less damage, while enemies weak to it will receive even more damage.
Flare should be amplified by pairing the Contain Materia with Support Materia. MP Absorb can mitigate its high MP cost, while HP Absorb can provide durability to spellcasters. MP Turbo or Quadra Magic can amplify its already strong damage to single targets. Magic Counter will use it as a counterattack if Contain is on level 4, which is useful in dungeons where enemies do not absorb Fire.
Flare is significantly more powerful than Fire3, but also has a much higher MP cost. This means that it should be used sparingly at first, but as characters' max MP improves, it becomes better to cast it more frequently.
Flare can be cast by both Behemoth and King Behemoth. However, the King Behemoth does not cast the spell in its AI script, and can only cast it if controlled by Manipulate.