Summon twin claws that relentlessly tear at a target. Can be used in midair.
Description
Gouge is one of Garuda's default Eikonic Abilities in Final Fantasy XVI that the player can assign to Clive's loadout. Clive will manifest Garuda's claws and and tear into his target; tapping the execute button delivers continuous hits for a prolonged period of time. Gouge is notable for its ability to damage an enemy's will gauge considerably.
Obtained[]
Clive gains access to Garuda's powers as part of the story, during "Wings of Change", after the events in Caer Norvent. Gouge is already learned.
Mechanics[]
Clive can use Gouge in battle whenever it is equipped to his current loadout. He can have two Eikonic Abilities alongside his Eikonic Feat, which for the wind loadout is Deadly Embrace.
Gouge has Clive tear into an enemy with Garuda's claws. Tapping the execute buttons delivers more hits, up to 30. Each individual hit is fairly weak, but there are a lot of them, and Gouge is good for damaging a formidable foe's will gauge and driving up the stagger multiplier of an already-staggered target. The full attack is long but the player can dodge out of it. Version 1.31 made Gouge stronger in both normal damage and will damage.
Gouge can be used midair, e.g. when chained from Wicked Wheel.
Gouge activates the battle technique, Gouge, when delivering numerous hits from one use of Gouge to the same enemy.
After being used, the ability initially had a 30-second cooldown before being able to be used again; version 1.31 shortened the cooldown. Upgrading/mastering the ability has no effect on its cooldown.
| AP cost | Effect |
|---|---|
| Already learned | Able to equip Gouge to Clive's wind loadout. |
| 575 (Upgrade) | Faster follow-up strikes. |
| 1000 (Master) | Able to equip Gouge to any loadout. |
Use[]
Gouge is worth upgrading if the player is using it in their loadout to speed up the follow-up hits. It is a good staggering ability to use against enemies that have a will gauge before the player gains access to Diamond Dust in the late game, and even after for its shorter cooldown; combining both staggers enemies in record speed. It is good after an enemy's "mini stagger" from using Deadly Embrace onto a target just after they fall below half will gauge to briefly pull them down. Gouge is still good to use as soon as the enemy becomes staggered to get the 1.5x damage modifier ready to follow up with powerful abilities like Judgment Bolt or Gigaflare.
When chained from Wicked Wheel, the player can keep the lifted enemies airborne for longer.
Gouge's downside is that it can be tricky to get all 30 hits to land, and that it leaves Clive vulnerable to being hit, as it does not make his target recoil. Ifrit's Will-o'-the-Wykes can protect Clive from interruption and add passive damage and will damage to the attack on top. Gouge can be good against enemies frozen in place by Shiva's abilities, though Shiva is only available fairly late into the game. Gouge can also be used into Lightning Rod to amplify its effects.
During the chronolith trial with Garuda's abilities, triggering Full Gouge by striking an enemy with Gouge while tapping the button to extend the ability to its full duration earns a 12-second time bonus. It is best used against enemies that are not on low health, as if the enemy dies before Clive gets to deliver all blows, the time bonus will not register.