Attack from above. (1)
Trance Command. Aerial attack. (2)Description for Jump (1) and for Jump when in Trance (2)
Jump is a command ability in Final Fantasy IX that lets Freya momentarily exit the battlefield to soon deliver a physical blow called Spear (ヤリ, yari?) onto an enemy and rejoin the line-up. Jump is Freya's unique command that plays into her role as a physical fighter who fights from the back row. In Trance, Freya stays airborne after using Jump, and attacks all enemies with her Spear until her Trance gauge runs out.
Mechanics[]
On her turn, Freya jumps into the air and exits the battle, becoming untargetable and thus shielded from any enemy attacks. Soon, she descends onto her target, dealing 150% (or 200% with High Jump) of her normal Attack onto an enemy with no penalty for being in the back row by default, and never missing.
- Base = Attack - Enemy Defense
- Bonus = Strength + A random number 0 ... [(Level + Strength) / 8]
Damage is Base * (Bonus * 1.5) without High Jump, and Base * (Bonus * 2) with High Jump.
In Trance, Spear's damage is divided among all enemies and Freya stays airborne. If her Trance gauge expires before the battle ends, she performs a final attack and lands.
- Base = Attack - Enemy Defense
- Bonus = (A random number 3 ... Strength) + A random number 0 ... ([(Level + Strength) / 8] - 1)
- Damage = Base * (Bonus * 1.5)
Trance Jump with High Jump:
- Base = Attack - Enemy Defense
- Bonus = (A random number 2 ... Strength) + A random number 0 ... ([(Level + Strength) / 8] - 1)
- Damage = Base * (Bonus * 2)
As Spear is physical, Bonus is halved under Protect, and reduced to 1 if Freya is minied. The damage is non-elemental regardless of Freya's weapon and unaffected by Elem-Atk gear.
While Freya is airborne, her statuses do not "tick" (like Regen) or expire (like Protect).
Use[]
Jump is better saved for Trance, as though it is stronger than Freya's normal Attack while shielding her from damage for the time being, it merely delays damage and does not result in more overall damage, while discounting all the ways her normal Attack could be enhanced: Killer abilities (1.5x damage, matching Jump with no delay in action) and MP Attack (1.5x damage, matching Jump with no delay in action) and Add Status. MP Attack and Killer also stack. The benefits of Jump are that Freya can be placed in the back row, whereas if she uses her Attack, she should be in the front row, and that she can avoid damage by becoming briefly untargetable. These traits are especially useful in boss battles and when fighting Grand Dragons early.
With High Jump, the command is more usable, dealing double the damage of her basic Attack.
Jump comes into its own in Trance. Freya attacks all enemies, the damage divided among them, and remains airborne, avoiding all incoming attacks. Her Trance is still stronger if she equips High Jump. Her Trance can be exploited when all party members except Freya are KO, as while she stays in the air, most enemies will do nothing but supportive moves since they cannot target Freya, or they may even attack themselves on their turn. Notably, Trance Kuja attacks himself if Freya is the only alive player character and she is airborne when his turn comes up. The Treno weapon shop battles is another instance where Freya could fight alone.