Laser Eye (Final Fantasy VIII)

Laser Eye
(メーザーアイ, Mēzā Ai?, lit. Maser Eye)
Availability
Obtained	Default
Character(s)	Quistis
Classification
Type	Limit Break
Skillset	Blue Magic
Effect	Magic damage to one target
Specifications
Power	40–64 depending on Crisis Level
Related pages
Recurring appearance	Laser Eye

Laser Eye is a Limit Break for Quistis in Final Fantasy VIII that deals magic damage to an enemy depending on her Magic stat and the current Crisis Level, a hidden stat in the game. It is her default Blue Magic Limit Break, used when on low health or under Aura.

Laser Eye is also an enemy ability used by Belhelmel, who uses it as a fairly weak magical counterattack when in Laughing mode.

Mechanics

Laser Eye deals non-elemental magic damage to an opponent as per the following formula:

$Damage = Magic + Power$

$Damage = Damage \times (265 - Target's~Spirit) / 4$

$Damage = Damage \times Power / 256$

Where "Magic" is Quistis's Magic stat, and "Power" is one of the following values depending on the current Crisis Level:

Crisis Lv 1: 40

Crisis Lv 2: 48

Crisis Lv 3: 58

Crisis Lv 4: 64

This makes Laser Eye about as strong as Quake at the lowest, and only below Ultima and Apocalypse at the highest.

Crisis Level is a hidden stat calculated based on how low the party's current HP is compared to their maximum, the number of dead allies, and the number of ailments the party members are afflicted with. The worse off the party is, the better Limit Break outcomes the player can expect. Crisis Level is also raised with the Aura status.

All damage is randomized slightly:

$Damage = Damage \times ([0..32] + 240) / 256$

If the target has Shell, damage is halved.

Limit Breaks never miss and are unaffected by Elem-Atk junctions.

Use

Laser Eye is Quistis's starting Limit Break, and mainly good at the very beginning of the game and against lone enemies. It is one of her few abilities that simply deals damage: it will later be superseded by Homing Laser. The player likely gets to use it against Ifrit and Granaldo and possibly T-Rexaur. If the player has strong Magic spells, they might do more damage, especially if exploiting an enemy's elemental weakness or targeting all enemies. The boon of a Limit Break is that it jumps the action queue and does not expend any Magic stocks.

Because almost all of Quistis's Limit Breaks are magical, it is worth prioritizing her Magic stat with junctions. Out of the starter Guardian Forces, Quezacotl has Mag-J. She is also a good candidate for any GFs that have Mag+% abilities.

If the player is investing in the card game since the start, they may get numerous Blue Magic items early, such as a Black Hole that teaches Degenerator, which would be superior against random encounters and is one of her most useful Blue Magic spells. Laser Eye remains a good non-elemental Blue Magic against bosses and other enemies immune to Degenerator, until the player gets Homing Laser, Ray-Bomb, and Shockwave Pulsar, likely only near the end of the game.

Laser Eye is Quistis's best Limit Break to use against Adel if she lacks Gatling Gun (or if she does have Gatling Gun, but is entirely specced toward Magic-use) and Homing Laser.

Etymology

[view · edit · purge]A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. A laser differs from other sources of light because it emits light coherently allowing to be focused to a tight spot and to stay narrow over long distances.

It is called "Maser Eye" in Japanese. A maser is a type of early laser that produces microwaves instead of light on the visible spectrum.