Hits targets with levels that are multiples of 5.
Description
Level 5 Death, also known as L.5 Doom, is a Blue Magic spell in Final Fantasy V. It casts the Death spell with 100% accuracy on all targets (including heavy targets) whose level is a multiple of 5, ignoring instant death immunity. However, it will fully restore undead targets whose level is divisible by 5.
Level 5 Death can also be used by catching and releasing an Executor.
Obtained[]
The earliest Level 5 Death can be obtained is from Page 64 in the Library of the Ancients. The spell can only be learned if the learners' level is a multiple of 5, meaning they must be hit by the spell.[note 1]
If all active party members are hit by the spell, and none of them is undead, a Game Over will occur. In game versions where the player can adjust EXP intake, the player can temporarily turn off EXP gain (e.g. when just one party member is on a susceptible level to learn it) to avoid micromanaging levels when enemies that use Level 5 Death are around. Otherwise, the player can death abuse with one or more party members to stagger their levels.
Level 5 Death can later be learned from Level Checker, Azulmagia, Executor, Enuo, and Level Tricker. Level Tricker will not normally use the ability, meaning Control is needed.
Level 5 Death is not missable even if all party members reach level 96~99 without learning it, due to the existence of level manipulation strategies.
Use[]
Overview[]
Level 5 Death is an extremely potent ability when used in the right circumstances. Due to it ignoring instant death immunity and working even on heavy targets, if the player knows the level of the enemy in question (which can be checked using Libra or Scan, if needed), Level 5 Death kills them instantly without needing to fight them. This includes a few boss battles whose levels are multiples of five (e.g. Adamantoise). Otherwise, level manipulation can be a viable option.
Susceptible enemies[]
The following enemies are susceptible to Level 5 Death without any form of level manipulation.
| List of susceptible enemies |
|---|
|
Synergies[]
Manipulating a target's level to make it divisible by 5 is relatively easy in Final Fantasy V thanks to several abilities:
| Ability | Base accuracy [note 2][note 3] |
Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Samson's Might | Always | Increases the target's level to min(255, current_level + 10).
|
| Dragon Power | Always | Increases the target's level to min(255, current_level + 20).
|
| Dark Spark | 66 | Reduces the target's level to max(1, current_level // 2).
|
| Old[note 4] | 90 | Inflicts the old status, which gradually decreases the level of a vulnerable enemy target to a minimum of 1.[note 5] |
| Time Slip | 90 | Inflicts both sleep and old (see above) on one target, provided it is not immune to either status. |
| Level 2 Old | Always | Inflicts old on all targets whose level is divisible by 2. In versions prior to the Pixel Remaster, it bypasses immunity to old. |
In particular, raising the target's level to the maximum of 255 guarantees vulnerability to Level 5 Death. Although level contributes to damage calculation, it is capped at 99 for that purpose. As a result, boosting enemies to level 255 does not increase their damage output beyond level 99, making this strategy safer and more viable.
Examples[]
Level 5 Death can be used to instantly defeat a number of bosses:
With minimal setup (i.e. without relying on level decay from old), the following bosses can also be rendered vulnerable to Level 5 Death:
| Boss | Method |
|---|---|
| Shiva | Dark Spark |
| Ramuh | Dark Spark |
| Cray Claw | Dark Spark ×2 |
| Titan | Samson's Might + Dark Spark |
| Dragon Pod | Samson's Might + Dark Spark ×2 |
| Gilgamesh (Xezat's Fleet) | Dark Spark |
| Atomos | Dark Spark |
| Exdeath (Castle Exdeath) | Dragon Power + Dark Spark ×3 |
| Odin | Dragon Power + Dark Spark ×2 |
| Bahamut |
|
| Calofisteri | Dragon Power + Dark Spark ×4 |
| Catastrophe | Dark Spark |
| Exdeath (tree form) | Samson's Might + Dragon Power ×2 + Dark Spark ×3 |
| Neo Exdeath (front part) | Dark Spark ×1 |
Gallery[]
Notes[]
- ↑ In the Advance and later versions, Level 5 Death is not learned if the learner, who has taken the hit, finishes the battle while incapacitated. Therefore, they must either die to the spell and be revived, or survive the spell by being undead (i.e. wearing the Bone Mail, or being a Necromancer, or having the Undead ability equipped), and finish the battle while not incapacitated either way.
- ↑ This is just base accuracy, not the final probability that the ability hits its targets.
- ↑ "Always" means that no probability is involved in hit determination: the ability always hits. The expression "Always" is used instead of the numerical value of 100 because a base accuracy of 100 does not guarantee that the ability hits due to:
- The
attacker - targetlevel delta (for spells). - Catcher effects.
- Evasion / magic evasion.
- The
- ↑ This includes both the Time spell and the added ability of the Ancient Sword.
- ↑ Old affects party members differently.