Lightning is an element in Final Fantasy XIII-2. It is opposed to wind and lightning abilities can be classified as physical or magical. The role specializing in elemental damage is the Ravager, and lightning is especially associated with the Farron sisters, Serah and Lightning, though Noel and various Paradigm Pack creatures also learn lightning abilities in their Ravager trees; monsters can learn lightning abilities that Serah and Noel cannot use. Another way to use lightning abilities via a Feral Link and the Enthunder effect from monster allies.
The Ravager's lightning abilities are used to quickly build stagger, especially when used on enemies that are weak to it. AI-controlled allies and Auto-battle will not choose lightning abilities against enemies that are known to be healed by it, or if there is an ability available that would work better. Monster allies will use Enthunder, should they have it, when the enemy's intel denotes them as weak to lightning damage.
Abilities[]
| Magical | Thunder, Thundara, Thundaga These are abilities used by the Ravager role, as well as the Mage role for Lightning in "Requiem of the Goddess" |
|---|---|
| Physical | Sparkstrike |
| Paradigm Pack abilities | Electric Blitz, Enthunder[note 1], Drill Bolt, Dual Bolt, Energy Wave, Hellstorm Bolt, Orbital Battery |
The Lightning Damage synthesis effect increases the damage dealt by Serah/Noel's lightning attacks by +30%. The player can activate the effect by equipping multiples of Zephyr Ring, Gale Ring, and Wind Aegis, including their "delicate" and "durable" variations. Paradigm Pack creatures do not equip accessories, but some have the Felspark passive that boosts lightning damage against targets that are weak to lightning.
Enemy abilities[]
| Ability | Description | Enemy |
|---|---|---|
| Electrocute | Deals lightning-elemental damage to targets near the Centaurion Blade while healing and applying Enthunder and Bravery to it when used by Immortal. Damages target through multiple attacks when used by Yeoman. | Immortal, Yeoman |
| Exoproofing: Lightning | Grants Enthunder and absorbs lightning-elemental attacks while becoming weak to wind-elemental attacks. | Pink Lily |
| Hellstorm Bolt | Deals lightning-elemental damage to target. | Garuda, Kalavinka |
| Levinbolt | Deals lightning-elemental magic damage through multiple attacks to all targets. | Cocytus |
| Pacifying Shock | Deals lightning magic damage to a small area around the user. | Flanborg |
| Resist Lightning | Resists magical and and lightning attacks. | Chaos Bahamut in "Requiem of the Goddess" |
| Shocking Breath | Deals lightning-elemental magic damage to nearby targets through multiple attacks and inflicts wound damage. | Bunkerbeast |
| Sparkstorm | Deals lightning-elemental physical damage to targets through multiple attacks in a small area. | Orion |
| Sparkstrike | Same as a Ravager's Sparkstrike | Lightning |
| Storm Conduction | Deals lightning-elemental magic damage to nearby targets and inflicts wound damage while restoring HP. | Mánagarmr |
| Thunder | Deals lightning-elemental magic damage to target. Consists of multiple attacks that heal or inflict wound damage when used by Twilight Odin. | Fachan, Lightning, Raspatil, Twilight Odin, Valfodr Lv. 15, Yellow Miniflan |
| Thundara | Deals lightning-elemental magic damage to target and nearby targets. Consists of multiple attacks that heal or inflict wound damage when used by Twilight Odin. | Blue Chocobo, Fachan, Flandit, Flowering Cactuar, Left Manipulator, Lightning, Proto fal'Cie Adam, Raspatil, Twilight Odin, Valfodr Lv. 15, Valfodr Lv. 45 |
| Thundaga | Deals lightning-elemental magic damage to target and nearby targets and launches them. Consists of multiple attacks that heal or inflict wound damage when used by Twilight Odin. | Left Manipulator, Lightning, Twilight Odin, Valfodr Lv. 15, Valfodr Lv. 70, Valfodr Lv. 99 |
Protection[]
Serah and Noel can equip accessories to mitigate lightning damage, whereas Paradigm Pack monsters learn many of the passive abilities the accessories confer innately. Many accessories have "delicate" and/or "durable" variations in addition to the normal version; delicate versions are lighter to wear, but their effect is weaker; durable is the converse. The damage-mitigation from accessories stacks with each other.
The Spark Ring and the Fulmen Ring accessories mitigate lightning damage directly, whereas the Entite Ring and the Genji Shield mitigate all elemental damage. Lightning Aegis can make the wearer immune to lightning damage altogether.
The Sentinel role mitigates all damage taken, and its Element Guard mitigates elemental damage specifically. Paradigm Pack creatures can have Resist Elements: +X%, Resist Lightning: +X%, Nullify Element, and Random: Nullify Element, which are the effects Serah and Noel can get from wearing accessories.
Enemies and Paradigm Pack[]
Enemies' elemental vulnerabilities are recorded in their Enemy Intel, viewable during battle. Various enemies can be weakened to elements with Imperil, which lowers the enemy's elemental resistance by one stage, e.g. from Halved to Normal, or from Normal to Weakness. Enemies have programmed elemental resistances/vulnerabilities even when it is not possible to use that element against them in a normal playthrough.
Some monsters are never faced as enemies, and are only Paradigm Pack allies. Because water and earth has been removed as an element since Final Fantasy XIII, lightning is mostly opposed to wind in Final Fantasy XIII-2. The previously water-elemental enemies in Final Fantasy XIII that return in Final Fantasy XIII-2 are still typically weak to lightning.
Lightning was the party member associated with lightning in Final Fantasy XIII; she appears as a guest in the tutorial, and as a DLC boss and a Paradigm Pack ally, and is still associated with lightning in Final Fantasy XIII-2 in her DLC episode and as a Paradigm Pack ally in her Guardian Corps appearance.