Summon a colossal ice crystal that deals continuous damage to all enemies that become trapped inside it.
Description
Rime is one of Shiva's Eikonic Abilities in Final Fantasy XVI that the player can assign to Clive's loadout. Clive will place an repositionable ice crystal trap on the field that persists for a time, dealing continuous damage to all small enemies that become entangled in it. The ability was improved in version 1.31.
Obtained[]
Clive gains access to Shiva's powers as part of the story, during "Through the Maelstrom", usable in his loadout after the events in Naldia Narrow. It can then be learned in the Abilities menu for 110 AP.
Mechanics[]
Clive can use Rime in battle whenever it is equipped to his current loadout. He can have two Eikonic Abilities alongside his Eikonic Feat, which for the ice loadout is Cold Snap.
Rime has Clive place a massive ice crystal on the battlefield a fixed distance away in front of him from wherever he is currently, whether grounded or airborne. When a small enemy comes in contact with the ice crystal, it will be trapped and suffer continuous damage until the crystal fades. Version 1.31 improves Rime's pulling power and damage. Medium and large enemies will be unaffected. Pressing the execute button again when the crystal is present will dissipate it and replace it with another ice crystal trap. Rime can launch small enemies, allowing for aerial combo opportunities.
Rime activates the battle technique, Rime Combo, when damaging an enemy multiple times with one ice crystal.
After being used, the ability has a 20-second cooldown before being able to be used again. As the cooldown begins from when the ability was used, not when the ice crystal fades, the effective cooldown is short. Upgrading/mastering the ability has no effect on its cooldown.
| AP cost | Effect |
|---|---|
| 110 (Base) | Able to equip Rime to Clive's ice loadout. |
| 550 (Upgrade) | The ice crystal persists for longer. |
| 1000 (Master) | Able to equip Rime to any loadout. |
Use[]
Rime is worth upgrading to extend its duration if the player is using it in their loadout, though it is not among Clive's best abilities for its lackluster power (though it was made stronger in version 1.31) and how it only affects small enemies, which are usually easily defeated by various means anyway. However, Rime has some synergy with Ramuh's Lightning Rod: placing the ice crystal first and then the rod next to it has Rime continuously trigger the Lightning Rod. This setup relies on the enemies being in the vicinity; if the enemies move away, then repositioning both Rime and Lightning Rod will quickly get cumbersome.
Getting an enemy trapped in the ice crystal can be tricky as aiming it can be difficult to judge, as it does not simply appear next to Clive like Lightning Rod, or onto Clive's target or what the player is currently locked on. Instead, it shoots some distance away from Clive's current position. The player can try using it when right next to an enemy, or to immediately follow up a combo/charged blade/lunge that knocks an enemy back. When Clive is airborne, he can downthrust → charged shot → Rime. It can also be used to follow up a counterattack from Titanic Block, or an aerial Deadly Embrace.
Rime has some synergy with Shiva's other abilities, as frozen enemies become easy targets for ensnarement.
During the chronolith trial with the Shiva's abilities, triggering Collateral Rime by striking three enemies with one use of Rime earns a 12-second time bonus.