Rinoa (Final Fantasy VIII gameplay)

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Rinoa is a playable party member in Final Fantasy VIII. She wields Blaster Edges in battle, is supported by her dog Angelo, and has two Limit Breaks: Angel Wing and Combine. Rinoa also appears as a boss and a Triple Triad card. She is briefly the party leader during a segment in Deling City. She is also playable in the PlayStation Final Fantasy VIII demo where she replaces Selphie and Seifer for the portions they are playable in the final game.

For playable appearances outside Final Fantasy VIII, see Rinoa Heartilly/Other appearances

Party member

Rinoa joins the party at the mission in Timber. Her intro pose is to stare at the enemy with her arm on her hip before stroking her hair to the side. Her victory pose is to jump with her hands in the air, then turn around while flipping her hair.

Weapons

Main article: Final Fantasy VIII weapons § Blaster Edges

Rinoa uses a Blaster Edge in battle. Through upgrades via junk shop she can come to wield one of five other variant models. The Blaster Edge, which should be attached to her left forearm, does not appear in cutscenes. When in trouble she receives the aid of her dog, Angelo.

While it is possible to acquire Rinoa's ultimate weapon, Shooting Star, before disc 3, it is difficult due to the player requiring a Force Armlet to upgrade.

• Pinwheel – Initial model. Described in Weapons Monthly, April Issue.
• Valkyrie – Described in Weapons Monthly, May Issue.
• Rising Sun – Described in Weapons Monthly, July Issue.
• Cardinal – Described in Weapons Monthly, August Issue.
• Shooting Star – Described in Weapons Monthly, 1st Issue.

Rinoa's Blaster Edge might have been inspired by similar weapons found in Rudra no Hihō on the Super Famicom, a game that was release by Square in 1996. In that game, these weapons are mounted on the arm and shoots a crescent-shaped scythe at the enemy.

Limit Breaks

Rinoa is the only character in Final Fantasy VIII to have two Limit Breaks. The first one she starts with, while the second is obtained through story progression.

Combine

Combine.

Main article: Combine (Final Fantasy VIII)

Combine is Rinoa's primary Limit Break, in which Rinoa teams up with Angelo to perform a variety of attacks. To gain access to Combine moves the player has to read Pet Pals magazines and walk around with Rinoa in the party so Angelo can learn it. Not all of Angelo's skills are Limit Breaks, however; some gave various trigger criteria to be met during battle to summon her randomly to aid Rinoa. Learning all of Angelo's Combine skills in the Steam version earns the player the achievement Dog Trainer.

Angel Wing

Main article: Angel Wing (Limit)

Angel Wing is Rinoa's second Limit Break obtained late in the story. While in the Angel Wing state Rinoa's damage output is boosted five times more powerful than usual, and puts her into a berserk spell-casting state in which she uses only magic without expending the spells from her stock. If she has no magic, she will use physical attacks.

Stats

Despite being the character with the least combat experience, of the main party Rinoa has some of the highest base stats at Level 100, surpassing all others in Strength, Magic and Spirit.

LV	HP	Str	Vit	Mag	Spr	Spd	Luck
1	217	1	0	8	3	20	16
10	610	10	5	15	8	22	17
20	1038	19	10	22	14	24	17
30	1458	27	14	29	19	25	18
40	1871	35	18	35	24	27	19
50	2275	42	21	41	28	28	19
60	2672	48	24	46	31	30	20
70	3061	54	26	51	34	32	20
80	3443	59	28	55	36	33	21
90	3816	64	30	59	38	35	22
100	4181	67	31	63	39	36	22

Compatibility

Template:See Also The below values are the base compatibility values at the start of the game. Of the six main playable characters, Rinoa has the highest base compatibility with 9 of the 16 Guardian Forces, making her an adept summoner.

GF	Compatibility
Quezacotl	Template:Var
Shiva	Template:Var
Ifrit	Template:Var
Siren	Template:Var
Brothers	Template:Var
Diablos	Template:Var
Carbuncle	Template:Var
Leviathan	Template:Var
Pandemona	Template:Var
Cerberus	Template:Var
Alexander	Template:Var
Doomtrain	Template:Var
Bahamut	Template:Var
Cactuar	Template:Var
Tonberry	Template:Var
Eden	Template:Var

Boss

Main article: Rinoa (boss)

During the battle with Adel, Rinoa is junctioned to her, immobile, because Adel is absorbing her powers. If she dies, it is Game Over.

Triple Triad

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Quests

Optional scenes with Rinoa

In Timber, going to the town exit before heading to the TV station triggers a scene with Rinoa defending the town guards from G-Soldiers. After completing the events in Timber, if the player speaks to a man on a railway bridge, he will give her a Potion.

There are two variations of the scene in General Caraway's mansion. When Rinoa is going to call her father because he's taking too long, she will step outside and instantly return and reveal she is the general's daughter before rushing out again. If the player quickly talks to her before she approaches the door, Squall offers to go in her place.

If the player brings Rinoa to warn Balamb Garden of the missiles, the FMV where the party visits the second floor balcony is longer, and Squall can give Rinoa a tour of the Garden premises. During the concert in Fishermans Horizon, the dialogue between Squall and Rinoa depends on the instruments the player chose for the rest of the party. If the player brings Rinoa to liberate Balamb Town, there is a unique scene in Zell's room. Rinoa will also contribute a post to Selphie's blog, viewable from the Study Panel.