Reduces the target's speed.
Description
Slow is an Effect spell in Final Fantasy VI. It inflicts the slow effect on one target, which halves the rate their Active Time Battle bar increases, effectively halving their turn rate from the baseline. The spell is taught by magicite. Later, the Slowga spell can be used to inflict the effect on all enemies.
Slow is also an enemy ability used by Blue Dragon, Curlax, Level 10 Magic, Level 50 Magic, and Abaddon.
Obtained[]
Party members can learn the spell through two magicite. It is learned from Siren at a x7 rate and from Quetzalli at a x20 rate.
Mechanics[]
Slow is affected by reflect and Runic.
Slow and haste are mutually exclusive and cannot coexist on the same unit.
Use[]
Slow is an inexpensive debuff that many enemies are vulnerable to. Though the spell is less crippling than some debuffs such as Stop, Sleep, and Imp, these spells are more often resisted by stronger enemies, and aside from Sleep, each is more expensive in terms of MP cost. In certain cases, casting Slow on the enemy, especially if paired with casting Haste or applying haste to the party, can provide a major advantage.
Because Slow is unaffected by the caster's stats, it can be taught to and used by any party member. In fact, it may be better for non-spellcaster party members to use Slow while allowing spellcasters to preserve their MP for offensive or healing spells where their MP is more important.
Slow is outclassed by Slowga. Slowga hits all enemies, but has over five times the MP cost of Slow. This is almost always worth it for the turn efficiency granted by Slowga, and pairing Slowga on enemies with Hastega on allies can be a quick way to gain an upper hand in a fight.
A notable example of an enemy on which Slow is useful is Tonberries. Casting the spell against them makes the fight much more bearable and realistic for the player. However, as above, Slowga can be used more effectively if known by then.
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