Attacks with lightning.
Description
Thundaga, also known as Bolt 3,[1][2] is an Attack spell in Final Fantasy VI. It is the highest-level lightning-elemental spell, an upgrade on Thundara, that can be used to hit one target or an entire party. It can be earned by party members through magicite.
Firaga is also an enemy ability used by several enemies, first of which being Crane.
Obtained[]
Thundaga can only be learned by Valigarmanda at a x1 rate. This magicite is not acquired until the World of Ruin, meaning the player will not learn the spell before then as neither Terra nor Celes learns it naturally.
Mechanics[]
As a spell with a power of 120, it deals damage with the following formula:
where "Level" refers to the user's level, and Magic refers to the user's Magic stat. As a standard spell, when Thundaga is group-cast, its damage is halved, the target's Magic Defense and shell play a role in mitigating damage, and the spell can potentially be blocked by Magic Evasion.
Several relics augment Thundaga and other spells. If the caster is equipped with an Earring or a Hero Ring, the damage is multiplied by 5/4 (or a 25% increase). If the caster is equipped with two Earrings, two Hero Rings, or one of each, the damage is multiplied by 3/2 (a 50% increase). If the caster equips Gold Hairpin or Celestriad, its MP cost is cut by half or reduced to 1, respectively.
Because the spell deals lightning-elemental damage, the enemy's elemental affinity affects its damage output. If lightning is nullified, or the target is immune to it, the spell will deal 0 damage. If the target absorbs the element, it will heal HP instead of dealing damage. If the target resists the element, it will deal half damage; conversely, if the target is weak to the element, its damage will be doubled.
Use[]
Thundaga is a strong but costly spell to cast, doubling Thundara's damage, but more than doubling its MP cost. Group-casting Thundaga deals more damage than summoning Ramuh. Though it is the least MP-efficient and weakest of the three medium-tier elemental spells (Firaga, Blizzaga, and Thundaga), the difference between the three is negligible. Nonetheless, it should be specifically used against enemies weak to the lightning element, against whom its damage will double. This means against these enemies, it can even deal more damage than spells such as Ultima or Flare, for a lower MP cost. The MP cost of Thundaga means that it should typically be reserved for tougher enemies and bosses, and in other cases, Thundara and Ramuh should be used.
As an Attack spell, the player should prioritize teaching Thunder to party members with a high natural Magic stat and access to mage equipment. This includes Terra (who can double its damage with Trance), Celes, Relm, and Strago; Mog and Shadow have high Magic stats, while Gogo has access to mage equipment. Though Sabin will be built toward magic damage, his access to Aura Cannon makes him less of a priority than others. Thundaga is essential to teach to party members focused on spellcasting, but is a pure luxury for other party members, who should prioritize healing and utility spells and improvements to their stats.
Thundaga outclasses Thundara in terms of damage output and turn-efficiency, but not in terms of MP-efficiency. Furthermore, its prohibitive MP cost means that it should not be used regularly until party members either equip Celestriad, or have immensely large MP pools. When more powerful spells such as Flare, Ultima, Meltdown, Holy, and Meteor are available, Thundaga should be reserved for enemies weak to lightning only.
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