Non-elemental magic damage/all enemies
Description
Ultima is an attack magic spell in Final Fantasy VIII. It is a non-elemental spell that damages all enemies and deals the second-highest amount of damage from a single spell, below only Apocalypse. It also provides the highest boost to all stats when junctioned, with the exception of Speed or Hit (which Triple provides the highest boost for), making it the most valuable spell to junction.
Obtained[]
Ultima is easiest to obtain from a draw point in Shumi Village. The player has to pay 5000 gil each time to use it, though it can be repeatedly drawn from for 5000 gil each time, and completing SeeD tests to boost a player's SeeD rank can lead to an abundance of gil. This means that repeatedly drawing from this can allow the player to max Ultima fairly early on. However, the player will still need to wait for the draw point to replenish before they can draw more.
Ultima draw point on the Island Closest to Hell.
Ultima can also be drawn from the Island Closest to Heaven and Island Closest to Hell invisible world map draw points, which are also good places for obtaining the spell, given that the player can find numerous draw points with the most powerful magic, Ultima being among them.
Aside from this, using the Guardian Force Bahamut's ability Forbid Mag-RF, Ultima can be refined from Ultima Stones, 100 of which drop from Ultima Weapon (as long as the player doesn't mug its Three Stars item instead). It can also be refined from Pulse Ammo and Dark Matter. Ultima can also be drawn from the optional superbosses, Ultima Weapon and Omega Weapon. Ultima has a severe Draw Resist value, but by the time the player is taking on tough optional bosses, they will have Magic junctions high enough to overcome it. Three Ultima Stones can be refined from one Energy Crystal with Siren's Tool-RF ability. The player can also get one Ultima spell from Zell's "love quest" if they give Fish & Pink as the answers to a "survey" held by girls at the library, and later return for the results.
Stats[]
Use[]
Ultima has a spell power of 80, meaning its damage is calculated as:
It damages all enemies. It is cast as a spell in the Magic command, Selphie's Slot Limit Break, or Rinoa's Angel Wing if she has it in her inventory.
Casting it increases compatibility with Eden by 0.4, and with Bahamut, Cerberus, Brothers, Diablos, Leviathan, Pandemona, Alexander and Doomtrain by 0.2. Casting Ultima doesn't lower compatibility with any Guardian Force.
Due to its rarity and its extremely strong bonuses when junctioned, it is better to stock Ultima spells and not cast with the Magic command. However, it can deal significant damage when cast with Rinoa's Angel Wing, while not expending a spell.
Ultima provides almost universally the highest boosts for every stat, with the exception of Speed or Hit, for which Triple provides the highest boosts for. This means it will most likely be junctioned to Strength or HP, making characters supremely strong.
In battle, Ultima is used by Krysta upon its death and by Sorceress (C) after charging to use it. It cannot be reflected or protected against with elemental junctions, but the player can use Shell and junction for high Spirit stat.
A stronger variation of Ultima with a spell power of 110 is used by Adel, the final boss's second and final forms, and Omega Weapon. Adel must charge to use it, and the final boss's second form needs a support to use it. The final boss's final form and Omega Weapon can cast Ultima freely.
Etymology[]
Ultima means "the last" in Latin and many Latin-based languages. The word is an inflection of ultimus which is the superlative of ulter, which means "that is beyond". In the Spanish versions of many Final Fantasy games, the spell Ultima's name is written as "Artema", a close transliteration of the Japanese katakana.