Render one ally invisible.
Description
Vanish is a Time Magick spell in the Zodiac versions of Final Fantasy XII and an Arcane Magick spell in the original PlayStation 2 version. It is a single-target status enhancement spell that makes an ally invisible, allowing them to escape detection by enemies. Its upgrade is the Vanishga spell.
Obtained[]
Vanish location in Zodiac.
Vanish's license costs 40 License Points in the Zodiac versions, where the spell is found in Tomb of Raithwall's Royal Passage, in the lower right corner on the upper path on this side of the area. The player reaches this area after meeting both Demon Walls.
In the original version, Vanish is an Arcane Magick spell whose license costs 50 LP. It is bought for 4900 gil from shops after Judge Bergan has been felled.
In the Zodiac versions, Vanish is used by the Time Battlemage and the Red Battlemage.
Mechanics[]
Vanish temporarily bestows the Invisible status to one target that prevents the affected from being detected by enemies who rely on sight. The status wears off when the affected targets something, except when countering attacks.
The formula for the duration is:
The duration depends on the receiver's Vitality stat, not the caster's. Haste and Slow do not affect the length other status effects will last, but Stop will halt them. Invisibility has a long duration in comparison to other status buffs, but it lapses whenever the character is "seen", limiting its usefulness.
Vanish costs 12 MP to cast without Channeling licenses in the Zodiac versions, or 24 MP in the original version. The spell will bounce from Reflect unless the caster wears the Opal Ring.
Use[]
Vanish is a status enhancement spell the player is best using manually when the gambits are turned off. Vanish lets the affected avoid being detected by certain enemies, but the downside is that the affected themselves also cannot target any enemies to avoid being detected. Vanish wears off as soon as the party member draws their weapon, and so the player should turn off their gambits or use Flee.
Enemies have other means of detecting players besides sight, such as the sound of their footsteps (can be avoided with Float); sensing magick-use, such as in the case of elementals; or "life force", such as with undead; or even by smell in the case of beasts. Bumping into enemies would also reveal the player character even if they had invisibility; Vanish only lets the player pass enemies by closer than otherwise without being seen. Invisibility is thus not much use in hiding from enemies. The player can instead redirect enemies to another target with Decoy, or simply run from enemies.
One use of the spell could be to loot a treasure surrounded by enemies the player does not want to fight, or to quickly pass by an area without triggering fights. In these cases, it would be best to have only the player-controlled character and out the others in reserve. Vanish could be more useful in New Game Minus. Omega Mark XII also cannot detect vanished party members, so it could be a good buff onto a purely supporting character in this battle.
If the player casts Vanish on Reapers in the Great Crystal, or onto Etéms in deeper parts of Henne Mines, they are neutralized altogether, as they will stop acting.
Other appearances[]
In the manga version of Final Fantasy XII, Balthier challenges Vaan to a game where he catches a coin and Vaan must guess which hand it is in. Vaan loses and Balthier explains he won the coin flip using the magic spells Decoy and Vanish to distract Vaan, toss a fake coin while throwing the invisible real coin to Fran, and Vaan lost because he was too naive and did not watch his surroundings.