+1 Bonus to Vit at level up.
Description
Vit Bonus is a support ability that gives a permanent stat boost to the user's Vitality while they gain a level with the ability equipped. It can be used for stat-maxing and level grinding to have higher maximum Vitality even without Vit junctions.
Obtained[]
Vit Bonus is learned by the Guardian Forces Carbuncle and Cactuar. Carbuncle is drawn from Iguions during the Deling City parade, or from Krysta in the final dungeon. Carbuncle can then learn Vit Bonus for 100 AP after mastering Vit+40%, which itself becomes available after mastering Vit+20% (the player can master them instantly with Turtle Shell and Orihalcon).
Cactuar is recruited by defeating Jumbo Cactuar on Cactuar Island, reachable on a flying transport, and already has every type of Stat Bonus ability learned.
If the player removes Vit Bonus with Amnesia Greens, there is no way to get it back.
Mechanics[]
Vit Bonus gives the user +1 Vitality on top of their normal stat gain when they level up with the ability in effect. When the user is on Level 100, the ability will be ineffective.
Use[]
Vit Bonus is an excellent ability to have equipped when gaining levels for everyone as it determines the character's defense against physical damage. The maximum Vitality value is 255, which the player can reach without stat grinding simply with Vit-J and Vit+% abilities; however, if the player has been leveling up with Vit Bonus, they can reach 255 with fewer spells or lesser magic types.
If the player wants to grind their Vitality via leveling up, the player can set Carbuncle to learn their Vitality-booster abilities as soon as recruited to unlock Vit Bonus at the earliest, and use items to learn the Vit+% abilities where possible. The best min-maxing strategy is to remain on a low level until the player gets Cactuar and then level up with numerous Stat Bonus abilities in effect simultaneously.
As a character can have maximum four support abilities in effect at once, one cannot ever co-equip all Bonus abilities, though Vit Bonus is one worth prioritizing. After getting all Bonus abilities, a fast leveling up place is on Island Closest to Hell where the player can quickly defeat enemies with Quistis's Degenerator and Death spells in ST-Atk-J even with a low level party. To avoid leveling up before having all Bonus abilities, the player can have KO'd party members, escape random encounters, equip Enc-None, and use Card and Petrify to defeat enemies.
Stat-maxing is unnecessary for a normal playthrough, even for superbosses, but stat grinding will make the party noticeably stronger by the end. Other means of boosting Vitality are with the Vit Up item and by devouring a Level29+ Adamantoise. The player can use Auto-Protect to mitigate physical damage further.
As bosses do not give EXP, before engaging one the player should swap their Stat Bonus abilities for percentage stat boosts or other useful support abilities like auto abilities.