One of the best Eikon abilities in Final Fantasy 16 is from Garuda. The abilities revolve around Wind and allow players to get creative with ground + aerial playstyle. If you’re not sure which Garuda ability would be best to unlock, worry not. Continue reading to find out the best Garuda Abilities in Final Fantasy 16.
Key Takeaways
- Garuda is one of the Eikons that consists of Wind abilities.
- There are four abilities (excluding Feat) in Garuda: Aerial Blast, Rook’s Gambit, Wicket Wheel, and Gouge.
- Aerial Blast is the best Garuda Ability in Final Fantasy 16. It summons a tornado that deals AoE damage on enemies and staggers them, reducing their Will Gauge.
- Next up, Gouge is another amazing ability to equip. It is learned by default and allows Clive to perform continuous staggering attacks with twin claws.
- Rook’s Gambit is third on our list. It is an evading ability that performs a massive damage counterattack if players execute it timely.
- Lastly, Wicked Wheel is good for players who prefer aerial combos playstyle. It tosses enemies into the air and opens up the possibility for aerial combos.
Best Garuda Abilities
Garuda is an Eikon of Wind that allows Clive to toss enemies around, decrease their Will Gauge faster, perform AoE attacks, and lastly, most of its abilities are available to use mid-air. Even Eikon’s Feat, Deadly Embrace is extremely useful for performing combos easily. However, which of the four other abilities should you prioritize? It can be confusing to decide, considering all of Garuda’s abilities are some of the best.
Here is a quick overview of Garuda’s Abilities ranked:
| Ability | In-Game Description | Damage | Stagger |
| Aerial Blast | Summon a tornado that slowly hunts down nearby enemies and, upon ensnaring them, inflicts multiple hits. | ★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Gouge | Summon twin claws that relentlessly tear at a target. It can be used in midair. | ★★ | ★★★★ |
| Rook’s Gambit | Jump back, then deliver a punishing counter. If the jump evades an attack, counter potency is increased. Can be used in midair. | ★★ | ★★ |
| Wicked Wheel | Perform a rising attack, striking all enemies within range and lifting them from the ground. It can be used in midair. | ★★ | ★★★ |
4) Wicked Wheel
- Learn Requirement: None
- Upgrade Requirement: 525 AP
- Master Requirement: 1000 AP
A good ability to equip if your playstyle mostly includes performing aerial attacks. With Wicked Wheel, players can inflict AOE damage on the surrounding enemies and toss them up into the air. It is great to escape from an overwhelming amount of enemies around and make them vulnerable for your next upcoming aerial combos.
There are no requirements to learn Wicked Wheel other than to unlock Garuda Abilities themselves. The ability is learned by default; however, you can upgrade it for 525 Ability Points and eventually master the skill for 1000 AP.
The reason behind it being least recommended is due to other similar options available much earlier, such as Stomp. You can master it in only 170 AP too. Secondly, Wicked Wheel lacks the ability to work against larger enemies such as bosses. If you equip it, you may lose an even better ability that works better against small and large enemies. Though if your playstyle allows you to execute Wicked Wheel perfectly, then go for it.
3) Rook’s Gambit
- Learn Requirement: 120 P
- Upgrade Requirement: 660 AP
- Master Requirement: 1000 AP
An extremely powerful ability if the player executes it timely. Rook’s Gambit is a defensive ability, allowing Clive to jump backward and dodge any incoming strikes, followed by him speeding forward to hit the foe (whether you dodge an attack or not).
However, what makes this defensive ability even more helpful is its counterattack, Gambit Counter. If players successfully manage to evade an attack by using Rook’s Gambit, the Gambit Counter gets activated. Here, Clive will spin forward and deal massive damage.
If you upgrade Rook’s Gambit to 660 AP, the counterattacks increase by hits. The ability is overall a valuable evading skill, and if you learn to execute it timely, you won’t regret investing in it. Not only will it helps against a bunch of enemies at once and give you an upper hand in Boss fights.
2) Gouge
- Learn Requirement: None
- Upgrade Requirement: 575 AP
- Master Requirement: 1000 AP
Gouge is surely one of the best default abilities in Final Fantasy 16. Upon execution, Clive strikes the enemy/enemies in front continuously with the twin claws, dealing a small amount of damage on each hit. But the constant damage output and the stagger are pretty decent. Gouge is mainly known for its 4 ★ Stagger, making it an essential ability against Bosses with Will Gauges.
You can increase the number of strikes by pressing the attack button again, resulting in more Will Gauge drain of the enemy in front. Upgrading Gouge will increase its attack speed for the upcoming strikes from the twin claws. Therefore, it is a must to upgrade Gouge as soon as you can for easier Boss fights later on.
Lastly, Gouge is also useable mid-air, meaning you can pair the ability with other abilities like Stomp or Wicked Wheel and perform continuous hits on enemies while in the air.
1) Aerial Blast
- Learn Requirement: 1540 AP
- Upgrade Requirement: 2005 AP
- Master Requirement: 4000 AP
On top, we have Aerial Blast, and rightly so. The ability may be hard on your pocket, but the continuous damage it offers is incredible, along with the five ★ stagger. Aerial Blast summons a tornado that chases the enemies to the ground. Once enemies are inside the tornado, they take continuous AOE damage for straight 15-20 seconds. Lighter enemies get tossed around. Whereas bigger foes, like Bosses, deal with a massive drain in their Will Gauge.
The ability is easiest to implement and does not require much action. Just execute the ability and let it do its work. You can perform other attacks while enemies are inside the tornado struggling. Upon upgrading in exchange for 2005 AP, the ability’s execution time increases.
What’s Next?
Without any doubt, Garuda is one of the best Eikons in Final Fantasy 16. The set of abilities it offers is pretty diverse. This ability provides everything from letting players perform staggering AOE attacks to executing continuous damage mid-air or on the ground.
We hope the guide helps you learn about the best Garuda Abilities in Final Fantasy 16 and unlock them for even better gameplay. Good luck with your next battle!
Check Out
- Final Fantasy 16: Best Starter Abilities & How To Unlock Them
- Final Fantasy 16: Best Rings
- Final Fantasy 16: Best Parry
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