Shiva offers five Eikonic abilities that pair well with an aggressive and tactical playstyle in Final Fantasy 16, skilled player or not.
Final Fantasy 16 marks the latest installment in the franchise, and one that has taken the fanbase by storm with its plot and gameplay experience. Players can choose between the Story or the Action mode when they first start the game, and can even go for the New Game+ Final Fantasy mode for their second playthrough. Naturally, the latter two offer a more violent experience, with the combat getting a stronger focus and becoming more difficult.
Eikonic abilities play a crucial role in the game, and Clive can access two each from the three Eikons that he chooses at any given time. Shiva, being one of the last that players get access to, offers quite an aggressive, tactical playstyle based on her element, ice. Clive gains these powers when Jill, Shiva’s Dominant, shares them with him during the Through the Maelstrom quest. While a couple of them may not match up to players’ expectations, others make for a very strong addition to any moveset. 5 Ice Age
Through this Eikonic ability, players trigger a line of icicles that lift enemies into the air, and damage and Stagger them. On paper, it offers 3 points in Attack and 1 in Stagger. It is a bit lower than average in its potential for crowd control in Final Fantasy 16, since it can be a bit tricky to aim the line correctly in the heat of battle. While holding the button to trigger the move, they need to leave it in the red portion of the circle for the highest impact.
Although it does leave enemies Staggered and thus more vulnerable, the effect itself is not significant and the damage is underwhelming as well. Although it has a long range and a short cooldown, Rime would work better for controlling crowds as it lasts longer and causes more impact. If players wish to use Ice Age for its striking visual effect, they can spend 600 Ability Points (AB) to upgrade it, increasing the window of time for triggering it for highest damage. Subsequently, they can spend 1,000 AB to master this Eikonic ability and make it available for other Eikons in Final Fantasy 16.
