One of biggest surprises in a DLC already full of them, was receiving Ultima’s powers in Final Fantasy XVI: The Rising Tide. The Final Fantasy series has a lot of staples and one of them is putting angel wings on its endgame villains and imbuing them with divine power.
That’s still the case here, but now you can get in on the fun as well. Here’s how to turn Clive into a literal god. Spoilers follow for The Rising Tide DLC in Final Fantasy XVI.
Tap into the power of a god
After toppling Leviathan in The Rising Tide DLC, head back to the Hideaway and use the Arete Stone. Clive will be transported to a new layer where Ultima will grant the swordsman their power.
You’ll then have to complete a series of fights to get acclimated with the new Eikon set. After finishing this, Ultima’s powers will be fully unlocked and Clive can use them anywhere else in the game.
Ultima Powers and Abilities
Ascension
Pressing Circle causes Clive to sprout wings and hover above the ground. The Square button will unleash sweeping attacks with wings that can hit multiple enemies at once and group them. The Triangle button fires off a volley of holy arrows. Much like Leviathan’s Serpent’s Cry ability, pressing Circle twice will allow Clive to dodge and teleport away.
Voice of God
Clive channels this attack before leaping skyward and unleashing the equivalent of a low-orbit ion cannon. This beam of devastating aether can be moved to hit any target in the arena. The only drawback is the long charge-up time, which leaves Clive vulnerable. If he takes a hit, the effect is canceled and must be started again.
Proselytize
Clive uses his wings to launch a sweeping attack ahead of him, leaving a column of damaging holy energy on the ground. This attack pairs beautifully with Leviathan’s Cross Swell ability, which groups all enemies in the arena into a neat little line.
Dominion
Clive channels his newfound power to create eight gigantic spikes of holy energy in a circle around him. This attack is good for large groups, but leaves Clive exposed in the center.
Ultimate Demise
The end-all and be-all of Ultima’s kit, this attack has Clive draw in every enemy around him before erupting with holy energy. This attack does an immense amount of damage and Stagger, and is capable of one-shotting all but the toughest foes.
Ultima’s Eikonic powers are pretty over the top and can trivialize many normal encounters. However, as you descend the 20 levels of the new Kairos Gate activity, you’ll find they merely level the playing field, as a level 40 Clive must contend with waves of brutally difficult enemies.
It’s a nice touch, for what I assume will be the last DLC of Final Fantasy XVI. Without getting into spoilers, the kit won’t be of much use in the actual fight with Ultima, but it will still be all kinds of fun while doing the equivalent of a victory lap in NG+.
