According to Eight’s online description, “he fights only using his limbs as he dislikes weapons that can easily take human lives.” Eight is the only character in Final Fantasy Type-0 HD who doesn’t wield a weapon, making him one of the more intriguing cadets on the roster to play as. You’d think that a pugilist like him would be able to deal powerful blows. Well… You’d be correct. Thanks to his love of the martial arts, Eight has a pretty damn high attack stat among his peers in Class Zero.
Eight is already pretty agile to begin with, and purchasing that Accelerate skill for him will allow him to practically fly across the battlefield. But the fundamental skills you should be focusing on for Eight are Slipstream and Untouchable. These will allow him to execute any number of dodges in a row and also increase the timing window for his dodges. This is especially crucial for Eight because he needs to get in close to his enemies in order to deal any damage. With such a close ranged fighter like him, it’s essential that he’s able to easily evade enemy attacks.
The Avoid defense spell is worth considering too; you get this spell from the moogle outside Akademia’s main doors as a reward for spending 10 hours in Final Fantasy Type-0 HD. At the cost of some MP, Avoid will allow you to automatically dodge enemy attacks.
But enough of the defense tactics. What you really want to know is how to use Eight effectively in battle. At a glance, you’ll notice that there are several combat stances you can purchase with your ability points. These stances allow Eight to execute different move sets and combos against his foes. The ones that you’ll really want to take note of are Quickbolt Stance and Wildfire Stance, especially when you’re just starting out with him.
Quickbolt Stance allows Eight to perform a diving kick that propels him towards foes and unleash a flurry of blows on them. If you hold the left stick down while pressing the command button however, it allows Eight to meditate and quickly recover HP – a handy maneuver for restoring health whenever you need it. Wildfire Stance adds some fire to your punches and kicks, and holding down on the left stick while pressing the command button will allow Eight to conjure a pillar of fire up from the ground – perfect for ice enemies. Holding up on the left stick during Wildfire Stance allows him to perform a straight rush attack, and just pressing the command button itself will have him launch a slow fire projectile, Hadouken style.
Once you’ve unlocked his various stances and found one that catches your fancy, consider investing in Lightspeed Jab. This handy little move practically allows him to teleport to an enemy over a distance. Phantom Rush allows Eight to dodge enemy attacks but if you’ve already got Avoid, this skill isn’t all that necessary.
The thing about Eight is that even though his blows may be weak, he’s still capable of dealing out a good number of hits and this allows him to stagger enemies easily. Don’t bother wasting a slot on offensive magic for him; Eight’s true strength lies in his high agility and ability to stun enemies. Besides, Eight’s Wildfire Stance allows him to deal fire damage if you really do need another magic user in your party.
Find out how to play as the other Class Zero cadets here, and you can check out our review of the game here.
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