Square Enix decided to add the fan-favorite Shiva back in Final Fantasy 16. However, you can only acquire her Eikon abilities later on in the game after finishing the Through The Maelstrom quest, where her Dominant, Jill, will share her abilities with you. Along with a skillful ally, Clive gets access to unique elemental ice playstyles, which I found to be pretty versatile and tactical.
- Every Eikon has five core abilities.
- Shiva’s Eikonic build & Abilities are a set of powerful ice actions Clive can use in Final Fantasy 16.
- The abilities are versatile, as they range from damage-dealing moves and crowd control abilities to strategic maneuvers that pull enemies or freeze them in place.
- The abilities have their limitations; some are hard to aim, others don’t work well against stronger foes, and some have long cooldown periods.
- So, knowing when and how to use them is essential.
- Author’s Note: With more than dozens of hours of experience in FF16, I feel more than obliged to provide you with hands-on experience on the topic below.
Shiva’s Best Eikonic Abilities In FF16
| Serial No. | Ability Name | Best For | Best Usage | Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ice Age | The Best Shiva Ability For Knockback | Effective for damage output when the gauge is red, even more powerful with combos. Can be upgraded for better efficiency. | Difficult to aim accurately during heated battles, not very effective for crowd control, and the Stagger effect isn't particularly potent. |
| 4 | Cold Snap | The Best Evasive Ability In FF16 | Useful for evading attacks and freezing enemies, which creates openings for attacks. Mastering the timing of evasion activates Permafrost ability. | Not particularly effective against stronger enemies who may not be easily frozen. |
| 5 | Diamond Dust | The Best Shiva Ability For Stagger Dmg | Powerful ultimate ability for massive damage and staggering enemies, increasing their vulnerability to bonus damage. Can be upgraded for increased blasts. | The cooldown time is longer at 75 seconds. Costly to unlock, upgrade, and master due to its ultimate ability status. |
1. Ice Age
- Why I Chose This: Ice Age can effectively deal dmg at a range, making ranged encounters easier.
The best Shiva Eikonic Abilities can turn the tide of any battle, and that is why the Ice Age allows Clive to create a small Icicle path to surge against enemies. While it does decent damage, it falls short of staggering the enemies. Also, I found that Ice Age is even more tricky to use when aiming at different enemies in the heat of the battle.
To do the most with this attack, release it when the gauge is red. It may take a bit of time to activate, but hey, a good chef can even turn basic ingredients into a delicious meal, so keep cooking with the combos. You can upgrade this ability for 600 ability points, and further master it by spending 1000 AP, allowing you to assign it to any Eikon.
On the bright side, Ice Age does possess a long range and a short cooldown, making it viable for frequent use. However, when compared with abilities like Rime, it seems less effective at managing large groups of enemies. This is because Rime has a longer-lasting effect and causes more impact, making it a superior choice for crowd control in my opinion.
- Can clear enemies easily in front of you.
- Has long range, making various battles easy.
- The skill does not deal that much stagger dmg.
- Difficult to aim mid-battle.
2. Cold Snap
- Why I Chose This: Cold Snap can constantly freeze enemies without any cooldown and provides decent i-frames, Its a must use for those who can master it’s timing.
Cold Snap lets the player skate through the battlefield to dodge the upcoming attacks and land some. This ability is mainly efficient in not only evading upcoming attacks from enemies but also freezing them. Players can sit back to think of strategies after freezing the enemies or take them down immediately. Also, let me tell you it’s best feature. It can freeze essentially anything in the game, provided you dodge timely.
However, Cold Snap’s true potential lies in its offensive applications. Mastering the timing of evasion activates the Permafrost ability, emitting a wave of ice that freezes enemies for a longer duration, rendering them unable to attack and vulnerable to increased damage.
For beginner players, I think Cold Snap is a valuable tool for learning combat mechanics. All the more reason if you’re a veteran, as Frostbite and Permafrost effects allow you to control the battlefield, setting up devastating combos. Combining the best Shiva Eikonic Abilities in Final Fantasy 16 strategically can lead to devastating combos.
This particular ability does not have any upgrades, and you can master it by spending 1000 AP, where you will see an increase in the duration of frost.
- Can freeze essentially every enemy in the game.
- Has freeze application with no cooldown.
- The timing for perfect dodge is very tight.
- Missing perfect dodge lower its viability.
3. Diamond Dust
- Why I Chose This: Diamond Dust has insane stagger dmg and AoE, It can make short work of bosses’ Stagger bar, and is essentially one of the best abilities in FF16.
The ultimate ability of Shiva’s Eikon is none other than the powerful storm descending upon the battlefield. The cinematic experience results in some unexpectedly longer cooldown of 75 seconds though—Still, it can change the tide of the battle at any given moment. The visuals aren’t even as important as the massive damage this ability deals—leaving the enemies staggered, increasing the vulnerability to bonus damage.
With 3 points in Attack and a stunning 5 in Stagger, Diamond Dust is a damage-dealing powerhouse. Upon activation, Clive summons a storm that freezes all enemies within a large radius and follows up by slamming his sword into the ground, causing massive icicles to rise and damage these foes. The best part about it in my opinion is the enormous stagger damage it can deal pretty easily.
With the best Shiva Eikonic Abilities, players can freeze, stagger, and obliterate their enemies. Since it’s the ultimate ability, it costs a whopping 1940 AP to unlock it. For upgrading, you will need to spend 2575–increasing the number of blasts–and mastering it would require 4500 AP.
- Can deal immense stagger dmg in a wide area.
- Effective in breaking bosses’ stance to enable further combo.
- Has a very high cooldown.
- Deals lower HP dmg than other ultimates.
How To Get Shiva Eikonic Abilities In Final Fantasy 16?
My Thoughts
Cold Snap and Diamond Dust are my personal favorites. Using Cold Snap not only makes you feel extremely elegant, but landing a proper dodge and freezing an enemy in your wake feels very satisfying. Additionally, this basically applies to every enemy in the game, making it extremely useful dealing additional hits. Diamond Dust is Shiva’s ultimate attack that deals tremendous AoE damage, making it extremely useful for normal enemies.
This brings me to the conclusion of Final Fantasy 16: Best Shiva Eikonic Abilities guide where I have broken down abilities for Clive to use. Now that you have learned about Shiva, I recommend you also read: Final Fantasy 16: How To Heal, FF16 Best Weapons, Cid, and Who Is Lord Margrave? guides.
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All Abilities Showcase Images By DevilNeverCry
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