Final Fantasy XIV Limit Breaks: What they do and how to use them

Limit Breaks are show-stopping, super-charged attacks that can be some of the most powerful tools in a player’s arsenal, if you know how to use them. First appearing as “Desperation Attacks” in Final Fantasy VI, the name “Limit Break” wasn’t coined until Final Fantasy VII.

Limit Breaks have since made an appearance in almost every entry in the series, and Final Fantasy XIV is no exception. Here's what they are and how you can use them effectively.

To use a Limit Break, first open up the Actions & Traits section of the main menu in-game. From there, go down to the General tab and you’ll find yourself in the midst of a whole list of commands you may not be familiar with, Limit Break included. Those commands can be set to your hotbar for quick-and-easy use in the future.

Limit Breaks can only be used in party environments, such as raids, trials, and dungeons, and the gauge for using these all-powerful attacks is shared by the entire party. If one player uses a Limit Break, the entire party will need to wait for the gauge to refill before anyone is able to use another. With that in mind, let’s get into how they work.

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Limit Breaks

Limit Breaks have three levels of potency and offer different effects depending on the role your character is playing as. Each job also has a unique animation for its specific Level-Three attack.

Tank:

Tanks are known for being brick houses on the battlefield, drawing attention from enemies and taking attacks to keep party members safe. Their Limit Break only helps with this hefty task. Tanks create an Area of Effect buff that increases defense for all party members within its field for a short time:

• Level One - Area of Effect buff that reduces damage taken by all party members by 20 percent for 10 seconds
• Level Two - Area of Effect buff that reduces damage taken by all party members by 40 percent for 15 seconds
• Level Three - Area of Effect buff that reduces damage taken by all party members by 80 percent for eight seconds

Ranged Magical Damage-Per-Second:

Wielding powerful and explosive spells, casters are a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. Their Limit Break gains potency when more targets are hit. As such, hitting two, four, and six targets will give this attack a slightly stronger potency than the Level One, Two, and Three Melee Limit Breaks, respectively:

• Level One - Hard-hitting, moveable Area of Effect attack
• Level Two - Moveable Area of Effect attack with a potency of x2.167 the damage of Level One
• Level Three - Moveable Area of Effect attack with a potency of x3.5 the damage of Level One

Ranged Physical Damage-Per-Second:

Raining down arrows and bullets, this role is all about doing damage from a distance. This Limit Break fires a beam in a straight line in front of the user, damaging enemies caught in its path. Similar to the Ranged Magical DPS Limit Break, this attack gains potency when more targets are hit. As such, hitting one, two, and three (or more) targets will give this attack a slightly stronger potency than the Level One, Two, and Three Melee Limit Breaks, respectively:

• Level One - Hard-hitting Area of Effect beam attack that fires in a straight line
• Level Two - Area of Effect beam attack with a potency of x2.167 the damage of Level One
• Level Three - Area of Effect beam attack with a potency of x3.5 the damage of Level One

Melee:

This DPS role relies on speed and positioning to get up close and personal while delivering swift, devastating hits. The melee Limit Break targets a single enemy to deal massive damage:

• Level One - Hard-hitting, single-target attack
• Level Two - Single-target attack with a potency of x2.2 the damage of Level One
• Level Three - Single-target attack with a potency of x3.5 the damage of Level One

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Healer:

With a wide array of buffs and restorative spells at their disposal, healers have the important task of keeping party members alive while exploring dungeons and fighting bosses. The healer Limit break only makes this job easier to do, casting an Area of Effect spell that restores Health and Magic for any party members within the area. On Level Three, it adds the effect of raising any KO’d party members:

• Level One - Restores 25 percent of Health and Magic of all nearby party members
• Level Two - Restores 60 percent of Health and Magic of all nearby party members
• Level Three - Restores 100 percent of Health and Magic of all nearby members, and revives any KO’d party members

No matter which role you decide to play, all of the Limit Breaks are viable and very effective. Each Limit Break is tailor-made to complement each role, and can give a huge advantage to your party in a pinch. All that’s left now is to use your newfound knowledge and power to conquer those dungeons!

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