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Clive has a lot of possibilities for builds inFinal Fantasy 16, with a huge assortment of abilities and gear at your disposal to craftthe perfect main characterfor you. With these near-infinite paths to go down, you may feel overwhelmed or unsure of how to build your character to make the most of what you have.
RELATED:Final Fantasy 16: Every Eikon Fight, Ranked
Luckily, there is one build that has been shownto be the best one. This overpowered build will not only be a strong option throughout theearly and mid-game, but it will also remain on top as you progress into the latter part of the game. With the right knowledge and planning, you will have Clive decimating everything and everyone in his path.
Updated by Shane Black on June 13, 2025:This guide was updated to provide more details on the cooldown times for each of the abilities needed for this build to provide an idea of how you can best use them, and when. It also explains when you can expect to unlock the three Eikons that you need for the build.
Best Abilities For The Build
In order to create this overpowered build, you will want to know which abilitiesare best for it. Abilities, after all, are the backbone of any good build in Final Fantasy 16 and provide the entire premise ofhow to use Clive in combat.
In the game, you can channel up to three of the eight Eikons available to you. You unlock more Eikons to channel as you progress through the game’s story and main quests. Each Eikon comeswith its own batch of abilities, and at first, you can only use the abilities of the Eikons you are channeling.
However, as you upgrade your abilities, you will eventually be ableto Master them. This is the top tier that you may get to with your abilities, and it allows you to equip this ability withouthaving to channel its respective Eikon. This will come in handy as you progress through this build.
Key Eikons For The Build
So, getting to the abilities you will need, let’s start withthe three Eikonsyou will be channeling. These three Eikons are:
Channelingthese three Eikonswill give you agood balance of offensive and defensive powers, allowing you to zoom around the battlefield without having to worry too much about taking too much damage. It also gives you access to their innate Eikonic abilities, which are what you may perform by pressing Circle.
All three of themboast substantial powerthat you can use to your advantage. Phoenix brings with it a fiery chaos that can incinerate foe, Odin uses its black blade to slice away, and Titan uses his mountainous stature to bring out some defensive strategies. Whileall the Eikonsin the game have their own significant power, these three are the ones that will bring the most balanced approach to your build.
You will have Phoenix abilities from the very beginning of the game, you just will have to invest the Ability Points into it as you progress. For Odin and Titan, their Dominants areBarnabus Tharmr and Huge Kupka, respectively. You will unlock Odin after completing the mission called The Last King, and Titan will be unlocked once you have completed the mission called After the Storm. Both of them will come a decent way into the game, so don’t expect to have this build done with too soon. It takes time to complete.
For an exact idea of when you will unlock each of the three Eikons you need, here are the exact quests inthe main storylinewhere Clive will be given access to them:
Best Eikon Abilities For The Build
Ability Name
Ability Summary
Arm of Darkness
Replace Clive’s current weapon with Odin’s blade. Landing abilities with the Arm of Darkness fill the Zantetsuken gauge. Hold □ to execute Zantetsuken.
Phoenix Shift
Use the Blessing of the Phoenix to close the gap between a target. Both melee attacks and magicked shots can be dealt with while shifting.
Titanic Block
Block enemy attacks. When a guard is timed perfectly, Square can be used to launch up to three counterattacks.
These three abilities will let youcontinue dealing damage, while also allowing you to either negate damage (as is the case with Titanic Bock) or avoid it altogether (a la Phoenix Shift).
These three will alsogive you a balanced approachto the game, with Arm of Darkness providing substantial offense and damage, Phoenix Shift helping with your mobility, and Titanic Block giving you some defense. They all are some of the best abilities in these respective areas and will give you the best odds while fighting through the game’s story.
You will now be choosingan additional six abilitiesthat you will need:
Cooldown Times
Aerial Blast
Summon a tornado that slowly hunts down nearby enemies and, upon entering them, inflicts multiple hits. Upgrading the ability will increase the duration of the whirlwinds.
110 seconds
Dancing Steel
Summon a second blade and unleash a flurry of attacks. Each hit landed significantly fills the Zantetsuken gauge. Upgrading the ability will increase the amount of attacks you can perform.
45 seconds
Fire a massive beam of overcharged light that burns any enemy it hits. Upgrading the ability will increase the amount of hits inflicted by the beam.
60 seconds
Summon multiple spheres of light that, upon striking an enemy, deal it continuous damage, binding it to the spot. Upgrading the ability will increase the number of spheres produced.
25 seconds
Raging Fist
Step forward and deliver a blinding flurry of high-speed punches. Blocking an enemy attack with the step forward increases the potency of the following punches. Upgrading the ability will increase its attack power.
33 seconds, or 16.5 seconds if used to block an enemy attack
Rising Flame
Summon a fiery wing that deals damage and can launch lighter enemies into the air. Upgrading the ability will increase the number of hits it does.
20 seconds
All of these abilities, as you can see,deal a good amount of damage, but they also are varied in terms of their cooldowns. Some of them may have ratherlong cooldown times(Gigaflare), but the build makes up for it with others that will be available again rather quickly (Phoenix Shift).
You can use some abilities that will summon certain entitiesto protect you while you focus on other things, while other abilities will help you do the damage yourself. You can summon help with Aerial Blast or Impulse, and then while they are taking care of some enemies, use abilities like Gigaflare or Raging Fists to put the pain on someone else. Plus, abilities like Dancing Steel will help you build up some other abilities.
And all of them havea range of cooldowns, so you won’t find yourself going through a dry spell without any ability to use. You willalmost always have the ability availableto help you.
RELATED:Final Fantasy 16: Best Eikon Abilities, Ranked
Beat Gear For The Build
The final part of the build that you will need to consider isthe gear you equipto bring the best out of Clive. There are three specific items that you will want to equip to Clive to give yourself the most increase in power.
Gear Summary
Bahamut’s Mercy
Reduces Gigaflare cooldown time by 6.0 seconds.
Berserker Ring
Temporarily increases attack proficiency with each precision dodge.
Genji Gloves
Increases damage by 5%.
Using these three items will helpboost your damage output, while using Bahamut’s Mercy is going to help you use Gigaflare more often, which is the ability you will want to use the most. You are going to be using Gigaflare a lot, as it is one of the most powerful abilities in this build, so Bahamut’s Mercy is going to be huge. Berserker Ring and Genji Gloves are there to help you with your moment-to-moment attacks, and help you as you dodge enemy attacks.
Fianlly, you will want to consider which sword you want to use in this build. Fortunately, the way that the weapons work in the game, there is a clear-cut answer that is, by far, the best choice:the Ultima Weapon. This isthe best weapon in the gameby all accounts: damage, defense, all of it. Unfortunately, you will not be able to get the word until your New Game Plus playthrough, but it is worth it to really bring your build to its final form.
All in all, this build will help makethe combat flowfeel at its best. You would be hard-pressed to find another way to deal this good of damage while also helping the moment-to-moment gameplay feel just as fun. All of this combines to create the best build in the game right now.
