They may not be as prominent in the game’s narrative as they’ve been in other games, but Eidolons have incredible-looking designs and powerful abilities that’ll change the course of many battles throughout your adventure. Plus, they are great for reviving your party and pulling you out of sticky situations with refreshed TP and health. If you’re going to challenge fate along with this rebellious group of l’Cie, you need to know which Eidolons will be the most influential for your team.
6. Shiva – Snow’s Eidolon
Snow’s Eidolon is one of Final Fantasy’s classic summons. Shiva made her first appearance in FF3, and it’s been in countless games since – even some outside of the Final Fantasy series. FFXIII’s rendition of Shiva breaks the mold by separating the Empress of Ice in two – Stiria and Nix, the Twin Sisters of Shiva. They represent the Aurora Borealis and the Aurora Astralis, which sounds like a fair-enough explanation to justify the change. These Ice elementals have a decisive Final Move called Diamond Dust, which deals Ice damage to all targets. As is fitting for Snow’s Eidolon, the twins will merge into a motorcycle in their Gestalt form – allowing Snow to book it when it’s time to scram quickly. They’re far from the most powerful Eidolon, but the twins are really cool.
5. Brynhildr – Sazh’s Eidolon
Sazh is a polarizing character. Some love to include him in their party, while others leave him in reserves for as long as possible. If we were choosing based on their Eidolon’s appearance, Sazh would be a staple in the standard FF13 party. Brynhildr is heavy metal, and her Gestalt form only takes the badassery further by turning this red and gold transformer into a steampunk race car. Something interesting about Brynhildr is that it’s the only summon in FF13 that’s able to change her elemental characteristics through the use of En-Spells. Talk about versatility. What doesn’t change is her ultimate move – the Múspell Flame, which deals heavy fire damage to all enemies. You probably won’t get that much use out of Brynhildr, but remember to include her in strategies for farming Adamantoises and Long Guis, at which this Fire elemental excels.
4. Odin – Lightning’s Eidolon
Surprisingly, Lightning’s Eidolon isn’t the most powerful out of the bunch. Probably because Odin is the first one your get. Still, this Lightning elemental has the potential to be the most devastating summon in the entire game, if you’re lucky. Since the first time Odin appeared as a summon in FFIII, he’s had the Zantetsuken – his blade, and often the name of his ultimate skill. In FF13, Odin will perform a charge with this weapon along with Lightning for his final move, which shares the name. Zantetsuken deals a fair amount of damage, but that’s not what makes Odin potentially OP. It’s the fact that – from time to time – the skill will instantaneously put down an enemy regardless of their remaining health. If you could reliably predict the outcome of Zantetsuken, you could break the game – and you sort-of can, thanks to a particular exploit. All things considered, Odin is a pretty cool summon – but there’s plenty of competition.
3. Alexander – Hope’s Eidolon
Hope is a pretty flimsy kid from the looks of it. And he’s pretty squishy straight out of the box. It’s only fitting that his Eidolon would be something as tanky as Alexander. Alexander debuted as an Esper in Final Fantasy VI. Even then, this giant robot was already pretty tanky – as expected of something encountered in the World of Ruin. This robot is often depicted as a giant fortress-like structure, and that’s precisely the form it assumes when in Gestalt mode to protect Hope. Alexander acts a bit like a Sentinel in battle. It’ll protect you from damage and deal some back. It can also cast Arise and Curaga on your teammates, which is invaluably useful in FF13. Other than spamming Earthquake, this summon is at its best when unleashing his final move – Divine Judgement – which will deal elemental damage according to each target’s weakness. It can be devastating.
2. Hecatoncheir – Vanille’s Eidolon
Hecatoncheir is the most generally useful Eidolon in the game. Its shooting blaster ignores physical and magical defense, and it can reduce all elemental resistance to 0 as well. It’s instrumental when fighting extremely tanky enemies, including Adamantoises – which you’ll eventually have to hunt if you’re interested in getting the best equipment in the game. Hecatoncheir is based on giants with 100 arms mentioned in Greek mythology. It’s no wonder it comes in so handy in FFXIII. Its final move – Gaian Salvo – is also a definite asset. It’ll deal massive non-elemental damage to all foes, which can often mean turning the tides of a difficult battle. Plus, its Gestalt mode form looks just like a Magitek Armor from FF6. It’s just bad-ass all around.
1. Bahamut – Fang’s Eidolon
It’s not surprising to find Bahamut at the top of the list. The Dragon King has been a revered entity in almost every Final Fantasy game since it debuted in the original, where it was a strong boss. This black dragon’s fame even reaches far past Final Fantasy. It has made appearances in several other games such as Puzzle & Dragon and the iconic Super Mario RPG for SNES. While Bahamut’s Eidolon form is not exactly that of a dragon, his humanoid and Gestalt form have evident draconic influence. The most challenging Final Fantasy XIII battles are generally against single powerful enemies, making Bahamut’s excellent single-target DPS a huge asset for any party.
