Summons - Final Fantasy
Summoned creatures have been a staple of the [Final Fantasy] franchise, a series of role playing video games that are developed and produced by Square Enix. Summons were first introduced with the release of Final Fantasy III in the year 1990. Summons are magical creatures that can be summoned in battle and provide a number of functions, including offensive, curative, and support actions. The method of summoning creatures and their capabilities have varied drastically through various entries in the series.
Summons in Final Fantasy III
In Final Fantasy III, a character is able to summon based on level. A level one character is capable of summoning a Chocobo, and so on. Only the Evoker, Summoner, and Sage classes are capable of summoning, however. Summonable creatures found in Final Fantasy III often reappear as Summons in later Final Fantasy games as well. Some of the most common Summons in the series include Shiva, Ramuh, Leviathan, Titan, Ifrit, and Bahamut, which all appear in both the series’ first and most recent entries that feature summons (Final Fantasy III and Final Fantasy XV).
Summons in Final Fantasy IV
In Final Fantasy IV, it is possible to summon various magical beings called Eidolons using Rydhia, a playable character in the game. In the beginning, she can only summon a Chocobo, but as she gains experience and levels up, she is able to summon stronger creatures.
Summons in Final Fantasy V
In Final Fantasy V, Summons are called using the Summoner job, which has five summoning levels with a number of different summons with varying abilities.
Summons in Final Fantasy VI
In Final Fantasy VI magical beings called espers are introduced. Upon being killed, espers drop magicite. Equipping this magicite allows espers to be summoned in battle.
Summons in Final Fantasy VII
In Final Fantasy VII, summons are available if a character equips the Summon Materia, though it can only be used a limited number of times per battle that is indicated by the Materia’s level. However, if an item called the Master Summon Materia is obtained, it can be used to cast every summon in the game without limit. Cait Sith has a summon Limit Break ability that allows him to call a summon without using MP.
Summons in Final Fantasy VIII
In Final Fantasy VIII, Guardian Forces can be used by “junctioning” them to a certain character, allowing them to boost a specific character statistic or give them an elemental or status effect.
Summons in Final Fantasy IX
In Final Fantasy IX, like Final Fantasy IV, Summons are called “Eidolons” and only Dagger and Eirko are able to summon them, as they are members of a Summoner's tribe. These characters learn Summons by equipping jewels and mastering a summoning skill particular to an Eidolon. Eidolons have both quick and long summon sequences. Eiko is able to utilize Add-ons to affect her summons, while Dagger has a “Trance” command that alters her summon command to an Eidolon command that can cause the last Eidolon she summoned to re-appear randomly.
Summons in Final Fantasy X
In Final Fantasy X, Aeons can be used to help Summoners on their pilgrimage. They can be controlled as if they were a character during battle, replacing a party member until they are defeated or dismissed. Yuna is the only character that can summon Aeons.
Summons in Final Fantasy XI
In Final Fantasy XI, only Summoners and characters that have a Summoner support job can summon avatars. There are three types of summonable avatars, Terrestrial, Celestial and Elemental Spirits. After being summoned, the avatars fight until released, but consume a lot of MP to keep them activated.
Summons in Final Fantasy XII
In Final Fantasy XII, Espers or "Scions" reference enemies and summons from previous Final Fantasy games, and each represent both a light and dark side of the zodiac signs. When Espers are summoned in Final Fantasy 12, two party members are replaced.
Summons in Final Fantasy XIII
In Final Fantasy XIII Eidolons are supernatural beings partnered with l’Cie that can be summoned in battle. They are capable of switching in Gestalt mode, which essentially turns them into a mount that Lightning can ride during battle.
Summons in Final Fantasy XIV
In Final Fantasy XIV, Summons found in previous Final Fantasy games reappear here as “primals” and play an important role in the plot. Most of the primals are associated with a certain race of Beastman. Summoning in Final Fantasy XIV is limited to the Archanist class, though they cannot summon primals themselves. That said, the Summoner job in this class can call an Egis, which acts like a small fraction of a specific primal.
Summons in Final Fantasy XV
In Final Fantasy XV, Noctis sets out to obtain the power of the Astrals, which take the form of well-known Summons from the Final Fantasy series, like Leviathan, Titan, and Shiva. Prompts to summon these Astrals often appear when the player is struggling in combat. While the player has no ability to choose which Astral they would like to call, there are some prerequisites and certain factors that can determine which Astral is summoned. Things like the area the battle takes place in and the party’s current condition are some of these factors.