Elem-Def-J (Final Fantasy VIII)

Junctions Magic to Elem-Def

Description

Elem-Def-J (elemental attack junction), Elem-Def-Jx2, and Elem-Def-Jx4 are junction abilities in Final Fantasy VIII. When a party member junctions a Guardian Force that has Elem-Def-J (or x2/4) mastered, they can resist/nullify/absorb elemental damage by equipping spells from their current Magic inventory to their Elemental Defense ( in the Junction menu). Elem-Def-J is a counterpart to Elem-Atk-J.

Obtained[]

The GFs Quezacotl, Shiva, Ifrit, Brothers, and Pandemona learn Elem-Def-J for 100 AP. All of them bar Brothers then get the ability to upgrade to Elem-Def-Jx2 by spending further 160 AP, and Leviathan and Alexander start with Elem-Def-Jx2 from the get-go. Alexander can then upgrade to x4 with further 180 AP, whereas Doomtrain learns x4 natively. Elem-Def-Jx4 can also be taught to any GF AP-free with the Elem Guard item, easiest obtained by modding Selphie's card and as a drop from Krysta.

Mechanics[]

Elem-Def-J allows the character equipping a GF who knows the ability to junction a spell to their elemental defense, which—depending on the grade and number of the spell junctioned—allows the character resist, nullify, or even absorb damage from attacks that embody their defended element. Elem-Def-Jx2 lets the player junction two spells, and x4 lets the player junction four spells.

Only certain spells are compatible to being junctioned to Elem-Def-J: all regular offensive elemental spells, as well as some spells that raise the defense% for multiple elements at once. The player can become immune to all elements with the right setup.

${\displaystyle DamageBonus = Damage \times ElemAtt \times (800 - ElemDef) / 10000}$^[1]

${\displaystyle Damage = Damage + DamageBonus}$

Elemental attack can be anything between 0 and 100%. Elemental Defense starts at 800 (0%), 900 nullifies damage and 1000 absorbs the damage. If an enemy is shown to be weak against an element, its Elemental Defense is below 800. If damage becomes negative (due to high Elemental Defense), the target is healed by that amount.

The maximum is 100% absorption of an element (when the character absorbs an element, a green star is displayed next to the element). The spell(s) junctioned to Elem-Def-J cannot be junctioned to any other stat at the same time; if the player wants to equip a spell to another stat, it will be unequipped from the current -J ability. When using a draw point, if the offered spell is currently being junctioned to an active party member's stat, it will show a symbol next to it when choosing the recipient upon using the draw point.

Use[]

Elem-Def-J is broadly useful and it is worth upgrading to the x2 and x4 versions on the GFs that have the option; once the better ability has been mastered, the player can remove the base version with Amnesia Greens without ill effect.

Good uses include against Cerberus to nullify/mitigate his Tornado and Quake, as these spells cannot be reflected and he uses them with Triple, against Tri-Point to absorb his lightning attack, and against Tiamat to absorb his Dark Flare.

A setup the player can use to their benefit is to junction a spell to Elem-Atk-J that their characters absorb via Elem-Def-J and then use their own attacks to heal the party; this is a way to heal party members with Zombie or in the final dungeon when abilities are sealed.

It may be worth modding Selphie's card into Elem Guards to distribute among GFs to allow the party maximum elemental protection, if the player does not mind modding unique cards (it can still be reclaimed in the endgame via the Card Club). The best setup would be to junction 100 Ultimas to become immune to all elements, and the player can achieve this even with the base Elem-Def-J that allows but one spell. However, Ultima (and Full-Life) are excellent stat junction spells, and so the player may prefer them elsewhere, and swap Elem-Def-J spells around when needed. With Life and Shell, the player can halve all elemental damage to that character. Flare is a good spell for Elem-Def-J as 100 of them would reduce damage from fire, ice, and thunder by 80%.

Citations[]