Hey there, folks! Kenji here with a guide for aspiring Blue Mages.
Ah, the Blue Mage. Final Fantasy V was the first chronologically to introduce this little gem. As the name suggests the Blue Mage focuses on the casting of Blue Magic -- a subset of spells which are exclusively used by enemies in most cases. The job itself can also equip weaponry such as Swords and Knives, but lacks the physical capacity to do real damage with these weapons. Their equipment draw still has its uses however: the fact they can equip Knives ensures that they can equip an Air Knife, for example -- one of only four weapons that boost wind elemental damage when equipped, and the only one the Blue Mage can equip that isn't a rare steal or limited to one copy.
Series staples include Mighty Guard and White Wind. FFV also gives them Aero and its upgrades which is the whole reason I mentioned the Air Knife above.
The catch, though, and the reason one might need a guide, you ask? Unlike the Black, White and Time Mages, one does not simply buy Blue Magic spells; oh no, that'd be too easy. One must find the monster that uses it and have said monster hit one of your characters with it! And even then you need to have the passive ability Learning equipped to learn it (Freelancer with Blue Mage mastered gains it without equipping it). The Blue Mage need not survive the spell in question -- so long as the party wins, and the Learner is revived before the victory chime, you'll learn the spell at the battle's end. Sounds simple enough, right? Sometimes there are additional steps, especially if you're looking to get these spells as early as you possibly can. But we'll get to that later.
Blue Mage and Beastmaster go hand-in-hand. In fact some Blue Magic can only be learned from a monster who happens to be under the control of your Beastmaster, so I suggest levelling one alongside your Blue Mage.
Now, why am I saying all of this, you ask? Because some of my friends and I recently started a play-through of FFV, and all the old guides I used to have for early Blue Magic acquisition stored away disappeared as quickly as a fart in the wind. So here is a guide intended for early Blue Magic acquisition!
Hope it helps.
Bartz's world[]
- Main article -- Bartz's world.
There are a total of 21 Blue Magic spells available in the First World and they'll give you a solid foundation should you equip one of your characters with the Blue Magic command. They are:
The first spell on the list is found right inside the Wind Shrine. You're looking for a Black Goblin, who uses Goblin Punch fairly often. Go figure. When he smacks someone with Learning you'll learn it too. What does it do? Not a big lot of non-elemental damage unless your character is identical in level to the opposition. In that case it deals 8x damage.
Note: Goblin Punch works very well with the Excalipoor weapon, enabling it to do high damage befitting its attack power. It also stops certain weapons side-effects kicking in during damage; an example is the Chicken Knife causing one to run for the hills.
Still in the Wind Shrine. This little number is learned from Moldwynd. Hang around until he hits someone with Learning equipped. Their MP sucks -- they have 5 -- so I highly recommend going in with four Blue Mages just to remove the randomness. What does it do? Aero -- and its upgrades -- are the only spells in the Blue Mage's repertoire that conform to traditional damage formula's regarding spell damage. It hits one, or multiple, target(s) with Wind elemental damage.
Note: It pairs very nicely with an early-game Black Mage. One extra elemental effect is never a bad thing.
Known as Blood Suck and Red Feast in earlier iterations. This number can be gotten numerous ways; it's quite a prolific enemy ability, but the earliest is in the Pirates' Hideout. The critter you're looking for is Steel Bat. What does it do? It acts as a low-cost version of the Drain spell. Handy for random encounters but it will never work on a boss.
A cool set of dark shades will alleviate the annoyance -- and the upkeep of Eye Drops -- when learning this particular spell. I made a mistake with this one actually. I originally said that the earliest opportunity is the Fire-Powered Ship, from an enemy called Crew Dust. Like our old friend the Elf Toad this dude only uses Flash when he's by his lonesome. So kill everything else off and wait patiently. There's actually an earlier encounter on North Mountain, from a Headstone. Only problem? He has no MP unless you feed it an Ether or Elixer. Up to you which you take. I think I'll stick with the Crew Dust given the scarcity of Ether's early-game. What does it do if the Eye Drops quip wasn't enough? Flash hits every enemy to inflict blind, so enjoy.
Known as Frog Song in earlier iterations. Ah, good ol' Toad. It has some situational usages and can be picked up the earliest in Walse Tower. The critter in question is the Elf Toad. Ah, but there's also an additional requirement above and beyond the equipping of Learning. You see, ol' Elf Toad here is shy around others, and won't sing a single note until he's the only one left alive. So kill everything else off and wait for it to sing its funeral dirge. What does it do? It turns your opponent into a Toad who attacks with Croak. Okay, that was a lie; it still causes Toad though.
No, I'm not confused. And no, I didn't make a typo. This is a full-fledged Blue Magic spell first obtainable in the overworld map near Karnak. The critter in question is the plentiful wild dogs -- aptly named Wild Nakk -- and in addition to ???? they also drop 125 gil per critter. And they appear in groups of 5, and can be killed through a single Fire spell. Perfect for easy -- and early -- gil farming. You're welcome! What does this spell do, because the name sure as Hell doesn't give much away. This is one spell that gets more useful as your character gains level -- and HP. ???? is essentially Minus Strike: It deals non-elemental damage to one target equal to the difference in the user's Max HP and current HP.
Also known as Exploder in earlier iterations. The earliest available location for this lovely spell is the Fire-Powered Ship. Our target is called Motor Trap. To get it this early however requires a little more imagination than what we've been using up til now. Motor Trap needs to be hit with Lightning. So either equip your Blue Mage with the Black Magic command, or equip your Black Mage with Learning, and then have at it. Once struck with Lighting our good friend Motor Trap will explode on the caster. It deals piercing non-elemental damage equal to the caster's Current HP.
Known as Aero 2 in earlier iterations. The earliest possible location for this spell can be risky to attempt, because it is during the timed evacuation of the soon-to-be-doomed Karnak Castle. If you decide to open the treasure chests -- you really want to do this -- you'll be attacked by a monster-in-a-box yielding us an encounter with a Gigas. He'll eventually use Aera on you. This stage in-game is also where the other Ra-tier spells become available. Like Aero it uses the standard damage formula to deal Wind elemental damage to one or many enemies.
I am sorry to inform you that we're still in the soon-to-be-doomed Karnak Castle, though thankfully we're heading out this time rather than further in looking for treasure. Our critter this time is the boss aptly called Iron Claw. I highly suggest you use the opportunity presented here to learn Death-Claw. You won't get another chance until the Second World, and some bosses are susceptible to this spell. Did I mention it paralyses opponents, pierces Reflect, and reduces an enemy to 1 HP? All for a measly 21 MP? Learn it. You won't regret it.
Known as Aqua Rake in earlier iterations. This is another of those dangerous early acquisitions because it involves fighting the particularly powerful Dhorme Chimera in the desert north of the Library of the Ancients. You need not attempt it straight away but do try before heading to the Desert of Shifting Sands. The boss you encounter in the beginning of the aforementioned area -- the Sandworm -- is easily killed from one casting of Aqua-Breath. Why, you ask? Desert-type enemies such as our friend the Sandworm take 8x damage from Water-type damage and Aqua-Breath. Aqua Breath itself is considered non-elemental but factors in Desert-types into its damage formula; it also hits all enemies.
Known as Fusion in earlier iterations. This is where the real fun with Blue Magic begins, because this is where we begin to need the ability known as Control. As I mentioned further up the page this skill is learned by a Beastmaster. Outside the Library of the Ancients is a critter called Mythril Dragon. Control it and then cast Transfusion onto your Learner. What does it do? It replicates Sacrifice, meaning you sacrifice the caster to fully restore the HP and MP of a single ally. Maybe its just me but I always preferred an Elixer.
To get this particular spell as early as possible one needs to backtrack a little. Don't worry, we're only heading back to the Fire-Powered Ship. And we're even going after something we're familiar with: the Motor Trap! Control him and whack your Learner with Missile. Simples! This spell reduces the target's Current HP to 1/4.
Yes, you read that right. Known as L5 Doom in earlier iterations. This beauty is tricky; if you're characters have been levelling up more-or-less at the same time, if you get hit with this and your level is a multiple of 5, you're dead. Game over. So make sure you have at least one character who'll survive it and is also equipped with Learning. Anyways, onto the good bit: the earliest this spell is available is within the Library of the Ancients, from an enemy called Page 64. Unless you get it here you won't see this spell again until the Second World.
Note: an opponent found in the basement of the Castle of Bal, known as Objet d'Art, can be killed instantly with this spell. They are perhaps the best -- and easiest -- methods of AP grinding available in the Second World. There is an Inn and a Save Point very close-to-hand near these enemies. Without Level 5 Death you'll need to keep a large quantity of Gold Needles on-hand instead to easily kill these critters.
Known as MoonFlut in earlier iterations. Still inside the library and still looking for books! This time its Page 256. Moon Flute inflicts Berserk on your entire player party. Not to my liking to be perfectly honest.
Known as GuardOff in earlier iterations. Again we're looking for Page 256. This time though he needs a little coaxing; Control him, and cast it on your Learner. This is one my more favourite spells. It lowers an opponent's Defense stat for only 19 MP.
Known as Hammer in earlier iterations. At the Library's end -- sooooo many books! -- you'll encounter the boss Byblos. He'll use it on you. If you miss it here you're next chance won't be until the Second World. This spell is a potential Mage-killer. It deals damage to an opponent's MP and also hits bosses. Very nice!
Known as DrkShock in earlier iterations. Once we've got our sea-legs in the form of the Fire-powered Ship, head on off to Crescent Island. Here you'll find little critters called Black Flames. They use it regularly. Its effect is also rather helpful: it reduces a target's level by half. Some helpful strategy's can occur through careful usage of this spell when combined with Libra. You can manipulate an enemy's level to give them susceptibility to certain powerful Blue Magic spells such as, say, Level 3 Flare or Level 5 Death. You could also use this spell on your intended Learner so they become susceptible to these spells, which might save some time on level grinding.
Known as Emission in earlier iterations. When you begin your assault on the flying Ronka Ruins, you'll fight a weak boss called Flame Thrower. This boss uses it frequently. Unsurprisingly this deals Fire elemental damage to a single enemy which can be boosted by equipping appropriate weapons, such as the Fire Rod. Aero, Aera, Aeroga and Flamethrower are the only elemental spells accessible by the standard Blue Mage.
And now we hit the good stuff! This beauty heals your party equal to the caster's current HP and ignores Reflect and the Undead status. It is thus one of the few ways to heal a character equipped with the Bone Mail or is using the Necromancer job. The earliest location is inside the Ronka Ruins, from the Enchanted Fan, but he needs some coaxing. So Control him and reap the rewards.
Note: The Enchanted Fan also knows Aera if you missed it during the frantic escape from Karnak Castle.
Known as Blowfish in earlier iterations but the how and why of that escapes me. Again this spell is learned inside the Ronka Ruins, specifically from Lamia. She don't like using it though so Control her and whack your Learner. It deals a flat 1000 points of damage to a single target: quite large for this point in the game, and all for 25 MP.
Note: What I'm about to suggest is tedious in the extreme because we have not yet got access to the Time magic spell Return. Lamia's rare steal is Lamia's Tiara. Its stats aside it increases the likelihood of Sword Dance happening from 25% to 50%. Suffice to say it makes any potential Dancer a helluva lot more potent, and you won't get another chance to nab one of the Dancer-specific equips until the Third World. As I said: completely optional, but highly recommended. The Thief Gloves from the Fire-Powered Ship mitigates it somewhat but be prepared for frustration if attempted.
Known as L4 Qrter in earlier iterations. This is also the last spell you'll learn in the First World. Right at the end of the Ronka Ruins, but before you speak to the King, you have the opportunity to encounter Ghidra -- Hydra in some versions. His parting shot is Level 4 Graviga, so make sure your Learner's level is a multiple of 4. It'll hurt but it won't kill you.
Galuf's world[]
- Main article -- Galuf's world.
There are only 6 Blue Magic spells available in the Second World, but some can be quite tricky if you want them as early as possible. I recommend you level the Chemist -- for Mix -- and Time Mage -- for Return -- before attempting the Barrier Tower, and also have a Thief available to maximise one particular encounter. But I'm getting ahead of myself a little.
This little number is learned from the Traveler, which is a particularly frequent encounter inside the Barrier Tower. It inflicts Old and Sleep on a single target.
Known as L3 Flare in earlier iterations. This is what I was talking about when I spoke above about Chemist, Thief and Time Mage. There are two monster-in-a-box encounters inside the Barrier Tower: both can yield an encounter with the rather powerful Red Dragon. Red Dragon will not cast Level 3 Flare on your characters; he'll use Thermal Ray instead, which is useless for us. Control the Red Dragon and you'll find it has the spell however -- but before you go casting it, we need to rectify a small problem first. Red Dragon has no Reflect and we have no way other than Mix to give us the effect. So Mix up a Dragon Fang and a Phoenix Down to give our lovely dragon Reflect. Now blast him with his own Level 3 Flare and hope he hits your Learner.
To maximise the spoils of this battle I suggest Thief and Time Mage. Time Mage to cast Return and Thief to attempt and steal the expensive Flame Ring. The Barrier Tower can yield Level 3 Flare and two possible Flame Rings, so I highly recommend you spend some time getting the abilities needed. If not you can encounter Red Dragons randomly a little later down the road in Castle Exdeath.
Known as Aero 3 in earlier iterations. The earliest you can get this spell is from the Metamorph encounter in Ghido's Cave. Metamorph cycles through various transformations; one particular set includes Ifrit, Wyvern and Enchanted Fan. The target we're looking for is Enchanted Fan. As I suggested once before I recommend going into this with four Blue Mages -- or four Learners. Aeroga can also be learned from the Wind crystal aligned enemy in the Great Forest of Moore if you find the Metamorph encounter tedious. An Air Knife boosts the damage very nicely for low cost!
Known as Tiny Song in earlier iterations. This one can be grabbed as soon as you have the submarine. Our goal is the Great Forest of Moore and the critter in question is the Mini Magician. What does it do? It inflicts Mini on a single target.
Known as L2 Old in earlier iterations. Inside Castle Exdeath we'll encounter a Magic Dragon. Either wait for it to cast the spell voluntarily or use Control coupled with Reflect to bounce it onto your party. One handy little titbit? Our good friend Exdeath -- not to mention a few other bosses -- is susceptible to this spell. You're welcome.
Known as Condemn in earlier iterations. This is also the last spell for Galuf's world. The earliest possible opportunity for this spell comes from the big-bad himself in his castle of skulls: Exdeath! His first turn will either involve a physical attack or Doom. So bring your Time Mage and keep Return handy until he hits your Learner. 30 seconds later and the target bites the proverbial dust.
merged world[]
- Main article -- merged world.
There are only 3 Blue Magic spells left to learn and all but 1 of them is what you would call a normal acquisition. Onward!
Known as MindBlst in earlier iterations. Outside the Interdimensional Rift and post-game content the only enemy who knows this spell is the Wendigo, who happens to be the boss of the Island Shrine. Don't kill it unless you learn this spell! Mind Blast deals non-elemental damage which inflicts Sap and Paralyse to one target.
This nifty trick is learned from Parthenope, and she is encountered in the Phoenix Tower. Only issue is that you have to wait for her to cast it; she's very fickle about being Controlled, so this one requires some patience. Four Learners for easy acquisition.
Known as MghtyGrd in earlier iterations. The final one! And ho boy, did we have a journey. The enemy we're looking for is an overworld encounter called Stingray, which happens to have a very specific spawn location: so specific that I've known some people to have spent hours just looking for him. The area for this encounter is extremely specific: you must skirt the coast above the sunken Walse Tower. Control it and have it use Mighty Guard on your characters: you won't be sorry you did. Now what does this do? Awesomeness is what! It combines Protect, Shell and Float into a single cast. 72 MP is a staggering amount of MP but Mighty Guard is worth it, if only for the time it saves you.
Afterword[]
And that, folks, is the earliest possible locations one can find all Blue Magic in Final Fantasy V. These aren't the only enemies you can learn the spells from; they just happen to be the earliest encountered.
I hope this proved helpful in some way! Kenji out.