Espers — Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age Essential Starter's Guide

Espers are powerful creatures that characters can summon to aid the party in battle. They take the place of two party members and remain in the battlefield for just over four minutes (much longer than in the original game!) or until the summoner or the Esper is defeated. Each Esper has a different set of skills that makes it more useful in some situations than others.

Unlocking the Espers

All of the Espers are locked at the beginning of the game, and they won’t become available until the party tracks them down and defeats them. Some of the Espers appear during the normal flow of the game’s storyline, but others are more difficult to track down and require a bit of extra adventuring.

Defeated Espers appear on the license boards as a panel. A character must then purchase the Esper with LP. These are one-time only panels (purchasing a panel on one board for one character removes it from all other boards for everyone), so only one character can unlock each Esper. There’s no limit to the number of Espers one character can command, but it’s best to spread them out amongst the party members.

Summoning an Esper

It takes between one to three Mist Charges to summon an Esper. The Esper’s cost is a good measure of the creature’s power. A single-Mist-Charge beast like Belias doesn’t compare to a three-Mist-Charge behemoth like Ultima.

A character can summon an Esper at any time as long as the necessary Mist Charges are available. Also note that Silence has no effect on your ability to summon Espers.

To initiate a summon, select the Mist option from the battle menu and then choose Summon to make a list of available Espers appear. You can summon those names that appear in white, while those names that appear in gray are temporarily unavailable due to cost or a status effect.

Restrictions & Notes

Espers respond pretty much like any other guest character. Each Esper has its own gambits that it follows, which are listed in the following sections. As with guest characters, issuing commands to them or making them party leader is also now possible.

With the new ability to control Espers yourself, the best way to use these eldritch beasts is to just dive into it. The summoner should just worry about keeping the Esper alive while you use the expanded ability set to tear your enemies apart. Even if you can't keep them alive very well, you can't go wrong by telling them to use their ultimate abilities right away, something that's both very versatile and used to be much harder to manage.

The summoner’s level determines an Esper’s level and stats. The effect only determines the Esper’s level, not its HP and MP, and these values vary from one Esper to another.

While an Esper is active, it can be issued commands or even made the leader of the party if desired. The summoner treats the Esper like another party member, so he or she may automatically begin casting things like Haste, Bubble, and Protect if your gambits are set up to do so.

Espers are so powerful that they’re immune to many things. For example, most negative status effects won’t harm an Esper. There are even some that come equipped with positive effects like Faith and Bravery that cannot be dispelled.

Beware of statuses on an Esper when it is summoned. Some Espers appear in battle with Reflect already cast upon it, which makes it difficult to heal. An Opal Ring really helps out in this situation, since it enables the summoner to cast through the Reflect spell.

Generally, the summoner should focus on healing while an Esper is active. Boost the Esper’s power with Haste and Bubble if needed, but keep a Cure ready at all times. You have a few minutes of fun with each Esper, but in most tough situations, they're likely to get KO'ed well before their timer expires. Don't be shy with their ultimate technicks. It's much better to lose an Esper on your terms and do a huge amount of damage.

Belias, the Gigas

Level	HP	MP	Strength	Magick Power	Vitality	Speed
1	1215~1216	184~188	36	47	26	26
10	1417~1452	238~275	41	52	28	28
20	1785~1884	318~418	47	58	31	30
30	2257~2442	400~562	53	64	34	33
40	2704~2970	500~742	59	70	36	35
50	3418~3817	586~894	65	76	39	37
60	4048~4564	666~999	71	82	42	40
70	4405~4984	726~999	77	88	45	42
80	4818~5470	786~999	82	93	47	44
90	5380~6136	826~999	88	99	50	74
99	6015~6889	844~999	94	99	53	49

Gambit

Number	Description	Name
1	Summon Time Remaining < 10 Seconds	Hellfire
2	Foe: Fire-vulnerable	Painflare
3	Foe: nearest visible	Attack
4	Ally: HP <100%	Cura

Actions

Name	Range	Scope	Type	Element	Attack Foundation
Attack	3	N/A	Physical	None	61
Cura	10	Diameter 10	Magick	None	46
Fira	10	Diameter 8	Magick	Fire	67
Painflare	12	N/A	Magick	Fire	65
Hellfire	12	Diameter 8	Magick	Fire	100

Mateus, the Corrupt

Level	HP	MP	Strength	Magick Power	Vitality	Speed
1	1500~1501	186~190	36	47	26	26
10	1702~1737	240~380	41	52	28	28
20	2070~2169	320~420	47	58	31	30
30	2542~2727	402~654	53	64	34	33
40	2989~3255	502~744	59	70	36	35
50	3703~4102	588~896	65	76	39	37
60	4333~4849	668~999	71	82	42	40
70	4690~5269	728~999	77	88	45	42
80	5103~5755	788~999	82	93	47	44
90	5665~6421	828~999	88	99	50	47
99	6300~7174	846~999	94	99	53	49

Gambit

Number	Description	Name
1	Summon Time Remaining < 10 Seconds	Frostwave
2	Foe: Ice-vulnerable	Flash-Freeze
3	Foe: nearest visible	Attack
4	Ally: HP <100%	Cura

Actions

Name	Range	Scope	Type	Element	Attack Foundation
Attack	3	N/A	Physical	None	65
Cura	10	Diameter 10	Magick	None	46
Blizzara	10	Diameter 8	Magick	Ice	70
Flash-Freeze	12	N/A	Magick	Ice	75
Frostwave	12	Diameter 8	Magick	Ice	100

Shemhazai, the Whisperer

Level	HP	MP	Strength	Magick Power	Vitality	Speed
1	3645~3646	234~238	36	47	26	26
10	3847~3882	288~328	41	52	28	28
20	4215~4314	368~468	47	58	31	30
30	4687~4872	450~612	53	64	34	33
40	5134~5400	550~792	59	70	36	35
50	5848~6247	636~944	65	76	39	37
60	6478~6994	716~999	71	82	42	40
70	6835~7414	776~999	77	88	45	42
80	7248~7900	836~999	82	93	47	44
90	7810~8566	876~999	88	99	50	47
99	8445~9319	894~999	94	99	53	49

Gambit

Number	Description	Name
1	Summon Time Remaining < 10 Seconds	Soul Purge
2	Foe: nearest visible	Devour Soul
3	Ally: HP <100%	Curaja

Actions

Name	Range	Scope	Type	Element	Attack Foundation
Attack	10	N/A	Physical	None	73
Curaja	10	Diameter 10	Magick	None	120
Shock	10	N/A	Magick	None	133
Devour Soul	10	N/A	Magick	None	N/A
Soul Purge	12	Diameter 8	Magick	None	N/A

Hashmal, Bringer of Order

Level	HP	MP	Strength	Magick Power	Vitality	Speed
1	3315~3316	226~230	36	47	26	26
10	3517~3552	280~320	41	52	28	28
20	3885~3984	360~460	47	58	31	30
30	4357~4542	442~604	53	64	34	33
40	4804~5070	542~784	59	70	36	35
50	5518~5917	628~936	65	76	39	37
60	6148~6664	708~999	71	82	42	40
70	6505~7084	768~999	77	88	45	42
80	6918~7570	828~999	82	93	47	44
90	7480~8236	868~999	88	99	50	47
99	8115~8989	886~999	94	99	53	49

Gambit

Number	Description	Name
1	Summoning time remaining < 10 seconds	Gaia’s Wrath
2	Foe: Earth-vulnerable	Roxxor
3	Foe: nearest visible	Attack
4	Ally: HP <100%	Curaja

Actions

Name	Range	Scope	Type	Element	Attack Foundation
Attack	3	N/A	Physical	None	80
Curaja	10	Diameter 10	Magick	None	120
Graviga	10	Diameter 8	Magick	None	N/A
Roxxor	12	N/A	Magick	Earth	90
Gaia’s Wrath	12	Diameter 8	Magick	Earth	150

Famfrit, the Darkening Cloud

Level	HP	MP	Strength	Magick Power	Vitality	Speed
1	5790~5791	266~270	36	47	26	26
10	5992~6027	320~360	41	52	28	28
20	6360~6459	400~500	47	58	31	30
30	6832~7017	482~644	53	64	34	33
40	7279~7545	582~824	59	70	36	35
50	7993~8392	668~976	65	76	39	37
60	8623~9139	748~999	71	82	42	40
70	8980~9559	808~999	77	88	45	42
80	9393~9999	868~999	83	94	47	44
90	9955~9999	908~999	89	99	50	47
99	9999	926~999	94	99	53	49

Gambit

Number	Description	Name
1	Summon Time Remaining < 10 Seconds	Tsunami
2	Foe: Water-vulnerable	Briny Cannonade
3	Foe: nearest visible	Attack
4	Ally: HP <100%	Renew

Actions

Name	Range	Scope	Type	Element	Attack Foundation
Attack	2	N/A	Physical	None	145
Renew	10	Diameter 10	Magick	None	N/A
Briny Cannonade	12	N/A	Magick	Water	140
Tsunami	12	Diameter 8	Magick	Water	200

Adrammelech, the Wroth

Level	HP	MP	Strength	Magick Power	Vitality	Speed
1	1665~1666	188~192	36	47	26	26
10	1867~1902	242~282	41	52	28	28
20	2235~2334	322~422	47	58	31	30
30	2707~2892	404~566	53	64	34	33
40	3154~3420	504~746	59	70	36	35
50	3868~4267	591~989	65	76	39	37
60	4498~5014	670~999	71	82	42	40
70	4855~5434	730~999	77	88	45	42
80	5268~5920	790~999	82	93	47	44
90	5830~6586	830~999	88	99	50	47
99	6465~7339	848~999	94	99	53	49

Gambit

Number	Description	Name
1	Summon Time Remaining < 10 Seconds	Judgment Bolt
2	Foe: Lightning-vulnerable	Flash Arc
3	Foe: nearest visible	Attack
4	Ally: HP <100%	Curaga

Actions

Name	Range	Scope	Type	Element	Attack Foundation
Attack	3	N/A	Physical	None	46
Cura	10	Diameter 10	Magick	None	85
Thundara	10	Diameter 8	Magick	Thunder	68
Flash Arc	12	N/A	Magick	Thunder	85
Judgment Bolt	12	Diameter 8	Magick	Thunder	110

Cúchulainn, the Impure

Level	HP	MP	Strength	Magick Power	Vitality	Speed
1	3480~3481	230~234	36	47	26	26
10	3682~3717	284~324	41	52	28	28
20	4050~4149	364~464	47	58	31	30
30	4522~4707	446~608	53	64	34	33
40	4969~5235	546~788	59	70	36	35
50	5683~6082	632~940	65	76	39	37
60	6313~6829	712~999	71	82	42	40
70	6670~7249	442~999	77	88	45	42
80	7083~7735	832~999	82	93	47	44
90	7645~8401	872~999	88	99	50	47
99	8280~9154	890~999	94	99	53	49

Gambit

Number	Description	Name
1	Summon Time Remaining < 10 Seconds	Blight
2	Foe: Undead	Attack
3	Foe: nearest visible	Malaise
4	Ally: HP <100%	Curaja

Actions

Name	Range	Scope	Type	Element	Attack Foundation
Attack	2	N/A	Physical	None	83
Curaja	10	Diameter 10	Magick	None	120
Bio	10	Diameter 8	Magick	None	87
Malaise	12	N/A	Magick	None	90
Blight	12	Diameter 8	Magick	None	150

Chaos, Walker of the Wheel

Level	HP	MP	Strength	Magick Power	Vitality	Speed
1	6202~6204	250~254	36	47	26	26
10	6405~6439	304~344	41	52	28	28
20	6772~6871	684~484	47	58	31	30
30	7245~7429	466~628	53	64	34	33
40	7692~7957	566~808	59	70	36	35
50	8406~8805	652~960	65	76	39	37
60	9036~9552	732~999	71	82	42	40
70	9393~9972	792~999	77	88	45	42
80	9805~9999	852~999	83	94	47	44
90	9999	892~999	89	99	50	47
99	9999	910~999	94	99	53	49

Gambit

Number	Description	Name
1	Summon Time Remaining < 10 Seconds	Tornado
2	Foe: Wind-vulnerable	Whirlwind
3	Foe: nearest visible	Attack
4	Ally: HP <100%	Renew

Actions

Name	Range	Scope	Type	Element	Attack Foundation
Attack	2	N/A	Physical	None	155
Renew	10	Diameter 10	Magick	None	N/A
Aeroga	10	Diameter 8	Magick	Wind	103
Whirlwind	12	N/A	Magick	Wind	50
Tornado	12	Diameter 8	Magick	Wind	100

Zalera, the Death Seraph

Level	HP	MP	Strength	Magick Power	Vitality	Speed
1	1830~1831	206~210	36	47	26	26
10	2032~2067	260~300	41	52	28	28
20	2400~2499	340~440	47	58	31	30
30	2872~3057	422~584	53	64	34	33
40	3319~3585	522~764	59	70	36	35
50	4033~4432	608~916	65	76	39	37
60	4663~5179	688~999	71	82	42	40
70	5020~5599	748~999	77	88	45	42
80	5433~6085	808~999	82	93	47	44
90	5995~6751	848~999	88	99	50	47
99	6630~7504	866~999	94	99	53	49

Gambit

Number	Description	Name
1	Summoning time remaining < 10 seconds	Condemnation
2	Foe: nearest visible	Kill
3	Ally: HP <100%	Cura

Actions

Name	Range	Scope	Type	Element	Attack Foundation
Attack	2	N/A	Physical	None	62
Cura	10	Diameter 10	Magick	None	46
Warp	10	Diameter 8	Magick	None	N/A
Death	10	N/A	Magick	None	N/A
Kill	12	N/A	Magick	None	N/A
Condemnation	12	Diameter 8	Magick	None	N/A

Zeromus, the Condemner

Level	HP	MP	Strength	Magick Power	Vitality	Speed
1	3810~3811	254~258	36	47	26	26
10	4012~4047	308~348	41	52	28	28
20	4380~4479	388~488	47	58	31	30
30	4852~5037	470~632	53	64	34	33
40	5299~5565	470~812	59	70	36	35
50	6013~6412	656~964	65	76	39	37
60	7000~7579	796~999	77	88	45	42
70	7413~8065	856~999	82	93	47	44
80	7413~8065	856~999	82	93	47	44
90	7975~8731	896~999	88	99	50	47
99	8610~9484	914~999	94	99	53	49

Gambit

Number	Description	Name
1	Summon Time Remaining < 10 Seconds	Big Bang
2	Foe: nearest visible	Gravity Well

Actions

Name	Range	Scope	Type	Element	Attack Foundation
Attack	2	N/A	Physical	None	103
Curaja	10	Diameter 10	Magick	None	120
Scourge	10	Diameter 8	Magick	None	142
Gravity Well	12	N/A	Magick	None	—
Big Bang	12	Diameter 8	Magick	None	—

Exodus, the Judge-Sal

Level	HP	MP	Strength	Magick Power	Vitality	Speed
1	3975~3976	258~262	36	47	26	26
10	4177~4212	312~352	41	52	28	28
20	4545~4644	392~492	47	58	31	30
30	5017~5202	474~636	53	64	34	33
40	5464~5730	574~816	59	70	36	35
50	6178~6577	660~968	65	76	39	37
60	6808~7324	740~999	71	82	42	40
70	7165~7744	800~999	77	88	45	42
80	7578~8230	860~999	82	93	47	44
90	8140~8896	900~999	88	99	50	47
99	8775~9649	918~999	94	99	53	49

Gambit

Number	Description	Name
1	Summon Time Remaining < 10 Seconds	Meteor
2	Foe: Fire-vulnerable	Ardor
3	Foe: nearest visible	Attack
4	Ally: HP <100%	Curaja

Actions

Name	Range	Scope	Type	Element	Attack Foundation
Attack	2	N/A	Physical	None	97
Curaja	10	Diameter 10	Magick	None	120
Ardor	10	Diameter 8	Magick	Fire	173
Comet	12	N/A	Magick	None	—
Meteor	12	Diameter 8	Magick	None	—

Ultima, the High Seraph

Level	HP	MP	Strength	Magick Power	Vitality	Speed
1	6615~6616	272~276	36	47	26	26
10	6817~6852	326~366	42	53	28	28
20	7185~7284	406~506	48	59	31	30
30	7657~7842	488~650	54	65	34	33
40	8104~8370	588~830	60	71	36	35
50	8818~9217	674~982	66	77	39	37
60	9448~9964	754~999	72	83	42	40
70	9805~999	814~999	78	89	45	42
80	9999	874~999	84	95	47	44
90	9999	914~999	90	99	50	47
99	9999	932~999	95	99	53	49

Gambit

Number	Description	Name
1	Summoning time remaining < 10 seconds	Eschaton
2	Foe: Holy-vulnerable	Redemption
3	Foe: nearest visible	Attack
4	Ally: HP <100%	Renew

Actions

Name	Range	Scope	Type	Element	Attack Foundation
Attack	2	N/A	Physical	None	147
Renew	10	Diameter 10	Magick	None	N/A
Holy	10	N/A	Magick	Light	157
Redemption	12	N/A	Magick	Light	180
Eschaton	12	Diameter 8	Magick	Light	250

Zodiark, Keeper of Precepts

Level	HP	MP	Strength	Magick Power	Vitality	Speed
1	4635~4636	296~300	36	47	26	26
10	4837~4872	350~390	42	53	28	28
20	5205~5304	430~530	48	59	31	30
30	5677~5862	512~674	54	65	34	33
40	6124~6390	612~854	60	71	36	35
50	6838~7237	698~999	66	77	39	37
60	7468~7984	778~999	72	83	42	40
70	7825~8404	838~999	78	89	45	42
80	8238~8890	898~999	84	95	47	44
90	8800~9556	938~999	90	99	50	47
99	9435~9999	956~999	96	99	53	49

Gambit

Number	Description	Name
1	Summoning time remaining < 10 seconds	Final Eclipse
2	Foe: Dark-vulnerable	Banish Ray
3	Foe: nearest visible	Attack
4	Ally: HP < 100%	Renew

Actions

Name	Range	Scope	Type	Element	Attack Foundation
Attack	2	N/A	Physical	None	201
Renew	10	Diameter 10	Magick	None	N/A
Scathe	10	Diameter 8	Magick	None	190
Hastega	10	Diameter 10	Magick	None	N/A
Banish Ray	12	N/A	Magick	Dark	240
Final Eclipse	12	Diameter 8	Magick	None	—

Unlocking the Espers

Summoning an Esper

Restrictions & Notes

Belias, the Gigas

Gambit

Actions

Mateus, the Corrupt

Gambit

Actions

Shemhazai, the Whisperer

Gambit

Actions

Hashmal, Bringer of Order

Gambit

Actions

Famfrit, the Darkening Cloud

Gambit

Actions

Adrammelech, the Wroth

Gambit

Actions

Cúchulainn, the Impure

Gambit

Actions

Chaos, Walker of the Wheel

Gambit

Actions

Zalera, the Death Seraph

Gambit

Actions

Zeromus, the Condemner

Gambit

Actions

Exodus, the Judge-Sal

Gambit

Actions

Ultima, the High Seraph

Gambit

Actions

Zodiark, Keeper of Precepts

Gambit

Actions

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