Final Fantasy XIII

FF13: Eidolons

In Final Fantasy XIII, summons are known as Eidolons. They are spirits that appear to the l’Cie at times of need.

The Eidolons appear in FF13 first in a battle: they immediately attack and cast Doom on the player and a countdown begins. The player must then battle the Eidolon and win before the counter reaches zero. However, instead of simply killing/defeating the Eidolon like a normal monster, you must impress the Eidolon. These vary from character to character — each Eidolon is impressed differently, depending on the starting roles of the player they challenge.

Eidolon’s are impressed by performing the associated actions, which include defending oneself, dealing damage, healing oneself or buffing/debuffing. The Gestalt meter will demonstrate the Eidolon’s interest and once filled, the challenged l’Cie can claim victory.

After passing the Eidolon’s test, the spirit can be summoned at any time using TP. When this happens, the other members of the party are temporarily removed, and the Eidolon appears to fight alongside the player. While the Eidolon present, the player can also activate Gestalt Mode, in which the Eidolon transforms into a version that is ridden by the player (such as the Shiva sisters motorcycle, or Odin’s horse), and a new set of attacks becomes available.

The Eidolons are:

  • Shiva (Snow)
  • Odin (Lighting)
  • Brynhildr (Sazh)
  • Bahamut (Fang)
  • Alexander (Hope)
  • Hecatoncheir (Vanille)