Trance
Final Fantasy IX introduces a new battle element called a “Trance,” which is similar to the Limit Breaks that appeared in previous Final Fantasy titles.
Each character has a Trance gauge, visible on the battle screen and located directly under their health bar. The indicator slowly fills each time the character takes damage during the fight, and the character will enter a “Trance” once the gauge is full.
Under this new Trance state, each of the characters becomes much stronger and obtains a distinctive set of unique new abilities as outlined below (and lights up as shown in the screenshot below). Along with any additional abilities they gain, a character in Trance will deal 1.5x their normal damage with physical attacks.
Trance Quick Reference
| Character | Normal Command | Trance Command | Effect | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Zidane | “Skill” | “Dyne” | New set of powerful MP-based abilities |
 |
Vivi | “Blk Mag” | “Dbl Blk” | Cast two Black Magic spells per turn |
 |
Steiner | “Attack” | “Attack (enhanced)” | Attack Power is tripled |
 |
Dagger | “Summon” | “Eidolon” | Summons are stronger and can return randomly |
 |
Freya | “Jump” | “Jump (enhanced)” | Jump hits all enemies instead of one |
 |
Quina | “Eat” | “Cook” | Devour enemies at 50% HP instead of 25% |
 |
Eiko | “Wht Mag” | “Dbl Wht” | Cast two White Magic spells per turn |
 |
Amarant | “Flair” | “Elan” | Flair abilities target all enemies |
Helpful Hint
The Trance system can be difficult to plan around. Characters will often enter Trance near the end of a battle, wasting it on weak enemies. There are a few ways to manage this:
- The High Tide support ability causes the Trance gauge to fill faster, making Trances more frequent. This is especially useful on characters with strong Trance abilities like Vivi and Zidane.
- A character’s Spirit stat affects how quickly the Trance gauge fills. Characters with higher Spirit will enter Trance more often.
- If a character enters Trance during a normal encounter, consider fleeing from the battle to preserve it for a tougher fight. The Trance state carries over between battles.
- Trance activates immediately when the gauge is full, so there is no way to “save” a full gauge for later. Plan accordingly when approaching boss fights.
Zidane
Zidane’s “Skill” command is replaced with the “Dyne” command during Trance. Dyne gives Zidane access to a set of powerful abilities that each cost MP to use. New Dyne abilities unlock as you progress through the game:
| Ability | MP Cost | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Free Energy | 10 | Deals non-elemental damage to one enemy |
| Tidal Flame | 12 | Deals non-elemental damage to all enemies |
| Scoop Art | 14 | Deals non-elemental damage to one enemy |
| Shift Break | 16 | Deals non-elemental damage to all enemies |
| Stellar Circle 5 | 24 | Deals non-elemental damage to all enemies |
| Meo Twister | 32 | Deals non-elemental damage to all enemies |
| Solution 9 | 48 | Deals non-elemental damage to one enemy |
| Grand Lethal | 60 | Deals massive non-elemental damage to all enemies |
“Grand Lethal” is Zidane’s strongest Dyne ability and one of the most powerful attacks in the game. Dyne abilities are based on Zidane’s Magic stat rather than his Strength, so equipping magic-boosting gear can increase their damage.
Vivi
Vivi’s “Blk Mag” command is replaced with “Dbl Blk” (Double Black Magic) during Trance. This allows Vivi to select and cast two Black Magic spells in a single turn. Each spell still costs its normal MP amount, so two casts means double the MP cost. This is one of the most powerful Trances in the game, as Vivi can unleash devastating spell combinations like double Flare or double Doomsday on enemies.
Steiner
Steiner does not gain any new commands during Trance. Instead, his Attack Power is tripled for the duration, making his regular attacks extremely powerful. Combined with the standard 1.5x Trance damage bonus, Steiner can deal massive physical damage. This makes his Trance straightforward but effective, especially in the late game when his base Attack Power is already high. Steiner’s Sword Magic abilities also benefit from the tripled Attack Power, making Shock and Climhazzard particularly devastating during Trance.
Dagger
Dagger’s “Summon” command is replaced with the “Eidolon” command during Trance. The Eidolon command guarantees a stronger version of each summon (the full animation version, which normally only triggers randomly). Trance also gives each summoned Eidolon a chance to return and deal additional damage on subsequent turns for the rest of the battle, even after the Trance has ended. This makes Dagger’s Trance particularly valuable during long boss fights where the recurring summon damage can add up significantly.
Freya
Freya does not gain a new command during Trance, but her “Jump” ability is significantly enhanced. Instead of targeting a single enemy, Jump hits all enemies on the field while still dealing full damage to each one. This makes Trance Freya one of the strongest area-of-effect physical attackers in the game. She also remains airborne and invulnerable between jumps, just as with normal Jump, making her extremely safe during Trance. Jump should be her primary action whenever she enters Trance.
Quina
Quina’s “Eat” command becomes the “Cook” command during Trance. Normally, Eat only works on enemies with 25% HP or less remaining. Cook raises this threshold to 50% HP, making it significantly easier to devour enemies and learn new Blue Magic abilities. This is especially useful for learning abilities from tougher enemies that are difficult to weaken to the 25% threshold without accidentally defeating them. Quina’s other commands (Blue Magic, Item) are not affected by Trance.
Eiko
Eiko’s “Wht Mag” command is replaced with “Dbl Wht” (Double White Magic) during Trance, working similarly to Vivi’s Double Black Magic. This allows Eiko to cast two White Magic spells in a single turn, with each spell costing its normal MP. This is extremely versatile, as Eiko can double-heal the party with Curaga, combine a heal with a Holy for damage, or cast Reflect and an offensive spell on the same turn. Since Eiko’s White Magic list includes the powerful Holy spell, Dbl Wht can be used offensively as well as defensively.
Amarant
Amarant’s “Flair” command is replaced with the “Elan” command during Trance. Elan abilities function identically to Flair abilities, except they target all allies or all enemies instead of a single target. This means No Mercy and Spare Change will hit every enemy, while Aura and Chakra will buff or heal the entire party. This makes Amarant a surprisingly strong support character during Trance, as abilities like Chakra (which restores HP and MP) applied to the entire party can be extremely valuable.