Status Types
Final Fantasy VIII includes a number of positive and negative status effects that can impact both your characters and enemies. The chart below lists all of those status effects, what impacts they have on your character, and how you can remove them.
Note that if a character is killed or dies (technically referred to as KO’d) during the battle, this is a negative status effect that can essentially be removed with certain items as well. It isn’t until all of your characters are KO’d that you will see a Game Over screen.
Angel Wing
- In Game Description:
- Activates sorceress power. Disables targets commands, casts and targets magic randomly. Stock magic isn’t used. Damage is 5 times more than usual.
- Notes:
- This status is activated by Rinoa and is restricted to her by the use of her Limit Break.
- Inflicts the Status:
-
- Angel Wings
- Removes the Status:
-
- End of Battle
Aura
- In Game Description:
- Activates Limit Break more often.
- Notes:
-
This is an incredibly powerful and effective magical effect to have on your characters. Just continue to press the
Button while Aura status is active until a Limit Break is triggered.
- Inflicts the Status:
- Removes the Status:
-
Dispel- End of Battle
- Time Lapse
Aura StoneBerserk
- In Game Description:
- Target’s strength goes up, but commands are disabled, and the character fights continuously.
- Notes:
- This can be a devastating status effect. It causes your characters to only be able to attack, effectively removing them from the battle (although at least you still get some of their damage). Be careful while your characters are under this status affect as they won’t be able to revive your other party members if they should be KO’d in battle.
- Inflicts the Status:
- Removes the Status:
Confuse
- In Game Description:
- Disables target’s commands and causes attacks against both allies and enemies.
- Notes:
-
This is a scary status effect that causes your characters to start spinning in place, and gives them the potential to attack your own party members with physical attacks. Once they receive a physical attack, they will no longer be confused, but this is a status effect where your party member’s own strengths can be your downfall. Setting up
ST-Def-J to prevent Confuse status can be very helpful.
- Inflicts the Status:
- Removes the Status:
Curse
- In Game Description:
- Disables Limit Break.
- Notes:
- This meagre status just prevents Limit Breaks from activating even while your character’s HP is low or while Aura status is active.
- Inflicts the Status:
-
- (none)
- Removes the Status:
Darkness
- In Game Description:
- Character becomes blind, and all attacks miss more often. The status remains after battle.
- Notes:
- Darkness and Blind are used interchangeably and they make it much more difficult for an enemy or one of your party members to land an physical attack as it causes them to miss much more frequently. This can be incredibly powerful against certain enemies and bosses.
- Inflicts the Status:
- Removes the Status:
Defend
- In Game Description:
- Reduces physical damage to 0 and magic damage by 1/2.
- Notes:
- A powerful status although it is not technically visible on the screen when you use the Defend command; it just stays active until that party member’s next turn. During some of the more difficult boss and superboss battles later on in the game, Defend is one of the more effective means of preventing excessive amounts of damage from powerful attacks.
- Inflicts the Status:
- Removes the Status:
-
- Confirm Next Command
- End of Battle
Doom
- In Game Description:
- KOs target when timer reads 0.
- Notes:
- A timer will appear on the screen that will slowly count down until the character is automatically KO’d and will need to be revived (if the status is not removed before it reaches 0).
- Inflicts the Status:
- Removes the Status:
Double
Float
- In Game Description:
- Target floats off the ground and receives no damage from Earth attacks.
- Notes:
- A semi-useful status effect that prevents very specific damage from Earth-based magic. It can prove helpful in the battle against Sacred and Minotaur in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
- Inflicts the Status:
- Removes the Status:
-
- Dispel
- End of Battle
- Time Lapse
Haste
- In Game Description:
- Speeds up target. ATB gauge fills up quickly. Protection status also expires more quickly.
- Notes:
-
An incredibly powerful status affect that lets you get more commands in at a quicker pace. Consider casting this status effect by either casting Haste magic, using Cerberus or assigning
Auto-Haste command.
- Inflicts the Status:
- Removes the Status:
-
Dispel- End of Battle
- Time Lapse
Invincible
- In Game Description:
- No damage or status change occurs.
- Notes:
- A status effect that appears when you use a certain subset of items that prevents your characters from taking damage. A very powerful status effect that can help you take on the most powerful battles in the game with relative ease.
- Inflicts the Status:
- Removes the Status:
-
- End of Battle
- Time Lapse
KO
- In Game Description:
- KO means that the character’s HP is 0 and s/he is disabled in battle. Death is KO caused by a status change. The status remains after battle.
- Notes:
- The “KO” status is what happens when your character is killed in battle, except it turns out that they don’t actually die, they are just KO’d which is why they can be revived and brought back to life.
- Inflicts the Status:
- Removes the Status:
Petrify
- In Game Description:
- Turns target into stone. Not KO, but if all party members are afflicted, the game ends. The status remains after battle.
- Notes:
- This status prevents a character from taking action and can be very dangerous when encountered as its effectively the same thing as having your party member be KO’d during the fight. If all party members are petrified, KO’d or a combination of the two, you’ll see a game over screen. Be careful to remove this status effect as quickly as possible.
- Inflicts the Status:
- Removes the Status:
Petrifying
- In Game Description:
- Target petrified when timer reaches 0.
- Notes:
- Similar to the Petrify status effect, this status will petrify your character only after the timer reaches 0, and it should be removed as quickly as possible to prevent a potential KO and the risk of a Game Over screen.
- Inflicts the Status:
-
- (none)
- Removes the Status:
Poison
- In Game Description:
- HP decrease with each action. The status remains after battle.
- Notes:
- This status, referred to as either Bio or Poison, will slowly drain HP from a party member until it is removed using one of the items below.
- Inflicts the Status:
- Removes the Status:
Protect
- In Game Description:
- Reduces physical attack damage received by 1/2.
- Notes:
-
This status can prove to be an effective deterrent against strong physical attacks. Having Auto-Protect on your characters can also be very helpful.
- Inflicts the Status:
- Removes the Status:
-
- Dispel
- End of Battle
- Time Lapse
Reflect
- In Game Description:
- Reflects magic that targets single enemy, though some magic cannot be reflected.
- Notes:
- While at first glance this status effect can appear to be helpful, be mindful that it also reflects beneficial magic (including Cure, Cura, Curaga and Regen).
- Inflicts the Status:
- Removes the Status:
-
- Dispel
- End of Battle
- Time Lapse
Regen
- In Game Description:
- Target’s HP recovers slowly during battle.
- Notes:
- This status can be an both an effective way to heal and to prevent future incoming damage by quickly healing up characters after damage has been dealt by an enemy.
- Inflicts the Status:
- Removes the Status:
-
- Dispel
- End of Battle
- Time Lapse
Shell
- In Game Description:
- Reduces magic attack damage by 1/2.
- Notes:
-
This status can prove to be an effective deterrent against strong magical attacks. Having Auto-Shell on your characters can also be very helpful.
- Inflicts the Status:
- Removes the Status:
-
- Dispel
- End of Battle
- Time Lapse
Silence
- In Game Description:
- Target becomes mute. Magic, GF, and Draw commands are disabled. The status remains after battle.
- Notes:
-
There are no special notes for this status, just be careful to ensure that one of your party members has access to the
Item command in case all of your party members are afflicted with Silence at the same time.
- Inflicts the Status:
- Removes the Status:
Sleep
- In Game Description:
- Puts target to sleep, and no commands are usable.
- Notes:
- Sometimes the easiest way to deal with this status effect is to wait it out (as it will eventually just wear off) or complete the battle. Any players with the Sleep status at the end of the fight will automatically wake back up.
- Inflicts the Status:
- Removes the Status:
Slow
Stop
- In Game Description:
- Stops target and disables commands.
- Notes:
- Much like Petrify, this status effect can effectively remove characters from the battle, and it should be removed as soon as possible to prevent a potential Game Over screen.
- Inflicts the Status:
- Removes the Status:
Triple
Vit 0
- In Game Description:
- Target's Vit becomes 0.
- Notes:
- This status, which causes the impacted character or enemy to flash a dull yellow color, greatly increases the amount of damage done by physical attacks.
- Inflicts the Status:
- Removes the Status:
Zombie
- In Game Description:
- Attack power goes up, but recovery magic and items cause damage.
- Notes:
- Zombie causes a few additional affects not noted in the game’s description. It causes the target to gain immunity to Death and Doom statuses.
- Inflicts the Status:
- Removes the Status: