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Final Fantasy VIII

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Squall

By
Nathan Garvin

A lone-wolf gunblade-user, Squall is a manboy of few words, unless that word is “whatever.” He’s the protagonist of Final Fantasy VIII, an aspiring SeeD currently finishing his studies in Balamb Garden. Seifer, a fellow gunblade-user from Balamb, is his rival and aside from getting his face chopped by Seifer, his hobbies include moping, sulking, crossing his arms and being easy to predict.

Level HP Str Vit Mag Spr Spd Luck
Lv 7 485 6 6 6 5 21 16
Lv 100 4,187 47 41 45 36 37 22

Limit Break: Renzokuken

Squall’s Limit Break is Renzokuken, which will cause him to conduct a varying number of attacks (typically between 4-8) with a chance to perform a finisher at the end. A Trigger bar will appear at the bottom of the screen, making it easy to determine when you should pull the trigger (default [R1]) to deal critical game. Although RNG plays a large role, having a lower percentage of your max HP, having allies KO’d, and being afflicted by negative status effects can all play a role in determining the number of hits Squall will perform during his Renzokuken. Against some foes, the number of hits performed is pre-determined.

Whether Squall uses a finisher at the end of his Renzokuken attack is also randomly determined, as is the exact finisher he’ll use. That said, certain conditions must be met for Squall to have access to some finishers:

Rough Divide: - Squall’s basic finisher, it deals damage to one target, usually dealing slightly more damage than Fated Circle or Blasting Zone.

Fated Circle: Deals damage to all enemies. Squall must possess the Shear Trigger gunblade or better to have a chance to activate.

Blasting Zone: Deals damage to all enemies. Squall must possess the Flame Saber gunblade or better to have a chance to activate.

(1 of 2) Renzokuken cause Squall to make 4-8 attacks

Renzokuken cause Squall to make 4-8 attacks (left), While the Lion Heart finisher will add seventeen more high-powered attacks. (right)

Lion Heart: Performs a flurry of seventeen attacks in addition to the normal Renzokuken attacks. Each attack deals massive damage, usually hitting the 9,999 damage cap with ease even without a high Strength score and against foes that aren’t debilitated by Meltdown. Squall must possess the Lion Heart gunblade for this finisher to have a chance to activate.

Suffice to say, Renzokuken + Lion Heart is one of the most powerful attacks in the game, being capable of dealing nearly a quarter of a million points of damage to a target over a savage twenty-five hits.

Weapon: Gunblade

The gunblade is equally rare and powerful, an elite weapon that only a few specialists can effectively wield. Its users can automatically score critical hits by performing regular attacks and pulling the gunblade’s trigger (default [R1]) at the right time. All gunblades have a base accuracy of 255%, so you’ll rarely - if ever - see a gunblade-user miss.

Weapon Materials Cost Str Hit%
Revolver M-Stone Piece x6, Screw x2 100G 11 255%
Shear Trigger Steel Pipe x1, Screw x4 200G 14 255%
Cutting Trigger Mesmerize Blade x1, Screw x8 400G 18 255%
Flame Saber Betrayal Sword x1, Turtle Shell x1, Screw x4 600G 20 255%
Twin Lance Dino Bone x1, Red Fang x2, Screw x12 800G 22 255%
Punishment Chef’s Knife x1, Star Fragments x2, Turtle Shell x1, Screw x8 1,000G 24 255%
Lion Heart Adamantine x1, Dragon Fang x4, Pulse Ammo x12 2,000G 30 225%

How to Obtain Lion Heart: Despite being stupidly powerful, Squall’s Lionheart weapon can be acquire relatively early in the game, although the process can be rather involved. Below you’ll find the low-level methods of obtaining Lion Heart early, which should be universal:

  1. Win twenty Elnoyle Cards from players in the Balamb region and refine these into two Energy Crystals (10x Elnoyle Cards = Energy Crystal x1).

  2. During the SeeD Field Exam, KO both Squall and Zell to prevent them from leveling up and junction Ifrit to Seifer. Kill Galbadians to level Seifer - and hence Ifrit - up, as at level ten Ifrit will be able start learning the Ammo-RF ability.

  3. Refine the two Energy Crystals into 20x Pulse Ammo.

  4. After the second Laguna dream (en route to Galbadia Garden) farm some Grendels in the forest where the Laguna dream triggered. They regularly drop Dragon Fangs (you can use Card Mod to avoid gaining XP).

  5. Defeat Minotaur and Sacred in the Tomb of the Unknown King and refine the Minotaur Card into 10x Adamantine.

  6. Visit a Junk Shop and craft Lion Heart and enjoy having an over-powered weapon.

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Guide Information
  • Publisher
    Square Enix
  • Platforms,
    PC, PS1, PS4, Switch, XB One
  • Genre
    RPG
  • Guide Release
    15 March 2019
  • Last Updated
    4 June 2022
    Version History
  • Guide Author

Share this free guide:

Follow the exploits of Squall, a resident of Balamb Garden and SeeD aspirant whose first contract as a professional mercenary expands into a fight to save the world from an evil sorceress.

This guide will cover the main quest-line chronologically, giving advice on leveling (and how to avoid it), where to find the best spells, how to acquire all GFs and defeat all bosses. In addition the guide will cover all side quests and will also include in-depth mini-guides for Chocobo World and Triple Triad. By following this guide you can aspire to the following:

  • Complete walkthrough of the main questline.
  • All side quests and optional content.
  • How to defeat both of the game’s superbosses.
  • Information on how to acquire each GF and a discussion of their abilities, including where to assign them.
  • Information on Triple Triad, including the location of every card in the game and how to best use them.
  • Low-level run information.
  • Information on min-maxing stats.
  • A mini-guide for Chocobo World.
  • Information on all characters, including stats and how to acquire all their weapons and limits.
  • Triple Triad guide.

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