Ultima, whose etymology says it means the end, the ultimate, the final. Its name evokes strong emotions of fear and power in equal measure, and rightfully so, as it’s almost always the final magic spell you’ll get in the game. Well, in the games where it’s a magic spell. However, Ultima is an elusive source of power that takes many forms.
Just as with most iconography from the series, you can’t have a Final Fantasy without an Ultima in some form or fashion. Maybe in the future, the game can have one as a party member for something new, but for now, we'll just have to leave that as a dream while celebrating every time the mighty spell graces the series.
10 Final Fantasy 2
The first game that features the all-powerful spell that will cause high damage to all enemies on the field. This version of Ultima is one of the few that is considered to be a white magic spell, and instead of considering the spirit stat, its power depends on two things: the current level of the spell, and the current level of all your casters’ spells.
If you think this is going to be a walk in the park, you have another thing coming altogether. Located in the furthest reaches of the Mysidian Tower, you’ll have to fight your way through several severe monsters and mini-bosses in the second-largest dungeon in the entire game.
9 Final Fantasy 4
Let’s just get the most confusing thing out the way first: How you get the Ultima spell in this game is going to heavily depend on which version of the game you play. Considering there are no less than seven different versions (and a sequel) of the game.
Despite all the different versions, casting them is essentially the same: your two spell casters, Cecil and Rosa, will both have to expend 99 MP as simultaneously as you can in a turn-based game. Because of the high cost, they will need to take extra time to cast it, making it a situational spell to use despite all its natural catastrophic power.
8 Final Fantasy 6
To get this spell under your belt, you’re going to have to choose between the two different ways you’re able to get the spell in the game. The ‘easiest’ is to simply level Terra all the way to level 99, but it’s such a long grind, and you’ll be overpowered to the point of not needing it by the time you have it.
That leaves grabbing the magicite from Narshe with Locke in your party. Then, you are left with a choice: to either receive the magicite from the blacksmith, or take his offer to melt it down to create Ragnarok the sword. Those playing for the first time will have to choose wisely, as one of those choices will lock you out of getting Ultima without leveling Terra.
7 Final Fantasy 7
You only get one shot at getting this bad boy, so you’d better be thorough, or you’ll miss out on the strongest spell in the game that isn’t a summon. Once Shinra gets it into its collective head that the best way to transport the Huge materia is by driving the train right through the mining town of Corel, it’s up to you and your party to save the town and grab it for yourself.
The climax of this quest can go one of two ways: you either save the town and get the Ultima materia for free, or the town is destroyed, and you can buy it from the vendor for 50,000 Gil. Once you’ve passed this point, you’ll miss your opportunity to have this destructive power in your hands.
6 Final Fantasy 8
Ultima is surprisingly abundant around the world of Final Fantasy 8, and you have several draw points to can get it from. Some you’ll need Gil for like in Shumi Village, but for the rest you can just look around areas that were inaccessible until you controlled the Ragnarok, specifically from the Islands closest to heaven and hell.
The real challenge happens when you want to draw Ultima from more hostile targets. Once you run into your typical FF elite bosses, Alpha and Omega weapons respectively, drawing Ultima from these bad boys is going to be no easy feat, so you better come prepared to fight for it.
5 Final Fantasy 9
Ultima isn’t for you. It never was if you intended on preserving life and saving the world. No, that kind of power is only fit for someone who feels as though no one and nothing matters, and that all life is worthless. Thematically, Ultima truly is the end of everything in Final Fantasy 9.
Kuja, the secondary and fabulous antagonist is the only one, as far as you can tell, who can use Ultima. This iteration is particularly deadly. Instead of a large wave of magic wrecking your enemies indiscriminately, Ultima in Final Fantasy 9 are brightly lit homing missiles with huge explosive power.
4 Final Fantasy 10
It’s more or less widely accepted that Kimahri is the weakest party member in Final Fantasy 10. He is a jack of all trades that can take on any combat role, but when you have a team of specialists who can do more damage, then there’s no point to use him. It’s unfortunate because his blue mage ability of learning skills would come in handy.
Yet, there is a reason why you want to slog through his sphere grid, a strong reason: Ultima is hiding out in the deepest part of it. It’s almost like the developers knew that it had to incentivize using him long-term in your party. Luckily, he’s a better friend and protector of Yuna than he is a fighter. Unfortunately, it can be used by 13 other enemies by the time you get it.
3 Final Fantasy 13
This time around, Ultima is back in the hands of your enemies while you miss out on using it yourself. If you decide to pursue the optional elite hunts, Long Gui and Shaolong Gui, they will not hesitate to shine this bright green light at you and take you out fast.
Other than that, you’ll find that the game’s main antagonist can use it as well, but as long as you position as many of your party members as you can to the sentinel paradigm role and heal yourself liberally, you should be able to make a comeback.
2 Final Fantasy 14
Technically, there are two Ultimas in Final Fantasy 14. The first is what you could come to expect in these games: a hulking biomechanical monster ‘under the control’ of someone else. It’s an intimidating-looking creature for sure, but having a full understanding of the mechanics will help make this fight a piece of cake.
The other comes at the end of Orbonne Monastery. The 24-player raid that came out in patch 4.5 proposes the idea that Ultima The High Seraph from Final Fantasy Tactics, and the one found in the Monastery are one and the same. It is all but confirmed in the end, leaving us wondering if they’ll build something from that sidequest as they did with G’raha Tia and the Crystal Tower.
1 Final Fantasy 16
The most visually intimidating entry. Ultima starts as a whisper lingering in the background, quietly ushering poor Clive toward (what Ultima considers) his true destiny: becoming Ultima's vessel to ‘return his world to what it originally was’, free from Blight.
Since showing themselves as a bonafide villain this go around, it’s only natural that they have multiple forms during their boss battle, coming in strong with a whopping four forms that you’ll have to contend with before finally being rid of the monstrosity that threatens humanity.