Final Fantasy Resonance Vision tier list: all 26 Visions ranked

Every Vision in Final Fantasy Resonance does two jobs. While it’s equipped it changes your stats and gives the character its skills and a Resonance attack. Every fight you win with it also fills a Mastery Rank, and the abilities you unlock along the way stay learned when you swap to another Vision (as long as they fit inside your AP limit).

The second job is what I ranked on. Mastery is tracked for each character separately, so Arms Akimbo has to be earned on Rain, then again on Lasswell, then again on Lid, and so on. One brilliant Mastery Rank 9 ability can be worth more than a showy attack that only one character ever gets to use. That’s why some very strong Visions to wear miss S tier, and why a free Chapter 1 pickup makes it.

Vision tier list

S is where I’d spend Mastery first, A is excellent, B tier Visions each have one good reason to exist, and C is for particular jobs. They’re listed by chapter inside each tier, so the order doesn’t mean anything. Who wears them matters too, and the party members have their own ranking.

S tier Visions

Tronn

Tronn arrives with Leah in Chapter 1 and the story simply hands him over. As a Vision he’s an early Breaker with Fire, Ice and Lightning magic, and later arrivals overtake him fairly quickly. Don’t let that put you off. Half MP Cost at Mastery Rank 9 halves the MP price of everything a character does, and Arms Akimbo alone costs 40 MP. Every multi-action build I’d want to run leans on this one passive.

Terra

Terra is another Chapter 1 pickup and the best all-rounder on the list. She comes with Fire, Ice and Water spells and a big magic boost, so she’s strong to wear from the start. At Mastery Rank 9 she teaches Break the Limit, which lifts the ceiling on damage from 9,999 to 99,999 for any damage dealer you give it to. Her last Awakening adds Ultima and Ribbon (Ribbon keeps status ailments off the character and frees up an accessory slot).

Firion

Firion’s Sanctum opens up in Chapter 3 and Arms Akimbo is the whole reason to go. At Mastery Rank 9 it lets a character take two actions during the same turn for 40 MP, and it works with any action at all. Dualcast and Double Action can’t say that. Lid can start Overclock and send Mechabo in straight away, Nichol can stack Formations, and a physical attacker with Squall’s Double Action gets four attacks. He’s a decent Breaker to wear as well, with Light, Lightning and Wind attacks. I’d put his Mastery on every character I planned to use for more than a couple of fights.

Bartz

Bartz is the Vision I’d give to any physical attacker. His Spellblade skills cover Earth, Lightning and Wind, and Dual Spellblade at Mastery Rank 7 makes a Spellblade skill go off twice. That helps nearly every physical Vision, because most of them carry Spellblade attacks. At rank 9 he teaches Mimic: a character repeats the action the person before them just took, even a skill from a Vision they haven’t got equipped. His Sanctum is in Mysidia, and you need the airship from Chapter 5 to get there.

Sephiroth

Sephiroth costs you a fight. You need the airship to reach Whirlpool Hollow in Chapter 5 and the recommended level for the battle is 45, so there’s no shame in coming back later. Winning gets you Fire, Ice, Lightning and Dark attacks and a pile of passives. Ultimate Aggression makes standard attacks and skills hit 50 percent harder and his other Mastery abilities push critical rate up to 40 percent. Legendary Soldier swaps in a character’s best attacking stat when they hit and their best defending stat when they’re hit, which suits magic and physical builds equally.

Ayaka

Ayaka is the healer to switch to the moment you have her. She comes from a Chapter 7 sub quest called The Admirable Apprentice, in the Town of Sian. Her list has Arise and Reraise, party-wide healing and status recovery, and she can buff the party as she heals. She also charges the LB gauge whenever she heals, so your healer keeps up on Limit Bursts. Leah covers you until she arrives.

A tier Visions

Cloud

Cloud joins in Chapter 1 and stays useful to the very end. His Mastery is all about critical hits: Restore MP on Critical Hit at rank 1, Critical Boost at rank 9. He pairs nicely with Lid and Jake. Bartz gets more done in the end, and that’s the only reason Cloud sits a tier lower.

Warrior of Light

If Rain is going to tank, this is who I’d put on him from Chapter 1. Multi-Cover lets him step in for the whole party, Physical Counter punishes anything that hits him and Curaga looks after his own HP. The one to take away is Grit at Mastery Rank 9. It leaves a character on 1 HP instead of dead after a lethal blow, once a fight, and I’d want that on anyone facing a boss that can wipe the party in one go.

Onion Knight

Onion Knight is Chapter 2, with Fire, Wind and Earth magic and a mix of physical and magic skills. I wouldn’t wear him for the damage. Master him for LB Triple Charge at rank 9, which triples how fast the Limit Break gauge fills. Nichol’s Mirroring Prism (the Limit Break that lets everyone perform their chosen action twice) becomes a lot easier to reach.

Squall

Squall’s Sanctum is in Chapter 3. Improvement comes at Mastery Rank 1 and builds up damage and stagger power every time he attacks or uses a skill, capping at 50 percent. Double Action at rank 9 lets him use two attack skills back to back, and with Arms Akimbo that makes four. Long fights suit him best because Improvement needs time to climb. I’d hand him to Rain or Lasswell.

Shantotto

Dualcast at Mastery Rank 9 lets a character cast two spells from either White Magic or Black Magic with a single action, and with Arms Akimbo that becomes four spells a turn. Area Effect Adept at rank 7 keeps multi-target spells at full damage. She also brings Lightning, Water and Dark magic of her own. She joins in Chapter 4 and misses S because only magic builds can use what she offers.

Y’shtola

Chapter 4 again. Her Ice and Wind magic comes with healing on the side, so she can be a Breaker and a backup healer in one Vision. Skill Flow strengthens her magic as you mix different abilities, and Magic Barrage at Mastery Rank 9 fires off four weaker spells in one go. That works on a single enemy and on a full group. There’s only a small gap between her and S.

Victoria

Victoria comes from a Chapter 5 sub quest called Victoria Revivified, in the Magiapolis of Mysidia. She casts Dark, Ice and Wind magic decently and Mana Overload at rank 3 boosts magic damage while your MP stays above 75 percent. Really she’s here for MRP Gain +50 percent at rank 7, which makes mastering your other Visions quicker. Drop Rate Up at rank 9 helps with grinding too.

B tier Visions

Leah arrives in Chapter 1 and does most of your healing until Ayaka turns up. Pass the Torch at Mastery Rank 5 hands a character’s turn to a teammate, and it stays useful long after Leah herself goes on the bench.

Noctis (Chapter 2) is built around Warp Strike, which has a good chance of opening a bonus phase and a free extra attack. Barrage at rank 9 makes four guaranteed hits on random enemies and makes Cactuars easy work. Reflex gives Rain a chance to dodge physical hits.

Zidane (Chapter 2) brings Steal and Mug. After an Awakening he gets Rare Hunter, which guarantees the rare item on a successful steal, and Insult to Injury adds Stagger power against enemies with debuffs or ailments. His skills cost a lot of MP for the damage they do. He’s here for the loot.

Tidus (Chapter 3) has Water and Wind attacks and some healing. First Strike at Mastery Rank 3 sends that character in ahead of the enemies on turn one, and Nichol loves it. Tip-Top Shape raises physical damage for every buff the character has.

Cecil (Chapter 4) mixes Light and Dark attacks with healing, and his Resonance softens the next hit the party takes. His Mastery also gives resistance to Dark attacks. Warrior of Light and Wilhelm protect better. I’d only reach for Cecil when Dark attacks are the problem.

Clive (Chapter 5, airship) is a physical Breaker with Fire and Wind attacks and Eikon skills. Power Stagger adds 35 percent physical damage against staggered enemies and he regenerates HP when he staggers something. His Sanctum opens up after Firion, Squall and Bartz are already around. That’s why he rarely gets the slot.

Wilhelm (Chapter 5, sub quest O General! My General!) is one of the toughest Visions you can give Rain. Guard cuts the damage he takes, and Riposte at rank 9 hits back at physical attackers with a status effect. Pick him when a boss needs more than Warrior of Light gives you.

Aileen (Chapter 5, sub quest Forger of Wills) has Earth and Ice attacks and a few ways to fill the LB gauge. LB Charge Opener gives you a head start at the beginning of a battle and Observe and Charge LB fills it from actions that don’t deal damage. Take her for those if you build around Nichol’s Mirroring Prism.

C tier Visions

Camille (Chapter 5, sub quest The Call from Beyond) is fast, hits with Water and hands out Haste to allies automatically. She gets stronger the more of the party is hasted. That takes a setup that’s hard to fit around better Visions.

Lightning (Chapter 5, Mysidia) brings Ice and Lightning attacks and the Zantetsuken Resonance, which has a 40 percent chance to defeat an enemy outright. Lovely on ordinary encounters, nothing I’d count on against a boss. Lightning Eater at rank 9 absorbs Lightning damage and helps in the right fight.

Vaan (Chapter 5, Mysidia) is the one to put on your gil farmer. Double Gil at Mastery Rank 9 doubles the gil you earn from battles and his Resonance steals from several enemies at once. Against bosses he doesn’t offer much.

Amelia (Chapter 6, sub quest Errand’s End) wants you to commit to debuffs. Her list covers Deprotect, Deshell and Slow, and Dual Guns lets her skills occasionally go off twice. That’s a lot of setup for a late arrival.

Charlotte (Chapter 7, sub quest The Shield of the Weak, in Grandport Harbor) is a defensive Vision with Water and Ice abilities, Royal Guard to protect an ally for two turns and Ice Eater at rank 9. Warrior of Light, Cecil and Wilhelm have already covered the job by the time she arrives.

Mastery abilities worth having on every character

Learned abilities carry over to whichever Vision a character is wearing, so these are the ones I’d take to Mastery Rank 9 (or the rank listed) on as many characters as you can. Every row is a different Vision’s reward, which is why rotating them matters.

What to level first

Start with Tronn and Terra in Chapter 1. Half MP Cost and Break the Limit sit at rank 9 and take the longest to reach. Leah’s Pass the Torch is only rank 5 and comes early. When Firion turns up in Chapter 3, put him on whichever character will use Arms Akimbo the most. Squall follows, then Bartz in Chapter 5, and one character wearing Victoria up to rank 7 will make the rest of the grind quicker.

The three questions at each Sanctum don’t change which Vision you get (the dialogue choices that raise your stats are a separate matter), and all 26 Visions count towards the Will Crystallized trophy.