Use the Blessing of the Phoenix to close the gap between a target. Both melee attacks and magicked shots can be dealt while shifting.
Description
Phoenix Shift is Clive's default Eikonic Feat ability in Final Fantasy XVI, used (default controller scheme) with 
. Pressing mid-combat has Clive teleport to his target in an instant. Eikonic Feats have no cooldown and can be used freely. Pressing the attack button during the shift, before Clive reaches his target, transforms the teleport into a Shift Strike, where Clive delivers an attack onto the enemy right as he appears next to them. Pressing the magic attack button during the shift similarly chains into Shift Shot, a magic version of this. If Clive has Satellite active (available late into the game), performing Shift Shot also triggers a follow-up laser attack from the satellite.
Clive has Phoenix Shift available since the start of the game, as it is the result of Joshua Rosfield granting him the Blessing of the Phoenix, and not a Dominant ability. Joshua can also use Phoenix Shift as an AI-controlled guest party member, but not when he is briefly controllable in the prologue. Ifrit does not have his own section in the ability menu, and so Phoenix Shift is the sole fire-elemental Eikonic Feat.
Mechanics[]
Clive can use Phoenix Shift in battle whenever he is equipping his fire loadout, though the player can assign other Eikons' mastered Eikonic Abilities as the rechargeable skills, if desired. When locked onto an enemy, using Phoenix Shift teleports Clive to it if the target is within range. When not locked onto an enemy, Phoenix Shift has Clive teleport a short way forward.
Phoenix Shift can be upgraded in the abilities menu by expending 375 AP to extend its range.
| Technique | Effect |
|---|---|
| Shift Strike | Use Phoenix Shift against a ground-based enemy, press the attack button mid-shift to have Clive deliver an attack to the enemy he shifted to. |
| Aerial Shift Strike | Use Phoenix Shift against an airborne enemy, press the attack button mid-shift to have Clive deliver an attack to the enemy he shifted to. |
| Shift Combo | After landing a Shift Strike, keep attacking with weapon strikes without interruption to complete a 4-hit combo. |
| Aerial Shift Combo | After landing an Aerial Shift Strike, keep attacking the same target with weapon strikes to complete a combo. |
| Shift Shot | Use Phoenix Shift against a ground-based enemy, press the magic attack button mid-shift to have Clive deliver a magic attack to the enemy he shifted to. |
| Aerial Shift Shot | Use Phoenix Shift against an airborne enemy, press the magic attack button mid-shift to have Clive deliver a magic attack to the enemy he shifted to. |
| Lifting Shift Shot | Land a Shift Shot onto a downed enemy, lifting them into the air. |
Use[]
Phoenix Shift has Clive quickly close the gap to his target, and is an easy way to reach flying targets or the heads of tall dragons. Closing the gap to enemies in an instant helps keep the chain going without interruption. The range of the ability is not infinite, however, and the target may be too far for Phoenix Shift to activate. For ground-based enemies, lunge has a similar effect (though shorter range) and can also trigger parries, and is likely preferable most of the time. Once Clive gets Garuda, her Deadly Embrace may be better against flying enemies and also propels Clive higher for tall enemies that cannot be pulled, meaning Phoenix Shift can be replaced in Clive's loadout.
Phoenix Shift does not work well as a dodge; though it can be used to physically move out of the way of an incoming attack, it lacks iframes. Phoenix Shift can be used to move around the battlefield faster, though the player can also use lunge or Shiva's Eikonic Feat, Cold Snap, for this purpose. Phoenix Shift can be used to retreat from a group of enemies about to overwhelm the player. Chaining into the aerial battle techniques allows Clive to become airborne quickly without using the slower jump command.
Phoenix Shift can work well in conjunction with Ramuh's Eikonic Feat: after electrifying enemy groups from a distance with Blind Justice, the player can shift to the group and trigger an AoE move while the enemies still electrified.
During the chronolith trial with the Phoenix, Hand of Hyperion, chaining Phoenix Shift into a 4-hit weapon combo (without finishing with magic burst) gives bonus time to the trial timer, necessary to have enough time to complete the trial.
Other appearances[]
Final Fantasy XIV[]
Phoenix Shift appears as an action available to Clive during 
Memory of Embers, part of the Final Fantasy XVI crossover event The Path Infernal. It functions much the same as it does in XVI, acting as a gap closer allowing Clive to quickly close distance with his target.
Behind the scenes[]
The young Clive uses Phoenix Shift in a cutscene in the prologue. This is the only time he uses an Eikonic Feat outside of battle.
Phoenix Shift resembles Noctis's warp-strike ability from Final Fantasy XV, which was called "shift break" in Japanese.