Constrains magic
Description
Silence is an indirect magic spell in Final Fantasy VII. It is granted by the Seal Materia at level one. It inflicts the Silence status effect on a target, which renders them unable to use magic. Mute Mask is a battle item that casts Silence on all enemies with a higher success rate than the Silence spell.
Mechanics[]
| Magic Materia | Seal, Master Magic |
|---|---|
| Effect | 60% chance of inflicting Silence on target |
| Compatible Support Materia | Added Cut All Final Attack HP Absorb Magic Counter MP Absorb MP Turbo Quadra Magic Sneak Attack Steal as well |
Use[]
Silence can be used by characters with the Seal Materia at level 2. It inflicts the Silence status on a target, which prevents them from casting any magic. It has a 60% probability of working, but has a fairly high MP cost at 24.
Silence can be useful against enemies that rely on magical damage. Its main drawback is that it has only a 60% chance of working, which is lower than similar status-inflicting spells, such as Toad. Its probability is also lower than the item Mute Mask, which has an 80% chance of inflicting the same status, along with the summon Black Cauldron. Additionally, the enemy skill Bad Breath can also cause Silence. This, coupled with its higher-than-usual MP cost, make Silence effectively redundant. Another major drawback is that many larger enemies are simply immune to the status.
Silence can be cast by the enemies Eligor, Bahba Velamyu, SOLDIER:2nd, and SOLDIER:1st, Helletic Hojo, Lifeform-Hojo N, and Jenova∙DEATH.
Etymology[]
The Japanese name サイレス (Sairesu?, lit. Silece) derives from the transliteration of the word "silence" into Japanese (サイレンス, sairensu?) but with the ン (n?) removed to follow the four-character Japanese naming scheme for spells.