Learn how to get and best utilize the Guardian Force Diablos in Final Fantasy VIII Remastered. Discover its abilities like Mug, Enc-Half, and more!
Alright, let's talk about Diablos! This is one of the first Guardian Forces you can snag, and honestly, it's a pretty solid choice early on. You can actually get him before you even head to Timber, which is huge for giving your party a boost right out of the gate. Just a heads-up, don't pair him up with Quezacotl, Ifrit, or Siren right away – you'll want to spread out those stat junctions to make everyone stronger. Diablos is also the first GF that can learn Ability x3, which is super handy until you start finding Rosetta Stones for Ability x4.
One of Diablos's coolest moves is Darkside. It lets you hit for triple damage with your regular attack, but it costs a bit of your HP (1/10th, to be exact). If you're worried about that HP drain, junctioning Drain to Status Attack is a great way to counter it. Diablos also comes with some awesome stat-boosting abilities like Mag+20%, Mag+40%, HP+20%, HP+40%, and HP+80% – definitely worth learning!
Then there's Mug. This ability is a lifesaver for farming items. It lets you try to steal stuff while still dealing damage, which is an indispensable way to get your hands on rare items. If you're not big on random battles, Diablos has you covered with Enc-Half and Enc-None. Enc-Half cuts down the encounter rate, and Enc-None will stop them altogether. Keep in mind, some encounters and all boss fights are unavoidable, but these abilities are still super useful for keeping your levels low if that's your goal.
Diablos also has two refining abilities that are pretty neat. ST Mag RF lets you refine status-affecting spells from items. For example, you can get the Meltdown spell from Mystery Fluid (great for lowering enemy defense and junctioning to Vit-J) and the Pain spell from Curse Spikes (one of the best early-game Mag-J junctions). Time Mag-RF is also available, though the source doesn't detail what it refines.
Diablos Abilities
| Ability | AP |
| HP-J | 50 |
| Mag-J | -- |
| Hit-J | 120 |
| Ability x3 | -- |
| Magic | -- |
| GF | -- |
| Draw | -- |
| Item | -- |
| Darkside | 100 |
| HP+20% | 60 |
| HP+40% | 120 |
| HP+80% | 240 |
| Mag+20% | 60 |
| Mag+40% | 120 |
| Mug | 200 |
| Enc-Half | 30 |
| Enc-None | 100 |
| GFHP+10% | 40 |
| GFHP+20% | 70 |
| GFHP+30% | 140 |
| ST Mag-RF | 30 |
| Time Mag-RF | 30 |
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