Link Strikes
Introduction to Link Strike and Blindside Link
First, I named everything Link Strike, but that’s wrong. Some of these moves are called Blindside Link too. Both types are links anyway. Link Strike happens when you parry an attack, while Blindside Link happens when you attack an enemy from behind.
- Links make the characters invincible while doing the animations.
- Links will randomly choose someone close to Noctis to perform the animation. The weapon the other character will use is also random.
- If you hit on the back of a enemy, you will see a message on screen saying it was a Blind Side attack. It can perform a Blindside Link too. If you notice you hit from behind but you did not perform a link, you have to press the attack button again, if you keep holding the attack button you wont perform a Blindside Link.
- If Links are not being triggered is probably because the other characters are far from Noctis, or they are busy (in danger, evading, healing someone, etc).
- Friendship Band, an accessory, can make links happen easily when equipped at someone from the party.
- Links only damage the enemy you performed the link. There are a few exceptions, like the ones Prompto uses the Machine that explode and hit everybody around the explosion.
- Links have multipliers to break appendage, and are also appendage breakers*
- Appendage is the enemies defense. If you break it, it will inflict a debuff in the enemy. Each enemy has different debuffs and 1 or more parts of the body to break.
Example: An enemy needs to loose 400 HP to break appendage. If a weapon has a 10x multiplier (Cerberus Sniper), you only need to damage 40 HP (40 x 10 = 400).
You also need to perform an attack to break the appendage (Warp Strike, for example). Links have multipliers and can break appendage! (Not all Links are like this. But most of them are).
Here is the list of ALL Link Strikes/Blindsides Links:
Noctis - Sword
- 1 Gladio Greatsword Link Strike
- 2 Gladio Greatsword Blindside Link
- 1 Gladio Shield Blindside Link
Total: 4
- 1 Promp Firearm Link Strike
- 2 Promp Firearm Blindside Link
- 1 Promp Machine Blindside Link
Total: 4
- 1 Igi Daggers Link Strike
- 2 Igi Daggers Blindside Link
- 1 Igi Polearm Blindside Link
Total: 4
- 1 Aranea Polearm Link Strike
- 1 Aranea Polearm Blindside Link
Total: 2
- 1 Cor Katana Blindside Link
Total: 2
TOTAL: 16
Noctis - Polearm
- 1 Gladio Greatsword Link Strike
- 2 Gladio Greatsword Blindside Link
- 1 Gladio Shield Blindside Link
Total: 4
- 1 Promp Firearm Link Strike
- 2 Promp Firearm Blindside Link
- 1 Promp Machine Blindside Link
Total: 4
- 1 Igi Polearm Link Strike
- 1 Igi Polearm Blindside Link
- 2 Igi Daggers Blindside Link
Total: 4
- 1 Aranea Polearm Link Strike
- 1 Aranea Polearm Blindside Link
Total: 2
- 1 Cor Katana Link Strike
- 1 Cor Katana Blindside Link
Total: 2
TOTAL: 16
Noctis - Greatsword
- 1 Gladio Greatsword Link Strike
- 2 Gladio Greatsword Blindside Link
- 1 Gladio Shield Blindside Link
Total : 4
- 1 Promp Firearm Link Strike
- 2 Promp Firearm Blindside Link
- 1 Promp Machine Blindside Link
Total: 4
- 1 Igi Daggers Link Strike
- 2 Igi Daggers Blindside Link
- 1 Igi Polearm Blindside Link
Total: 4
- 1 Aranea Polearm Link Strike
- 1 Aranea Polearm Blindside Link
Total: 2
- 1 Cor Katana Link Strike
- 1 Cor Katana Blindside Link
Total: 2
- 1 Iron Giant Link Strike _ Usually happens when Iron Giant is near death, or when the Link Strike will take kill Iron Giant (which means you can trigger it even when Iron Giant has a lot of health)
TOTAL: 17
Noctis - Iris
- 1 Link Strike
- 1 Blindside Link
- 1 Imperial Soldiers Blindside Link
Total: 3
They can happen with the following weapons: Sword, Greatsword, Polearm, Royal Arms
Noctis - Chocobo
- 1 Blindside Link
It can happen with the following weapons: Sword, Greatsword, Polearm, Daggers, Royal Arms
Noctis – Adamantoise
1 Link Strike
- It can happen with any weapon that can parry (Magic and the Sniper Cerberus can’t parry). It usually happens when you take more than the half of Adamantoise HP
Noctis - Ifrit
After you get the help of Bahamut, the more you low Ifrit’s HP, the more stronger he will be, with new moves. On the last phase of Ifrit, if you make him extremely weak, you can perfume this “Link Strike” with the party. You will have to press the attack button (mine was Square on the PS4)
Additional Notes
- Some Link Strikes/Blindside Strikes took me a lot time to record without glitching. The one with Noctis. Greatsword and Gladio. Shield (Blindside Link), for example, took me around 9 tries to not glitch. The one with Noctis. Greatsword and Aranea. Polearm (Blindside Link) glitched all the 22 tries (the one in the video is the one that least glitched… I could not find it working on the You Tube neither. All videos I’ve found were glitched too). It’s not a huge problem when the animations glitches. The problem is when you miss because of it. Even so, a lot of these animations change the camera angle depending on the situation. Some of them change a bit depending on where the enemy is. Square did an amazing job to make these animations work in the middle of the battle, no other game can offer this, right now.
- TIPS TO DO IRIS AND CHOCOBO LINK STRIKES: Use Royal Arms!!! Igi, Promp and Gladi can’t Link Strike with Royal Arms, but Iris and Chocobos can! This means you will Link Strike with them easily!
- The Iron Giant Link Strike took me 33 times to record it. On the 14 try, I triggered it, but it glitched… Noctis usually does the normal one instead. I wonder how many people triggered this Link Strike…
- PROMP INFLICTS STOP in a Link Strike with Noct. Polearm and Promp. Firearm.
- Noctis needs to hit the Polearm to inflict the stop, so if he misses it, the enemy wont be inflicted.
- Iris heals Noctis in a Blindside Link. She and Noctis can also throw Nilfheim Soldiers on the ground, making them vulnerable for some time, in a special Blindside Link