There are many ways to get the best blue magic spells in Final Fantasy IX. One way is to use the spellbooks that are found throughout the game. Another way is to talk to the magical creatures that live in the world of Final Fantasy IX. Finally, another way is to use the magic items that can be found in various areas of the game.
And then there’s Quina.
Quina is an odd duck even by the standards of this game’s cast – the kind of duck that swims with the piranhas looking for lunch.
The lunch part of that metaphor might be a little on the nose, as Quina literally joins the party to search the world looking for new foods. They find these new foods in the form of the various monsters the team encounters.
Quina has the ever interesting(/alarming/disturbing/potentially sickening) Eat command, which will instantly kill most enemies via consumption if their HP is below 1/8 of its max value.
In addition to just being plain terrifying, eating an enemy will also teach Quina their blue magic spells. And if you want some recommendations for the best blue magic in the game, well you’ve come to the right list.
Here’s some of the best snacks for your resident Qu to hunt down:
12. Mighty Guard
Mighty Guard is an insane skill for how early you can learn it.
It casts Protect and Shell on your entire party.
These spells would normally need to be cast individually, meaning you’re saving no less than eight turns to buff your entire team.
How to get: Mighty Guard is found by eating the Serpion enemy, found in the same part of the World Map where Quina’s marsh is.
11. Matra Magic
Matra Magic is highly useful if it works.
This spell will drop the target’s HP directly to 1. The downside is, it only has a 20% success rate and doesn’t work on bosses. Or else it would be much higher on the list.
If you can forgive the lousy success rate, this spell makes finding other meals for Quina considerably less painful.
How to get: Matra Magic is learned from Dragonflies in Cleyra’s Trunk, as well as Gizamaluke’s Grotto.
10. Angel’s Snack
Angel’s Snack is useful in that it can cure most status ailments on your whole team in one shot, at the expense of 4 Remedies.
This skill is useful if you’re trying to learn the almighty Bad Breath spell, which entails fighting a dreaded Malboro.
It’s also very handy against bosses who like to status bomb the whole party. Like, say, Necron.
How to get: The Ironites in Burmecia have you covered here!
9. White Wind
White Wind is an amazing healing spell both early on and late game, as it heals your entire party for 1/3 of Quina’s max HP.
Considering your only other option for healing is Reis’ Wind courtesy of Freya (around the time this spell is first available), it’s highly advised to learn it as soon as possible.
This is also handy late game as Quina has a respectable HP growth towards the end of Disc 3 that makes this spell an absolute godsend in the endgame, letting you proactively heal your way through a number of tougher bosses.
How to get: The Zuu enemies in Cleyra’s trunk, assuming you don’t get sent flying first.
8. Lv3 Def-less
More situational than most spells, Lv3 Def-less will lower the defense of enemies whose defense are a multiple of 3.
This doesn’t seem like much.
However, the Yans in the late game are Lvl. 72, making this skill a major boon for anyone wanting to grind for late game, or more likely, Ozma.
How to get: This spell is found from Lamias in Gizamaluke’s Grotto.
7. 1000 Needles
Arguably the most straightforward spell in the game, this does exactly 1,000 damage per hit.
1000 damage is a lot for Quina, of course.
But if obtained at the first chance you get, it’ll absolutely melt tougher fights where they’re available. Namely (most likely) within Kuja’s Desert Palace.
How to get: Cactuars, naturally. Located in Donna Plains on the Outer Continent.
6. Night
This spell seems like a double edged sword, as it puts both all enemies and all allies to sleep.
If your allies possess either the Insomniac or Auto-Regen support skills, however, Night can quickly turn the tide.
Being able to heal automatically while the whole battle is asleep can save boatloads of MP and items on healing. Or if you put a tougher encounter to sleep with a team of Insomniacs, you can take all the cheap shots you want.
How to get: The Outer Continent, just outside Madain Sari, has Nymph enemies that carry this spell.
5. Vanish
Vanish makes a character totally immune to physical attacks.
Considering how hard some bosses like the Antlion hit, being immune to physical damage is pretty sweet.
Of course, it wears off over time. Or if you’re hit by a spell while invisible.
How to get: Vices in Burmecia.
4. Magic Hammer
Magic Hammer is a wildcard in that it deals random damage between 0 and the target’s current MP, but this spell deals MP damage.
That makes this wildly useful as you can reduce the MP of tougher enemies and bosses completely to 0 with luck and/or persistence.
The Earth Guardian boss is one of the only fights where Quina is mandatory.
With Magic Hammer, it’s possible to completely screw over the boss’ casting options to deal with those pesky earthquakes.
How to get: Magic Vices, also in Burmecia!
3. Auto-Life
This spell is a potential Uno Reverse Card against some bosses.
It revives an ally one time with 1 HP upon KO.
Of course, it only works the first time. But that may well be enough if your healers can keep up.
The best use for Auto-life, however, is to use it on Quina, as it can be used to set up the next blue magic spell on our list…
How to get: Auto-Life can be learned from Carrion Worms in Cleyra’s Trunk.
2. Limit Glove
This spell is one of the best in the game, period.
If used while Quina has 1HP, it will deal 9,999 damage.
While very circumstantial due to the 1HP condition, if Quina stays near death, this can turn several earlier bosses into little more than a speedbump.
How to get: Axe Beaks outside Lindblum castle will teach this spell.
1. Frog Drop
Just about anyone who’s invested in Quina can probably tell you why this spell is the top of the list.
Frog Drop deals damage based on Quina’s level multiplied by the number of Frogs they’ve caught.
With careful management of the swamps’ frogs, and a reasonable amount of grinding, this spell will deal 9,999 damage.
While the investment is time consuming, not having Limit Glove’s 1HP condition is what gave this spell the edge.
Frog Drop will absolutely trivialize the endgame if proper time is taken to make it useful.
But unlike Zidane’s Thievery or Freya’s Dragon Crest, this spell can be learned literally the second Quina is available.
How to get: Gigantoads, right in Qu’s Marsh after you recruit Quina!
