Basic Information

Base Stats

Mog has good base Magic and Speed, but his Vigor and Stamina are fairly average. Still, he has plenty of good traits beyond those base stats, including a nice chunk of Bonus HP, great baseline defenses, and good evasion stats. Mog starts off a little bit more durable than most other characters do, which will help him catch up to the rest of the party, and he can leverage his superior defenses in various ways as the game goes on.

Special Skill - Dance

Dance is Mog's unique skillset. As the name suggests, Dance causes Mog to start partying so hard that he can no longer be controlled, instead acting on his own each turn to use special abilities associated with the Dance selected. These Dance moves will be selected from a list of four per Dance, although the chance of using each is not even; some moves are selected more often than others, and each Dance has one particularly rare and powerful move that shows up least frequently. All Dance moves are free and cost Mog no MP to use.

Dance has some complications. First, each Dance must be learned. To learn a Dance, Mog must finish a battle (meaning no running away) on the terrain type that is associated with that Dance. Once he's done so, the Dance is learned permanently. Second, Dance has a chance to fail. If Mog Dances the "native" Dance - that is, the Dance corresponding to the terrain of the current battle - he will always succeed. Otherwise, his success rate is based upon his Stamina, reaching close to 100% at around 70 or so. If Mog fails, he will "stumble," wasting his turn, but he will not become uncontrollable until Dance actually succeeds. If Mog Dances a "non-native" Dance, the background of the battle screen will change to represent the terrain of the Dance he has selected. This change is permanent for the battle, unless another Dance is used (some battles also cannot have their background changed, but Dance will still work normally).

Mog's eight Dances include:

Wind Song

Native Terrain: Plains/Grassland (including the Veldt), wasteland, airship deck

(7/16) - Wind Slash
Moderate Wind damage to all enemies

(5/16) - Sun Bath
A strong Stamina-based cure to all allies that will also thaw out any Frozen characters

(3/16) - Sonic Boom
Wind-based fractional damage (3/4 current HP) to one enemy; also sets Seizure

(1/16) - Cockatrice
An immensely powerful defense-ignoring attack that also sets Stone

Wind Song is one of the easiest Dances to acquire and is one of the most frequent native terrains; most notably, it's the home dance on The Veldt. Its moveset features a mix of a little bit of everything, making it a good "safe" Dance (barring enemies resistant to Wind damage) for Mog to bust out with early in the game when his stamina is still low and his chances for non-native Dance success is not yet up to snuff. It's generally a poor choice outside of its home terrain, however, and falls off in the late game as Mog's stamina rises and fewer battles are fought out in the fields.

Desert Aria

Native Terrain: Desert

(7/16) - Sand Storm
Moderate Earth damage to all enemies that also sets Dark status

(5/16) - Wind Slash
Moderate Wind damage to all enemies

(3/16) - Quicksand
A single-target instant death attack that ignores instant death immunity (sans bosses/minibosses)

(1/16) - Meerkat
Massive non-elemental damage to all foes

Desert Aria is rarely seen as a native dance, as there are not many deserts in the game and most of them are avoidable. The Dance itself is quite powerful, however, so it might be worth selecting against large groups of foes. With three kinds of AOE damage and a 3/16 chance of a guaranteed instant kill, Desert Aria is a great Dance for crowd control. It's not so great against bosses, however, since the "Quicksand kills bosses" bug has long since been fixed, so stick to using this Dance on randoms.

Forest Suite

Native Terrain: Forests

(7/16) - Harvester
A small Stamina-based cure to all allies that also removes most bad statuses.

(5/16) - Razor Leaf
Strong Earth/Wind damage to all enemies

(3/16) - Elf Fire
A Fire-based attack against one foe (Power 75) that has a 50% chance of setting the Seizure status.

(1/16) - Raccoon
All allies' HP is restored to maximum, and most bad statuses are removed.

While primarily a healing Dance due to the prevalence of Harvester, Forest Suite also has some okay damage through Razor Leaf and Elf Fire, and the ability to set Seizure via the latter (although due to its rarity and the 50% chance of application, don't rely on it). Raccoon is like an even more powerful Harvester in the rare instances it shows up. Note that forest is a fairly uncommon native terrain for boss battles, so Forest Suite works well with a high Stamina Mog both to ensure the Dance succeeds and boost the power of Harvester.

Earth Blues

Native Terrain: Mountains. Interior areas usually don't count, so external mountains like Mt. Koltz or Zozo or Esper Mountain are the best option. The Floating Continent also counts.

Sun Bath (7/16): A Stamina-based cure (Power 20) to all allies. Sun Bath will also thaw out any character in Frozen status.
Avalanche (5/16): A defense-ignoring Earth-based magical attack (Power 60) to one enemy.
Cave In (3/16): An Earth-based fractional damage attack that deals 3/4 Current HP in damage to an enemy and sets Seizure.
Wild Boars (1/16): A stampede deals a large amount of defense-ignoring damage (Power 120). This attack is ground-based, meaning it won't hit anything with Float status.

Earth Blues is a good, reliable Dance that combines healing with damage that can really mess up a single target. Much of the damage is Earth-based, however, so be careful against foes immune to that element. Against everything else, Avalanche is like casting Flare and Sun Bath is immensely good healing, allowing Mog to serve as a party healer who still occasionally tosses out some great damage. It's not even that uncommon as a native Dance.

Dusk Requiem

Native Terrain: Caves. Almost every dungeon is a cave of some sort, from the Narshe Mines to the Cave to the Sealed Gate.

Cave In (7/16): An Earth-based fractional damage attack that deals 3/4 Current HP in damage to an enemy and sets Seizure.
Snare (5/16): An instant death attack that cannot be countered. Unlike some forms of Death, undead are not revived by Snare. Snare is uncounterable, so if it fails the enemy will not retaliate against Mog.
Specter (3/16): A magical attack against one target (Power 50) that drains HP and MP and restores them to Mog. Specter cannot drain more HP/MP than Mog has missing.
Wombat (1/16): A wombat deals a large amount of defense-ignoring damage (Power 90) to all enemies. This attack is ground-based, meaning it won't hit anything with Float status.

Dusk Requiem is an unusual Dance. It's extremely common as a native terrain option, as huge numbers of dungeons in FF6 are considered to be caves. The Dance itself is a pretty good option against singularly powerful enemies, as Cave In and Snare can deal a lot of damage or kill them instantly. It's less good against groups of foes, as only Wombat can hit multiple enemies. Note that almost none of Dusk Requiem's abilities rely on Mog's stats, being fractional damage, instant death, or capped by the drain formula. As a result, even a Mog with poor Magic can make good use of the dance against enemies vulnerable to its effects.

Love Sonata

Native Terrain: Cities. Zozo counts, as does WoR Narshe, and a few other areas are considered "city" terrain as well, such as Owzer's Mansion and the factory parts of Kefka's Tower.

Elf Fire (7/16): A Fire-based attack against one foe (Power 75) that has a 50% chance of setting the Seizure status.
Specter (5/16): A magical attack against one target (Power 50) that drains HP and MP and restores them to Mog. Specter cannot drain more HP/MP than Mog has missing.
Plasma (3/16): A Bolt-based attack against one foe (Power 72) that has a 50% chance of setting the Poison status.
Tapir (1/16): A weak (Power 1) magical-based MP cure to all allies, with no split in restoration due to multiple targets.

Love Sonata excels at doing single-target damage and is great at sustaining Mog through frequent Specter appearances, keeping his HP and MP topped off nicely. With a little luck, Tapir can help him keep his allies' MP up as well. The Dance becomes much more common in the World of Ruin, and is very powerful for any Mog build that needs to efficiently replenish MP.

Water Rondo

Native Terrain: Aquatic areas. The Lete River and Serpent Trench are the only places where this terrain appears. As a result, this Dance can only be acquired in the World of Balance!

El Nino (7/16): A Water-based attack (Power 60) to all enemies, with no split damage against multiple targets.
Plasma (5/16): A Bolt-based attack against one foe (Power 72) that has a 50% chance of setting the Poison status.
Surge (3/16): An Ice and Water-based attack (Power 90) to all enemies, with no split damage against multiple targets. This attack is ground-based, so it will not hit enemies with Float status.
Toxic Frog (1/16): An incredibly strong (Power 150) Poison-based attack to one foe, which also sets the Poison status.

Water Rondo excels at dealing damage. El Nino and Surge can do huge damage to groups and Plasma is quite strong against single targets (Toxic Frog is ruinously powerful, but extremely rare). The dance is a bit mixed in terms of elements, able to hit weaknesses to Ice, Water, Poison, and Bolt, so be careful about that when selecting targets to avoid running into immunities. Water Rondo is almost certain to be a non-native Dance, so make sure Mog's Stamina is up to the task before trying to Dance it.

Snowman Jazz

Native Terrain: Snow. Only the Narshe Snowfield counts for this, and enemies do not appear there until the World of Ruin. Thus, this dance is exclusive to the World of Ruin!

Snowball (7/16): An Ice-based fractional damage attack that deals 1/2 Current HP in damage to all enemies and sets Seizure status.
Surge (5/16): An Ice and Water-based attack (Power 90) to all enemies, with no split damage against multiple targets. This attack is ground-based, so it will not hit enemies with Float status.
Snare (3/16): An instant death attack that cannot be countered. Unlike some forms of Death, undead are not revived by Snare. Snare is uncounterable, so if it fails the enemy will not retaliate against Mog.
Ice Rabbit (1/16): All allies' HP is fully restored, and the Image status is set on them.

Like Water Rondo, don't expect to see Snowman Jazz as a native Dance too often. It can be well worth the risk to use as a non-native choice, however, due to its incredibly powerful fractional damage attack in Snowball and the incredibly strong AOE of Surge. Snare rounds out the Dance with instant death, and Ice Rabbit provides a rare heal and buff to the entire party. Be aware of the fact that Snowball, Surge, and Snare all have properties that make them very unlikely to work well against bosses, however; this Dance is best used to crush hordes of regular enemies with Ice weaknesses. Should you come upon a powerful and scary non-boss foe like a Behemoth-type enemy or dinosaur, however, Snowman Jazz can ruin them by hitting their Ice weakness.

Espers

Mog only has a handful of Espers to choose from, but he gets a surprisingly wide array of stats to raise just from those four. The only problem is that they're tied in with each other: Stamina is gained only from Maduin alongside Magic, and Speed can only be gained alongside Vigor via Palidor. Mog can, however, pump his Magic and HP to astronomical levels with Shoat and Terrato, which offer pure gains in a single stat.

Spells

Mog's not much for healing, but what he has otherwise is quite surprising. While his Black Magic noticeably lacks the usual Fire/Ice/Bolt options, he does get access to both forms of Poison damage, Wind damage from Break, Earth damage from Quake, an instant kill, and Drain. Status-wise, his selection is a bit narrow, but he has the ability to slap an entire enemy group with Sleep or Slow. This is extremely powerful against large groups of random foes, and when Mog needs to battle bosses, he has single target versions of both with higher success rates.

Equipment

Mog has a ton of equipment, and it's one of the most bizarre and intriguing mixes of gear available to any character in BNW. He can wear Heavy Armor, but also the Snow Muffler, equip most Helmets (including the Dragon Helm he shares with Edgar) and wield most Shields (except the Hero Shield). This would suggest that Mog is quite the tank, and he is, but...

...In addition to Spears, which go well with his other equipment, Mog has access to Thrown Weapons and Rods. It's the Rods that are the most curious thing about Mog as a character; although his other equipment suggests a powerful physical fighter, Rods are used primarily for their potent (but random) critical spellcasts. But actually, Mog's gear does allow him to stack Magic, through things like the Force Shield and Armor and the Dragon Helm. As a result, Mog is one of the few Rod users who can stand confidently in the front row and absorb punishment while still using full-powered Rod attacks. He can also Jump with a two-handed Spear or with a Rod.

Mog's Relic selection features some unique and semi-unique choices. He's one of two Dragoons and can thus use the Dragoon Seal, and he is one of three characters with access to the Sage Stone for double spellcasts. Entirely unique to Mog is the Moogle Charm, a "hidden" Relic the location of which has been common knowledge for decades (check the spot behind Mog in the WoR); its function, however, is entirely changed in BNW. Instead of preventing random encounters, the Moogle Charm enhances some of Mog's other roles. Experiment with Mog's abilities with the Moogle Charm equipped and its powers will become clear: First, it prevents Mog from being "locked in" to his Dance command, allowing him to choose different steps each turn or simply do something else; it also has a unique effect when Mog is Jumping, allowing him to come down from midair almost instantly. However, due to Relic slot restrictions Mog cannot combine the Moogle Charm with the Power Glove and still Jump, so decide whether you want quick Jumps that keep Mog around to tank or more powerful ones that will put him safely in the air for a while.

Of course, Mog can use many other Relics as well. Due to his access to Spears and Rods alike he can use both Power Gloves and Crystal Orbs for potent damage boosts. Defensive Relics stacked with the Snow Muffler can make Mog ridiculously difficult to damage, and anything that boosts his Speed and Stamina is helpful when Mog is Dancing. If Mog is using a Spear he probably doesn't need the Black Belt's counterattack property, but it can be incredibly powerful if Mog is using a Rod and gets lucky with spellcasts on counters.

NOTE: Spells cast from Rods are considered to critically hit, even though magic normally can't critically hit. However, attacks that ignore defense skip the critical hit multiplier step in damage calculations. This means that the Fire, Ice, Bolt, and Poison Rods will cast critical versions of their respective spells, but the Holy Rod and Punisher will not. As a result, Jump is more effective with the Holy Rod and Punisher and less effective than Fight with the other Rods.

Availability

Mog is, technically speaking, a completely optional character. He can be recruited in the World of Balance after the Cranes battle by checking the treasure house in Narshe and following the event chain that results, but he doesn't technically have to be. It's worth grabbing him early, however, so he can pick up a WoB-exclusive Dance and get his level set at a reasonably low one for gaining Esper bonuses. Since he comes quite late in the WoB, Mog has modest availability. He's available for the Sealed Gate segment and Floating Continent, and that's it. Slightly better than Relm, but not good.

Mog is again optional in the World of Ruin, but he's far easier to recruit there. Just head back to Narshe to the Moogle Cave and talk to him and he'll join. No boss fight required. Mog is also necessary to recruit a second optional character, Umaro, but otherwise you're only missing out on Mog himself if you fail to recruit him. Mog is available for all boss fights after acquiring the Falcon, if you recruit him early enough.

Build & Role Options

The Mighty Mogoon

Mog has access to some very bulky gear and is the second option you have for a Dragoon after Edgar. The difference is that Edgar has an awful lot of stuff he could be doing besides Jumping, making him somewhat less useful as a pure damage-dealer. Mog can fill that role with ease, however, if he's built up for Vigor; with a good Spear and the Moogle Charm, Mog can Jump constantly and come back to the ground fast.

Why would you want a Dragoon on the ground? To tank, of course! With his incredible armor options and high HP, Mog is a perfect tank. Jump boosts his damage, but with the Moogle Charm he's on the ground enough to draw enemy hits instead of channeling them toward your other party members, which is a plus, and since Jump does full damage from the back row Mog isn't exposing himself to too much risk. With a Spear equipped, Mog will even counterattack; it's not much, especially if he's in the back row, but it's better than nothing.

Where physical damage fails Mog, he's not screwed like other characters built for Vigor might be. The BPow of Rods is actually not that bad, and they critically hit automatically and cast spells as well. This is a good fallback for Mog when Spears aren't cutting it, and Mog can still tank in this situation (although he may want to move to the front row to maximize the power of counterattacks, if he's running a Black Belt).

CRITICAL ESPERS - Palidor, Terrato

Palidor is Mog's only source of Vigor and Speed, and he'll want a lot of both to maximize the number of Jumps he can make. Terrato adds bulk to Mog's already-considerable bulk, which ensures that he won't regret staying on the ground.

USEFUL ESPERS - Maduin

If Mog needs to shore up his Dancing or otherwise benefit from Stamina, Maduin is really his only option. Unfortunately the benefits of Maduin are marginal, and the less Maduin you can dedicate the more is left for Palidor and Terrato, which suit the build far more.

Dance Commander

Mog loves to Dance. And he's quite good at it. What better way to play him than to make him a master of damage and support through his shufflin' skills? Most of Mog's Dances are either Magic or Stamina-based, so it makes the most sense to buff those stats. More Stamina means Mog is defensively strong and unlikely to stumble, and more Magic enhances his damage output.

An advantage of this build is its defensiveness and flexibility. Mog doesn't need to worry too much about specific gear loadouts, so something defensive or Magic-boosting will suffice. He can camp out in the back row as Dance doesn't care about his location. And he's not married to any particular Relic, except perhaps the Moogle Charm, so he can be geared up to meet the situation at hand and to maximize the effectiveness of whatever Dance he's planning to roll with.

And don't overlook Mog's supportive spells. With easy access to an incredibly powerful Specter, Mog has no reason to be overly conservative with his MP and can throw out Slow X and Sleep X liberally before he gets down.

CRITICAL ESPERS - Maduin, Shoat

Maduin gives a mix of Magic and Stamina, and Dance likes both of those. However, Shoat can give Mog considerably greater returns on some of his damaging Dances. Basically it all comes down to how much Stamina you're comfortable with, and how much you plan to rely on Mog's healing Dances. If he's mostly going to do damage, stop Maduin at the point where he's unlikely to stumble (around 30-40 raw Stamina is fine) and put the rest into Shoat. If he's going to spam Harvester a lot, every point of Stamina helps immensely.

USEFUL ESPERS - Terrato

Mog relies much less on his HP with a Dance-focused build, but a few levels of Terrato can help him stay on his feet when he's needed as a healer. Just don't go overboard; in the back row with Force Armor or a Snow Muffler Mog's not exactly going to be taking huge amounts of damage.

The Magey Moogle

The main difference between this build and the Dance-oriented build is that this build has more of an eye toward dishing out raw magic damage through more convoluted means. Dance is easy and simple, but its attacks aren't nearly as strong as some of the other things Mog can do. The power of an X-Magic Break or Quake can rapidly exceed anything a Dance is likely to deal in a single turn, and critical spellcasts from Rods against a weakness are cheap on MP and insanely strong.

But to do this, Mog has to be cleverly set up. He'll need the Sage Stone for X-Magic, and with his low MP he'll be desperate for support to keep the Breaks flowing (Edgar and Sabin will be welcome partners). Rods will necessitate that Mog be in the front row in most cases, which exposes him to greater danger than other Mog builds. He can also Jump from the back with a Rod for safety, but the damage is a bit better with the auto-critical because critical hits provide a higher damage multiplier than the Jump multiplier does, and Jump prevents the auto-critical. Note that the Holy Rod and Punisher do not cast critical Holy and Flare spells, so Jump has an advantage when using those Rods unless Mog chooses a Crystal Orb over the Dragoon Seal/Moogle Charm combo.

The payoff to the pain is that Mog can deal ridiculous damage when he's set up correctly. Against a boss with an elemental weakness Mog could easily dish out thousands upon thousands of damage a turn, and in the endgame could even deal 9999 damage to some targets. Break doublecasts or Flares cast from the Punisher can pierce through enemy defenses and shred them to pieces. And though it's inordinately expensive, a double Quake will massacre almost anything that isn't immune to Earth.

And remember, nothing's stopping Mog from Dancing when needed. That sky-high Magic will make his damaging Dances quite strong... he just risks stumbling, and his healing Dances won't be particularly impressive. Specter is a fantastic way to restore his HP and MP though, and will almost certainly restore it to full against any target.

CRITICAL ESPERS - Shoat / Terrato

Magic and HP are the two big things Mog will need. He doesn't want to die and he wants plenty of power to make sure other things die before he does. How much HP you go with depends on whether you're willing to put Mog in the front row or if you'd prefer a safer back row position; the more likely you are to let Mog brave the front, the more HP he'll want. Don't worry too much about it cutting into his Magic; Shoat will give Mog more than he knows what to do with.

USEFUL ESPERS - Maduin

A little Maduin can sometimes be handy if Mog is worried about Dance success rates. However, usually gear can put Mog into a safe percentage if it's absolutely necessary that he Dance. The more Maduin you give him the less Shoat and Terrato he gets, meaning he's essentially trading extreme gains in specific areas for very modest ones overall. If you can go without Maduin at all, Mog's damage will be crazy, just keep an eye out for status effects and fractional damage attacks.