Contents |
Basic Information
Base Stats
Vigor | 48 | Battle Power | +48 | Bonus HP | +136 |
Speed | 36 | Def/M.Def | 42/42 | Bonus MP | +0 |
Magic | 30 | Block/M.Block | 18/12 | Run Chance | Average |
Stamina | 42 |
Wow. Sabin's been working out, and it shows in his base stats. Few characters can claim to be as beefy as Sabin is in almost every category with not a single piece of equipment. His Vigor is absurd, his Stamina is high, and even his Speed is better than par. Add to that the highest extra HP and natural defenses outside of Umaro and pretty decent evades, and Sabin is looking really nice. Just bear in mind that Sabin tends to get less in the way of defenses and some stats from his Espers and equipment, so those bases are needed to keep him in the running.
Special Skill - Blitz
Ever a fan of Street Fighter, Sabin's Blitz ability works through the input of button commands to perform special moves. Most of these moves unlock by leveling, but one is only unlocked by way of a special event. All are quite potent, and free as long as the right command is input. Screw up, and Sabin's turn will be wasted. Be aware that all of Sabin's physical Blitzes require he be in the front row to do full damage, but his magical Blitzes (this includes Aurabolt) do not. His Blitzes in BNW include:
Pummel
(Lv.1)
Sabin's basic Blitz. It does defense-ignoring physical damage to a single target and sets Seizure. Mostly a status setter, Pummel is useful throughout the entire game even if it is replaced quickly as a means of doing damage.
Suplex
(Lv.9)
Greatly improved from vanilla FF6, Sabin can now Suplex absolutely anything. Trains? Oh yes. Planes? Of course! The very gods themselves? You bet. Suplex does more defense-ignoring damage to one target than Pummel and sets Confuse on the unlucky victim. While Seizure is more useful against a boss, Confuse works quite well in random encounters, especially when the soon-to-be-Confused enemy just took a chunk of damage from Sabin.
Fire Dance
(Lv.12)
As attacks go, Fire Dance isn't spectacular, doing modest damage to all foes. It's magical, and Sabin can't raise his Magic too readily, but because it's elemental it can do very acceptable damage against things with a weakness to Fire. A good group clearer in the WoB, and useful against undead in the WoR.
Aurabolt
(Lv.15)
A rather unusual attack even for Sabin, the Aurabolt Blitz is odd in that it's a magical attack but does not check Sabin's Magic in its damage formula. Instead, it works exactly like a magical attack but uses Stamina in place of Magic in the formula. As a result, a Sabin who bulks up on Stamina will see considerably better damage out of this Blitz. It also ignores defense (and row, being magical) and is Holy-elemental, making it a great way to damage the undead. Just be forewarned that this is also the only offensive Blitz that works with Stamina, so it may get a little boring spamming it.
Mantra
(Lv.20)
Unlike the previous Blitzes, Mantra is a purely supportive move. It heals Sabin's party members (but not Sabin himself) for a large amount of HP dependent upon Sabin's own HP and Stamina. The more of both, the better the healing. If Sabin has a lot of HP and Stamina this can almost fully heal his party outright, but if not it's fairly underwhelming. Just remember that someone will need to keep Sabin himself healed, because Mantra runs off Sabin's current HP and will be far stronger if he himself is well-healed (or has so much HP that even a strong hit leaves him in the black).
Chakra
(Lv.25)
The opposite of Mantra, Chakra heals the party's MP. It's one of the few moves in the game that can restore MP to multiple characters and the only one that does so for free, making it insanely potent in a party that's burning through their MP too quickly for single-target restoratives to assist with. Like Mantra, Chakra's MP returns depend on Sabin's Stamina, and they are far more dependent on Stamina than Mantra is. Without a ton of Stamina, don't expect to see Chakra doing very much, but with it... suffice it to say, Chakra alone is the reason some people build Sabin up for Stamina.
Air Blade
(Lv.30)
Like Fire Dance, an elemental attack that utilizes Sabin's relatively low Magic stat. Unlike Fire Dance, it ignores defense, which helps a lot in slicing through groups of foes. With the right setup, it can be very nice for Sabin in random encounters that he'd otherwise struggle with in the endgame.
Bum Rush
(Event)
Sabin's most powerful physical Blitz, the Bum Rush does unstoppable defense-ignoring damage to one target. Though not necessarily always the right call in any given fight, the Bum Rush is guaranteed to always do considerable damage to any target, making it a very safe pick against bosses and stronger random enemies alike. Because it's learned from an event accessible as early as acquiring the Falcon, it's quite easy for Sabin to grab it early in the WoR and abuse it liberally until the endgame. If he's built for Vigor he definitely should do exactly that.
Espers
Stray | Stamina +2 | Terrato | HP +60 |
Golem | Vigor +1 / HP +20 |
Sabin's options are about as blunt and straightforward as he is. Want to punch stuff? Golem. Want to support stuff? Stray. Want to not die in the WoR? Terrato. Note that while he has two somewhat distinct roles in the party, Sabin is not horribly done by mixing all three of his Espers to some extent or other.
Note that Golem is an exceptional defensive Summon, and Sabin is the ideal caster of it with his crazy HP and relative lack of use for his MP pool. Just one of many things he can do to support his allies, and a great choice in any boss fight to keep everybody standing.
Spells
Quake | (Terrato) | Imp | (Stray) |
Warp | (Stray) | ||
Float | (Stray) | ||
Sleep | (Terrato) | ||
Safe | (Golem) | ||
Stop | (Golem) | ||
SleepX | (Terrato) |
Don't let Quake fool you; it's useful in a handful of rare situations, but for the most part Sabin's spell list is dedicated toward debilitating enemies. He gets enough offensive punch and healing out of his Blitzes anyway, so this is a good use for his otherwise-worthless MP. Sleep X in particular is a coveted spell, potentially shutting down an entire group of enemies outright. Never overlook the value of Slow against bosses either; Sabin can be quite good at setting up a boss fight with a Golem Summon followed by Pummel and Slow.
Equipment
What with being a monk and all, Sabin's not one for material things. Or maybe he just likes showing off his biceps. Either way, Sabin's options for gear are a bit limited. He can use most Light Armor (including the Mirage Vest and Royal Jacket) and most Hats, which doesn't tend to give him very much in the way of defenses or evasion. His inability to equip any Shields only compounds this.
There is, however, a bright spot: Sabin is permitted and indeed basically required to dual-wield his unique Claw weapons. While Claws give no evade bonuses, they do offer excellent stats, elemental attributes, and a random chance to proc various status spells (including Slow and Doom!). What he loses out on in defense he more than makes up for offensively, and his Claws can actually outdamage even his defense-ignoring Blitzes against enemies with an elemental weakness. Best of all, his two "ultimate" Claw weapons are accessible quite early in the WoR, giving him huge stat boosts depending on how he combines them.
Sabin has few unique Relics to look out for, but the Nirvana Band is particularly nice. It's a booster to both physical and magical effects, and this includes the Stamina-fueled Aurabolt and the two Magic-based Blitzes of Fire Dance and Air Blade. A good way to increase Sabin's power all around, to say the least. Also useful are Stamina-based Relics like the Life Bell. With Sabin's high natural Stamina and the ease with which he can raise it, auto-Regen will give him enormous health returns every time it ticks, and this can ease the need to heal him when he's serving as the main party healer with Mantra. A Black Belt is also worth watching for on a Vigor build, as Sabin can guarantee his strikes hit while also counterattacking with his claws whenever he's attacked. The damage can really add up, especially since Sabin's not exactly slow and will be attacking frequently.
Availability
Only Locke and his brother Edgar rival Sabin for availability in FF6, and Sabin might on balance be one of the most frequently usable characters overall. In the WoB he joins fourth, showing up at the end of the tough Vargas fight and remaining in the party through the Lete River segment and the fight against Ultros. At the scenario split, Sabin gets one entirely to himself, and it's by far the longest and toughest of the three. Back in Narshe, Sabin's on hand for the Narshe Battle, Zozo, IMRF, and Sealed Gate segments, leaving only for Crescent Island and returning for the Floating Continent. With his high stats and early Esper access, Sabin is an ideal rock to support the party throughout the WoB.
In the WoR, Sabin is technically optional, but he's almost certain to be the first character Celes bumps into and recruits and it's an extremely wise idea to do so, as Sabin is spectacular against the Tentacles and his Aurabolt and Spirit Claws will do enormous good in the undead-filled Daryl's Tomb. After the Falcon is recovered, Sabin can grab the Bum Rush from his master and proceed to whip every ass between Duncan and the final showdown with Kefka. One can hardly ask for more out of him.
Build & Role Options
The Physical Brawler
Sabin is a monk. Monks punch stuff. Sabin has the highest base Vigor of anybody whose name is not Umaro, and he can raise it, so he's going to punch, like, super hard. The calculus here is obvious.
With plenty of Vigor, Sabin will make boss battles a breeze. Is there an elemental weakness? Equip the right set of claws and shred the hell out of them. If not? Suplex or the Bum Rush will cut through enemy defense without a care. Plus the extra HP from Golem will keep Sabin's spirits and health up all the while. Not the best choice against random encounters, but Fire Dance and Air Blade are about the same level of usefuless to any Sabin since he can't otherwise raise his Magic. Sabin may not be able to raise his Speed, but he can equip the Mirage Vest, so the Speed, evasion boosts, and auto-Haste can earn him many turns.
Fragility, however, does rear its ugly head against this Sabin. Not in HP, of course; with the right amount of Golem and Terrato Sabin should have more HP than almost anybody, and that means stronger Golem summons too. Rather, failing to boost Sabin's Stamina means he's a bit more susceptible to status attacks, which can bite him in the ass given his low defenses (you do not want Sabin Confused and hitting himself, for example). He'll still be better off than most characters due to his high base Stamina, and fragility is something every Sabin must contend with, but it's something to keep in mind.
CRITICAL ESPERS - Golem
Pretty simple, really. Take Sabin's high Vigor and push it higher still. Strap on the right gear and beat up fools from Zozo through to endgame. Just don't go all into Golem; it offers decent HP, but not great HP. However...
CRITICAL ESPERS - Terrato
Yes, great HP is within Sabin's grasp as well. At +60 per level, Sabin can get beefy real fast, and he'll need that HP to survive the powerful magical attacks that the endgame is just full of. At least 5 levels of Terrato are extremely valuable if Sabin can spare them, granting an additional 300 HP that could be the difference between life and death.
The Stamina Supporter
On the other hand, monks are contemplative, right? Always thinking about the meaning of existence and chanting and stuff. And a monk is tough, because they meditate all the time. So heck, maybe that's more Sabin's thing. Good news is, he's got the means to do that like nobody else.
With his insane starting Stamina and a +2 Esper, Sabin can basically turn himself into a solid brick of Stamina who can stay in the back row doing his thing. Not only does this not leave him helpless due to the Aurabolt Blitz running off Stamina, it also makes his Mantra and Chakra Blitzes insanely strong and allows him to shrug off just about any attack that can be blocked with Stamina. Knowing that Sabin has a better-than-even chance of not being smacked with a Demi or debilitated with Sleep is a huge deal for a party healer, letting him crank out those Mantras and Chakras without fear. Consider pairing a Mirage Vest and Life Bell in the endgame (or a Life Bell any time); auto-Regen is amazing on a Sabin with this much Stamina, and the auto-Haste will let him dish out the Aurabolts.
However, Aurabolt is far from the ideal Blitz, particularly in the endgame. It's good, but even with a ton of Stamina it isn't great. Often, Bum Rush or Fight will outdamage it even with nary a point invested into Vigor, but obviously had Sabin invested in Vigor he'd be much better off in terms of his damage output. It's a call that you'll have to make carefully when using Sabin: Keep him healing and supporting, or move him to the front row to do okayish damage? With Stamina, the temptation not to do the latter will always be strong, meaning Sabin's contributions to the party's damage output won't be all that fantastic.
CRITICAL ESPERS - Stray
It's one of the first Espers you get and Stamina Sabin will pretty much be leveling with it exclusively until the WoR. This makes him dead simple to level: Any time he's in the party give him Stray, and that's about all you have to do. That said, don't assume Stray alone is enough. Eventually, you'll want to switch over a little and pick up some levels with...
USEFUL ESPERS - Terrato
Stray gives no HP, unlike Golem, so more than 5 levels of Terrato are up for consideration and well appreciated. While one might expect that a Sabin who sticks to the back row will need less HP, the real threat to Sabin in the endgame is the bevy of magical attacks he'll have to take on the chin because his Magic Defense is pretty bad, many spells ignore defense anyway, and the back row won't save him from magical attacks. His HP is his survival, and he'll want a fair bit of it just to be safe. An alternative would be to go with Golem levels, which will semi-hybridize Sabin, but bear in mind that one Golem level is only worth 1/4 the HP a single Terrato level would give. It just might not be quite enough to keep Sabin standing, and isn't that the point of a Stamina-centric Sabin?