Contents |
Basic Information
Base Stats
Vigor | 30 | Battle Power | +12 | Bonus HP | +18 |
Speed | 24 | Def/M.Def | 24/36 | Bonus MP | +60 |
Magic | 48 | Block/M.Block | 6/18 | Run Chance | Low |
Stamina | 24 |
More than perhaps any other character in BNW, Strago's base stats are a study in extremes. He boasts the game's highest baseline Magic (even higher than Terra's!), a rare boost to his base MP, and remarkably high Stamina, yet his BPow and Run Chance are pathetic and he has the game's lowest base Speed. He also has little trouble raising the stats that are already quite high, but can't do much about the ones that are low... at least, not without some clever equipment selection.
Special Skill - Lore
Strago is the Blue Mage of FF6, the character who is capable of observing attacks used by monsters and learning them for himself. Technically Gau kind of does the same thing, but Strago is closer to a "traditional" Blue Mage, as he remains under the player's control and his Lores essentially work as spells. To learn a Lore, Strago will need to finish a battle (running won't work) in which the Lore was used. Certain status effects may prevent learning a Lore, so make sure Strago is at least on his feet and unstatused for best results.
Lore covers a wide variety of applications, some of which cannot be duplicated by Magic taught by Espers. BNW has trimmed the list of Lores down to a dozen, but has tried to make sure all of them are useful. Italicized Lores are (for the most part) available only in the World of Ruin, so don't expect to fill out Strago's Lore list before then. All Lores use Strago's Magic to determine the damage they deal, unless otherwise specified.
Aero (45 MP): A powerful all-enemies Wind-elemental spell that does not lose power when it hits multiple targets. Aero also sets the Seizure status, which can be handy against high-HP foes.
Aqua Rake (24 MP): A Water-elemental spell that hits all enemies (and doesn't lose power from doing so). Strago starts with this Lore. Remember that Water and Ice are different elements! Being able to hit a Water weakness is actually fairly uncommon.
Bad Breath (18 MP): A spell that attempts to inflict multiple status effects on all enemies, including Dark, Poison, Mute, and Seizure. If an enemy is immune to one of the statuses inflicted by Bad Breath, the other statuses might still be inflicted. Bad Breath can miss entirely as well as end up getting blocked by enemy Stamina, although it is fairly accurate.
Black Omen (80 MP): An insanely powerful non-elemental defense-ignoring spell that does not decrease in power with multiple targets, Black Omen is easily Strago's strongest attack. Of course, that power does come at a price: 80 MP is not cheap even for someone like Strago.
Blow Fish (8 MP): Sometimes called Thousand Needles, Blow Fish does exactly 1000 damage per cast. Never more, never less. It also can't be Reflected. While it loses luster as a damaging attack after the WoB, 8 MP for 1000 damage is insanely cheap.
Discord (12 MP): Sets Berserk and Confuse statuses on one target. While many enemies are immune to one or the other, when Discord works it will often cause an enemy to savagely attack itself for extra damage.
Holy Wind (30 MP): Heals the entire party, Strago included, for Strago's current HP total. As long as Strago is close to full health, this is very likely to restore the rest of the party to full health as well. However, it is trickier to use if Strago himself is at low HP. For its price, Holy Wind is actually a very efficient heal, but it does require keeping an eye on Strago's HP.
Raid (16 MP): Raid attempts to steal both HP and MP from one target, acting as a Drain and Osmose all in one. It also ignores enemy Magic Defense when damaging them, unlike Rasp, and has a high base accuracy. Bear in mind however that Raid is blockable with Stamina; enemies don't tend to have much Stamina, but there is a chance that Raid won't work. Also bear in mind Raid is more expensive than Osmose (though it is also stronger), so if Strago is down to his last MP he won't be able to cast it.
Raze (36 MP): A powerful single-target spell that is both Fire and Poison-elemental, and also sets the Poison status. Raze is an incredibly powerful attack spell when it works... just remember that while undead foes are weak against Fire, they absorb Poison, so Raze is not the Lore to cast against them.
Refract (15 MP): An unusual single-ally buff, Refract sets both the Reflect and Image statuses on the target, essentially providing protection from both physical attacks and spells. While Reflect is not always desirable, Image status is quite rare and setting it is very cheap for Strago. Plan your party's healing accordingly and Refract can be an incredible buff.
Shield (48 MP): Shield sets Safe on the entire party, as if Strago had cast the spell once on everyone. This may not seem impressive, but there is no other way to set Safe on the entire party in one turn. If Strago can get a turn in quickly enough against enemies with powerful physical attacks, he can protect the entire party much faster than characters with Safe can.
Tsunami (64 MP): Essentially an upgraded Aqua Rake, Tsunami does unsplit Water-elemental damage to all enemies. Tsunami is twice as strong as Aqua Rake, but it's also more than twice as expensive, so save it for foes that require the extra power.
Espers
Shiva | Magic +2 | Odin | Stamina + 2 |
Carbunkl | MP + 25 / Stamina +1 | ||
Zoneseek | Magic +1 / MP +15 |
Strago has powerful MP, Magic, and Stamina to start with, and his Esper selection only makes them better. He has access to +2 Espers for both Magic and Stamina and a decent MP booster in Carbunkl.
NOTE: Generally speaking, Zoneseek is not a good option for Strago unless you have no intention of ever raising his Stamina at all for some reason. Two levels of Zoneseek is +30 MP and +2 Magic, but a level of Shiva and a level of Carbunkl is +25 MP, +2 Magic, and +1 Stamina. Trading away 5 MP per level for an extra Stamina point is a very good deal.
Spells
Ice | (Shiva) | Scan | (Carbunkl) |
Ice 2 | (Shiva) | Shell | (Carbunkl) |
Stone | (Odin) | Rflect | (Carbunkl) |
X-Zone | (Odin) | Slow | (Shiva) |
Rasp | (Zoneseek) | ||
Osmose | (Zoneseek) |
Strago's spell list may appear to have some gaps, but bear in mind that his Lores essentially act like extra spells and greatly expand his casting options and he has access to the Fire 2, Bolt 2, Bio, Holy, Doom, and Flare spells at random from Rods if he Fights with them. In terms of what his actual Magic offers, he has a number of handy buffs in Shell and Rflect, a debuff in Slow, the handy utility of Scan, and the ability to either damage an enemy's MP with Rasp (good against the undead) or steal it with Osmose. Strago uses a lot of MP, so Osmose is a welcome option.
Strago's Black Magic includes the first two tiers of Ice; although he doesn't get Ice 3, his Ice 2s can be nearly as strong with some Magic investment, and he has equipment options that allow him to cast it twice. He also picks up Stone, which lets him instantly kill one enemy, and the even more potent X-Zone. X-Zone is an instant kill, but unlike most instant kills it targets all enemies and has no status effect or typing, meaning it can kill just about anything that isn't immune to instant death outright. It also has pretty high accuracy and can't be countered. It could very well end battles outright if Strago gets lucky.
Strago can summon Zoneseek to put Shell on the entire party. Combined with his Shield Lore, Strago can put Safe/Shell on everyone in just two turns. Nobody else can put those buffs up as fast as Strago!
Equipment
Strago doesn't have a lot of equipment options, but what he has serves his needs and helps him both emphasize his strengths and make up for his weaknesses. He can use most Light Armor, Robes, and Hides, as well as most Hats (including the potent Circlet), and most "light" Shields (such as the elemental shields). He can wield Rods or Flails; while Rods are generally better in most cases because they boost his Magic, add Magic Evade, and can cast spells for free, Flails ignore row and have a chance of killing instantly, which can make them more MP-efficient options against random foes.
Strago's armor selection is critical in dealing with his slow Speed. The Thunderguard shield provides him with +5 Speed, and Hides other than the Dragon Hide provide varying amounts of Speed as well. Of particular note is the Moogle Hide, which gives Strago +7 Speed and Magic along with Earth/Wind-element resistance and pretty good defenses. He can also wear a Dark Hood for +5 more Speed, although this means giving up the very beneficial MP boost from the Circlet. The net result of all this gear, however, is that Strago can actually end up not altogether slow at all in spite of his very low base Speed. His Lores are to some extent balanced around his low Speed, so if he can start taking turns quickly then he can become a masterful dispenser of damage and utility and even a useful healer.
For Relics, Strago has access to the potent Sage Stone, something he shares with Mog and Locke. The Sage Stone transforms Magic into X-Magic, allowing spells to be cast twice in a row. Strago can use this for damage by casting Ice 2 twice against weak foes, but this is only scratching the surface of what he can do with it. He can use it to cast Shell or Rflect on two allies in one turn, or cast Slow on two enemies, or double up on Rasp to mill an undead foe of MP in an instant, or use a spell like Stone or X-Zone twice to double up on instant kill chances. The one thing to note is that X-Magic won't doublecast Lores (Lore is a separate command), and it prevents Strago from being able to summon his equipped Esper. Double Shell is useful, but summoning Zoneseek might be moreso, so decide if it's worth the bother and extra MP to cast twice.
In terms of other Relics, Strago loves things that boost his Magic, Stamina, and Speed, as well as things to shore up his low HP. A Zephyr Cape is mostly handy for the evasion and Speed, but it can be useful, as can simple Sprint Shoes to kickstart Strago with auto-Haste. A Life Bell can take advantage of his high Stamina by rapidly restoring his HP (good if he's using Holy Wind a lot). The Crystal Orb is also handy given his incredibly high Magic, though it is harder to get a Crystal Orb than other magic boosters.
Availability
Strago is, unfortunately, one of the last characters to join the party during the World of Balance. He shows up at Crescent Island and is available for both dungeons and bosses in that sequence; if he can be kept alive he's particularly useful in the Burning House thanks to his Aqua Rake Lore. He will remain with the party for the Floating Continent.
Strago's availability in the World of Ruin is also a bit worse than other characters, unless he's aimed for early. He can be found at the Fanatics Tower, but isn't recruitable unless Relm is brought there. Obviously, that means Relm must first be re-recruited by defeating Chadarnook, so there are some hoops to jump through to get him back. Once he rejoins, like most characters, he's around for the rest of the game.
Build & Role Options
Nuclear Grandpa
Strago boasts the greatest base Magic in BNW and access to +2 Magic on top of it. If Cyan is the Vigor frontrunner when he invests heavily in it thanks to his Bushido, Strago is the Magic frontrunner due to his powerful Lores. Shiva becomes the obvious vector to emphasize this strength.
There are some big advantages to pumping Strago's Magic. His spells and Lores can be rather expensive, particularly when trying to use X-Magic. By increasing the power of each cast, Strago is getting more for the resources he invests. He also ends up with stronger recovery by increasing the returns on Osmose and Raid, so he helps sustain himself better as well. In addition, if Strago's Magic is very high naturally he is less married to equipment that boosts his Magic and can look for things that instead increase his Speed. Random spells cast from Rods are also based on Strago's Magic, so he will do more damage with them.
There are two main things to watch out for when building up Strago's Magic. The first is MP efficiency. Strago's damage-dealing spells and Lores tend to be his more expensive options, and they are very expensive and he lacks access to a cost-halving Relic like Terra and Celes have. Levels of Carbunkl or Zoneseek can help alleviate this problem, but Zoneseek is not the most efficient choice and Carbunkl offers no +Magic when leveled. Strago doesn't need to get +Magic every single level, but he does get increasingly powerful on the damage front whenever he can do so. Wearing the Circlet is a good idea.
Another way to save MP is to use Rods; their auto-critical effect costs MP, but it costs far less than casting the spells associated with the Rods and gives Strago access to powerful spells like Flare that he can't normally cast. But Rods are weaker when used in the back row, so getting the best returns out of them requires moving Strago up front... not the safest of choices. Be prepared to protect him if you go this route. Having Strago cast Shield and Refract on himself might be wise in nastier fights, if he can cast them fast enough.
And like any Strago, he's slow, so make sure to find +Speed gear and have him equip it.
CRITICAL ESPERS - Shiva
Strago likes dropping the hammer on things with his Magic, and nothing helps him do that better than Shiva. It's probably not realistic to expect straight Shiva levels are viable for the reasons outlined above, but like with Terra and Cyan the more levels Strago can get in Shiva the stronger his attacks become.
USEFUL ESPERS - Carbunkl / Zoenseek
Carbunkl is generally more efficient as the extra Stamina is better overall than getting 5 extra MP, but Zoneseek allows Strago to get at least +1 Magic every level and still pick up some MP along the way. 5 levels of either is helpful (but Zoneseek offers less than Carbunkl, so keep that in mind), and even more can be a good way to alleviate Strago's occasional MP woes and reduce the number of Raids/Osmoses he needs to cast, but remember that you're diverting him from Shiva's raw power with every level you give him in these.
One Tough Geezer
Strago isn't just a Magic powerhouse. He also has base Stamina on par with the musclebound Sabin (he must be ripped under those robes). When it comes to shrugging off status effects or recovering his own HP with Regen, Strago is actually pretty close to the top of the pack in BNW. And with Odin, he has access to +2 Stamina, so he could easily press that advantage almost as hard as Sabin can.
Of course, the obvious question would be why to do this; Strago doesn't have an offensive Stamina option like Sabin does and his healing and supportive options don't get stronger with Stamina. And generally speaking, it's probably not a great idea to pump Odin exclusively. But what Strago can do is mix levels of Carbunkl and Odin to ensure that he picks up tons of MP and Stamina, and this does advantage him considerably. Strago's spells are costly and he has no way to reduce those costs, and using Osmose is a painful thing when Strago is so slow to begin with. Pumping his MP and Stamina go a long way toward reducing the number of times he needs to do that, and also let him throw around expensive Lores and instant kills like X-Zone with impunity. And it isn't like his Magic is bad; if you never raise it a single point with Espers, it will still be 48 plus whatever +Magic gear he happens to be wearing. That's practically as good as a Magic-based Edgar. The extra MP also frees his head slot from the Circlet, so he could try a Dark Hood for extra +Speed.
So what is Strago doing if not casting powerful attack spells? Think utility. Refract can protect the party from spells and physical attacks, he can slap foes with status effects through Bad Breath or Discord, and Safe/Shell can be applied to the party any time they're needed. More critically, high Stamina synergizes incredibly well with defensive Relics like a Life Bell and the Holy Wind Lore. For just 30 MP, Strago can heal his whole party with unreflectable healing (good if he's tossing Refract around) equal to his current HP. With that much Stamina, his Regen ticks will be huge, and that will go a long way to making sure his Holy Winds are also huge. With enough Speed and Stamina, Strago can easily prove himself an inexhaustible healer who can also protect his party from almost all forms of incoming damage through multi-layered protection. And if he still has the time... well, his damage spells do still hit pretty damn hard.
CRITICAL ESPERS - Carbunkl / Odin
It's hard to say exactly how much Carbunkl is too much. The Circlet or Magic Cube can potentially push Strago's MP to the cap, but nothing says you must use MP boosting equipment. Odin can be a great way to bulk Strago up a little bit more in the WoR, or whenever you're satisfied with his MP pool.
USEFUL ESPERS - Shiva
Although Strago is not focusing on his Magic, it still doesn't hurt to throw a few levels toward it. Even 3-5 Shiva is a fair bit of additional punch to Strago's offensive spells, all of which he should have no trouble casting with the gobs of MP he'll have.