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Final Fantasy V Blue Magic: how to learn every spell for the Blue Mage

by Alex Donaldson and Quinton O'Connor on 11 November, 2021

In past entries in the series we’ve had Black, White, and Red Magic - but in Final Fantasy V there’s a new color in town - Blue Magic, a new special magic class that offers a series first that went on to become a staple - the chance to learn and then use enemy attacks. 

In terms of utility, a Blue Mage is closest to its red counterpart - by which we mean that it doesn’t focus solely on attack or defense, but rather runs the gamut. There’s attacking abilities, defending abilities, buffs, and debuffs - but there’s a catch.

That catch, of course, is in how Blue Mage class characters gain access to spells. The only way to learn a new piece of Blue Magic is to suffer its effects - which makes getting your hands on every Blue Magic spell a bit of a puzzle in itself. Luckily, this guide is here to help you. On this page:

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How to learn Blue Magic in FF5

Once you have access to the Blue Mage class in Final Fantasy V, your next step is to start learning the abilities that the class can cast. Luckily, you won’t be entirely defenseless before you begin to rack up skills, as the Blue Mage can wield swords and shields as well as the usual spell-slinging gear. 

Your number one priority as far as this class goes should be to learn as many Blue Magic skills as possible as quickly as you can, though. Learning all the spells can make this a useful job throughout the rest of FF5. In fact, it might rank as one of the best jobs in FF5, as suggested in our full FF5 jobs guide.

Blue Magic spells are learned via the Blue Mage’s main ability, ‘Learning’. This is a Level 2 Blue Mage ability that requires 20 ABP to learn - and once you’ve got it, you can of course learn Blue Magic without actually being set as the Blue Mage class.

With learning in hand, your mission is then simple: to learn Blue Magic, you have to be hit by the skill in question yourself. That means you’ll need to hunt down an enemy that can use each of the Blue Magic spells and have them cast it on your designated Blue Mage or character with the Learning ability. Simple! Here’s some other tips for learning Blue Magic to keep in mind:

  • You only need to learn each Blue Magic spell once. After one character has learned a spell, all party members can use it.
  • You must win the battle to learn the Blue Magic spell. It doesn’t matter if the character learning is alive at the end of battle or not, but you must win - fleeing will rob you of the learned ability.
  • Blue Magic cannot be silenced, nor Dualcasted. In this sense it is separate from other magical abilities - it can’t be doubled up to maximize damage, but it also cuts right through that mage-killing status ailment. 
  • The easiest way to learn Blue Magic is via a Beastmaster. The Beastmaster class can of course ensnare and control enemies - which means you can control their actions in battle. This skill can be used to brilliant effect to specifically target your Blue Mage with the exact skill you want. In fact, some enemies have AI that never actually uses their Blue Magic skills naturally - you can only trigger them yourself via a Beastmaster.
  • In the late game, Azulmagia can help to fill in the gaps. This enemy found in the Interdimensional Rift can use almost all of the Blue Magic in FF5, meaning you can grind these enemies out to pick up any blue mage spells you missed later on. You might not need to do that if you follow this guide, however. 

With all that noted, let’s get into the Blue Magic spells themselves, what they do, what enemies you can get them off, and the earliest possible time to learn each spell:

Blue Magic Spell List & how to learn every Blue Mage skill

Goblin Punch

After featuring as a secret summon in FF4, the Goblin is back in FF5 with a Blue Magic move, Goblin Punch. It deals non-elemental damage to a single target, but deals far more damage if the level of the caster and the target are identical.

  • Learn from: Goblin, Black Goblin, Gilgamesh, Gobbledygook, Azulmagia
    • Sahagin, Nix (via Beastmaster only)
  • Earliest acquisition: Black Goblin enemies in the Wind Shrine.

Aero

A classic magical attack, this deals Wind-elemental damage to enemies at the cost of just 4MP.

  • Learn from: Moldwynd, Gigas, Magissa, Mykale, Azulmagia
    • Defeater (via Beastmaster only)
  • Earliest acquisition: Moldwynd enemies in the Wind Shrine.

Vampire

The Vampire Blue Magic does exactly what you’d expect it to do, given the name - it absorbs HP from your targeted enemy and restores some of that HP to the caster. It costs 2MP to cast.

  • Learn from: Steel Bat, Blood Slime, Abductor, Zombie Dragon, Enkidu, Dark Aspic, Python, Mercury Bat, Azulmagia
    • Achelon, Dechirer, Shadow (via Beastmaster only - and requires you to heal MP to the enemy first)
  • Earliest acquisition: Steel Bat enemies in the Pirates’ Hideout.

Flash

A simple attack, Flash attempts to inflict the Blind status effect on all enemies. It costs 7 MP.

  • Learn from: Crew Dust, Ramuh, Neon, Gilgamesh, Necrophobe, Azulmagia, Parthenope
    • Headstone (requires enemy’s MP to be healed)
    • Orukat, Stone Mask (requires MP healing and Beastmaster control)
  • Earliest acquisition: Headstone on the North Mountain; use an Ether on Headstone to allow it to use the attack.

Pond’s Chorus

An attack we all hate to be on the receiving end of, this Blue Magic inflicts the annoying Toad status effect on one target. It costs 5MP.

  • Learn from: Elf Toad, Archeotoad, Kornago, Farfarello, Gilgamesh, Azulmagia. Lemure
    • Vilia (requires Beastmaster control)
  • Earliest acquisition: Elf Toad enemies found in Walse Tower. The Elf Toad will only use this spell if they’re alone; kill other enemies first to encourage them to cast it.

Moon Flute

Maddeningly enough, this spell casts Berserk on your entire party. Highly situational, but good for heavy-duty bludgeoning. It costs 3MP.

  • Learn from: Jackanapes, Page 256, Mykale
  • Earliest acquisition: Jackanapes in Walse Tower. Bear in mind, this is a very difficult battle unless you’re seriously overleveled. 

????

I mean, this is arguably the most mysterious spell in the game, without a name or any description whatsoever. We can tell you what it does, though - at the cost of 3MP, it deals piercing non-elemental damage to one target. The damage dealt will be equal to your max HP minus your current HP - meaning the tankier you are, the harder it’ll hit.

  • Learn from: Kuza Beast, Tyrannosaur, Wild Nakk, Behemoth, Azulmagia
    • King Behemoth, Mecha Head, Traveler (requires Beastmaster control)
    • Gel Fish, Numb Blade (requires Beastmaster control & MP restore)
  • Earliest acquisition: Wild Nakk, the wolf-like enemies found in the forests next to Karnak Castle on the world map overworld. These enemies are also a great way to grind for Gil.

Self Destruct

FF fans will know this move well as the signature move of the Bomb enemies that are a beloved series staple (if beloved is the word…). In FF5, the Blue Magic skill only costs 1 MP and deals damage equal to the caster’s HP to a single enemy… but it also kills the caster dead. 

  • Learn from: Motor Trap, Bomb, Purobolos, Grenade, Gilgamesh
    • Prototype, Unknown (Beastmaster required)
  • Earliest acquisition: Motor Trap, the enemy found on the Fire-Powered Ship. You can make this enemy instantly cast Self Destruct; just hit it with Thunder element magic. 

Aera

Remember earlier, how we could get Aero in the Wind Shrine? Well, the next level of Wind element magic is also Blue Magic. It costs 10 MP and deals Wind element damage to enemies, naturally.

  • Learn from: Gigas, Enchanted Fan, Page 32, Gilgamesh, Enkidu, Abductor, Azulmagia
    • Galajelly (Beastmaster control required)
  • Earliest acquisition: Learn this Blue Magic from Gigas enemies in Karnak Castle; these enemies are rare encounters from the treasure chests that trigger battles.

Death Claw

A powerful skill that swipes at an enemy, aiming to lower their HP to a single-digit value, so 9 or less. It also inflicts paralyze, and costs 21 MP to cast.

  • Learn from: Death Claw, Treant, Gilgamesh, Soul Eater, Iron Claw, Azulmagia
    • Objet d’Art, Strapparer (Beastmaster required)
  • Earliest acquisition: From the Iron Claw boss battle that you tackle in Karnak Castle - though it’s not nice to get hit with this one in this battle!

Aqua Breath

Despite the watery-sounding name, this attack actually dishes out non-elemental damage - though it does deal far more damage to desert dwelling enemies. It costs 38 MP to cast.

  • Learn from: Dhorme Chimera, Manticore, Leviathan, Bahamut, Crystal, Enuo, Famed Mimic Gogo, Azulmagia
    • Aquagel (Beastmaster required)
  • Earliest acquisition: Dhorme Chimera, first found in the Library of the Ancients area. 

Transfusion

A move you’ll be unlikely to break out except for in exceptional circumstances, this costs 13 MP and makes the user sacrifice themselves completely in order to restore the HP and MP of a chosen target fully. 

  • Learn from: Mithril Dragon, Gargoyle, Birosotris, Devilfish, Unknown #169, Mover (Beastmaster always required)
  • Earliest acquisition: From the first listed, the Mythril Dragon enemy in the Library of the Ancients. You’ll need to force it to cast the move with a Beastmaster.

Missile

A simple attack, it aims to lower a target’s HP to one quarter of whatever it’s current HP value is. This Blue Magic spell costs 7 MP to cast.

  • Learn from: Prototype, Rocket Launcher, Enkidu, Gilgamesh, Mecha Head, Soul Cannon, Azulmagia
  • Motor Trap (Beastmaster required)
  • Earliest acquisition: Pick it up from Motor Trap, found on the Fire-Powered Ship. You’ll need to use a Beastmaster, though.

Level 5 Death

One of the most sought-after spells and a true Final Fantasy classic that actually made its debut in FF5 (it went on to appear in the subsequent four games also), this instantly kill enemies whose level is a multiple of 5. Dead. Gone. Done. It only costs 22 MP, too!

  • Learn from: Page 64, Level Checker, Executor, Enuo, Azulmagia
  • Level Tricker (Beastmaster required)
  • Earliest acquisition: Page 64, which of course is found in the Library of the Ancients.
  • Level 5 Death Note: There’s a catch with this particular skill! Because a spell has to be cast on you successfully for you to learn it as Blue Magic, that means your learner will have to be a level divisible by 5 (aka, a level number ending in 0 or 5) and then have the spell cast on them by Page 64 or any other monster. After that, finish the battle to learn the skill. The point is, having it cast on you and failing because you’re an incompatible level will not net you the blue magic spell. 

Off-Guard

Cuts the target’s defense stat in half. Straightforward stuff. 19MP a pop.

  • Learn from: Magic Dragon, Ziggurat Gigas, Ushabti, Azulmagia
  • Page 256, Shadow, The Damned (Beastmaster required)
  • Earliest acquisition: Page 256 in the Library of the Ancients.

Magic Hammer

Cuts the target’s MP stat in half. Just as straightforward as Off-Guard! This one costs 3MP to cast.

  • Learn from: Byblos, Drippy, Apanda, Azulmagia
  • Oiseaerare, Cursed Being (Beastmaster required)
  • Earliest acquisition: Fetch it from Byblos, the boss fight in Library of the Ancients.

Dark Spark

Another half-stat spell. This cuts the target’s level in half, making it a convenient move against some of the game’s hardier foes.

  • Learn from: Black Flame, Strapparer, Ushabti, Azulmagia
  • Shadow, Druid (Beastmaster required)
  • Earliest acquisition: Look for the Black Flame monster on the islands near the town of Crescent.

Flame Thrower

A predictably Fire-elemental spell that dishes decent damage out against a single target for just 5MP.

  • Learn from: Prototype, Mecha Head, Flame Thrower, Omega, Triton, Great Dragon, Azulmagia
  • Mindflayer (Beastmaster required)
  • Earliest acquisition: While you’re out looking for a Black Flame on the islands near Crescent, be sure to look for a Prototype as well.

White Wind

Another Final Fantasy series staple, White Wind will restore the party’s HP by however much health the caster has at the time of casting. Excellent in a pinch, especially if your caster is in far better shape than the rest of the team.

  • Learn from: Enchanted Fan, Dark Elemental, White Flame, Hellraiser, Enkidu, Parthenope, Necromancer, Azulmagia (Beastmaster is necessary for all of the above)
  • Earliest acquisition: Have a Beastmaster use Control on an Enchanted Fan during your trip through the Ronka Ruins.

1000 Needles

The famous attack of the Cactuar throughout the FF series, it deals 1000 Damage to one target. 

  • Learn from: Lamia Queen, Azulmagia
  • Lamia, Cactus, Hedgehog, Lemure, Mykale (Beastmaster required)
  • Earliest acquisition: Look for Lamia in the Ronka Ruins. Bring a Beastmaster.

Level 4 Graviga

Enemies whose levels are a multiple of 4 will find their HP reduced to just 1/4 of its prior amount for the relatively low price of 9MP. Another one of those Blue Magic spells that can be a huge boon in the right situation.

  • Learn from: Ghidra, Level Tricker, Level Checker, Executor, Azulmagia.
  • Earliest acquisition: Ghidra in the Ronka Ruins. Make sure your learner’s level is divisible by 4.

Time Slip

An unpleasant reminder of the mortality in us all, Time Slip casts Old and Sleep on your target for 9MP. While Sleep is self-explanatory, Old will slowly but steadily reduce a foe’s level and speed stat.

  • Learn from: Traveler, Gilgamesh, Azulmagia
  • Cherie, Mykale (Beastmaster required)
  • Earliest acquisition: The Traveler enemy, which can be found in Barrier Tower.

Level 3 Flare

Casts the extremely powerful Flare spell on all enemies whose levels are divisible by 3. An exquisitely handy backup plan if the going gets rough… and you just so happen to battling the right opponents. 18MP.

  • Learn from: Level Checker, Executor, Tunneler, Exdeath, Shinryu
  • Red Dragon, Archeosaur (Beastmaster required)
  • Earliest acquisition: You can learn Level 3 Flare by the Red Dragon found in the Monster-in-a-box treasure chest at Barrier Tower.
  • Level 3 Flare Note: like the other ‘Level’ spells, you’ll need to be the correct level to learn this. The learner must be a level divisible by 3, and then have the move successfully cast on them.

Level 2 Old

Hits all foes with levels divisible by 2 with the Old debuff, lowering their stats over a period of time throughout battle. 11MP.

  • Learn from: Magic Dragon, Level Checker, Executor, Shinryu, Azulmagia
  • Level Tricker (Beastmaster required)
  • Earliest acquisition: The Level Tricker enemy at Barrier Tower.
  • Level 2 Old Note: to learn this, you must be a character level divisible by 2; only then will it successfully cast on you and allow you to learn it.

Aeroga

As you may have guessed, Aeroga is the most powerful incarnation of the Wind-elemental spell line Blue Mages uniquely possess. Smack your enemies with this and they’ll feel the pain. 24MP a cast.

  • Learn from: Metamorph, Magic Dragon, Elm Gigas, Baldanders, Dark Elemental, Grand Aevis, Enchanted Fan, Neo Exdeath
  • Cherie, Ziggurat Gigas (Beastmaster required)
  • Earliest acquisition: The Metamorph foe in Ghido’s Cave uses Aeroga whenever it’s assumed the form of an Enchanted Fan.

Lilliputian Lyric

Minimize your threat with Lilliputian Lyric, which inflicts a single target with the dreaded Mini status, 5MP.

  • Learn from: Mini Magician, Gilgamesh, Cherie, Farfarello, Azulmagia
  • Vilia, Mykale (Beastmaster required)
  • Earliest acquisition: Mini Magician in the Great Forest of Moore.

Doom

When Doom is cast, a 30-second timer will appear over the target’s head. As soon as those 30 seconds are up, the target dies. Ouch. 10MP.

  • Learn from: Death Dealer, Unknown, Exdeath
  • Jackanapes, The Damned (Beastmaster required)
  • Earliest acquisition: Jackanapes. But as we’ve previously noted, he’s going to be one tough customer when you first reach Walse Tower.

Roulette

A tricky spell that randomly chooses, and kills, one target. The thing is, it cycles through the entire battle list — including your party. Not for the faint of heart, and not the most useful Blue Magic ability for that matter.

  • Learn from: Parthenope, Death Dealer, Shinryu, Azulmagia
  • Earliest acquisition: You can learn Roulette from Parthenope in the Phoenix Tower.

Mighty Guard

One of the most famous Blue Magic spells around, Mighty Guard is a triple whammy, casting Protect, Shell, and Float upon your entire party. The only catch is its 72MP cost.

  • Learn from: Ironclad, Stingray, Shinryu, Azulmagia; all of which need to be controlled via Beastmaster.
  • Earliest acquisition: learn this Blue Magic from the Stingray enemy, found in the waters just above the sunken Walse Tower, after the two worlds merge. You can get there via airship. As with all options for this move, you'll need to use a Beastmaster to force the Stingray to cast it.

Mind Blast

This one hits one target for moderate damage whilst inflicting them with the Sap and Paralyze spells for just 6MP.

  • Learn from: Wendigo, Mindflayer, Twintania, Azulmagia
  • Earliest acquisition: The Wendigo foe has this in the Island Shrine dungeon.