Final Fantasy X: Overdrives Guide

Overdrives are Final Fantasy X’s version of Limit Breaks. It allows a character to use a special attack that’s unique to them. Overdrives have a wide variety of effects depending on the character, from powerful attacks to buffing your party. Some bosses within the game even have their own Overdrives.

How to Access Your Overdrive

In battle, every character in your party will have a bar under their name and stats, showing how close you are to being able to execute the Overdrive. How you fill the bar depends on how you set your Overdrive Mode (see Overdrive Modes below). Once your bar is filled, press left on the menu, and the character’s Overdrive will be the only option (for example, Tidus will show Swordplay to select). Each character has their own unique way of executing their Overdrive properly.

overdrive bars
Rikku has half of her Overdrive bar filled, while Tidus has a full bar.

Overdrive Modes

A character’s Overdrive Mode determines how the character’s Overdrive bar will fill.

  • By default, every character starts in Stoic mode, which requires them to take damage to fill their bar.
  • In order to learn a new mode, you must fulfill the condition for it a certain number of times.

Once a new mode is learned, you can choose your Overdrive Mode in the Overdrive menu. Each character must learn these modes individually, and each character has their own conditions to learn each mode.

overdrive modes
NameFill ConditionTurns for TidusTurns for YunaTurns for WakkaTurns for LuluTurns for KimahriTurns for AuronTurn for Rikku
StoicFills when the character takes damage.DefaultDefaultDefaultDefaultDefaultDefaultDefault
WarriorFills when the character damages an enemy. Does not apply to items and Overdrives.150200160300120100140
ComradeFills when an ally takes damage.300240100100100220100
HealerFills when healing an ally.806011017010020070
TacticianFills when inflicting a status effect to an enemy.7510080756011090
VictimFills when inflicted with a status effect.120100110130100160125
DancerFills when evading an attack.250200200300130200200
AvengerFills when an enemy KOs an ally.1008010015010012090
SlayerFills when the character kills an enemy.1001109013012080100
HeroFills when the character kills an enemy with at least 10,000 HP, or at least 20x more HP than the estimated damage.50505070454050
RookFills when the character reduces or nullifies damage with buffs (such as Shell).120110120120120120120
VictorFills when winning a battle and being an active member.120150160200120200140
CowardFills when escaping from battle.6009004009807001000450
AllyFills at the start of the character’s turn.600500350480300450320
SuffererFills at the start of the character’s turn if inflicted with a status effect.1008010011013012090
DaredevilFills at the start of the character’s turn if they’re at critical HP.17090140150200260110
LoanerFills at the start of the character’s turn if fighting alone.60180110459035170

Characters’ Overdrives

Each character has their own unique set of Overdrive skills. They all have a different way of executing their Overdrives and learning new ones. Below are short summaries of each of the characters’ Overdrives, where you can find links to more in depth guides for them.

Tidus

Tidus’s Overdrive is Swordplay. All of them do damage to either a single target or the enemy party, and he learns them by using the Swordplays he already knows a certain amount of times.

Yuna

Yuna’s Overdrive is Grand Summon. When used, she will summon a chosen Aeon with a full Overdrive bar. Yuna and all of her Aeons have only one Overdrive that they already know by default. The only exceptions are Valefor, who has a secret second Overdrive you can find, and Yojimbo, who has no Overdrives at all.

Wakka

Wakka’s Overdrives are Slots. Depending on which Slots you use, it can be used to deal damage, inflict negative status effects, or a combination of both. He can learn new Slots through playing Blitzball.

Lulu

Lulu’s Overdrive is Fury. When used, she will cast the selected Black Magic spell a certain number of times, depending on how well the Overdrive is executed. She will automatically learn a new Fury when she learns the corresponding Black Magic spell in her Sphere Grid.

Kimahri

Kimahri’s Overdrive is Ronso Rage. There are a variety of possible effects depending on which Ronso Rage is used, from damaging enemies, to buffing your party. He learns new Ronso Rages by using Lancet on various enemies found throughout the game.

Auron

Auron’s Overdrive is Bushido. They all do damage to either a single target or the enemy party, and when executed properly, can add an additional effect. He learns new Bushido skills by gathering Jecht Spheres scattered throughout Spira.

Rikku

Rikku’s Overdrive is Mix. When used, she will combine two selected items to create one of many different possible effects. Rikku doesn’t need to learn her various Mixes, but you must have the required items, and figure out which combination of them you need for the desired effect.

Share this article:
KainHighwind27
KainHighwind27

I'm a huge gamer who especially loves the Final Fantasy series. I will play just about any game, especially if it has anything resembling a Dragoon.

Articles: 928
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments