Quickenings
Quickenings are powerful combos that consume the Mist Charges of one to three party members. The power of the attack is based upon the combination of attacks executed to release a devastating finishing attack or "Concurrence." This is much like a slot machine. As the initial attack occurs, up to three lines of text appear in the bottom-right corner of the screen, one line for each character participating in the attack. These lines randomly cycle through four possible outcomes. With a little luck, there will be a white line or two available from which to choose, but eventually three gray lines will appear.
Concurrences
Concurrences arrive at the very end of a Quickening when certain conditions have been met. The conditions are based upon the number of level 1, 2, and 3 attacks that are used during the Quickening. Any damage caused by a Concurrence is non-elemental. The names may make them seem like elemental attacks, but resistances don't come into play.
Requirements
| Concurrence | Power | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Hole | 253 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Whiteout | 215 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Ark Blast | 205 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Luminescence | 175 | --- | --- | 5 |
| Windburst | 155 | --- | 5 | --- |
| Torrent | 130 | 2 | 3 | --- |
| Cataclysm | 110 | 7 | --- | --- |
| Inferno | 90 | 3 | --- | --- |
Quickening on the License Board
There are 18 Quickening panels scattered around the board. Each character can unlock as many as three Quickening panels, but note that once a panel is unlocked it is immediately removed from the other characters license boards. So just be cautious and plan ahead which characters will go after which panels, so you spend your License Points efficiently.
It pays to go after these panels early in the game, because Quickenings are very powerful attacks. They can often decimate a group of enemies or a boss. Upon unlocking a second and third Quickening panel, the character also gains an additional Mist Charge. The Mist Charge is equal to the character's maximum MP.
Mist Charges
Mist charges are the small division of Mist Points that you can spend to summon an Esper or use a Quickening. Each character can obtain up to three Mist Charges. The first charge is obtained when the character unlocks his or her first Quickening or Summoning spot on the License Board. The second and third charges are obtained when the character unlocks his or her second and third Quickenings on the license board respectively.
Even if you are not planning on summoning Espers or using Quickenings (some argue that they are useless in this game), it is still a good idea to unlock these charges as soon as possible. The second and third charges allow your character to hold a higher max of MP.