Eight summons exist in Final Fantasy 3, usable by three jobs: Evoker, Summoner, and Sage. Five can be purchased at magic shops; the other three require defeating optional bosses. Equipping all eight to a single character unlocks a trophy.
All summons
| Lv | Spell | Summon | Location | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Escape | Chocobo | Replito / Doga's Village | 100 |
| 2 | Icen | Shiva | Replito / Doga's Village | 700 |
| 3 | Spark | Ramuh | Replito / Doga's Village | 1,500 |
| 4 | Heatra | Ifrit | Replito / Doga's Village | 3,000 |
| 5 | Hyper | Titan | Replito / Doga's Village | 5,000 |
| 6 | Catastro | Odin | Saronia Catacombs | Boss drop |
| 7 | Leviath | Leviathan | Lake Dohr | Boss drop |
| 8 | Bahamur | Bahamut | Bahamut's Lair | Boss drop |
Purchasable summons
Five summons are sold at magic shops in Replito and Doga's Village. Replito becomes available after freeing the Enterprise in the Amur & Goldor chapter; Doga's Village opens once you reach the Dalg Continent. Both shops stock the same spells at the same prices.
- Escape (Chocobo) - 100 gil
- Icen (Shiva) - 700 gil
- Spark (Ramuh) - 1,500 gil
- Heatra (Ifrit) - 3,000 gil
- Hyper (Titan) - 5,000 gil
Buy all five as soon as you can. The total cost is 10,300 gil, and having them equipped early makes grinding faster (especially with an Evoker, whose lower MP cost keeps you in the field longer). But don't wait for Doga's Village if you've already reached Replito; the stock is identical.
Boss drop summons
Three summons come from defeating optional bosses. Each boss guards a dungeon you can tackle after receiving the Eureka Key and Syrcus Key from Doga's Grotto. Full dungeon maps and boss strategies are in the Optional Summons walkthrough chapter.
- Catastro (Odin) - defeat Odin in the Saronia Catacombs
- Leviath (Leviathan) - defeat Leviathan at Lake Dohr
- Bahamur (Bahamut) - defeat Bahamut in Bahamut's Lair
All three are also sold at the Eureka magic shop inside the Crystal Tower (Catastro for 45,000 gil, Leviath for 55,000, Bahamur for 65,000). If you skipped the optional bosses, you can still buy them there.
Evoker vs Summoner
Two jobs specialize in summons, and they handle them differently.
Evoker (Water Crystal): When an Evoker casts a summon, one of two effects triggers randomly: a White (defensive/support) effect or a Black (offensive) effect. You can't control which one fires. Lower MP cost makes it practical for random encounters, but the randomness is a liability against bosses.
Summoner (Earth Crystal): Full control. You pick the summon and it always deals damage to all enemies. Summoners also unlock High Summon versions (stronger, higher MP cost) for each spell. Better for boss fights when you need guaranteed output.
Sage (Eureka): Sages can equip summons alongside white and black magic. They're the only job that does everything, unlocked late in the Crystal Tower. If you want one caster who handles all eight summons plus Curaja and Flare, Sage is it.