Rydia learns 15 summons across Final Fantasy 4. Six come from the story, five from optional boss fights and a side quest, and four from rare item drops. Learning all non-secret summons unlocks the Summon Master trophy; collecting all four secret drops unlocks Summon Collector.
All summons
| Summon | Attack | MP | Source | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chocobo | Chocobo Kick | 7 | Story | Already known |
| Mist Dragon | Mist Breath | 20 | Story | Learned automatically |
| Titan | Gaia's Wrath | 40 | Story | Learned automatically |
| Shiva | Diamond Dust | 30 | Story | Learned automatically |
| Ramuh | Bolt of Judgement | 30 | Story | Learned automatically |
| Ifrit | Hellfire | 30 | Story | Learned automatically |
| Asura | Asura | 50 | Boss fight | Land of Summons |
| Leviathan | Tsunami | 50 | Boss fight | Land of Summons |
| Odin | Zantetsuken | 55 | Boss fight | Castle Baron basement |
| Sylph | Whisperwind | 20 | Side quest | Sylvan Cave / Fabul |
| Bahamut | Mega Flare | 60 | Boss fight | Cave of Bahamut (Moon) |
| Goblin | Goblin Punch | 1 | Rare drop | Overworld (Baron area) |
| Cockatrice | Petrifying Beak | 15 | Rare drop | Overworld (Mysidia area) |
| Mind Flayer | Mind Blast | 18 | Rare drop | Magnetic Cavern |
| Bomb | Self-Destruct | 10 | Rare drop | Moon (Western Lunar Path) |
Story summons
Rydia starts with Chocobo and learns five more through story progression. These are all automatic; you can't miss them. She loses access to white magic when she returns as an adult but keeps every summon she's learned.
- Chocobo (7 MP) - Known from the start. Weak single-target damage, but costs almost nothing
- Mist Dragon (20 MP) - Moderate damage to all enemies
- Titan (40 MP) - Earth damage to all enemies. Learned after the Leviathan event
- Shiva (30 MP) - Ice damage to all enemies
- Ramuh (30 MP) - Lightning damage to all enemies
- Ifrit (30 MP) - Fire damage to all enemies
Shiva, Ramuh, and Ifrit are all learned when adult Rydia rejoins the party. They cost the same MP and deal roughly equal damage, so pick whichever matches the enemy's weakness. Titan hits harder but costs more and can't be used in certain encounters.
Optional summons (boss fights)
Five summons come from optional content: four boss fights and one side quest. None are missable, though Sylph has an early route (with a bonus item) and a late route.
Asura
Location: Land of Summons (Underworld, through Cave of Summons). Available: After the Falcon gets its lava upgrade. MP: 50.
Asura randomly casts Raise, Protect, or Curaga on whoever she's targeting. The trick is that she also casts these on herself; Reflect on Asura redirects her healing to your party. Cast Protect on your own team to soften her physical counters, then let Rydia use Titan while Kain jumps. Rosa handles healing. Long fight, but not a dangerous one.
Leviathan
Location: Land of Summons (same room as Asura; beat Asura first). MP: 50.
Heal at the inn before this fight. Leviathan's Tidal Wave hits the whole party for 300+ damage, but Rosa's Curaja covers it. Have Rydia use Bio (the boss is weak to thunder, but Bio is stronger and instant-cast), Cecil and Edge attack, Kain jump. Cast Slow on Leviathan and Shell on your party for an easier time.
Odin
Location: Castle Baron, East Tower basement. Available: After defeating Asura and Leviathan. MP: 55.
Timed fight. Odin raises his sword and if he finishes the countdown, Zantetsuken wipes your entire party. Blast him with everything: Bahamut summon from Rydia, Holy from Rosa, Jump from Kain, Attack from Cecil and Edge. Wait until you have Bahamut before attempting this or you'll likely run out of time. Lightning-based attacks (Thundaga, Ramuh, Edge's Blitz) also work well here.
Sylph
Location: Sylvan Cave (Underworld, northwest corner). MP: 20.
Sylph drains HP from one enemy and distributes it to the party. Useful for sustained healing during long fights. There are two routes to get it:
Early route (recommended): Visit Sylvan Cottage inside Sylvan Cave and talk to everyone, including the sleeping Yang. Leave through the warp pad on the second floor. After getting the airship drill and returning to the Overworld, fly to Fabul Castle. Go to the West Tower 3F and talk to Yang's wife to receive a Frying Pan. Return to Sylvan Cottage and use the Frying Pan on Yang. Rydia learns Sylph, and you can return the Frying Pan to Yang's wife for the Knife (a strong throwing weapon for Edge).
Late route: After clearing the Giant of Babel, visit Sylvan Cottage and talk to the Sylphs directly. You'll get the summon but miss the Knife.
Bahamut
Location: Cave of Bahamut (Moon, east side of the map). Available: After defeating Leviathan. MP: 60.
The strongest summon in the game. Bahamut counts down from five, then fires Mega Flare for massive damage. Cast Reflect on your entire party using Rosa and FuSoYa; Mega Flare bounces back at Bahamut for heavy damage. Meanwhile, have Rydia use Flare, Cast Slow on Bahamut, and attack with Cecil and Edge. Reflect makes this fight much easier than it looks.
Secret summons (rare drops)
Four summons drop as items from specific enemy types. The drop rates are low, so buy Sirens from Hummingway Home on the Moon (3,000 gil each) to guarantee the right encounters. After getting the item, use it from the Items menu so Rydia actually learns the spell.
Grinding setup: Put Siren at the top of your item list (Items → Sort → Custom), set Battle Speed and Messages to Very Fast, and turn on Continue Auto-Battle. This cuts the grind significantly.
Goblin
Drop from: Goblin (#001). Area: Overworld near Baron/Mt. Hobs. Siren: Spawns Goblin x6. Effect: Goblin Punch (1 MP, weak single-target damage).
The easiest secret summon to farm. Goblins appear in groups of 6-9 right outside Mt. Hobs and die in one hit at endgame levels. Li'l Murderer in the Lunar Subterrane can also drop it. You don't even need Sirens for this one, but they speed things up.
Cockatrice
Drop from: Cockatrice (#031). Area: Overworld near Mysidia. Siren: Spawns Cockatrice x3. Effect: Petrifying Beak (15 MP, attempts Petrify on one enemy).
Fly to the Mysidia area and use Sirens on the Overworld. Three Cockatrices per fight means three chances at the drop each time.
Mind Flayer
Drop from: Mind Flayer (#057). Area: Magnetic Cavern (B1 entrance). Siren: Spawns Mind Flayer x2. Effect: Mind Blast (18 MP, damage + Paralyze).
Reach Magnetic Cavern by flying a Black Chocobo from the Chocobo Village north of Troia. Use Sirens at the dungeon entrance. Two Mind Flayers spawn per Siren, so the drop takes a bit longer than Goblin or Cockatrice.
Bomb
Drop from: Balloon (#092) and Dark Grenade (#133). Area: Western Lunar Path (Moon). Siren: Does not work. Effect: Self-Destruct (10 MP, damage equal to Rydia's current HP).
The hardest secret summon to farm because Sirens don't guarantee the right encounter here. Run around the Western Lunar Path and flee from anything that isn't a Balloon or Dark Grenade group (hold L1 + R1). Both enemy types can drop the item, so at least you've got two sources. A good auto-battle setup: Cecil, Kain, and Edge on Attack, Rosa on Pray, Rydia on Thundaga. This clears non-target encounters quickly and keeps your HP topped off. Don't mistake Bomb Fragment or Bomb Core drops for the summon item; it'll be listed as just "Bomb" in your inventory.
Siren item
The Siren forces a battle with the rarest enemy group in your current area. It's the key to efficient summon farming and also helps with Pink Tail grinding and level 70 EXP farming later.
Where to get Sirens:
- Buy: Hummingway Home on the Moon, 3,000 gil each (stock up here)
- Steal: Security Eye (Tower of Babel Underground), Searcher (Giant of Babel)
- Drop: Tunneler, Arachne, Security Eye, Searcher, Green Dragon, Yellow Dragon
Edge can steal unlimited Sirens from a single Security Eye or Searcher encounter, making the Tower of Babel and Giant of Babel good sources before you reach the Moon. But once you can buy them at Hummingway Home, there's no reason to farm; just buy a stack.