Barrier Shift is a state that several bosses enter to severely limit the ways they can be damaged. Each time it is used, one of the four elements is chosen at random to be x1 damage. The other elements become absorbed, and nonelemental damage is nullified to x0.
It does not matter if the source of the damage is a Physical Attack, Magic, or Item. All that matters is the element at play. However, unlike Physical Attacks and Magic, Items with no element do x1, effectively bypassing Barrier Shift entirely.
In all cases, there is a clue the party can use to pinpoint the vulnerable element with 100% accuracy.
Regular Barrier Shift[]
Monsters in this group use Barrier Shift and then attack with the element that they are weak to (Fire => Fire, Ice => Ice, etc.).
Reverse Barrier Shift[]
Monsters in this group use Barrier Shift and then attack with the opposite element that they are weak to (Fire <=> Ice, Thunder <=> Holy).
Special Cases[]
- Magus: Uses a regular Barrier Shift, but Barrier Shift is removed every time he lowers his guard. Unless and until he casts Barrier Shift again, he will be fully vulnerable to all elemental and nonelemental attacks.
- Elizabeth: Every attack she uses changes the elemental affinity. In general, she is vulnerable to the opposite element, but it's more complicated than just that. The following describes her vulnerability following each type of attack:
- First turn: Everything
- Fire: Ice attacks
- Ice: Fire attacks
- Thunder: Holy attacks
- Holy: Thunder attacks
- Megidolaon: Nonelemental items
- Everything else: Nonelemental attacks
- Margaret: Works the same as Elizabeth. However, only the final attack she uses on a given turn matters. The first attack does change her vulnerability, but the second changes it again before the party can attack.