Lightning's Levels – 11 shown
Lightning starts at level 1, and may freely set her level to any she has earned; level 0 is not initially available, but can be unlocked through game play
Level
Lightning's strength at this level; a standard physical attack will deal approximately this amount of damage
Strength
Lightning's magic power at this level ; a typical magic attack will deal approximately this amount of damage
Magic
Maximum HP
ATB Gauge
The total CP required to unlock this level; unlike normal party members, Lightning does not spend CP to unlock abilities, but rather accumulates it in the manner of typical RPG experience points
CP Required
10 9,999 9,999 999,999 6 1,690
9 2,400 2,400 120,000 6 1,290
8 1,850 1,850 75,000 6 970
7 1,500 1,500 55,000 5 730
6 1,350 1,350 49,000 5 570
5 1,350 1,350 43,000 5 330
4 1,350 1,350 37,000 5 250
3 1,250 1,250 31,000 5 150
2 1,250 1,250 25,000 5 40
1 1,250 1,250 20,000 4 0
0 1,150 1,150 15,000 4 0
Lightning's Abilities – 17 shown
Monster abilities can only be learned by tamed monsters; exclusive abilities can only be learned by one of your two main characters; feral link abilities are monster-specific special abilities; DLC abilities are only available if you have the relevant content
Name
Role
The first level where this ability becomes available to Lightning; abilities with no level indicated are available at any level, including level 0
Level
Type ATB Cost Element
Attack Paladin - Physical 1 -
Ruin Paladin - Magic 1 -
Blitz Paladin 6 Physical 4 -
Ruinga Paladin 6 Magic 4 -
Launch Paladin - Automatic Auto -
Smite Paladin 1 Automatic Auto -
Scourge Paladin 1 Automatic Auto -
Thunder Mage - Magic 1 Lightning
Thundara Mage 4 Magic 2 Lightning
Thundaga Mage 7 Magic 4 Lightning
Galestrike Shaman - Physical 1 Wind
WindstormDLC Shaman 4 Physical 2 Wind
BladestormDLC Shaman 7 Physical 4 Wind
ImmortalityDLC Knight - Defense 1 -
ChaosDLC Sorcerer 6 Magic 5 -
AuraDLC Conjurer 5 Magic 5 -
Mighty GuardDLC Conjurer 3 Magic 5 -

Leveling Lightning

Lightning, available in the Lightning: Requiem Of The Goddess DLC, advances differently than any other character or tamed monster. Her play experience is entirely self-contained, and consists of a pair of battles that she can repeat endlessly. The core mechanic at play is that she earns CP even if she loses. As a result, if you have trouble at first, you will eventually become stronger until you are able to claim victory. (It is virtually impossible to lose at level 10, should it come to that.)

Lightning gains CP after each battle, but unlike other characters, she never spends this CP. Hitting certain CP thresholds will automatically level her up. It is entirely possible to gain more than one level at a time after a particularly well-fought battle. You will also gain 10,000 CP for winning the second fight, which will immediately unlock every level. Note that Lightning's battle will end unless you earn five stars on the first fight. You will generally earn a maximum of 100 CP from this fight, so the key to rapid advancement is, as you might expect, rapid victory.

It is of particular note that Lightning does not have to fight at her current level—she can adjust her level down to make the battles more of a challenge. This has the added effect of increasing her score multiplier. Winning at low levels is the key to really high scores. Note that level 0 is not unlocked through CP accumulation, but rather is a reward for winning the second battle for the first time. This is a challenge mode with (relatively) low stats and less abilities even than those known at level 1.

Lightning's Roles

It is worth noting that Lightning's roles differ from those found elsewhere in the game in more than just name. She has two Ravager-based roles, and none based on the Medic. (Healing is available in the form of 5 Potions and one Elixir per attempt, and use of her Legion of One Feral Link ability will also restore a small amount of HP.) These roles don't play exactly like the roles they are based on—the Shaman, for instance, can keep a chain gauge from dropping much better than a typical Ravager, while the Mage is more traditional in this respect. It's especially worth noting that the Conjurer and Sorcerer both fill their ATB gauges incredibly slowly—consider switching to them when you have an ATB refresh available, or doing so when Lightning's ATB gauge is already full from another role.