"Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII" and the 10 Coolest Special Costumes

Were you a fan of Final Fantasy VIII, then read on.

Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

In the third Final Fantasy XIII,Lightning spends most of the end of days as a singular savior.

Yet in battle, she's actually a party of three. Having three suitable outfits in the field is crucial if she's to survive the hostilities of The Wildlands, the fanatics of Luxerion, as well as the game's two other areas.

Having played through Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, we've picked the most 10 tasteful and often practical outfits that stood out, including a few novel choices that are capable of more than boosting your stats across the board.

10. The sleek and slick Cold Rebellion.

We actually didn't use this much though you might appreciate its HP boost. We simply liked how the unified dark color scheme worked.

9. Endurance, the Lara Croft outfit.

With Crystal Dynamic's critically acclaimed reboot still fresh in our minds (especially since The Definitive Edition just came out), we weren't surprised to learn of this outfit. She wears the Lara Croft look well, but curiously enough, she also resembles another Square Enix survivor: Parasite Eve's Aya Brea.

8. Soldier of Peace makes an impact.

You earn this useful outfit in a Wildlands quest. It offers a one-two punch: the stunning Shadowbind attack and it converts Heavy Slash into the effective Artemis' Arrows.

7. The surprisingly versatile Midnight Mauve.

This elegant dress is one of the more impractical outfits you'll find though it's deceptively durable. It is also required in a couple of the game's quests.

6. SOLDIER First Class, the Cloud look.

As novel outfits go, this is a no-brainer, not to mention another teasing reminder that a Final Fantasy VII remake still hasn't happened. You can get this by ordering the Collector's Edition.

5. The self-healing Dragoon.

This is one of the more intimidating looking outfits. If your playthrough is anything like ours, this outfit will also introduce you to the Lancet (at Level 3 no less). It's an attack that proves useful for several hours of the game because it heals with every hit.

4. Lightning as Aerith, aka Midgar's Flower Girl.

Even though there are also special edition outfits from Final Fantasy X, X-2, XIII, and XIII-2, we just couldn't help come back to FFVII, especially when it's an ensemble as memorable as Aerith's flower girl outfit. You can also get this by ordering the Collector's Edition.

3. The holy Sacred Knight.

There's no other set of armor in the game that makes Lightning look like she's going on a holy crusade. It's a fitting ensemble for one of the later battles and as such, looks great in many of the cutscenes.

2. The reliable Black Mage.

There are other colored mage outfits in this game, but it was the Black Mage that stood out. Lightning's confident expression at the end of battle also complemented the piece. A 10% magic stat boosts helps as well.

1. The long-lasting Velvet Bouncer.

This was the first outfit that got us on the road to experimenting with different garb. With its attack boost, it managed to stay in our active rotation for a very long time. And with Lightning's often-serious attitude, it fits her. It accessorizes well with a number of hats or a Moogle.