A recurring summon within the franchise, Shiva has always been depicted as female-bodied entity capable of wielding greatly destructive powers with an ice aspect. Her ultimate finishing move is known as Diamond Dust. She first appeared in FFIII and has been featured in every main numbered title since (as well as more than a few spin-off titles), with the only exception to the rule being FFXII, where all recurring summons were repurposed into aircraft names and made way for a different set of summoned beasts.

In FFXIV she gains for once a backstory leading up to the events of Heavensward (2015). First appearing in Patch 2.4 "Dreams of Ice", a young heretic by the name of Ysayle calls the likeness of the long-dead Saint Shiva unto herself and transforms into a Primal, a god-like being brought forth by great amounts of aether and capable of wreaking untold destruction to the land. The Warrior of Light is tasked with defeating Shiva.

The Shiva statuette belongs to the Meister Quality line. Standing at around 25cm tall, including a base of around 5cm, she comes with an emote for your in-game Warrior of Light that renders you capable of mimicking Ysayle's transformation. Alas, without turning you into a god yourself.



Unfortunately, my Shiva statue is broken. She wields the sword and shield that she calls upon in battle as one of two weapons - the other being a staff - and while the shield is undamage, the sword snapped off right after Shiva's grip on it. It's a clean break and should be fixable with superglue (as other figures have been), but the figure itself is so complex that holding it in place correctly for long enough is a challenge in and of itself.


The sword in question.


The quality of this figure, despite the breakage, is absolutely gorgeous. Shiva uses ice crystals as a springboard to push herself toward the sky - heavensward, if you will! - giving you the chance to look at her from every angle and take in all the sights. XIV's Shiva continues the trend of a comely female figure in very little clothing, though I daresay this Shiva might even be one of the more conservatively dressed appearances.



The bodysuit/gloves/shoes pop with a gorgeous metallic deep blue and are enhanced with silver inlays and snowflake motifs to really give the impression of an ice goddess. Though a static figure, it gives a great sense of movement not just from the form's curves, but the crystals, hair, and cape adornments as well.





I love the colours used in her design. It would be so easy - and historically has been - only to use blues and whites, but incorporating a little purple does a world of difference. It helps that the cape adornments are so prominently displayed.