How to Get Ars Arcanum in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep

Ars Arcanum is Ventus' big late-game combo command, a long flurry of hits that tears through anything standing still long enough to take it. Two things to get out of the way first. It's Ventus-only, so Terra players want Ars Solum instead and Aqua doesn't get either. And while the data lists nine recipes for it, you only need to care about one.

How to Meld Ars Arcanum (The Recipe You Should Use)

There's exactly one recipe that can't fail:

Ingredient 1 Ingredient 2 Odds Works for Simulator Link
Blitz Aerial Slam 100% Ventus only Try this combo

Make Blitz if you don't have one, pair it with Aerial Slam, done. No dice rolling involved.

The Other Eight Recipes (And Why to Skip Them)

Ars Arcanum can also show up as a rare result from eight other combinations. They're all Ventus-only too, and the odds are rough:

Ingredient 1 Ingredient 2 Odds
Quick Blitz Slot Edge 10%
Fire Strike Aerora 10%
Quick Blitz Blizzard 5%
Quick Blitz Blizzara 5%
Sliding Dash Blizzard 5%
Sliding Dash Blizzara 5%
Poison Edge Cura 5%
Blizzard Edge Cura 5%

Do the maths on that 5% and you're looking at around twenty melds, and twenty crystals, for something you could have just made outright. These are here so you can recognise a lucky accident, not so you can build a plan around them.

Which Crystal Should You Use?

Assuming you're using Blitz + Aerial Slam like a sensible person, here's what each crystal gets you.

Pulsing Crystal gives Second Chance. Take this if you don't have it. You'll be building Ars Arcanum around the same time Second Chance starts really mattering, so the timing works out nicely.

  • Wellspring gives Air Combo Plus, which suits a command you'll mostly be using in the air anyway
  • Shimmering gives Blizzard Boost
  • Fleeting gives Reload Boost
  • Soothing gives Damage Syphon
  • Hungry gives HP Prize Plus
  • Abounding gives Lucky Strike

Level it before melding it away, or you lose the ability.

Commands That Use Ars Arcanum as an Ingredient

Nothing melds from Ars Arcanum, so there's nothing to save it for. Build it, max it out, leave it in your deck.

Came here as Terra looking for your version? You want Ars Solum, which melds from Dark Haze + Sonic Blade or Sonic Blade + Stopga.

Want to Test Your Melding Path?

The Command Melding Simulator shows you the result and the ability before you commit, so you're not guessing with a rare crystal on the line.

Short version: play Ventus, make Blitz, add Aerial Slam, bring a Pulsing Crystal. Ars Arcanum is one of the best things in Ventus' kit and it costs you a single guaranteed meld. Leave the 5% recipes alone.