Final Fantasy VIII Boss FAQ Version 1.0 By LightRanma@aol.com --- Disclaimer: You may not use this FAQ for your website, UseNet thingy or ANYTHING of that nature WITHOUT MY WRITTEN PERMISSION. E-mail me first!! ***THE NEWEST VERSIONS OF THIS FAQ CAN ALWAYS BE FOUND AT WWW.GAMEFAQS.COM!!!*** ----------------- TABLE OF CONTENTS ----------------- I. Introduction II. Legend III. Boss Walkthrough IV. Conclusion V. Thanks -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- ---------------- I. Introduction ---------------- Hi, and thanks for checking out my second Final Fantasy VIII FAQ! I just love this masterpiece so much, I had to write one more FAQ for it. I got ultra-good feedback from my older Xenogears Boss FAQ, so the layout for this FAQ is very similar to that FAQ. I hope you enjoy this one as much as others enjoyed my last one. See ya! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- ----------- II. Legend ----------- GF Alert (if applicable) Boss' Name Boss' Estimated HP (Boss' HP will differ depending on your Level) Boss' Location Elemental Weakness Elemental Strength Elemental Immunity AP Bonus Items for Winning Draw LV 1-19 Draw LV 20-29 Draw LV 30-100 Difficulty (1, easiest; 5, hardest) Boss Strategy As you can see, the layout for this FAQ is just about the same as my Xenogears Boss FAQ, with some improvements. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- ---------------------- III. Boss Walkthrough ---------------------- Here is the complete Boss Walkthrough for the whole game. I've finished all four discs, so you can trust this guide. --- - DISC 1 - *****GUARDIAN FORCE ALERT!!!!!***** Boss Fight #1 Name: Ifrit HP: 1068 Location: Fire Cavern (Disc 1) Elemental Weakness: Ice, Water Elemental Strength: Fire Elemental Immunity: None AP Bonus: 20 AP Items for Winning: G-Returner x1; Ifrit Card x1 Draw LV 1-19: Fire, Cure, Scan Draw LV 20-29: N/A Draw LV 30-100: N/A Difficulty: 1 Ifrit, the Fire God, isn't tough at all; the only thing that makes it nerveracking is the time limit (of which even 10 minutes is more than enough). I always Junction Shiva to Squall, but whoever you have Shiva junctioned to, summon her every turn and do as much Boosting as possible. With your other character (Quistis), cast constant Blizzard or Blizzara Spells on Ifrit to really lower his HP, and cast Cure or Cura when someone's HP gets low. You should have no trouble with this battle. When you win, you will get Ifrit for a new GF. Boss Fight #2 Name: Biggs and Wedge HP: 467-705; 416-640 Location: Dollet Communication Tower (Disc 1) Elemental Weakness: Thunder; None Elemental Strength: None; None Elemental Immunity: None; Poison AP Bonus: 4 AP; 4 AP Items for Winning: None Draw LV 1-19: Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, Scan; Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, Cure Draw LV 20-29: N/A Draw LV 30-100: N/A Difficulty: 1 Biggs begins this fight alone, without Wedge. Start this battle off by casting Thunder or Thundara repeatedly on Biggs. Biggs can't do too much damage, but it can rack up, so cast Cure or Cura when you start feeling the damage. Very soon, Wedge will apeear and now you'll have to contend with them both; but still, just keep pounding away with Thunder on Biggs, and eventually they will both be sucked up by the real Boss, Elovret. *****GUARDIAN FORCE ALERT!!!!!***** Boss Fight #3 Name: Elvoret HP: 1563-3523 Location: Dollet Communication Tower (Disc 1) Elemental Weakness: None Elemental Strength: None Elemental Immunity: Poison AP Bonus: 10 AP Items for Winning: Elixir x2; Cottage x2; G-Returner x3; Weapons Monthly March x1 Draw LV 1-19: Thunder, Cure, Double, Siren (GF) Draw LV 20-29: N/A Draw LV 30-100: N/A Difficulty: 2 Elvoret is the hardest enemy you've faced thus far, but he's not too bad. The Thunder spell is particularly effective here, and so are physical attacks. First off, make sure to Draw Siren, a new GF, from him, and also, stock up on the Double Spell, because it's effective. If you want, you can Draw and Cast Double on everyone, and then pummel him with Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder. Elvoret also has Cure that you can Draw and Cast when your HP gets low (and it probably will). Mainly, you want to focus on using your GFs; Shiva, Quetzacoatl, and Ifrit are all effective against Elvoret. Keep the heat up and he will fall sooner or later. Just make sure to keep your HP in check. Boss Fight #4 Name: Granaldo, 3 Raldos HP: 1314-9700; 111-6700 (Disc 1) Location: Balamb Garden Training Center Elemental Weakness: Wind; None Elemental Strength: None; None Elemental Immunity: None; None AP Bonus: 5 AP; 3 AP Items for Winning: Wizard Stone (Random) Draw LV 1-19: Sleep, Blind, Shell; Fire, Thunder, Protect Draw LV 20-29: Sleep, Blind, Shell; Fira, Thundara, Protect Draw LV 30-100: Sleep, Confuse, Shell, Pain; Firaga, Thundaga, Protect Difficulty: 1 This is an extremely easy battle. First off, stock up on Protect and Shell, which these enemies have. Then, summon Shiva, Quetzacoatl, and Ifrit. The first or second summon will bring down Granaldo (and maybe the Raldos), and the third one will finish the battle. If not, just summon again and you're through. Unfortunately, you get nothing for winning this battle. *****GUARDIAN FORCE ALERT!!!!!***** Boss Fight #5 (Optional) Name: Diablos HP: 1600-80000 Location: Magical Lamp (Any Disc) Elemental Weakness: Wind Elemental Strength: None Elemental Immunity: None AP Bonus: 20 AP Items for Winning: Diablos Card x1 Draw LV 1-19: Cure, Demi Draw LV 20-29: Cura, Demi Draw LV 30-100: Curaga, Demi, Holy Difficulty: 4 Once Headmaster Cid orders you to go to Timber, talk to him one more time and you'll recieve the Magical Lamp. On the World Map, SAVE YOUR GAME, and then use it. You will be taken to an alternate dimension where you will fight Diablos. No matter what Level you fight Diablos at, he's tough - but he's easier at the lower Levels. First, start the battle by drawing Demi from him with each of your characters. Then, Draw and Cast Demi on Diablos to cut his HP by 1/4; but this will also cause him to use Curaga on whoever cast it on him, for some weird reason. So, virtually, as long as you keep casting Demi on Diablos, you will stay healed. Obviously, Demi can't KILL Diablos, so you'll need to keep using Scan to keep an eye on his HP, and then finish him off with your GFs or physical attacks. Diablos has a few dangerous attacks he will use; Demi, obviously, which will cut a character's HP by 1/4; a very strong physical attack; and Gravija, a devastating attack that will cut all your members' HP by 3/4. Whenever Diablos uses it, heal your characters immediately, or he will most likely kill them off with his fast physical attacks. If you win, you will receive one of the best GFs in the game, Diablos, and his great Card! Boss Fight #6 Name: Fake President, Gerogero HP: 52-778; 350-3650 Location: Timber (Disc 1) Elemental Weakness: None; Holy, Fire, Earth Elemental Strength: None; None Elemental Immunity: None; Poison AP Bonus: None; 20 AP Items for Winning: Zombie Powder (Random) Draw LV 1-19: Cure; Esuna, Double, Berserk, Zombie Draw LV 20-29: N/A; N/A Draw LV 30-100: N/A; N/A Difficulty: 2 This battle, is, for the most part, a joke. The Fake President only casts some low-level Spells on you; just hammer him with physical attacks and he'll go down quickly. But once he morphs into Gergero, the real, but still easy, fight begins. First, try to stock up on 100 Esunas with each character; it Junctions extremely well. Then, stock some Doubles, and then, Draw and Cast Double on everyone. Gerogero will most likely cause negative Status Ailments on your characters while you Draw from him; to counter this, immediately Draw and Cast Esuna on the afflicted character. After you've cast Double on everyone, blast him with Doubled Fires and Doubled Firas, and use Ifrit. Fire causes high damage to Gerogero, and he will go down EXTREMELY quickly. You will sometimes recieve Zombie Powder for winning. For an instant and easy win, use an X-Potion or Phoenix Down on the undead Gergero. Boss Fight #7 (Optional) Name: Sacred HP: 855-36375 Location: Tomb of the Unknown King (Any Disc) Elemental Weakness: Wind, Poison Elemental Strength: None Elemental Immunity: Earth AP Bonus: 20 AP Items for Winning: G-Hi-Potion (Random) Draw LV 1-19: Shell, Protect, Berserk, Life Draw LV 20-29: Shell, Protect, Berserk, Life Draw LV 30-100: Shell, Protect, Berserk, Life Difficulty: 1 Sacred isn't too tough - just make sure you have some Float Spells. His powerful physical attacks will rack up the damage quickly, though, so the first thing to do is to Draw and Cast Protect on your whole party. Next, take this opportunity to stock up on Life, as it Junctions very well. Next, you will want to cast Float on Sacred. Since he is Earth-Elemental, the Earth allows him to recover HP on a regular basis. Lifting him up off the ground will prevent this. Then, you can either hammer him with physical attacks or use Aero or use all your GFs on him. He'll go down quickly either way. *****GUARDIAN FORCE ALERT!!!!!***** Boss Fight #8 (Optional) Name: Sacred, Minotaur HP: 855-36375; 578-27218 Location: Tomb of the Unknown King (Any Disc) Elemental Weakness: Wind, Poison; Wind, Poison Elemental Strength: None; Earth Elemental Immunity: Earth; None AP Bonus: 20 AP; 20 AP Items for Winning: Sacred Card x1; Minotaur Card x1 Draw LV 1-19: Shell, Protect, Berserk, Life; Shell, Protect, Berserk, Double Draw LV 20-29: Shell, Protect, Berserk, Life; Shell, Protect, Berserk, Double Draw LV 30-100: Shell, Protect, Berserk, Life; Shell, Protect, Berserk, Double Difficulty: 2 This battle is only a little harder than the last one with Sacred alone. First off, cast Float on ALL of your characters; this will nullify their strong Earth attack, Mad Cow Special. Next, Draw and Cast Protect on all your characters. Next, cast Float on Sacred and Minotaur, and they can't regenerate HP. And then, pummel away with Shiva, Quetzacoatl, Ifrit, and Siren. They'll go down very quickly. When you win, you get the Brothers GF, and both the Sacred Card and Minotaur Card, and 40 AP! *****GUARDIAN FORCE ALERT!!!!!***** Boss Fight #9 Name: 2 Iguions HP: 127-1747 Location: Edea's Parade (Disc 1) Elemental Weakness: Earth, Holy Elemental Strength: None Elemental Immunity: Fire, Poison AP Bonus: 10 AP Items for Winning: None Draw LV 1-19: Cure, Esuna, Break, Carbuncle Draw LV 20-29: N/A; N/A Draw LV 30-100: N/A; N/A Difficulty: 2 This battle is only slightly hard because you only get to use Squall and Irvine (who's not very strong anyway). Start this battle off by Drawing the GF Carbuncle from either one of the Iguions. It'll come in handy VERY soon, plus it has great Abilities. Then, start damaging the monsters by summoning the Brothers; their Earth attack will work wonders on both of them. Meanwhile, you can use physical attacks to wail on one at a time. Just be careful; the Iguions can Petrify you, and if they Petrify both Squall and Irvine, it's game over. But as long as you finish them quickly, you'll have no problem. Boss Fight #10 Name: Seifer HP: 176-1150 Location: Edea's Parade (Disc 1) Elemental Weakness: Poison Elemental Strength: None Elemental Immunity: None AP Bonus: None Items for Winning: None Draw LV 1-19: Fire, Cure, Life Draw LV 20-29: Fira, Cura, Life Draw LV 30-100: N/A Difficulty: 1 Squall fights his rival, Seifer, alone in this climatic battle at Edea's Parade. Unfortunately, this won't be any close or heart-pounding match; Seifer's a pushover, especially if you have Fire, Fira, or Firaga Junctioned to Squall's Elemental Defense. Seifer's strongest means of attack is a Fira Spell, which will do almost nothing if Squall is protected against Fire. If he isn't, it still doesn't do much of anything. Seifer, for the most part, rushes Squall and attacks physically, for low damage. He rarely uses his Gunblade properly; when he does, you can expect the damage to be a little higher. Don't bother with GFs here; just hack away at Seifer with physical attacks and he'll go down VERY quickly. Boss Fight #11 Name: Sorceress Edea HP: 1300-7000 Location: Edea's Parade (Disc 1) Elemental Weakness: None Elemental Strength: None Elemental Immunity: None AP Bonus: 20 AP Items for Winning: None Draw LV 1-19: Cura, Dispel, Life, Double Draw LV 20-29: Cura, Dispel, Life, Double Draw LV 30-100: N/A Difficulty: 2 This priceless battle with Galbadia's evil ruler, Sorceress Edea, is only a little harder than the one against Seifer. Rinoa and Irvine join Squall for this battle, so things will be much easier. Start this fight off by summoning the GF Carbuncle, who casts Reflect on all your characters. Edea uses very strong Magic; Firaga, Blizzaga, Thundaga, and more, but Carbuncle can and will Reflect those Spells. To counter this, Edea will always cast Dispel on your characters to rid them of their reflecting properties; however, she can only Dispel one character at a time, so as long as you keep summoning Carbuncle, she'll keep Dispelling you, and will never attack you. So just wail on her with Shiva, Quetzacoatl, Ifrit, Siren, Brothers, and physical attacks and she should go down pretty quickly. Oh, and enjoy the beautiful music that plays during this battle; it's some of the best in the game. Note that you can lose this battle against Edea and still progress through the game, but you will miss out on 20 AP. - DISC 2 - Boss Fight #12 Name: Biggs and Wedge HP: 1467-2235; 1416-2139 Location: D-District Prison (Disc 2) Elemental Weakness: None; None Elemental Strength: None; None Elemental Immunity: None; Poison AP Bonus: 10 AP; None Items for Winning: Elixir (Random); Remedy (Random) Draw LV 1-19: Cure, Haste, Slow, Regen; Fire, Shell, Protect, Reflect Draw LV 20-29: Cura, Haste, Slow, Regen; Fira, Shell, Protect, Reflect Draw LV 30-100: N/A; N/A Difficulty: 1 The two Galbadian flunkies are back, and as easy as ever. Start the battle by Drawing and Casting Protect (from Wedge) on all of your characters. Next, take out Wedge (and ONLY Wedge; he's the one in blue). Once Wedge is out of the picture, start Drawing Regen from Biggs like mad. Once you have 100 Regen Stocked with each character, finish off Biggs. Regen is simply the best Spell, besides Ultima, to Junction to HP. Boss Fight #13 Name: Elite Soldier, 2 GIM52As HP: 148-4940; 1431-19400 Location: D-District Prison (Disc 2) Elemental Weakness: Poison; Thunder, Earth, Water Elemental Strength: None; None Elemental Immunity: None; Poison AP Bonus: 2 AP; 3 AP Items for Winning: None Draw LV 1-19: Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, Scan; Haste, Slow Draw LV 20-29: Fira, Blizzara, Thundara, Scan; Haste, Slow, Dispel Draw LV 30-100: Firaga, Blizzaga, Thundaga, Dispel; Haste, Slow, Dispel, Esuna Difficulty: 2 This is a potentially dangerous battle. Your first priority is to take out the Elite Soldier, so do that first with physical attacks. It should take only a turn or two. Then, blast the GIM52As hard with Quetzalcoatl and Thunder, Thundara, or Thundaga. Brothers also works well. Either way, it shouldn't take TOO long - just be ready to heal your party should they use one of their strong attacks. Boss Fight #14 Name: BGH251F2 HP: 4200-8400 Location: Galbadia Missile Base (Disc 2) Elemental Weakness: Thunder, Earth, Water Elemental Strength: None Elemental Immunity: Poison AP Bonus: 20 AP Items for Winning: None Draw LV 1-19: Shell, Protect, Stop Draw LV 20-29: Shell, Protect, Stop Draw LV 30-100: N/A Difficulty: 3 This is probably the hardest battle you've fought so far, and that's largely due to the time limit. First, Draw and Cast Protect on all of your characters, and do it quickly. Then, blast away with Quetzalcoatl, Thunder, Thundara, Thundaga, and physical attacks. BGH251F2 is also weak against Brothers, but their animation is too long. Its HP is relatively low, so it shouldn't take long for the huge machine to blow up, and reveal... three Galbadian Soldiers! No problem - just take 'em out with physical attacks. Do note, though, that BGH251F2 has pretty powerful attacks, and you may need to heal once or twice. Boss Fight #15 Name: 2 Oilboyles HP: 2136-15630 Location: Balamb Garden MD Level (Disc 2) Elemental Weakness: Fire Elemental Strength: None Elemental Immunity: None AP Bonus: 10 AP Items for Winning: None Draw LV 1-19: Cure, Blind, Confuse, Esuna Draw LV 20-29: Cura, Blind, Confuse, Esuna Draw LV 30-100: Curaga, Confuse, Dispel, Esuna Difficulty: 2 The only thing difficult about this fight is the high damage caused by the Oilboyles' attacks. You may have to heal once or twice during the fight. Also, the Oilboyles can cause Status Ailments on your characters; immediately Draw and Cast Esuna when this happens to counter this. Otherwise, hammer away with Ifrit, Fire, Fira, and Firaga, because the Oilboyles are extremely weak to Fire- Elemental attacks (well, they ARE made of oil). Once you do this enough, they'll go down. Not too tough. Just remember to heal when you need to; don't underestimate them. *****GUARDIAN FORCE ALERT!!!!!***** Boss Fight #16 Name: NORG HP: 4400-12200 Location: Balamb Garden MD Level (Disc 2) Elemental Weakness: Wind Elemental Strength: None Elemental Immunity: Poison AP Bonus: 20 AP Items for Winning: Wizard Stone (Random) Draw LV 1-19: Shell, Protect, Esuna, Leviathan Draw LV 20-29: Shell, Protect, Esuna, Leviathan Draw LV 30-100: N/A Difficulty: 2 You'll start this battle fighting NORG protected by his Norg Pod. But since it's not that special, all you need to do is take one character and pound away at it with physical attacks while you have the other two characters hit the Left and Right Orbs with physical attacks. Yes, the Orbs - the two Orbs cast strong Spells on the party when they turn red, but hitting them forces them to remain blue, so that they can do nothing. As long as you dedicate two characters to the Orbs, you can have the remaining character (most likely Squall) wail on the Norg Pod, and, later, NORG. Once Norg loses his Pod, IMMEDIATELY Draw the GF Leviathan from him. Then, Draw and Cast Protect on everyone; finally, resume your normal pattern of wailing on NORG with physical attacks and GFs. He'll go down soon, no problem. If you find yourself hurting after a few physical attacks from NORG, heal. Just remember to keep those Orbs blue! Boss Fight #17 Name: BGH251F2 HP: 5100-7800 Location: Fisherman's Horizon (Disc 2) Elemental Weakness: Thunder, Earth, Water Elemental Strength: None Elemental Immunity: Poison AP Bonus: 20 AP Items for Winning: Running Fire (Random); Missile (Random) Draw LV 1-19: Shell, Protect, Stop Draw LV 20-29: Shell, Protect, Stop Draw LV 30-100: N/A Difficulty: 2 Well, the terror from the Galbadian Missile Base returns for Round 2, this time in the peaceful Fisherman's Horizon. Make this round be its last. Start off by Drawing and Casting Protect on each party member to guard against BGH251F2's surprisingly strong physical attacks, and then wail on it with Quetzalcoatl, Brothers, and Leviathan - he will blow up in no time flat. Simple! Boss Fight #18 Name: Raijin HP: 400-11600 Location: Balamb (Disc 2) Elemental Weakness: Poison Elemental Strength: Thunder Elemental Immunity: None AP Bonus: 10 AP Items for Winning: Str Up (Random) Draw LV 1-19: Thunder, Thundara, Shell, Protect Draw LV 20-29: Thunder, Thundara, Shell, Protect Draw LV 30-100: N/A Difficulty: 2 Hey, Raijin's pretty strong, so you'd better be careful, ya know? It may be 3 on 1, but Raijin's fast and powerful. Start off as usual by Drawing and Casting Protect on everyone to guard against Raijin's very strong physical attacks. Raijin can also cast some Thunder and Thundara Spells, but they're no big deal, and you can even nullify or absorb them with Thunder, Thundara, or Thundaga Junctioned to your Elemental Defense. Make EXTREMELY sure not to use any Thunder Spells or Quetzalcoatl; doing so will heal Raijin, and you don't want that. Take him out quickly, as you need all the remaining strength you can muster for the immediately next battle. *****GUARDIAN FORCE ALERT!!!!!***** Boss Fight #19 Name: Fujin and Raijin HP: 300-8700; 400-11600 Location: Balamb (Disc 2) Elemental Weakness: Poison; Poison Elemental Strength: Wind; Thunder Elemental Immunity: None; None AP Bonus: 10 AP; 10 AP Items for Winning: Megalixir (Random); Str Up (Random) Draw LV 1-19: Aero, Cura, Life, Pandemona; Thunder, Thundara, Shell, Protect Draw LV 20-29: Aero, Cura, Life, Pandemona; Thunder, Thundara, Shell, Protect Draw LV 30-100: N/A Difficulty: 4 This is most definitely the hardest battle you've fought so far, and if you're not prepared, can give you a run for your money. You need as much HP remaining from the Raijin fight as possible, because now Raijin is back (and stronger), plus he has Fujin with him who can cast Aero and Tornado, both of which can do moderate to high Wind-Elemental damage to your characters. The best course of action is this - first, Draw the Wind GF, Pandemonium, from Fujin. This not only nets you your next GF, but it prevents her from casting Aero and Tornado. Then, Draw and Cast Protect (from Raijin) on all of your characters. And then, pound away with Shiva, Ifrit, Brothers, and any of your other good GFs. Do NOT use Quetzalcoatl, as Raijin will be healed. Raijin, as usual, has strong physical attacks, and now a new attack, called the Raijin Special, which can do close to 1000 damage to one character. Having Protect halves this damage. Fujin, after she has her Wind Spells stripped from her, can use Zan, which does very little damage to one character, and Sai (very rarely), which knocks a character down to 1 HP. If she does this attack, heal immediately. Otherwise, as long as you Draw Pandemonium and get Protect on your characters quickly, you shouldn't have too much trouble. *****GUARDIAN FORCE ALERT!!!!!***** Boss Fight #20 (Optional) Name: Cerberus HP: 7100-10000 Location: Galbadia Garden (Disc 2) Elemental Weakness: None Elemental Strength: Thunder Elemental Immunity: Wind AP Bonus: 30 AP Items for Winning: G-Returner (Random) Draw LV 1-19: Quake, Double Draw LV 20-29: Quake, Double, Triple Draw LV 30-100: Quake, Double, Triple Difficulty: 3 You will find Cerberus in the main lobby of Galbadia Garden in Disc 2. He's just sitting there, waiting for you. You don't have to fight him, but you should, since he's one of the most helpful GFs in the game. If you do choose to fight him, be warned - he's pretty tough. I was pretty cocky because my characters (Squall, Zell, Rinoa) were kicking ass, but then I just about had my head handed to me by Cerberus. First off, try to have Earth Juntioned to your Elemental Defense because Cerberus likes to cast Quake on your party two or three times in a row, which can easily lay you flat. Also, this isn't a good time to use either Quetzalcoatl or Pandemonium, because Cerberus absorbs the former and blocks the latter. First, Draw and Cast Double or Triple (if he's high-leveled enough) on all your characters so you can heal your characters all at once. Then, pound away with Shiva, Ifrit, Brothers, Leviathan, and strong physical attacks. Cerberus doesn't have that much HP, but he hits hard whether he has 1 HP or 1000 HP, so deplete him quickly. Overall, if you make fast work of him, you should be all right. Boss Fight #21 Name: Seifer HP: 1300-10300 Location: Galbadia Garden (Disc 2) Elemental Weakness: Poison Elemental Strength: None Elemental Immunity: None AP Bonus: 20 AP Items for Winning: Mega Phoenix (Random) Draw LV 1-19: Fire, Thunder, Dispel, Haste Draw LV 20-29: Fira, Thundara, Dispel, Haste Draw LV 30-100: Firaga, Thundaga, Dispel, Haste Difficulty: 2 Seifer's been training since the last time you faced him. He's more of a match for you now, althought it's still 3 versus 1, so you can take him out quickly. First, it can't hurt to Draw and Cast Haste on all of your characters, so do that. Next, summon Cerberus. Then, pummel Seifer with strong physical attacks; GFs aren't really needed here unless your characters are extremely weak physically (which they definitely should not be). Seifer has a new special attack called Demon Slice which can do up to 1500 damage, so use Cure, Cura, or Curaga if you need to. Overall, Seifer will fall quickly to your superior power. Boss Fight #22 Name: Seifer HP: 1200-7400 Location: Galbadia Garden (Disc 2) Elemental Weakness: Poison Elemental Strength: None Elemental Immunity: None AP Bonus: None Items for Winning: Hero (Random); Holy War (Random) Draw LV 1-19: Fire, Thunder, Dispel, Haste Draw LV 20-29: Fira, Thundara, Dispel, Haste Draw LV 30-100: Firaga, Thundaga, Dispel, Haste Difficulty: 2 This guy refuses to go down. Determined to live up to his name as the Sorceress' Knight, he gets back up and takes you on again. His HP is lower from his defeat, but his Attack Power is higher. Take him out quickly, because you'll need all the HP you can muster for the next battle. Just wail on him with physical attacks - that should be all you need. Cast your Doubled or Tripled Cura or Curaga if you start feeling the pain. But the most important thing here is to take him out quickly so he doesn't end up wearing you out. *****GUARDIAN FORCE ALERT!!!!!***** Boss Fight #23 Name: Sorceress Edea HP: 500-16000 Location: Galbadia Garden (Disc 2) Elemental Weakness: None Elemental Strength: None Elemental Immunity: None AP Bonus: 50 AP Items for Winning: Force Armlet (Random) Draw LV 1-19: Bliizard, Demi, Esuna, Alexander Draw LV 20-29: Blizzara, Demi, Esuna, Alexander Draw LV 30-100: Blizzaga, Demi, Esuna, Alexnader Difficulty: 4 I hope Seifer didn't wear you out, because you now have to face Sorceress Edea, and this time around, she's tough. Your Carbuncle trick won't work this time; she uses very few Spells that can be reflected, so she won't bother to cast Dispel. The main Spell she uses is a new one called Maelstrom, which, according to your characters' Level and HP, blasts each of your characters for about 2/3 or a little more of their Max HP, and she likes to use it often, so two of these in a row and you're done. You should dedicate your weakest character to healing everyone after Maelstrom. First, re-cast Cerberus if you need to. Then, Draw the Holy GF, Alexander, from Edea. Then, start with Shiva, Quetzalcoatl, Ifrit, Leviathan, Brothers, and mainly physical attacks. The GFs should be used primiarily for absorbing damage - your physical attacks should be more than making up for the GF damage by this point. But, like I said before, it's very important that you have one character standing by for a Tripled Cura or Curaga for when Sorceress Edea uses Maelstrom. Edea also has a lofty number of HP this time around, so you'll have to keep at it for awhile. As long as you're alert and heal when you should, you will probably make it out of this fight the winner. Oh yes - and try to keep everyone alive, as there's a whopping 50 AP bonus for defeating Edea. BTW, the kick-ass Sorceress battle music is back. :) - DISC 3 - Boss Fight #24 Name: Abadon HP: 510-17010 Location: Great Salt Lake (Disc 3) Elemental Weakness: Fire, Holy Elemental Strength: None Elemental Immunity: None AP Bonus: 40 AP Items for Winning: Flare Stone (Random) Draw LV 1-19: Cure, Esuna, Dispel Draw LV 20-29: Cura, Esuna, Dispel Draw LV 30-100: Curaga, Esuna, Dispel, Flare Difficulty: 2 Abadon is a strange undead monster that jumps your party in the Great Salt Lake. If, by any chance, you have Alexander's Revive Ability, equip it and use it - since Abadon is undead, that means 100% instant death for him. If you don't, use Leviathan's Recover Ability (which you should definitely have) - it'll do 9999 damage to him per use. Not quite as good as Revive, but good nonetheless. ^_^ If you're neglecting your GF Abilities and don't have either of them, then Abadon's still easy, though he can cause several Status Ailments - if this happens, Draw and Cast Esuna on the affected character immediately. Drawing and Casting Flare if he's high-leveled enough helps, as does the Alexander summon. Physical attacks also work well. Also, Phoenix Downs work as instant deaths though they're not very accurate. Overall, heal if you need to, but this fight should be no problem. Boss Fight #25 Name: Fujin and Raijin HP: 5300-18200; 5400-22600 Location: Lunatic Pandora (Disc 3) Elemental Weakness: Poison; Poison Elemental Strength: Wind; Thunder Elemental Immunity: None; None AP Bonus: 8 AP; 12 AP Items for Winning: Megalixir (Random); Str Up (Random) Draw LV 1-19: Aero, Cure, Life; Thunder, Thundara, Shell, Protect Draw LV 20-29: Aero, Cura, Life; Thunder, Thundara, Shell, Protect Draw LV 30-100: Aero, Curaga, Full-Life, Tornado; N/A Difficulty: 2 They're back! ... and this time, they're much easier, because you don't have a battle before them. Your main worry this time is Raijin - Fujin can cast Aero sometimes, but she doesn't ususally - all she does mainly is use Zan, that weak attack from before and Sai, which reduces a character's HP to 1, but can easily be countered by Recover. Raijin, on the other hand, is stronger, has a lot of HP, and still uses Raijin Special. Counter this by first Drawing and Casting Protect on everyone, and then use your strongest GFs - Shiva, Bahamut, Cactuar, and Eden. Don't use Quetzalcoatl or Pandemonium, as Fujin and Raijin absorb Wind and Thunder. Anyway, if you heal when you need too, this battle should be no problem. Boss Fight #26 Name: Mobile Type 8 HP: 5100-9100 Location: Lunatic Pandora (Disc 3) Elemental Weakness: Thunder Elemental Strength: None Elemental Immunity: None AP Bonus: 20 AP Items for Winning: Laser Cannon (Random) Draw LV 1-19: Fire, Thunder, Blizzard, Flare Draw LV 20-29: Fira, Thundara, Blizzara, Flare Draw LV 30-100: Firaga, Thundaga, Blizzaga, Flare Difficulty: 3 This boss could make short work of you if you don't know what it can do. First, you'll want to summon Cerberus. Mobile Type 8 has two different forms - the first form counterattacks you with an attack called Twin Homing Laser that causes around 600 damage when you attack the main body. No problem. The second form, however, uses an attack called Corona, which reduces all your characters to 1 HP. At this time, cease ALL attacks and use Recover and Curaga to heal your characters, as it follows up with an attack called Medigo Flame that causes around 2000 damage to everyone. As long as you heal immediately after Corona is used, you should have no problem taking Mobile Type 8 out, as it has very low HP (for this stage in the game, anyway). Boss Fight #27 Name: Seifer HP: 3700-34500 Location: Lunatic Pandora (Disc 3) Elemental Weakness: Poison Elemental Strength: None Elemental Immunity: None AP Bonus: 40 AP Items for Winning: Hero (Random); Holy War (Random) Draw LV 1-19: Fire, Thunder, Blizzard Draw LV 20-29: Fira, Thundara, Blizzara Draw LV 30-100: Firaga, Thundaga, Blizzage, Aura Difficulty: 2 He's BACK. But don't worry - this is Seifer's last fight against you. First off, you'll want to have Leviathan's Recover Ability equipped on someone. Why? Because Seifer has the ultimate Spell in his drawable inventory, Aura, that you should definitely stock 100 of with everyone. Not only does it Junction very well, but it enables Limit Breaks no matter what the user's HP! So, just let Seifer taunt and attack you while you strip him of his Aura - don't worry, your time will come. When it finally does, let loose on him with physical attacks. With your three strong characters, he'll fall quickly. By the way, if you have the semi-GF Odin, he will be killed by Seifer during this battle. But don't fret - Odin will return as Gilgamesh later in the battle and blow Seifer to hell and back. Automatic win. ^_^ Boss Fight #28 Name: Sorceress Adel HP: 6000-51000 Location: Lunatic Pandora (Disc 3) Elemental Weakness: None Elemental Strength: None Elemental Immunity: None AP Bonus: None Items for Winning: None Draw LV 1-19: Fire, Thunder, Blizzard Draw LV 20-29: Fira, Thundara, Blizzara Draw LV 30-100: Firaga, Thundaga, Blizzaga Difficulty: 3 I know many people will disagree with me on this, but Adel really isn't all that tough. She's generally tougher than most other Bosses, but nothing special. The only part that really makes it dangerous to your party is that Adel has Junctioned Rinoa to herself and absorbs HP from her periodically - and if Rinoa is depleted of all her HP, it's game over. Rinoa has between 6021-9036 HP. Start this battle by Drawing Regen from Rinoa and casting it on her, so the damage done to Rinoa is limited. Also, make sure you have the Recover Ability equipped on someone. Then, use ONLY physical attacks or SINGLE TARGET Spells on Adel. Using all-hitter Spells, Summons, or Limit Breaks will most likely kill off Rinoa. When Adel absorbs HP from Rinoa, cast Recover on Rinoa so you don't forget later. Adel can use the Spell Ultima on you, but don't worry about it - it doesn't really hurt that much, and you can just use Curaga or Recover after it. Anyway, as long as you keep Rinoa alive, you should have no problem sustaining Adel's attacks and doing double damage to her in return. Just remember, if Rinoa dies, it's over! - DISC 4 - NOTE: The next Boss fights until the Final Boss fights are all optional - you can challenge Sorceress Ultimecia at any time. However, it is HIGHLY recommended that you unlock at LEAST the Magic, Item, GF, Limit Break, and Save Abilities before you do so - but really, you should unlock all of them. But, it's your choice. Also, it is HIGHLY HIGHLY recommened that you have the Bahamut Card in your inventory.... NOTE: If you missed any GFs throughout the game, you can Draw them from the various Bosses in Ultimecia's Castle if you want to. Boss Fight #29 (Optional) Name: Sphinxaur/Sphinxara HP: 10000 Location: Ultimecia's Castle, Front Foyer (Disc 4) Elemental Weakness: Holy Elemental Strength: None Elemental Immunity: None AP Bonus: 30 AP Items for Winning: Megalixir (Random) Draw LV 1-19: Fire, Thunder, Cure Draw LV 2-29: Fira, Thundara, Cura Draw LV 30-100: Firaga, Thundaga, Curaga Difficulty: 1 This first Boss in Ultimecia's Castle should most definitely be your first target. He's incredibly easy, and with a low 10000 HP, he can EASILY be defeated with weak physical attacks. Sphinxaur's attacks are very weak (your whole party should have near a 9999 max HP, or even have it by now), whereas yours are very strong and will dispose of him quickly. Sphinxaur likes to use Ice-Elemental Magic, so if you think you need it, Junctions Blizzaga to your Elemental Defense. Otherwise, kill him and get it over with. I recommend you unlock the GF Ability. Boss Fight #30 (Optional) Name: Tri-Point HP: 2400-22400 Location: Ultimecia's Castle, Wine Cellar (Disc 4) Elemental Weakness: Fire, Ice Elemental Strength: None Elemental Immuinity: None AP Bonus: 30 AP Items for Winning: Rocket Engine (Random) Draw LV 1-19: Haste, Tornado, Blind Draw LV 20-29: Haste, Tornado, Blind Draw LV 30-100: Haste, Tornado, Blind Difficulty: 1 Tri-Point can be impossible or it can be easier than Sphinxaur. To make it the latter, Junction 100 Thundagas to everyone's Elemental Defense. Every time you attack Tri-Point, it will counterattack with a Spell called Mega Spark, that does high Lightning-Elemental damage to all your characters - but if you're set to absorb Lightning damage, he can't do much of anything to you! So just beat Tri-Point down with physical attacks and let him heal you. You'll come out with no HP lost and an Ability gained (I highly recommend you choose Magic). Boss Fight #31 (Optional) Name: Krysta HP: 5200-16000 Location: Ultimecia's Castle, Balcony (Disc 4) Elemental Weakness: None Elemental Strength: None Elemental Immunity: Ice AP Bonus: 30 AP Items for Winning: Elem Guard (Random) Draw LV 1-19: Holy Draw LV 20-29: Holy Draw LV 30-100: Holy Difficulty: 1 Yet another easy Boss. Aren't you lucky? ^_^ But the only way this fight will be easy if you followed my advice and unlocked either the Magic or GF Ability, preferably GF, by this point. Krysta has EXTREMELY high defense against physical attacks, and every time you attack it, it will counterattack for around 3000 damage. Yuck. But Krysta can't counterattack GFs, so just let loose with any GF but Shiva - Diablos and Cactuar work especially well. Doing this, the fight will be over in a matter of rounds - Krysta will do nothing to you. However, as its going away present, it will cast Ultima on you, so know that. Unlock the Command Abilities. Boss Fight #32 (Optional) Name: Trauma HP: 5555-34114 Location: Ultimecia's Castle, Art Gallery (Disc 4) Elemental Weakness: Wind Elemental Strength: None Elemental Immunity: None AP Bonus: 30 AP Items for Winning: Elem Atk (Random) Draw LV 1-19: Meltdown Draw LV 20-29: Meltdown Draw LV 30-100: Meltdown Difficulty: 2 Sorry, but there's no easy trick for this Boss. ^_~ Fortunately, Trauma isn't so hard anyway. There are two mini-Traumas, called Dromas, fighting with Trauma. To take care of them, summon the GF Doomtrain - that will most likely eliminate the Dromas and weaken Trauma's defenses. Then, really hurt Trauma by summoning Cactuar and Pandemonium - this will bring him closer to the brink. Trauma has one notable attack, the Mega Pulse Cannon, that will hit your characters for around 2000-3000 damage each - just heal after it and it should be no problem. Finish Trauma off with physical attacks. Unlock the Item Ability. (Trust me - UNLOCK IT.) Boss Fight #33 (Optional) Name: Red Giant HP: 30000 Location: Ultimecia's Castle, Prison Cell (Disc 4) Elemental Weakness: None Elemental Strength: None Elemental Immunity: None AP Bonus: 30 AP Items for Winning: Diamond Armor (Random) Draw LV 1-19: Demi Draw LV 20-29: Demi Draw LV 30-100: Demi Difficulty: 2 Again, there is no easy trick for defeating Red Giant, but he's pretty easy anyway. First off, summon Doomtrain - this will blind Red Giant and weaken his defenses. Normally, Red Giant is nearly invulnerable against physical attacks, but with his defenses broken, physical attacks will prove to be the best thing against him. Red Giant has frighteningly strong physical attacks, but with him blinded, he'll have a really tough time hitting your party. To make him bleed, pound on him with physical attacks, and, if you'd like, strong GFs like Cactuar, Shiva, and Bahamut. Red Giant has realtively low HP, so he should go down quickly. Unlock the Limit Breaks. Boss Fight #34 (Optional) Name: Gargantua HP: 10100-15400 Location: Ultimecia's Castle, Armory (Disc 4) Elemental Weakness: None Elemental Strength: None Elemental Immunity: None AP Bonus: 42 AP Items for Winning: Magic Armlet (Random) Draw LV 1-19: Bio, Quake, Reflect Draw LV 20-29: Bio, Quake, Reflect Draw LV 30-100: Bio, Quake, Reflect Difficulty: 2 All right, good news - there is an easy trick to defeating Gargantua, but it isn't fool-proof. All right - first, make sure you have the Magic or GF Abilities unlocked, preferably GF. You'll start this fight battling an ordinary Vysage monster; just whack all three parts with physical attacks until they die. Then, Gargantua appears. Here is where you want to start pounding away with strong GFs like Shiva, Cactuar, and Bahamut - if you use physical attacks, Gargantua will counterattack with its Counter Twist, which causes around 2000 damage. But, like Krysta, it can't counter GFs. However, Gargantua is smarter than Krysta, in that it can still use Quake on you (heal after it) and cast Berserk on individual members, which will MAKE them attack him physically, leaving him no other choice but to use Counter Twist. Gargantua would actually be quite hard, except that he has relatively low HP, so he'll die quickly. Just blast away with those GFs and cast Esuna on anyone Berserked immediately! Unlock the Draw Ability. Boss Fight #35 (Optional) Name: Catoblepas HP: 10500-60000 Location: Ultimecia's Castle, Treasure Vault (Disc 4) Elemental Weakness: Earth, Water Elemental Strength: Thunder Elemental Immunity: None AP Bonus: 30 AP Items for Winning: Status Atk (Random) Draw LV 1-19: Meteor Draw LV 20-29: Meteor Draw LV 30-100: Meteor Difficulty: 2 Catoblepas isn't difficult, but if you're not prepared, he could be the end of you. First, Junction 100 Thundagas to everyone's Elemental Defense to protect from his constant Thundaga Spells. To really cause some damage, you could also Junction 100 Quakes or 100 Waters to your Elemental Attack, but it's not necessary. Anyway, start off this fight by summoning Doomtrain to blind and slow Catoblepas, as well as shatter his defenses. The rest of the fight should be easy - all you need to do is physically attack him relentlessly and summon Brothers, Leviathan, Cactuar, and Bahamut if you want to. Catoblepas does have a lot of HP, so don't expect him to fall quickly. Be warned - this Boss loves to cast Meteor frequently and that can really hurt your part if you let it. Just heal after every couple Meteors and you should be fine. Oh, and Catoblepas casts Meteor one more time as a going-away present. When you win, unlock the Resurrection Ability. Boss Fight #36 (Optional) Name: Tiamat HP: 21200-89600 Location: Ultimecia's Castle, Clock Tower (Disc 4) Elemental Weakness: None Elemental Strength: Fire, Thunder Elemental Immunity: Wind AP Bonus: 30 AP Items for Winning: Status Guard (Random) Draw LV 1-19: Flare Draw LV 20-29: Flare Draw LV 30-100: Flare Difficulty: 2 Speed is THE most important factor in this battle. Tiamat is a GF turned evil, due to Ultimecia's influences. It looks and acts a lot like Bahamut, but our friend Bahamut is much stronger. Anyway, THE first thing to do here is summon Doomtrain to slow Tiamat (very important here) and weaken its defenses. Tiamat's ultimate attack, Dark Flare (which can and probably will bring all party members to their knees) takes a hell of a long time to charge, and slowing Tiamat will make it take even longer. You need to destroy Tiamat before he can use Dark Flare. So, to do this, summon Cactuar, Bahamut, and ESPECIALLY Eden - he can be a life-saver here. But the most important offense here are quick, strong physical attacks. If you can produce physial attacks of up to 3000 damage or more (I was doing around 6000-7000 by Disc 3), Tiamat will fall before he can use Dark Flare. But be warned - he does have the most HP of any Boss in Ultimecia's Castle (sans the final boss). So just hit fast and hard and you should have no trouble - Tiamat's physical attacks are incredibly weak. Unlock the final Ability, Save, and Save right outside of the door to Ultimecia. The final battle awaits! NOTE: Finally. It's time to confront Ultimecia, face to face. You can do this the hard way or the easy way. I recommend the easy way. All you need to do to really prepare for this battle is refine 100 Megalixirs from the Bahamut Card. Then, MAKE SURE you have the following Abilities on EACH party member - Attack, Magic, Item, and Draw if you'd like. Make sure your characters' Strength (especially Squall) is at max (255), or at least very near it. Make sure your characters' max HP is 9999 or at least near it. Put the 100 Megalixirs at the front of your inventory for easy access. Have at least 4-5 Meltdown Spells with each character for easy casting. Have at least 10-20 Aura Spells with each character. And, it really helps to have Squall's ultimate weapon, the Lion Heart, so that you can possibly do the Lion Heart Limit Break. It also helps to have 100 Holy Spells Junctioned to everyone's Elemental Defense. You will not need GFs in these battles. I used Squall, Zell, and Rinoa for the Final Boss, but you should use your three strongest characters, whoever they are. Final Boss Fight #1 Name: Sorceress Ultimecia HP: 43000 Location: Ultimecia's Castle, Throne Room (Disc 4) Elemental Weakness: Poison Elemental Strength: Holy Elemental Immunity: None AP Bonus: None Items for Winning: None Draw LV 1-19: Haste, Slow, Reflect, Demi Draw LV 20-29: Haste, Slow, Reflect, Demi Draw LV 30-100: Haste, Slow, Reflect, Demi Difficulty: 6 (without Megalixirs), 2 (with Megalixirs) Here she is - Sorceress Ultimecia. The Edea battle music is back for now, so enjoy it. Take a deep breath. Relax. And... WHAT?! Why do I have these 3 characters?! Yes - Ultimecia chooses 3 characters out of Squall, Rinoa, Zell, Quistis, Selphie, and Irvine to battle randomly. You obviously have 3 ultimate characters and 3 weakling characters, so to remedy this, kill off any weak characters that enter battle immediately - they will soon be replaced by another character. Do this until you have your 3 ultimate characters, then begin battle with Ultimecia. Ultimecia just loves to use Maelstrom, which will do about 6000 damage to everyone - use a Megalixir after each one. She also likes to cast Bio and Holy, but they're no big deal. Start off by casting Meltdown on Ultimecia - then, cast Aura on Squall... and, that's it. Watch Squall tear up Ultimecia with Renzokuken each turn (and if you're lucky, Lion Heart), which should, by this point in the game, should be doing about 6000-8000 damage with each hit of Renzokuken, especially with Meltdown. Also, cast Aura on your next strongest character (probably Zell) - he does wonders with his Duel Limit Break, and can, with a good round of moves, do more damage than Renzokuken. Always keep your physically weakest character as your healer - to use a Megalixir after every strong attack. Also, do NOT hesitate to use a Megalixir with the two Aura-ed characters - if you need it, you need it. Do not procrastinate in these battles. Just use a Megalixir after each Maelstrom and tear Ultimecia up with Limit Breaks, and you will move on to the next battle... Final Boss Fight #2 Name: Griever HP: 120000+ Location: Ultimecia's Castle (Disc 4) Elemental Weakness: None Elemental Strength: Earth, Poison Elemental Immunity: None AP Bonus: None Items for Winning: None Draw LV 1-19: Bio, Quake, Tornado Draw LV 20-29: Bio, Quake, Tornado Draw LV 30-100: Bio, Quake, Tornado Difficulty: 6 (without Megalixirs), 2 (with Megalixirs) What is this? Griever? Yes. Labeled by Ultimecia as the Ultimate GF, you have to fight Griever, the spirit inside Squall's ring. He may look ominous, but with your supply of 100 Megalixirs, he's easy. First, use another Megalixir to fully heal if you need to. Then, re-cast Meltdown on Griever and use Aura on your two strongest characters. Then, like with Ultimecia, tear into Griever with Renzokuken and whatever your other Limit Break is. Griever has mucho grande HP... but it's nothing compared to the next battle. Scared yet? :) Anyway, Griever's regular, physical attacks are fairly weak, and he likes to cast Holy, like Ultimecia. They're nothing to worry about. However, Griever has one ultimate Spell - Shockwave Pulsar, which does 6000-7000 damage to each character. Use a Megalixir IMMEDIATELY after he uses it! Griever also likes to cast Gravija and Doom - again, a Megalixir after these will remedy them. Overall, Griever isn't TOO tough - just use those Megalixirs. By the way, Griever has the uncanny ability to blow away a set of 100 Spells that any one character has; if this set of Spells is one that is Junctioned, there's nothing you can do about it - just try to cope. Hopefully, he doesn't blow away the Spell Junctioned to HP or Strength... Final Boss Fight #3 Name: Ultimecia-Griever HP: 180000+ Location: Ultimecia's Castle (Disc 4) Elemental Weakness: None Elemental Strength: None Elemental Immunity: None AP Bonus: None Items for Winning: None Draw LV 1-19: Firaga, Thundaga, Blizzaga Draw LV 20-29: Firaga, Thundaga, Blizzaga Draw LV 30-100: Firaga, Thundaga, Blizzaga Difficulty: 6 (without Megalixirs), 2 (with Megalixirs) And you thought Ultimecia was ugly before. ^_^ Now, Ultimecia has Juntioned herself with Griever to create an immensely nasty-looking combination - however, all this is, really, is Griever with refilled and more HP. Ultimecia-Griever has stronger physical attacks (and still casts Holy), but they're still nothing to worry about. She does, however, like to cast Tornado and Meteor too this time, so be wary. The one main Spell to worry about is Ultimecia-Griever's ultimate Spell, Great Attractor. This hilariously ridiculous (but cool-looking) Spell looks a lot like Sephiroth's Super Nova Spell from FFVII, but much more powerful - it does 7000-8000 damage to each character. Use a Megalixir immediately after it. As always, recast Meltdown and Aura and then slice and dice Ultimecia-Griever up with Limit Breaks. And yes, Ultimecia-Griever can and will blow away Spells. It will take awhile and a few Great Attractors, but this Sorceress-GF will go down. And the world is saved... or is it...? Final Boss Fight #4 Name: Final Ultimecia (Upper and Lower Body) HP: 250000+ (Upper); 16000+ (Lower) Location: Ultimecia's Castle (Disc 4) Elemental Weakness: None; None Elemental Strength: None; None Elemental Immunity: None; None AP Bonus: None; None Items for Winning: None; None Draw LV 1-19: Holy, Flare; Apocalypse Draw LV 20-29: Holy, Flare; Apocalypse Draw LV 30-100: Holy, Flare; Apocalypse Difficulty: 6 (without Megalixirs), 3 (with Megalixirs) This is it. The final battle. You now face the truly hideous form of Ultimecia, and it is one hell of a beast to contend with. The upper part of Ultimecia is the main part, with 250000+ HP to spare. The lower part, which appears later in the battle, has less HP, but the most ultimate Spell in the game: Apocalypse. As always, you want to recast Meltdown (it works even on Final Ultimecia!), and Aura on your characters, and then start beating her down with Renzokuken, and, if you're lucky, Lion Heart. But in this battle, you have to be especially alert and ready with the Megalixirs, because her main Spell - Hell's Judgement - brings every character down to 1 HP, and she uses it every 3 or 4 turns. :) If you don't cease all attacks IMMEDIATELY and use a Megalixir, she might follow up with Ultima, and that will be the end. So, use those Megalixirs. ^_^ Otherwise, Final Ultimecia likes to cast Holy and Flare, which shouldn't be too threatening - unfortunately, she can still blow away your Spells, so be careful! Once you've made a good dent in Final Ultimecia's HP (it'll take awhile), her lower half will appear and become a target. The upper, main part will then start to Draw and Cast the Ultimate Spell, Apocalypse, from the lower half, on you, which will result in around 7000-8500 HP of hurt coming your way. Use a Megalixir after each one. You can use one Renzokuken to take out the lower half and eliminate Apocalypse, but I never found it necessary since I had my Megalixirs. Do note that YOUR characters can Draw Apocalypse from the lower half of the beast and cast it on the upper half for big damage - however, it's really nothing compared to Renzokuken, so I never bothered. Anyway, just keep up the pattern of Limit, Megalixir, etc. and you should be all right. Do know that you'll probably have to recast Aura a few times in this battle after it wears off. Finally, once Ultimecia starts speaking, she is on her last leg. You can start using strong physical attacks at this point - each hit will result in another line of conversation. She will start off with "Reflect on your... childhood..." and end with "Time will not wait... no matter how hard you hold on... And..." But remember - just because she's almost done doesn't mean she'll give up - she tends to cast Hell's Judgement relentlessly during her final moments in a desparate attempt to finish you off. Keep up with the Megalixirs. Finally, when she says "And..." deliver the final blow. Watch Final Ultimecia be destroyed in glorious rays of light and huge explosions. You have finally defeated her. The world is safe - until Final Fantasy IX... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- --------------- IV. Conclusion --------------- Congratulations for beating Final Fantasy VIII! Now, enjoy the truly perfect and enormously amazing ending - split up into in-game graphics and a 15-minute FMV, along with credits and another short movie, accompanied by a massive musical score by the genius Nobuo Uematsu - one of the best of any music composer out there! The ending is truly touching, so don't feel stupid if you find yourself getting a little misty-eyed. ^_^ I won't spoil it here - you have to see it for yourself. Thank you for reading this FAQ - I hope it helped you! Look for more FAQs in the future! See ya! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- ---------- V. Thanks ---------- I'd like to thank the following people and sources for making this FAQ possible: - BradyGAMES' Official Final Fantasy VIII Strategy Guide for all the Bosses' Vital Stats - Cephiroth's Final Fantasy VIII Boss FAQ for Ultimecia, Griever, Griever- Ultimecia, and Final Ultimecia's HP and Vital Stats - CJayC, the maintainer of GameFAQs, for creating this epic site - Square Soft, for making this truly perfect experience. You guys are the best. ^_^ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- Copyright 1999