The HARDEST Boss In Every Final Fantasy Game
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VOICE OVER: Aaron Brown
WRITTEN BY: Aaron Brown
Welcome to MojoPlays and today we're battling the hardest boss in every Final Fantasy game. For this video, we'll be focusing only on the toughest mainline entry bosses as the toughest bosses in spin off games and remakes deserve their own list. Both endgame and optional bosses are eligible for this list as long as they make taking them down the biggest challenge in the entire game. Our list includes Warmech “Final Fantasy” (1987), Exdeath & Neo Exdeath “Final Fantasy V” (1992), Emerald Weapon “Final Fantasy VII” (1997), Penance “Final Fantasy X” (2001), Adamantoise “Final Fantasy XV” (2016) and more!
Script written by Aaron Brown
Welcome to MojoPlays and today we’re battling the hardest boss in every Final Fantasy game.
For this list, we’ll be focusing only on the toughest mainline entry bosses as the toughest bosses in spin off games and remakes deserve their own list. Both endgame and optional bosses are eligible for this list as long as they make taking them down the biggest challenge in the entire game.
What was the hardest boss you faced in a Final Fantasy game and how long did it take you to win? Let us know in the comments below.
Super Bosses have been part of the Final Fantasy DNA since its very first iteration, but that’s not the only thing that makes Warmech something special. Whereas most Super Bosses are easily found within the game, usually wandering the map or within a certain play area, Warmech is a random encounter. And not only that, players only have a 3 in 64 chance of encountering this enemy in the first place. Meaning you could go your entire playthrough multiple times and never get the beat down this mech has waiting for you. Warmech even gets a preemptive strike allowing him to devastate your party before the fight even begins. Magic attacks are all but useless but can still deal damage in a pinch, but keeping your physical and melee attackers alive is the one of the best strategies for achieving victory.
Final Fantasy II might be one of the weaker entries in the franchise and unfortunately its boss options don’t do much to challenge that fact either. One of the only true challenges players encounter is in the numerous encounters with the Emperor. While he’s not particularly tough, the entourage he keeps in tow means dealing direct damage to him is impossible as long as they stand in the way. One of the worst things about the Emperor is his constant use of Elixirs which will undo most any damage or status effects the players have thrown at him up to this point, meaning taking him and his large health bar down as quickly as possible will ease a lot of frustration as the battle rages on.
Going into boss battles fully prepared is a staple of the Final Fantasy franchise but few of these methods involve tactics beyond grinding to level up characters and spells. However in Final Fantasy III, should the player not have released all the Warriors of the Dark prior to entering the final boss fight, the Cloud of Darkness’ defense will be unmatched and the battle nearly unwinnable. Even with this in mind, the fight is no cakewalk. If your party isn’t equipped with the right jobs, you’re in for an uphill fight as each class's strengths play a major role in this battle. Besides the main body, the Cloud of Darkness has two tentacles that can only be damaged with magic or physical attacks respectively and should absolutely be the priority targets upon entering the battle unless you’re looking to challenge yourself even further.
Final Fantasy games are renowned for their multi-stage bosses but few can claim to continue the fight from beyond the grave. After defeating Zemus, Zeromus crawls out of the corpse and continues the fight as the embodiment of Zemus’ hate. Initially invincible for story reasons, Zeromus can only be harmed after Cecil uses the Crystal on the apparition, but even after this story beat, Zeromus won’t go down without a fight. It’s best to prep buff your party for the upcoming fight during Zeromus’ invulnerability since you won’t be doing any damage anyways. Zeromus can quickly eliminate party members with his Big Bang attack but if the party attacks during his build up to Big Bang, the attack can be nerfed slightly, because every little bit helps. Buffing your party with Berserk will grant them extra attacks giving Zeromus less time to counterattack.
Notable for NEARLY ending the world - that honor is reserved for another later on - Ex Death is the puppet master manipulating events behind the scenes throughout the events of Final Fantasy V. Although you initially fight Ex Death and his White Hole attack which can instantly KO a single party member, defeating this first form only unleashes the true test of skill, Neo Exdeath, who multitasks battling you and attempting to end the world in the background. Neo Exdeath is a being of multiple parts from the front all the way to the back. Focusing on one section at a time, particularly the middle due to its ridiculously powerful attacks, is the best strategy for maintaining a constant barrage of attacks against overwhelming odds. Once again, equipping the right classes can make a huge difference, otherwise you’re going to be attempting to strongarm your way to victory.
The only villain in the series to date that has actually succeeded in his goals, Kefka is also one of the few villains the player encounters in the series who isn’t also being manipulated by someone behind the curtain. Although he’s encountered numerous times throughout the game, it’s Kefka’s final form after becoming the God of Magic we’re focusing on here. With incredibly powerful attacks that can reduce the party’s HP to 1 as well as inflict numerous status effects, the final battle with Kekfa is not to be taken lightly. Kefka also changes up his tactics depending on how much damage he’s taken, adopting new and more powerful spells the lower his health gets. Countering Kefka’s attacks with an all-out assault using the party’s most powerful spells and attacks is the best strategy to brute force your way through and you’ll have the last laugh against this clown.
One of the 5 super weapons created to protect the planet, Emerald Weapon is by far the toughest of the superbosses you face in Final Fantasy 7 and that’s even before you take into account the 20 minute time limit you have to complete the battle. The Emerald Weapon waits in the depths at the Bottom of the Sea which is only accessible by submarine. Yes, you have to actively seek out this fight. Each of the Emerald Weapon’s attacks deal thousands of damage and should be immediately countered with healing items or spells and even then, players will have needed to master their limit breaks as well as multiple materias to even hope of finishing this battle within the time limit. Since its release, players have since found strategies for soloing Emerald Weapon but those attempting this fight for the first time should not go in unprepared.
Yet another super boss the player must actively seek out to challenge, Omega Weapon not only stands before the player at level 100, defeating it also unlocks an in-game achievement for besting the entry’s toughest boss. Much like Emerald Weapon, minus the time limit, Omega Weapon packs a punch with most all of its attacks being able to nearly wipe out your party in one go if unprepared. Mastering the game’s often confusing Junction system is key to victory, as is memorizing Omega’s repeating attack pattern. Even with this in mind, maintaining a constant flow of attacks and limit breaks while keeping an eye on your party’s health can become overwhelming and all it takes is forgetting about just one of Omega’s predetermined attacks to end up on the losing side of this battle.
Widely considered one of the most challenging super bosses of the original Final Fantasy run before the turn of the century, the steps in order to even find and fight Ozma are just as difficult as the boss itself. Players must first complete the majority of “Hot & Cold Quests” with their Chocobo as well as the “Friendly Monsters” side quests to even land physical attacks on the orb. Located in Chocobo Air Garden, Ozma will immediately unleash all manner of destruction upon your party, as well as consistently heal itself, prolonging the battle near indefinitely should you enter without a strategy to deal with the rainbow ball. Ozma’s attacks are unpredictable and if its own MP is depleted, Ozma can absorb the magic points necessary to keep the battle going from your party. Upon defeat, Ozma will drop a complete Pumice allowing Dagger to summon her final Eidolon Ark.
A super boss so powerful it wasn’t even in the original version of Final Fantasy X released in the west until the HD Remaster, Penance lives up to its name and exists only to punish those foolish enough to challenge it. Boasting a mindblowing basic 12 million HP, in addition to its arms which come equipped with a respectable 500 thousand HP each, Penance will challenge even the most die hard Final Fantasy fan. Penance’s favorite attack is Judgment Day which can hit EVERY party member for 99,999 damage in one go. Like I said, punishing the player is its main goal here. The arms can deal physical damage as well as nullify any positive status effects the party has equipped and in its first form (that’s right, Penance is a multi-stage fight) it is virtually indestructible if the player doesn’t bring the party’s Celestial Weapons into this fight.
One of the most challenging and also most unpopular boss battles in Final Fantasy history, Absolute Virtue was added to Final Fantasy XI in an update in 2005 and by 2008, still no one had felled the beast. However, a majority of this challenge was caused by the developers themselves who continuously nerfed any strategies they deemed “illegitimate” and it wasn’t until 2008 that the developers themselves revealed how they initially planned for players to defeat Absolute Virtue and then even patched out their own strategy preventing players from adopting it. Battles against Absolute Virtue reportedly could last up to 30 hours and still remain undefeated even despite the numerous wikis devoted to studying the enemy’s attack patterns. Finally with the level cap raised to 99, Absolute Virtue’s health dropped from 100,000 to 60,000 and many of its abilities nerfed, players have since championed this once unwinnable fight.
Seemingly not content with challenging online players of the franchise with near unwinnable boss battles, Final Fantasy XII introduced players to Yiazmat and its 50 million hit points that forced players into a battle that can take even high level players upwards of an hour or more to complete. Maintaining a proper distance in the fight is essential due not only to the area’s traps but should the player stray too far from the fight, Yiazmat will cast “Instant Death” on any challenger outside of its physical attack radius. Once Yiazmat’s health is halved, all attacks against the foe for the remainder of the fight are reduced by ⅓ meaning the max damage the player can deal is reduced to only 7000. The best attack strategy is to focus on combo weapons that can deal damage multiple times as opposed to brute force attacks.
Ssuper boss Long Gui stands before the player with 16 million HP and an additional 1 million HP in each of its front legs. Yeah it’s gonna be another one of those kinds of fights. Resistant to both physical and magical attacks, Long Gui will also cast Doom on the party if the battle lasts longer than 20 minutes as if things weren’t stressful enough already. Spamming Eidolon summons can speed the battle along as well as negate some of the damage Long Gui’s magic attacks deal to the party. Once the party manages to stagger Long Gui and cause it to collapse, Long Gui still won’t go down without a fight, dealing Earth damage to anyone that happens to be standing too close.
Checking back in on the online side of things, just the name “The Unending Coil of Bahamut” is enough to give even the uninitiated an idea of what type of battle they’re in for. One of the first “Ultimate” Raids in Final Fantasy XIV, the Unending Coil of Bahamut is a challenge for those seeking something even more punishing than the “Extreme” and “Severe” difficulties. In a gauntlet series of battles featuring Twintania, Nael deus Darnus as well as Bahamut Prime in rapid succession. The true battle begins once Bahamut Prime is defeated and casts Teraflare to eliminate the entire party only to resurrect them once again to continue the fight against all 3 combined in an unending cycle of torment. Even despite all this, the developers seem to have learned their lesson and the Unending Coil of Bahamut remains far more defeatable than Absolute Virtue in its original form.
The Final Fantasy series has no shortage of enormous bosses to contend with but in Final Fantasy 15, all of those are overshadowed, literally, by the boys taking on the literal freaking mountain that is Adamanatoise. Adamantoise has appeared in Final Fantasy games before but it’s only in 15 where you get a true sense of the scale and imposing nature of the beast. From the moment the mountain comes to life, you just know this will be as much a test of strength as it is endurance as this battle can take upwards of an hour to complete and that’s only IF you don’t have to start over from scratch by attempting this fight unprepared. Noctis’ warp ability is a huge advantage in this fight as long as you stay near the Adamatoise’s head but this can be canceled out and leave him vulnerable should anything get in the way.
The Hardest Boss In Every Final Fantasy Game
Welcome to MojoPlays and today we’re battling the hardest boss in every Final Fantasy game.
For this list, we’ll be focusing only on the toughest mainline entry bosses as the toughest bosses in spin off games and remakes deserve their own list. Both endgame and optional bosses are eligible for this list as long as they make taking them down the biggest challenge in the entire game.
What was the hardest boss you faced in a Final Fantasy game and how long did it take you to win? Let us know in the comments below.
Warmech
“Final Fantasy” (1987)Super Bosses have been part of the Final Fantasy DNA since its very first iteration, but that’s not the only thing that makes Warmech something special. Whereas most Super Bosses are easily found within the game, usually wandering the map or within a certain play area, Warmech is a random encounter. And not only that, players only have a 3 in 64 chance of encountering this enemy in the first place. Meaning you could go your entire playthrough multiple times and never get the beat down this mech has waiting for you. Warmech even gets a preemptive strike allowing him to devastate your party before the fight even begins. Magic attacks are all but useless but can still deal damage in a pinch, but keeping your physical and melee attackers alive is the one of the best strategies for achieving victory.
The Emperor
“Final Fantasy II” (1988)Final Fantasy II might be one of the weaker entries in the franchise and unfortunately its boss options don’t do much to challenge that fact either. One of the only true challenges players encounter is in the numerous encounters with the Emperor. While he’s not particularly tough, the entourage he keeps in tow means dealing direct damage to him is impossible as long as they stand in the way. One of the worst things about the Emperor is his constant use of Elixirs which will undo most any damage or status effects the players have thrown at him up to this point, meaning taking him and his large health bar down as quickly as possible will ease a lot of frustration as the battle rages on.
Cloud of Darkness
“Final Fantasy III” (1990)Going into boss battles fully prepared is a staple of the Final Fantasy franchise but few of these methods involve tactics beyond grinding to level up characters and spells. However in Final Fantasy III, should the player not have released all the Warriors of the Dark prior to entering the final boss fight, the Cloud of Darkness’ defense will be unmatched and the battle nearly unwinnable. Even with this in mind, the fight is no cakewalk. If your party isn’t equipped with the right jobs, you’re in for an uphill fight as each class's strengths play a major role in this battle. Besides the main body, the Cloud of Darkness has two tentacles that can only be damaged with magic or physical attacks respectively and should absolutely be the priority targets upon entering the battle unless you’re looking to challenge yourself even further.
Zeromus
“Final Fantasy IV” (1991)Final Fantasy games are renowned for their multi-stage bosses but few can claim to continue the fight from beyond the grave. After defeating Zemus, Zeromus crawls out of the corpse and continues the fight as the embodiment of Zemus’ hate. Initially invincible for story reasons, Zeromus can only be harmed after Cecil uses the Crystal on the apparition, but even after this story beat, Zeromus won’t go down without a fight. It’s best to prep buff your party for the upcoming fight during Zeromus’ invulnerability since you won’t be doing any damage anyways. Zeromus can quickly eliminate party members with his Big Bang attack but if the party attacks during his build up to Big Bang, the attack can be nerfed slightly, because every little bit helps. Buffing your party with Berserk will grant them extra attacks giving Zeromus less time to counterattack.
Exdeath & Neo Exdeath
“Final Fantasy V” (1992)Notable for NEARLY ending the world - that honor is reserved for another later on - Ex Death is the puppet master manipulating events behind the scenes throughout the events of Final Fantasy V. Although you initially fight Ex Death and his White Hole attack which can instantly KO a single party member, defeating this first form only unleashes the true test of skill, Neo Exdeath, who multitasks battling you and attempting to end the world in the background. Neo Exdeath is a being of multiple parts from the front all the way to the back. Focusing on one section at a time, particularly the middle due to its ridiculously powerful attacks, is the best strategy for maintaining a constant barrage of attacks against overwhelming odds. Once again, equipping the right classes can make a huge difference, otherwise you’re going to be attempting to strongarm your way to victory.
Kefka
“Final Fantasy VI” (1994)The only villain in the series to date that has actually succeeded in his goals, Kefka is also one of the few villains the player encounters in the series who isn’t also being manipulated by someone behind the curtain. Although he’s encountered numerous times throughout the game, it’s Kefka’s final form after becoming the God of Magic we’re focusing on here. With incredibly powerful attacks that can reduce the party’s HP to 1 as well as inflict numerous status effects, the final battle with Kekfa is not to be taken lightly. Kefka also changes up his tactics depending on how much damage he’s taken, adopting new and more powerful spells the lower his health gets. Countering Kefka’s attacks with an all-out assault using the party’s most powerful spells and attacks is the best strategy to brute force your way through and you’ll have the last laugh against this clown.
Emerald Weapon
“Final Fantasy VII” (1997)One of the 5 super weapons created to protect the planet, Emerald Weapon is by far the toughest of the superbosses you face in Final Fantasy 7 and that’s even before you take into account the 20 minute time limit you have to complete the battle. The Emerald Weapon waits in the depths at the Bottom of the Sea which is only accessible by submarine. Yes, you have to actively seek out this fight. Each of the Emerald Weapon’s attacks deal thousands of damage and should be immediately countered with healing items or spells and even then, players will have needed to master their limit breaks as well as multiple materias to even hope of finishing this battle within the time limit. Since its release, players have since found strategies for soloing Emerald Weapon but those attempting this fight for the first time should not go in unprepared.
Omega Weapon
“Final Fantasy VIII” (1999)Yet another super boss the player must actively seek out to challenge, Omega Weapon not only stands before the player at level 100, defeating it also unlocks an in-game achievement for besting the entry’s toughest boss. Much like Emerald Weapon, minus the time limit, Omega Weapon packs a punch with most all of its attacks being able to nearly wipe out your party in one go if unprepared. Mastering the game’s often confusing Junction system is key to victory, as is memorizing Omega’s repeating attack pattern. Even with this in mind, maintaining a constant flow of attacks and limit breaks while keeping an eye on your party’s health can become overwhelming and all it takes is forgetting about just one of Omega’s predetermined attacks to end up on the losing side of this battle.
Ozma
“Final Fantasy IX” (2000)Widely considered one of the most challenging super bosses of the original Final Fantasy run before the turn of the century, the steps in order to even find and fight Ozma are just as difficult as the boss itself. Players must first complete the majority of “Hot & Cold Quests” with their Chocobo as well as the “Friendly Monsters” side quests to even land physical attacks on the orb. Located in Chocobo Air Garden, Ozma will immediately unleash all manner of destruction upon your party, as well as consistently heal itself, prolonging the battle near indefinitely should you enter without a strategy to deal with the rainbow ball. Ozma’s attacks are unpredictable and if its own MP is depleted, Ozma can absorb the magic points necessary to keep the battle going from your party. Upon defeat, Ozma will drop a complete Pumice allowing Dagger to summon her final Eidolon Ark.
Penance
“Final Fantasy X” (2001)A super boss so powerful it wasn’t even in the original version of Final Fantasy X released in the west until the HD Remaster, Penance lives up to its name and exists only to punish those foolish enough to challenge it. Boasting a mindblowing basic 12 million HP, in addition to its arms which come equipped with a respectable 500 thousand HP each, Penance will challenge even the most die hard Final Fantasy fan. Penance’s favorite attack is Judgment Day which can hit EVERY party member for 99,999 damage in one go. Like I said, punishing the player is its main goal here. The arms can deal physical damage as well as nullify any positive status effects the party has equipped and in its first form (that’s right, Penance is a multi-stage fight) it is virtually indestructible if the player doesn’t bring the party’s Celestial Weapons into this fight.
Absolute Virtue
“Final Fantasy XI” (2002)One of the most challenging and also most unpopular boss battles in Final Fantasy history, Absolute Virtue was added to Final Fantasy XI in an update in 2005 and by 2008, still no one had felled the beast. However, a majority of this challenge was caused by the developers themselves who continuously nerfed any strategies they deemed “illegitimate” and it wasn’t until 2008 that the developers themselves revealed how they initially planned for players to defeat Absolute Virtue and then even patched out their own strategy preventing players from adopting it. Battles against Absolute Virtue reportedly could last up to 30 hours and still remain undefeated even despite the numerous wikis devoted to studying the enemy’s attack patterns. Finally with the level cap raised to 99, Absolute Virtue’s health dropped from 100,000 to 60,000 and many of its abilities nerfed, players have since championed this once unwinnable fight.
Yiazmat
“Final Fantasy XII” (2006)Seemingly not content with challenging online players of the franchise with near unwinnable boss battles, Final Fantasy XII introduced players to Yiazmat and its 50 million hit points that forced players into a battle that can take even high level players upwards of an hour or more to complete. Maintaining a proper distance in the fight is essential due not only to the area’s traps but should the player stray too far from the fight, Yiazmat will cast “Instant Death” on any challenger outside of its physical attack radius. Once Yiazmat’s health is halved, all attacks against the foe for the remainder of the fight are reduced by ⅓ meaning the max damage the player can deal is reduced to only 7000. The best attack strategy is to focus on combo weapons that can deal damage multiple times as opposed to brute force attacks.
Long Gui
“Final Fantasy XIII” (2009)Ssuper boss Long Gui stands before the player with 16 million HP and an additional 1 million HP in each of its front legs. Yeah it’s gonna be another one of those kinds of fights. Resistant to both physical and magical attacks, Long Gui will also cast Doom on the party if the battle lasts longer than 20 minutes as if things weren’t stressful enough already. Spamming Eidolon summons can speed the battle along as well as negate some of the damage Long Gui’s magic attacks deal to the party. Once the party manages to stagger Long Gui and cause it to collapse, Long Gui still won’t go down without a fight, dealing Earth damage to anyone that happens to be standing too close.
The Unending Coil of Bahamut
“Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn” (2013)Checking back in on the online side of things, just the name “The Unending Coil of Bahamut” is enough to give even the uninitiated an idea of what type of battle they’re in for. One of the first “Ultimate” Raids in Final Fantasy XIV, the Unending Coil of Bahamut is a challenge for those seeking something even more punishing than the “Extreme” and “Severe” difficulties. In a gauntlet series of battles featuring Twintania, Nael deus Darnus as well as Bahamut Prime in rapid succession. The true battle begins once Bahamut Prime is defeated and casts Teraflare to eliminate the entire party only to resurrect them once again to continue the fight against all 3 combined in an unending cycle of torment. Even despite all this, the developers seem to have learned their lesson and the Unending Coil of Bahamut remains far more defeatable than Absolute Virtue in its original form.
Adamantoise
“Final Fantasy XV” (2016)The Final Fantasy series has no shortage of enormous bosses to contend with but in Final Fantasy 15, all of those are overshadowed, literally, by the boys taking on the literal freaking mountain that is Adamanatoise. Adamantoise has appeared in Final Fantasy games before but it’s only in 15 where you get a true sense of the scale and imposing nature of the beast. From the moment the mountain comes to life, you just know this will be as much a test of strength as it is endurance as this battle can take upwards of an hour to complete and that’s only IF you don’t have to start over from scratch by attempting this fight unprepared. Noctis’ warp ability is a huge advantage in this fight as long as you stay near the Adamatoise’s head but this can be canceled out and leave him vulnerable should anything get in the way.
