Here are the six hardest boss fights in Final Fantasy.
6) Ozma – Final Fantasy IX
Image Courtesy of Square Enix
Ozma is an optional superboss in Final Fantasy IX, so there’s a good chance you’ve never seen this boss if you weren’t trying to wring every hour out of the PlayStation classic. However, for players who did dive deep enough into the game world to find Ozma, they found an almost impossible challenge.
It might just look like a large, colorful ball, but Ozma packs a punch. If you aren’t properly prepared, it can take you out in a single hit, and it loves to heal itself to drag the fight out, which often leads to mistakes on your part. Granted, once you know how to prep for Ozma, it’s not too tough, but it is a massive test of endurance.
5) Warmech – Final Fantasy I
Warmech was the boss that started the trend of Final Fantasy having superbosses, and like Ozma, it’s tough to actually find this fight. You need to get lucky enough for it to spawn on a very small strip of the game world, so only dedicated (or unlucky) players ever saw this fight.
Making that even worse, Warmech can take out your entire party on the first turn if you aren’t ready for its attacks. Plus, it heals itself at the end of most rounds, making it close to impossible to put a dent in Warmech’s armor.
4) Ruby Weapon – Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VII is filled with optional bosses, but most fans agree that the Weapons take the cake. What they don’t agree on is which one is more difficult. Some will put Emerald Weapon in this spot. It’s difficult to find, and you have to fight it under a timer. If you don’t go in with a plan, you’ll be dead before you know it.
The reason I have Ruby Weapon slightly higher in the pecking order is that it can take your party members out of the battle permanently with Whirlsand. That can kill your plans in a heartbeat, making it more challenging to prep for Ruby. Thankfully, it’s susceptible to the Paralyze effect, and because of the way its mechanics work, you can neutralize Whirlsand by starting the fight with two KO’d characters in your party.
3) Yiazmat – Final Fantasy XII
Like Ruby Weapon, Yiazmat has a solid competitor for the hardest fight in Final Fantasy XII. The Five Judges fight on Stage 100 of Trial Mode is also a monster. In terms of pure difficulty, The Five Judges might actually be tougher because they have so much kill potential. However, the slog that is Yiazmat takes it over the top for me.
Yiazmat has a jaw-dropping 50 million health pool, which will take you forever to whittle down. Expect to spend at least an hour fighting this massive beast. You also can’t let your guard down, because Yiazmat can quickly flip the script on you and wipe out your health bar. Bring some water to keep yourself hydrated and strap in for a marathon fight.
2) Dragonsong’s Reprise – Final Fantasy XIV
Now we’re getting into the world of Final Fantasy‘s MMOs. Fans will debate between The Omega Protocol and Dragonsong’s Reprise as the toughest encounters in Final Fantasy XIV, but I’ll always trend toward endurance fights. Omega Protocol is a major DPS check for most parties, which can stop you in your tracks until your party gets its act together.
However, Dragonsong’s Reprise takes it up a notch. It’s a frustratingly lengthy fight that requires your team to work in perfect tandem if you want to get through it. You also don’t have to take my word for it. Director Naoki Yoshida has said it’s the hardest encounter the team has ever made.
1) Absolute Virtue – Final Fantasy XI
That all said, nothing can top Absolute Virtue. Final Fantasy‘s first MMO gave players a superboss that was essentially unbeatable when it first launched. Top-level players spent hours trying to take this monstrosity down, but still struggled to kill it. It got so bad that Square Enix had to step in and nerf the boss to make this fight possible.
We’ve seen that happen in other MMOs, so it wasn’t too surprising, but when a developer acknowledges that a boss is overtuned, I’m not going to argue with them. Even after the nerf, Absolute Virtue remains one of the hardest fights in the series. Get ready to spend hours in this fight if you decide to take it on.
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