Final Fantasy has warmed the hearts of fans everywhere since it was first release back in 1987, with a breathtaking story and gripping villains. The series proves itself time and time again by being just as enjoyable as the previous ones. When playing a Final Fantasy game it’s easy to get lost in the vastly immersive open world set before us (the graphics aren’t too shabby either).
That is of course until you find something that you weren’t supposed to. One thing that is always constant in Final Fantasy games are the insanely over-the-top hidden boss fights. Perhaps you stumbled into an area that you weren’t supposed to find yet, or you got a little in over your head thinking you could last against some of the wildest bosses in gaming history — the point is: it's not always easy.
Don’t lose hope though, there are easier ways than just bashing at a demigod or eternal war machine with a sword, believe it or not. With this, I hope to help ease the battle in any way I can. Whether it’s Ozma or Emerald Weapon, they can be beaten. They all have tricks that can be used against them in order to win the fight and earn you all the bragging rights you could ask for.
25 Emerald Weapon (VII)
Starting off strong, we have Emerald Weapon of Final Fantasy VII, it has a total of one million health and has a 20-minute timer to go along with it as well; making it one of the more challenging fights in the series.
It just floats there menacingly. What you want to do to make this fight easier is acquire both the Knights of the Round and the Mime Materia. Use W-summon with Knights of the Round and have everyone mimic that attack.
24 Ozma (IX)
This ball of swirling energy is considered to be the hardest boss in all of the Final Fantasy series, and rightfully so. With the randomness of its attack, as well as Ozma being able to heal itself, it can turn a five-minute fight into hours.
Complete the Friendly Monster side quest in order to make Ozma reachable by normal attack. Have a party member's level by a multiple of five, and another of four, to draw out less devastating attacks. Equip armor that absorbs dark magic and S-level weapons. As for the rest, it's up to you.
23 Yiazmat (XII)
A deity Wyrm with over 50 million health, you’re in for a long fight if you want to take this beast on. This is the final hunt for Montblanc.
Two hours later... you're still fighting.
You want to be hitting at the max damage-capacity, as that will make the fight go by quicker. Have gambits set up for two party members at low life with Berserk and high-combo weapons to deal extra damage. Also, make the party leader have Decoy and Reverse cast on them leading the fight, if they get knocked out, swap with a prepped reserve party member.
22 Ruby Weapon (VII)
Along with Emerald Weapon, there is a Ruby Weapon found in Gold Saucer desert. This boss might seem daunting at first with 800,000 health, but don’t lose hope. It might seem like a horrible idea to enter the fight with two party members knocked out, but it’s all part of the strategy.
Don’t worry, I have a plan. Call Phoenix, then Knights of the Round with W-summon (the ordering matters here), and wait until two party members are down again and rinse and repeat.
21 Seymour Flux (X)
The hardest non-optional boss in the series, Seymour Flux has made many players think it is a scripted loss because of its difficulty (myself included). Casting Instant Knockout combos and attacks, this fight is nearly impossible.
What you need to do is dispel Reflect whenever Seymour casts it on himself, as well as use Wakka's Sleeper Buster to inflict status ailments on him, which make him vulnerable. When Seymour readies Total Annihilation, protect the party member with the highest HP with shell, mighty guard, or a mighty position and recover from there.
20 Major Numerus (X-2)
Major Numerus is a hydra enemy with four appendages, each with their own unique attacks and statistics. Unum, Duo, Tria, and Quattour have a total of two and a half million hit-point split between the four of them. The most interesting mechanic is that the fight will be harder depending on the playtime of the save file.
It may sound kinda silly, but make yourself invincible by mixing Dark Matter with a potion to make a miracle drink. Concentrate on one head at a time by dispelling Shell and Protect, and ramp up Paine’s attack with Nonpareil.
19 Penance (X)
Penance appears after defeating all the dark aeons and will appear in the calm lands. With 12 million health, it’s the hardest boss you can find in X, with a super move named Judgment Day that deals 99,999 HP and 999 MP for each hit.
Rikku is a must have in the party because her mixes are valuable not only for healing the party, but for making Penance’s attacks deal less damage. Be sure to knock off one of the arms, but not both, so that the Judgment Day can’t be used.
18 Hades (IX)
Hades is one of the easier-harder bosses you can find, but he’s still challenging enough to make this list. His Doomsday ability will wipe out any unprepared party expecting an easy fight. You can find him in Memoria behind a rock.
Equipping immunization abilities will make things easier as it gets rid of most status ailments, except Confuse. Dish out as much damage before he casts Doomsday with Bird Killer or Devil Killer, this will boost the amount of damage.
17 Shinryu (V)
This dragon has made multiple appearances in the Final Fantasy series, but Shinryu in Final Fantasy V is the hardest as multiple attacks deal high damage; however, Shinryu has a weakness to certain damage types because it's a dragon.
Have everyone wear coral rings and ice shields to absorb Shinryu’s ice attacks. Then, have a time mage with the mix ability cast Quick to mix a concoction that casts a dark sign, which will blind Shinryu. Finally, mix to cast Berserk and the fight will be made easy.
16 Omega Weapon (VIII)
This boss is hard enough that, when defeated, the game will congratulate you for your accomplishment. With over a million health points, you’re in for a fight.
You’ll want to become invincible with holy water, but before you use it, cast Aura on the party so you may use your limits. Ideally, the party should be at level 100, so max damage can be dealt by each member. Also, any attack that deals multiple hits should be used here. Once the invincibility wears off, use another one and repeat.
15 Demon Wall (IV)
This fight is nearly impossible if you don’t know exactly what to do. If you don’t defeat it in time, the wall will crush you, resulting in an instant knockout to your party.
Cast Slow on the wall to slow it down and Berserk on Cecil and Kain to deal lots of damage, except for Rosa, so they can heal or revive any downed players. Remember to keep casting Berserk if it runs out.
14 Zeromus (IV)
Zeromus, or Zeromus EG, can be found after clearing 49 floors of the Lunar Ruins dungeon. It begins with casting Toad and Mini in a combo, as well as constantly healing itself, making it nearly impossible to defeat.
Level up as much as you can, that way you are doing more damage than it can heal. Use Kain’s jump ability with a lance to deal as much damage as you can. This fight is really luck based, so don’t lose hope if you don’t win on the first try, keep at it!
13 Naglfar (XV)
This boss can be found in the Wondrous Weapon side quest. It’s resistant to ALL weapon types, making Elemental damage the only way to really hurt it. Also, auto-avoid doesn’t work against him, so you need to be on guard to avoid getting hit by his staggering attacks.
Focus on eating food that grants magic boots, as well as equipping gear that improves magic. This way, your spells created with Zu Beak can hit multiple times and break the damage barrier.
12 Minerva (VII Crisis Core)
With an overwhelming amount of health, 10 million (or 20 if it’s on hard), this boss isn’t to be taken lightly. With attacks that use the same animations summons use, it’s best to steer clear. You have to be constantly looking at your health bar to make sure you won’t be instantly knocked out by her attacks.
You have to have Costly Punch, Full Cure or Curaga, Phoenix Down, tons of Elixirs, Soma, and other Ether replenishing items. Be sure to stay vigilant to dodge her attacks and not spamming buttons recklessly.
11 Five Judge Magisters (XII Remake)
A recently made impossible fight with the remade Final Fantasy XII, the 100th floor of trial mode features all five Archadian Judges, ready to knock you all the way back down to level one.
You have to know what order to defeat the Judges in or else you won’t get anywhere. Start with Ghis, Drace, Bergan, Gabranth, Zargabaath. Make sure to cause status ailments on the other Judges and whittle away at their lives until you earn your victory.
10 Warmech (I)
Warmech is considered the first Superboss of the series. The Warmech can regenerate five percent of its health every move it gets, as well as hitting like a truck, and it has a 3-in-64 chance of spawning at the Flying Fortress
Be as high-level as you can be for this fight, as much of the fight relies on how well-equipped and healthy the party is before the battle. Cast Haste on the fighter and have the White Mage solely on healing the party.
9 Kefka (VI)
As a Final Fantasy villain who wants to destroy all of humanity simply because they have 'hope,' Kefka is not a great dude. Also, opening with an attack that depletes your entire party's health to one on his first move, he’s kind of a bad guy.
Keep your health up, as well as your hope, because you need to endure it for a while. You can easily make the fight trivial if you have two characters equip the Ultima Weapon and a master's scroll. The Ultima Weapon ignores defense, so if you’re lucky, you can end the fight in one hit.
8 Atomos (V)
Atomos can literally remove one of your party members from the fight after knocking them out, as well as using a move that ignores defense — the definition of an unfair fight.
You want to end this fight as fast as possible. Atomos is susceptible to sleep, so cast Sleep or have a sleep Spellblade and keep sleeping him until you can end the fight. If not that, just hit him with the best attacks and spells you have.
7 Golbez (IV)
This is one of those fights where you have to do everything right or you will lose and have to start all over again; so get ready for a frustrating scripted battle.
You have to play out a scripted knockout of your party, but if you time it right and have Kain use Jump, he can avoid being paralyzed and knocked out. Rydia will come and save Cecil, and hopefully Kain, revive any downed allies, and either use a Hi-Potion or Cura to bring them to a safe range.
6 Kaiser Dragon (VI Advanced)
This boss takes the whole “you haven’t even seen my final form” to a whole new level. At five lives, each with 65,500 health, it’s going to be one of those days.
Equip Ribbons and Elemental-Resistant gear to combat the heavy magic attacks. Use Quick and Ultima with mages, and armor-ignoring weapons with fighter: the Ultima Weapon and Valiant Knife. Keep your health high and your buffs on and you should finish the Kaiser Dragon in no time.