Five of the Hardest Final Fantasy Bosses

When thinking about Final Fantasy bosses, there are plenty to pick from. The majority of the harder ones are completely optional however, and require the best party to take down. Now, with a franchise like Final Fantasy this can be a bit subjective, but there’s no denying that these five are forces to be reckoned with.

Warmech – Final Fantasy

A list like this would be incomplete without the encounter that started it all. This is one of the first super bosses in the franchise, and it is extremely easy to miss, as it is a random encounter. Technically, it isn’t a traditional boss, just a very, very strong foe. However the battle with Warmech is comparable to that of a boss, and the conditions can make it that much harder.

It has a 3 out of 64 chance to show up anytime you enter a battle at the Flying Fortress. If it does make itself known, it will usually gain a preemptive strike which can devastate your party on its own. If its preemptive strike knocks out a character before they are able to take their turn, it can set back the battle tremendously.

This boss will require everything your party can offer, and definitely an active White Mage. Its strongest attack Atomize will cause severe damage and you’ll want to be able to heal if you survive it. If you manage to take Warmech out, you’ll be rewarded with the highest amount of Gil and experience a battle in this game can provide. Beware though, because since this is a random encounter, it is possible to stumble upon this foe again.

Absolute Virtue – Final Fantasy XI: Chains of Promathia

This is one of the most formidable foes in the entire franchise. It is one of the Notorious Monsters from Final Fantasy XI, and it is the one that remained undefeated the longest. On top of being insanely powerful and having a huge amount of HP, it also has an incredibly potent auto regen.

Its abilities will vary, depending on which special job ability is currently active. During that time, it will only have access to certain abilities attached to those special job abilities. Currently there are plenty of strategies out there for taking this boss out, but when it was first released that wasn’t the case. Instead, players were very frustrated at the difficulty of Absolute Virtue.

In 2008, three years after Absolute Virtue’s initial release, the development team released a video detailing tips on how to defeat the boss. The video wasn’t received well as it was still too vague, and later in 2008 Square Enix reduced Absolute Virtue’s difficulty. A 2 hour time limit was also added.

Many still haven’t managed to take Absolute Virtue out, and have made peace with that. Even with its power decrease, it is still an insanely difficult boss to take out that will require nothing but the best from the party members attempting the battle.

The Weapon’s Refrain – Final Fantasy XIV Online

Introduced in the Stormblood expansion for Final Fantasy XIV Online, The Weapon’s Refrain is an extremely difficult boss raid that has multiple phases to it. You’ll need to fight the game’s original three primals, Garuda, Ifrit and Titan, in that order, before facing Lahabrea and then the Ultimate Weapon.

After the primals fall, Lahabrea will appear with six Magitek Bits. When those Magitek Bits fall, Lahabrea will cast Blight which deals massive damage and inflicts every player with Doom. Unless a healer uses their Limit Break 3, this will be fatal.

After Lahabrea falls, Ultimate Weapon will show up and cast Ultima. This will be fatal without a tank Limit Break 3. During the battle, it will continue to summon one of the three primals, making the boss battle a tedious and difficult one. Making it through all of this and becoming victorious is what makes this one of the hardest Final Fantasy boss battles.

This battle will require an experienced party to even attempt it. If you manage to survive the entire raid, it’ll leave you feeling accomplished. On top of that, you’ll be rewarded a title, <The Ultimate Legend>, that you can use to show off your accomplishment.

Emerald Weapon – Final Fantasy VII

While each Weapon in Final Fantasy VII is difficult, Emerald Weapon is probably the hardest. If you decide to go after it, you’ll need a submarine because this Weapon swims around underwater.

When you first encounter Emerald Weapon, I can guarantee that you won’t be prepared. To start, you’ll only have 20 minutes to take this bad boy down, since this is an underwater battle. You can combat that though if you have the Underwater Materia equipped.

Emerald has lower defense and magic defense than Ruby and will most likely take you less time, but the 20 minute time constraint is what makes this battle more difficult. It’s Aire Tam Storm attack deals damage to each character equal to the amount of Materia equipped on them multiplied by 1,111. That means if you have nine or more Materia equipped to a character, they will die instantly when this move is cast.

Its regular moves like Emerald Shoot and Emerald Beam are also extremely powerful, hitting characters for thousands of hit points. Any physical attacks that aren’t Limit Breaks will also result in a retaliation move called Revenge Stamp. Needless to say, you’ll want to beef up your party and get a strategy in place before facing this boss.

Yiazmat – Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age

This boss will test your knowledge of the game’s Gambit system. By the time you can accept the hunt for Yiazmat, you’ll have already faced off with a majority of the game’s toughest foes. Defeating Yiazmat will most likely take you well over an hour, probably closer to two depending on your level.

Yiazmat has 50 million hit points, which is the main reason it takes so long to defeat. You’ll find it at the Colosseum at the Ridorana Cataract. During the battle, you’ll want to make sure not to get too far away from it, as it will begin to buff itself.

Yiazmat is extremely aggressive and will require you to strategize as you battle it because it is very unpredictable. All of its physical attacks have a 5% chance of inflicting Instant Death. Taking Yiazmat down will be the ultimate test for players of Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age.

There’s five of the toughest bosses you’ll find in the Final Fantasy franchise. Have you been lucky enough to take any of them down? If you have, then you should definitely feel proud of yourself because none of these bosses are easy to defeat.

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