Final Fantasy VI Bosses

Before you try to hurt Ultros, make sure your Ramuh-wearing character is equipped with an Earring relic (or two). If you have a Burning Fist-wearing Sabin, he should be in the third or fourth position, as this will ensure that he faces Ultros' back at the start of the match. Make sure that your party is covered in Peace Rings/Ribbons, as Ultros has the ability to set Confuse, which is serious business.

Ultros is back and he's better and badder then ever. Only not really, because he actually has fewer HP than he did when you first met him. To compensate, he has quite a few spells to throw at you, and has a nasty Command Script that gives him the power to, at the worst situation possible, actually take 10197 HP of damage before going down. Here's how that works:

Ultros has four positions. He starts at Position 1. Every time he completes two turns he'll make a comment, switch to another position and start using different spells. Now the story and our eyes will have us believe that it's one Ultros, hopping about; the game, however, treats this battle as one with four Ultros's, each with his own set of 2550 HP. If you hurt Ultros but let him escape to a different position, you can Libra him and see he will again have 2550 out of 2550 HP. At least, that's what you would see if this Ultros weren't immune to Libra. So, the trick is to kill him as quickly as possible, before he can move around at all.

For the record, he will go like this: 1 - 3 - 2* - 4 - 2 - 1 - 4 - 2 - 3 (If he reaches the 3 at the end of the chain, he'll attack four times before sliding back to 2*).

So what does Ultros do? He counters Blitz techniques and Bushido skills with Acid Rain, a nasty Water/Poison-elemental attack that sets Sap. I'd advise against using those skills, especially because Sabin will inflict more damage with the Burning Fist then he will with his Blitz attacks (unless it's Rising Phoenix, and only if he's hitting with the Burning Fist in the back of Ultros). After every minute of battling, Ultros will use Imp Song, which changes the living characters on one side of him into Imps. This is very annoying and yet another reason to deal with Ultros as quickly as possible.

Finally, his attack pattern is this, depending on his position:

1. Attack, !Ink or Tentacle
2. Attack (33%) or Fire (66%)
3. Attack (33%) or Lv. 3 Confuse (66%)
4. Attack or Megavolt or Drain

Locke is fairly useless; Ultros has nothing to steal whatsoever. If Locke knows Slow or Thundara, have him cast it. Otherwise, just attack. Edgar's Chainsaw inflicts very decent damage, and I've said hopefully enough about Sabin's Burning Fist already to generate the impression that I actually want you to use it. Cyan should ignore his Bushido command and act like Locke. Gau, finally, can either pick a Rage like Aspiran or Cloud for direct violence (Aspiran is godly), or Acrophies/Alacran for causing Stop if you want to prevent him from changing position rather than going for a speed kill.

Unless it's equipped on Sabin, summoning Ramuh takes priority over anything else; you may consider giving it to one of the others in the case that Ramuh is paired with Sabin leading up to this battle. It's basically a Thundara spell coming from someone who probably hasn't learned Thundara yet, which makes Ramuh incredibly effective against your marine adversary. Expand Full Strategy

Ultros is an absolute joke this time, with a very simple script and weak stats. He has three attacks: Attack, !Octopus Ink, and Tentacle, so we're back to basics. If he reaches 12800 HP - that's about 5000 damage, something a Bio spell coming from a normally leveled Earring-boosted Terra can do in ONE hit - he will complain and call his buddy, Typhon. "Ultros: " From here, he'll keep attacking like he used to, only he'll talk about the monstrosity now.

Typhon is nothing to worry about either. His attacks are unassuming, his stats fairly weak: Attack and Fireball are past their prime. When he dies, he'll use a final Snort attack on everybody. Gezondheid!

Strategy? Psh. Summoning Phantom at the very start takes care of Attack and !Octopus Ink, and you can Berserk or Silence Mr. Typhon as soon as he comes down. You're invulnerable. Not that a normal Cure or Cura spell couldn't prevent any kind of danger, but... on the offensive side, Fira and Bio work very well on Ultros (yes, he suddenly traded his Lightning-weakness for a Poison one), and Chupon can suck down some Blizzara spells. It's just acceleration material though, as this is a very easy battle. Expand Full Strategy

Ultros is a tough octopod whose Tentacle attack can be a huge pain if you're playing the game without over leveling. Everybody must be in the Back Row. If you are a moron and played with any of your characters in the Front Row, fix that. He'll start by delivering his intro speech and using an Attack. Then, if 10 seconds have passed (and they will have), he'll say "Oh, that one's a tasty morsel! I'd love to get my tentacles around her... *sluuuuuurp*!" and target Terra with a single-target Tentacle attack. If at his next turn another 10 seconds have passed, he'll say "Muscle heads? Hate 'em!" target Sabin with a single-target Tentacle attack and use a multi-target Tentacle attack on his next turn, followed by either Attack, !Ink or a single-target Tentacle in that very same turn; if not, he'll spread the happiness with a multi-target Tentacle/follow up with Attack/!Ink/ single-target Tentacle, wait a turn, and then hate on Sabin for his body. His next turn is devoted to an Attack and either an Attack, !Ink or single-target or multi-target Tentacle attack in the same turn.

Then, he'll say "Your ugly mug gives me the creeps!" and use a single-target Tentacle attack on Banon, from where he'll start at his first multi-target Tentacle-Attack/!Ink/single-target Tentacle turn again. Also, every time he is targeted by a Fire-elemental attack, which at this stage is either a Fire spell from Terra or Sabin's Rising Phoenix Blitz, he will say "Yeeeouch! Seafood soup is NOT on the menu!" and counter with an !Ink attack... yeah, he's a talkative guy.

Beating Ultros down is relatively simple if you pay close attention to his AI script. Have at the very least Terra and Banon in the Back Row using their Defend skill to reduce the power of Tentacle when you know they'll be targeted by it. Have Banon use Pray at all times, as his Attack is nothing to consider seriously (even though he possesses a snazzy weapon that you won't get on other characters for a long, long time). For damage output, have Terra use her Fire spells, Edgar fire off arrows with the Auto Crossbow, and Sabin use Aura Cannon. If he knows Rising Phoenix at this point, it's stronger than Aura Cannon, but if you're that highly leveled you probably don't need to worry much in the first place. Expand Full Strategy

Valigarmanda is attacking you. That's not very nice of him. Luckily, he has very little to damage you with. Blizzaga is his only offensive spell, and as most of your party is easily covered in Flame Shields, Ice Shields, or the Minerva Bustier bustier, the spell will do nothing to them. If you lack the above equipment for all characters, it's worthy of notice that the Thunder Shields and Force Shields both halve damage done by Ice-elemental attacks (dont't forget that the Force Shield also grants the wearer inherent Shell, reducing damage done by the Blizzaga spell by another 33%).

What Valigarmanda does is all very basic. The Esper attacks normally with the above three spells, although he hardly ever uses Freezing Dust just like that. Whenever Valigarmanda is hit by a Fire-elemental attack, it has a one-third chance of casting Rasp. Also, whenever Valigarmanda is hit by either SwdTech, Tools, Blitz, Lore, Sketch, or Rage, it has a one-third chance of casting Freezing Dust to freeze the attacker.

The strategy the game wants you to follow is clear. Fire-elemental Magic is the key. You will mainly be casting Fira here. Sabin's Rising Phoenix deals weaker damage to a single target and may incite a Freezing Dust attack, but if Sabin lacks Fira, it will have to serve as a suitable backup. If you brought Gau, the Twinscythe Rage (Shrapnel) works great because it inherently absorbs Blizzaga. A Rage like Devil Fist is also great, providing you can combine it with an Ice Shield or Snow Scarf on the Rager. The Io Rage is even better as it will consistently deal 9920 damage every time Gau uses Flare Star and inherently nullifies Ice-elemental attacks, but it's unlikely you have it at this point.

There's little strategy involved beyond this, as the battle is quite easy. If you somehow didn't bring any equipment with elemental properties, Zona Seeker can help you out there. Cast Haste on the entire party (now with the Hastega spell, brought to you by Quetzalli) can shorten the time a character is Frozen; heck, if that's taking too long as well feel free to just cast a Fire spell on the afflicted and watch him turn back to normal. Celes' Runic can absorb the Blizzaga and Rasp spells; it won't be necessary if you prepared enough, but if you haven't it's a great idea. Expand Full Strategy

Two Ipooh bears initially protect Vargas; you can't harm him until you have killed them. Ipooh attack physically only, with Attack and !Claw. Vargas will casually switch between Attack and Gale Cut in an Attack-Gale Cut-Attack rhythm. Dance to it. After every 50 seconds, he will taunt you cruelly by saying: "Come on! What's the matter?" and use Attack twice, as if to insult you. What a jerk.

Once he hits 10880 HP - that's after 720 damage - he will start getting bored with you and exclaim: "Enough of this! I'll send you all to the great beyond!" Just then, a new character will appear. It's Sabin Rene Figaro, long lost heir to the throne of Figaro and twin brother to Edgar.

It seems that Vargas misunderstood the outcome of a successor issue concerning Duncan, their master in the martial arts and Vargas' father. Vargas turned to patricide, and here Sabin is complimenting Vargas on his fine spirit. Morals these days, let me tell ya... Anyway, Vargas executes "Blizzard Fist!" Blasting all inferior warriors of the field, the battle is up to Sabin alone.

When Sabin has appeared and Vargas hits 10368 HP - that's 512 more damage - Sabin will lament over his master's teachings. You'll have to use a Blitz to win this battle. Once the primary Blitz technique has been used, Vargas will... die or run, it's kind of vague. At any rate, Vargas is never to be heard from again.

Your strategy? When you engage Vargas, try to pick some Ipooh pockets (metaphorically) with Locke, have Edgar use Auto Crossbow, and Terra use single-target Fire spells on the Ipooh you looted. After you've taken care of the Ipoohs, switch to the Bioblaster with Edgar and have Terra on stand-by for a multi-target Cure spell for every Gale Cut that is sent your way. After a successful Steal attempt with Locke, have him attack. The Bioblaster will facilitate the bulk of your damage anyway, so spending a turn moving to the Front Row and then taking more damage there probably isn't justified.

Eventually, Sabin will crash the party. Pay attention, as you are about to do the most complicated thing invented in video game history. That's right, you're about to execute a Blitz technique. Follow on-screen commands closely. Write them down. Remember. After you've completed a Raging Fist technique, you've won your battle. Expand Full Strategy

Wrexsoul is obviously the main baddie here. The Ironically-named Soul Savers are the goons. At the start of the battle, Wrexsoul will cast Fury and leave the battlefield to invade one of your characters. He won't re-appear for you to damage him until the character he invaded receives Wound, Petrify, or Zombie status. When he's out he'll just sit there for a while, attack with Battle or casting Thundaga. When either one or two Soul Saver(s) has the Reflect status, he'll cast Thundaga on it, causing the spell to bounce off and hit your party. Like any proper boss, he'll counter Fight with a 33% shot at Battle.

The Soul Savers are the bane of this battle. Essentially immortal, they'll regenerate as soon as you kill them off. Normally they'll just sit there, slinging level 3 spells at you with a hilariously minimal effect. Whenever they hit 16 MP or less, they'll use !Magic Drain to drain you of your MP (and with a 50 Battle Power, their !Magic Drain is actually quite strong). They'll cast Reflect on themselves as soon as Wrexsoul is around, allowing him to cast Thundaga on them to damage you. On all other turns that Wrexsoul is around, they'll spend their time casting Cure spells on Wrexsoul for double-digit healing (in other words, a negligible amount).

Before the rise of normal, honest tactics, the usual method of winning this battle was casting Banish. The Soul Savers restore themselves over and over again, but when you successfully suck both Soul Savers into the parallel dimension with Banish, they can't do that and you'll just win the battle. The downside here is that you won't win the Guard Bracelet from Wrexsoul, as you won't have actually defeated him.

Normally, you'll just want to completely ignore the Soul Savers. Minerva Bustier wearers take no damage from them and anybody with an elemental shield should take very little damage all-round anyway (Thunder Shields are the best, as Thundaga is cast most often). First, throw up the usual barriers: Hastega, Earth Wall, Mighty Guard, Moon Song, Life Guard, what have you. Now, just check each character For Wrexsoul by killing him/her and reviving him/her. Strago can commit easy suicide with Self-Destruct (careful: Transfusion removes him from the battle; you don't want that). Shadow can throw Fuma Shurikens or Shuriken to do unblockable and non-elemental damage, while Setzer's Fixed Dice serve the same purpose. If you don't have these characters, just go ahead with spells and Fight attacks where you can; Flare and Break are great for killing party members (provided they hit). Flare has a superior Hit Rate, but with Break you've not technically killed a party member and can therefore bring him/her back without any HP loss by means of a Gold Needle or Remedy Item or spell. If the targeted character doesn't have too much MBlock, Strago's Stone attack can probably take him/her out in one hit; remember that Stone does 7.5 times as much damage when the target shares the caster's level, which is a likely case.

Whenever Wrexsoul appears, act fast and furious! His Magic Defense is a stunning 220, which makes sure that if a magical attack isn't barrier-piercing, it'd have to be a Blizzaga spell coming from Morphed Terra to do a lot of damage. Breaking Ice Rods and/or Ice Shields counts as a barrier-piercing attack, so that's an option if your team lacks offensive power. Ideally, you'll want to stick to targetable attacks: Setzer's Fixed Dice, Shadow's Fuma Shurikens (Icebrand Swords hurt a lot), and Edgar's Drill are good ones. Barrier-piercing attacks can even be multi-targeted; Mega Flare, Grand Delta, and Gau's Tyrannosaur-induced Meteor attacks work splendidly. A Flare spell is better than the Blizzaga spell if you have the choice. The pure magicians in your party should either cast Flare or Blizzaga or simply resort to attacking. If Strago hasn't learned Grand Delta (or Quasar) yet, Traveler is his best option (dual Ice Rods are also an option here, if you don't mind unusual equipment set-ups). Celes's Runic really doesn't help that much, as the level 3 spells aren't a real threat, so just keep on attacking and healing with her. Sabin's only hope at leaving a mark is Phantom Rush, with which you can only hope to hit Wrexsoul itself. With Umaro, just rage.

In the end, the Wrexsoul battle isn't really dangerous; it's just very annoying, especially if you have your characters geared towards Magic Block and are doing quite well in this respect. Your own characters can be surprisingly hard to take down when necessary. Expand Full Strategy

So, you've had three major battles against relatively easily defeated monsters with a weakness to Fire. Yeti is no different: a relatively easily defeated monster with a weakness to Fire.

Yeti employs all kinds of freaky attacks to try to damage you. Normally, he'll use Battle, !Tackle, and Blizzard. He uses physical attacks only when one of your characters is remains, but I see no reason for that to occur. Every 40 seconds (when 2 or more characters are alive), Yeti will either use Snowball (an unblockable ID attack that halves the target's current HP and sets Seizure), Surge, or Lode Stone (ID attack that takes off 75% of the targets current HP). Yeti may counter Fire-elemental attacks with either !Tackle or Blizzard, and every other kind of damage with !Tackle. Every third time Yeti is hit by a Magic spell, he'll use a Jump attack.

The interesting part of this fight is the Green Cherry Item. When you use it on him or he uses it himself (automatically when he reaches 10240 HP), he will glow red. This means that Yeti sets Safe, Shell, Haste, and Regen on himself. Sadly for Yeti, he has Seizure immunity, so you never get to see Regen in action. The appearance of the Green Cherry means Dispel time for you! Dispel will remove all of his power-ups (so will Strago's Rippler Lore, by the way).

Yeti is a very easy opponent. Since he has Berserk vulnerability, you can set it with the Berserk spell, summon Phantom, and effectively win the match right there. If this is not one of the options in your playbook, combining Sleep with Slow should really cripple him too. If status ailments are too cheap for you, Umaro is simply weak enough to defeat with damaging (so long as you heal when appropriate). Fira spells work just fine, as does Sabin's Phantom Rush, Dragon Horn Jump attacks, you name it. Expand Full Strategy

This battle is quite simple. Biggs and Wedge will alert each other about the grave importance of avoiding attacking the shell at all costs. When they're done, you can move in for your very first boss battle.

The shell and the head are two separate entities. The shell will do nothing as long as you don't attack it, but every time you deal damage, it will counter with Megavolt. Megavolt won't be strong enough to actually kill a character at full HP, but it will be strong enough to do so in two hits.

The head will just attack physically and on occasion slow you down with !Slime. After every 10 seconds, it'll 'retreat in its shell', disappearing from the battlefield. He'll keep this up for 10 seconds, and he'll pop out again.

Your strategy? The main thing to avoid is selecting an attack on the head just when it retreats. It's because of this it's best to just go with one attack for each character in one period of 10 seconds. When you can move, make your generic Imperial soldiers attack with a Beam-class attack and the mysterious girl use Magitek Missile. Wait until the head has retreated and appeared again. Repeat. Ymir should be dead by now if you fought all the battles against the Narshe guards; if not, just go for another round.

Note: If you are beyond the shame of any man, you can go for the Ether the shell provides. Since the shell only has 120 MP, he can only use six Megavolt attacks. After this, it is helpless. If you whittle down its 50000 HP and make sure you kill both the shell and the head with one attack (use a calculator!), you'll get both the Ether and a Hi-Potion, and it'll only have cost you over an hour and your dignity. Expand Full Strategy