KINGDOM HEARTS II: FINAL MIX +
LEVEL 1 INITIAL EQUIPMENT/NO ITEM FAQ
By Thundaka (thundaka@yahoo.com)
Copyright 2012 Thundaka.
This guide is solely for private use. If you wish to host this guide on your
website, contact me for permission before doing so. Any profitable use is
strictly prohibited.
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VERSION HISTORY
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v1.00: Completed walkthrough of the main game. Sections for the optional
missions and additional bosses will be added in a later update. As always,
please e-mail me with any suggestions or corrections.
v2.00: Added the optional story missions, and notes on training Forms and
Summons. Also refined my strategies for several storyline bosses.
v3.00: Added complete strategies for the Cavern of Remembrance and all
optional bosses. Barring factual or grammatical errors, the guide is done.
v3.10: Updated the guide with English names for the new Final Mix Abilities/
Heartless/etc. (as featured in the 2.5 ReMIX collection), in addition to a
few minor tweaks.
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INTRODUCTION
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The Final Mix version of KH2 has always held a special place in my heart.
The original game was fantastic, certainly, but once you had mastered the
main game there wasn’t much to maintain your interest. You could unlock the
secret ending, you could defeat Sephiroth, you could clear out the Paradox
Cups... and that was about it. The most interesting thing about the game was
its storyline bosses, and you had to fight your way through hundreds of lesser
enemies every time you wanted to experience them again.
The Final Mix version took an already-great game, and elevated it to one of
the best action games to grace the PS2. The combat became even better, with
no fewer than nine new Abilities (including the much-missed Dodge Roll)
and a new Drive Form to spice up the battles. The game itself became
substantially bigger, with 20 new boss battles, 13 puzzle "bosses" who
tested your mastery of the game mechanics and your own sanity, a massive
sidequest featuring 144 puzzle pieces scattered across the worlds, and a
sprawling new optional dungeon filled with tricky platforming and insanely
powerful enemies. But most importantly, it raised the potential challenge to
unbelievably high levels. While you could still breeze through the game on
Beginner or Normal if you were so inclined, you were also offered Critical
Mode, a new difficulty setting in which the enemies did insanely high
damage.
Despite being very difficult, however, Critical Mode also offered several
unusual advantages: Sora does noticeably more damage per hit, and you begin
the game with 50 AP and a slew of powerful Abilities. The casual observer
might be confused by all the gifts lavished on the player in the "hardest"
setting, until they noticed the last one: the Zero Experience Ability. The
game was encouraging the player to set out against the toughest enemies in
the game with a Level 1 Sora, by giving them precisely the tools needed to
do so. It was if the creators were telling us, "We know you'll go out of
your way to make a challenge for yourself, so go nuts!" And are we glad that
they did.
The Level 1 challenge is certainly a nasty one, due to all the massive
attacks that will cut you to shreds without Second Chance or Once More.
It's also a very rewarding one, when you sit back and consider all the bosses
you've beaten who should have torn apart your puny starting character like a
paper bag. Yet it features some annoying elements. For example, the fact
that you can't raise your stats through leveling means that you must rely on
equipment to increase your damage or raise your Defense. Which is all well
and good, except that it means you must spend a lot of time farming for
synthesis ingredients so you can obtain all the Star Charms and Acrisiuses
needed for Sora, Donald, and Goofy to deal and take a reasonable amount of
damage. A great many Level 1 strategies are also heavily dependent on items,
particularly against the nastier optional bosses, relying on the party's
Ethers and Megalixirs to keep the MP gauges filled so Sora can maintain his
invulnerability and keep dishing out damage via Reflect and Limit attacks.
Even with his massive statistical disadvantage, any victory achieved via
item-spamming tends to feel like a cowardly one, an admission that you won't
face the enemy head-on because you lack the ability to survive them.
To curb these annoyances, and ramp up the challenge even further, one can
simplify the experience by adding two further restrictions: don't use any of
that fancy equipment, and don't use items. That is the Level 1 Initial
Equipment/No Items Challenge in a nutshell. Its rules are as follows:
1. Sora/Roxas must equip the Zero Experience Ability as soon as it becomes
available, and may never unequip it.
2. Every character must use the weapon initially provided to them. Sora
fights with the Kingdom Key, Donald the Mage's Staff, and Goofy the Knight's
Shield. (The same rule applies to Forms with two keyblades: Valor Form is
paired with the Star Seeker, Master with the Oathkeeper, and Final with the
Hidden Dragon.)
3. No character may ever equip an armor.
4. No character may ever equip an accessory.
5. Sora/Roxas may never use an item, either during battle or in the menu.
This includes stat-increasing items like AP Ups, as well as items which
restore HP, MP, or the Drive gauge.
6. Supporting characters may never be equipped with items during battle.
All their item slots must be emptied when the character first joins the team.
These rules make for a purer Level 1 experience, without any Reflect/Limit
spamming or stat-boosting equipment. Of course, that fact also adds a new
layer of nastiness: many later enemies can kill Sora in only one or two hits
(and a lot of optional bosses can kill him with any hit), so to survive you
must be very good at evading their attacks. Still, I don't really see these
as disadvantages, as the greater difficulty adds to the satisfaction of
beating the game.
What is the game like under these rules? For starters, you can't rely too
heavily on Donald or Goofy. AP is not a crippling problem for Sora (who
starts with 50) or the world-specific partners (whose AP and available
Abilities do not depend on level), but Donald's and Goofy's abysmally low
AP means that they can usually only equip one Ability at a time. Their
offensive power is pathetic, so Limits are the way to go. Your per-hit
damage is low, so long combos are most effective: Horizontal Slash is
essential for the later airborne enemies, and Dodge Slash and Combo Plus
are a great (if highly situational) way to boost damage on the ground.
Despite these restrictions, every boss in the game can be defeated within
the rules of this challenge. In fact, the only challenge that is possible
within a normal Level 1 game but not here is the Olympus Coliseum
tournaments, due to the harsh time limits.
For those who find even this challenge insufficient, it is possible to
raise the difficulty higher still by forbidding use of the Drive Gauge.
Besides removing the powerful attacks and emergency healing of your
Drives and Summons, this also eliminates the Growth Abilities like
Dodge Roll which are central to many defensive strategies. (The No Drive
Gauge strategies will be listed seperately within each battle strategy,
when they differ from the standard strategies.) I do not recommend the No
Drive Gauge version in your first run through the challenge, just as I do
not recommend this challenge to anyone who has yet to master the regular
Level 1 challenge. This is a special challenge for those exceptional
players who have tried everything the game has to offer, and want to nudge
the difficulty one step higher.
NOTE: The walkthrough below is FILLED WITH SPOILERS. Only an experienced
player has any real chance of beating this challenge, so you should already
be well aware of the game’s plot twists. Consider yourself warned.
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WALKTHROUGH
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I. Twilight Town – Roxas’ Story
*Day One*
After a gorgeous title sequence, you find yourself playing as Roxas. This
first part of the game plays a little slow, chock-full of tutorials as it is.
After the first few tutorials, you will face Seifer in your first battle.
While the battle itself doesn't matter, your choice of weapons does. Each
of the three clubs provides a permanent +1 bonus to one of your stats: the
star-shaped one on the left increases your Magic, the one with the wide handle
in the middle increases your Defense, and the long straight one on the right
increases your Strength. This is your only chance to increase those stats, so
choose well. Strength is the most immediately useful, since you won't have
access to spells for quite some time, though the Magic boost is more effective
in the endgame. I don’t recommend the Defense bonus: it might allow you to
survive an extra attack early on, but the boost is insignificant in the long
run.
The Seifer battle is ridiculously easy: attack to break his guard, strike with
a three-hit combo, step to the side to avoid his airborne charge, rinse and
repeat. Even if you somehow lose, the game will continue on. Chase a Dusk to
the gates of the Twilight Mansion, try and fail to fight it with your club, and
then defeat it with the Keyblade. The easiest strategy is to strike twice, use
Reversal to immobilize it, hit it twice again, and repeat until the Dusk dies.
(You cannot die here, but it’s good practice for future Dusk battles.) Roxas
and friends get their pictures back, we see a montage of Sora's memories from
the previous game, and we cut to the next day.
*Day Two*
You are asked to raise 800 munny to pay for the gang's trip to the beach.
There are three munny-raising minigames accessible from the billboard right
in front of you, and another three at the billboard in the center of Tram
Common (down the hill to the south). If you prefer to end this day as quickly
as possible, you only need to play one minigame. However, raising 1200 munny
will earn you an additional +2 AP. (You still get +1 AP for 800 munny, but
why stop halfway?)
The fastest source of income is the poster-hanging minigame in Tram Common
(the first one on the list), which gives you 100 munny if you can beat it in
less than 1:30. My preferred route is north across the bridge, over the
awnings to the east, across the roofs in the southeast corner, and west until
you reach the two clusters of posters near the central pillar, at which point
you should have reached your quota of 20. If you prefer something quick and
easy, or just want to add a little variety between poster runs, I suggest one
of the three minigames in Station Heights; the bee-swatting and trash-smashing
games in Tram Common are more trouble than they're worth.
Either way, once you are finished you can ride the skateboard up to Station
Plaza, talk to Hayner, and move on to the third day.
*Day Three*
What started as a normal day gets weird very quickly, with a surprise visit
from a time-freezing little girl and a sudden onslaught of Dusks. You will
be thrown into an unwinnable Dusk battle, very similar to your first
encounter. The next thing you know, Roxas is... somewhere, in an area
similar to the tutorial area from the first game. You are asked to choose
the sword, shield, or staff as your favored weapon. This only affects the
Abilities you learn as you level up, so your choice does not matter.
Afterwards, you enter into a forced battle.
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EVENT BATTLE: Dusk x3
-Reward: Aerial Recovery
-Difficulty: 1/10
You cannot die here. Practice using Reversal to keep the Dusks stunned, using
the pattern described earlier (two hits, Reversal, two hits, Reversal, etc.)
to damage one and prevent the others from attacking. This simple attack
pattern will serve you well for a long time to come.
Sometimes the Dusks will start moving anyway, and you will have to dodge their
attacks. The ground-hugging slap can be dodged with a well-timed jump, and
you can sidestep the diving head flip. When you see them roll into a ball in
midair, stay away until the attack is finished; the jab attack they will use
is hard to dodge and does significant damage.
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Open the chest with a Potion to create a save point and open the way forward.
Before heading on, you need to open the menu. After skipping through six
pages of tutorials, you can finally open the Abilities menu. In addition to
Aerial Recovery, you will find Reaction Boost, Finishing Plus, Draw, Lucky
Lucky (x2), MP Hastera, and Zero Experience in that order, with 50 AP--52 AP
if you got the Day Two bonus--to equip them all. Obviously you must equip
Zero Experience, or the Level 1 part of the challenge will be over almost
immediately. I suggest equipping everything except Lucky Lucky (which has
no use in this challenge). Roxas can be killed from here on out, so be
well prepared.
Beyond the door are a great number of Dusks. There is no real incentive to
fight random enemies, so you are free to run from them. Enter the door at
the top for the first true boss battle in the game.
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BOSS BATTLE: Twilight Thorn
-Reward: HP +2, Guard
-Difficulty: 2/10
As soon as the battle begins, the screen flashes white and you are caught in
shackles of glowing energy. Veteran players will recognize this tutorial:
press Triangle during each of the three minigames to make the boss collapse
on the ground, temporarily vulnerable to your attacks.
The Twilight Thorn will quickly resume the offensive. He opens with a wide
sweep across the battlefield, which can only be avoided with a well-timed
jump. Fortunately he only uses this once, and his per-hit damage is still
pretty low. After that he shoots pulses of black-and-white energy from his
head, which you can dodge with Reversal. Hurry toward him, because soon
after that he will start sweeping his arms across the ground (striking you
unless you’re standing by his feet).
He follows up by slamming his head into the ground, sending out endless
pulses of energy and summoning several Creepers. Keep to the far end of the
arena and eliminate the little guys. You can kill each of them in a single
combo, if you use two finishers in a row, but you still must work quickly.
If you leave a Creeper alone for too long, it will either shape itself into
a sword to slash you or disappear to dive-bomb you. Either way, start
moving to escape its attack. They drop a lot of health orbs, which should
heal any damage you’ve taken so far.
For the rest of the battle the Twilight Thorn will shoot lots of energy
pulses from its head, which you can dodge with Reversal. This is the only
way you can get within striking distance of the head, so use the
opportunity to attack him.
He will repeat the head slam once (without Creepers this time), and
eventually signal a new phase by repeating the three reaction commands. The
next phase is kind of scary, featuring endless waves of energy pulses and a
painful arena-covering energy attack. However, if you ground him with the
final reaction command you will have plenty of time to finish him, and will
almost certainly win the battle before he starts attacking.
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*Day Four*
The Struggle is here, and it is time for Roxas to prove himself in the
arena. After equipping your shiny new Guard Ability and speaking with the
man by the blackboard, talk to the Struggle manager to begin the tournament.
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EVENT BATTLE: Hayner
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 1/10
Just surviving with 101 orbs is enough to win, though with Draw it is easy to
get all 200. Step out of range of Hayner’s two-hit attack, then move in for
a combo and walk around to collect the orbs he drops. Limit yourself to one
finisher per combo, or Hayner’s counterattack will knock away lots of orbs.
Towards the end he starts using a sliding charge, but this is easy to Guard
or sidestep.
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Save if you wish, then square off against Vivi.
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EVENT BATTLE: Vivi
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 1/10
Much like Hayner, though his moves are a little trickier: Vivi’s normal
attack has surprising range, and his vertical spin can knock away a lot of
orbs. Since they only hit in front, just circle him and strike after he
does. As with Hayner, double finishers hurt more than they help. His only
serious attack is when he randomly jumps across the arena, then performs a
powerful three-hit swing. You can escape most of it by running, but you
will need Guard to block the final hit.
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Time stops, and a trio of Dusks arrive in the arena. Keep them immobilized
with Reversal, and you should have no trouble keeping your health up for the
boss that follows.
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BOSS BATTLE: Axel, Part I
-Reward: Scan
-Difficulty: 3/10
Axel is a pretty nasty customer. His twin chakrams can hit you at range and
do high damage, and the window to attack between his combos is pretty small.
You can create an opening by continuously circling and striking just after
his attack, though only if you’re quick. Your finishers can easily knock
him out of range, so only use one at a time. Make a habit of moving away
after each ground combo, so you don’t trigger his counterattack and are
prepared for his desperation attack.
Besides his normal attack, Axel will often dash up to you and deliver a
faceful of fiery chakram. This is basically undodgeable, so Guard as the
dash ends to block it. He also has a desperation attack, a long combo of
painful lunges, but by running out of range you can avoid the whole thing.
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You win! Equip your new Scan Ability and clear the final battle against Setzer.
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EVENT BATTLE: Setzer
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 2/10
You don’t have to win, but there’s no point in throwing the battle to a jerk
like him. Setzer likes to counter your finishers with a flying sweep that
knocks away a ton of orbs. Guard works best, though you have to be quick.
He will sometimes assume a guard stance and attempt to counterattack, but if
you attack quickly he cannot strike back fast enough. He may also start
charging club-first across the arena, which you can just Guard. Chances are
good that you will beat him long before the 60 seconds are up.
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*Day Five*
Today Roxas and friends are setting out to investigate the Seven Wonders of
Twilight Town. Head up to the Station to visit Sunset Lingering Willce, then
check out the four “wonders” in that area. Two of them--the “Friend in the
Wall” and the “Moving Bag”--are simple minigames that test your timing. The
other two are actual battles, though neither is at all challenging.
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EVENT BATTLE: Vivi Clones
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 1/10
Each clone has 1 HP, so they will fall quickly. The trouble is their
numbers, at least one or two dozen, which can lead to a lot of unexpected
hits. Still, their attacks do only minimal damage. An aggressive offense
will finish this quickly, though be sure to move away if too many gather in
one spot.
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EVENT BATTLE: Shadow Roxas
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 1/10
Wait for the shadow to lunge forward, then respond with a combo. It may
perform a three-hit combo of its own, but if you stay just out of range and
wait for it to finish the shadow poses no risk whatsoever.
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Once you’ve completed all four you will return to Sunset Hill for a cutscene,
then cross town for another scene at the Old Mansion. The relatively boring
introduction is over, and the interesting part begins.
*Day Six*
Some weird stuff is happening to Roxas. Step outside the clubhouse to meet
up with an old “friend” and fight your first elite Nobody, the Assassin. It
will stab you just after teleporting in, so Guard before you start
attacking. Leap toward the Assassin and hit it with air combos; ground
combos give it more time to recover and slip underground. Use only one
finisher per combo and keep it stunned at all costs, or it is liable to
unleash its powerful suicide attack. Its multi-hitting slash combo is
dangerous, but it is pretty easy to deflect if you move back a step and
attack. (You can’t die in this battle, but practice your tactics anyway.)
When the battle ends, you will make your way to the Old Mansion. Head up
the stairs to grab Namine’s drawing, and head into the computer room. A
tough pair of battles await behind the next door, so be ready.
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EVENT BATTLE: Dusks and Assassins
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 3/10
Reversal makes the first group of Dusks easy. Things only get tricky when
the third Dusk dies and a pair of Assassins spawn. The Assassins will
slaughter you unless you keep moving, so stick with full combos instead of
Reversal for the last Dusk.
If you are interrupted while attacking an Assassin, RUN AWAY. Its suicide
attack is very hard to outrun, and does way too much damage. Stay on the
defensive, so you have as much health as possible for the next battle.
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BOSS BATTLE: Axel, Part II
-Reward: HP +2
-Difficulty: 3/10
The good news is that Roxas has two keyblades, together with some very strong
multi-hitting combos. The bad news is that he can no longer Guard, rendering
Axel’s attacks extra-deadly. (Pressing Square triggers a leaping attack
instead. It can deflect the normal attack sometimes, but it’s useless
against the chakram rush and desperation attack.) Axel opens the battle by
igniting the floor, slowly draining Roxas’ health. As before, keep your
distance and move in for a combo as he ends his attack. The second finisher
will launch him into the air, triggering the Overtaker and Clear Light
commands to stun him and put out the flames, and together the two combos can
remove half his health. Critical Mode’s innate damage bonus is really
powerful here.
Follow up with another ground and air combo assault, and you can probably
finish him before he recovers at all. If that doesn’t do it, the Burst Edge
command and your followup combos certainly will. You have no real defense in
this confined space, especially against the desperation attack, so a strong
offense is essential.
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And with that, Roxas’ story is over. Head down the hall to discover Donald,
Goofy, and finally Sora waiting for you. Our hero has returned.
II. Twilight Town
After a long cutscene, the menu opens and you regain control of Sora. Empty
Goofy and Donald’s item slots right away. I would change both of their
battle settings to Party Attack for now, so they can keep other enemies busy
while Sora attacks his chosen target. When you’re ready you can exit the
menu, leave the Mansion to visit the gang at the Usual Spot, and head up to
the station.
Once there, you get forced into a battle with an unlimited number of Dusks
and Creepers. You cannot win this battle, though you also cannot lose it:
it ends automatically after a certain amount of time has passed or you’ve
taken a certain amount of damage (and thus ends quickly if you provoke the
Nobodies to attack you). Anyway, you’ll eventually enter the station, at
which point you will take the train to Yen Sid’s Tower. There you will meet
Pete, who will call out the first batch of Heartless for you to destroy.
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EVENT BATTLE: Shadows
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 1/10
Unsurprisingly, the weakest Heartless are not difficult opponents. You may
take some damage, but not nearly enough to kill you before Sora and his
allies have wiped them all out.
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Then it’s inside the tower and up the stairs with you. The first room is
filled with more Shadows, which are just as easy to dispatch. The second
room introduces you to a few Soldiers. At low health, they will leap into
the air and rush at you for heavy damage. Guard the aerial rush, and use
the Cyclone command to neutralize the ground rush and do heavy damage in
response.
At the top, you will meet Yen Sid and be able to progress the plot. Sora
earns the invaluable Valor Form from the fairies, and boards the Gummi
Ship to a very familiar world.
III. Hollow Bastion
Looks a little different, doesn’t it? Head into the Borough to meet an old
friend and make some new enemies. You cannot lose, and it’s an ideal place
to train Valor Form a bit.
Continue to Merlin’s to learn the Blizzard spell and save your game. Run
up the stairs to meet up with Leon. Unfortunately, your reunion is
crashed by a bunch of unfriendly men in black coats, and you’re suddenly
forced to defend the gate.
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EVENT BATTLE: Defending the Gate
-Reward: Fire spell (Sora)
-Difficulty: 5/10
Sora is alone (so no Valor Form), you have to protect the gate from damage,
and it is being attacked by elite Nobodies who can cut you to ribbons. It’s
difficult to express how much I hate this battle.
At the start you will face a pair of Dusks. Reversal still works, but in
this case full combos are much more effective. Focus on dodging the Dusks
and performing combos until the first wave of Creepers arrive, at which
point you will attack them full-time. Reversal is occasionally useful for
interrupting large groups, but don’t rely too heavily on it.
The hard part begins when the Samurai arrive. Wear one down with Blizzard
until you run out of MP, then hurry to the opposite side of the arena.
Though it’s a risk to leave the gate unguarded, you can’t chance a Dusk or
Creeper interrupting you while facing down a Samurai. (Besides, Leon and
his huge sword can still defend the gate.) Guard against the lethal sword
charge, then attack. Do not use the reaction command unless you are VERY
quick; failure can easily kill you.
Once both Samurai are gone, it’s time to mop up the surviving Nobodies. Your
MP gauge should have refilled by now, so blast the horde with Blizzard before
moving in. It’s important to watch out for enemy attacks--the Dusks and
Creepers do considerable damage by themselves--but keeping them occupied is
even more important.
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And that’s that. Seal the first keyhole, and Sora and company will leave
Hollow Bastion to move on to the next world. Your next stop is Beast’s
Castle, to earn the most important spell in the game.
IV. Beast’s Castle
Before you can open the menu, Sora will be swarmed by Shadows. Spam Fire for
a while and the battle will end automatically. Head toward the East Wing
to advance the plot. You will meet quite a few Heartless on the way to the
West Wing, though none except the Large Bodies are a real danger. (The
Large Bodies’ charge is an instant kill, so avoid it at all costs.)
After entering the West Wing and moving the dresser out of the way, you’ll
walk into a truly nasty boss battle. I suggest you unequip Donald
Thunder prior to the minigame, as the Heartless that spawn in this battle are
immune to it.
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BOSS BATTLE: Thresholders and Possessor
-Reward: Upper Slash (Sora), Donald Fire (Donald), HP +2 (Goofy)
-Difficulty: 5/10 (3/10 with Mickey)
The Thresholder will lash out the moment you gain control. Back up a few
steps, then cast Blizzard until you run out of MP. Move a little closer to
make the Gargoyles spawn, then run back. The two of them together would
slaughter you, so you must stay out of the Warrior’s way (he’s the one with
the axe) until you finish the Knight. Climb the piled furniture to reach
the ledge over the entrance, and wait. It will take a while, but eventually
the Knight will hop onto the ledge. Back up to trigger the charge, and you
can Guard to kill him with Release. All that’s left is to wait for the
Warrior to use his clear-cutting spin, then hop down and finish him the
same way.
By now your MP has refilled. Another full round of Blizzards will finish
the Thresholder’s HP and open the Release command. The Possessor is forced
out, and you are free to damage him without opposition. Some Hook Bats
will spawn, but as long as you watch for their reaction command they are no
threat. What is a threat is the Thresholders’ new form, activated when the
Possessor is at half health. Their dark orbs cannot be Guarded or dodged,
and two hits will kill you--which is a serious problem, since it takes
several combos to wear them down. The only reliable defense is the Bat Cry
command, which is also your best offense: besides granting you
invulnerability, it does a lot of damage and lets you pile on even more
damage with a ground combo. Triggering the attack can be tricky (it
usually follows a direct attack on the bats, which can be difficult while
you are locked on to the boss), but if used often enough you can beat him
without any danger. Thankfully this form is the end of it: the Release
command reappears, and this time you can finish the Possessor for good.
If you cannot avoid the orbs, there are still two ways to survive. The
first is Valor Form. The activation heals you and stuns the boss (though
only if the orbs are already released), and your dual-keyblade combos
should quickly slice through the rest of his HP. Then again, if Goofy
is dead you won’t have that option. The second is King Mickey, who first
appears in this battle. Many players don’t approve of this option, seeing
it as an “extra life” in a battle you’ve already lost, but if you’re having
a lot of trouble he may well be worth it. He will always appear the first
time you die, but his odds of appearing decrease every time you use him (and
carry over to the next battle, if you used him on your winning attempt).
Mickey probably won’t live to fully heal Sora, so wear down the boss with
Pearl (his homing magic spell) and do your best to dodge the orbs by
jumping. Even at half health, Sora can easily finish him if you are are
aggressive enough as Mickey.
--NO DRIVE GAUGE STRATEGY (8/10; 3/10 with Mickey): Essentially the same
as above, except that you cannot heal with Valor Form. It’s no worse if
you let Mickey revive you, but if you don’t your only option is to
completely avoid the dark orbs. You must be very good at triggering Bat
Cry if you hope to survive this nightmare.
**NOTE ON DRIVE FORMS (2.5 REMIX ONLY): The first time a Drive Form is
activated on the PS3 version, there is a long delay while the game loads the
Form. This delay can allow your enemies time to recover and start
retaliating, which can seriously endanger you once combat resumes. (Sora is
entirely invulnerable during this transformation, potentially allowing you to
survive otherwise lethal attacks, but in general the delay will hurt you more
than it helps.) To bypass the delay, pause the game for 5-10 seconds after
activation. This will allow you to start attacking almost immediately, which
can be essential in frantic battles where you need to stay on the offensive.
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You now have Upper Slash, the first really valuable offensive Ability.
Equip it right away, then walk through the door to save your game. (If
Valor Form is still active, you can fully restore your Drive Gauge by
warping to the Gummi Ship.) Return to the room, then follow Cogsworth into
the secret passage. After a brief minigame, you can head forward to the
Beast’s room.
Continue west, killing or running away from the Gargoyles as you go. Upper
Slash allows you to immediately follow your ground combos with an air combo,
effectively doubling your damage. (They are immune to magic, so don’t
bother.) As soon as you enter the Beast’s Room, you will be drawn into
another battle.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSS BATTLE: The Beast
-Reward: HP +1 (Donald), Defender (Goofy)
-Difficulty: 2/10
The Beast does high damage, but he’ll never get to attack with the right
strategy. Stun him with the Wake Up! command when he gets close, then hit
him with a full combo. When your attacks no longer stagger him, he has
returned to attack mode and must be stunned again. You can easily wear his
health down to zero this way, at which point a quick button-mashing minigame
will bring the Beast back to his senses.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Beast joins the team as your first new ally. His special attacks can
easily eliminate the weaker Heartless, and his Twin Howl Limit can clear
crowds of them in one go. Empty his item slots, remove Item Boost and
Auto-Limit, equip Hyper Healing, and head back across the castle to Belle’s
room. I suggest running from the rest of the random battles, or the Lance
Soldiers will make your life hell.
Go to Belle’s room, talk to the dresser, and save your game. Return to the
foyer for a cutscene. Run straight to the ballroom (the Heartless are not
remotely worth it), and the nastiest battle up to this point will commence.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSS: Possessor
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 3/10
This is the start of a grueling endurance test, so do your best to avoid
damage. The Possessor opens by burying himself in the far wall and blasting
shockwaves across the arena. Run to one side, then wait until he possesses
the chandelier and drops down. A full four-hit Blizzard combo should remove
its HP. Release him, and activate the Twin Howl Limit as your feet touch
the ground. By mashing X and Triangle simultaneously, you can take off
nearly half his health in a few seconds. When he recovers the Possessor
will bury himself in the ground. Leap when the glowing spot appears to avoid
being swallowed.
Finally, he will enter one of the columns to rake the outside of the arena.
Keep your distance, then move in for a full air combo. Move in toward the
wall, turn around to Guard his next strike, and you can Release him with
another air combo. Your MP will still be recharging, so just use physical
attacks in the meantime.
The rest of the battle is much the same, with the Possessor cycling through
all four attacks in order. He isn’t too dangerous once you have mastered
the pattern, but ending the battle can still be tricky. As tempting as
it is, finishing him with the Limit will hurt you in the next battle. You
can still wear down most of his health with Twin Howl, but you must stop
well before his HP reaches zero. After that you should back off and wait for
your MP to recharge, then win the battle with a combo or two.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSS: Dark Thorn
-Reward: Cure spell, HP +2, Retaliating Slash (Sora), HP +1 (Donald),
HP +25 (Beast)
-Difficulty: 7/10 (4/10 with Mickey)
Before you can move, the boss will turn invisible and summon dozens of dark
ghosts to attack you. If you have no MP, you will have to do your best to
dodge the ghosts until you can use Twin Howl. If you still have MP,
though, you can lock on and go to town. Mash both buttons quickly enough,
and one use will end the opening phase. Hit him with a ground combo and
follow up with Step Vault to remove his invisibility.
The Dark Thorn gains a lot of new moves when his HP falls, but the one you
need to concentrate on is his grab-and-spin attack. He signals this by
leaping toward you, then spins you around and hurls you at the nearest
column. Let him grab you whenever possible: the Slingshot reaction command
turns the throw back on him, and the few seconds of invulnerability are a
great defense against the ghosts.
Probably his favorite attack, and easily his deadliest, is the ghost-
summoning spell. Two hits will kill you, and with ghosts homing in from
all directions they can be difficult to avoid. To make it worse, he
will often perform another attack while you try to dodge the ghosts. You
can ignore the entire attack if you unleash Twin Howl as he casts it, but
you won’t always have MP to use the Limit. Your best bet is to run around
in wide circles and hope like hell that his other attacks don’t kill you
before the ghosts disappear.
He also performs an exceptionally vicious five-hit combo. This is a
little unpredictable, as he randomly switches between leaping and spinning
in place, but if you’ve mastered the Guard timing you will still block the
whole thing. Avoid Aerial Recovery if you are hit, as your time in the air
will protect you from the next hit or two. Finally, from time to time he
will turn invisible and leap out of sight. Get to the outside of the
ballroom, because he is about to drop the chandelier and spin it around
the arena.
Most of your offense will come from Twin Howl, though Slingshot also does
nice damage. Never use physical attacks unless he is invisible; they do
little damage, and he is prone to retaliate with a combo attack. Dodging all
the ghosts and flying tackles is very difficult, so you should count on
getting hit more than once. Valor Form is great for healing, but unless you
are standing right next to him (in which case you can perform a single combo)
you should revert right away. He is just too dangerous without Guard.
King Mickey once again comes to revive you, if you let him. Keep
casting Pearl and dodging with his jump as before (the ghost attack
makes full recovery unlikely), and with any luck you will wear him
down to the point that the next Twin Howl can finish him.
--NO DRIVE GAUGE STRATEGY (9/10; 4/10 with Mickey): Without Valor Form,
you have absolutely no way to heal. You have to be incredibly good at
dodging all of the Dark Thorn’s attacks, essentially perfect if you go
without Mickey.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
With Cure in his arsenal, Sora now stands a fighting chance in the next few
worlds. You may visit either Olympus Coliseum or the Land of Dragons next.
This guide assumes you start at the Coliseum: you will get far more use out
of its rewards (and your first Summon) in the Land of Dragons than the other
way around.
V. Olympus Coliseum
Your Drive Gauge is locked from the moment you enter this world, cutting
your access to Valor Form. Talk to Megara, then head down the path to
Hades’ throne room.
Fight or flee from the Heartless on the path, use the save point, then run
up to Hades’ throne room. After a short unwinnable encounter with Hades,
Auron will join your party. Remove his items, equip MP Haste and Hyper
Healing, set him to Party Attack, and pick Goofy as the third party member.
You need every advantage to survive the gauntlet that follows.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Escaping from Hades
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 7/10
Hades is an absolute nightmare: he cannot be stunned or damaged, he
constantly teleports to confuse you, and two of his fireballs will kill
you. To survive you must ensure Hades is constantly in view, and move
out of the way when he releases a fireball. He signals them by calling
“Feel the heat” (up to three times in a row), but even with that warning
it takes quick reflexes to Guard or sidestep them.
The Heartless in the first round are pretty weak, though Hades himself is
still a huge threat. I suggest you perform one air combo at a time, wait
until Hades’ fireball barrage ends, then repeat. (Bat Cry is a big help
here.) If you suffered any damage, cast Cure and wait for your MP to
recharge once the barrier falls. To beat the Lance Soldiers in the second
round you must weaken them with the Bushido Limit. This will mostly
prevent their aggravating lunge, and will open up the Lance Tug command for
major damage to everyone nearby. Once again, cast Cure and wait for your MP
to recharge if you lose any health in this round.
The final round comes in two waves. Each has a pair of Lance Soldiers and
some Hook Bats, with a Large Body added to the second. Backtrack up the
path as each wave spawns, and you should avoid getting mobbed or murdered
by the Large Body’s charge. As before, weaken the Lance Soldiers with
Bushido before you attack directly. To finish the Large Body, you should
sidestep its belly charge, hit its back with a ground combo, and slam it
with Full Swing. (Only do one combo at a time, or you will be vulnerable to
Hades’ fireballs.) Block him and finish him with reaction commands once he
starts glowing, and you can make your escape. And DON’T FORGET ABOUT HADES.
Getting killed by a fireball just short of the exit is aggravating beyond
belief.
**NOTE ON CURE**: Be aware that the Cure spell is a lot less effective at
critical HP. In addition to halving damage, the Kingdom Key’s Damage Control
ability also halves the power of your healing spells. You can never go
directly from critical health to full health, but instead will have to
survive at half health while your MP recharges. Since Sora cannot change
keyblades or raise his Magic stat, this problem persists through the rest
of the game--even after he upgrades to Cura and Curaga.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Save once the cutscene ends. The Heartless are just as nasty on the way
back up, though Auron’s healing helps. Defeat or run from the Heartless as
best you are able, then face another boss at the gates of the Underworld.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSS BATTLE: Cerberus
-Reward: Counterguard (Sora), HP +40 (Auron)
-Difficulty: 4/10
Cerberus’ bite attacks can be very dangerous, but with a good strategy he
will hardly get to use them. Jump over the shockwave from Cerberus’ opening
leap, then stay to one side for a few seconds. The heads will randomly lash
out at first, but eventually he will whip his body around to face you
again. Leap over this attack, and you will have time to hit the heads with
a full combo and back away. Keep this strategy up, and you should see
nothing but the tail whip and the occasional leap attack for a full health
bar.
Eventually Cerberus will leap away, then start spitting endless orbs of
dark energy that home in on Sora. You can Guard these, but doing so
continuously pushes you back and makes it impossible to close range. To end
this barrage you will need to get as close as possible, lock on to him, and
unleash Bushido. The damage isn’t much, but by staying close during the
attack you will trick him into ending the assault and reverting to his
short-range attacks.
He follows the orb barrage by trying to grab you with all three heads,
triggering a series of reaction commands which leave him stunned on the
ground. He will perform two or three of these moves in a row, allowing you
to pile on the damage, but eventually he will resume snapping at you with his
heads. If you get seperated he may resume the orb-spitting attack, in which
case you will need another Limit. By this point he should have very little
HP remaining, allowing you to finish him with a final Bushido.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
You gain the useful Counterguard, but lose Auron. Oh well.
Head up to the Coliseum and complete both of Phil’s pot-smashing games. You
gain Aerial Dive, a superior version of Aerial Sweep with greatly improved
range. Equip it, have a chat with Hercules, and head down to the Underworld
Caverns. Here you’ll meet the Trick Ghost, a nasty Heartless with a fondness
for hard-to-escape magic attacks. Defeat them or run away, and catch
up with the thief who stole the Olympus Stone.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Demyx’s Water Clones
-Reward: HP +2 (Sora), MP Rage (Donald), HP +2 (Goofy)
-Difficulty: 1/10
Thankfully, Demyx isn’t really trying yet. Smack a water clone to turn it
into a note, whip it around to take out dozens at a time, and repeat until
victory.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Finally, you can use Valor Form again. Open the lock, then walk into the
light to rescue Megara.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSS BATTLE: Pete and the Heartless, Round 1
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 3/10
Start by hitting a Hook Bat with an air combo, and you can clear out most of
them with a Bat Cry command or two. You will need to block Pete's flaming
bowling ball, but otherwise you can ignore him until the Heartless are
gone. Close range with Pete while avoiding the marbles and bowling ball,
and wait for him to perform the ground pound. If you leap over the
shockwave and immediately start attacking, you can start an Upper Slash+air
combo barrage that will trigger his protective shell. This prevents him
from using any other attacks (including summoning more Heartless), and if
you hit him just as his feet touch the ground you can start a new Upper
Slash combo without giving him a chance to retaliate. You cannot defeat him
yet, but the battle should end pretty quickly.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSS BATTLE: Pete and Heartless, Round 2
-Reward: Trinity Limit (Sora), HP +1 (Donald), Hyper Healing (Goofy)
-Difficulty: 4/10
The pair of Trick Ghosts are the main danger. Use Hercules’ Aura Guard to
absorb their fireballs, then leap forward and start attacking one nonstop.
The instant you are hit, activate Valor Form. You can skip to the combo
finishers with its Omega Finale power, wiping them out in seconds and
preventing them from retaliating.
Once they are gone it’s just a repeat of the first battle, with one twist:
you can now break Pete’s shell via the Pinball command, which briefly stops
the clock. Abuse this to kingdom come to win the battle quickly.
-NO DRIVE GAUGE STRATEGY (6/10): The same as above, except that you cannot
use Valor Form to kill the ghosts. A little luck is required, since you
are in serious danger if the second ghost interrupts your attack. Bat Cry
is indispensable, as it is one of the few ways to inflict damage without
leaving yourself exposed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Your reward is the incredibly powerful Trinity Limit. Equip it when you
regain control, save, and head up the stairs to the Coliseum.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSS BATTLE: Hydra
-Reward: Thunder spell, HP +2 (Sora), HP +2 (Goofy)
-Difficulty: 3/10
Trinity Limit makes this pain of a boss vastly easier. Activate it right
away to beat the first phase instantly. (If you delay his tail sweep will
kill Donald, rendering Trinity Limit unavailable for a while.) Remember
to use all three attacks so the Limit can inflict maximum damage.
After you remove his head, he will grow three new ones and stick them into
the ground. Jump onto his back, use the reaction command, and attack the
stunned heads. You should have time to kill the first head and heavily
damage the second before they recover, and one more Vanquish command will
let you destroy the last two.
Finally, he sprouts dozens of heads and becomes much more aggressive. You
can perform another Trinity Limit to take off a full bar of health, but
while your MP is recharging you will have to rely on physical attacks.
You can avoid the head slam by standing near his feet, though you still
have to worry about his magic attacks. The ghost summoning spell is still
very dangerous, though if you spend a lot of time in the air (or better
yet, standing on top of a head) few of them will reach you. The lightning
spell is also dangerous if you stay in one place, though you can dodge it
by constantly running. Finally, when he steps forward and starts lashing
out with his teeth you should move forward as well. This triggers the
Pegasus Run reaction command, which does quite a bit of damage and makes
you invulnerable for a long while. Don’t forget to hurry back once it
ends, or you may get pulverized by the head slam.
Never cast Cure unless you are desperate. You need to save your MP until
both Donald and Goofy are revived, at which point you can win the battle
with a final Trinity Limit.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
VI. Hollow Bastion and the 100 Acre Wood
Upon clearing two worlds, the Gummi Ship will drag Sora and the team back to
Hollow Bastion. After entering the book, you’ll have to fight a few Soldiers
in the streets. You’re not required to win this battle, though with all the
offensive Abilities you’ve acquired it should be easy to take them out.
Once the battle is over, you’ll have another brief conversation with
Merlin. The 100 Acre Wood is now open, though you won’t be able to do
anything there for a while. You also gain the Chicken Little summon,
probably your most powerful tool in the next few worlds.
VII. The Land of Dragons
As soon as you enter this world you will team up with Mulan. Unfortunately
she is disguised as Ping, a pathetic wisp of a man with few fighting skills.
Remove her items and head down to the camp. There you will face down a squad
of Heartless.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Defending the Camp
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 2/10
A few Fire spells should clear out the initial Shadows very quickly. The two
Nightwalkers can be dangerous, but only if you give them time to act.
Continuously attack one without giving it a chance to recover, then move to
the next. Upper Slash is ideal for staggering them and piling on the damage.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
As a reward for saving the camp, the captain... lets you fight more Heartless.
Thanks a lot, man. Make Goofy your third party member, and set both of them
to Party Attack.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: The Surprise Attack
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 4/10
The Nightwalkers’ counterattacks make them much more dangerous in groups.
To stand a chance of winning, you must separate them. (Trinity Limit can
eliminate one or two in an emergency, but use it sparingly in case you need
to heal.) With Party Attack, you can focus on killing one while your
teammates keep the other Nightwalkers busy. Use Guard to block the spin
counter (or Retaliating Slash to recover), and keep up the offensive at all
costs: the dive bomb they use at low HP is absurdly deadly. The Shadows are
pretty aggressive, but if you abuse Upper Slash they will rarely hit. Don’t
forget to collect Morale orbs, since your teammates will lose them very
quickly.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: The Ambush
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 5/10
This starts the same as the previous battle, with a group of Nightwalkers and
Shadows, so the same strategy applies at first. However, when they die an
Assault Rider will teleport in. Hang back for a few seconds to avoid its
spinning lance, then leap and start an air combo when it sweeps the weapon at
you. The second finisher will leave it collapsed on the ground, giving you
time to get away and cast a few Blizzards while you wait for another sweep
attack. If it is staggered by Goofy Bash, you could use the opportunity to
start an Upper Slash combo for greater damage.
Soon the Assault Rider will get more aggressive, leaping toward you and
slamming the ground for heavy damage. Catch him in mid-air to make him an
easy target. Finally, at very low HP he will start charging straight toward
you. Block his charge with Guard, and you can easily launch him with
Upper Slash.
Another Assault Rider and two Nightwalkers arrive after it dies. Get as far
from the Assault Rider as possible, then kill the Nightwalkers one by one.
Once they are dead you can finish the Assault Rider as before.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: The Search
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 3/10
Much like the initial battle, except this time the Heartless are hiding
around the camp. You’ll have to keep your eyes open to catch the Shadows,
who like to hide underground and only briefly pop up. Tap R1 until you lock
on to one, then cast Fire to stun it as it emerges from the ground. Once the
Shadows are gone you will fight three Nightwalkers, though since they spawn
in different parts of the camp it should be pretty easy to finish them one
at a time.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Once all three missions are cleared you are free to leave the camp and head
up toward the mountains. Once there, you’ll find--surprise!--yet another
vicious battle. This just isn’t Sora’s day.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Reaching the Mountain Village
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 4/10
There are three rockslides blocking the way to the village, each guarded by
a group of Heartless. First are a Nightwalker and two Soldiers. The
Soldiers only attack from the ground at first, so you can safely kill the
Nightwalker with single-finisher air combos. One or both Soldiers will
probably be in the Cyclone phase by then, so circle around them and use the
reaction command to finish them both.
The second group is the big danger, featuring two Nightwalkers and a
Soldier in very confined quarters. Use Trinity Limit to eliminate one
Nightwalker and weaken the second. A third Nightwalker will spawn soon
after, but by then the first two should be dead.
Take the left path toward the summit. Two more Nightwalkers arrive,
though this time you have plenty of room to maneuver. Lock on to one and
back up: Goofy and Mulan will keep the second one occupied, allowing you to
kill the first without interruption. Two Soldiers and a Nightwalker spawn
farther ahead. Wear down the Soldiers by shooting Blizzard from a
distance, then go to town on the Nightwalker.
Finally, an Assault Rider arrives to guard the final barrier. If you like
you can end the battle right here: hit the Heartless with a two-finisher
air combo, quickly break the barrier while it is stunned, and you can reach
the village without killing it. Finishing it isn’t that hard, though
a second Rider will arrive in its place and have to be eliminated as well.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Save your game in the village, then head into the cave to the north. One
more tough struggle awaits, and this time Donald and Goofy will stay on the
sidelines.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Heartless in the Cave
-Reward: Slide Dash (Sora), HP +15, Hyper Healing (Mulan)
-Difficulty: 5/10
You start by facing an Assault Rider and a small horde of Shadows. For once
the Shadows are the bigger threat. Circle the Assault Rider until it sweeps
at you, then stun it with an air combo. Another air combo plus Blizzard will
trigger the leaping phase, allowing you to safely attack him in the air.
Make a point to jump out of the way after each air combo: you will likely
be surrounded by Shadows, who will interrupt and damage you if you stay on
the ground too long. The charging phase can be a problem, since you have
to be on the ground to Guard, but by following Guard with a quick Upper
Slash and air combo you can mostly stay out of the Shadows’ reach.
When the Assault Rider dies, start eliminating the Shadows. Only the Fire
spell provides the 360-degree damage you need to stay safe, so abuse it
mercilessly. Leap out of the way between Fire combos to keep them from
mobbing you. At full MP, you can perform two four-hit Fire combos and
still heal with Cure (or deal extra damage with Trinity Limit). While
your MP recharges you must run around the room, jumping out of the way
when the Shadows surround you. Keep abusing Fire this way, and you should
be able to finish them with little to no damage.
Finally, you face two Assault Riders at once. With enough MP you can safely
trigger the leaping phase with Blizzard, or (if your HP is full) stun them
with Trinity Limit. Otherwise, circle at a safe distance until one sweeps at
you, then leap and perform an air combo. Make a point of staying far away
from the second Assault Rider while you kill the first. Once he’s gone, you
can finish the final Rider and bring this annoying endurance test to a close.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
You emerge from the cave with Slide Dash, one of the best offensive Abilities
in the game. Equip it, and continue north to the mountain ridge.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Holding Off the Horde
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 2/10
Easy-peasy. Just survive for 60 seconds, and you win. So long as you use
Speed Trap and Bolt Reversal in a timely manner, and jump to avoid the Bolt
Towers’ shockwaves, there’s a good chance you won’t even take damage.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mulan is finally herself again. Her powerful attacks will cut a swathe
through the Heartless, and in most cases her Red Rocket Limit is an instant
win. Remove Auto-Limit and Draw, equip Fire Boost, and hurry toward the
Imperial City. Make sure you have immediate access to the Limit command
before you pass the gates.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Heartless in the Imperial Square
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 3/10
Red Rocket will wipe out the Nightwalkers in one shot, making this otherwise
nasty battle a breeze. The Bolt Towers will survive, and their shockwaves
are still very much a threat, but if you wait for one to grab you and respond
with Bolt Reversal you can mop them up with no difficulty.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Double-check that Goofy and Mulan are set to Party Attack. Then climb the
stairs up to the palace doors.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSS: Shan-Yu
-Reward: HP +2, Aerial Sweep (Sora), HP +1 (Donald), Goofy Turbo (Goofy),
HP +20 (Mulan)
-Difficulty: 4/10
You will have to protect both the palace gates and yourself to win this
battle. For the most part your allies can handle the Heartless, but be
prepared to stop and grab a few orbs if the gate’s health falls too low.
Lock onto Shan-Yu immediately, then attack with Slide Dash. If Shan-Yu is
standing still he will block, triggering a button-mashing contest that ends
with the powerful Takedown reaction command. If he does not block, start
backing away: he will quickly recover and strike back, but Guarding the hit
will trigger the reaction command. Try to spend as much time performing
this command as possible, because it is your best defense against Shan-Yu’s
hawk Hayabusa. Throughout the battle Hayabusa will randomly dive-bomb you,
which is nearly impossible to block or dodge and takes off half your health.
Cure is good enough if he only strikes occasionally, but if he is more
aggressive (or Shan-Yu is also damaging you), you will need to summon
Chicken Little. His attack-based healing is very powerful, and his whistle
attack will often interrupt both of them.
Shan-Yu stops summoning Heartless halfway through, and his attacks become
more dangerous. So long as you stay far enough from the gate, protecting it
is no longer an issue. Slide Dash is still effective, though you must keep
your distance to avoid his powerful spin attack. Fortunately he is fond of
charging at a distance, which you can easily block to trigger Takedown. Do
your best to survive until he is down to the last third of a health bar, and
you can finish him with Red Rocket.
--NO DRIVE GAUGE STRATEGY (5/10, 4/10 with Mickey): Same as the above,
except that Chicken Little is unavailable. The reaction command is even
more critical to your defense here.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
VIII. Disney Castle
Hurry to the library to meet Queen Minnie, fighting or fleeing from Heartless
as you go. Remember that the Minute Bombs’ explosion is instant death unless
you escape it with the Dodge Roll command. Collect the first Torn Page, then
introduce yourself to the queen. She and Sora will be fighting two short
battles on their own.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLES: Reaching the Cornerstone
-Reward: Auto-Summon (Sora)
-Difficulty: 1/10
These battles are easy thanks to Minnie’s Faith command, which blows away
the Heartless for considerable damage and makes you briefly invulnerable. As
a rule of thumb, you should alternate between calling Minnie forward and
activating Faith.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Use the save point to teleport to the world map, then visit Hollow Bastion
to collect Merlin and return. He will open the way to a very different,
very monochrome world.
IX. Timeless River
Pratfall through the door to see Pete run off to the Pier. Follow him there,
then talk to start a little brawl.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSS BATTLE: Pete from the Past
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 1/10
Pete’s direct attacks cannot hurt you. However, after each finishing hit
he will flip through the air, generating a shockwave on landing and slamming
into you with a panicked dash attack. You can mostly avoid both attacks by
leaping over the shockwave, then hitting him with an air combo before he has
time to recover. If he does start running around, you will need to stop him
with About-Face. This easy battle should end very quickly.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
To track down the real Pete, you must enter the four windows in the main
square and eliminate the Heartless inside. You might want to level up
Chicken Little a bit first, as he will be crucial here.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Mickey’s House
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 3/10
Keep one eye on the black hole at all times. You need to periodically quiet
it with an air combo, or the Crisis gauge will fill at an alarming rate.
While it is quiet you can eliminate the first wave of Rapid Thrusters,
Guarding as needed to stop their propeller attacks. When the second wave
spawns, wait for the black hole to act up again. Suppress it with a combo
(so it doesn’t build the Crisis gauge during the next Limit), then win the
battle with Trinity Limit.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Scene of the Fire
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 3/10
Summon Chicken Little at the start of the battle. He will block all of the
Shadows’ attacks, keeping you safe while you eliminate them. He does not
block the Hot Rods’ attacks, but the whistle can take care of them. This
pulls them in like a Magnet spell, giving you ample time to start an Upper
Slash assault. (You can also block its attacks and stun it with
Counterguard, but the timing for that is tricky.)
When its health is low the Hot Rod will charge back and forth across the
arena, dealing high damage with every hit, and you will have to leap over
it to survive. Fortunately the whistle will still stun it, and even if
that doesn’t happen you can stagger it with regular attacks after the sixth
charge. Two more Hot Rods will spawn when the first dies, but they can
be easily dealt with in the same way.
--NO DRIVE GAUGE STRATEGY (5/10): Without Chicken Little, the Shadows are
a threat by themselves. Launch them with Upper Slash to minimize your time
on the ground, and make a point of avoiding large clusters of them.
Unless you are extremely good at blocking and Counterguarding the Hot Rod’s
moves, stay at a distance and wear it down with Blizzard. It will enter the
charging phase just before you run out of MP. Leap over its charges, and
after the sixth it will be vulnerable to an Upper Slash offensive. It
should only take two sets of attacks to finish the Heartless. The final
two Hot Rods can be eliminated via a fully-powered Trinity Limit.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Lilliput
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 4/10
Start by eliminating the Aeroplanes with air combos, one at a time if
possible. (If you are hit, resume the offensive with Retaliating Slash.)
When they die a group of Hammer Frames will spawn. Eliminate them with
Trinity Limit. Summon Chicken Little, then finish the last few Aeroplanes.
You may get hit by their fast flyby attacks, but the summon’s healing
abilities should largely nullify the damage.
-NO DRIVE GAUGE STRATEGY (5/10): As above, save that you can’t heal with
Chicken Little. End the battle with a second Trinity Limit at the earliest
opportunity, or the damage will quickly overwhelm you. Stay near the center
of town, so you can use the cannons to neutralize the flyby counterattack.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Construction Site
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 4/10
You must open the battle with Trinity Limit, or the Hammer Frames’ multiple
shockwaves will obliterate you. When you finish the platform will be
quaking, allowing you to abuse the Air Blade command for massive damage.
By the time you finish the only Heartless will be Minute Bombs. The usual
Upper Slash strategy is fine most of the time, though you must stay on the
ground while their fuses are lit so you can dodge the explosion. When the
platform starts shaking again, you can end the battle with a few more Air
Blades.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
With all four battles completed, the real Pete shows his face. Follow him
to the Waterway.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Freeing the Cornerstone of Light
-Reward: Dodge Slash (Sora), Fantasia, Auto-Limit (Donald), HP +2 (Goofy)
-Difficulty: 2/10
Toss back each piece of junk, and Pete will collapse in a matter of seconds.
Grab the hook to start smashing the cage that holds the Cornerstone.
The trick is to time your finishing hits so they do not interfere with the
Hold On reaction command. The delay from the final hit can prevent you from
using the command, throwing you off the boat until you have defeated several
Minute Bombs. (If this happens, light them with Fire and dodge when they
explode.) Unless you’ve just hopped on the boat or performed the command,
you must perform two hits at a time, pause, then start a new combo. You
will need two trips up the river, but if you don’t get thrown off it is
still a quick battle.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
You are rewarded with Donald’s Comet. This Limit is generally superior
to Trinity Limit (dealing immediate damage and drawing from Donald’s AP
instead of Sora’s), though you must sacrifice Donald Cure to use it. Equip
the Limit, then head to the dock to finish this fight for good.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSS BATTLE: Pete
-Reward: Reflect spell, HP +2 (Sora), HP +1 (Donald), Goofy Tornado (Goofy)
-Difficulty: 3/10
Initially this battle is the same as the encounter at Olympus. Find an
opening to launch him, and you can pretty much shut down his offense. You
will have to keep an eye on Past Pete (who may stampede you if he takes too
many hits from his future self), but once you start the offensive he is
rarely a danger.
Unfortunately, before long Pete will switch to a different battlefield,
breaking your pattern and forcing you to find a new opening. The second
stage is especially dangerous, as he starts by sending the flame balls at you
for huge damage. Comet will protect you and create an opening for you to
resume pummeling Pete. (Trinity Limit might work, but it has a longer
recovery time and may give Pete a chance to resume attacking.) When the
third stage starts you should run toward the edge of the room, as the black
hole will try to draw you in for heavy damage. Fortunately you can use a
reaction command to send Past Pete colliding into him, quelling the black
hole and opening him to another Upper Slash offensive.
The last two stages are much safer. The cannons in the fourth can send both
you and Pete flying, but don't inflict damage. (Retaliating Slash is a great
way to catch him off guard when you are both hit.) In the final stage you
can just wait until he slams the ground, then tear him apart with Air Blade.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This victory earns you the Reflect spell, which completely transforms your
defensive strategy. You also gain Wisdom Form, a defensive powerhouse which
boosts Sora’s mobility and magic power. Once you are ready, head to Port
Royal to continue the story.
X. Port Royal
Add Reflect to the shortcut menu (I suggest swapping Fire out), make sure
Donald Thunder and Goofy Tornado are equipped, and move forward to fight a
two-stage tutorial battle against Barbossa’s pirates. They are invulnerable
at first, so just block their attacks with Guard and reaction commands as
best you are able. Once the moon comes out they can be damaged, and become
highly vulnerable to magic. Blizzard in particular is godly, as it can
freeze small groups of them for several seconds at a time.
Head into town to fight another battle, this time against the Heartless.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Heartless in the Streets
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 2/10
Goofy Tornado proves its value as a crowd-control tool here, interrupting
the Soldiers and Cannon Guns and pulling them together for easy damage. The
standard Upper Slash assault works well between Tornados, but you must be
careful of the Cannon Guns. They are slow and easily interrupted, but their
attacks are highly damaging and hard to dodge. If you cannot prevent them,
block their attacks with Reflect and resume the offensive at the next
opportunity.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Take the streets back to the pier, and Jack Sparrow will force his way into
your party. You have to remove his items, but otherwise I would leave him
alone. Set sail for the Isla de Muerta, fighting or running from the Pirates
as you go, and Jack will promptly leave the party. If you suffer any damage
from the Heartless, run back to the save point to refill your HP and MP
before the next battle.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Holding Off the Pirates
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 4/10
At first, concentrate on freezing the axe pirates with Blizzard. (Don’t
forget to keep them in the light, or your magic will be wasted.) If Donald
is still alive, use Comet to buy as much time as you can; otherwise, top off
your health with Cure and try to wait them out. Summon Chicken Little; his
whistle and healing powers can save your life many times over during those
final seconds.
--NO DRIVE GAUGE STRATEGY (6/10): Chicken Little’s absence is surprisingly
painful during the last few seconds. Counterguard and Upper Slash help a
bit, but if the pirates are too aggressive it can be very difficult to
survive.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sora and company flee the island and make their escape back to Port Royal.
Save your game if you wish, then talk to Orlando Bloom to make the journey.
I strongly recommend fleeing the battle you have in transit, since you’ll
want full health and magic for the nasty story battle that follows.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Defending the Medallion
-Reward: Aerial Spiral (Sora), Draw (Donald), HP +2 (Goofy)
-Difficulty: 4/10
Sprint across the deck and hop onto the upper level ASAP, as your starting
position is horribly exposed. From the upper deck you can cast Thunder at
the pirates from a position of perfect safety. Cast the spell five times,
wait for them to walk back from the shadows, and end with Comet to pile on
the damage.
Eventually a few axe pirates will arrive on the upper deck. Abuse Blizzard
and Fantasia when possible, and otherwise use Upper Slash to stay in the
air. Keep to the edges to avoid the cannon blasts, stop their axe charges
at all costs (it is very hard to recover when you drop the medallion), and
after a while they will fall. Remember to release the lock-on every now and
then; the dodgy camera angles could easily let a pirate sneak up behind you,
which can screw you over pretty badly.
The final wave consists of a few bomb Pirates on the upper deck. Their
bombs make it really hard to maneuver, and their stabs can be pretty painful
too. Abuse Blizzard and then Comet while you have MP, and summon Chicken
Little if you need to heal.
--NO DRIVE GAUGE STRATEGY (6/10): Once again, taking away Chicken Little
exposes you to horrifying amounts of damage. If you are hit at all, cast
Cure instead of the Limit and hope that you can fend off the pirates on the
upper deck until your MP regenerates.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jack rejoins the party, though all his Abilities have been unequipped.
Reequip everything except Item Boost, Lucky Lucky, and Auto-Limit. More
importantly, set Jack and Donald to Huddle Attack (the third setting) for
the upcoming boss battle. Step onto the deck to clear out the Heartless.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Tossing the Barrels
-Reward: HP +1 (Donald), Second Chance (Goofy), HP +10 (Jack)
-Difficulty: 3/10
An easy battle, as long as you’re fast. The Air Pirates do heavy damage,
but if you quickly knock away each barrel and run to the next they should
never land a hit.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Put Donald back in the party and sail to the Isla de Muerta. Between you
and Barbossa are several screens infested with Pirates, with lots of shadows
where they can hide. Running from battle is far safer, especially right
outside the boss’s lair.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSS BATTLE: Barbossa
-Reward: Drive Gauge +1, Aerial Finish (Sora), HP +1 (Donald), Teamwork,
Auto-Limit (Goofy), HP +15 (Jack)
-Difficulty: 2/10
Barbossa immediately jumps into the shadows, staying untouchable while the
Illuminator sucks the light from the room. You have plenty of time to
recover your HP and MP (if necessary) before you kill the Heartless and start
the battle proper.
Lock on to Barbossa and start running. Use the gold pile in the center to
stay at a safe distance, and eventually he will leap onto the pile and toward
your position. With the right offense, he just lost the battle. Use a ground
finisher+Blizzard combo to freeze him in place, then repeat to pile on the
damage and re-freeze him just as the effect wears off. Keep in mind that
each hit knocks him back a little, so an overenthusiastic offense could push
Barbossa back into the shadows and screw up the whole strategy. Don’t be
afraid to stop and circle around when necessary. As usual, use the last bit
of MP to pile on the damage with Comet.
The next bit is critical. Activate Wisdom Form the instant that Comet ends.
If done right, the transformation will stun him long enough to freeze him
with another Blizzard. The attack pattern is basically the same as before,
though Blizzard needs to be the first finisher rather than the second. Quick
Run toward Barbossa after each combo, as the recoil from Sora’s shots can
push him out of range very quickly. Thankfully the battle stays entirely
under your control, and with Wisdom Form’s powered-up attacks it should end
very quickly.
--NO DRIVE GAUGE STRATEGY (7/10): Things get hairy right after Comet, when
you have to survive 30 seconds with no MP to protect you. Start running
as the combo ends to put plenty of ground between you and Barbossa, and your
teammates should follow. His normal attacks are no threat if you keep
running, but the Illuminator is incredibly dangerous. This time it flits
across the room, and Barbossa leaps at you from the shadows while remaining
invulnerable. There is no real defense against this; just keep moving and
pray that you can kill the Illuminator before you or Jack get slaughtered.
Thankfully this is an uncommon move, and Barbossa will return to his normal
attacks afterwards. Once your MP recovers the battle is essentially won,
and you can continue freezing him until he finally dies.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
You earn Aerial Finish and Goofy's Knocksmash Limit, and suddenly the game
becomes a lot more fun. I suggest just equipping Aerial Finish for now. Two
new worlds open up, each adding a powerful tool to Sora’s arsenal. Agrabah’s
reward is a bit better, but in any case you need both before returning to
Hollow Bastion.
XI. Agrabah
Upon landing you enter a tutorial battle against some Luna Bandits. Upper
Slash is very effective, though if you are ever hit they will quickly combo
you into oblivion. Exit the shop after the battle, say hi to Jasmine, and
reunite with Aladdin. Clear out his items, then unequip Item Boost and MP
Haste and replace them with Auto-Change. (Also equip Aerial Finish, if you
haven’t already.) His Speedster Limit fully heals you, rendering Cure
irrelevant, and thanks to Auto-Change it is nearly always available.
Reach the Cave of Wonders, fighting or fleeing from the Heartless. All of
them can kill you in one shot, though the Fat Bandits and their flame
attacks are the worst by far. (See the Chasm of Challenges section below
for combat advice. If you’re just running through, abuse Reflect like
mad.) Continue down into the cave, and eventually you will reach the hallway
that hosts the first mandatory battle.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: The Stone Guardians
-Reward: Summon Boost (Sora), Donald Blizzard (Donald), HP +2 (Goofy),
HP +15 (Aladdin)
-Difficulty: 2/10
Guide Abu forward with Reaction Commands, then set the jewel with a final
command. As long as you don’t stand still there is little danger of dying
here.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next battle is a bit easier if you unequip Aerial Finish. (It slows your
combos when fighting the Fat Bandits, which could allow them to kill you
before you can stun them.) Make sure Aladdin is in your party, then examine
the inscription to begin your descent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: The Chasm of Challenges
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 4/10
The first two platforms are a piece of cake with Upper Slash. The same can’t
be said for the Fat Bandits, who have a habit of murdering anything in front
of them. Run to their backsides, either by Quick Running around their flame
breath or by returning the fireballs to launch them toward you, and quickly
hit them with a complete combo. Air combos are preferable (they are
noticeably quicker), though either way the finisher will trigger the powerful
Full Swing command. If you are quick you can follow it with another ground
combo and continue to abuse the reaction command until he dies. However,
if he does recover you must defend with Reflect; his recovery move is an
unblockable one-hit kill, and you probably won’t have time to get out of
range. At low HP he uses nothing but this move. You can still stun him
with an air combo to the back, but the window to do so is very small.
A second Fat Bandit arrives on the next platform. Hopefully the first one
is dead or close to it. If he has only a little health, you can finish
him with Blizzard. If not, you’ll need to abuse Reflect while very
carefully attacking it in the usual manner. Upon reaching the final platform
you can unleash Speedster, eliminating the Fat Bandit and killing or
weakening the two Fortunetellers. A single combo should be enough to finish
each of them and finally reach the treasure room.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Put Aladdin and Donald in your party, and examine the plaque to open the
treasure room. Quick combos are even more important here, so keep Aerial
Finish off.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Trapped in the Treasure Room
-Reward: HP +2 (Sora), HP +1 (Donald), Auto-Healing (Goofy), HP +15 (Aladdin)
-Difficulty: 5/10
The Silver Rocks’ reaction command kills them instantly, though if they do
recover their dive can do the same to you. The Firey Globes and Icy Cubes
aren’t much harder, remaining highly vulnerable to Upper Slash. Make a point
of staying in the air as much as possible, and you should avoid most of their
attacks.
Activate Speedster as the Fat Bandits spawn. This will eliminate one of
them, and stun the other two long enough to trigger Wisdom Form. With your
MP restored you can defend yourself with Reflect, or you can damage them at
a distance with Blizzard. (Physical attacks are only practical against the
final Bandit, as Wisdom Form’s combos are quite lengthy.) Keep your defense
up and you should have no trouble finishing them.
-NO DRIVE GAUGE STRATEGY (7/10): Powerful as it is, one Speedster Limit won’t
weaken the Fat Bandits enough to stop their flame breath. To survive in such
a confined space you must first weaken them with 3-5 Reflect blasts. Aladdin
will probably die and be changed out at some point, so remember to switch him
in again during a quiet moment.
Once you’ve worn down their HP you can finally use Speedster. Two will
likely remain, but their HP is low enough that they will only use the fire
slam attack. To survive you must constantly circle around the arena and
leap into the air to ensure you stay out of range. You cannot safely attack
until your MP regenerates, though once it does a second Limit will make short
work of them.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
You will end up back in the city, just outside the peddler’s shop. Run back
into the shop, reequip Aerial Finish, and save. Return to the palace,
staying on the defensive to survive the Heartless you meet on the way.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSS BATTLE: Volcanic Lord and Blizzard Lord
-Reward: Finishing Leap (Sora), HP +1 (Donald), HP +15 (Aladdin)
-Difficulty: 4/10
The Volcanic Lord opens the battle by bouncing across the arena, creating
deadly pools of fire as he goes. Stop him and launch him into the wall with
Firagun, then run up to start attacking. The best offense is two air combos,
each ending with a single finisher. This triggers a counterattack which
strikes the air above you, followed by either another bounce attack or a
pause (in which you can start another air combo). Eventually he will
disappear, and the Blizzard Lord will take his place. Like before, interrupt
him with Blizzagun and whack him with air combos. There should be no need to
heal if you can keep up this pattern, save for the occasional scepter strike
if you don’t reach them fast enough.
The battle only turns dangerous near the end, when each boss uses his
desperation attack. The Volcanic Lord summons a row of fireballs to home
in on you from a distance. Your allies are usually frozen by the Blizzard
Lord during this attack, so you will have to rely on a well-timed Guard to
block it. The Blizzard Lord is far worse, conjuring blocks of ice which
hang in the air before slamming into you from all angles. Reflect combos
don’t last long enough and Guard isn’t an option, so you will need Speedster
to survive this. The good news is that they only use these moves after a
long pause, which will never happen if you are aggressive enough with your
offense. When the Blizzard Lord has less than half a bar of health remaining,
a final Speedster will bring this battle to a satisfying close.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
With Finishing Leap in his arsenal Sora turns into an offensive juggernaut,
able to damage whole crowds at once. Unequip Upper Slash, as Finishing Leap
renders it redundant.
XII. Halloween Town
After changing your Abilities, follow Zero to the square to put Jack back in
your party. Remove his items, then replace Lucky Lucky with Thunder Boost.
Once you leave the lab you will enter a tutorial battle against lots of Wight
Knights. Finishing Leap does wonders against them, but just one of their
attacks can tear you to ribbons.
Enter through the door in the woods and the entire cast gets a costume
change. Continue into Christmas Town.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Toy Soldiers in Christmas Town
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 4/10
Start by eliminating the Driller Moles while keeping your distance from the
Toy Soldier. (It will wait for you to get close, then kill you with two
shots from its musket.) Finishing Leap will mostly take care of them, though
if one dives into the ground you will have to spam Reflect to stop its sneak
attack.
When the moles are gone you can pile on the damage with a Finishing Leap +
Aerial Finish offensive. The Toy Solider mainly relies on a leaping attack
that ends in a painful charge (block this with Reflect), though he will
perform a knife combo after recovering from your attacks. You must block
this move or get out of range, or it WILL kill you. At low HP, however, he
relies exclusively on the wait-and-shoot tactic with which he opened.
Physical attacks are no longer practical, so rely on Thunder and Jack’s
Dance Call to finish him off.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Head into Santa’s Workshop to meet the trouble triplets. Follow them back to
Halloween Town, through the woods and into the graveyard.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSS BATTLE: Prison Keeper
-Reward: Flash Step (Sora), Hyper Healing (Donald), HP +2 (Goofy),
HP +15 (Jack)
-Difficulty: 5/10
This boss switches between three different attack modes, one for each of the
triplets. Probably most dangerous is the Barrel phase, based around a
variety of quick bite attacks. They’re easy to block with a little practice
(and Reflect makes the timing even easier), but if you allow them to hit
then you will die very quickly.
The Shock phase is also annoying: the boss ascends high into the air and
shoots out energy projectiles on all sides. You can ground him for a combo
or two with Aerial Finish, but reaching him in the first place is difficult.
If you know High Jump Lv2 you can simply leap from the ground and start an
air combo. Otherwise you should run up the curly hill when he rises into the
air, then leap when he gets near to reach him and ground him with an air
combo.
Finally, in the Lock phase the boss launches slow-moving fireballs at you.
This is the easiest phase to deal with: you can return the fireballs with
Guard, then start a combo while he is stunned.
In all three cases Finishing Leap and Aerial Finish are your best modes of
offense. Be careful not to attack too aggressively, which may trigger a
wide spinning counterattack. Reflect is the best defense: the Guard timing
is difficult, and if you get hit it will nearly always kill you. Remember
that if you block while he is switching between phases, you can interrupt
his transformation and perform an extra combo or two before the next phase
starts.
Toward the end of the battle the boss switches rapidly between forms.
He uses the spin attack as a normal move, and his bites remain as deadly
as ever. (On the bright side, the Shock phase will automatically end
after a certain amount of time.) Stay on the defensive, using only one
combo at a time and ready to defend at a moment’s notice, and you will
make it through. Don’t be afraid to spend MP here: Reflect can deal some
nice damage while it protects you, and Dance Call is an easy way to win
the battle when he has a half bar or less of health.
-NO DRIVE GAUGE STRATEGY (6/10): The only major difference is the Shock
phase, when your lack of access to Growth Abilities makes it very
difficult to reach the boss. You MUST hurry to the top of the curly hill
when he rises; otherwise you will either get annihilated by his projectiles
or forced to follow underneath the boss, unable to touch him. You can wear
him down with Thunder eventually, but because it takes forever I suggest
just making a run for the hill and trying again if you get killed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hurry back to Santa’s Workshop now. If you fight the Emerald Blues that
spawn on the way, Reflect spamming is key; their tornado attack will kill you
in a second otherwise. Quick Run is strongly recommended for the last boss.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSS BATTLE: Oogie Boogie
-Reward: Magnet spell (Sora), HP +1 (Donald), Once More (Goofy), HP +15 (Jack)
-Difficulty: 6/10
Your goal is to break Oogie’s cage so that you can attack him directly. To
do this you must launch the presents that come down the assembly line while
avoiding his attacks. At first this is a pretty easy task. He begins by
sending more presents onto the assembly line (er... thanks?), tossing an
exploding die at your current position (he will shout “Hrph!” just before
doing this), and crushing you by pounding the assembly line with an instant-
kill boxing glove. Always drop what you’re doing and dash forward when he
signals the boxing glove. Eventually the glass will crack, Oogie will fall
onto the assembly line, and you can attack with impunity until he loses a
third of his health and moves to a new cage.
The second phase is largely identical, with the exception of one attack:
Oogie will release a bunch of trick presents onto the line, which will
transform into Heartless who will quickly annihilate you. The only escape
is the very front of the assembly line, where you will need to switch to a
different line. Repeat twice to return to your original line. Continue
launching presents as before, and eventually Oogie will fall again and let
you take off another third of his health.
The final phase is when things turns nasty. Oogie will start moving his
cage to different assembly lines, forcing you to follow, and you will have
to spend a lot of time switching to avoid the Heartless he calls. Every
time you return to his assembly line he uses the desperation attack,
summoning lightning bolts that run along either the left or right side of
the line. Since he mostly only releases presents during this attack,
you’ll need to balance defense with offense here. Stay pretty far down
the line, moving Sora to the left and right as needed to dodge each
lightning bolt, and dash to the front as it ends. He releases a few more
presents for you to toss back afterwards. This phase is a whole lot slower,
but if you are to survive and ground him for good you need to be patient and
stay on the defensive.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
As soon as you reach the next world, I suggest replacing Blizzard with your
new Magnet spell. Despite its high cost, it is the best crowd-control
move available.
XIII. Twilight Town
After completing Agrabah or Halloween Town you will regain access to
Twilight Town. Run back to Station Heights, equip Goofy’s Knocksmash Limit
and Finishing Leap/Magnet (depending on which worlds you have completed), and
ride the skateboard to the Struggle arena.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Berserkers in the Arena
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 5/10
The battle begins with a gang of Dusks. Despite their high damage, they are
much easier than before. Finishing Leap will keep them constantly stunned,
and in a pinch you can still confuse them with Reversal. Do not cast any
spells during this phase.
When the final Dusk falls you are formally introduced to the Berserker,
probably the scariest class of Nobody in the game. Get away from him or
cast Reflect when he arrives, or his hammer grab will send you flying. Take
care not to get hit by any of his attacks, since even one hit can take off
most of your health. If you know Magnet, a quick Magnet+Thunder combo will
instantly release the hammer. Otherwise you will need to block one of his
attacks with Reflect. He will hang in the air for a second, where you can
knock him down with Aerial Finish. In either case, pick up the hammer and
rush back to the Berserker before he can recover. The hammer draws in and
paralyzes all nearby enemies, and even at Level 1 the Eclipse command does
heavy damage. Recover the hammer to repeat the cycle, and the Berserker
will die easily. Mop up the remaining Dusks as before.
The final phase consists of three Berserkers. Cast Reflect to block the
opening hammer grabs. If you’re lucky the damage might stagger one of them,
allowing you to launch him with Finishing Leap and quickly steal his
hammer. If not you’ll need to rely on Magnet or the Guard/Reflect tactic
used in the previous phase. So long as you can keep pulling in the
Berserkers, you can continuously juggle them without giving them a chance to
recover. Unfortunately at some point a Berserker will be thrown out of
range and recover, triggering a terrifying desperation attack. You can run
at first, but to survive the final hit you must have some kind of
invulnerability: either Reflect, a Limit, or the Berserk command. Watch out
for their midair charge, used as a follow-up after the desperation attack,
which can easily kill you in one or two swipes.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Once the battle is complete, head up to the train station to gain Limit
Form. This Final Mix-exclusive Form is one of my favorite techniques: Sora
can use it alone, retaining access to Guard and Dodge Roll, and thanks to MP
Rage his Limit attacks provide effectively unlimited healing. Train Limit
Form to at least Level 3 and the invaluable Dodge Roll is yours to keep.
(High Jump and Quick Run can now be upgraded to their Level 2 forms, so
consider training their Forms as well.)
With that out of the way the story returns to Hollow Bastion. Be aware that
you will lose access to the Pride Lands after the next mission, and will not
regain it until you clear both Agrabah and Halloween Town a second time. If
you want the bonuses from the battles there, head there right away. Don’t
even think of continuing without both Magnet and Finishing Leap, both of
which are critical in the battles to come.
XIV. Hollow Bastion and Space Paranoids
Your immediate goal is to reach Ansem’s room inside the castle. There are
lots of random Heartless on the path, including the new Morning Stars and
Bookmasters, but you can run from all of them. (Reflect is mandatory
against the Morning Stars, as their spin attack cannot be outrun.) Talk to
Leon once you get there, then approach the computer to get sucked in.
After lots of cutscenes, you will have to free Tron from his prison by
unlocking the door. In the canyon is another minigame, this time to find
and strike the one colored block in the circle. Keep the camera on the
block as it turns to win on your first try. Return to the cell and use
the monitor to escape to the outside world.
Before you check the drawing, backtrack toward the computer room. Along
the way you will find a chest containing Stitch, the third and by far
most valuable summon. Once you check the painting, Mickey will arrive and
you will learn Master Form. The only thing left to do is log in to the
computer to return to Tron’s world. Unfortunately, as soon as you arrive
Sark and the MCP will draw you into an incredibly frustrating trap.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: The Light Cycle Race
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 8/10
With no armor and no ability to heal, it only takes two hits during the
entire event to kill you. If you want to continue playing past this point,
you will need very good reflexes.
*Part 1*
Before you can start your escape, you have to kill five of the Heartless
on the track. You begin stuck between two enemies: immediately press Square
and push left or right to kill one and move out of range before the other
can strike. Almost all of your offense will come from the quick attack.
The slow Square tackle is only useful for escaping when you’re surrounded,
and the shield is basically irrelevant. Stick as close to the walls as
possible to minimize the chances of being surrounded.
*Part 2*
All the advice above applies to the escape itself, and sticking close to the
walls becomes even more important. Turn left at the split point, quickly
killing your enemies and escaping from ambushes as soon as possible, and
pray you’re not hit more than once before you reach the exit.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Winning returns you to Tron’s cell, where he rejoins your party. You must
cross the Strafer-infested canyon to proceed. Make sure that Tron and Donald
are in your party, and that Tron has Jackpot equipped, before the next battle.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: A Fun Heartless Game
-Reward: HP +2 (Sora), Thunder Boost (Donald), HP +2 (Goofy), HP +10 (Tron)
-Difficulty: 3/10
The only real danger is the sheer number of Strafers, who recover too quickly
to simply spam Finishing Leap. Instead, alternate between Reflect and
Finishing Leap; the former will block their spin counterattack and stun them
long enough to launch them again. (Do not bother with air combos.) You will
need some additional Reflects when they shoot their homing ring, so rotate
the camera constantly to ensure you see them coming.
With Tron’s Jackpot in play, it should not take long to power up the first
two monitors. Switch in Goofy before unlocking the second monitor. This
unleashes a flood of Strafers, just in time to mow through them with
Knocksmash. If this hasn’t already filled the gauge, a few seconds running
around the arena will. Charge the final monitor to win the “game.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tron earns a new set of Abilities, including the very powerful Setup
Limit. Equip Pulsing Thunder, Jackpot, and Complete Compilement, then run to
the I/O Tower. This area contains lots of Strafers and Emerald Blues as well
as a Devastator, probably the scariest Heartless in the game. Make sure Tron
is in your party before you return from the I/O Tower.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSS BATTLE: Hostile Program
-Reward: Drive Gauge +1, Vicinity Break (Sora), HP +1 (Donald),
Jackpot (Goofy), HP +15 (Tron)
-Difficulty: 5/10
Begin by locking on to the boss and casting a complete Thunder combo. Its
massive projectile swarms are difficult to outrun, but with Dodge Roll you
can quickly escape the lethal lights and close in on the Hostile Program.
Once you are reasonably close, unleash Setup. Its constant strafing may
cause the first several hits to miss, so just focus on the finisher. The
final barrage inflicts huge damage, especially if you’re right next to the
boss at the time.
At this point the Hostile Program will be hemorrhaging data orbs. Collect
them with Dodge Roll to fill the gauge and freeze the boss, granting several
seconds to attack without fear of retaliation. This is the ONLY time
physical attacks are viable (before the final stage), since normally it
performs an instant-kill counterattack. The extra time provided by Freeze
is just enough for your MP gauge to refill, allowing you to repeat the
Thunder+Limit offensive indefinitely.
Besides firing energy projectiles, the boss will also rocket around the
arena’s edge, which is instant death if you do not Dodge Roll out of the
way. This becomes its recovery attack after Freeze later in the battle,
so always keep your distance when the time runs out. It can also call a beam
of energy for some small healing, though not enough to cancel your offense.
At two bars and below it switches tactics. Its main attack is a massive
three-part laser combo, seperated by lots of movement around the arena.
Follow the boss closely during the first two parts and you can avoid the
lasers entirely, while dealing good damage with Aerial Finish. Once the
third part starts, though, only Setup will protect you. The Limit will
nullify the rest of the attack, after which he will pause for a few seconds
and start it again. If he is still alive by the third part you can Freeze
him to cancel the attack, allowing enough time to kill him for sure.
-NO DRIVE GAUGE STRATEGY (6/10): Without Dodge Roll, constant running is
the only defense against the projectile swarms. Safe openings are
infrequent, so you won’t be able to cast full Thunder combos too often. The
rest of the strategy is identical.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
XV. The Invasion of Hollow Bastion
With Tron’s world under control, you will return to Hollow Bastion to access
the computer. Equip Vicinity Break and check the terminal. After a barrage
of cutscenes, Sora finds that the Heartless and the Nobodies have both
descended on the town. Step into the hall to trigger the first battle.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Brawl in the Corridors
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 3/10
This is your first demonstration of the godly power that is Stitch. Summon
him when you gain control of Sora, then gather the assembled enemies with
Magnet. Stitch randomly refills your MP, allowing endless abuse of the
Magnet+Aerial Finish tactic. The only potential danger is the Crimson Jazz,
whose fire pulse will murder you if Magnet does not catch him right away.
Block it with Reflect if necessary, then continue the assault.
-NO DRIVE GAUGE STRATEGY (5/10): Quite a bit harder with limited MP. The
Dancer and the Crimson Jazz (who arrives later) are the two biggest threats.
Start by locking on to the Dancer ASAP. Launch her with Finishing Leap, then
cast Magnet to delay her grab attack and hit her with another combo.
Concentrate on the Armored Knights after she dies. They attack slowly, but
one bad sweep attack can kill you. Immobilize the nearest ones with
Finishing Leap, and eventually you can use their Rising Sun command to start
scything through them.
Somewhere along the way the Crimson Jazz will arrive. Block the opening fire
pulse with Reflect, then cast Magnet and begin a Knocksmash assault. (You
will probably take damage if he opened with the fire mine spell, but it is
survivable.) If he survives that, one Aerial Finish will eliminate him.
With him gone only a few Dusks remain to mop up.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
After a bizarre run-in with Sephiroth, you will find yourself outside the
Cavern of Remembrance. Level up Master Form to learn Aerial Dodge. You’re
about to begin a gauntlet of nasty battles, so save and take a break if you
need it. Head forward when you are ready.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Dancers and Creepers
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 3/10
Stitch is a lifesaver once again. Cast Magnet, blast the gathered Nobodies
with Finishing Leap, Aerial Dodge away from them, and repeat until victory.
Some caution is required due to Magnet’s limited range, but with good use of
your spells you are effectively untouchable.
--NO DRIVE GAUGE STRATEGY (7/10): This one is a beast. Open with Finishing
Leap, then get as much distance as possible between Sora and the Dancers.
Lock on to the nearest Dancer when they start to pursue, then cast Magnet.
Repeat the cycle twice more. After the third Magnet activate Knocksmash to
obliterate the first wave.
The second wave has just one Dancer. A full Finishing Leap combo (three
normal hits plus Finishing Leap) followed by a full Aerial Finish combo will
cut through most of her health, though you will have to keep running for a
while after she recovers. Finish her off and wait for your MP to recharge
(while you continue circling the arena), then eliminate the remaining
Creepers.
A final round of Dancers await. Repeat the strategy from the first round
and you should be able to end it. Precision is critical, because if any
Dancers remain after the Limit you will almost certainly die.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
A lengthy cutscene follows. Just ahead lies your first battle with the
infamous Nobodies of Organization XIII.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSS BATTLE: Demyx
-Reward: Blizzara spell (Sora), Blizzard Boost (Donald), HP +2 (Goofy)
-Difficulty: 5/10
A busy round of clone-killing opens the battle. When they disappear, hit
Demyx with a full Finishing Leap combo and use the Ohana! Limit to dismiss
Stitch and deal extra damage. The summon will not last the whole battle, so
you must recharge before Demyx gets really dangerous.
The main challenge is closing range with him. Circle at a distance to dodge
his bubble blast, then slide in to perform a combo and run away again.
Sometimes he will summon the water clones to act as bodyguards. Destroy them
with Wild Dance first, or their whip attack will kill you. He may also
summon a rain of bubbles, leap across the arena on a line of geysers, or
march toward you for a grab. Keep Dodge Rolling to escape the first two, and
use the Show Stealer command to stop the grab and stun him right back. The
grab provides an easy opening for a combo, so the more he uses it the better.
Demyx turns aggressive below the second health bar. One of his first moves
is another, shorter minigame. Summon Stitch to ensure you don’t run out of
MP. He uses his desperation attack A LOT, so get used to dodging it. Hang
back while he flails the sitar, then get close to him and absorb the final
blast with Reflect. If you are at the right distance (he should be just
outside the Reflect sphere) the blast will launch him into the air, creating
an easy combo opening. He often repeats the desperation attack several
times in a row, though he may also summon an impassable wall of water,
launch a homing geyser, or repeat his grab attack. Cast Thunder to
eliminate the wall, and block the geyser with Reflect.
--NO DRIVE GAUGE STRATEGY (8/10): It starts off easy enough. You will need
Reflect to survive the rain of bubbles, but you can dodge his other attacks
just by running around. Once the second phase begins it gets truly
nasty. Most of his attacks--especially the godawful geyser attack--are
only blockable with Reflect, and his wall of water can only be stopped by
Thunder. Try to catch him in a loop (see above) to make the best use of
your limited MP.
Keep casting Reflect until only a little MP remains, then use Knocksmash (or
Comet if Goofy is dead) to deal as much damage as possible. If both
your allies are dead, just cast Cure during a safe moment. Whether you
survive the next 30 seconds depends entirely on how aggressive Demyx chooses
to be. The geyser and the bubble rain are both unblockable and inescapable
(as is the final blast of the desperation attack), so hope that he uses the
grab a lot. You can bait him into using a short-range blast by staying
close to the wall, largely avoiding the geyser, but only if you’re extremely
precise: that move is an instant kill, and this close to him it’s easy to
stumble into the wall instead of sidestepping it. Fortunately, once your
MP recharges he is no more dangerous than normal. You cannot afford to
heal, but if you block all of his moves a final Limit will certainly kill him.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don’t relax, because you’re not done yet. Sora foolishly charges through the
Heartless invaders by himself, and if he dies you will have to beat Demyx
again. Proceed carefully.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Sora’s Heartless Rampage
-Reward: Cura spell (Sora)
-Difficulty: 6/10
You must rely heavily on your allies here. During the first two sections
Sora should use the Rising Sun and Cyclone Reaction Commands as they become
available and otherwise Dodge Roll out of the way. (In the No Drive Gauge
version, run around the edges and leap when a smaller enemy attacks.)
Finishing Leap is risky, as you can only perform reaction commands on the
ground, though it may still be worth it for clearing the swarm of Shadows
in the second battle. The Morning Stars in the third battle can be scary,
but a little Reflect spamming (and the occasional Rising Sun barrage) will
neutralize their attacks and soften them up. Cast Cure and wait for your
MP to recharge between battles. You cannot take any chances here.
The really terrifying part is the final area with Cloud. In addition to
the previous Heartless they also release a Surveillance Robot, whose laser
barrage is an instant kill. Your best bet is to circle the edges, cast
Reflect as often as needed, and generally focus on surviving until Cloud uses
Omnislash to slaughter the nearby enemies. So long as your defense is
strong, Cloud’s attacks are more than sufficient.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
And finally you can save. Pick up another Torn Page next to the save
point. Equip any Draw Abilities, then head forward to face the nastiest
mandatory fight in the game.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: The 1000 Heartless Battle
-Reward: Guard Break (Sora)
-Difficulty: 7/10
Without Once More every Heartless on the field can kill Sora with one
attack. There are ways for Sora to avoid them, but if you let your guard
down you will be murdered in a second.
The Surveillance Robot’s Sparkle Ray vaporizes every Heartless within a wide
radius, and so it will be your main form of attack. Most of the time you
will be Dodge Rolling away from the Armored Knights until you see the Snag
command appear. Even then you need to be careful: sometimes the Triangle
icon will pop up while it is charging for the laser attack, causing you to
miss the grab and get killed, and sometimes the camera angle will prevent you
from noticing a robot that is charging off-screen. Make a point of rotating
the camera constantly, and only grab a robot when it shows no signs of
preparing to attack. Dodge Roll will prevent most of the lasers, but
occasionally Reflect may be necessary.
Rising Sun provides the safest escape for the Knight’s airborne charge (which
even Dodge Roll can’t consistently escape), but the Knights will try to
ambush you when you land. Aerial Dodge toward safe ground and resume
Dodge Rolling. Remain vigilant, and you can mow through them pretty
quickly. Even at the end, don’t let your guard down: a single Heartless can
still kill you, so stay on the defensive until they all die.
--NO DRIVE GAUGE STRATEGY (10/10): With no Dodge Roll or Aerial Dodge, Sora
is in a world of trouble. Your best bet is to keep constantly moving, grab
a Robot when Sparkle Ray becomes available, and resume moving. This will
mostly prevent the Robots’ laser attack, and since the Knights tend to attack
in groups you can usually escape damage with a well-timed leap. As for
Rising Sun (should you find it necessary to use it), if the Knights are
attacking below you can swing your keyblade to the delay the fall a bit.
This will often prevent them from touching you, though safety is never
guaranteed. Only use Cura in an emergency; Reflect is still needed for the
laser attack, and the HP orbs they drop should take care of most of your
healing needs.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
With that victory the invasion has ended, and the latter half of the game
begins. A new mission is available in every world, though at first you can
only reach Beast’s Castle, the Land of Dragons, and Port Royal. I suggest
you start with Port Royal, as Horizontal Slash and Magnera are powerful tools
that should be added to your arsenal ASAP.
XVI. Port Royal
Replace Magnet with Blizzara on the shortcut menu and equip Guard Break
before you head out.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Pirates at the Dock
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 3/10
The pirates are still very strong, but your power has increased a lot more
than theirs. Blizzara still freezes them and does heavy damage, but even
without it they are easy to juggle with Finishing Leap.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Board the ship and have Jack head to Isla de Muerta. Once the scene is over,
go upstairs to meet Luxord and fight his minion.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSS BATTLE: Grim Reaper, Round 1
-Reward: Horizontal Slash (Sora), HP +1 (Donald), Draw (Goofy), HP +10 (Jack)
-Difficulty: 2/10
Like the Pirates, he is highly vulnerable to magic. Blizzara will freeze him,
and your Fire and Thunder attacks also delay him. Even without magic, he is
a pushover as long as you Guard his attacks. After every second air combo
he will spin his weapon to teleport to a different part of the deck, but keep
following him around the deck and he will fall quickly.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dirty cheater that he is, Luxord knocks you off the ship and steals four
medallions from the chest. When you regain control, equip Horizontal Slash
and open a chest for Peter Pan, the fourth and final Summon.
The path forward is filled with Lance Soldiers and crossbow Pirates, and due
to the sparse light the Pirates are often untouchable. Running away is a
smart idea, though if you do fight Reflect and Blizzara are indispensible.
At the second screen you will have to fight a Gambler, one of Luxord’s Nobody
servants. By itself the Gambler is extremely easy. So long as you keep
attacking, it will not be able to recover at all. You regain one of the
medallions and get rescued by the Black Pearl. The next mission is to
recover the other three coins, so you can return them to the chest and lift
the curse. There are six coin-holding Gamblers in all, each with a time
limit and a unique gimmick. Some are in a hidden or hard-to-reach location,
while others do not appear until you’ve defeated the Pirates in the area.
To minimize frustration this guide will focus on the three easiest ones.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLES: Collecting the Cursed Coins
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 2/10
**Gambler 1: Back in the Ship Graveyard, in the same area as the first
Gambler. Jump down, catch it in midair with Aerial Spiral, and assault it
with Horizontal Slash until you’ve sliced through its entire health bar.
Collect the medallion and return to the ship.
**Gambler 2: Sail to the Isla de Muerta. The first screen has a Gambler in
plain sight, but the ten second time limit is far too short. Continue to
the screen with the exploding boxes, and hit the second set of boxes on the
right with a combo. This will stun the Gambler and give you an easy
opportunity to juggle it to death. Collect the medallion and continue
forward.
**Gambler 3: Hurry past the next room, which holds dozens of Pirates who
are fond of shooting at you from the shadows. The final Gambler is in
the treasure room where you fought Barbossa, attempting to hide in the
shadows. Fortunately a white monster with a white icon over its head
kind of stands out, allowing you to find and kill the thing quickly.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Once the medallions are collected, you only need to return to Port Royal and
lift the curse.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSS BATTLE: Grim Reaper, Round 2
-Reward: Magnera spell (Sora), Flare Force (Donald), HP +2 (Goofy),
HP +15 (Jack)
-Difficulty: 5/10
In its cursed form, the Grim Reaper is invulnerable and its attacks are
powered up. Its normal swing attack generates a Blizzard-style blast of
energy (which is blockable), and it gains a nasty whirlwind move that draws
in coins and does lethal damage to anyone too close. To end this phase you
must release the coins by blasting him with magic. Thundara releases the
most coins, especially if cast as a combo, while Blizzara will buy you time
to deposit them in the chest.
When all the coins are returned, the Grim Reaper loses its invulnerability
and reverts to normal. The battle remains easy until you take off the first
bar of health. At that point it will teleport back to the chest and steal a
large number of coins, returning to its cursed form. Before long it will
settle next to the chest, send the skulls spinning around it, and begin
stealing coins from the chest. To end this you must move in to grab the
scythe, a task made difficult by the orbiting skulls. Dodge Roll’s
invulnerability should get you past them, at which point the Hinder and Loot
Launch commands will release 100+ coins and knock him out long enough for
you to collect them. He repeats this move frequently, so it shouldn’t take
long to take back all the coins and revert him to normal.
The third and final phase triggers at just over a bar of health. The Grim
Reaper steals every coin from the chest, then performs a terrifying
desperation attack. Dash to the crates in the northwest corner (next to
the dock) or the shockwaves will kill you. Once it’s over you must spend
a while freeing the coins with your spells. After 100 coins or so have
been returned, the boss will resume abusing the coin-stealing attack and
greatly speed up the process. From that point it is just a matter of time
until you can reverse the curse one last time and he can finally be
killed.
--NO DRIVE GAUGE STRATEGY(6/10): Without Dodge Roll, interrupting the
coin-stealing attack without damage can be difficult. Observe the skulls’
movements and time your approach to pass through just after the skulls do.
The damage is not too great, fortunately, so you can take two or three hits
and cast Cura afterwards.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Put your new Magnera on the shortcut menu, and replace Donald’s Comet with
the more powerful Duck Flare. Then head to Beast’s Castle.
XVII. Beast’s Castle
As soon as you land, enter the Parlor to your right. Then head back out and
talk to the Beast.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Dragoons in the Ballroom
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 4/10
Most of the Dragoons’ attacks are one hit kills, particularly their dive
bomb move. You can block their teleporting slash and vertical spin with
Guard and good timing, but Reflect is needed for the dive bomb or if several
strike you at once. Each blocked attack triggers the Learn command, which
you can collect (up to 9 at a time) to perform the impressive Jump attack.
Physical combos are a liability unless only one Dragoon survives, though at
that point you can destroy it and the Dusks pretty quickly.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Beast will leave the party for a bit, forcing Sora and friends to follow
him into the west wing. There are a whole lot of powerful random enemies
here, so running isn’t a bad idea. (You need to kill the first two Morning
Stars in the West Wing, who will follow you with their nasty spin attack if
you try to run, but you can safely flee from every other enemy.) The battles
outside Beast’s Room are exceptionally dangerous, so much so that Stitch and
Magnera abuse are the only practical way to win if you stay and fight.
After a brief cutscene, return from the hallway to talk with the Beast and
make him rejoin the party. (The Marluxia Silhouette battle is now
available, if you’re interested in boosting your Drive Gauge up to 6.) Warp
from the save point to the gummi ship and back to the Parlor, and you will
bypass some of the nastiest random battles in the game. Exit into the
hallway.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Dragoons in the Foyer
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 4/10
Basically the same battle as in the ballroom, save for the second wave of
Dragoons who dive-bomb into the center. Make liberal use of Jump and Reflect.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now all that is left is to catch up with Xaldin. Head out through the big
doors to confront him.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSS BATTLE: Xaldin
-Reward: Reflera spell, HP +2 (Sora), Auto-Healing (Donald), HP +2 (Goofy),
HP +25 (Beast)
-Difficulty: 5/10
Undoubtably my favorite battle in the game. Xaldin is pretty predictable at
first, using a fast stab attack and a slower sweep attack that are both
instant kills. You must have good timing to Guard them, though when you do
you can collect plenty of Jump commands (up to 5 per stab) in the time he
remains stunned. Once you have collected 9 you can unleash a barrage of Jump
attacks that will do huge damage. He has a nasty habit of summoning a wind
shield in mid-combo, so never use physical attacks.
The second phase starts with a leaping attack, in which he stabs the ground
with his lances six times. High Jump and Aerial Dodge provide an easy
escape, and each strike can give you multiple Jumps. After this he fires
two slow-moving balls of air, which you must Guard before closing range.
He abuses the stab mercilessly, performing it quickly and at long range, so
always be vigilant. Sometimes he will perform an extended multi-hit sweep
attack, though he can still be interrupted with Jump.
The final phase starts around two bars of health. Keep your distance to
avoid getting surprised by his first attack. He may open with the teleport
move or another leap attack, but most often he goes straight into the
desperation attack. The spinning combo alone can easily kill you, so Dodge
Roll or Aerial Dodge away or block the whole thing with a few Guards. (If
he backs you into a corner, you must Guard it.) You can avoid the wind
blast entirely by rushing to the opposite end of the bridge, or by huddling
in the corner near the woods and casting Reflect as it passes. In a pinch
you can break free of his lances with consecutive Jump attacks, provided you
have at least 3 to spare.
His new favorite move is a teleport attack that turns his wind shield into a
deadly weapon. Fortunately, Reflect will protect you and wear down his HP.
He may use it several times in a row, but if you keep it up long enough
Xaldin will start a leaping attack, allowing you to refill your Jump
commands and do heavy damage when it ends. The desperation attack always
follows your Jump barrages, but the high damage is well worth it.
When your MP runs low, keep 4-5 Jump commands stocked at all times. Jump
allows you to survive his teleport attacks when Reflect is unavailable,
and if used one at a time it will not trigger the desperation attack.
Mickey may arrive if Sora is killed, though if your timing is decent you
shouldn’t need him.
--NO DRIVE GAUGE STRATEGY (6/10): The only important change is the dive-bomb
attack. Without High Jump or Aerial Dodge you will need to time your jumps
carefully to avoid the shockwave from each strike.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
XVIII. Land of Dragons
This mission doesn’t waste any time. Follow the hooded figure north to the
mountaintop.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Riku
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 3/10
While Riku is powerful, the Rapid Thrusters which surround you both are more
dangerous. In fact, Riku spends as much time attacking them as he does you.
You shouldn’t attack them directly, but simply stay alert for the Speed Trap
command to stop their group rush. Remember that this is a two-part attack:
the follow-up Aero Blade attack will protect you if Riku just started an
attack of his own, but otherwise may prevent you from Guarding his next move.
Riku himself is a slow but formidable opponent. He cannot be stunned by
any means, so time your attacks to allow Guarding at a moment’s notice. At
close range he prefers a longer three-slash combo, while at long range he
uses either a quick blast of energy (unblockable but easily sidestepped) or a
barrage of dark projectiles (which home in on you but are easily blocked).
He also moves in and out of range with a quick dash, which is blockable. If
you can survive the Heartless, Riku should not be much trouble.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Return down the mountain, and the Storm Rider will break free and fly toward
the Forbidden City. On the way down you will meet lots of airborne
Heartless, including the hated Nightwalkers. They are a whole lot easier
this time around, but if you are careless they can definitely still kill
you. A formidable squad of Heartless await in the Forbidden City.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Heartless in the Imperial Square (Round Two)
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 4/10
The Bolt Towers’ shockwave is the big threat, making every step on the
ground a risky proposition. They are defenseless against Magnera, though its
range is somewhat limited. To be safe, Aerial Dodge away after each air
combo. Three Magneras plus Red Rocket will kill a Bolt Tower or two and
weaken the Riders enough to trigger their aggressive phase. Get out of range
of the Towers and wait for the Riders to leap toward you. Interrupt them
with Aerial Finish, then juggle them with Finishing Leap combos until death.
Once they are dead the Bolt Towers should be easy pickings.
Do not use any summons or Drive Forms in this battle, as you will badly need
your Drive Gauge for what comes next.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Head up the stairs into the palace. Catch up with Xigbar to trigger a Nobody
ambush.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Snipers in the Hallway
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 3/10
Stitch once again turns a nasty battle into a cakewalk. The Snipers’ shots
are instant kills, but Stitch will let you spam Reflera to your heart’s
content while blocking all their physical attacks. When possible, cast
Magnera to cut down on their attacks.
--NO DRIVE GAUGE VERSION (5/10): Watch your MP carefully. Magnera is too
expensive, so rely on Reflera to block their shots and swipe attacks. Kill
them one at a time during the quiet moments, and hopefully your MP will last
into the second wave of Snipers. Red Rocket can’t kill them by itself,
but it’s great for ending the battle once you’ve worn them down.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just beyond the door is a save point, along with the next Torn Page. Head
back the way you came to slay the dragon.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSS BATTLE: Storm Rider
-Reward: Thundara spell (Sora), HP +1 (Donald), Tornado Fusion (Goofy),
HP +25 (Mulan)
-Difficulty: 5/10
Grab the spike at the start, release to avoid electrocution, and start
whacking the horns. You will need many Refleras to survive the random bolts
around his head, draining your MP quickly but doing a lot of damage in the
process. If you get through the MP bar without being hit, use Red Rocket.
Otherwise, leap off his head and cast Cure.
On the ground the Storm Rider uses a few new attacks. He loves to leap high
into the air and summon lightning bolts around you, requiring Dodge Roll or
very good reflexes. He may also fire several bolts to home in on you, though
you can dodge this by running at a diagonal. Throughout the battle you will
find tornados on the ground, which can be used to leap onto his back and
continue attacking (after your MP has recovered, of course).
His deadliest move is the ground-hugging charge, which directly follows the
leap. Interrupt him with a two-part reaction command that leaves him stunned
on the ground. Hit him with two air combos, then block the shockwave with
Reflera.
He follows the first charge with a desperation attack, signaling a shift to
the second phase. To make the battle far easier, activate Red Rocket just
as he starts charging. Besides nullifying his energy blasts, the long pause
at the end minimizes your exposure to the electric sparks from the walls.
The Storm Rider will mostly repeat his earlier attacks, including the
occasional charge, but also gains a carpet-bombing attack that covers the
arena. Run to the nearest whirlwind and launch yourself to escape it. There
will be little opportunity for physical attacks, as he will start a new
desperation attack every time your MP recovers, so get used to Limit-spamming.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
XIX. Olympus Coliseum
While technically optional, the reward for completing this mission is so
important that you’d be a fool not to do so right away. Sora and Hercules
begin by facing two simple squads of Heartless.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: “Hades Cup,” Round 1
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 3/10
The Crimson Jazz is as big a pain as ever, but the battle is short enough
that MP is not an issue. Cast Magnera ASAP and slice through his health with
air combos, blocking the fire mines with Reflera if necessary. Keep casting
Magnera and finish it with Knocksmash, and chances are the battle is already
over. Mop up any survivors, staying alert for the Tornado Step’s reaction
command.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: “Hades Cup,” Round 2
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 3/10
You must block the Morning Star’s opening spin, but after that you can abuse
Magnera to your heart’s content. Do not let the Driller Moles recover after
you’ve attacked, as their sneak attack is much more painful now.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
A long series of cutscenes follow, Auron arrives and gives you the cold
shoulder, and the team has a new mission. Your goal is Hades’ throne room,
clear on the other side of this world. The Morning Star and Neoshadows you
meet on the way are a pain, though you can bypass a lot of them with the
skateboard in the second area.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Dusks in the Throne Room
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 2/10
Their health and damage are pretty high, but the Dusks’ weaknesses haven’t
changed. They remain vulnerable to Reversal, and a few Guard Break+Finishing
Leap combos will cut through their health in no time. Avoid air combos
(which give them time to recover and possibly mob underneath you) and you
are all but untouchable.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Speak to Pain to reach Auron’s match. After the cutscene Auron will rejoin
the party, but without any Abilities equipped. Reequip everything but Item
Boost and his two attack Abilities. You must fight a still-invincible Hades
for a while. Fortunately, a newly powered Hercules will join the fray and
you can defeat Hades for real.
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BOSS BATTLE: Hades
-Reward: Magnet Burst, HP +2 (Sora), HP +2 (Goofy), HP +15 (Auron)
-Difficulty: 5/10
At first the battle is easy: dodge Hades’ fireballs until you can break his
invulnerability with Aura Sphere, then launch him with Finishing Leap. It’s
important to keep your distance, since the flame pillar combo will kill you
if it catches you off guard. If you are caught, escape via a Limit and wait
for Auron to heal you.
The real danger starts when he summons a ball of flame, which rains down
puddles of fire across the arena. Any contact with these puddles is instant
death, and Hades will continue to attack the whole time. Be careful about
when you block and dodge his moves, and always watch your step. Knocksmash
is one of the best offenses here (once his invulnerability is down), as he
cannot teleport away until the Limit is over.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Equip Magnet Burst right away. This simple finisher is possibly the best
free attack in the game, providing a powerful form of crowd control with no
MP required.
XX. Halloween Town
As soon as you arrive you’ll need to investigate the noise upstairs. Make
sure that both Magnera and Magnet Burst are equipped.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSS BATTLE: Lock, Shock, and Barrel
-Reward: HP +1 (Donald), HP +5 (Jack)
-Difficulty: 3/10
Summon Stitch and it becomes a cakewalk. Collect them with Magnera, pile
on the damage with Horizontal Slash and Magnet Burst, and re-cast Magnera
to repeat the cycle. Lock on before you trap them in the boxes.
--NO DRIVE GAUGE STRATEGY (6/10): You can cast Magnera three times, which
should be enough to take down one of the triplets. Focus on Barrel first
(the one with the hockey mask) to neutralize his charges. After the third
Magnet Burst, let loose with a Limit on Barrel and then Shock (the witch) to
finish them both. You must trap them in boxes while Lock is still alive,
though if you keep moving his projectiles should miss. Once they are taken
care of, pummel Lock until he collapses and can be put in the final box.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Your next destination is the Halloween Town square. The graveyard outside
town is a nightmare, infested with ridiculously deadly Trick Ghosts and
Graveyards. Reflera spamming is almost mandatory, and I strongly suggest a
detour toward the Curly Hill (to shorten your trip on repeat attempts)
before entering the square.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Heartless in the Square
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 4/10
Summon Stitch. This will deflect the Wight Knights and let you clear through
them much faster, but mostly it is to survive the Graveyards. Spam Reflera
to survive the flying tombstone attack, then move out of stabbing range.
When both Heartless have returned to normal, capture them with Magnera and
start an air combo. Recast Magnera as the second finisher and they will be
immobilized until you finally kill them. Pick up the presents scattered
around the square to end the battle.
--NO DRIVE GAUGE STRATEGY (6/10): The Wight Knights can annihilate you with a
single lunge, so if you value your life you will avoid groups and focus on
killing one at a time. Take advantage of the hazards placed around the
square, especially the vents at the edges. Rely on Finishing Leap and Magnet
Burst, saving your MP for the Graveyards.
As above, use a three-Reflera combo to block their tombstone attack and stun
them with Magnera. You can only afford to cast Magnera twice, however, so you
need to follow the second casting with a Limit. Dance Call is preferable, but
in a pinch Knocksmash will do.
If one of them somehow survives that barrage, lure them over the vents at the
edge or stun them with Counterguard to allow you to start a Finishing Leap
combo. (NEVER attack directly.) In a pinch the vents can also work as a
defense against the tombstone attack, providing valuable invulnerability when
Sora is thrown in the air.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The party heads back to Santa’s house, where they have to make presents (by
shooting at them?) as part of Jack’s harebrained scheme. Finish the
minigame, and make sure to save before facing off with the boss.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSS BATTLE: The Experiment
-Reward: HP +2 (Sora), Jackpot (Donald), HP +2 (Goofy), HP +10 (Jack)
-Difficulty: 6/10
This thing is the stuff of nightmares. He opens by slamming the ground in
front of him, creating a wide shockwave. Jump toward him to clear the
shockwave and start an air combo. In his second attack he detaches his head
and points a laser at the ground, homing in while the rest of his body
forces you to stay back with a damaging blast of air. The third attack is
his deadliest: he blasts you with a multi-hitting laser three times, any of
which will kill you. High Jump plus Aerial Dodge will lift you above each
beam, though to escape all three you must be VERY quick with the O button.
Finally, he can charge claw-first across the arena, often after detaching
his head or firing a single laser. This move is an instant kill, so block
with Reflera. (Stitch is useful, but not mandatory.)
After losing two bars of health, the boss transforms and completely changes
tactics. Guard when you land to block his spinning charge and start
mashing Triangle. The long desperation attack isn’t dangerous if you can
keep tossing him, though a miss can kill you pretty quickly.
At first the Experiment will mostly float around the arena, periodically
lunging toward you with a lethal two-hit slash. You can Guard this, but
Reflera is safer and adds great damage on top. (Keep your distance
during MP recharge to stay out of range.) Either way, follow this with
an air combo. Only use one finisher, as the second will trigger an
immediate counterattack. After a while he will start another desperation
attack, which you can handle as before. Later on he may pull out the head
to fire lasers at you, either three quick beams (in a wide spread attack)
or a continuous slow-moving beam. You can sidestep the spread attack if
you’re close enough (or Aerial Dodge out of the way), but stay away from
the continuous beam until he’s done using it.
Fortunately the battle gets easier as it goes on. At some point during
the final bar the Experiment will lose everything but the body, taking
away all its attacks (except for a rarely used spinning charge) and leaving
it wide open to yours.
--NO DRIVE GAUGE STRATEGY (8/10): The main challenge is clearing the first
phase. To survive the lasers you must block each blast with an individual
Reflera spell. This can be tricky, so try to take a single step between
each casting. (Very rarely he will follow a single beam with a claw charge,
killing you if you followed this pattern. To avoid this take a look at
his arm: if there is no wind blast he is about to charge, and a two-Reflera
chain is needed.) You are as good as dead without MP, so take full
advantage of Horizontal Slash and be conservative with Reflera. If your MP
is about to run out, use Dance Call to hopefully push him into the second
phase.
Aside from the laser spread attack (which you must block with Reflera if
you’re too far to sidestep it), the rest of the battle is no more difficult
than usual.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
XXI. Agrabah
This is one of the hardest and least rewarding missions in the game, so I
usually save it for last. After a few random battles in the town, you find a
new exit leading to a ruined palace in the desert. Save before you enter.
It will be a while before you have the chance to open the menu again.
You will fight the next several battles while riding on the magic carpet,
severely limiting your combat capabilities. With no allies you lose all
access to Summons, Drives, and Limits (even Trinity Limit and Limit Form, for
some reason). Move the carpet toward Jafar’s shadow double to start the
first battle.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Entering the Valley
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 3/10
Slide Dash is the easiest way to close range with the Heartless, so rely on
ground combos. Keep an eye out for their reaction commands (and the Rapid
Thrusters’ slow propeller attack) to avoid suffering damage.
The Fortunetellers require a bit more care. They mostly fire ice bolts from
a distance, but when stunned they will move in to smack you. Guard works
against both, though Reflera is preferable when possible. If one of them
places a countdown timer over your head, lock on to the other one and hang
back. The Clear Shot command at the end of the countdown will kill the
caster and do heavy damage to the enemy you target.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
After that you spend a while chasing Jafar’s shadow across the ruins. At
three points he will stop to charge up energy for a magic spell. Hit him
before he finishes, or you will get killed by his thunderbolts. Eventually
he will fly over the tower, triggering a much more annoying battle.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Heartless Over the Tower
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 5/10
It starts the same way, with a swarm of weak Heartless followed by some
Fortunetellers. However, once one Fortuneteller dies a Crimson Jazz will
appear. This guy is still bad news: its fire mine spell will follow you
across the battlefield, and when you get close he can obliterate you with
the fire pulse. Thankfully he is still vulnerable to Magnera. Cast the
spell at the first safe opportunity, follow it up with a full air combo,
cast it again, and repeat. Feel free to use up all your MP on Magnera,
and NEVER cast Cura. When the Crimson Jazz finally falls the
Fortunetellers will be greatly weakened, and can be finished in short
order.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
To open the door you must activate three spell-based triggers. The Fire
trigger is directly below you, hiding under the broken bridge in front of the
door. To reach the Blizzard trigger, take the carpet straight up to the top,
then pass through the canyon and turn right. (If the entrance is considered
north and the tower south, the trigger is in the southeast corner of the main
area.) This will prevent a Crimson Jazz from spawning, though you will have
to eliminate a Fortuneteller and many weaker Heartless. The final Thunder
trigger is in the opposite (northwest) corner of the main area, on top of a
spire. Once all three are activated, hurry back to the door.
Inside you will find a save point, as well as a Torn Page. Head deeper into
the tower for a plot twist, followed by an annoying escape sequence.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Escaping the Valley
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 4/10
Your objective is to swat the Heartless off the screen with well-aimed
keyblade strikes. A single hit is sufficient for the Rapid Thrusters and
Hook Bats, while the Fortunetellers and Crimson Jazz require a combo
finisher. Fortunately they attack slowly, so you can usually get rid of
them before they become a threat. The more pressing danger is the falling
towers, any of which will take off most of your health. There are four such
towers, which you must avoid by veering right, left, right again, and left
again. Watch out for the sand bursts at the very end (which just require
quick reflexes), and you should make it through this alive.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
At long last you’ve escaped that infernal valley and can fight normally
again. Yeah, you wish. Only one carpet battle remains, but it is one of the
nastiest boss battles in the game.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSS BATTLE: Jafar
-Reward: Fira/Firaga spell (Sora)
-Difficulty: 7/10
He opens by picking up several buildings, which will randomly spin around the
arena before flying at you. They do not trigger Reflera, so you must rely on
short Guard Break combos on the stomach and hope for the best. Once the
stomach’s HP is gone do the following: perform two Guard Break combos on the
head, spin him around, and use three more Guard Breaks. Don’t cast Cure yet;
save your MP for when he recovers, then dive down and block his paralyzing
glare with Reflera. His spin attack is a one-hit kill, and the glare pulls
you right into its path. After that you can heal and resume attacking the
stomach. He uses nothing but the spin for a while, making your life easier,
though you still need to back off during the spin attack.
After two quiet attack cycles Jafar turns aggressive, repeating the flying
debris attack from the beginning. You can attack while he charges for it,
though, so there’s a good chance you can knock him out before he lands a
hit. After recovering he will start his spell attack (signaled by the phrase
“Jabba jabba ja!”), an endless barrage of fireballs which will kill you in two
hits. The only reliable defense is Reflera combos: move in toward the stomach
with Slide Dash, then cast three Refleras for a two-finisher combo. This
alone will take out the stomach, and if you had already worn it down you will
not take damage. Unfortunately, with the stomach at full health you will be
hit by a fireball, forcing use of Cura and cutting off access to Reflera for
a while.
He is even scarier during the third phase, when he teleports away and creates
a whirlwind of junk as a desperation attack. Keep soaring at maximum speed
in wide, sweeping vertical arcs. It is easy to take a lot of hits and lose a
big chunk of health, screwing you over afterwards.
Afterwards you will have to hurry back to Jafar while he summons an enhanced
spell attack, which adds lightning bolts. Move in a curving, downward
spiral, and with lots of luck you can bypass both the fireballs and the bolts
long enough to slide in and spam Reflera again. If your MP is still
recharging, stay at the edges; you will need to alternate between a slow
descent and a fast rise to escape the lightning bolts, which are incredibly
hard to dodge. You will be Curing (and thus in MP recharge) a lot near the
end, so near-perfect dodging is required to survive.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
XXII. Twilight Town
It was a tough road getting here, but you can finally continue with the main
story. If you like, you can start the optional side missions in the Pride
Lands and Hollow Bastion. Completing these earns you the incredibly valuable
Reflega and Explosion, though the battles along the way are every bit as
tough as the final bosses.
Make your way from the train station to the mansion, progressing through
four screens of powerful Nobodies. The Dragoons, Samurai, and Snipers
aren’t too bad, but for the sake of your sanity I would run from the
Dancers. Head to the front gates to meet and battle an exceptionally large
squad of Nobodies.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Nobodies at the Gate
-Reward: HP +2 (Sora), HP +2 (Goofy)
-Difficulty: 3/10
The first two waves are very easy, especially with Mickey on your side.
Finishing Leap and Magnet Burst combine to produce the most effective crowd
control tactic in the game. The only real danger are the Samurai in the
final wave, who have a bad habit of whipping out their swords and slashing
you before you can launch them. You can easily block them with Guard or
Reflera, though. Make a point to approach them cautiously and you can win
this battle without taking a hit.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
You will meet more Nobodies in the library, but you are free to run from
them. From there it’s just a matter of guessing the password to reach Roxas’
world, entering the wormhole, and clearing out the last few enemies between
you and the Organization’s stronghold.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Betwixt and Between
-Reward: Slapshot (Sora)
-Difficulty: 4/10
The first half is an easy fight against a few Dusks. The second half is you
and Axel against a larger group of Dusks and Assassins. (What happened to
Donald and Goofy? Who knows.)
When you or Axel kill a Nobody, an Assassin will teleport in and stab you
about a second later. Block or sidestep this move, then hit them with
Slide Dash to start a Finishing Leap+air combo assault. You can catch the
Assassin again once it touches the ground, but if you fail to do so you must
run to escape the suicide attack. Also keep an eye out for their combo
slash attack, which can easily kill you.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
XXIII. The World That Never Was
The first save point in this world lies ahead, followed by a long alleyway
filled with thick swarms of Heartless. Unequip Counterguard (this is very
important) and hurry to the exit. Just ahead lies one of the most unique,
and dangerous, battles in the game. Equip Combo Plus and Dodge Slash to
make it a lot shorter.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSS BATTLE: Roxas
-Reward: HP +2, Combo Master (Sora)
-Difficulty: 6/10
He opens with a wide-range air slice, so Guard immediately. He may repeat
this attack, or he may perform a jumping spin (if you’re too far away), but
most often he will unleash a long combo that requires three Guards to
survive. All three moves will kill you, so great timing is mandatory. The
good news is that you can lock him into a predictable pattern: after the air
slice or combo, hit him with a full combo of your own. One more hit will
guarantee another air slice or combo, allowing you to repeat the cycle
indefinitely. This pattern will prevent his ultra-deadly fourth attack (a
quick-draw minigame followed by an insane number of lasers) and is
absolutely mandatory in the next phase.
The battle takes a flashy turn in the second phase, when Roxas powers up
every attack with fast-moving beams of light. To survive you must stay
at a precise distance: far enough to escape the air slice’s wall of beams,
but close enough to block the combo before the beam hits you. You may
need many attempts to find the “sweet spot” that ensures Guard will work,
so be patient. Keep up this pattern, and most of the time you will see
nothing else until you win the battle.
**NOTE: If you stand near the edge of the arena it’s possible for the
opening beams from a combo to hit, even if your Guard timing is flawless.
You will be a bit safer if you take a second to move slightly away from
the edge, ensuring that said beams have some space to move past you.
By far the greatest danger is breaking the attack pattern. Roxas has two
chances to do this himself, by opening the second phase (four health
bars) or the third phase (two and a half bars) with the desperation attack.
In the third phase he will shoot a beam as he teleports away, which
requires Dodge Roll or Reflera if you see it coming. Dodge Roll nonstop
around the arena’s edge to survive it. Surviving long enough to land a hit
is hard enough during the second phase: unless he is kind enough to
teleport next to you and start a combo right away, I would rely on Trinity
Limit to create an opening and resume the attack pattern. (DO NOT use a
second finisher afterwards, as this will trigger his leap counterattack.)
During the third phase he generates a beam with every teleport, making
Reflera spamming all but mandatory.
-NO DRIVE GAUGE STRATEGY (7/10): The only difference occurs if you screw
up the pattern, or if he breaks the pattern with a desperation attack. It
is possible to outrun the projectiles by circling the arena’s edge, but
only if you do it just right. Remove the lock-on from Roxas and point the
camera straight ahead. Stay close to the edge without actually touching
it: any slowdown will result in you getting hit and promptly killed.
Remember to renew the lock-on once the attack is over, after the twelfth
projectile is released, and use Trinity Limit to resume the offensive.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
With Sora and Roxas reunited you can at last unlock Final Form. Unequip
Combo Plus and Dodge Slash, then head forward to the Brink of Despair and
save your game.
On the way to the elevator you will meet the Sorceror, arguably the most
powerful regular Nobody. They are completely immune to elemental magic and
love to do huge combo damage with their magic cubes. If you do fight them,
rely on Reflera and/or Horizontal Slash. Combo finishers trigger the whip
attack, which can easily wipe you out. Make your way past the elevator
filled with Dragoons, equip your strongest air combo Abilities, set the
party to Huddle Attack, and save your game.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSS BATTLE: Xigbar
-Reward: MP +5 (Sora), HP +2 (Goofy)
-Difficulty: 6/10
Defeating Xigbar is all about minimizing your mistakes. He is a piece of
cake once you’ve mastered the pattern, but if you break the pattern by taking
damage he will rain hell upon you. (If you have faced off with Data Xigbar
recently, you may need to slow your reaction time in order to block his
shots.)
He opens the battle by entering sniper mode, firing a rapid salvo of
projectiles before launching a homing missile. Keep running in a straight
line, then use three Warp Snipes to stop the missile and break his scope.
Xigbar will fire a volley at you the moment he returns, then begin
teleporting around. Initially you will chase him around the arena,
pausing to Guard when he fires, until he stops to reload and provides an
opening for a long air combo. Occasionally he will get cocky and mosey
across the ceiling for several seconds, which makes for an even easier
opening.
During the first two phases Xigbar may randomly warp the party to a
different room in order to impede your movement. Though the rooms can
take different shapes, your strategy is always the same: close the
distance with Xigbar, Guarding his shots as you go, and hit him with
a complete air combo to return to the main arena.
The second phase starts after two bars of damage, and grants Xigbar a
few dangerous new moves. He can suddenly teleport over Sora’s head
and fire (often twice in a row), a move that can only be avoided via
continuous movement. Far more dangerous is his missile attack, which
bounces around the arena for a long time and is an instant kill. Jump
and cast Reflera, and you will destroy the missile and deal some good
damage. And he can follow either move with a teleport-and-shoot salvo,
immediately firing with no pause. This is a simple test of reflexes:
quickly lock on to him, then Guard before the bullets reach you. His
earlier moves remain in use, so take advantage of any easy openings.
He enters the third phase below two and a half bars, and his attack
pattern completely transforms. The desperation attack will come early
in this phase, and it is a complete nightmare. Run to the upper-left
corner, leaping over his opening spray as you go, and run
counterclockwise to dodge the next several salvos. His final salvo
will kill you if a single bullet hits during the next several seconds,
so you must run perfectly. Wide circles are the way to go, though
you need to step around your allies’ bodies when they are KO’d. (Huddle
Attack will keep them right behind you, giving you the maximum time to
avoid them.)
You aren’t much safer when it ends, as his bullet and missile attacks
are both powered up. He fires three salvos in a row, either quick
overhead blasts or teleport-and-shoot salvos. He does signal the
teleport-and-shoot barrage (by teleporting and standing still for a
moment), but only constant movement will protect you from the overhead
shots. This is immediately followed by two missiles in quick
succession. Jump and cast Reflera for the first, then recast on the ground
to stop the second missile.
The one bright side is that Xigbar now follows a fixed pattern: desperation
attack, triple salvo, missiles, triple salvo, repeat. The second time he
will replace the desperation attack with the sniper move from the beginning,
but otherwise this pattern repeats through the rest of the battle. He no
longer reloads, so Reflera will account for most of your damage. (He still
occasionally strolls on the ceiling, so watch for this move and deal as
much damage as you can when he uses it.) So long as you consistently block
his shots and evade the desperation move, your MP should easily last you to
the end of the battle.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Head back to the save point, then up the walkway outside. Lots of strong
Nobodies are in your way, but Finishing Leap and effective use of Reflera
can make mincemeat out of all of them. Your Drive will be restored on the
next screen, so feel free to summon Stitch. After reuniting with old
friends you will enter a room with three doors: the blocked path to Xemnas,
and two rooms that hold the surviving members of the Organization.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSS BATTLE: Luxord
-Reward: Magnega spell, HP +2 (Sora)
-Difficulty: 3/10
As the battle opens, Luxord imprisons you in a die. Hop toward the screen to
dodge his card attack, and keep hopping away from him until the gauge
empties to free yourself. Once you are free you can start wearing down
his Time meter with minigames. To easily win the card minigame, wait a
few seconds for the moving “O” to slow to a crawl. (Just don’t wait too
long, or he’ll drain your Time and turn you into a card.) Success restores
your HP and Time, and leaves him wide open to a combo. Keep your distance
in between minigames, or you may get hit and killed by his quick combo
attack.
Luxord has two additional moves which he only uses once. The first is a
card-picking game, which is easy if you are patient. The second is his
desperation attack. The physical component is pretty easy to outrun (and
trivial to Aerial Dodge from), but the minigame can be tricky. To make the
last two slots easier you can quickly pause and unpause the screen,
slowing down the pattern and eliminating reflexes from the equation. The
cathartic victory move leaves him with a bare sliver of health, which any
finisher or spell will eliminate. Failure makes victory very difficult,
though not impossible; he drains a big chunk of Time into his gauge and
turns you into a die, giving you very little chance to empty his Time gauge
before your own runs out.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSS BATTLE: Saix
-Reward: HP +2 (Sora), HP +1 (Donald)
-Difficulty: 4/10
Saix opens by entering “berserk mode.” It can only be ended with the hammers
he throws, though to do so you must dodge the shockwaves created by his
attacks. Survive his first combo with Dodge Roll or Reflera, pick up the
hammer, and rush away from him at top speed. It takes a few seconds for the
Eclipse command to appear (during which you still take damage), so you need
to wait until the last second to rush in, start the attack, and beat him back
to normal.
In his normal form, Saix takes far more damage and his attacks are much
tamer. He mostly uses a three-hit combo, which you can block to release the
hammer and create an opening for a combo. He will not be stunned until you
perform a finisher (so keep your combos short), though he will stay stunned
long enough for a second combo. He can perform a quick charge as well,
especially after your combos, though it is easy to Guard if you see it coming.
The second time he enters berserk mode is not too dangerous, though you
should definitely keep your distance. Besides the combo, Saix gains two new
moves: an explosive overhead smash, and a charging combo move. The former
is a one-shot kill, but he gives enough warning for you to dodge and grab
the hammer after the explosion fades. The charge is the real killer: each
step creates a wide shockwave, and the speed at which he moves makes
avoiding damage nearly impossible unless he started at the opposite end of
the arena. If you can survive it (and block the hammer toss) the same
strategy applies: grab the hammer, keep your distance until Eclipse shows up,
and rush in to pummel him.
After that you MUST stick to the following pattern: deflect his combo
attack, perform two ground combos (with single finishers), block the charge,
deflect his combo attack, perform two ground combos, and grab the hammer.
He will enter berserk mode when he recovers, but as soon as he touches the
ground you can pummel him back to normal. This is the only way to prevent
his desperation attack, which is extremely difficult to dodge and does so
much damage for so long that you have little chance of survival. It doesn’t
take much practice to get the pattern down and keep him out of berserk mode
until the end, but if you ever screw up you will probably lose.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
You get a little time to breathe after that. Riku, easily the strongest ally
in the game, joins you after a cutscene. Remove all of his items, unequip
Dark Aura and Dark Shield, and equip Hyper Healing. Riku’s healing is a
valuable asset in the battles ahead, and his mighty Session Limit provides
massive damage as well as an easy escape from the Nobodies’ scarier attacks.
We are very near the end now. Only one boss battle seperates you from the
final save point.
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BOSS BATTLE: Xemnas at the Tower
-Reward: HP +2, MP +5 (Sora)
-Difficulty: 4/10
Xemnas opens by slowly draining your health, then warping on top of the
tower. Follow him to initiate a flashy action sequence ending with three
reaction commands of increasing power. The final Finish attack does massive
damage, but precision is critical: reacting too soon will trigger a weaker
attack or none at all, and if you are too slow he will kill you with a
combo attack. If done properly he will be open to your attacks. Maximize
your damage by performing a combo with one finisher, then another with two
finishers. He will counter by teleporting toward you and performing a
two-hit slash, which will kill you if both hits connect. You can easily
Dodge Roll out of the way, then move in with Slide Dash and continue the
offensive. (Guard+Counterguard also works well, but the timing is more
difficult.)
If you can keep up the offensive the battle will go very quickly. Things
will get tricky if you get seperated, since he likes to surprise you with
the slash when you close range, but a well-timed Dodge Roll or Reflera
will protect you long enough to create a new opening. He may precede the
slash attack by summoning a barrier, and from time to time he will perform
a long combo attack. It is more than capable of killing you, but it is
slow enough that you can Dodge Roll or even outrun it long before it can
hit you. Finally, when his health is low enough he will repeat the
action sequence from the beginning. One last Finish command will leave him
with 1 HP, providing an easy finish to this battle.
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XXIV. The Final Fight
The final save point rests at the top of the tower, just before the door
leading to the final battles. If you wish to earn the secret ending (and
unlock the superboss Lingering Will) now is your last chance to complete the
remaining side missions.
Once your affairs are in order, open the door to kick off the long series
of battles between you and the end of the game.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Climbing the Dragon
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 1/10
Before you can get to the real combat, you have to reach the top of the
dragon fortress that Xemnas is riding. Most of the gameplay here is reaction
commands, though you do have to kill a few self-destructing Nobodies near the
end. About the only advice you need is to stay on the ground at the
beginning (lest you miss the reaction commands and die), use Magnet Burst to
take out several Nobodies at a time, and be ready to step out of the way when
the Nobodies attack. This section should be very, very easy.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Breaking Through the Door
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 3/10
A bit tougher, but nothing that Sora can’t handle. Keep bashing the door
until the Assassins and Creepers show up. The Assassins’ suicide attack is
still bad news, though this time you can interrupt it with a reaction
command. As always, Finishing Leap and Magnet Burst are great for thinning
the crowd.
At around two bars remaining, a second wave of Nobodies that includes a
Berserker will arrive. Magnet Burst is an ideal way to stun him and release
the hammer, at which point you can bludgeon him to death with Eclipse. Even
more Assassins will spawn now, so keep your eyes open for both the suicide
attacks and the start of their slashing combo. The dragon will start jabbing
its fingers into the arena about now, killing you if you stand too close to
the door. Try to keep the fight toward the back of the arena, and make sure
to stop attacking and back up the instant you see the warning message. Once
the door’s HP is gone, proceed forward to finally face Xemnas.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSS BATTLE: Armored Xemnas, Round 1
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 4/10
Now here’s a proper battle. Xemnas will borrow attacks from the rest of the
Organization, though his favorite attack is a wide sweep which is unblockable
and (naturally) an instant kill. It is best to defend with Reflera, as the
additional damage will make this battle a whole lot shorter. You can safely
perform a combo in the pause that follows, but when he recovers he will
perform another sweep and summon an energy barrier that knocks you across
the arena.
He uses a variety of copied attacks, though only three are a real threat.
He opens with Xaldin’s spear attack. Reflera the initial dive, wait until
the spears are done circling, and do the same for the follow-up strike.
Axel’s spinning chakrams can be dangerous if you’re standing in their path,
though it’s pretty easy to hop over them and continue the offensive.
Finally, at one point he will summon Demyx’s water clones. They will whip
you to death if you stand around, so turn one into a note and eliminate the
others with Wild Dance.
After using each member’s attacks in turn, Xemnas will begin to combine
them. He will attack with the spears or chakrams to damage you at close
range while the long-range attacks limit your movement. You won’t survive
long without Reflera, but if you use the spell conservatively it will
certainly last long enough for Session to win the battle.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The struggle appears to be over at last. We know better, though, and before
you know it you will find yourself chasing after Xemnas once again.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Grounding the Dragon
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 3/10
You have no way to heal here, so don’t get hit. In brief, your strategy is
to absorb the Nobodies’ lasers with your shield (while blasting them to keep
them at a distance), then activate the Megalaser attack to neutralize the
damage from the dragon’s missile barrage. He uses this attack at three
points, near the end of the first phase and immediately after the third and
fourth phases end. A single hit from the Nobodies or missile from the
dragon can take off a quarter of your health, so good reflexes are key.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSS BATTLE: Armored Xemnas, Round 2
-Reward: None
-Difficulty: 4/10
At first this plays like a simplified version of the first battle. He
relies exclusively on the sweep and barrier attacks, opening with the former
as soon as you gain control. Block it with Reflera, then start attacking.
Never cast Cura, as Riku can heal you a lot more efficiently.
Things turn interesting after a few bars of damage, when he slams you off
the dragon and into the space beyond. Fortunately Sora is given maxed-out
Growth Abilities for this battle, including Glide and a supercharged Aerial
Dodge that can be repeated to rapidly climb through the air. To get back
to Xemnas, fly up to one of the stationary buildings in midair and use
the reaction commands. Xemnas will throw other buildings toward you to
kill you, and will also fire barrages of homing lasers at your location, but
if you keep moving neither attack will touch you. Once his shield is
broken, Xemnas will summon three of the chain lasers from the dragon battle.
Allow yourself to fall for a few seconds to escape this move entirely.
Drop in at the edge of the arena to resume the offensive for a while. Xemnas
will toss you off the dragon twice more, and the next time you land he will
summon lots of lasers to blast the edge of the arena. Still, his attack
pattern is simple enough that the rest of this battle should be a breeze.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSS BATTLE: Xemnas
-Reward: Drive Gauge +1 (Sora), HP +25 (Riku)
-Difficulty: 5/10
It all ends here. As befits the leader of the Organization, all of Xemnas’
attacks are incredibly powerful. He has no single-hit kills like his
subordinates, but plenty of scary combos which can tear you apart in less
than a second.
He opens with a long midair assault, which starts with a nearly unavoidable
grab-and-throw. Activate Riku’s Session Limit to neutralize the whole
thing. (You could also cast Reflera for the opening grab and continuously
Reversal through the attack, though if you screw up it’s very easy to get
killed.)
Once you land you must find an opening to attack. Xemnas constantly zips
around the arena, and when he does approach he will greet you with a deadly
spinning combo. Make a point of locking on and running ASAP, and you can
easily escape this. He will then either shoot a pulse of energy at you or
summon two deadly spheres of energy. You can escape the pulse with Dodge
Roll, and use the Reversal command to start a combo against him. (Don’t
perform more than two in a row, or his counterattack will probably kill
you.) Stay away if he summons the energy spheres and wait for a safer
opening. As before, rely on Riku for your healing and save your MP.
The battle stays pretty simple for the first few bars, but eventually he
will repeat the midair assault from the beginning. Afterwards Xemnas
will go berserk, flying around at top speed while shooting laser bolts
from all directions. At first he will fire a few bolts at a time, either
in quick bursts of three or by encircling you in a ring of lasers, but
eventually he will start firing in a continuous and very deadly stream.
He initially signals this with the phrase “Why don’t you vanish?” Start
Guarding at the word “vanish,” and you should have no trouble blocking
the whole thing. The second time he stays silent (though the timing is
the same) and a clone joins him to add even more firepower. It is easiest
to Glide at a distance until the attack ends, though repeated use of High
Jump and Aerial Dodge is also pretty effective. You can survive getting
hit by quickly activating Session or Limit Form, though this will stop
being an option if you screw up repeatedly.
The laser bombardment ends with an exceptionally vicious grab. Do not
try to avoid this move, or he will just repeat the laser assault until
he finally captures you. (A quick Cura will make it easier for both
guys to survive, though.) Xemnas traps Sora in a paralyzing grip, and
will eventually drain the life out of him if Riku does not intervene.
Meanwhile, Xemnas’ clone will try to kill Riku by rushing toward him
and knocking him back with energy barriers--which is a problem, since
Riku can no longer heal. To close range with Xemnas, abuse Riku’s
Dark Firaga against the clone. If you fire a blast, move forward a
few steps, and quickly fire again, it will have no chance to strike
back. Wait until Sora’s health is critical to free him; this
guarantees that Riku will heal him when Sora regains control. Xemnas
is stunned at the attack’s end, providing just enough time for a full
air combo. He performs another midair assault right afterward, so
unleash Session as before.
The rest of the battle is similar to the beginning, though quite a
bit easier: Xemnas uses the energy pulse immediately after he
teleports, allowing you to Reversal toward him and start a combo
with no risk to yourself. (He teleports away after his spinning
combos, so avoid them entirely.) Only perform one combo at a time:
he will counter the second with a midair assault or laser barrage,
either of which could easily end the battle.
Even at his last bar of health, victory is not assured. Xemnas
will end the battle with yet another desperation attack, forcing
the boys to deflect an endless stream of lasers. (Try to cast
Cura before it starts, to ensure both Sora and Riku have sufficient
health.) To survive you must mash both X and Triangle, quickly and
continuously, until the attack ends. It only takes a handful to cut
through your health and force you to restart the battle, and very
often a single bolt to Riku could kill him. Thankfully after this
move Xemnas will be stunned at 1 HP, providing a satisfying ending
to the game.
--NO DRIVE GAUGE STRATEGY (7/10): Without Dodge Roll, it is a lot
harder to perform Reversal before the energy pulse interrupts and
damages you. The key is to continuously circle at a moderate
distance. This will delay the pulse from hitting just long enough
to allow a successful Reversal. Thankfully this is a nonissue near
the end, when he attacks from a distance and the window of opportunity
is much wider.
The other difference is the laser barrage, when Xemnas and his
clones team up to fire a continuous stream. You can’t outrun
them, so you have to time your Guard just right to block the first
few bolts. I find it helps to repeat Xemnas’ earlier phrase
(“Why don’t you vanish?”), Guarding on “vanish” as before.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
And that’s the game. A long series of cutscenes follow, possibly including
the first secret ending, and you are given the opportunity to save your
progress. If you were playing the No Drive Gauge version of the challenge,
your game is well and truly over. If not, there is still plenty of
gameplay left to complete. Lingering Will and many of the Organization Data
bosses first appear in the post-game, and it is also the best time to defeat
the rest of the optional bosses.
=============================================================================
SIDEQUESTS AND OPTIONAL BOSSES
=============================================================================
I. Leveling Up Summons and Forms
With so few resources at your disposal, well-trained Summons and Drive Forms
are all but required to complete the game. However, there are some serious
logistic obstacles to overcome. Since Sora cannot level up, boost his stats
with equipment, or access Abilities like Fire Boost, he does little damage
and can take a while to kill enemies. Wisdom and Final Forms’ magic-
boosting Abilities help, but it can still take two or three combos to kill
the tougher enemies. His lack of Defense and defensive Abilities makes him
easy to kill, leading to a lot of lost progress if you aren’t careful how
you attack. And without the Oathkeeper, every Form besides Master Form will
wear off very quickly.
First, some general notes. Whenever possible, base your training from a
“Sora-only” screen. In these areas Sora will be the only party member, while
Donald and Goofy walk around on their own and can be talked to like NPCs.
The final save point is such an area, and similar spots pop up throughout the
story missions. So long as your current Drive Form or Summon is active the
Drive Gauge will be fully restored when you reenter the screen, permitting
effectively unlimited use. Also, if you are training near or after the
story’s end I strongly recommend starting with Final Form. Its Form Boost
Abilities dramatically reduce your Drive consumption, allowing you to level
up the other Forms far faster. Activate your Forms outside of battle unless
you’re using or trying to unlock Final Form, as Anti-Form can lead to a lot
of wasted attempts. Finally, after Timeless River you can fully restore your
Drive Gauge by entering and quitting the Pain and Panic Cup in Olympus
Coliseum, should the need arise.
--TRAINING SUMMONS: Summons function very differently from Drive Forms,
sharing a single level-up gauge that increases as you consume points of the
Drive Gauge. The fastest way to train them is through the Summon’s Limit
commands, which consume up to 5 points per use. I prefer Chicken Little for
this, though Peter Pan also works well. The Limits can only be activated in
combat, and your Summon will disappear less than a second after they end, so
make a point of activating the Limit as soon as the enemies arrive and then
pushing toward the exit.
Any Sora-only screen is fine so long as the enemies are close enough to
the entrance. The maximum level increases as you acquire new Summons
through the story: Chicken Little and Genie are acquired automatically,
while Stitch and Peter Pan must be acquired from chests. Training
Summons is less essential than training Drive Forms, since you can recover
a lot of Drive through your attacks (and don’t have to worry about Growth
Abilities), but it is still recommended to ensure they last through the
longer boss battles.
--TRAINING VALOR FORM: This one is tricky for several reasons. You have
no way to heal in this Form, and the only way to level up is with extended
combos that leave you highly exposed for a long time. Thankfully there is
an enemy that will stand still and absorb your attacks without ever
striking back. That enemy is Mushroom V, found at the bottom of the Cave
of Wonders after you have completed Agrabah. For the fastest training you
should equip two Air Combo Pluses, launch yourself with Over the Horizon,
and keep hitting until the second finisher, giving you seven attacks and
over a dozen hits per combo. (The Star Seeker keyblade adds an extra hit
to your air combos.) You cannot restore your Drive Gauge within Agrabah,
so when your Drive is low you’ll need to run back to the save point, warp
to the Gummi Ship, and return to recharge.
Valor Form requires little training during the early game: it is entirely
possible to learn High Jump through its necessary uses prior to Disney
Castle, and once in the castle you can quickly max it out by slaughtering
Shadows in the hallway. If you absolutely must train Valor Form before
Agrabah, the weak Heartless in Hollow Bastion (and later Timeless River)
are best.
--TRAINING WISDOM FORM: While your upgraded magic helps, late in the game
most Heartless have too much health to kill quickly. Only one area has
weak enough enemies in large enough numbers to provide any decent
leveling: Timeless River. The best training area depends on your
progress in the game (the Dock initially, in Mickey’s House after the
1000 Heartless Battle), but your plan of attack is always the same.
Attack twice, then unleash two powered-up magic finishers (Fire for the
Shadows and Soldiers, Thunder for the Rapid Thrusters, Minute Bombs, and
Hammer Frames) to get the most use out of your MP. Make a beeline for
the door to Disney Castle to refill your Drive Gauge and restart the
process. Just don’t forget that you are vulnerable: even the Shadows do
formidable damage, and the Bombs’ suicide leap is still instant death.
Upgrading to Firaga and Thundaga greatly accelerates the process and is
highly recommended.
There is another great training spot, but it is only available right
after beating Roxas. After reaching the Brink of Despair, you can double
back and fight huge numbers of Shadows and Neoshadows in front of the
skyscraper. They are tougher than the ones in Timeless River, but with a
Sora-only screen just steps away you can fight them as many times as you
need. Since this is also the best spot to earn Final Form (see below),
it’s a good idea to stop here for some training. The Heartless disappear
not long after you enter the Organization’s stronghold, forcing you to
return to Timeless River.
--TRAINING LIMIT FORM: I love this Form partly because it is so easy to
level up. Just enter from any Sora-only screen, use two Limits on nearby
enemies, and exit again. The Limits automatically deflect blockable
attacks, and if your enemies are tough enough to survive multiple Limits
there is nothing to interrupt your training. Only completed Limits
count, so don’t use Ragnarok or Ars Arcanum unless you are confident
in your reflexes.
--TRAINING MASTER FORM: This one would be completely miserable if not
for a trick pointed out by Ryan_86 (thanks!). First you must gain
access to the Cavern of Remembrance. You need High Jump to clear the
first ledge and enter the cavern, but after that only a few leaps stand
between you and the next area. Activate Master Form, then hit both orbs
to soak up 54 points of Drive and gain your first level. Once they are
exhausted you can head back the way you came, land on the floor, and let
the terrifyingly strong Heartless kill you. The orbs will recharge when
you continue, allowing you to repeat the cycle indefinitely. It won’t
take long to max out the Form at Level 6, and later Level 7, and it
barely affects your Antiform chances (since you only activate the Form
once during the whole exercise).
--UNLOCKING FINAL FORM: Final Form improves the game on so many fronts:
its Growth Ability is a great defensive and movement tool, it allows
the other Forms to reach their maximum power (and makes training much
faster), it eliminates the scourge of Antiform from your Drive use, and
as a combat mode it is incredibly powerful. So the fact that it is
very difficult to obtain can be a major headache during or after the
endgame, when you will really want those benefits.
The key to Final Form is Antiform, the shadowy Heartless/Sora hybrid
that makes your life miserable if you use Drive Forms too often. Any
activation of the normal four Forms raises your Antiform chances by 1%
(from a base of zero), making it more likely to take over the next time
you activate a Form in combat. However, near the end of the game there
is a chance that an Antiform conversion will instead give him shiny new
silver clothes.
For that to happen four conditions must be met: 1) Sora must have
already defeated Roxas in the story; 2) he must currently be in combat;
3) both party members must be alive; and 4) he must have five or more
points of Drive Gauge remaining. He can earn Final Form by selecting
any Form in any world, so long as those conditions are met.
There are two good places to earn it, both in the World That Never Was.
The first is Memory’s Skyscraper, just after defeating Roxas but before
entering the Organization’s stronghold. Keep on using Forms against
the seemingly endless Heartless and eventually you’ll start to see a
lot of Antiforms. The odds of Final Form increase dramatically after
surviving a few Antiform activations: your initial odds are a mere 3%,
but after three uses they jump to 75%.
The second is Ruin and Creation’s Passage, just before the final
save point. It is the only suitable spot after clearing the game,
though it is less convenient: it is easy for Donald or Goofy to get
killed by the powerful Nobodies, and only Limit Form has any
opportunity to level up. I suggest you put Riku and Goofy in your
party and equip Goofy’s Second Chance to keep him alive. Keep
activating Drive Forms and running back when Antiform isn’t triggered,
and eventually you will get lucky.
There is no flash of light or onscreen message when Final Form is
unlocked. In fact, there’s a decent chance you won’t notice the
difference until one of your attacks turns into an unexpected flash
of whirling keyblades. Hurry back to save your progress. The
Antiform chance is reset to zero, and from now on you can lower the
chance by up to 10% every time you activate Final Form. Now all
that’s left is to actually train the thing.
--TRAINING FINAL FORM: For various reasons, Final Form is the hardest
Form to train. Only killing Nobodies will unlock its superior
Abilities, and Nobodies are the strongest and most aggressive foes
in the game. Ruin and Creation’s Passage is the only viable training
spot for Final, as it is adjacent to the only permanent Sora-only
screen. (You could try killing the Gamblers inside the Twilight Town
mansion, but you would be lucky to kill 2 or 3 of them before you have
to warp out again.) I suggest that you keep the party setup listed
above, and that you keep Firaga, Magnega, and Reflega in the
shortcut menu.
The problems start with the first enemies near the entrance,
Berserkers and Assassins who slam you for huge damage as they arrive.
The Drive Form transformation will stun them and free the first
Berserker’s hammer, but even then things aren’t so simple. The Eclipse
reaction command is a great defense and damage-dealer against the
Nobodies (and pretty gentle on the Drive Gauge), but reaction commands
do not count as kills for training purposes. Only spells or keyblade
attacks count toward your total, and trying to kill multiple
Berserkers that way mostly leads to a messy death by desperation
attack. I would still use the hammer, mostly to get past these
deathtrap battles to access the easier ones up ahead.
After you’ve cleared the three rounds of Berserkers, there is a group
of Assassins down the path. Reflega+Firaga spamming is pretty good at
keeping them stunned, though you must be watchful in case one of them
kills you with the suicide charge (which would respawn the Berserkers
and nullify your kills for that section). Down on the next platform
is the first great training area, though to really exploit it you must
first eliminate another Berserker. Thankfully it’s just one, which
makes it easier to concentrate your damage.
That just leaves the Creepers, who spawn in large numbers and have
the least health of any Nobody. Still, you shouldn’t underestimate
them: their dive attack and sword slash still hurt, so you must take
advantage of Final Form’s movement powers to stay mobile while you
sling spells and keyblades. The next two platforms are lousy with
Creepers, and more than likely you will earn most of your kills
there. There are no more Creepers beyond that point--just Berserkers
and other elite Nobodies--so I would glide down two screens to exit
the world and respawn the Nobodies.
Almost all your offense will come from Firaga: every hit has magnified
range and damage, and the finishers have great stunning power over a
huge range. Unfortunately, even Final Form will take most of your MP
to kill the stronger Nobodies, and those mighty combos drain a lot of
your Drive Gauge with each use. Until Final reaches Level 4 you will
not have the Drive to continue once your MP is dry, let alone the
offensive power. Make a policy of doubling back before you hit 1 point
left near the start, or 2 points left in the Creeper areas (you lose
a lot of time returning to the exit), because it is easy to exhaust
your Drive if you are careless.
Things get a lot easier when you unlock Form Boost to supplement your
increasingly durable Form, but only at level 6 do you have the staying
power to complete multiple sections of this training regimen in one go.
(On those runs, during MP recharge you should rely on the Final Arts
area-attack finisher for the Creepers and the Final Strike air finisher
for the Berserkers and Assassins. Don’t use a second finisher if your
first is Final Strike, as doing so would shorten Final Strike and lower
your overall damage.) You’ll be glad once you have both Form Boosts and
a maxed-out Glide, but getting there is a very long haul.
II. Pride Lands - First Mission
This is a tough one, more due to Lion Sora’s altered powers than the battles
(which are comparable to the first Agrabah and Halloween Town missions).
Your normal Action and Growth Abilities do not work here, and many of the
reaction commands you’ve come to rely on are absent. All Support Abilities
still work, so I would unequip the other Abilities (and your partners’
Limits) to free up AP for them. While some of Lion Sora’s powers are quite
strong--a chain of Aerial Impulses can do great damage, and Finishing Blast
is almost as good as Explosion against groups--they are a little awkward to
use, and the automatic Combo/Air Combo Pluses force longer combos that leave
you more vulnerable. Worst of all, you cannot use Summons, Drive Forms, or
the main party’s Limits, leaving magic as your only defense for much of the
mission.
Your vulnerabilities become all too clear the moment you leave the save
point and square off with two incredibly strong Heartless.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENT BATTLE: Living Bones
-Difficulty: 4/10
-Reward: None
Next to the Devastators in Space Paranoids, these guys are probably the
scariest Heartless in the game. At first they will snap at you with a
horribly painful lunging bite. If you manage to stun them they retaliate
with a highly lethal tailspin, three times in a row. And naturally they
have loads of health, so it’s not easy to prevent them from doing this.
To survive, you have to stun them with Magnet and keep them from ever
striking back. Aerial Impulse is the best way to do this: hit one after he
is pulled into the air, tap Square four times to rack up the damage and keep
him suspended, and top it off with two normal attacks as finishers. The air
combo should keep you out of the second Living Bone’s reach, but you must
recast Magnet as soon as possible to prevent either from retaliating. If
you get the Rodeo reaction command (immediately after the third tailspin),
USE IT. You can deal a fair bit of damage to both of them, and the final
hit makes the Heartless less dangerous and much easier to stun. It will
probably take all your MP to kill the first Living Bone, so do your best
to keep the second stunned with Aerial Impulse until it dies.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is followed by a long, long progression of random battles. Running is
strongly recommended. The Elephant Graveyard isn’t too dangerous, but the
countless Silver Rocks on the plains will murder you repeatedly. Following
a pointless detour to Pride Rock, you can access the Wildebeest Valley,
where you learn the Dash move.
After two more long screens you will finally meet Simba. Collect the Torn
Page here, then strike up a conversation to make Simba join the party.
Remove his items, as well as Auto-Limit and Defender, then equip Hyper
Healing. (Though his attack Abilities are powerful, unequip them and
reequip Defender before reaching the savannah. You really want Simba to
concentrate on healing you in the coming boss battle.) Go back the way you
came. Along the way you will meet the hateful Shamans. Keep moving at all
times, and remember to Dispel their homing fireballs if the reaction
command appears. When you reach the savannah Simba will briefly split from
the party. I would replace Magnet with Blizzard as a shortcut before
closing the menu and entering the cave.
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-BOSS BATTLE: The Three Hyenas
-Difficulty: 5/10
-Reward: HP +2 (Sora), HP +1 (Donald)
There are two objectives here: to protect Timon and Pumba, and to kill the
hyenas one by one. The first goal is easy. They wait a long time between
charges, and when they do attack a simple reaction command will protect your
friends and cause the hyenas to collide. The second is slightly harder.
The hyenas only attack you when provoked, but their charge and claw swipe
are instant kills if they connect. Your plan of attack is simple: cast
Thunder (or use Combo Upper) to launch a hyena, hit it in midair and follow
up with Aerial Impulses until it breaks free, then sidestep the charge that
follows or block it with Reflect. Focusing on a single hyena is fastest,
but in the confusion of the battle you’ll probably have to settle for
wearing down all three.
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Exit the back of the cave to have Simba rejoin your party. Blizzard is
strongly recommended.
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-BOSS BATTLE: Scar
-Difficulty: 6/10
-Reward: Fira/Firaga spell, MP +5 (Sora), Fire Boost (Donald), HP +2 (Goofy),
HP +30 (Simba)
In the beginning Scar uses nothing but physical attacks. His leaping pounces
deal heavy damage and have an uncomfortably long range, and this combined
with his resistance to stunning makes physical attacks impractical. Open by
casting Thunder until your MP is nearly exhausted, then unleash a Wildcat
Limit for heavy damage.
After Wildcat Scar should enter the second phase, in which he powers himself
up via one of two elemental attacks. (If not, a second Wildcat will do the
trick.) In the first he surrounds himself in pillars of lightning, blasting
you back if you approach and rendering physical attacks impossible. While
he can’t be effectively damaged in this mode (except by Wildcat, which
would be tactical suicide), you can end it a lot faster with the Blizzard
spell. Hitting him with Blizzard will goad him to leap toward your general
direction. After three Blizzards the lightning bolts will disappear, and
he will perform a few more physical strikes before returning to elemental
attacks.
In the second he randomly pounces across the arena, leaving bursts of flame
where he lands, before ending with a claw spin that is absolutely lethal if
you stand too close to him. Thankfully the flame bursts are easy to dodge,
and after the spin Scar will remain vulnerable for a few seconds. Use that
opportunity to leap toward him and start an air combo, ending with four
Aerial Impulses and a solid finisher. He will recover with a burst of
flame as the combo ends, but the finisher will carry you up and out of
harm’s way. This phase will likely account for most of your damage, as
it is the only time when physical attacks are practical.
His final attack, and by far the deadliest, is a desperation attack in
which he summons several dark orbs to surround him and goes on a rampage
across the arena. Wildcat is the best defense against this: it
eliminates the precise timing that Reflect would require, and ensures that
Simba is alive to heal you afterwards. (Be careful NOT to continue the Limit
once the attack is over, though. Often this will trigger another desperation
attack, and without MP you are as good as dead.) Unfortunately, much of the
time Simba will be dead or you will need to heal--Simba and Donald almost
never heal you when you aren’t in critical health--in which case you need to
block each of the three charges with Reflect. Try to stay at the opposite
end of the arena, then move toward Scar when he approaches and cast Reflect
just before he runs past.
This battle is mainly about MP management. You must have more than 20 MP
(or a Limit) ready for each desperation attack, and because of this you must
be very conservative with Cure and cannot attack with Limits at all. You
must rely on Simba and Donald for nearly all your healing, so evasion
and good timing are absolutely mandatory. Do as much damage as you can
during the fire phase and eventually you will wear him down. Don’t forget
that you can finish him with Wildcat at half a bar or less.
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III. Pride Lands - Second Mission
This mission starts out much easier than the first one, though it has a
hideous difficulty spike at the end. Run into Simba’s den to collect him and
earn Running Tackle, a spectacular upgrade to Dash that is ideal for starting
combos against aggressive ground enemies. After a pointless detour by the
save point Sora and company will visit the Elephant Graveyard, then beat
the stuffing out of some hyenas.
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-BOSS BATTLE: Hyenas in the Elephant Graveyard
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Rewards: HP +1 (Donald), MP Rage (Goofy), HP +5 (Simba)
They will never attack, so the only question is how you will catch up with
them and knock them out. My preferred strategy is to herd them toward a
ledge, then catch them with an air combo as they leap off it. You could also
launch them with Thundara (or Running Tackle, if they’re close enough) and
start an air combo that way. Either way, Aerial Impulse is great for racking
up damage. Don’t forget about Wildcat, which is an excellent way to empty
your MP gauge after casting lots of Thundaras.
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Simba gets moody and decides to run away. It’s your job to return to the
oasis and talk some sense into him, another long journey with no mandatory
battles but a whole lot of powerful Heartless. The upgraded, Shaman-carrying
Living Bones always open with a homing fire spell, so be sure to remove it
with Dispel. Once you reach the Oasis you will automatically collect Simba
and return to Pride Rock. If you haven’t already, remove his attack
Abilities and equip Defender before you face the terrifying boss on the
savannah.
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-BOSS BATTLE: Groundshaker
-Difficulty: 8/10
-Rewards: Thundaga spell, HP +2 (Sora), HP +5 (Simba)
The battle opens with an extended chase sequence. Continuous button-mashing
can carry you through the whole thing, though if you screw up you will die
instantly. Afterwards the Groundshaker will lie on the ground for a while,
giving you plenty of time to hit its eye.
Eventually it will recover and leap high into the sky, signaling a change to
the “shaman” phase. This form likes to hit you with an utterly vicious
chain lightning attack, though you can easily dodge it by leaping onto the
beast’s back. Once there, hit the mask to incapacitate the Heartless for a
while, giving you some time to rack up the damage with Aerial Impulse. Make
sure to leap off once it recovers, though, or its melee combo and the chain
lightning that follows will blast you into dust. It should not take long to
rack up enough damage to trigger another transformation. DO NOT SPEND ANY
MP UP TO THIS POINT, as you need every bit of it to survive the next phase.
Upon landing it shifts to the “beast” phase. For the most part it will
casually wander the plains, though at regular intervals it sends bursts of
fire racing in front of it. To damage it you must stay alongside the eyes,
blocking the fire with Reflera for both defense and offense. Keep pointing
the camera back toward the feet, as it tends to swivel around and a single
flame burst can take you directly to critical health. Occasionally it lets
out a roar and leaps, signaling that it is about to gallop in the opposite
direction. It ends this move with an extremely fast flame burst, which
leaves you nowhere to run and can only be escaped with a well-timed
Reflera chain. You can never cast Cura or use a Limit, and your defense
must be essentially perfect, if you are to survive what is coming.
At around two health bars the Groundshaker turns highly aggressive. It
will leap randomly around the field, all the while scorching the field with
undodgeable flame bursts. Reflera combos are the most reliable defense,
though if your MP is low you may need Wildcat to survive long enough. This
gauntlet of death will only end when the boss starts galloping and the Fend
command appears near his front feet, allowing you to repeat the chase
sequence that opened the battle. (If using Wildcat, wait for the Limit to
wear off before you approach him.) Once again he collapses, and you have
some more time to pile on the damage. The hardest part is behind you, though
the battle is certainly still dangerous.
The Groundshaker returns to the shaman phase once more. Its new favorite
move is to summon an invisible doppelganger who teleports to beat the snot
out of you. Fortunately, this move is easily dodged via the Leap reaction
command. If the shaman starts spinning around, jump off its back to dodge
the chain lightning that follows. Leap onto its back once more and wait
for it to stand still. Eventually it will settle on firing two lightning
bolts in front of its face, and you can finally attack again. These deal
heavy combo damage, but so long as you don’t move in front of its face you
should be perfectly safe. You can damage him very quickly now, so it
shouldn’t take long to finish this ordeal.
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IV. Hollow Bastion and Space Paranoids - Final Mission
The very last side mission is unlocked after you have completed every other
world twice (except for Atlantica and the 100 Acre Wood, which have no
combat to speak of). If you just came from the Pride Lands, remember to
reequip your Action and Growth Abilities. Right after leaving the
Marketplace you are forced into a battle with a Devastator and some
Strafers, all while the Hollow Bastion security system blasts at you from
the ground. You don’t have to win this battle, and in fact you rarely
will: only Reflera spamming is reliable enough to protect you, and with
attacks pouring in from so many directions even that is likely to not be
enough. After that your mission is clarified: return to Ansem’s Study,
enter Tron’s world, and help him erase the MCP and take back control of
Hollow Bastion.
Even if you have never run from a battle, you’ll want to do so now. The
path is filled with the toughest Heartless from the real and digital worlds,
and combined with the security system their difficulty borders on suicidal.
(You MIGHT be able to beat them with Stitch and Magnera/Reflera spamming,
but since you don’t need money or EXP there isn’t much point.) There are
skateboards on every screen now, which you can use to outrun the Morning
Stars and Crimson Jazzes that would pound you to dust otherwise. This is
especially recommended in the Corridors, where the ultra-tough Devastators
and Crimson Jazzes are tightly clustered in groups that can annihilate you
in seconds. Once you reach Ansem’s Study you are safe, and will no longer
have to deal with the meddling security system.
Login to the computer to enter Tron’s world, then save before using the cell
terminal to rescue Tron.
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-EVENT BATTLE: Rumble on the Game Grid
-Difficulty: 5/10
-Reward: None
The toughest part is the very beginning, when two Devastators try to smack
you at short range (which is fatal if both hits connect). Stop their melee
with Reflera, then block their ultra-deadly electrocution grab with a
Reflera combo. Keep on repeating and they will die well before your MP runs
out. If one of them enters cannon form and charges up a barrage, block it
with another Reflera combo. Once one of them is dead you can juggle the
other by abusing Finishing Leap (while it is in cannon form), though before
that you cannot afford to focus on just one.
After the Devastators are gone only Magnum Loaders will remain. They don’t
have much health, but tend to move around a lot: they like to spin around to
smack you from behind, or prepare for a lightning-fast charge (which is an
instant kill). Dodge Roll is great for the former, while the Quick Blade
reaction command will stop the latter. Watch out, though: Sometimes one of
them will dash behind you immediately after Quick Blade, which can really
hurt if you aren’t able to dodge in time. Stay on the defensive, stick to
ground combos as much as possible, and with luck you will get to the end
without a scratch.
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Tron rejoins the party. Before you can face the MCP, Tron needs to learn a
new power in the I/O Tower. Since this screen leads directly to the next
battle and is littered with Devastators, I suggest making a detour to the
Dataspace (on the right) to make the journey easier on repeat attempts.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-EVENT BATTLE: The Devastator Guards
-Difficulty: 5/10
-Reward: None
The battle starts off pretty easily with three Strafers. Summon Stitch to
make yourself untouchable, and attack away. When they are gone a Devastator
and two more Strafers will arrive. Though the Devastator’s electrocution
grab is still fatal, it and the charged shot (see below) are the only moves
that can touch you now: Stitch automatically deflects their melee attacks
and normal projectiles, rendering them harmless for most of their attack
pattern. Once it enters cannon form, launch it with Guard Break+Finishing
Leap. Follow up with an air combo, and if you are quick you can launch it
again, allowing you to keep juggling the Heartless until it dies. The
Strafers are still harmless, so kill them at your leisure.
After they are gone two more Devastators will spawn. Both begin in cannon
form. Run toward one and start a Finishing Leap combo, laughing as its
projectiles bounce back to stun itself. The other Devastator will eventually
slide toward you with the electrocution grab (which it uses to transition
between forms), but if your offense is aggressive enough the first one
should die long before that happens. Even so, it’s a good idea to angle the
camera so the other one stays in view. The only other attack worth noting
is the charged shot it sometimes releases at the end of a barrage. This
projectile will slowly but relentlessly home in until it blasts you for
lethal damage, and so must be stopped with Reflera. A third Devastator
spawns when the first dies, though things aren’t any more difficult.
Eliminate the second Devastator, survive the third’s electrocution grabs
until it enters cannon form, and you can easily juggle it to death. Enter
the tower to finish the battle.
--NO DRIVE GAUGE STRATEGY (7/10): You will need a lot of MP to survive their
salvos, which can be a problem given the length of the battle. For starters,
be careful around the Strafers: you don’t have Stitch to block their homing
rings, so move the camera around and be ready with Reflera if you see one of
them heading toward you. On the plus side, since your teammates are also
attacking most of their aggression will be focused toward them. The first
Devastator shouldn’t be too bad, though you need to be careful about the grab
and its opening salvo in cannon form. Both are blockable, though the timing
is difficult enough that you’ll want to rely on Reflera.
Two more Devastators spawn once this wave is gone, which is big trouble for
you. Both begin in cannon form, and their default method of attack is to fire
a salvo of projectiles at you. These projectiles have very long range and
very high damage, so unless you are at the exact opposite end of the arena
it is easy to get interrupted while you are fighting the first Devastator.
I suggest that you juggle the first Devastator until the second damages
you, then unleash Tron’s Setup. This Limit is extremely powerful, especially
if both Devastators are nearby at the beginning, so it will definitely take
out the first two Devastators and possibly even the final one.
A third Devastator will spawn when the first one dies. Close range with
the second ASAP, blocking its salvos as necessary, and repeat the process.
The last Devastator is a lot easier, thankfully: just survive until you can
launch it in cannon form, and nothing will stop you from juggling it to death.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inside the tower Tron gains the deletion program, and with it the Thunder
Boost and MP Haste Abilities. Replace Jackpot with Thunder Boost to power up
Tron’s attacks. Another nasty battle waits as you recross the arena toward
the Solar Sailer (this time with Bookmasters as well as a Devastator), so
make your way back across while blocking their attacks with Reflera. Make
sure that your HP and MP are full before you activate the solar sailer.
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-EVENT BATTLE: The Solar Sailer Simulator
-Difficulty: 7/10
-Reward: Explosion (Sora), MP Hastera (Donald), HP +2 (Goofy), HP +5 (Tron)
Apart from the mass of Heartless who mob you, this battle also comes with a
built-in time limit: fail to kill all the Heartless before their weight
crashes the simulator, and you die. Summon Stitch at the first opportunity,
and abuse Reflera to eliminate the two Devastators who first arrive. (There
is a Magnum Loader as well, but aside from the odd Quick Blade it should not
affect your strategy.)
Once they are gone a mob of Strafers and Magnum Loaders will start
teleporting in. Due to the time limit, you need to kill them as quickly as
possible. I’ve found that constant abuse of Magnera+Thundaga works best.
Try to dismiss Stitch just before the last of them die, so you’re ready to
face the Devastators.
Several Devastators arrive en masse at the end, and their massed projectiles
and electrocution attacks will make your life hell. There is no time to use
Reflera, normal attacks, or even Stitch’s Limit, so just activate Tron’s
Setup ASAP. This mighty attack is likely to eliminate all of them in one
use, and even if one survives you can probably kill it with one or two
more combos.
--NO DRIVE GAUGE STRATEGY (9/10): While marginally better than the 1000
Heartless battle, this is still a grueling endurance test that requires
you to reach the end essentially untouched. You must still defeat the
Devastators with Reflera, but after that you need to cut through the mob
of Strafers and Magnum Loaders without losing too much HP or MP. As you
can imagine, this is no easy task: both Heartless love to retaliate with
rapid spin attacks, and you will sometimes need Reflera to block the rings
they fire at you. (Magnet Burst’s invulnerability can protect you from
the rings, though not if they hit immediately before or immediately after
the attack.) Magnet Burst remains excellent for damaging them in large
groups, though afterwards you need to run in order to avoid their
counterattacks. Make sure that Tron is in the party before you finish them.
As for the Devastators, Setup is as damaging as ever. It shouldn’t take
more than a combo or two to finish off any survivors.
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You arrive at the Central Computer Mesa, ready to take on the MCP. Backtrack
to the Solar Sailer, equip the awesome Explosion Ability (you can remove
Finishing Leap to free up some AP), and return to save your game. Only two
battles stand between you and completion of the final mission, and compared
to the deathmatches you just completed they are both pretty easy.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-BOSS BATTLE: Sark
-Difficulty: 2/10
-Reward: None
Open with Knocksmash to eliminate the Strafers and deal heavy damage to
Sark. I don’t recommend Setup because it does too much damage: it is
entirely possible that you would kill Sark before the Limit ended, leaving
you with no MP (and thus in danger) at the start of the next battle. Block
Sark’s discs with Zone Guard, and you can return them with the Disc Strike
command to stun him and pile on the damage via Guard Break+Explosion combos.
Make sure that your MP has refilled before you finish him.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-BOSS BATTLE: Sark and the MCP
-Difficulty: 5/10
-Reward: Reflega spell, HP +2 (Sora), HP +1 (Donald), HP +5 (Tron)
Sark is now a giant with greatly amplified powers. He typically opens by
throwing a large disc, which is a one-hit-kill: leap over it with High Jump
or just block it with Reflera. He attacks slowly after that, giving you
plenty of time to kill the legs with Explosion, though he does regularly use
a thunder pulse attack for massive damage. Explosion’s invulnerability can
protect you, but if he uses it between combos you will need Reflera. Before
long the legs’ HP will be exhausted and he will collapse so you can attack
the head. You will have time to take out half his health with Horizontal
Slash before he recovers and you need to eliminate the legs again. Stay
away from the wall, as sometimes the MCP will send it spinning to damage
you.
When Sark is incapacitated, you can start breaking down the barriers that
protect the MCP. Make sure that Tron is in the party before you start.
You cannot lock on to the walls, so just face forward and keep attacking.
(Don’t let up, or he may repeat the spinning-wall attack to damage you and
pull away the weakened sections.) Pretty soon you will break through the
wall, and you can team up with Tron to start deleting the tyrant.
Unfortunately you can’t blindly mash Triangle: after spinning around for a
while the MCP will shoot some lasers from the barriers, damaging you if
you are unprepared. As a rule of thumb, stop button-mashing after taking
off two-thirds of a health bar. Reflera is the easiest defense, though
if your timing and aim are superb you can escape the beam with a diagonal
Dodge Roll. The MCP will then send the barriers spinning and revive Sark,
forcing you to take out his legs and head once again.
After three cycles of this the MCP changes tactics, making the battle both
easier and harder. It becomes harder due to his desperation attack: after
the initial laser blast the wall will rotate slowly, and additional lasers
will randomly blast from the panels. Stay in between two panels as it
rotates and you should avoid all the lasers. On the other hand, it is
easier to take out Sark: wait for him to summon a high wall, then leap onto
it and instantly eliminate him with the Needle Dive command. From here it’s
just a matter of breaking the walls, switching Tron back in (he tends to die
a lot), and keeping yourself alive until you can fully delete the MCP.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
With this final mission complete, Hollow Bastion regains its old name and
Sephiroth appears in the Dark Depths. Now that the combat requirements are
out of the way, you can finish the easy missions in Atlantica and the 100
Acre Wood to unlock the secret ending, giving you access to Lingering Will as
well. All that’s left after that is to finish the game, a process made much
easier by your mighty Reflega and Explosion powers.
IV. Organization XIII Silhouettes
The five Organization members defeated during the events of Chain of Memories
make their return as optional boss fights. From this point forward Drive
Forms and Summons are mandatory: most optional bosses require Dodge Roll or
Glide to defeat, and due to their length many require Stitch to keep the
spells coming. Most can kill Sora instantly with almost any attack, so if
you’re unwilling to spend many attempts perfecting your defenses you should
stop here.
While some of them appear pretty early in the story, you have little chance
of victory until you obtain Limit Form and Stitch at the start of the second
Hollow Bastion mission. I recommend ignoring everyone except Marluxia until
the endgame (his Drive Gauge bonus is quite valuable in the meantime), though
all of them are defeatable from that point forward.
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-BOSS BATTLE: Marluxia Silhouette (Beast’s Castle)
-Difficulty: 7/10
-Reward: Drive Gauge +1 (Sora), HP +1 (Donald), HP +2 (Goofy)
-Required Abilities: Guard, Dodge Roll, Slide Dash, Finishing Plus
-Recommended Abilities: Guard Break, Explosion, Combo Plus x2, Dodge Slash,
Aerial Dodge, Glide Lv2+
All of Marluxia’s attacks are instant death, so your defense must be perfect.
A scythe combo immediately follows the opening Doom animation, requiring two
Guards as soon as you regain control. The second Guard will stun him and
leave him open to a combo. Use a double finisher, then evade his teleporting
counterattack with Dodge Roll. Afterwards he will unleash a spinning
whirlwind attack on Sora, which opens up Restore Count (if you are close to
the scythe) or Aerial Strike (when you are next to Marluxia). Aerial Strike
is preferable, as it does a full health bar of damage, but either will send
him flying and let you follow up with a new combo. He will counterattack and
then perform another whirlwind attack, allowing you to continue damaging him
with little danger at first.
After 4-1/2 health bars he changes tactics, summoning three deadly pools of
flower energy that cover most of the arena. They always appear in the same
place, so by staying in the gaps you can ensure that you are safe. He
follows up with one of three attacks: he can burrow into the ground and
charge you with a scythe spin, leap toward you and perform a combo, or draw
you toward him and perform a whirlwind attack. He precedes the first two
moves by surrounding Sora with an aura that explodes after a few seconds,
which you can neutralize with Reflect or by Guarding his scythe strikes. Be
careful of the pools: Guard will largely protect you, but it is possible for
Marluxia’s combo or your own to push you into the danger zone. If so, Dodge
Roll to safety and wait. Marluxia will immediately follow with another
scythe spin, which you can block to create a safer opening. As for the
whirlwind attack, make sure to push toward the edge at first. It is possible
for its suction effect to pull you into the pools and kill you, so keep
moving until just before you need to Guard.
Marluxia stops summoning the pools and starts performing desperation attacks
around 5-1/2 bars remaining. He has two such moves, which he randomly
performs after each counterattack. The easier of the two is just a long-
lasting scythe spin. You will need to Guard the opening strike, but thanks
to his wide turning radius you can avoid further strikes by staying close to
him. Hit him with a combo when he emerges from the ground to go directly to
the next desperation attack, bypassing the utterly deadly teleporting slashes
he normally uses.
The second attack is far deadlier. At first he hovers over Sora’s head,
summoning bursts of energy from the ground beneath and in front of Sora,
before sending his scythe spinning for several seconds and slamming down on
Sora’s head. My preferred strategy is to run in a tight circle, carefully
sidestepping the bursts in front of Sora, then start spamming Reflect just
before he sends the scythe after you. A four-Reflect chain will block the
scythe and final drop, and will stun Marluxia long enough to allow a combo.
Only use ONE finisher: the Reflect blast counts as a finisher itself, causing
him to teleport early and hit you in the middle of the second finisher. (You
could instead circle the arena with a high-level Glide, outpacing both the
bursts and the scythe, but you would still need to stop and perform a
precisely timed Dodge Roll or Reflect to escape the final drop.) You will
likely suffer a lot of deaths figuring out your defensive strategy, but once
your defense is perfected it will carry you to the end of the battle.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-BOSS BATTLE: Larxene Silhouette (Port Royal)
-Difficulty: 7/10
-Reward: MP +5 (Sora), HP +2 (Goofy)
-Required Abilities: Dodge Roll, Combo Plus
-Recommended Abilities: Guard, Slide Dash, Dodge Slash, Guard Break,
Aerial Dodge, Glide Lv 2+, Summon Boost
Larxene has two modes of attack: either she spams arena-filling lightning
spells at you, or she summons clones to slash and dive at you. You must keep
her in the clone phase as much as possible, as her spells are extremely
deadly and difficult to escape even with Reflect spamming. Reflect is the
only reliable defense against her (and a great offense thanks to the multiple
targets), so you will need Stitch to keep the spells coming.
Block her opening rush, then summon Stitch at your first opportunity. She
opens the clone phase by sending one clone at a time, a quick attack which is
easy to block. Keep your eye on the other clone: if both teleport away at
the same time (after losing a bar of health or more), she is about to get
more aggressive. At that point she either starts a series of brief rushes or
starts using longer slashing combos. Most of her rush attacks can be blocked
with one Reflect, though occasionally she pauses (her clones line up on the
opposite side during this) and forces you to use a two-Reflect chain. The
slashing combos typically require a two-Reflect chain, though if a Reflect
stuns only one of the clones you should prepare for a longer combo. (She
will counterattack with a close-range rush when that clone recovers, which
can easily kill you if you’re not watching for it.) Never use the Merge
command, which will prematurely force her back to the spell phase.
Eventually the screen will turn dark and both clones will disappear,
signaling a vicious combo that marks her transition to the spell phase. I
suggest a two-Reflect chain for the slashing attacks, Dodge Roll when her
clones leap, and one last Reflect to absorb the lightning drop. Hit Larxene
with a one-finisher combo and she should immediately transition back to the
clone phase. (Note that her charge-up for the attack can kill you if you
stand too close.) If she manages to cast a thunder spell, it will take a
two-Reflect chain to survive it.
While he is very much necessary, Stitch’s random ukelele attack can be
dangerous at times. It’s not too bad during the clone phase (as long as
you don’t try to attack them), but if it stuns her during the spell phase
she often retaliates with an unexpected spell as it ends. Start a Reflect
combo after 3-4 seconds, and with any luck you will be shielded when she
does unleash the spell.
The really dangerous part starts around two bars left. If in the clone
phase, she switches without warning to much longer slashing combos with
four clones at a time (requiring 4 Reflects in a row), as well as the
occasional lightning-fast dive attack (3 in a row). This is a real test
of your timing: it is very easy to be a little slow with the shortcut
button and break the chain, a mistake that will kill you in half a second.
Thankfully her transition attack is unchanged, though it remains deadly.
If she was in the spell phase, things get a little crazier. She will
typically go straight to a new desperation attack, though she may unleash
another spell beforehand. She teleports to the center of the arena, raises
her arms above her head, and summons lightning bolts from the sky as an
electrified wall rapidly spins around the arena. There are two ways to
survive this attack. If you have Glide you can jump into the air, Aerial
Dodge away as the attack starts, and Glide to outpace both the wall and
the homing lightning strikes. Be aware that she ends the attack with
another rush attack, less than a second after the wall disappears, so you
will need to land in time to block it. If you don’t have Glide, or you
find the timing too difficult, you could instead block the entire thing with
a 5-Reflect combo. The catch is that you must equip Combo Plus to create a
chain this long, and your timing must be precise: breaking the chain will
kill you in an instant, and a sixth Reflect would leave you completely
exposed to the final rush attack.
The end of the battle boils down to precise reflexes. If you can
consistently complete your Reflect chains, the multiple targets will end
the battle very quickly. If you can’t, expect a lot of deaths on the way
there. Either way, upgrading the Reflect spell is an ideal way to boost
your damage and end the battle quickly.
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-BOSS BATTLE: Lexaeus Silhouette (Twilight Town)
-Difficulty: 5/10
-Reward: HP +1 (Donald)
-Required Abilities: Guard, Dodge Roll, Finishing Plus
-Recommended Abilities: Slide Dash, Combo Plus x2, Dodge Slash, Guard Break,
Explosion
Lexaeus is the classic example of a power-up boss. He starts out easily
enough, with fairly tame attacks that take off no more than a quarter of
your health, but as the battle progresses the range and damage of his
attacks rapidly increase until he is constantly using one-hit kills that
fill most of the arena.
While Guard plays a major part, the real secret to beating him is the Sora
Attack team setting. Lexaeus’ power-ups do not occur automatically, but
are triggered over time by (a) the slow uppercut attack and (b) Goofy’s and
Donald’s attacks. Blocking the uppercut triggers the Mega Impact command,
which borrows Lexaeus’ power to deal heavy damage and stun him. In the
meantime Sora Attack prevents your teammates from attacking, ensuring that
their weak moves do not accidentally boost his power.
The general pattern is this: Wait until he performs the uppercut, block it
to trigger Mega Impact, then perform a two-finisher combo while he is
stunned. This will trigger an easily blocked leaping slam. He may perform
another leaping slam, or create unblockable tremors under Sora’s feet (evade
these with three well-timed Dodge Rolls), but eventually he will repeat the
uppercut and give you time to block it. Speed is the real issue here:
blocking the uppercut in the first half-second or so (when he has just
started growling) will always prevent him from powering up, whereas he may
still gain some power if you wait for him to dig in his weapon.
If you’re too slow at blocking the uppercut it may happen that Lexaeus
powers up anyway, making your life a lot harder. The battle is not
automatically lost if this happens, but it will become a lot harder. He
likes to open by grabbing Sora and throwing him at the wall or floor, a
dangerous move that requires a carefully timed Dodge Roll. (You will want
to stay close, as it becomes harder to evade if Lexaeus runs before grabbing
you.) Otherwise his attacks are the same as before, though each generates a
huge tremor and does far more damage. You will really need Guard for the
leaping slam and uppercut, as the tremors cover too much area to reliably
dodge. Things only get unmanageable when he powers up to 60,000 and starts
using his desperation attack, a simple but utterly deadly two-part earthquake
attack. I recommend that you block this with Reflect (should it come to
that) and otherwise focus on finishing him as quickly as possible. Limits
are still effective on him, so if you get him down to the final health bar
I highly recommend finishing him with Knocksmash.
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-BOSS BATTLE: Zexion Silhouette (Olympus Coliseum)
-Difficulty: 6/10
-Reward: HP +1 (Donald)
-Required Abilities: Dodge Roll, Aerial Recovery
-Recommended Abilities: Aerial Dive, Horizontal Slash, Air Combo Plus x2,
Aerial Finish, Summon Boost, Finishing Plus
Zexion makes up for his low health and nonexistent attack power by hiding
behind his books and casting powerful spells at you for most of the battle.
If you simply wish to wipe him out as quickly as possible, the Data Zexion
strategy (listed in Section VII) will quickly annihilate him. If you want a
proper challenge, though, or wish to defeat him before the endgame, read
on. The stronger your Fire and Reflect spells, the faster he will fall.
(I also find that it helps to put Reflect on the O shortcut.)
Summon Stitch at the first opportunity. Until he pulls you into the book
world you are unlikely to do significant damage, since he is constantly
sliding away. He likes to open with his “menu attack,” dealing moderate
damage and sealing Sora’s battle menu. Block this with Reflect straight
away, or you will unable to attack or cast spells until you find the
Retrieve/Liberate command that restores you to normal. (During the energy
blast stage, this is as good as a death sentence.) If you are hit by one of
his books during a combo, MASH O to quickly use Aerial Recovery and then
Reflect; invariably he will use the opening to recover and repeat the menu
attack, or later in the battle one-shot you with an energy blast. The Dispel
command opens when you deplete his book avatar’s HP and hit him with a
finisher (or Horizontal Slash), so use it to knock him back into the real
world. To maximize your damage, use Stitch’s unlimited MP to hit him with a
barrage of Fire spells. So long as you avoid using finishers (a brief pause
after every second spell will do the trick), you can take off as much as a
full health bar before he recovers and pulls you back in.
At moderate HP Zexion starts abusing his energy blast spells, utterly deadly
X-shaped bursts that often come in quick succession. They come too fast to
dodge effectively and he can’t be stunned while spell-casting (which he will
often do several times in a row), so all you can do is spam Reflect combos
and do your best to survive until he takes a break. He isn’t always slinging
energy blasts--sometimes he just summons a wall of books to strike you for
small damage--but it is in your best interest to finish him in a single combo
and use the reaction command before he resumes the spell-slinging. Do as
much damage as possible once he recovers, and with luck you’ll only have to
survive this once.
When his HP is low he starts using the desperation attack, and the battle
becomes a lot easier. Upon entering the book world the screen will go dark,
and three spotlights will appear. The blue spotlight will change positions
11 times, and on the 12th change Zexion’s book will appear inside it. You
will need to promptly Dodge Roll into the spotlight to escape the rain of
meteors that follow, but once inside you will have plenty of time to take
out the book’s HP. Dispel should appear by the time the attack ends,
allowing you to escape the book world and get right back to Fire-spamming
with minimal danger. It might take a few cycles of this to finish him off,
but with decent reflexes this battle is in the bag.
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-BOSS BATTLE: Vexen Silhouette (Agrabah)
-Difficulty: 6/10
-Reward: HP +1 (Donald), HP +2 (Goofy)
-Required Abilities: Slide Dash, Dodge Roll
-Recommended Abilities: Guard, Slapshot, Guard Break, Explosion,
Finishing Plus
While Vexen is pretty deadly by himself, the main danger comes from the data
circle he summons under Sora’s feet. It constantly homes in on Sora’s
position in order to analyze him, filling the Data gauge that Vexen uses
to summon an Anti-Sora. Anti-Sora’s rapid combos can kill you at a
ridiculous range, and to eliminate him you have to cast spells while dodging
both his and Vexen’s attacks. Worse, every time the gauge reaches a new
level he will regenerate with greater health, leaving you exposed to Vexen’s
increasingly deadly attacks for much longer. Your life will be far easier
if you go out of your way to dodge the data circle, though it takes real
skill to entirely prevent Anti-Sora from spawning.
He opens with a freeze attack, which will trap Sora in a block of ice. I
suggest blocking it with Reflect, though a well-timed Dodge Roll can also do
the trick. (Failure will leave you stuck for several seconds, during which
the Data gauge could easily fill.) Once free you should Dodge Roll out of
the data circle, then wait for Vexen to provide an opening. His normal
attacks all revolve around ice shurikens: he sends them flying along the
ground at long range, sends a slow but relentless homing shuriken at medium
range, and at close range he likes to surprise you by spinning them around
his body. Try to stay in medium range: after summoning the shuriken he will
slide around and pause just long enough for you to perform a quick Guard
Break combo. “Quick” is the key word: he cannot be stunned until the shield
is broken, so you need to quickly reach him with Slide Dash and then roll to
safety before his next attack. Three combos will break his shield, allowing
you to stun and damage him with your attacks. Hit him with three single-
finisher Guard break combos, and finish with Guard Break+Explosion (if you
have it) or Guard Break+Reflect. He counters the fourth finisher by
summoning a lethal icicle and regenerating his shield, so Explosion/Reflect
will provide you a moment of invulnerability and deal some additional damage
to the shield. The data circle will catch up to you at some point during
this, so you need to maintain a balance between dodging away from the circle
and maintaining an aggressive offense. Slide Dash and Guard Break will both
pull you out of the circle, so briefly stepping into the circle before you
attack should minimize the buildup of the Data gauge.
About halfway through the battle he changes tactics, countering with another
freeze attack and then summoning lots of icicles from the ground. You can
still slide in for a quick combo after the shuriken attack, but make sure to
quickly dodge out of the way: the icicles are still deadly, and this time he
summons a series of them to gradually creep toward your position. If you
haven’t already, summon Stitch now: the only way you can damage him and
remain safe during the icicle attack is via Reflect combos, and those chew
through your MP very quickly.
In the event that the gauge fills and Anti-Sora does spawn (which will
usually happen once even if you’re dodging the circle well), you’ll need to
back up to the far end of the arena and kill him with Thunder spells.
Though he doesn’t have a lot of HP (three Thundagas will do the trick), his
combos are so deadly and have such long range that you must stay as far away
as possible. Vexen will continue attacking while you do this (mostly
launching shurikens along the ground), so only cast one spell at a time and
be ready to jump at a moment’s notice. The later Anti-Soras have much more
health, forcing you to halt the offensive and leaving you exposed for far
longer, which is why it is so essential to constantly dodge the data circle
and remain on the move until the moment Vexen falls.
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V. Lingering Will and Sephiroth
Now we’re entering true superboss territory. Defeating Lingering Will is
such a feat that it earns you the coveted Bronze Crown (the same prize you
get for beating all the Organization Data battles or all the XIII Mushrooms),
while Sephiroth reprises his superboss status from the original Kingdom
Hearts with a vengeance. I suggest defeating both to max out the Drive Gauge
before you tackle the Cavern of Remembrance.
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-BOSS BATTLE: Lingering Will (Disney Castle)
-Difficulty: 9/10
-Reward: Drive Gauge +1 (Sora), HP +1 (Donald), HP +2 (Goofy)
-Required Abilities: Guard, Dodge Roll, Aerial Dodge, Glide Lv3, Slide Dash
-Recommended Abilities: Combo Plus x2, Dodge Slash, Explosion,
Teamwork (Goofy), Fantasia (Donald)
The Lingering Will is so formidable in large part because of the terrifying
array of attacks he is able to unleash, all of which are instant kills.
While he tends to rely on the same two or three attacks within a given phase,
you have no way to predict which phase he will enter until he starts
attacking. He also unleashes a barrage of counterattacks after every third
finisher, and at both phase transitions (possibly while you are in mid-
combo), so you need to time your attacks very carefully. And as a final
touch he is completely invincible except for about a second between attacks,
forcing you to react quickly if you are to inflict any damage at all.
I will tell you up front that if he opens with a melee attack, or ever
enters the keyblade glider phase, you are as good as dead. The former will
kill you before you are able to move, while the latter is near-impossible to
survive even in a normal game: the combination of surprise teleportation
counterattacks and invasive lasers are insanely difficult to evade, and make
it near-impossible to damage him even when you can. Assuming this does not
happen, he will either enter the crossbow phase--see below--or the seal
phase. The latter is where he uses most of his attacks, and is what he most
often opens with.
The seal phase takes its name from his seal attack, a flashy leap attack
which cuts off Sora’s access to either magic or physical attacks (or would
if he wasn’t already dead). Probably his favorite attack in this phase is a
series of three flying slashes, which Dodge Roll can easily neutralize. He
also can use a lightning-fast melee combo--there is no warning for this, so
keep a fair distance and be ready to Guard if you see him dashing toward
you--and a nightmare-inspiring keywhip attack that lashes out at everyone
in a wide radius. One of the greatest dangers of this phase is if he follows
the flying slashes by immediately rushing to your position and unleashing the
keywhip: neither Guard nor Dodge Roll is a reliable defense for this, and
it comes so fast that you may not be able to react at all. (This is one of
the reasons controlling his attack pattern is so crucial to your survival.)
Finally, he will sometimes turn his keyblade into a cannon and use it to
launch a giant orb of energy. If you are close enough, you can block the
orb to bounce it back and immediately stun him; otherwise you will need to
destroy it by Dodge Rolling into it, as it will constantly home in on you
otherwise.
The crossbow phase is much simpler. The Lingering Will will pause a bit to
turn his keyblade into a crossbow, then teleport around and fire a rapid
crossbow bolt three times. Dodging them isn’t too difficult once you’ve
mastered the timing, and after the third bolt he remains open to attack for
a second or two. Aside from counterattacks he relies exclusively on this
move, so even if you miss your opening it’s not too difficult to dodge his
next attack and try again.
To ensure you can damage him and keep his attacks predictable, you will
need to take maximum advantage of his counterattacks. For maximum damage
I recommend three long ground combos each ending in Explosion: the Lingering
Will’s thick armor will weaken after a certain number of strikes, so the
more hits the better. (Bouncing the orb back immediately breaks the armor
and inflicts full damage, but you can only perform two finishers before he
counterattacks.) After the third Explosion you should be ready to dodge
away, as he will strike back with a lengthy counterattack. This has two
parts: he will typically use three flying slashes and then the keywhip,
though occasionally he will perform two sets of flying slashes. Late in
the battle he may add a second keywhip to the very end, so stay alert.
The direction that you Dodge Roll is very important: dodge toward him after
the third flying slash (so you are well clear of the keywhip), and if he
uses six in a row you should dodge away from him at the end (so you are near
him when he lands). If done right you will be in position to start attacking
as soon as he lands, allowing you to take off nearly a full health bar per
cycle while preventing his more dangerous attacks altogether.
Once you’ve tricked him into this counterattack cycle, the only remaining
danger is the phase changes. When his health falls below certain
thresholds--at just below 5 bars lost and again at 6-1/2 bars remaining--he
will immediately counterattack prior to changing phases, even if you are in
mid-combo. If he is just a bit above that threshold, you will need to very
carefully whittle down the last of his health from a distance. Knocksmash or
Comet would be ideal, but if both Donald and Goofy are dead you can stick
with single Thundaga spells and be ready to dodge at a moment’s notice.
After the second phase change he will disappear for a while, and a cluster
of laser nodes will start pursuing you around the area. Just keep Gliding
across the field to avoid these completely.
And then we enter the final phase, where a new battle strategy is necessary.
Constant use of the desperation attack is key to your survival, and so your
defense must be absolutely airtight. The first part can be easily blocked
with three Guards, after which you should jump, Aerial Dodge, and immediately
start Gliding away. (Aerial Dodge allows Glide to reach its maximum speed
right away, so it’s pretty vital.) Glide will allow you to outpace the
unblockable second part of the attack, though while you do so you should
attempt to reach the cliff’s edge that looks out on the valley below. Place
Sora’s back against the wall, quickly turn the camera to face the Lingering
Will, and start Guarding the moment he teleports. 3 Guards will block all
his rapid sword attacks (and placing your back against the cliff prevents
him from attacking from behind), so all it takes is one more Dodge Roll to
survive his final rush and start attacking again. Make sure you move in the
same direction, because you are basically dead if he starts using his normal
attacks.
You do not want to trigger a counterattack this time: he does not land
after performing one, but transitions directly to a quadruple melee attack,
a powered-up glider assault, or any of a dozen more utterly fatal moves which
he gains in this phase. Instead, you want to stop just shy of your third
finisher. Two Explosion combos plus four extra hits will trigger another
desperation attack, which you can survive with the strategy above and then
resume attacking. It won’t be easy--that really should go without saying--
but with enough persistence and good enough reflexes even this nightmare of
a boss is perfectly possible.
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-BOSS BATTLE: Sephiroth (Radiant Garden)
-Difficulty: 8/10
-Reward: Drive Gauge +1 (Sora)
-Required Abilities: Guard, High Jump Lv3, Quick Run Lv3, Aerial Dodge,
Glide Lv3, Aerial Spiral, Slide Dash
-Recommended Abilities: Counterguard, Guard Break, Explosion,
Horizontal Slash, Aerial Finish, Retaliating Slash, Finishing Plus
While not quite as difficult as his KH1 incarnation, Sephiroth is still a
real beast of a boss. He opens with a screen-darkening flash attack, which
the Block command will handily deflect. Slide Dash toward him and hit him
with a Guard Break+Explosion combo. This will trigger his slash combo
attack, which you can interrupt with Guard+Counterguard to perform another
combo and trap him in a loop. While he does have another scary attack at
his disposal (the uppercutting air combo), you are unlikely to see it until
the second phase starts.
After losing 4-1/2 health bars he enters the second phase, and gains
several scary attacks. He opens by summoning a cloud of dark orbs around
Sora, which home in on him after a second or two. He often uses them in
conjunction with his other attacks: he may use another flash attack, leap
toward you to start a slashing combo, start one immediately (if you are
standing too close), or simply cast the spell twice in a row. A single
Reflega will suffice for all except the third combination, which requires
a full Reflega combo. You can only block this so long as you have MP, so
hopefully he doesn’t use it too often.
Aside from the orb spell, the flash slice, and the slash combo, Sephiroth
has three extra moves. He signals the uppercut slice with three quick
teleports, though you still need good reflexes to Quick Run out of the
way. The slice itself does moderate damage, but the midair combos that
follow will kill you in a second: use Retaliating Slash to recover if you
are hit, and hopefully you can interrupt him before they start. His fire
pillar attack is used primarily at close range, and sucks you in for
massive continual damage. Escape this ASAP with repeated Quick Runs, and
otherwise stick to the arena’s edge until it disappears. Finally, and
most infamously, is Heartless Angel, which takes you down to 1 HP and
obliterates your MP. As soon as you hear the word “Descend” you should
leap into the air, Aerial Dodge for greater height and speed, and Glide
to Sephiroth to smack him out of the sky. It is not a total death
sentence if he finishes the spell--activating Limit Form will restore
your HP and MP--but it is dangerous enough that you should avoid it at
all costs.
The best openings in this phase are right after his flash attack and the
leap that precedes his combo. (You could try to reuse the Guard+
Counterguard strategy against his combos, but if you are not careful
about your Guard timing it is easy for you to get killed.) From here on
I recommend using two combos in a row, one with a single finisher and
another with two finishers: you can no longer predict which attack he
will recover with, so you might as well deal as much damage as possible
and live with his teleporting counter. You can also start an air combo
right after Heartless Angel or recovering from his uppercut, though in
that case the pattern is a little different: use a four-hit air combo
(two Horizontal Slashes and one finisher), then follow it with another
one-finisher combo on the ground. Sephiroth’s attack pattern cannot be
controlled and is very hard to predict, so you will need very sharp
reflexes to survive this phase.
The final phase starts at 4-1/2 bars remaining, signalled by a fancy light
show and three consecutive orb spells (requiring two Reflegas). While he
does gain several new and deadly moves, by and large his attacks are a bit
slower and easier to predict. He often precedes the slash combo by dashing
toward you and performing a quick instant-kill sword sweep (which can be
Counterguarded if you’re careful). The combo itself now sweeps around the
entire arena, so Counterguard is no longer effective: use High Jump+Aerial
Dodge to escape it. He still uses Heartless Angel, the fire pillar, and
the slash attack, but he also gains a new desperation attack that rains down
meteors from the far end of the arena. Thankfully he gives you plenty of
warning, and there is a simple pattern to survive the attack untouched: High
Jump+Aerial Dodge, Glide to the opposite side of the arena, repeat. If you
were vigilant enough to survive the second phase, you should be alright here:
attack after the flash attack and Heartless Angel, blast away the orbs with
Reflega, dodge as necessary, and with luck you will make it to the end.
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VI. The Cavern of Remembrance
This Final Mix-exclusive dungeon is the ultimate test for a Level 1 run. It
holds some serious platforming challenges, very powerful random enemies, and
arguably the hardest bosses in the game at its end. You would be wise to
take care of everything else, and in particular to max out your Drive Gauge,
before you enter here.
The Cavern first opens after you clear the mandatory Space Paranoids battle
and meet Sephiroth in Hollow Bastion. While you can clear the first
mandatory battle then and there (you would need High Jump, Quick Run Lv2,
and Aerial Dodge to reach it), there’s not much point in doing so until you
have the maxed-out Glide you will need to clear the rest of the Cavern. In
either case, make sure to summon Stitch before you enter the next battle.
You will be relying on him pretty heavily to get you through this place, so
Summon Boost may come in handy.
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-EVENT BATTLE: Guardians of the Cavern, Part 1
-Difficulty: 5/10
-Reward: None
Thanks to Stitch, this battle is a lot easier than you might expect. Every
Heartless except the Mad Rides and Magic Phantoms is paralyzed by Magnega,
so by constantly abusing Magnet Burst+Magnega combos--or Magnega+Thundaga,
as the situation warrants--you can kill them without ever letting them strike
back.
The battle comes in several waves: first you will face some Befuddlers, then
a group of Magic Phantoms, then some Necromancers (Shamans who can turn
invisible) plus Iron Hammers, two Mad Rides, and one last Magic Phantom.
The Phantoms are immune to physical attacks in their starting form, but all
enemies are vulnerable to Reflega. Use Magnega to keep the other enemies
out of the way while you wear them down with Reflega, then resume the
offensive when they are gone. This is even more true for the Mad Rides, who
cannot be knocked back and constantly use their charge attack (though
thankfully they only do one or two charges at a time). These enemies have no
instantly lethal attacks, so if worst comes to worst you can heal yourself
and Guard for a few seconds until Stitch restores your MP.
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Exit the door to your left to enter a small engine room. To clear the path
ahead you will need to activate all three steam pumps, by taking out their HP
in turn without allowing any to fully regenerate. Your physical attacks are
not strong enough, but focused Firaga spamming (plus some MP recovery from
Stitch) will do the trick. Make sure to position yourself between two of
them so that both pumps activate at the same time (they will release some MP
orbs), then quickly activate the third. You can now proceed into the next
chamber, a winding collection of walkways, moving pistons, and conveniently
placed whirlwinds. With Glide it is very easy to ride the piston to the top
and fly across to the exit.
From the next barrier on, you will need Glide Lv3 to reach the rest of the
Cavern. It may take a few attempts to Aerial Dodge onto the ledge, but
eventually you will pass it and reach the next battle.
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-EVENT BATTLE: Guardians of the Cavern, Part 2
-Difficulty: 5/10
-Reward: None
The strategy for this is pretty simple: Immobilize everyone with Magnega, use
Magnet Burst+Magnega combos to prevent them from recovering (with Horizontal
Slash to pile on the damage), and rely on Stitch to keep the MP coming.
Everyone is vulnerable to Magnega this time, though several Heartless have
one hit kills. The Spring Metal’s tornado and the Aerial Viking’s punch are
especially quick and deadly, so never give them the chance to use them.
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Continue into the Engine Room. This place is packed with deadly Heartless,
so keep Stitch handy and kill them via Magnega spamming as before. (You can
ignore the later ones, but the ones on the lower level need to die so they
don’t attack while you climb.) You will need High Jump, Aerial Dodge, and
careful timing to ascend the pair of alternating platforms to the upper
level. A Runemaster spawns near the top, so don’t be surprised if you have
to climb it twice. Once on the conveyor belt, the greatest threat is the
Devastator clone known as the Reckless: it is immune to Magnega, constantly
zooms toward you, and will unleash its ultra-deadly grab at the slightest
provocation. Glide to the end of the belt, righting yourself with Aerial
Recovery and continuing when you hit a wall of steam, then make a sharp left
turn and continue Gliding down the other path. Climb onto the uppermost set
of platforms, then Glide straight to the exit. If you left the other
Heartless alone you will only meet a Reckless near the end, at which point
you can easily escape him.
The final barrier can only be cleared with Glide LvMAX, so a Final Form
activation is needed to pass it. If you got through with a single use of
Stitch you can activate it immediately (assuming you already have a maxed-out
Drive Gauge, which you absolutely should). Stick to the right side, avoid
the pit below at all costs--it is possible to fall all the way to the
lowermost barrier, cancelling most of your progress through the dungeon--and
with care you will make it to the door.
Three difficult battles stand between you and the Cavern’s exit. Proceed
forward.
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-EVENT BATTLE: Hall of Nobodies, Part 1
-Difficulty: 5/10
-Reward: None
The battle opens with a wave of Dusks. Final Form should still be active
from earlier, so use it to tear through their health. It should last through
the first wave, even without Form Boost, and the Form’s whirling keyblade
attacks will prevent the Dusks from getting a hit in.
The Samurai and Assassins that spawn next are a bit of a problem, since at
this point you will only have one point of Drive left. Thankfully the
Magnega+Magnet Burst strategy refills your Drive Gauge very quickly,
allowing you to reactivate Stitch and recover your MP without ever leaving
yourself exposed. So long as you don’t let up the offensive, not one enemy
can touch you.
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You receive a checkpoint at the end of the battle, so you can safely continue
forward. Stitch should last you through all three battles.
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-EVENT BATTLE: Hall of Nobodies, Part 2
-Difficulty: 6/10
-Reward: None
This time you face some Berserkers, Snipers, and Gamblers. Stitch will
automatically deflect most of their attacks, though you still need Reflega
for the Sniper’s bullets, the Berserker’s opening hammer grab, and the
Berserker’s desperation attack (if it comes to that). While the Magnega+
Magnet Burst tactic is still effective, especially when no Berserkers are
around, make sure to grab the Berserker’s hammer whenever it is dropped. The
Eclipse command does insanely high damage and draws in enemies just like
Magnega. The only downside is that it may give some enemies time to recover
and get in an attack, which is bad news if you aren’t prepared for them.
Make sure to target any Berserkers first, use Reflega to defend if your
opponents recover, and otherwise resume the Magnega offensive.
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This final fight is the nastiest non-boss battle in the game, so don’t be
surprised if it takes many attempts to beat.
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-EVENT BATTLE: Hall of Nobodies, Part 3
-Difficulty: 10/10
-Reward: HP +1 (Donald), HP +2 (Goofy)
The battle starts off deadly, with a barrage of Dragoon dives, and only gets
harder from there. Leap over their opening shockwave, then wait for them
to strike. Stitch will automatically block their teleporting slash and spin
combo, stunning the Dragoons and releasing valuable Jump commands for you to
use later. You should stock up 9 Jumps before leaving this phase. If they
charge for another dive attack, interrupt them with Magnega: that attack is
unblockable and releases no Jump commands, and Magnega will recharge
Stitch’s summon gauge without killing them. When your Jump stock is full,
you can start eliminating them with Magnega+Thundaga magic combos. You
cannot attack them physically without losing your Jumps, but as long as
Stitch keeps restoring your MP dealing damage will not be a problem. (A new
Dragoon may dive bomb in after you kill its brothers, so make sure that
Magnega is constantly active.)
Next up is a wave of Dancers and Creepers. The Dancers’ grab and Creepers’
dive bomb are not deflected, but neither is a threat so long as you keep
them stunned with Magnega.
What is a threat is the Sorceror, which initially appears by itself. The
cubes it attacks with are not vulnerable to Magnega, and in fact will start
using the ultra-deadly whip attack in retaliation (or if you otherwise
attack too aggressively). The best plan of attack is to stay at a close
but careful distance, blocking its quick combos and dealing damage with
Reflega. Three will be enough to kill it. Should the Sorceror start using
the whip attack, do your best to Aerial Dodge+Glide out of there and just
keep circling the arena until it ends. If you are hit, start unleashing
Jump attacks immediately to break free and cut through the rest of its HP.
(If it has already endured two Reflegas, you could also finish it off with
a Reflega combo.)
Some more Dragoons will dive in at the start of the next wave, along with
more Dancers, so leap out of the way before you start attacking. Restock
on Jumps if you need to, and otherwise kill them with magic combos.
Then another Sorceror arrives, this time accompanied by several Dancers and
Creepers. You can’t use Magnega, but the Dancers and Creepers are harmless
before they take damage. Wait for the Sorceror to attack, damage it with
Reflega as before, then start Gliding away to escape the grab and dive bomb
attacks. When they have settled down again, move back in and blast the
Sorceror with another Reflega. After the third cycle of this he will be
dead, and you can mop up any survivors with magic combos.
A Sorceror and some Dragoons arrive together, and things really start to get
intense. I suggest one Reflega blast followed by a Jump barrage on the
Sorceror. Use the Dragoons to restock your Jump commands, then take them out
with more magic combos.
Two Sorcerors then arrive to attack simultaneously. This is the hardest
phase due to the timing of their attacks: it is easy for one Sorceror’s
attack to hit and kill you just after you’ve blocked the other, so you must
watch them both carefully and be ready to use either single Reflegas or
chains as their attacks require. (You can damage both with the same Reflega
blast, so try to position yourself so you are a moderate distance from
each.) There is also twice as much risk of a whip attack at any given
moment, so the odds of being hit by it--and having to rely on Jump to escape--
are pretty high. A full barrage will kill one of them, but it is still
possible for the survivor to unleash another whip attack. Stitch’s Ohana!
Limit can still save you, though only as a last resort: it consumes 5 points
of Drive, which could easily exhaust the summon (you tend to lose a lot
during the Sorceror phases), and you must still block the rest with a Reflega
chain when the Limit ends.
While this is the last new formation, there are still three more waves before
this marathon ends. The next phase is Dragoons, Dancers, and Creepers again
(don’t forget to leap away!), which you should absolutely use to restock on
Jump. Then it is a Sorceror plus more Dragoons: leap away, take out the
Sorceror with Reflega plus another Jump barrage, and make ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN
that your Jumps are fully restocked before the Dragoons die. Our final wave
is a pair of Sorcerors, though a third one spawns in after the first is
defeated. This is a nasty endurance test: you will need precise timing and
pretty good dodging to make it through, and may need 9 Jumps and Ohana! as
well. If Stitch does disappear, activate Donald Flare (or Knocksmash) and
hope that you are able to eliminate the final Sorceror before it ends.
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Once you conquer that monster of a battle, the Cavern is practically
complete. Enter the door to the Garden of Assemblage and check the console.
This opens the Cavern’s secret exit, and also releases the doors leading to
the Organization XIII Data battles. Go out the back door and up the hill to
save your progress at the Postern.
VII. Organization XIII Data Battles
The Data versions of the Organization XIII bosses are the hardest battles
in the game, bar none. Besides possessing much greater health and dealing
double damage, most have been re-programmed to increase their threat: they
tend to attack much faster, use their deadliest attacks sooner, and in some
cases gain entirely new moves beyond anything the originals possessed.
Defeating them will require extensive use of your Drive Forms, Summons, and
Limits, and even then you will need great skill and even greater
perseverance to get through your many attempts.
To avoid repetition, refer back to the main walkthrough (or Section IV
above) when the Data version uses the same strategy as the original. You
must win the five Silhouette battles to unlock their Data versions, while
the remaining storyline battles are unlocked by completing the game.
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-BOSS BATTLE: Data Roxas
-Difficulty: 6/10
-Reward: None
-Required Abilities: Guard, Slide Dash, Dodge Roll, Aerial Dodge, Glide
-Recommended Abilities: Dodge Slash, Guard Break, Combo Plus x2,
Trinity Limit, MP Hastera
The same strategy applies, except that (a) you can only use one finisher
per combo, (b) any hit will kill you, and (c) the beams move much faster.
His desperation attack is too fast for Dodge Roll now, so make sure to Glide
around the edge instead.
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-BOSS BATTLE: Data Larxene
-Difficulty: 8/10
-Reward: None
-Required Abilities: Dodge Roll, Combo Plus x2
-Recommended Abilities: Guard, Slide Dash, Dodge Slash, Guard Break,
Aerial Dodge, Glide, Summon Boost, Finishing Plus
While the strategies are basically identical, her vastly increased health
and eagerness to use lightning combos make this iteration much harder. Use
a two-Reflega chain immediately, as soon as you gain control of Sora, because
she will try to ambush you with a lightning spell at the very start of the
battle. To coax her into the clone phase, perform a 4-hit combo without a
finisher (to avoid her counterattack). You will need to survive another
lightning spell or two, but soon she will bring out the clones and your life
will be easier. Summon Stitch, wear her down with Reflegas, and dodge her
desperation attack as before. Another 4-hit combo without finishers should
trigger a new clone phase right away, at least in the beginning. Note that
if Reflega stuns one clone but not the other she will counter with a point-
blank rush; this may come directly after her leaping attack, so be prepared
for up to three Reflegas in a row.
The problems start around 5-1/2 bars of health. As before the switch to
extra-long combo attacks happens with no warning, but in the spell phase she
switches to extra-long chain lightning spells which require 4-Reflega chains
to block. (She may still cast the regular two-Reflega version while you’re
blocking that move, so if you see her casting before it ends be ready to
tack on an extra spell or two to the chain.) She always precedes the
desperation attack with this, so try not to be standing in the center of the
arena when it starts. The desperation attack is no worse, thankfully, so if
you can handle the chain lightning spell and the clone attacks you should be
able to survive to the end.
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-BOSS BATTLE: Data Marluxia
-Difficulty: 7/10
-Reward: None
-Required Abilities: Guard, Dodge Roll, Aerial Dodge, Glide, Slide Dash
-Recommended Abilities: Combo Plus x2, Dodge Slash, Guard Break, Explosion,
Finishing Plus
The only major difference is the very beginning. He starts by summoning
the explosive aura around Sora, then teleports to the center and creates
three whirlpools. Gliding around the edge will protect you from the aura,
but Data Marluxia will immediately summon another one. To start attacking
you will need to fly near him, close enough to trigger a combo but far
enough so that it doesn’t actually hit you. After that he uses the
whirlwind attack, opening the Aerial Impulse and Restore Count commands, and
from there the strategy is completely identical to the original.
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-BOSS BATTLE: Data Luxord
-Difficulty: 6/10
-Reward: None
-Recommended Abilities: Guard, Dodge Roll, Aerial Dodge, Glide, Slide Dash,
Combo Plus x2, Dodge Slash, Finishing Leap
Data Luxord’s attacks are no different, but the minigames become ridiculously
hard. While it’s tempting to just attack and completely avoid them, doing so
will hurt you at the end: the desperation attack is the most difficult of
all, so you want your Time Gauge to be as full as possible when he starts
using it. At least this time he doesn’t open by transforming you, which is
a small blessing.
To reliably win the card minigame, you will need to cheat a little by quickly
pausing, unpausing, and re-pausing the game. It will definitely take
practice, but if you can get the “O” slot to move one space per pause
(typically on its third or fourth cycle through the deck) you can trap it at
the top of the deck and quickly hit it as you un-pause. This drains a lot
more Time than before, so if you use this strategy effectively you can keep
your gauge close to full through minigames alone. If you do choose to
attack, I suggest Finishing Leap combos; he counters the very first finisher
you perform, so you want to be in the air and able to Aerial Dodge away when
that happens.
The physical part of his desperation attack is largely identical, though he
does add an easily dodged ground attack to the very end. However, the
minigame part is extremely nasty: you might be able to catch the first “O”
without help, but the remaining three will absolutely require the pause
trick. Keep in mind that you automatically lose if you take too long
matching them, so don’t be too hesitant. If you lose, Data Luxord will
drain a huge chunk of Time out of your gauge and turn you into a die as
before. Worse, when you escape the die he will immediately start another
desperation attack, so normal attacks can’t save you. With a mostly full
Time gauge you will have up to three chances to win the desperation attack,
but it’s difficult enough that you may well lose all three without
sufficiently careful timing. The good news is that victory still takes him
down to 1 HP, so once you’ve won the desperation attack you have nothing to
worry about.
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-BOSS BATTLE: Data Demyx
-Difficulty: 8/10
-Reward: None
-Required Abilities: Slide Dash, Dodge Roll, Aerial Dodge, Glide,
Finishing Plus
-Recommended Abilities: Guard Break, Explosion, Draw x2, MP Hastera,
Jackpot (Goofy), Hyper Healing (Donald)
While Data Demyx is pretty deadly in his own right, the new version of the
clone minigame will likely cause far more Game Overs. The reaction command
is no longer available, and if you try physical attacks they will kill you
with the whip counter. Worse yet, they come in such great numbers that Sora
cannot hope to defeat them with his regular spells. Make sure to max out
your Drive Gauge before facing him, as you will need Wisdom Form and its
powered-up Firaga finishers to emerge triumphant. (Also, consider using
Final Form a few times beforehand. You really do not want to risk Antiform
popping up during one of your Form activations.)
Before the battle even starts you will need to defeat four waves of clones.
You are given 30 seconds for each, though the number of clones varies wildly:
you begin with 13, followed by waves of 25, 50, and 75 in random order. You
can and should eliminate the smaller sets with normal Firaga spells, but the
waves of 50 and 75 require Wisdom Form’s Firaga finishers. Sora will run
out of MP before he uses up Wisdom Form, unfortunately, so count on spending
at least 6 points of Drive here. Make sure to dismiss Wisdom Form and cast
Curaga when the minigame ends, so you can recover your MP and Drive as soon
as possible.
Data Demyx’s attack pattern is largely identical to the original, with one
major exception. His clone guardians appear much more often, pretty much
any time he is left untouched for more than one attack. While Wild Dance is
available here, grabbing one clone can provoke the others into a prolonged
whip attack that delivers a cheap, basically unavoidable death. The only
sure way to prevent this is by using the command close to Demyx, as stunning
him prevents his clones from striking back. Otherwise just use Dodge Roll
as normal to escape the bubble rain and geyser attacks, and when possible
strike him with a quick two-finisher combo to pile on the damage. He will
counter the second finisher with a geyser attack, but with Dodge Roll it is
not a serious threat.
Remember to keep an eye on your MP and Drive gauges. An even nastier clone
barrage waits at the end of the battle, so your Drive Gauge must be
completely refilled before then. That means no quick MP recovery via Stitch
or Form activations, making MP recharge a very dangerous time indeed. As if
that wasn’t enough, at around half health there is a brief but dangerous
wave of 13 clones. You can handle them with normal Firagas, but if your MP
is gone or nearly gone at that point you are in deep trouble. (If that
happens you will need to recover it with Wisdom Form and hope that you can
recover the 3 points of Drive before the end.)
After the mid-battle wave he starts using the desperation attack, homing
geysers, and all the other lethal attacks you know and loathe. Reflega will
wear down his health very quickly, especially if you can trap him in a loop,
but once your MP runs out your life becomes difficult. The end of the
desperation attack and the bubble rain can be dodged easily enough, but the
timing for the homing geyser is more difficult. My preferred defense is to
outrun the geyser with Glide; it will take several seconds, but eventually
the geyser will disappear. Just stay clear of Demyx’s water wall, and be
ready to keep moving if he summons a second geyser while you run from the
first. You will run out of MP at least once during the latter half of the
battle, and it might be wise to do so again before the final health bar
(so you can use a few Firagas before you start using Wisdom Form at the end).
Data Demyx will force one more minigame after you’ve exhausted his HP, and
this one is the worst of all. Once again there are four waves: the first
has 13 clones, and the last has an unbelievable 99. (You will still need
at least one Wisdom Form for the first three waves, but the final wave is
the greatest danger by far.) Clearing the final wave is a close thing: you
must start casting Firaga immediately, continue until your MP is gone, then
dismiss and re-activate Wisdom Form with as little delay as possible. Two
uses are absolutely required, so you must either (a) dismiss Wisdom Form
beforehand, if you have 6 points of Drive remaining, or (b) enter with Wisdom
Form and your MP gauge at least half full. You will probably finish with
less than half a second to spare, but after you do Data Demyx will go down
in a single hit.
--NOTE: It is possible that Donald might be dead when a clone minigame
begins, preventing you from activating Wisdom Form. To activate it and
fully recover your MP you will first need to heal Donald manually. Go to the
Magic menu, choose Cure, and pick Donald as your target. This only works
while you still have MP, unfortunately, so if both your MP and Donald are
gone you are screwed.
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-BOSS BATTLE: Data Axel
-Difficulty: 8/10
-Reward: None
-Required Abilities: Guard, Dodge Roll, Slide Dash
-Recommended Abilities: Combo Plus x2, Dodge Slash, Guard Break, Explosion,
Finishing Plus
In this battle the camera will be your worst enemy. Data Axel is a hell of
a lot faster and more deadly than the original (though to be fair, so are
you), and his constant dashing will cause the camera to flip around nonstop.
This is made worse by the firewall surrounding the arena, which is always
ready to kill you if you accidentally roll into the edge. To survive, you
must become a master of last-minute dodging and always keep an eye on your
surroundings.
He opens by igniting the floor, rapidly draining you down to 1 HP. (This is
not a real threat, since Axel’s attacks are fatal at full health.) At this
point he only performs two attacks. His favorite move is an upgraded chakram
rush: he does not pause before using it, and he flips around even more so he
can hit you from an unexpected angle. Escape it with a precisely timed Dodge
Roll, then wait for his next attack. He also reuses the combo attack, which
he signals with a very brief pause. Dodge Roll out of his way, and as it
ends Slide Dash toward him for a two-finisher combo. He will leap through
the firewall and return with one of his two Burst Edge-triggering attacks
(Dodge Roll is a big help here), which you can use to stun him and put out
the burning floor.
Hit him with another two-finisher combo when it ends. He will try to
retaliate with a faceful of chakram, but that counter is easily dodged. For
the next several health bars he will only use the chakram rush and combo
attack, mostly the former, and you should continue to damage him after the
combo attack.
Eventually Data Axel will leap out of the firewall, and things get
interesting. He will continue to use his Burst Edge-triggering attacks, but
very often he will instead leap out, circle around, and hit you with the
chakram rush. He often does three or four of these attacks in a row, so keep
a close eye on him and be careful not to dodge early if no reaction command
appears. This is probably the most dangerous part of the battle; if you can
survive this, you can survive everything else he throws at you. (On the plus
side, Burst Edge does give you many more chances to damage him.)
At around half HP he begins using the desperation attack. It’s not too bad,
as these moves go: Guard twice, Dodge Roll through his forward lunge, and
dodge the final burst. He then ignites the floor again, and you will repeat
the dodge/combo/Burst Edge cycle from the beginning. (He may repeat the
desperation attack if you take too long, but otherwise his moves are exactly
the same.) From this point on his pattern remains unchanged until the end of
the battle, with the desperation attack and re-ignition repeated every minute
or so. Note that you cannot finish the battle while the floor is on fire,
but must first extinguish the floor with Clear Light and then end the battle
with a combo.
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-BOSS BATTLE: Data Saix
-Difficulty: 9/10
-Reward: None
-Required Abilities: Finishing Leap, Dodge Roll, Aerial Dodge, Glide
-Recommended Abilities: Guard, High Jump, Slide Dash, Slapshot,
Horizontal Slash, Aerial Finish
Data Saix’s increased health and damage are bad enough, but his reworked
Berserk gauge makes him truly terrifying. It fills up much faster,
especially if you allow him to focus his energy, and once activated it
will regenerate rather than wearing off. Worse, at low health he uses the
desperation attack whenever the gauge fills, so you could face wave after
wave of deadly slams and shockwaves if you get unlucky. Your only salvation
is the Berserk command, and with its short duration catching it can be
difficult. (The one bright spot is that the hammer now provides total
invincibility, which will come in handy.)
He begins by focusing his energy in the moonlight, rapidly filling the
Berserk gauge until you stun him with a finisher. Since the gauge doesn’t
fill in the air yet, you should focus on keeping him there. A Slide Dash/
Slapshot/Finishing Leap combo will launch him in under a second, after
which you should strike him with a four-hit Horizontal Slash combo. (Don’t
bother using more than that, as he automatically falls to the ground after
the fourth hit.) He will retaliate with a charge as usual, then either
swing his claymore--deflect it with Guard as normal--or perform the focus
move again. You can easily take off three health bars, possibly even four,
before he first enters Berserk mode. Remember this pattern, because you
need to abuse the hell out of it if you are to do any decent damage between
Berserk phases.
His initial Berserk attacks are essentially the same, though he does like to
leap toward you a lot if you start too far away. Because the hammer fades so
quickly, you need to charge straight at him and hope he stays in range. The
slam combo is safest, though if you are confident you can roll straight into
the smash shockwave and grab the hammer then. (Be absolutely certain you can
grab it, or you will die afterwards.) You need to keep your distance during
the charging combo, so hang back and wait for a safer opening.
After one or two more cycles of this Data Saix will start using the
desperation attack, and the battle becomes pure hell. The only way to outpace
his slams is with Glide. This will keep you safe if you are both turning the
same way (both clockwise or both counterclockwise), but if he starts going
the opposite way there is a strong risk of being hit and killed by a
shockwave from his rush. The best defense I have found is to land, then
immediately take off again with Aerial Dodge+Glide, once he changes
directions. You have very little time before his next rush, so speed is
critical. The attack ends after five or six rushes, draining a decent chunk
of the gauge and giving you a few seconds of peace to move in. Stay at a
moderately close distance, as you want to trigger the slam combo (or failing
that, the smash attack) rather than the charging combo. Scoop up the hammer
with Dodge Roll, and do your best to beat him back to normal before the
gauge refills and he uses another desperation attack.
That is your strategy for the rest of the battle. It takes VERY good
reflexes to successfully dodge all of the desperation attacks he throws your
way, but if you make good use of Finishing Leap and are skilled at scooping
up the hammer you can cut through his HP very quickly.
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-BOSS BATTLE: Data Zexion
-Difficulty: 9/10
-Reward: None
-Required Abilities: Dodge Roll, Flare Force (Donald)
-Recommended Abilities: Aerial Recovery, Air Combo Plus x2, Aerial Dive,
Horizontal Slash, Aerial Finish, Magnet Burst, Combo Plus x2, Summon Boost,
Finishing Plus
Between his vastly increased health and a more aggressive attack pattern,
this battle is an order of magnitude harder than the original. Your Limits,
Drive Forms, and Summons will all be needed to defeat this monster, and even
then you will still need superb timing to reach the final phase.
Data Zexion will immediately trap Goofy and Donald in books. Fortunately he
doesn’t bother to slide away, so you can spam Firaga spells to damage him
and free your friends. Avoid using finishers, and you can delay the first
book phase until just before you run out of MP. At that point he will leap
away and trap the party inside the book world. Be ready to immediately
activate Donald Flare, as his book form opens with a new page-tearing attack
that is certain death. While you should aim for a complete Limit, do your
best to alternate between Donald’s rockets and Sora’s Horizontal Slash
combos; if given time to recover he will strike back with a ridiculously
long string of book strikes, which is likely to be fatal if it continues
after your invulnerability wears off. If done right, Data Zexion will be at
1 HP and ready to boot back into the real world. Activate Final Form to
restore your MP, then continue Firaga spamming as before. Your powered-up
Firaga spells can tear through most of his remaining health, but the hardest
part is still to come. You must deactivate Final Form and summon Stitch
before he enters the next book phase.
From now on he will always open the book phase with his menu attack (which
is now fatal), so block it with Reflega. You will have to survive at least
one phase of energy blasts, and because of his increased health and tendency
to endlessly chain together the spells it is much harder to get through.
Your best bet is to keep spamming Reflega until the blasts stop coming, then
get close and attack after he performs the “wall of books” attack. Once
back in the real world, use Stitch to keep the Firaga spells coming and hope
that he doesn’t break out the ukelele attack.
The tension will finally let up when he starts using the desperation attack.
He still opens the book phase with a menu attack, and this time the safe zone
appears after the 13th shift, but otherwise it plays out exactly the same as
before. You will have more than enough time to take the avatar’s HP down to
zero with a full air combo, and so long as you keep Stitch active and
maintain the pattern the battle is as good as won.
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-BOSS BATTLE: Data Lexaeus
-Difficulty: 5/10
-Reward: None
-Required Abilities: Guard, Dodge Roll, Finishing Plus
-Recommended Abilities: Slide Dash, Combo Plus x2, Dodge Slash, Guard Break,
Explosion
Data Lexaeus’ attack pattern is exactly the same as the original, making him
by far the easiest of the Data bosses. If you could keep the original from
powering up, you should have no difficulty handling the new version.
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-BOSS BATTLE: Data Vexen
-Difficulty: 9/10
-Reward: None
-Required Abilities: Slide Dash, Slapshot, Guard Break, High Jump,
Quick Run Lv3, Aerial Dodge, Glide, Flare Force (Donald)
-Recommended Abilities: Summon Boost, Second Chance (Goofy)
Though not necessarily the hardest, for me Data Vexen is by far the scariest
optional boss. His ice attacks are bad enough, but when combined with the
moves of his powered-up Anti-Sora (the final form of which has FOUR health
bars) he borders on impossible. And because the data circle pursues you and
fills the gauge twice as fast, simply dodging it is not an option. To win
you must follow a tightly choreographed battle plan, and even then you will
need a lot of luck at a few key points.
If done properly, you will only have to face Data Vexen’s shield form once.
His first three moves will all be homing ice shurikens (or the spinning
shurikens, if you are too close) followed by a quick slide to one side.
Quick Run after each move, and you should have just enough time to perform
a short Guard Break combo and move away again. You should be able to break
the shield right after his third attack; if you don’t he will perform three
icicle attacks in quick succession, a move that is very difficult (though
still possible) to dodge successfully. Unfortunately, you need all three
party members alive for the next part. If Donald was killed by a shuriken
you will need to try again.
Once his shield is gone you must damage him as quickly as possible. Your
approach is similar to Data Zexion: spam Firaga until only a sliver of MP
remains, then activate Final Form for even more powerful Firaga spamming,
taking care to avoid finishers. The Data gauge will completely fill
during this barrage, but that is the price to be paid: either you will
defeat him before he returns to the shield phase, or he will summon the
fully-powered Anti-Sora and almost certainly kill you. He should not
retaliate until the desperation attack, though he does recover easily if
you pause too long between spells.
Data Vexen will always perform a desperation attack just after entering
5 health bars remaining--which is unfortunate, because this move is
the deadliest and most difficult-to-dodge attack in the entire game. It goes
like this: he opens by summoning several huge blocks of ice that spin around
him, sends them all crashing into Sora in two separate salvos (each of which
is essentially undodgeable), pulls them back around him and rushes Sora
three times while the blocks spin like a buzzsaw, and if Sora is still alive
he will freeze you in a chunk of ice and murder you with a final ice blast
before you have a chance to break free.
To begin with, make sure you are ready to pull away the instant his
health drops to 5 bars. If not, there is a good chance of his ice blocks
killing you before you even realize the attack has started. Once it
starts you will need to rapidly deactivate Final Form, switch to the Limit
menu, and activate Donald Flare. Mash both X and Triangle as fast as
possible, and you will remain invulnerable until the second homing salvo
has passed while reducing the shield to 1 HP. Go to the summon menu before
it ends, and be ready to call on Stitch immediately. After that you will
need to dodge the three rushes with a well-timed High Jump+Aerial Dodge+
Glide maneuver.
The next bit is the moment of truth. Stitch needs to recover your MP as
soon as possible, so you can use Reflega to escape the freeze attack and
survive the ice blast. (You could escape the former with a carefully timed
Quick Run, but it’s still mandatory for the latter.) To break his shield in
the narrow window between the end of the attack and Anti-Sora being summoned,
you will need to block the blast with a two-Reflega chain.
If you have successfully broken his shield, the battle is almost won.
Continue abusing Firaga without finishers and it is likely that you will
defeat him before he can recover. Even if he does recover, you can still
win as long as he is on his last health bar or so. Use two Ohana! Limits to
get rid of Stitch (and deal some extra damage to the shield), then activate
Donald Flare one more time. While you’re not going to survive beyond that,
the combination of the Limit and your Guard Break combos should quickly break
his shield and cut through all of his remaining health.
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-BOSS BATTLE: Data Xaldin
-Difficulty: 6/10
-Reward: None
-Required Abilities: Guard, Aerial Dodge, Glide
-Recommended Abilities: Reaction Boost, High Jump, Dodge Roll, MP Hastera
Data Xaldin is yet another example of how much a simple attack pattern
change can completely alter a battle. In this case, the main difference is
his wind shield: it can only be removed by Jump attacks now (and not by
Guarding attacks or by Reflect blasts as in the original battle), forcing a
major change in strategy toward the end. I recommend that you put Magnega
in the shortcut menu before entering battle.
Fortunately the beginning isn’t too different, aside from three rapid wind
blasts at the very start. Guard these, then move in close enough to block
his attacks and start collecting Jumps. The only major difference is the
dive-bomb attack (starting around 4 bars of health lost, or roughly 3 full
Jump barrages), which comes far too fast to leap over. Use Aerial Dodge+
Glide to immediately get up to speed, and collect as many Jumps as possible
while you fly away from the lances. (Remember to quickly turn as the final
dive lands, or you may get hit and killed by the ray of energy that shoots
from the blast zone.)
The problems start with the final phase (at 6 bars remaining, around the
8th Jump barrage). Reflega no longer works against his teleport attack,
and without Jump you will have no way to stop him from repeating the attack
indefinitely. To break the cycle you will need Magnega, which staggers him
and has a decent chance of triggering another dive-bomb attack. Use High
Jump and Aerial Dodge before casting the spell, and you should stay out of
his reach. (You can only cast 4 Magnegas before your MP runs out, so if
Data Xaldin is uncooperative you will need to keep Aerial Dodging over him
until your MP refills.)
Once the dive-bomb is triggered, you can max out your Jumps as you Glide away
from him. I suggest recharging your MP with Curaga (if it isn’t already
empty), using one Jump at a time to interrupt his teleports, and unleashing
the rest of your Jumps when it is full again. The desperation attack is no
harder than before, so if you can successfully repeat this pattern after each
Jump barrage it will see you through the end of the battle.
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-BOSS BATTLE: Data Xigbar
-Difficulty: 10/10
-Reward: None
-Required Abilities: Guard, Dodge Roll
-Recommended Abilities: Aerial Dodge, Glide, Combo Plus x2,
Air Combo Plus x2, Aerial Dive, Aerial Spiral, Horizontal Slash, Aerial Finish
For a long time I thought that Data Xigbar was impossible in this challenge.
Absurdly fast bullets aside, his missile attacks (and sometimes his overhead
shots) require long Reflega chains that will chew through your MP very
quickly. Your magic will run out long before the battle ends, and because
Summons are not available you cannot take the easy route and restore your MP
with Stitch. The key to your survival is your Drive Forms, which instantly
restore your HP and MP upon activation. Data Xigbar is probably the hardest
boss in the game in terms of raw skill and reflexes, so if you are unsure
about the other Data bosses he is a good place to start.
The biggest difference is the bullets, which fly twice as fast and thus are
twice as hard to block. To conserve MP you will need to block his standard
attacks with Guard, which can be difficult given his tendency to rapidly
teleport. The one positive is that his deflected bullets will now hit him
before he can teleport away, stunning him after two salvos and leaving him
open to an air combo. This is the only practical way to damage him in the
wide-open battlefield (apart from his now-rare reloads and the even rarer
stroll move), though you must be prepared: after the finisher he will
teleport and strike back with a sudden salvo that can easily kill you, so
you will need split-second Guard timing.
Because precise Guarding is difficult when his bullets come streaming from
so many directions, you will want to avoid the default battlefield as much
as possible. Data Xigbar’s very first move is to warp you to one of the
three small rooms. If you start in the long narrow hall, you are in
business. However, if you start in one of the square rooms you will need to
escape (with a finisher) and wait for him to warp you again. The room with
the single C-shaped hole is most dangerous, as he has a habit of stun-
locking you to death with continuous shots. Make sure to start Guarding
immediately, quickly Glide to one of the opposite corners while he is
stunned, then put your back against the corner and Guard until he is
stunned again. (You MIGHT be able to Glide to him in one trip, but frankly
it’s not worth the risk.) The room with four holes is less dangerous, though
because he switches unpredictably between the overhead and normal salvos you
should use Reflega instead of Guard until he is stunned. I would rely
solely on Guard while in the default arena, both to limit his teleportation
and to limit your damage so you don’t trigger the next phase prematurely.
Once in the long hall you should block his salvos and Glide to the far end.
You cannot use combo finishers lest you boot yourself out of the room, but
with four Horizontal Slashes per combo you can still do a lot of damage.
More importantly, however, his attack pattern suddenly becomes predictable:
after you attack he will perform an overhead shot and stand still for a
moment, so a quick Dodge Roll is all you need to stay safe as you pile on
attack after attack.
He enters a new phase after losing 4 bars of health, but aside from
performing two overhead shots in a row his pattern is mostly the same.
“Mostly” is a big qualifier, however: occasionally he will release a missile
in place of the overhead shot, messing with the pattern. To survive the
missile (which also flies twice as fast) and the stream of bullets that
follow, keep casting Reflega until he is stunned. If left alone too long,
he may also use his sniper attack. The attack itself is easy to avoid--just
run toward the opposite end of the hall--but once it ends you will need a
Reflega chain to avoid being caught off-guard by his bullets. He typically
warps back to his original position at the beginning of this move, so if he
was pushed away by your attacks you may have some Gliding to do afterwards.
Things shouldn’t get difficult until he enters the final phase at 5-1/2
bars remaining, though rest assured that they will get VERY difficult. Data
Xigbar’s first move will typically be the desperation attack, which is no
worse than before. Once it is complete, however, you will return to the
wide-open arena. His basic pattern is the same--three attacks, two missiles
in a row, three more attacks--but his increased damage and speed make
blocking all of them hellishly difficult. You will have to balance Reflega
spamming (which is all-around safer but burns through your limited MP) with
Guarding (which is free but requires much faster reflexes and only works in
one direction), though when in doubt you should choose a reliable defense
over MP conservation. My usual approach is to Guard his ranged attacks and
to spam Reflega against his overhead shots and missiles. As a rule of thumb,
a 4-Reflega chain will usually be just enough to stun him. The one bright
side is that his bullets will stun him pretty often, giving you plenty of
opportunities to pummel him with air combos (though be careful to only use
one finisher at a time).
As a final unfortunate complication, Data Xigbar will often warp back to one
of the three small rooms right before his desperation attack. I suggest just
relying on Reflega for this, as he is much more prone to overhead shots, and
hitting him with an air combo when he is stunned. If left alone too long he
will perform the sniper attack, which is hell to dodge in the small square
rooms, so it’s important to be quick.
You will usually run out of MP early in the final phase, at which point a
Drive Form transformation is needed. The best time to do so is right after
the desperation attack ends, though with lightning-fast fingers you could
activate and deactivate the Form right after Data Xigbar’s bullets stun him.
(Note that you must deactivate it right afterwards. Guard, Dodge Roll, and
Reflega are all needed to survive, and Horizontal Slash combos do more
damage than anything your Forms can offer.) Stick with Limit Form, as your
allies will likely be dead for most of the battle. Two Form transformations
should be enough to maintain your MP to the end of the battle, though you
will be able to use a third if the need arises.
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-BOSS BATTLE: Data Xemnas
-Difficulty: 10/10
-Reward: None
Unsurprisingly, the Organization’s leader makes for the toughest of all the
Data bosses. Data Xemnas has two separate forms, each with a massive health
gauge, and dying against either will send you back to the beginning. Both
forms are incredibly fast and aggressive, so expect to spend lots of time and
many deaths perfecting your strategy before you finally succeed.
=Part 1=
-Required Abilities: Guard, Trinity Limit, Finishing Plus
-Recommended Abilities: Counterguard, Dodge Roll, Slide Dash, Combo Plus x2,
Dodge Slash, Guard Break, Explosion, Form Boost x2
First you will reenact the solo battle in front of Memory’s Skyscraper. Data
Xemnas opens with the long combo. Six Guards will neutralize the attack,
after which you can start a ground combo of your own. The second finisher
will trigger a blinding-fast counterattack, rushing toward you to ambush you
with the two-hit slash. There are two ways to deal with this, both requiring
hair-trigger reflexes and a sharp eye. First, you can Guard just as he stops
moving, blocking the first strike and allowing you to segue directly into a
Counterguard combo. (Do not Guard prematurely, as he often rushes past to
strike you in the back.) Second, you can Dodge Roll out of striking range
and move in with Slide Dash after the second hit. While the Dodge Roll
timing is easier, I prefer the Guard strategy: later in the battle it will
protect you from the long combos as well, while Dodge Roll almost guarantees
that you will get hit.
You should see nothing but the slash attack until 4-1/2 bars lost. While the
slash remains his main attack, every now and then Data Xemnas will repeat his
long combo. If you are precise with your Guarding, you will block the first
hit and can Guard five more times to block the rest of the combo. You will
be hit if you Guard a little early, though it is better to be too early than
too late: the slash is an instant kill, while the combo attack can be
survived. To do so you must quickly activate Trinity Limit, buying yourself
invulnerability until the move ends, then recover your HP and MP with a Limit
Form transformation. Limit Form is very powerful here: it has all the
defensive Abilities you need to survive, and your healing Limit moves plus
the automatic MP Rage provide effectively unlimited HP recovery while the
Form stays active. The only major drawback is Zantetsu Counter, which chews
through a lot of Drive without allowing you to start a combo or even to knock
him back. Fortunately Limit Form’s Guard is quick, so it is possible to
block the first strike, Dodge Roll from the second, and move in with Slide
Dash to start a new combo.
If followed well this strategy will keep you alive to the end, or at least
until 4 bars remaining. At that point you can trigger the action sequence
on the skyscraper, and take him down to 1 HP with Finish. If you already
used up Limit Form once, activate it again before finishing him off.
The menu will open between battles, allowing you to adjust your Abilities.
Do so, then brace yourself for the real challenge.
=Part 2=
-Required Abilities: Guard, Dodge Roll, Aerial Dodge, Glide
-Recommended Abilities: Slide Dash, Combo Plus x2, Dodge Slash, Guard Break,
Aerial Dive, Aerial Spiral, Horizontal Slash, Aerial Finish, MP Hastera
The second form is a highly upgraded repeat of the final battle, and is every
bit as terrifying as you would expect. Data Xemnas opens by summoning an
endless series of light orbs, which will fly across the battlefield to
explode in your face. Glide will outrun them easily enough, but while he
keeps throwing orbs you cannot touch him. The good news is that eventually
(after 15-25 orbs) he will get tired of tossing orbs and will perform the
grab-and-throw attack. Activate the Session Limit as soon as possible, and
you can stay untouchable for the entire attack. Be careful to stop JUST
SHORT of the final hit.
After you survive the midair assault (which typically ends with two more
homing orbs) you are in the clear for a while. He is likely to start
slinging orbs again, but this time you can safely damage him with Session
once your MP recharges. As a rule, the only time you should ever complete
the Limit in this battle is if he releases another orb directly beforehand.
Keeping an eye on Data Xemnas and countering his attacks takes priority
over the final hit’s (admittedly impressive) damage. After that he should
rely primarily on his sweep and energy pulse attacks, which you should
easily dodge to move in for a combo. Take care to only use single
finishers; the second finisher is liable to trigger another light-orb
barrage, which will severely slow you down. Try to rely on Riku for your
healing, as you need to save your own MP for Limits.
Beware of Data Xemnas’ capture move, which he will occasionally attempt
throughout the battle. You can and must escape every attempt with Dodge Roll
or Reflega, because if you are caught it’s as good as Game Over--which,
remember, means beating his first form again.
Make sure that your MP is full before he loses 6-1/2 health bars and enters
the next phase of battle. He will first attempt the capture attack, then
begin the laser barrage. He still opens with the phrase “Why don’t you
vanish?”, but this time you should Guard on the word “don’t.” The rest of
his attacks should come quickly enough that Guard timing is not much of an
issue, but if you are hit you still have two ways to save your skin. If you
have MP then activate Session, resume Guarding while your invulnerability is
still active, and wait for Riku to heal you. If not, activate Limit Form to
refill your HP/MP, resume Guarding immediately, and deactivate it during a
quiet moment. Note that every so often Data Xemnas will stand still for a
few seconds. Use those breaks to hit him with a four-hit Horizontal Slash
combo. He will end the barrage with a pulse attack, so be ready to back up
and Dodge Roll after you attack.
From here on he relies on long-range pulse attacks, which allow for safer
combos, though he will continue to repeat the light orb, laser barrage, grab-
and-throw and capture attacks every so often. I recommend saving your MP for
Session, as the grab-and-throw is almost certain death without it. The
“almost” is thanks to Limit Form, as the transformation will block the first
hit and allow you to Reversal your way through the rest of it, though even
then it is very easy to miss a Reversal and get killed. Absolutely never use
a double finisher: they now trigger the laser barrage and grab-and-throw
attacks, which slow you down as well as putting you in greater danger.
If you can get down to the final health bar, you are nearly home free. His
closing sphere-of-lasers attack isn’t much more dangerous than the original,
so long as both Sora and Riku have a reasonable amount of health. Keep on
consistently blocking their lasers (Sora can survive up to three hits),
don’t stop until the animation stops, and you win.
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Upon conquering all 13 Data bosses a new chest will appear next to the data
console. Open it to obtain the Proof of Nonexistence and earn the Silver
Crown, the ultimate mark of skill in this challenge.
And with that, your sidequesting is complete. Return to the save point,
replay the final battles if you wish (they make for a nice victory cooldown),
and otherwise just savor the thrill of completing one of the greatest
challenges this game has to offer. Well done, my friend.
=============================================================================
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
=============================================================================
-ElectroSpectre: His Kingdom Hearts II FAQ remains one of the best I have
ever read, and was my reference for all aspects of the game carried over
from the original version.
-starkk: I used his Translation FAQ as my initial guide for all the changes
added to the Final Mix version, most notably the Ability names and specific
rewards from each battle.
-Ryan_86: I never would have completed this challenge without his excellent
Level 1 Challenge FAQ. His idea for training Master Form was especially
clever.
-Glavewurm: For clarifying the exact mechanics behind triggering Final
Form on the GameFAQs message boards.
-Bizkit047 and pacey8444: Many of the strategies I used to conquer the
tougher optional bosses (I’m looking at you, Data Vexen) were based on the
ones demonstrated in their challenge videos on YouTube. These guys rock.