Final Fantasy 16: 15 Hardest Boss Fights, Ranked

Spoiler Warning: Spoilers for the storyline (including the ending) and the different major battles in the game.While playing Final Fantasy 16, you will come across countless bosses. These are enemies that are much harder to fight than regular enemies you find. You will come across one at least every stage you participate in. However, many stages have more than one.

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With so many bosses in the game, there will always be some that are much more difficult than others. You might be wondering which ones you need to be careful when fighting. Here is a list of the hardest bosses you will face in the game.

Updated by Erin Rice on July 7, 2023: The longer Final Fantasy 16 is out, the more bosses players will encounter. This update added 5 new entries to the list, showing players some of the game’s hardest bosses.

15 Garuda

Garuda is the Eikon of the Wind and is Benedikta’s Eikon. During your time searching for the second Eikon of Fire, you will have to face Benedikta and Garuda. The final encounter with Garuda is where Clive transforms into Ifrit and learns the truth about his identity as the second Eikon of Fire.

What makes Garuda difficult is that she is your first real Eikon battle, meaning this is where you learn the ropes of fighting Eikons. While you do have the Blessing of the Phoenix and Garuda’s powers, at this stage, you do not have the ability to transform into Ifrit yet, which can make the battle difficult. Thankfully, Clive learns he is a Dominant during this battle.

14 Liquid Flame

During your time completing the quest “Fire and Ice,” avenging the wrongs done to Jill, you will run into this monster. When Jill finally confronts the man who held her captive, this demon arises from the volcano lava around her. While Jill does transform into Shiva, this battle is still a difficult one.

What makes this battle so difficult is that it has three different phases that use different attacks. Each attack is one that can do a lot of damage to Clive. Even with Jill’s help, this is a tough battle for Clive. Thankfully, once he is defeated, you have finished the quest.

13 Infernal Eikon

During Clive’s visit to Phoenix Gate as an adult, he will have to come to terms with the fact that he is Ifrit’s Dominant. At this point, he will need to face a shadow version of himself and Ifrit in order to move past this revelation.

What makes this battle so hard is that it is a difficult one for Clive, both physically and mentally. Ifrit is an extremely strong opponent, and during this time, you cannot rely on him to help you. You have to learn Ifrit’s moves and understand them so you can defeat him and use them yourself. It is a long battle that is one of the best in the game.

12 Behemoth

During the quest “Streets of Madness,” Clive and Joshua arrive at Drake’s Spine, ready to face Ultima. The only problem with this is that a monster known as Behemoth stands in your way. As soon as you arrive, you will face a small horde of enemies and then Behemoth arrives.

What makes this battle so difficult is that this beast is extremely fast. Sometimes, Clive just can’t dodge quickly enough to not get slammed by the beast. Even if you do dodge, it won’t work if you do so too quickly. When he does hit you, you will take a lot of damage. This battle is a hard one that happens right before the final boss. You want to ensure you are ready before taking it on.

11 Typhon

Typhon is the climax of the first half of the game. Once the team reaches Drake’s Head, Ultima will rip open a portal and reveal himself as Typhon. From there, Cid and Jill stay at Drake’s Head while Clive is transported to an unknown place to fight Typhon.

Typhon is so difficult because he is, in many ways, the final boss of the first half of the game. Not only will you be fighting Typhon, but he will have you fighting hordes of enemies as well. He hits extremely hard and is another boss that is almost impossible to dodge without help.

10 Necrophobe

This boss is one of the many that you will face during the quest Fire in the Sky. During this quest, Dion transforms into Bahamut due to some unforeseen circumstances. While you are trying to traverse the city, this boss will stand in your way. He has the ability to use all the elements against you. He will be one of the last encounters you have before making it to Bahamut.

His ability to call upon the different elements to fight you is one reason why this boss is so difficult to fight. Another thing that makes this boss battle so difficult is that the Necrophobe has at least 10 attacks he can use at any given time. This can make remembering his moves and figuring out how to strategize against them extremely difficult at times.

9 Sleipnir

Sleipnir is a character that you have seen throughout the game. He is Barnabas’s right-hand man and can be seen with Hugo a few times. You will be able to finally battle him when you start the quest Evenfall. In this quest, you venture to Kanver and try to help those involved in the Akashic attack. He will be the final boss in this area right before Jill is captured by Barnabas.

This is a pretty long battle, as Sleipnir has learned a thing or two from Barnabas. One of the most difficult parts of this battle is that Sleipnir is extremely fast. He can move quickly and is able to teleport around the area. Once you get him down enough, he will summon a magical weapon that makes things even harder. Overall, he can be a tough opponent.

8 Titan/Titan Lost

Titan is the Eikon that Hugo is the Dominant for. He is known as the Warden of Earth and is a pretty difficult opponent. You will stumble upon this battle during the quest Into The Darkness. Once you meet Hugo, you will realize he has been around the Mothercrystal too long and has lost control of himself. He will Prime into Titan and begin to battle you. Once you defeat him, he will eat the Mothercrystal and turn into Titan Lost, the difficult portion of this battle.

The most difficult part of this battle happens once Titan evolves into Titan Lost. Once this happens, he will become a monstrous being that takes a lot to kill. Thankfully, the attacks are pretty repetitive once you get the hang of them. However, Clive doesn’t do much damage at all unless he is able to Stagger Titan Lost or when cutscenes happen. The difficulty of this battle is that it is long and can be frustrating waiting for his health to decrease more.

7 Aurum Giant

The Aurum Giant is the boss you will face during The Last King mission. He is the final boss before you face Barnabas for the final time. You will be making your way through Reverie’s Fallen Ruins as you try to chase Barnabas. The Aurum Giant will be the final obstacle, and he is a tough one.

What makes this fight so difficult is that the Aurum Giant can use a ton of different Skills that do a lot of damage. Some of these Skills will give you time to prepare, while others won’t. Thankfully, this battle is pretty similar to the Iron Giant battle from Phoenix Gate during the quest Buried Memories. The only difference is this giant is stronger, faster, and much more difficult to kill.

6 Bahamut

Bahamut is the final Eikon you will face before facing the Eikon Odin. He is known as the King of Dragons and Warden of Light. His Dominant, Dion, is a good character; he just lets his emotions control him. During the quest Fire in the Sky, you will need to face Bahamut and stop Dion before it is too late.

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Bahamut’s battle is so difficult because it is another battle that is extremely long. Unfortunately, right before this battle, you must defeat Necrophobe and The White Dragon, making this battle seem even longer. Bahamut himself isn’t too difficult if you can memorize his moves. Most of his moves are like those you have seen previously from Eikons and Dragons throughout the game. The only problem is Bahamut is fast and can deal massive amounts of damage. Unless you’re good at dodging, you may find this battle one of the hardest.

5 The White Dragon

The White Dragon is yet another boss you will face during the quest Fire in the Sky. During the quest, you are trying to stop Dion, who has Primed into Bahamut. Surprisingly, this battle can be even more difficult than the Eikon battle that it precedes. It comes right before the battle with Necrophobe.

What makes this battle so hard is that Dragons are already pretty tough enemies. Thankfully, it is similar to the Akashic Dragon from your journey to Drake’s Head. However, like always, this is stronger, faster, and more difficult to kill. One of the most difficult aspects of this battle is that The White Dragon can attack you from anywhere. It can fly or stand on the ground and attack. While in the air, it can be difficult to harm.

4 Odin

Odin is the final Eikon that you will face during the game. He is the Eikon of Barnabas and is known as the Warden of Darkness (and for good reason). You will finally get to fight him in the quest, The Last King. During this quest, you will be able to best Barnabas and finally get his Eikon powers; however, this is no easy feat. Barnabas is able to switch between himself and Odin seamlessly, causing some confusion throughout the battle.

Barnabas is a lot like Sleipnir; he is extremely fast and difficult to hit. He can teleport around the area and will attack as soon as he finishes teleporting. Thankfully, this fight is similar to the first fight with Barnabas. The only difference is that now you can face Odin. After you get his health down enough, he will Prime into Odin. From there, he will transition back into Barnabas and gain moves you haven’t seen before. This will happen several times before finally beating him. The addition of new skills so often can make this battle extremely difficult.

3 Behemoth King

The Behemoth King is one of the many Notorious Marks that you can use the Hunt Board to find throughout the game. This Notorious Mark can only be found after Drake’s Spine and traveling through the Kingdom of Waloed. He is a Rank S, meaning this is one of the most difficult Notorious Marks that you can find.

The Behemoth King will mainly use three Skills. The only problem is that it can be difficult to anticipate which Skill he may use next. These Skills can also cause a lot of damage and can be difficult to avoid. That is what makes this beast so difficult. It also is extremely fast, meaning it can evade you easily. This is one you will want to take on much later in the game, for sure.

2 Svarog

Svarog is another Notorious Mark and is the most difficult one out of all the Notorious Marks available to Clive. This one can only be unlocked after the Things Fall Apart quest. It is found in Mornebrume within the Holy Empire of Sanbreque.

What makes this battle so difficult is that Svarog has extremely powerful moves and, like all Dragons, can fly. His flight can make hitting him extremely difficult. It also means he has the advantage of being able to attack from the air rather than the ground. Since he is too big to be pulled from the sky, you must use Skills to teleport to him. Also, Svarog will do a swinging attack while you are attacking him. This can do massive damage and be difficult to avoid.

1 Ultima

It is no surprise that the most difficult boss you have to face is also the final boss. Ultima is the main antagonist and the ending boss. During this final quest, you will enter into Origin and finally put an end to Ultima once and for all. Unfortunately, Clive doesn’t just take on Ultima in this battle. He has four different versions in one fight (though the first version is destroyed via cutscene). This makes the battle long, difficult, and frustrating.

When first meeting Ultima, he will be in Ultima Prime form. Thankfully, this is mainly just hitting buttons during cinematics. Then, Ultima will transform into his regular Ultima form. Here, Clive can battle him as himself. Once his health is drained, he will transform into Ultima Risen, an Eikon-like entity. This phase is the Eikon phase of the battle. Once his health gets drained again, he will transform into Ultimalius. The Ultimalius battle is almost an entire boss battle in itself. During each phase, Ultima will introduce new moves and constantly attack Clive. This is by far the hardest to complete.

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