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-=- Kingdom Hearts II -=-
Sephiroth Guide
Version 1.00
BY
Masamune167
Name of Game: Kingdom Hearts II (NTSC-JPN)
Platform: PlayStation2 Entertainment System
Began: 27th February 2006
Last Update: 27th March 2006
Created With: VIM[Cream], Metapad
Specifics: Courier New, Font Size 10, 79 Characters/Line
Encoding: Western European (ISO)/(American)
Author: <{masamune167[at]yahoo[dot]com}>
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
i. Table of Contents SXXXX
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
01. Version Updates --------------------------------------------------- S0001
02. Legal Disclaimer -------------------------------------------------- S0002
03. Introduction ------------------------------------------------------ S0003
04. Frequently Asked Questions ---------------------------------------- S0004
05. The Guide --------------------------------------------------------- S1000
05.a) Skills & Arms ----------------------------------------------- S1100
05.b) The Phases of Sephiroth ------------------------------------- S1200
05.c) Enemy Maneuvers --------------------------------------------- S1300
05.d) General Tactics --------------------------------------------- S1400
05.e) The Flow of Battle ------------------------------------------ S1500
05.f) Aftermath --------------------------------------------------- S1600
06. Credits ----------------------------------------------------------- S9999
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
01. Version Updates S0001
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MM/DD/YY - /*Description*/
02/27/06 - Guide started.
03/15/06 - Guide 50% completed.
03/27/06 - Guide finalized.
Version 1.00 - First release done.
Version 0.80 - Nearly done.
Version 0.01 - Began guide and preliminary work for it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
02. Legal Disclaimer S0002
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This disclaimer is to be regarded as part of the Internet publication
which you are currently viewing. If sections or individual terms of this
statement are not legal or correct, the content or validity of the other parts
remain uninfluenced by this fact.
This game, Kingdom Hearts II, is copyrighted (c) by Square-Enix and
Disney. Licensed by Sony Corporation of Japan for use with the PlayStation2
game console. PlayStation2 is a registered trademark of Sony Computer
Entertainment Inc. Neither Sony nor Sammy Studios endorses this guide in any
way or by any means.
Liability claims regarding damage caused by the use of any information
provided, including any kind of information which is incomplete or incorrect,
will therefore be rejected. All offers are non-binding and without obligation.
Parts of the pages or the complete publication including all offers and
information might be extended, changed or partly or completely deleted by the
author without separate announcement.
The document before you is property of "Masamune167." This document aims
to aid one in his or her understanding and general competency of the game
Kingdom Hearts II. Reproduction of this document without my explicit consent
is prohibited.
Webmasters of a site that wishes to use this document may do so pending
my authorization via email. If permission is granted, the document must be
posted verbatim with no changes made to the document itself. Fan-based
websites will also require similar authorization.
The following websites have the authorization to post this document:
-
http://www.gameFAQs.com
-
http://www.gamespot.com
-
http://deepu.eroding.com
-
http://www.neoseeker.com
-
http://www.1up.com
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03. Introduction S0003
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This document is meant to be used as a guide for the game Kingdom Hearts
II for the Sony PlayStation2. Specifically, the optional battle against
Sephiroth will be covered and the remainder of the game ignored when deemed
necessary. Only the Japanese version of Kingdom Hearts II is covered as the
North American version has yet to be released at the time of writing. If
there are no significant changes made to the gameplay or mechanics then this
document will still be accurate. Expect some of the skills to be named
differently due to translational choices, yet the overall guide will retain
integrity.
I will not accept email concerning methods of operating the game with
a Playstation2(this is something you can figure out), nor will I entertain
questions asking for translation of scenes or events in the game.
For emphasis: this is NOT a general FAQ/Walkthrough, and it is NOT a
translation of the game into any language. I will transliterate skill and
item names when needed, however do not expect line-by-line translations of
dialogues or events.
This document aims to provide aid to those who seek it. Questions and
comments, with regard to the above conditions, can be emailed to the address
at the top of the document.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
04. Frequently Asked Questions S0004
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
001) Will this game work on my U.S. Playstation2?
A: No. The NTSC-JPN version will only play on Japanese or modified
Playstation2 consoles. Legally, I cannot expand on this question further.
002) Is Kingdom Hearts II available in the __________ language?
A: Thus far, only a Japanese and English version have been confirmed for
release. The Japanese version has been released, and the English version is
scheduled for a March 28th, 2006 release date.
003) Is Sephiroth difficult to defeat?
A: No, not if you know what to expect and know what you are doing, but that
is why you are here, right?
004) When am I able to challenge Sephiroth?
A: Anytime after defeating the MCP in Space Paranoids wherein the Hollow
Bastion becomes the Radiant Garden. After the name change you may challenge
Sephiroth.
005) Where may I challenge Sephiroth?
A: Go to the Radiant Garden. Sephiroth is in an area in the Radiant Garden
known as "The Dark Depths." If you remember the area where the battle
against the 1000 Heartless took place, it is one screen past that. Simply
go to the area known as "The Great Maw" and go one screen further to reach
Sephiroth.
006) What level should I be in order to fight Sephiroth?
A: It depends. On Proud mode, the level will matter less than the abilities
equipped, but at the very least you should be level 35. This is a bare
minimum and doing it at this level or lower is cumbersome. Higher levels
will grant some additional skills (usually as a result of raising Drives)
and increased offense and defense stats. A good level is around 65-75,
anything higher will make it laughably easy.
007) I reduced Sephiroth to a sliver of HP and hit him but he didn't die! What
the hell is going on?!
A: Sephiroth must be defeated, that is the finishing blow, by a "finisher"
move that occurs at the end of a air or ground combo.
009) How many times may I fight Sephiroth?
A: As many as it takes you to defeat him. Once beaten, he will not
be available to fight again.
010) What spoils do I receive for defeating Sephiroth?
A: After defeating Sephiroth, you will immediately gain +1 to your Drive
gauge. Once he is defeated, go speak with Cloud at the market area in the
Radiant Garden and then go back and speak to Sephiroth for a cutscene.
After that cutscene, Tifa will give you Fenrir, the physically strongest
Keyblade in the game.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
05. The Guide S1000
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This guide will cover the fight against Sephiroth specifically on the
"Proud" mode difficulty. The below tactics and information will still apply
to the normal difficulty, however you may be more liberal and forgiving in its
application.
Any attack names given in this guide are named by me if an official name
is not given. They are simply used as a convention.
Sephiroth can be challenged at any point after the Hollow Bastion changes
its name to the "Radiant Garden." This occurs after the MPC is defeated at
Space Paranoids. He is located at "The Dark Depths" which is one screen past
"The Great Maw" where the 1000 Heartless battle took place.
Simply walk up to Sephiroth at the Dark Depths and after a short scene,
the battle will commence. You will not be able to escape from the battle once
it begins, however if defeated, you may choose to "Continue" whereupon you
will return to the Dark Depths with all your items intact. The battle will
take place without your allies. The Drive skill is unavailable even if you
speak to Sephiroth in a Driven form. Keep in mind that your offensive magic
will be nigh useless in this battle.
When you defeat Sephiroth, you will gain +1 to your Drive gauge and will
be able to obtain the strongest Keyblade, Fenrir, from Tifa shortly after.
The amount of time taken during the fight does not matter for anything in the
game.
Below are 5 sections explaining the skills needed, Sephiroth's phases,
attacks, general tactics to use, and the overall flow of the battle that you
can expect typically.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
05.a) Skills & Arms S1100
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
In order to defeat Sephiroth, Sora will need to be equipped with a variety
of skills. Not all of these skills are required, however the most essential
ones will be marked with an asterisk. The more of these skills and at higher
levels (where applicable) you have equipped, the easier it will be to survive
the battle.
---- Action ---------------------
Reflect Guard 2
Slash Upper 4
Air Sideslash 2
Revenge Slash 3
Slap Shot 2
Slide Dash* 2
Stride Break 3
Explosion 3
Aerial Sweep 2
Air Spiral 2
Aerial Finish 3
Total: 28 AP
---- Grow -----------------------
High Jump* [Level 3] 2
Air Slide [Level 3] 2
Air Dodge [Level 3] 3
Glide [Level 3] 3
Total: 10 AP
---- Support --------------------
Libra* 2
Air Recovery* 2
Combo Plus 1
Air Combo Plus 1
Combo Up 3
Air Combo Up 3
Finisher Plus 5
Charge Berserk 5
Leaf Veil* 1
Damage Aspir 3
MP Haste* 3
Defender 3
Last Life* 4
Combo Live* 4
Total: 40 AP
Grand total: 78 AP
(*) This skill is essential.
High Jump, Air Dodge, Glide, and Air Dash are obtained by leveling Drive
Forms until they obtain the level ABOVE the desired level for regular Sora. In
other words, if you level all Drive Forms to maximum (level 7) then each Drive
will have a level MAX of High Jump or Air Dodge or Air Dash. In this case,
Sora will have level 3 of ALL of those abilities.
The best weapon to use for this battle is, not surprisingly, the best
Keyblade available at that time: the Ultima Weapon. This is not only for its
high attack power but for its "MP Hasteaga" ability. With it, Sora's MP will
charge back to full much, much more rapidly than without this ability. If you
cannot, or do not wish to, use the Ultima Weapon, any Keyblade with an "MP
Haste" ability will work but not as well. Alternatively, you may simply use
the strongest Keyblade you have and hope that it works. Because you cannot
use Sora's "Drive" ability in this battle, don't bother using a weapon for
that property.
As for magic, the only useful spells to use are defensive ones. You will
want to equip Reflectaga and Curaga. These are the only two that will help in
any fashion against Sephiroth.
Curative items such as Hi-Potions and Elixirs will be necessary since
Heartless Angel will usually drain Sora's MP to 0 and HP 1. It is not
necessary to have Elixirs as Hi-Potions will suffice, but it is slightly
easier to have them.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
05.b) The Phases of Sephiroth S1200
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
During the battle with Sephiroth, you will notice that he seems to have
three Phases, or forms, that he will use sequentially. He will evolve from
Phase 1 to Phase 2 to Phase 3. Each change will grant him additional attacks
, speed, and ferocity. The following are the aforementioned Phases and their
triggers.
O=== Phase 1: The Wanderer ==============================================O
Trigger: Begins in this form.
Characteristics: Sephiroth is slow and calculating in this form. He will
walk around the arena cautiously, attack powerfully, and can teleport at will.
He is still very capable of quickly closing distance between the Sora and
himself.
Attacks: Sin Angel, Grounded Omnislash, Air Omnislash, Teleport Launch
O=== Phase 2: Feral Destroyer ===========================================O
Trigger: Incurs approximately 4.5 bars of damage.
Characteristics: Sephiroth is now able to run around the arena and launch
attacks with greater speed. He will still teleport, and indeed, will do so
more frequently. He is still fairly predictable, however, he does gain three
new attacks in this form while retaining all the old ones. His Omnislash
attacks now have much greater range as well.
Attacks: Sin Angel, Grounded Omnislash, Air Omnislash, Teleport Launch, Orbs
of Destruction, Heartless Angel, Pillars of Flame
O=== Phase 3: Onslaught Incarnate =======================================O
Trigger: Incurs approximately 9.5 bars of damage (has 5.5 remaining.)
Characteristics: Sephiroth will sprint across the arena, glide across the
ground, teleport more than ever, and unleash a new attack: Supernova. All the
while he is still able to use his previous attacks with greater speed.
Attacks: Sin Angel, Grounded Omnislash, Air Omnislash, Teleport Launch, Orbs
of Destruction, Heartless Angel, Pillars of Flame, Supernova.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
05.c) Enemy Maneuvers S1300
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
This section will strive to explain in detail the attacks used by
Sephiroth, when and how they are used, how they can effect Sora and how you
may counter them.
Each Phase introduces new attacks, so this section is subdivided into
Phase groups.
O=== Phase 1: The Wanderer ==============================================O
____________________________________
___/ 01 | Sin Angel S1301 \_____________________________________
==============================================================================
Preconditions: Generally only occurs when Sephiroth has freshly teleported to
a new location. During the first phase, he tends to not do this attack when
near Sora, however during later phases this will not be such a concern.
Sephiroth will mumble something just before the attack. He may do this attack
even if you are in the air and there is little you can do to avoid it unless
your glide is far enough to dodge it.
Appearance: Just before the attack proper, the sky will darken to a dark
orange color. If you see the sky darken, immediately target Sephiroth and
keep hitting triangle. The attack looks like a very fast forward dash and
swipe. This covers as much distance as is necessary to put Sephiroth behind
Sora.
Damage: High. At low levels, without Last Life, this attack will
completely kill Sora. However, it hits multiple times, so if you have Combo
Live equipped, unless the FIRST hit kills you, you will survive the attack.
The first hit deals the most damage, the remaining 9 hits deal smaller but
consistent damage.
Area of effect: Roughly a large cone emanating from Sephiroth. It is possible
to dodge this attack if you move to the side very quickly and slightly towards
Sephiroth. Since the area of effect decreases as you approach him, there is a
higher probability of dodging the attack. It is also possible to only suffer
a fraction of the attacks rather than all of them. You may, for example, only
be hit three or four times if your dodge is caught. Jumping straight up will
not dodge the attack and you will be unable to use your "reaction" command in
the air.
Counters: Just press Triangle when prompted or when the sky darkens. This
will parry all his attacks and leave him defenseless for a moment. You need
to be on or very close to the ground in order to counter it. After countering
the attack, target Sephiroth and attack him while he is defenseless.
______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________
___/ 02 | Grounded Omnislash S1302 \_____________________________________
==============================================================================
Preconditions: Sora must be near Sephiroth. During the first phase, he will
usually often use this attack after suffering an attack unless Sora uses a
finisher. If a finisher is used, Sephiroth will teleport away.
Appearance: A series of 6 slashes, some hitting multiple times, all utilising
Sephiroth's large range.
Damage: Very high. Again, since this hits multiple times, with Last Life,
if the first hit doesn't kill you then you will survive the attack. The
exception is if a large pause is taken between hits in which case the next hit
may be fatal.
Area of effect: Anything Sephiroth's sword touches, and that is essentially a
ten or twelve foot radius in front of him. He will follow Sora and can turn
in the middle of the attack.
Counters: The easiest answer is to simply dodge the attack by flying or
dodging away. However, if he is too close or you feel brave, you can using
the "Guard" skill. Press square while NOT moving to use it. If you
successfully guard the first one or two hits, then you will automatically
guard the remaining attacks. You can also attack him mid-attack and interrupt
the attack, but this does not work 100% of the time.
______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________
___/ 03 | Teleport Launch S1303 \_____________________________________
==============================================================================
Preconditions: Sora must not be close to Sephiroth. This is very frequent
during the first phase and becomes less and less so in Phases 2 and 3.
Appearance: Sephiroth will teleport right next to Sora and slash vertically
upwards launching Sora into the air.
Damage: Very low. The damage from this attack is minimal.
Area of effect: His entire sword length, however the slash is very narrow and
vertical.
Counters: Dodging is easiest in this case since it is often very fast, it is
possible to guard against it as well. However, it is beneficial to instead
perform a mid-air recovery or Revenge Slash against Sephiroth's Air
Omnislash.
______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________
___/ 04 | Air Omnislash S1304 \_____________________________________
==============================================================================
Preconditions: Sora must be in the air as a result of Sephiroth's Teleport
Launch. He will not perform this attack if you jump normally into the air.
This attack CAN be sequentially executed by Sephiroth a number of times. This
occurs if Sora is knocked into the air, attacked, and remains in the for a
long enough time to warrant another Air Omnislash. Typically this only occurs
if you try to recover AFTER being hit and remain in the air or were very high
in the air initially.
Appearance: It is simply an Omnislash in the air, a series of 6 sword slashes
with some hitting multiple times.
Damage: High. The damage here is comparable to the Grounded Omnislash.
Area of effect: The length of the sword, however, unlike the Grounded
Omnislash, Sephiroth is not able to follow Sora in the air.
Counters: Flying away is probably the most natural reaction, however,
recovering and attacking or simply using Revenge Slash and beginning an aerial
combo is much more effective. This is a tactic that we will use often
throughout the battle because allowing Sephiroth to take the advantage in the
air may be fatal.
______________________________________________________________________________
O=== Phase 2: Feral Destroyer ===========================================O
Three new attacks have been added in this Phase.
____________________________________
___/ 05 | Orbs of Destruction S1305 \_____________________________________
==============================================================================
Preconditions: Sora must not currently have orbs orbiting him. It generally
only occurs when Sephiroth is left alone for more than a few seconds. His
transition into Phase 2 is signaled with the materialization of these orbs.
Appearance: A number of large, dark, blueish-purple diffuse orbs materialize
around Sora. They orbit him slowly but eventually begin to close in on him
and are capable of following him linearly.
Damage: Moderate. Damage from the orbs is minimal, however each orb is
considered a separate hit. Therefore, if any of the orbs deals fatal damage,
the next orb will kill Sora if Last Life is equipped.
Area of effect: Any contact with any part of the volume of the ball will
trigger its combustion.
Counters: Attacking the orbs will destroy them in one hit. You can use magic
to affect them as well. Reflect and Magnet work well for this purpose,
however Reflect will also protect Sora temporarily and requires less mana per
cast. It is always a good idea to destroy the orbs as soon as possible
because they will mislead the targeting system and you may lose track of
Sephiroth.
______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________
___/ 06 | Pillars of Flame S1306 \_____________________________________
==============================================================================
Preconditions: Sora must be near Sephiroth and have recently attacked him.
This attack occurs most frequently after Sora attacks Sephiroth on the ground
without using a finishing move. Immediately after five or six rounds (using
Berserk), Sephiroth will use this attack.
Appearance: Sephiroth will mutter something and throw his arm into the air.
Pillars of flames will thrust forth from the ground high into the sky. There
are three pillars, all of which have a magnetic vortex affect meaning that
Sora will be sucked toward the pillars.
Damage: High. The pillars, while individually devastating, will toss Sora
amidst them such that the collateral damage from bouncing between the pillars
will be quite high.
Area of effect: The entire vicinity occupied by the pillars of flame will harm
Sora, but the magnetic effect ebbs throughout the entire area.
Counters: You cannot interrupt Sephiroth during this attack, so just run away
from the pillars until they dissipate. Flying works very well because the
magnetic effect will not be nearly as effective in the air, however you can
also Air Dodge away easily. Purely running away is not very effective.
______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________
___/ 07 | Heartless Angel S1307 \_____________________________________
==============================================================================
Preconditions: Used seemingly at random, but never in situations where another
attack would clearly take place (such as Pillars of Flame after a non-finisher
attack volley.)
Appearance: Sephiroth will float upwards into the sky as it darkens. He will
mutter a phrase and a halo will appear over Sora's head. At this point, there
is no way to avoid the attack. After the attack hits, Sephiroth will return
to the ground. Sephiroth will always follow this attack with a Sin Angel
strike so be sure to "react" to that.
Damage: Complete. This attack will always reduce Sora's HP to 1 and his MP to
0. **NOTE** However, there is one major exception to his rule that is most
likely a glitch in the game logic. If Sora's HP is at 1 BEFORE the attack
occurs, then the attack will FAIL to take Sora's MP to 0. In fact, it will
not affect his MP at all!
Area of effect: The attack only hits Sora and cannot miss.
Counters: As Sephiroth is rising into the air or shortly before the attack is
summoned, Sora CAN interrupt the procedure by attacking Sephiroth. If the
halo appears then you cannot dodge or block the attack further. Once hit,
prepare for the oncoming Sin Angel and take advantage of Sephiroth's lag from
that attack.
______________________________________________________________________________
O=== Phase 3: Onslaught Incarnate =======================================O
Sephiroth's third Phase grants one new attack.
____________________________________
___/ 08 | Supernova S1308 \_____________________________________
==============================================================================
Preconditions: Occurs when Sephiroth is near defeat, at less than 3 bars of
health.
Appearance: Sephiroth will appear in the air in the far center of the field.
Soon thereafter, meteors will rain towards Sora. The meteors will actually
follow Sora's position, they don't fall randomly or spread over the entire
field.
Damage: Moderate. Each meteor hurts moderately, but being hit by one will
usually mean that Sora will be bounced around by a few meteors.
Area of effect: A large area directly around Sora, however the meteors come
from the direction of Sephiroth. The AOE of a given meteor is the meteor
itself, in other words, Sora must touch the meteor to be hurt by it.
Counters: This attack will actually follow Sora around the arena, therefore
the fastest way to dodge the attack is to fly around the edge of the arena.
An anticlockwise direction seems to work more easily, but it should not make
much of a difference. The alternative method is to jump up to Sephiroth and
hit him repeatedly (take advantage of Charge Berserk here if possible) until
the attack is over. Be careful to not be hit by the meteors with either
method.
______________________________________________________________________________
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
05.d) General Tactics S1400
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
This section is simply general advice when fighting Sephiroth. A more
detailed account is found in the "flow of battle" section below. On with the
tactics:
+ Never lose sight of Sephiroth.
This means you should know where he is at all times. Keep a lock on him
whenever he teleports since it will break with each teleport.
+ Sephiroth's first attack can be "react"ed against.
I've named this attack "Sin Angel" for this guide. It hits multiple times,
however the reaction command will parry all of them. He will always open
with this attack.
+ Be defensive and attack at vital moments.
That is very vague so I shall expand on it. Sephiroth is an offensive brute
however his defense is really quite weak. He soaks damage like a sponge and
that is something you must take advantage of throughout the fight. For
example, it is often better to let Sephiroth launch Sora into the air so that
you can execute a vicious air combo to interrupt his Air Omnislash.
Further still, Sephiroth is open to attack just after a Grounded Omnislash
and after a Sin Angel. Both generate some recovery time, and if you were
able to guard or dodge the attack, you can use that oppurtunity to strike.
+ Offensive magic is useless.
Thunder, Fire, Blizzard, and Magnet of all forms are rather useless. The
only useful magic spells are defensive or curative: Reflectaga and Curaga.
Reflect can be used to dispel the destruction orbs, while Cure can entirely
heal Sora.
+ Conserve MP if playing defensively.
You will need MP in order to use Reflect to counter Sephiroth's Orbs in his
second and third phases, for this reason it is important to have MP at those
critical times.
+ Charge Berserk is abusable.
Yes, this skill is a huge boon when used correctly. While it does prevent
finishers from occurring while MP is charging, it allows infinite normal
combos. This will result in higher damage overall if 6 or 7 iterations of a
combo are unleashed upon Sephiroth. You can easily deplete Sora's MP with a
simple Curaga spell, so an infinite chain is always at your disposal.
Sephiroth will generally break out of the chain after 7 iterations, however,
so don't be overzealous.
+ Sephiroth can only be defeated with a finishing blow.
This means that the final hit to defeat Sephiroth must be classified as a
"finisher" by the game. If not, Sephiroth will remain with one sliver of
health until a finisher is used. Remember that finishers do NOT occur if
Charge Berserk is equipped and Sora's MP is charging. Simply continue a
combo attack and a finisher will end it.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
05.e) The Flow of Battle S1500
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
This section will cover in detail the typical flow of battle one can
expect in the battle against Sephiroth. The events may not occur in the order
given precisely, but they are general enough to be useful.
Sephiroth's first attack will be his Sin Angel (a dashing slash) to which
you must press TRIANGLE to react to it. Your reaction command will guard all
the attacks and allow you to attack Sephiroth.
Your goal at this point is to defend against Sephiroth's attacks and
counterattack when he leaves himself open. The best time to do this is just
after he uses a Grounded Omnislash or Sin Angel.
The other useful tactic to use is to allow Sephiroth to use his Teleport
Launch to send Sora air-borne. Now, quickly launch a Reversal Strike (with
Square) or recover and attack (press X to recover) as soon as you are in the
air. Timed correctly, you will begin to assault Sephiroth in the air.
Another useful but not necessary tactic is to equip Charge Berserk on
Sora and use your MP entirely so that Sora is charging his MP. At this point,
Sora's main attack will become "Berserk" which will string attacks together
without finishers. This will allow you to chain several more rounds of
attacks on Sephiroth at a time. However, he CAN break out of this after 6 or 7
iterations, so be careful and don't be overzealous.
Here is the general flow you can expect, the arrows indicate how you ought to
react to the numbered situation:
O=== Phase 1: The Wanderer ==============================================O
01) Sephiroth uses Sin Angel.
> Press Triangle to parry the attack.
> Attack Sephiroth after the attack expires. Distance yourself from
Sephiroth.
02) Sephiroth uses Grounded Omnislash.
> Either Guard the attack or dodge it and retaliate.
> Dodge and keep your distance.
03) Sephiroth uses Teleport Launch.
> Recover/Revenge Slash immediately and attack Sephiroth mid-air.
> After landing, distance yourself from Sephiroth.
04) Sephiroth launches Sora and uses Air Omnislash.
> Try to recover and retaliate, otherwise just grin and bear it.
O=== Phase 2: Feral Destroyer ===========================================O
Phase 2: Reached after Sephiroth incurs 4.5 bars of damage.
Sephiroth will mutter something and teleport away to summon Orbs of
Destruction. This is the transition into Phase 2.
The basic tactics you've used in the first Phase will still hold true in this
phase. Keep in mind that Sephiroth is now faster and his Omnislash has much
greater range. He will also teleport more frequently, thus it will be more
difficult to attack him after defending against his blows.
Anytime Sephiroth summons orbs in a circle around Sora, cast Reflect to ward
them off.
Sephiroth will now also use his infamous Heartless Angel and Pillars of Flame
attacks in this and the next phase. Here is the general flow for the second
Phase (include the attacks from Phase 1):
05) Sephiroth summons the Orbs of Destruction.
> Cast Reflect to dispel the orbs. If this does not work or is not possible
then simply attack the orbs to dispel them.
06) Sephiroth casts Pillars of Flame.
> Fly away as quickly as possible. Sephiroth will only do this attack when
near Sora.
07) Sephiroth rises into the air in order to use Heartless Angel.
> Jump up and strike Sephiroth as quickly as possible to interrupt the
attack.
> If a halo appears above Sora, the attack will always hit him.
> If he is too far, you can try to time a healing item or Curaga such that
Sora will be healed JUST after the attack strikes him.
08) Sephiroth strikes Sora with Heartless Angel.
> Right after a successful Heartless Angel, Sephiroth will almost always use
Sin Angel. Be prepared to "react" to it and attack Sephiroth right
after the attack.
> Heal with a Hi-Potion or Elixir (since your magic will most likely be
depleted; if not then use a Curaga Spell.)
O=== Phase 3: Onslaught Incarnate =======================================O
Phase 3: Reached after Sephiroth has roughly 5.5 bars of health remaining.
Sephiroth will teleport to a fixed location and charge until his upper torso
begins to emit a pink aura. This is the transition into Phase 3.
All of the tactics you've applied in the previous forms still apply, however
Sephiroth is much, much faster and more ferocious than he was previously. As
such, you will need to react to his actions more quickly. He also has a new
attack in his arsenal: Supernova (a rain of meteors.)
Here is the final flow, include the attacks from Phases 1 and 2:
09) Sephiroth rises into the air and uses Supernova.
> Counter the meteor rain by flying around the edge of the arena.
> Wait for him to descend from the attack and keep a distance from him.
The flow in the final form is difficult due to his high speed. Sephiroth is
most vulnerable after Supernova and Sin Angel. These are the best times in
which to attack him. Be patient and avoid his attacks as much as possible. A
good idea is to bring Sephiroth to about 6 bars of health, just before the
transformation into Phase 3, and take advantage of Charge Berserk to shave off
3 or 4 life bars. This will reduce the time he has in his third Phase and you
may be able to defeat him before he is able to use Supernova.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
05.f) Aftermath S1600
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When you finally manage to defeat Sephiroth, some words are exchanged and
you will regain control in the Dark Depths once more. You cannot fight
Sephiroth again once he is defeated. In order to obtain the Keyblade Fenrir
and view the "Showdown of Fate 2" cutscene, head back to the Radiant Garden
shopping area. Speak with Cloud and tell him that you know where Sephiroth is
and he will leave to find him. Go back to the Dark Depths. Here you will
witness the "Showdown of Fate 2." After this cutscene, Tifa will give Sora
powerful Keyblade, Fenrir. Sora will also gain +1 to his Drive Gauge
immediately after the battle.
Fenrir is the most powerful Keyblade with 7 attack power, 1 magic attack
power and a Combo Minus ability.
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06. Credits S9999
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks to CJayC for hosting GameFAQs and this document. Credit goes to
my fellow FAQ authors as they are a constant source of inspiration. Likewise,
credit goes to any and all authors, especially those with whom I am familiar,
for they have also influenced my writing.
Thanks to Square-Enix for producing this game. And of course, a thank
you to all my friends who do or do not support me: you know who are.
Copyright (c) 2006. All rights reserved. This document is property of
"Masamune167" and may not be used without explicit permission.
