Kingdom Hearts: World's Strongest
A Tactical Guide
By GreenRunner
Version 0.3b
22/9/02
Recent Updates:
Version 0.3b
-Checked and added to contributions from my first round
of contributor emails. Thanks everybody! oh and if I
ever get your name wrong in any way be sure and let me
know.
-Added the Leon Section
-Dropped in my tips for fighting mobs
-Added a section on Guard Armor
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
-Stuffs you should know about this FAQ. Contains definitions of my
personal jargon.
2. General Tactics
-Tactics for maximizing Sora, Goofy and Donald's potential
3. Heartless Tactics
-Tactics for defeating the hordes of Heartless
4. Boss Tactics
-Tactics for Taking on the Bosses
Darkside Alpha
Darkside Beta
Darkside Gamma
Leon
Guard Armor
5. Optional Boss Tactics
-Tactics for fighting optional enemies
Tidus
Selphie
Wakka
FF Trio
Riku
6. Administratia
-Version History, credits, etc.
1. Introduction
This guide is designed to make you a better fighter in Kingdom
Heart's, maybe even the World's Strongest. Its designed as a guide
to show every weakness of every opponent's every attack. Admittedly
this project is a tad ambitious but I feel up to it. This Guide is
designed to be used with Kingdom Hearts American Release on
Expert Mode.
To find enemies in this FAQ refer to the table of contents. If you do
not know the name of the enemy, use the find command to search for the
location. I will list the location of every Boss and Alternate
enemies by world in their general description. Regular Heartless will
not be listed in this manner. The names of the Heartless are listed
in your journal along with a picture so there is no excuse not to
have the name; plus many of the enemies appear in more then one spot
making finding them by locale difficult. This guide will not contain
any information regarding how to get equipment, solve puzzles, find
secret areas etc. I will make recommendations of what equipment you
should have but the are other better FAQs for this, CJayC's has my
personal endorsement of the FAQs posted so far. I am working on the
assumption that you have already beaten the game and know the basic
mechanics, controls, and storyline of the game. On a similar note I
will be giving no notice about spoilers so if you are paranoid about
them stop reading now. I will not be covering the Mushrooms because
Mecasim has already covered them superbly in his Mushrooming Hunting
Guide. I do not have any access to exact HP numbers, MP Numbers etc
of Bosses. It doesn't really matter in any case because you never get
exact numbers in combat and the numbers are therefore useless.
This is a work in progress so please feel free to email me with any
information I missed variants on strategy etc. I'll be sure to test
them out and then add and credit them if they merit my doing so.
Check Administratia for email address etc.
Some user notes. Whenever I talk about right hand or left hand I mean
the actual character's perspective. So Tidus' right is the right if
you were Tidus looking out. Always from the perspective of the
subject. Counter and sidestep are my terms. There is no sidestep
command in the game when I say sidestep I mean move or right or left
far enough to avoid the attack. Counter does not necessarily refer to
the ability Counter. It means use an opening right after an enemy
attack to attack with whatever method you deem or that I tell you to
use. Use context to differentiate. I refuse to answer questions
about timing. I'll try and give you a general idea but frankly it is
to hard to explain to someone without actually being right there. I
will give you a guideline; it is up to you to work out the exact
timing that works for you. So don't email me about it. A caveat to
that is if there is some glaring signal then I will tell you but don't
expect great detail. Do not email me asking about timing I will
mostly likely print them out then burn them capeche? If you have
tried and tried and a tactic and it absolutely does not work you may
email me saying it doesn't work. I will do two things, first check
the battle to make sure that I am right. Then I'll check the wording
in the FAQ to make sure that my point is absolutely clear. Please
disregard any jokes I make that are vague references to other things
such as the title of this FAQ being a reference to the Dragonball
Movie of the same name. It's annoying I know but you'll get over it
and it keeps me sane.
2. General Tactics
I. Sora
Sora's biggest asset is the Keyblade. There is really no reason to
rely on anything else. The magic is almost useless for anything
except healing which Donald will do for you if configured correctly.
Oh and the Summons have yet to help me in any meaningful way. So the
best Keyblades are the ones with reach and high attack powers. The
loss of one or two MP isn't a big deal,especially considering that
later in the game your MP is practically limitless in small quantities
due to the abilities MP Haste and MP Rage. With these two abilities
you should almost always have the one MP necessary for Cure, making
you nearly immortal. Concentrate on long combos and special
abilities. Now I'll take a second to rate the abilities I have gained
so far for Sora.
Abilities (*s indicate strong abilities, -s represent poor abilities)
Vortex Strike
Does better damage then the thrust although it's a tad slower
also will hit multiple enemies
Aerial Sweep
Nice ability that does good damage and is more accurate then
trying to jump and hit the enemy yourself. Also has a nice
radius of attack.
Combo Plus
More damage is good.
Blitz*
More Damage is...yeah...good
Air Combo Plus
Ditto
Guard-
Similar to Dodge Roll but crappier.
Dodge Roll*
Some enemy attacks are nearly impossible to avoid without this
ability
Counter*
This ability is very nice since many strategies rely heavily
on parrying enemy attacks.
Berserk-
Why would you ever let yourself be in a position to use this?
Critical Plus
A nice ability if you've got the AP for it but you can win
without it.
Scan
Nice if you've got the AP but not really critical
Second Chance*
Second Chance means that if you take any damage while above 1
HP that would normally kill you you will be set to 1 hp
instead. Making this ability great! Extra note, When
Combined with Tinkerbell this makes you nearly invincible for
as long as she is around! Thanks to CrzyKyle280 for both the
ability clarification and the Tinkerbell tip.
MP Haste*
When combined with MP Rage you should have nearly infinite
healing
MP Rage*
Ditto, except where it says MP rage, then think MP Haste
Ars Arcanum
Does nice damage but costs valuable MP. Also save MP for
healing so use sparingly
Ragnarok
Better then Ars in my opinion. It's cheaper and still does
fair damage. Some problem with the MP Drain
Sonic Blade*
It gets an * mostly because it is the best of the MP combos.
The range allows you to pull off this move away from danger
and it is cheaper the Ars. It does still cost MP though which
is a nuisance.
Trinity Limit-
Only an idiot would sacrifice all that MP.
Strike Raid
Alright, thanks to heyxavier for prompting me to take another
look at this.ability and maybe I was a little hard on it when
I said that Fire was better but it still is not the best
ability. HeyXavier, it is true that it is very useful for
fighting groups of Heartless when they are mixed Flying and
Land Based but its damage is still weak and against a mobile
boss it will nearly always miss. Still not a great ability.
Any Ability Regarding Treasure
Sure you might as well if you've got the AP. But they won't
help you win any fight really.
II. Goofy
Goofy is very useful later in the game for his MP Gift ability, which
makes him a walking Mana Battery. Early on in the game he is useful
to have tossing potions and ethers where they are needed. Since he is
most useful as a healer he should be equipped with defensive shields
and accessories. Set his AI to Conservative then up Support Actions
to constantly and Shield Techniques to occasionally. Set his item use
to reflect your economic situation. If you've got the money for 99
potions might as well have him using them.
Abilities
Rocket-
Nope. He shouldn't be wasting MP using special attacks.
Charge-
Ditto
Tornado-
Ditto
MP Gift*
This ability is great. All that free Mana translates into MP
Combos for Sora.
Second Wind*
Now if he dies you can run away till he revives, then he has
even more mana to
give you, yay!
Second Chance
A dead Goofy is no good to anyone
MP Rage* and MP Haste*
His MP is your MP.
Berserk-
Sora is much more useful for killing things.
Cheer-
Screw the Summons.
Treasure Abilities
Again they are nice if you're looking for goods. Scrap 'em if
you need the AP for battle abilities.
III. Donald
Since Donald is weak and can't exactly "casts the spells that
makes the peoples fall down" (Black Mage, 8-Bit Theater). Donald is
useless as anything but bait until you get Cure. Then he is nice to
have around for healing. Also his tendency to cast Stop constantly
toward the end of the game was very nice. Other then that he will
always be out of MP. Yeah a duck with a stick, reeaalll useful. I
put Donald in manual and set him up like this.
Regular Attacks: Frequently (Helps him keep up his mana)
Offensive Magic: Occasionally
Defensive Magic: Frequently
Advanced Magic: Frequently
Advanced magic Frequently
HP Items: Emergency
MP Items: Emergency
With this setup he can be a real asset later on in the game. He can heal you
freeing up mana for Sora's Magic Combos and Stop can keep you from getting
swarmed by
the Heartless.
Abilities
Berserk-
Donald is weak and it sucks to be half-dead.
MP Haste* and MP Rage*
Infinite MP good.
Second Chance
Living good.
Second Wind*
All that extra HP and MP is really nice to have.
Cheer-
Summons are pretty, but not much else
Treasure Abilities
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Shinys are good!
But they won't beat bosses bar Gil Toss.
IV. Guest Characters
I personally found them to be a useless set of slackers with the
exception of Tarzan. He is useful for replacing Donald in the
beginning. His attack power is way more useful then Donald's
Offensive Spells. Maybe later on I will update this to give a rundown
of the guest characters but don't bank on it. Just stick to the duck
and the.... well, uh dog?
3. Heartless Tactics
Alright, if you have been watching this FAQ as I update it you will
realize that I am a huge liar. I claimed I would not work on this
section until I had finished the boss section. That is now half true.
I was fighting some heartless after overcoming Squall and I realized
that I had a few quick group fighting tips to pass on. So I'm going
to give those but I'm not going to go in depth about particular
enemies until I finish the boss section.
The camera is your greatest weakness, recognize it. The camera in
this game is terrible. Learn a few tricks to make managing masses of
enemies easier. Relax your eyes and do not focus intently on one
enemy. This allows you to track more enemies at once and you will be
less likely to be taken unawares. Keep an eye out for enemies
preparing attacks and be ready to get out of the way. Anyone can wail
away the trick is to not get pounded while you're doing it.
On the same note watch enemies as they go off the screen. You won't
be able to track their exact location but knowing that the annoying
shadow is off to your left will allow you to reoreint and attack him
that much faster if when you are ready to switch targets. Switch
targets often. The heartless are a fairly mobile bunch and tend to
come in droves. Don't focus on one enemy, chasing that one annoying
Bandit across the screen through eight other enemies is not doing you
any good. The same goes for unloading a combo on a shadow that is
underground. You are much better off switching to a closer enemy and
waiting for that annoying monkey to come back.
Control your combos. Mashing the button will not make your combo
execute any faster if you practice the timing of your combos. The
extra control you get will allow you to more easily pull out of a
combo to evade attacks.
4. Boss Tactics
This is the Format that will be used for describing the bosses.
Name
Description of General strategy and any other useful info such as
elemental weaknesses. Also prep notes on what you should have done or
own before the battle to make things easier.
Attack
Attack 1-Type- Description and Phase it appears in
Attack 2-Type- Description and Phase it appears in
Phases
Phase 1- Description and Strategy
Phase 2- Description, Strategy and trigger
Key Points- Brief overview of the important points
A note on Phase and trigger: Phase is used to indicate when a Boss changes
tactics. For instance after you do a certain amount of damage to Trickmaster
he will start setting his torches on fire. That is a shift from Phase 1 to
Phase 2 that is TRIGGERed by damage. See?
A note on Attacks: The names of these attacks I've made up. They are in no
way licensed or endorsed by Disney or Squaresoft. The names of the bosses
have been taken from the journal within the game and are Disney and Squaresoft
licensed. I created the attack names as a tool for describing strategies more
easily.
A note on Type: There are Four types and they all have to do with
deflectability.
Weak: This attack can be deflected and will stun the enemy. You will
also awarded tech points.
Strong: This attack can be deflected to prevent you from taking
damage, but it will not stun the opponent. Strong* means that you get
tech points but no stun, mostly ballistic abilities.
Quick: This attack will happen faster then Sora can attack. This
means the attack is very difficult to deflect. Whether quick is strong
or weak is unlisted because they are so hard to pull off that I will
need more time to research.
Break: Even deflection cannot save you now. The enemies' attack will
strike through Sora's attack.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Darkside
This Boss you will have to fight three times. Since I am playing
through the game while writing this FAQ I'll update his later forms
when I get a chance to analyze them.
Alpha Darkside
This is the Darkside encountered in the dream world at the end of the
stain glass path. He's a jobber. Plus you can die without penalty
except a wounded pride and less experience. Since your equipment is
predetermined I've got no prep tips for you.
Attacks
Vacuum Punch-Break- Darkside will rear back for just about ever then
strike down hitting the ground and creating a dark spot. He's not
really aiming at you but it doesn't hurt to be moving away from him
while he's charging up. The pool of darkness will not hurt you but
does spawn Shadows.
Heart of Darkness-Weak*- Darkside will get on his knees. Then his
heart crevice will begin pulsing purple light. He'll then shoot out
an energy ball. He will do this twice more, then he will fire three
balls at once. He will then stand back up. The second time he does
Heart of Darkness he will shoot out three sets of three a set of five.
Any subsequent attacks will follow the three triples then a five set
pattern. Jeremy Ross, an email contributor, has pointed out that by
simply standing behind Darkside directly between his feet none of the
energy balls will ever hit you. This is much simpler, and easier
then my previous method. If you are up for a little more danger you
can try going for the tech points. You can deflect up to three of the
fireballs via proper timing. That is by far the most dangerous
option but it does deal extra damage to Darkside. If you
stay directly in front of Darkside while doing it you will also get 3
tech points a shot, 1 for the deflection and two for striking darkside
in the face. Take your pick.
Phases
Phase 1- Darkside's one and only phase is fairly easy. Dodge Vacuum
Punch's initial strike then kill the shadows that pop up. Make sure
you get all of them or they will be trouble when he uses Heart of
Darkness. Also if you want to toss in some extra damage, hop on his
charging hand while he is charging the Vacuum Punch. You can then
wail away till he strikes the ground. You should have enough time
while the hand is down to get in some strikes on the hand while
dispatching the shadows. Just make sure you get all of the shadows
before he begins Heart of Darkness. Darkside will alternate between
Vacuum Punch and Heart of Darkness for the entire battle.
Key Points-
+ Kill the Shadows as soon as they appear
+ Avoid the Heart of Darkness
+ Strike while he is charging up the Vacuum Punch and after
he executes the Vacuum Punch
Beta Darkside
This is the Darkside that you fight on the beach of Destiny Islands.
He is
almost exactly the same as Alpha Darkside with one more attack. Just
make sure you stock up on potions by beating up Riku (Riku is covered
in the Optional Enemy section). You shouldn't really need them but
they
are free and it can't hurt.
Attacks
Vacuum Punch- See above
Heart of Darkness- See above
Purple Rain-Weak and Break- Darkside will plunge his left arm deep
into the ground causing a shockwave which will radiate out across the
ground. Make sure you jump up as the shockwave nears you because it
covers a lot of ground so you can't run from it.. Darkside will stay
down for about 3 seconds before he pulls a giant evil ball out of the
ground. He will then toss this ball into the air. Then Energy balls
will rain down slowly through Darkside's next couple of attack phases.
These balls will always be trying to land on your head so make sure
you are moving nearly constantly. Note that the giant ball he first
pulls out of the ground will damage you. You can take some shots at
his head while his arm is in the ground but be sure to get out of the
way before he pulls it out. The purple "raindrops" are Weak, the
giant ball of Evil is Break.
Phases
Phase 1- Same as Alpha Darkside simply avoid the Purple Rain during the
latter
half of the battle.
Key Points-
+ Kill the Shadows as soon as they appear
+ Avoid the energy blasts
+ Strike while he is charging up the Vacuum Punch and after
he executes the Vacuum Punch
+ Strike while he is preparing Purple rain, but get out
before he starts to stand
Gamma Darkside
Not there yet, sorry.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Leon
Squall, aka Leon blech, appears outside of the Accessory shop in
Traverse Town. If you want to know the truth this battle was
responsible for huge delay between updates. He was giving me all
sorts of headaches but I finally found a truly nice and easy trick for
taking him to town. Try and get some Fire Rings if you can.
The bonus defense and fire damage shielding is useful, protect rings
make a fine substitute.
Attacks
Fireblast-Weak- This attack is easy to see coming and to deflect. Squall
will stand and extend his hand. Simultaneously little red bits will
swirl into his hand. Then he fire a fireball at you. This attack has
some weird physics. It has a mild arc and will actually hit the
ground very near you if you run away from Squall. This attack is
very easy to dodge just be moving perpendicular until he fires then
bam you are good to go. You can also move into attack by spiraling in
toward him. That way when he fires the blast will still miss
you and you should be close enough to unload a combo. You can also
deflect this attack to stun him. Be warned the fireball is very fast,
in fact I often swung while he was charging to get the timing
right.
Strikethrough-Weak- This is actually two attacks but he uses them together
so often that they are practically a combo. The stroke is a simple
over head attack. You can either deflect or jump aside. This attack
executes very quickly making it tough to avoid. Jump diagonally when
you hear him grunt or strike immediately. The other slash is a
sweeping backhand. This attack takes much longer to execute. Squall
will put his sword up and back, toward his left ear then make a
U-shaped slash that ends up near his left ear. The real nuisance in
this attack is that the U shape means you can be hit in the air by
this strike if you jump toward his right arm. Always jump vertically
or toward his left shoulder. Deflecting this attack is difficult, if
you are standing too close to Squall you will hit him but not the
strike which will then hit you. Squall uses these attacks together,
in any order and also independently.
Phases
Phase 1- Squall very difficult for one reason, and one reason alone,
he is a rock. Squall's attacks leave a fair number of openings. You
can dart in after his Fireblast, you ca deflect his Strikethrough or
you can jump over his strikethrough. The problem with any head on
form of attack is that Squall does not stun and can counter through
your combo. Squalls Strikethrough carries quite a wallop and unless
you are a couple levels head with a really high defense you will not
live through more then 4 of those. So how do you predict and evade
this counter? The problem is that you don't. Squall is too fast and
unpredictable (He can start with either overhead or straight across
style attacks) to reliably attack head on. Sometimes he would hit me
in the second strike of my combo, sometimes he would wait till the
end. There was no reliable way to unload a combo after an evasion.
Theoretically you could evade counter, hit once and run but this
method leaves no margin for error and is ludicrously slow.
Now for the trick. It's all about that mailbox. Remember how
Fireblast moves in that strange arc? Well that means that Squall
cannot fire it in a direct line in any direction but directly in front
of him. Now Squalls preferred mode of movement is to jump
very high and land near you and attack with Strikethrough or to walk
right at you then use his Strikethrough. So here's what you do to
prevent him from ever being able to attack through your combo. Jump
on the mailbox and wait there. His Fireblast will be unable to hit
you and Squall can't walk at you. This means he is forced to jump at
you so wait for him to jump time it up right and hit him in the air.
You should both land off of the mailbox by the time your combo is
finished. You should then easily have enough time to run away before
Squall can regroup for an attack. Simply repeat this strategy and
Squall should never be capable of launching an attack that can harm
you.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guard Armor
You'll find this guy in Traverse Town. He's pretty weak, weaker then
Squall in my opinion. In terms of Prep I'd recommend you grab some
Protect Chains from the Heartless or the Accessory Shop.
Attacks
Clatter Drop-Break- This ability is a simple attack to evade. All that
happens is Guard Armor will charge up by squatting, rotating his
helmet then leaping straight into the air. He will sort of fall to
pieces in the air then land with a mild explosion. This attack is
aimed at you in that if you are away from him he will jump in an arc
and land on your head. The radius of this attack is limited to the
area almost directly beneath Guard Armor. To avoid this attack simply
jump before Guard Armor lands. Simply time up your jump to be
leaping away from Guard Armor when he lands. Then rush back in to
take advantage of his down time.
Satellite Claws-Weak- This attack is Guard Armor's biggest weakness as far
as I am concerned. Guard Armor will put his right arm back and up
and his left arm almost directly in front of his torso. He stays that
way for almost a full 2 seconds. Then he will start spinning
his arms around his torso. He does this for just shy of 4 seconds,
starting high and circling lower. This attack is easy to deflect.
Simply get away from Guard Armor when he gets into his stance. Then
when he starts spinning charge back toward him jump and strike. Guard
Armor should be stunned and you get two tech points and an
opening. As a quick note if you are directly under Guard Armor he
will not be able to hit you with Satellite Claws but you will not be
able to deflect it. This attack differs slightly when used by the
hands alone and when Guard Armor has sent his feet off. In both of
these situations the Rotating Claws will act exactly the same except
that instead of standing still Guard Armor will come at you. The only
thing you have to is adjust your timing accordingly.
Wind Up One Two-Quick- This is an attack used by the claws when they are
loose from the body. The arms will loop around twice, much like they
were chasing each other then they will execute a one two punch combo
where you were standing. This is because all you have to do is circle
around the hands as they are winding up and this attack won't
hit you. After they strike the grounds the hands will loop back up
and circle one more time. This is not the beginning of another Wind
Up One Two. If you've got some skills you can deflect this attack by
attacking right as the pause after their second loop before they
punch. It's really much simpler to get away though.
Power March-Weak- This is an attack that is used by the feet when they are
detached from the body. This attack is very simple to deflect and
give yourself a great opportunity for some cheap shots on the feet.
The feet will do a little back flip then start marching at you with
high exxagerated steps. This attack has a vertical strike, the foot
itself, and a ground shockwave, a little bluish circle that radiates
outward when the foot comes down, both of which will do damage.
Simply jump straight up and attack the lifted foot and you will
deflect this attack. Then just rush up and lay the damage on thick.
Blue Funk-Weak- This attack is just plain silly. When you've destroyed all
his appendages the Guard Armor will do this attack. First he
spins once clockwise, then once counter clockwise then he will spin
around while rotating around an imaginary point. This attack is silly
because it doesn't really come after you, spending most of its
time wailing on Donald and Goofy. Simply let him spin himself
out then attack. Repeat victory. When he gets the blue stuff
around him you can attack him carefully without taking any
damage. Simply attack but do not combo or else you will crash into
him.
Phases
I'm going to throw a quick note in here about Guard Armor's phases.
They have a pattern that is difficult to make clear by simply talking
about triggers so I am going to discuss it here. this is how Guard
Armor's phases go: Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 1, Phase 3, Phase1, Phase
4, Phase 1, Phase 2, etc. In short, he will first shoot out his arms
that pull himself together, then shoot out his legs, then pull himself
together, then he will shoot out both, then together again.
He continues this phase pattern until you destroy either both his arms
or both his legs. Then he will act as if he goes Phase 1,
Phase 4, Phase 1, Phase 4. Only the Phase 4 will only have one set of
appendages out. When all his appendages are destroyed he goes
into Phased 5. Phew.
Phase 1-All together- This is the Phase that Guard Armor will start in.
Guard Armor will have all of his parts and will execute either Clatter
Drop or Satellite Claws. Both of these attacks are easy to avoid
and there are no real tricks. Simply keep your distance and react
to either attack he tries. Both leave wide openings that you can
use to load on some damage. You want to be concentrating on the
appendages. The legs are easier to hit when he is stunned but I
prefer to aim for the arms. The arms and legs are about equally as
dangerous but I prefer to concentrate on the arms because they give me
more trouble during the Floater Phase. That's a personal choice
though, it is much quicker to hit the legs when Guard Armor is
stunned because they are less mobile.
Phase 2-No hands- This phase is just triggered by time. After Guard Armor
has executed two or three attacks he will flip both his hands then
they will pop off. Now this phase is much more tricky then Phase 1.
Now Guard Armor will continue to stomp around doing the occasional
Clatter Drop. While at the same time the hands will float around
doing either Wind Up One Two or Satellite Claws. You should try and
keep the arms between you and Guard Armor so that you can see him
prepare his Clatter Drop. The Satellite Claws attack will have the
same give away, right arm back left arm forward, except the body won't
be there. Continue concentrating on the arms. The reason is that
because it is easy to avoid Clatter Drop by jumping and executing
a combo on the arms when Guard Armor takes to the air. The other
advantage is that by destroying the arms you a.)eliminate his
ability to execute Satellite Claws, and to send them out after you,
you must break both arms to prevent either of these attacks. b.) Every
appendage shoots out health balls when it is destroyed which is a
huge help since you are devoid of curing spells and potions are
expensive. When both hands do little backflips it means that Guard
Armor is just about to return to Phase 1.
Phase 3-Floater- This phase is also triggered by time. After Guard armor
has executed Phase3 and then Phase 1 again he will go into Phase 3
Guard Armor will do two short little hops then his legs will pop off.
In this phase it is imperative that you keep the legs between
you and Guard Armor this will allow you to see when Guard Armor is
charging up for Satellite Claws, as I've mentioned about 8000 times
already Satellite Claws will home in on you which can be a real
headache if you don't see it coming. He'll also execute Clatter Drop
just so you know, watch out and be in the air.. As long as you are
keeping that in mind all you have to do is keep deflecting Power March
and attacking the feet while they are immobile. I highly
recommend deflecting Power March instead of running away from it has
otherwise when Guard Armor does Satellite Claws it will be difficult
to escape. Aside from that its same old strategy. Deflect the legs,
attack the legs, swerve and deflect Satellite claws then attack
whatever suits your fancy.
Phase4- Self Locomotion- That's a Bed Knobs and Broomsticks reference for
all of you who grew up with that movie. So anyway in this Phase Guard
Armor will send out all his available appendages. He'll shake
all his appendages right before he sends them out. I
recommend just keeping some distance between you and every part of
Guard Armor because between the three of them they will be executing
all of his attacks except Blue Funk almost simultaneously. The
easiest way is to take off your camera lock and run around the outside
of the area. Then whenever an attack is coming your way lock
on and deflect it then continue running away. The exception is
obviously Clatter Drop which you should simply jump to avoid and Wind
Up One Two which just requires you to keep running. Guard armor will
retract the arms and legs eventually then return to his easier phases.
He'll shake the arms and legs right before they retract.
Phase5- It's Just A Flesh Wound- Monty Python reference. So this phase is
really silly it happens right after you destroy all of his appendages.
Just refer to the Blue Funk section under attacks. Victory is yours.
Blue Funk is the only attack that Guard Armor will use in
this phase.
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5. Non-Essential Boss Tactics
This is the Format that will be used for describing the bosses.
Name
Description of General strategy and any other useful info such as
elemental weaknesses. Also prep notes on what you should have done or
own before the battle to make things easier.
Attack
Attack 1-Type- Description and Phase it appears in
Attack 2-Type- Description and Phase it appears in
Phases
Phase 1- Description and Strategy
Phase 2- Description, Strategy and trigger
Key Points- Brief overview of the important points
A note on Phase and trigger: Phase is used to indicate when a Boss changes
tactics. For instance after you do a certain amount of damage to Trickmaster
he will start setting his torches on fire. That is a shift from Phase 1 to
Phase 2 that is TRIGGERed by damage. See?
A note on attacks: The names of these attacks I've made up. They are in no
way licensed by Disney or Squaresoft. The names of the bosses have been taken
from the journal within the game and are Disney and Squaresoft licensed. I
created the attack names as a tool for describing strategies more easily.
A note on Type: There are Four types and they all have to do with
deflectability.
Weak: This attack can be deflected and will stun the enemy.
Strong: This attack can be deflected to prevent you from taking
damage, but it will not stun the opponent.
Quick: This attack will happen faster then Sora can attack. This
means the attack is difficult to deflect. Like if an enemy uses it
while you are comboing something else. Whether quick is strong or
weak is unlisted because they are so hard to pull off that I will
need more time to research.
Break: Even deflection cannot save you now. The enemies' attack will
strike through Sora's attack.
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Tidus
He's floating around on the Destiny Islands and is pretty damn easy.
He's only got three attacks and no phases.
Attacks
Slash-Weak-He swings his stick ooh scary. This attack is easily
recognized because it his only horizontal strike. He'll put his sword
to the right and then bring it across his chest in a forehand sweep.
As soon as he puts back his hand attack and you'll deflect his blow.
Use this opportunity to unload a combo.
Rising Strike-Strong- Tidus will occasional use this move that is
backflip uppercut slash. If you attempt a leaping attack on Tidus
when he is not prone he will use this uppercut style move and it will
deflect your attack. He will also use it occasionally in close
quarters. You can either sidestep or deflect this attack.
Sidestepping is infinitely better as it allows you to unload a combo
on him. You can recognize this move because Tidus will drop his sword
back and low right before attacking.
Falling Strike-Strong- This attack is the inverse of Rising strike.
Tidus will do a front flip with an overhead vertical strike. This
attack appears in two places; first it will some times follow his
Rising Strike. Secondly it will appear after he cartwheels away from
you. When it follows the Rising strike it is simply executed where he
stands. When it follows the backward cartwheel he will lung toward
you then execute the strike. If it follows the Rising Strike you
should have already side stepped and be hitting him. To avoid it when
it follows the cartwheel simply circle him when he cartwheels
backward. The strike is not quick enough to hit you if you are moving
perpendicular to Tidus as he lunges. Then quickly about face after
the strike to unload a combo.
Phases
Phase 1- Basically Tidus' attacks are random. Simply pay close
attention to the beginning of his attacks so you can see predict them,
then respond with the appropriate counter. Rising Strike and Slash
will both be used at close quarters while Falling Strike is used when
you are at a distance or when it follows Rising Strike. You should
have no trouble beating this poor incarnation of Tidus.
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Selphie
Found on Destiny Islands Selphie is a weak opponent. No prep.
Attacks
Sweeping Leaves-Quick- This is Selphie's basic close quarters attack.
She'll draw her Nun-chucks back away from her body, toward her left
ear, then swing across her body in a downward sweeping motion to
strike low in the front. This attack has a 180-degree radius of
attack directly in front of her. The easiest way to avoid
this attack is to jump over it then attack. Then unload your combo,
either from the air or the ground. You'll have the time to land and
then execute a combo which is better because you are more likely to
finish the
combo.
Snapper-Weak- In this attack Selphie will lung forward and strike in
an overhand whipping motion. If you want you can simply sidestep and
then attack. The best option however is to deflect this attack. When
she first lunges, before the purple streak appears, strike. You should
deflect her attack but don't immediately combo. Instead wait for her
Nun-chunk to swing back and bonk her on the head, you'll get an extra
tech point. Then strike her down with righteous fury. I mean, unload
your combo.
Get Ready! Twirl-Weak- This is a ridiculously easy attack to avoid.
Selphie will yell Get Ready! then start swinging her Nun-chucks around
her body 7 times while charging after you. Avoid the temptation to
run, jump or get out of the way. Instead use your offense as your
defense. Use your lunging stab and you will deflect this attack or
hit Selphie, either way you will not take damage and can unload a
combo.
Phase
Phase 1- Much like Tidus she simply uses her attacks depending on what
distance she is at. When you are far away she will either use Snapper
or Get Ready! Twirl. When she is close she will mostly likely run
away or use Sweeping Leaves. Watch carefully, evade, then attack.
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Wakka
Wakka is also found on Destiny Islands and is probably the weakest of
the FF trio. No prep.
Attacks
Striker-Weak- Wakka rears back then throws his ball at you. You have
two options. The first is to simply curve around toward him. As he
is rearing back angle as if you were going about and inch or two
toward his right or left. Then almost right after the ball is thrown
cut straight in and attack Wakka. Alternatively you can strike the
ball in air. It will then fly back and hit Wakka if you are close
enough. Wakka will then be stunned and execute Derp Ball! two
times in a row. This is your chance, strike him down with all of your
anger (Emperor Palipatane, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi).
Derp Ball!-Weak- Not exactly an attack per se. If you deflect Blitz
Wakka will stumble around tossing the ball in huge rainbow arcs at
you. You should never be hit by this attack. Just rush in and attack.
Aerial Power Striker-Strong- Wakka will leap into the air and hurl the
ball at you complete with neat blue fire trail. Simply avoid this
attack by jumping sidestepping or whatever makes you comfortable. You
can hit it back at him much like Striker however it rarely, if ever
hits him for a stun. The reason is because when you strike the ball
it heads directly for Wakka, since he is in the air he is a moving
target and the ball will sail harmlessly past him. Occasionally if
you are at the right distance you will hit it as he is landing. That
pause during the landing will give the ball time to hit him.
If you simply evade chances are you will not be able to retaliate
because Wakka does this attack from far away and it is the ball is
faster then Striker.
Tidal Spin-Break- This attack is executed very quickly and hits in a
full 360-degree circle. It cannot be deflected. Wakka will use this
attack if you get in close to him. He rears back right before he
spins. Run away you'll be fine, do not jump often times you will be
hit by the trailing end of the attack.
Phases
Phase 1- Wakka differs from the other FF Trio in that only one of his
attacks easily counterable. That attack is Striker, if he uses either
of his other attacks you are best off simply dodging and waiting for
him to use Striker which he does 2 out of three times. Striker and
Aerial Power Striker are executed from a distance while Tidal Spin is
only activated when you get in close. Note, Wakka will not use tidal
spin if you charge in quickly after Striker or when he is stunned from
having Striker deflected.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Final Fantasy Trio
After defeating all of the FF Trio individually you can talk to Tidus
and fight all three at once. The battle is very tough it will take a
couple of tries. One of the more difficult battles in the game in my
opinion. Especially since you can't just level your way out of the
problem. Well you can but it's not very easy. In any case here's the
breakdown. I might even recommend waiting till day two on the islands
so that you can get the Protect Chain.
Attacks
No one has any new attacks. They all use the same attacks as before
only now they will do it all together.
Phases
Phase 1- Immediately run between Selphie and Wakka slightly closer to
Wakka. Your lock on should put you to Wakka, keep running till Wakka
winds up to use Striker then turn and deflect with a bit of luck
you'll stun Selphie as well. Now you have a good five or six second
opening where it's only Tidus and Selphie against you. Focus on
Selphie first because her attacks have a lot of range and sweep.
She'll hit you often from off screen which is a nuisance and if you
hear Get Ready! you have to knock her out of it or she WILL hit you.
Tidus on the other hand will use mostly Rising and Falling Strike
which are easier to avoid while focusing on Selphie. As a general
rule you want to be constantly moving since this prevents crowding.
This will also help you avoid being hit by Tidus or Wakka while you
are hitting Selphie. Make sure Tidus is to the side of you when you
let Selphie have a combo. That way his Rising and Falling Strikes
will be useless against you. If he is in front of or behind you
during a combo he will hit you with them knocking you out of your
combo. You want to be moving perpendicular to Tidus. Depending on
what stats you made for your character you should be able take Selphie
down before Wakka recovers. Selphie seems to have lost all counter
ability in this battle so just keep wailing away once you've knocked
her down once. The stride in your combo should keep you away from
most damage while you are beating Selphie. If you didn't make Sora
strong then take breaks to runaway and stun Wakka anytime you hear him
start throwing again, he makes a hah sound. Carry on till Selphie
goes down. Then stun Wakka again and it is practically the same as
fighting Tidus alone. Once Wakka is all that is left use the same
strategy from before. If you are having trouble stunning Wakka in the
beginning simply circle around him until Tidus and Selphie execute an
attack at nearly the same time. Then they should be far enough from
you for you to have an opening to stun Wakka. This is not nearly as
effective because Tidus and Selphie will most likely hit you a lot
while you are running in circles. Enjoy your potion.
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Riku
You can fight Riku up on the circular island in Destiny Islands.
He's really tough if you aren't paying attention and effectively
countering his attacks.
Lilting Slash-Strong- In this attack Riku pivots on his leading foot
and spins to attack from his left in a horizontal sweep. This attack
has a 270 radius hitting every but his back right. This attack has a
verbal cue in that he yell hah as he begins the actual slash. His
sword moves slightly more in front of his chest as he winds up. Then
as the move begins his the move but he yells hah which is a dead
give away. Either deflect then attack or evade by moving to his right
then attack. He uses this move both independently and as a third
strike after Tousai. He likes to use it right after he jumps and
sometimes when he's just walking around.
Tousai-Weak- This is Riku's basic combo. He pulls his sword back toward
his right ear then strikes across his body toward his foot. Then he
will pause for a fraction of a second and swing across his body back
toward his right ear. Just deflect this as he is pulling back for the
first strike then attack. You should never see the second slash. If
he executes it from far away, and you can't deflect in time, know that
he will almost always follow up with Lilting Slash.
Kip Up Kick-Strong- This is Riku's most deadly move and it gets almost
everyone killed. When Riku gets knocked down he curls up then vaults
in the direction his feet are facing. This attack does incredible
damage and is hard to avoid because unless you are at a dead stop when
he goes over you won't be able to evade. You can deal damage to him
while he is down but it is hardly a fair trade. Just get out of the
way. If you are looking for a true challenge try synching up your
combo to deflect his Kip Up Kick it's tough but not wholly impossible.
Not for the dexteritially challenged. He rocks slightly before
attacking.
Do Re Mi Counterstrike-Quick\Weak- In this attack Riku stands still
and taunts you while holding his sword across his body. If you attack
you will be deflected. Usually Riku lets you attack three times then
he yells "My Turn!" and attacks with an overhead vertical strike.
Sometimes he will counter on the first or second strike but that is
rare. It's caused by not hitting him three times during a previous Do
Re Mi, because it is a cumulative three. For instance if you hit him
once while he was guarding then ran away till he came out of guard
stance then the next time he goes into Do Re Mi he will attack on the
second strike of that round. Just hit and pause then repeat until he
counters it's just safer. Now this move is listed as Quick\Weak
because you can counter the overhead slash but it is VERY hard to
time. Sidestepping is much more reliable and still allows you to
unload your combo.
Thrust-Weak- A basic thrust attack that is deflectable. First he'll
reset his feet; it looks like a little shuffle. As he's doing that
he'll pull his sword back away from his body then he lunges forward
very much like Sora's lunge. Sidestep this attack because unless you
are very far away this attack acts like as if it were Quick. He
rarely uses this move but just be aware.
Phases
Phase 1- Riku fights much like the other children on the island only
with more variety and deadly kick counter. Here's how the battle
should go. Hold still when the battle starts and Riku should jump and
land directly behind you. He'll then execute a Lilting Slash. Counter
however you see fit and count how many times you hit him. This means
you here the solid thunk sound and get the orange misty looking stuff
that indicates a landed blow. It is very important that you keep
count. Now he will jump or walk around for bit. Just keep tracking
him and be ready to counter whatever attack he uses. Now when you
counter his next attack after your fourth blow,counting the blows from
the last combo, that is successfully landed get the hell out of the
way. After every fourth hit Riku will fall down then execute his Kip
Up Kick which is super deadly. When he jumps up on the tree and
taunts you do not attack him. He block or counter but it messes up
the Kip Up Kick count somehow. Just wait him out. Almost all of his
attacks also have huge pauses after they are executed so if he
executes while far away charge in and land a few good shots. Now
simply continue countering being careful not to get hit by the Kip Up
Kick. Riku is vulnerable after all of his attacks so just be patient
and you can easily defeat him without being touched.
Key Points
+Keep close count of your attacks
+Stick with him and counter
+Don't hit him while he is on the tree
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
6.Administratia
Credits
Thanks to Jun for a.) Loaning me the money to buy my PS2 and
b.) for helping me with the Japanese. Without him this FAQ
would never have been at all. Hmmm Squaresoft maybe? I can
also credit my roommates who are a constant source of
criticism nagging and annoyance. But who are also the source
of a lot of useful info like how to use this "com-pu-tar"
thing. Extra kudos to Rob for posting this in his webspace.
Email Info
You can contact me with questions ideas etc. at
[email protected]
Version history
Version 0.1b
-Put in all the information for Destiny Islands then
had to sleep and go to class.
-Riku, Tidus, Wakka, Selphie, FF Trio added
-Darkside Alpha and Beta Added
-Came to realization that this level of detail will require
time. Bear with me.
Version 0.2b
-Fixed the formatting (I hope) thanks to a new text editor
-Cleaned up my writing to make it more clear yay Proofreading.
an this was unclear before.
-Added some info about Darkside Beta
-Added to Table of Contents
Copyright Information
This Document is copyright GreenRunner 2002. No one may
alter, reproduce or post this in anyway without direct consent
from me the author. Instead of distributing it simply let
people know about GameFAQs much easier and more useful for
your friends. Do not forget to get permission from GameFAQs
first. Feel free to email me with "Copyright" in the subject
if you do really want to reproduce or distribute this FAQ. I
will check your email then respond within 3 business days.
