-FINAL FANTASY XIII-
-BOSS GUIDE-
Written by REmaster(aka UltimateX34)
Version 1.00
Copyright 2010 REmaster

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. DISCLAIMER
2. CONTACT INFO
3. VERSION HISTORY
4. BOSSES
5. CREDITS
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CONTACT INFO
If you have any extra strategies or comments, then please send them to my
e-mail: [email protected]

Strategies will be looked over and may even be added to the guide, just make
sure to leave gamefaqs name in your strategy so I can give proper credit.
==========================================================================
-DISCLAIMER-
This boss guide was created solely by me, REmaster. I am also known on
most other sites by UltimateX34. This guide is not to be used on any other 
sites without my permission. If you wish to do so, you 
have to send me an e-mail and ask for permission. So far only two sites
feature my strategy:

GameFAQs (www.gamefaqs.com)
Youtube (www.youtube.com) (Strategies are located in my profile - 
http://www.youtube.com/user/UltimateX34 - Check under playlists.)
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VERSION HISTORY

1.0
All storyline bosses completed
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BOSSES

All bosses are listed in storyline order below. Each boss will have a 
youtube link of my video against them. Missions and optional bosses will 
be added later. Also keep in mind that this will have SPOILERS so use
caution when browsing.

=========================================================================
Boss #1: PSICOM Marauder & Soldiers

This is the first boss (or at least the first time the boss theme plays 
other than the start) of the game. This battle just really teaches you 
the importance of staggering an opponent with a lot of HP. Kill the guards 
then focus your efforts on the Marauder. He should stagger soon then you 
can easily finish him off. Use potions when your health gets low.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e66SRcn2GAc 
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Boss #2: Beta Behemoth

This boss is just as easy as the first. Attack it like usual, you'll kill 
it before it can even get staggered. Your partners can actually use 
potions of their own to heal but you can use one yourself if you're worried. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZpeiV4LKyg
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Boss #3: Anima

This battle is a good lesson on learning when to attack and when not to 
attack. Basically if you're not within the range of it's two arms when 
it's attacking, you won't take damage (although your AI members probably 
aren't that smart). So you can actually wait it out until the arms make 
its move, then kill the arms so you're free to attack the main body. The 
arms will regenerate after a bit so be aggressive on the main body. Use 
potions to heal of course. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liJNBvoJjhc
=========================================================================
Boss #4: Manasvin Warmech

A little harder than the other ones. This is the first major battle with 
the paradigm system. Basically you want to be on "Relentless Assault" when
attacking, and switch to "Solidarity" when trying to heal. Knowing when 
to be aggressive and when to be defensive is key to this battle. Also 
getting this boss to stagger is highly important as well, as the tutorial 
says, staggering it is the only way to shave off a lot of its HP in a 
short amount of time.

Get used to switching Paradigms constantly in battle, as it's something 
that better become second nature to you very soon. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QygVx-dP5oE
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Boss #5: Garuda Interceptor

Easy battle. Attack him to build up the gauge and heal when needed. In 
the 2nd part of the fight you have to build up the gauge to do any 
reasonable damage. Also equipping a spark ring will help lower the damage 
from his lightning attacks. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex76HUJlrb4
========================================================================
Boss #6: Stiria & Nyx

This isn't like other boss battles. This is the first battle against an 
Eidolon. Eidolon battles are always fought with a doom counter and can't 
be defeated by conventional methods. You must use libra to figure out 
the appropriate method of fighting them. In this case, you must defend 
against Nyx's attacks. Stiria will keep you healed so that makes things 
easier. This battle also teaches you to time your inputs. You waste time 
by guarding when she's not even attacking. By defending against her 
attacks, the gestalt gauge will fill, when it gets high enough, press 
square to end the battle. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeZUnGwDXzc
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Boss #7: Dreadnought

Not too hard of a boss, especially if you equipped the ember ring on 
someone beforehand. Use Libra to see it's weakness, then you can use the 
synergist, and saboteur roles to buff yourself and debuff the boss. Then 
let him have it with everything you got, healing when necessary. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pggpDAt0tHI
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Boss #8: Odin

Holy hell this boss is rough! This is another EIdolon fight and this 
time the goal is to amass chain bonuses. However Odin has some pretty hard 
hitting attacks and he attacks quickly and ruthlessly, only taking a 
break to put up his shield.

I highly recommend equipping Lightning with an upgraded spark ring and 
equipping Hope with a fully upgraded silver ring (much easier if he can 
manage to stay alive).

Set your paradigm's to MED/SYN and keep yourself and hope alive with cures
and potions. Hope should be casting buffs like protect and shell on both 
you and him. This is very important as it will greatly help you stay alive.
 When both buffs are up, alternate between RAV/RAV and RAV/MED to blast him 
and keep yourself alive. Don't forget to use Libra on him so you know what 
spells to use. Eventually the gauge will build up and then you can press 
square to finish the battle.

If you still find the fight too tough, then reload and pop an aerisol 
beforehand so that you're already buffed once the fight begins. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69vf8nZvY4g
========================================================================
Boss #9: Aster Protoflorian

This boss isn't quite as brutal as Odin, but nonetheless he can be a pain 
to beat, mostly because your party is still composed of just two people.

The hardest part of the fight is getting to stagger him, he hits pretty 
often and he changes his weakness a lot so it's hard to get him to the 
point of staggering since you'll be healing every few seconds.

Honestly, equipping the doctor's code accessory makes things a lot easier. 
These let your potions heal both members for 300 each. Way better than 
cure! This is great because it easily lets you recover from his attack, 
and now you can better focus on staggering him.

Start the battle with COM/SYN, attack him until Hope casts protect on both
of you. Then cast libra and alternate between COM/RAV and RAV/RAV to 
effectively build up the gauge. RAV/RAV alone is not enough to build up the
gauge effectively. Use potions every now and then until he staggers. 
Lightning should have launch so switch to COM/RAV and let him have it. 
You can summon Odin and have him attack for great damage, then when his 
time is almost up, hit square to go into gestalt mode and hit the buttons 
for some extra damage.

Afterwards repeat, you'll have to recast buffs so get that SYN up again. 
He'll start unleashing a new attack that can really hurt one of your guys 
but your enhanced potions should easily keep up with it. Once protect is 
up alternate between COM/RAV and RAV/RAV till he staggers and hit him with 
all you have. He should die soon enough. This battle isn't so much hard as 
it is long, but the strategy I used should help make this much easier.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgdyPqylF5o
========================================================================
Boss #10: Enkl & Enlil

Not too hard. They're capable of inflicting DeProtect on your characters 
so either equip an accessory that lessens the chances of it happening, 
or lookout for it and cast Esuna. They have powerful physicals so I 
personally recommend equipping a Black Belt on Vanille. The Blue one is 
weak against lightning and the green one is weak against water. Pick a 
target and alternate between MED/RAV, RAV/RAV, and RAV/COM to build up 
the gauge then let loose with RAV/RAV to do major damage with the 
appropriate spell.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-1BAEMYwng
========================================================================
Boss #11: Ushumgal Subjugator

This guy is piss easy. Give a Ember ring to one of your team members 
(preferably Hope) and when the battle begins, start with SEN/SYN until 
protect, shell, and barfire is on everyone. Then alternate between 
COM/RAV, COM/MED, and RAV/RAV until the boss is staggered. It's all over 
once he's staggered so wail on him until he dies. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KeyPMJ1Ii4
========================================================================
Boss #12: Ushumgal Subjugator

This guy is still easy. Start the battle with MED/SAB/SYN and cast slow on 
him while Hope puts up protect and shell. Slow is will make the battle a 
lot easier, but you must make sure it stays on. If it wears off recast 
again.

Once that's all done, alternate between COM/RAV/RAV and COM/RAV/MED until 
the boss is staggered, then let loose with COM/RAV/RAV. He gets tougher 
once half his health is gone so if you're feeling a little overwhelmed, 
switch to SEN/COM/MED to regain your footing. And remember to keep slow 
on him. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFAnaDMZvsM
========================================================================
Boss #13: Havoc Skytank

This is awesome. This boss may look intimidating at first but he's really 
not that hard at all. If you have doctor's code equipped and a healthy 
supply of potions then this battle is a breeze. Start with a MED and SYN 
and heal while Hope puts up Protect on all of you. There are four other 
targets alongside the Havoc Skytank. Pick a target and take it down by 
alternating between RAV/COM/RAV and RAV/COM/MED. Use potions or switch 
to RAV/SEN/MED if things get a little hairy.

Once one of the targets is down, pick another target and take it down the 
same way. Repeat until all 4 extra targets are destroyed leaving only the 
Skytank. You should notice its health had been heavily chipped away 
already. Blast it some more, healing when necessary, and you should be 
able to finally stagger it. Keep up your health and he should go down 
soon enough. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUH39He1hRw
========================================================================
Boss #14: Midlight Reaper

Not a hard boss. If you have Haste then this will be even easier. Start 
with SYN/SAB and cast bravery on Sazh and Faith on both, and haste on both 
if you have it. Vanille should hopefully have imperil since the boss is 
susceptible to it. Once that's all done switch to COM/MED since odds are 
good you'll both be poisoned. Then when vanille removes the status effects 
and you're well healed, alternate between COM/RAV and RAV/RAV to build up 
the gauge until it's staggered. Then blast it as much as you can. Repeat 
this until it goes down but be warned that he starts hitting you both with
his cannon when his health is halfway through. If you have the doctor's 
code equipped then this is no problem, but if not, don't hesitate to 
switch to COM/MED to heal. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGmGwg2_gAE
========================================================================
Boss #15: Brynhildr

Yikes another Eidolon battle, but no worries, this is easy. Casting Libra 
you see it yields to chain bonuses and strengthening your characters. If 
you have Haste and Doctor's Code still equipped then cast haste on both 
members and let loose with RAV/RAV until you can press Square, tossing 
potions when needed. If not then this may be a bit more trickier, but not 
by much. You can start with SYN/SAB and cast buffs on both of you then 
alternate between RAV/RAV and COM/MED for healing. If you managed to set 
up a RAV/MED paradigm beforehand then even better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATkF_qB59H0
========================================================================
Boss #16: Kalavinka Striker

This is an easy battle. Start with MED/SYN/SAB to buff yourself and debuff 
the boss, then alternate between COM/RAV/RAV and COM/RAV/MED until you 
stagger him. Finish him once he's staggered. You actually have to fight 
this guy twice but the strategy applies both times. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K4p-t7xYuU
========================================================================
Boss #17: Barthandelus

This boss is pretty epic, but he isn't too hard. Doctor's code and potions
can be a godsend in this battle if you don't want to switch to medic too 
often.

Anyway at first this battle is a lot like the havoc skyship fight in that 
you must take out the other targets besides the main one first. Good buffs 
the SYN can use are Shell, Haste, Bravery , and Faith (of course this 
depends on which characters you're using). Fang can use Slow and Curse, 
while Vanille can use DeProtect and DeShell, but debuffs won't work right 
away.

Start by targetting one of the 4 other targets besides Barthandelus. Use 
Libra first since each target is weak against it's own specific element. 
Then attack with RAV/RAV/COM. You can use a MED to heal or use potions. 
Do this until the 4 targets are dead and then the real fun begins.

Barthandelus should now be vulnerable, so cast your debuffs, and your 
buffs while using MED or potions to keep up your health. Attack him 
normally until you see him beginning to use Destructo. When you see this 
come up IMMEDIATELY SWITCH TO RAV/RAV/COM AND ATTACK HIM AS MUCH AS 
POSSIBLE. If he gets this move off too soon it may be game over right 
then and there. If you attack him enough times, he will "flinch" and will 
then continue charging the attack. When you see him flinch, heal yourself 
as much as you can. The attack should now be much weaker but it can still 
kill you if your health is too low.

If you can manage to make him flinch everytime he uses Destructo and 
survive the second wave, then you pretty much got this fight won. Keep 
up your health, keep fighting, and if he starts destructo again, drop 
what you're doing and blast him till he flinches.

If you're still having problems, then use a fortisol and aegisol before 
entering the room.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSkx9bthWXo
=========================================================================
Boss #18: Cid Raines

If you thought Barthandelus was a tough boss, you haven't seen anything 
yet. This guy can devastate you pretty quickly if you aren't careful and 
he can cast a lot of buffs on himself and debuff you guys to make things 
harder. This is probably one of the few battles I highly recommend using 
a fortisol and aegisol for.

Start the battle by casting buffs and debuffs while healing to stay alive. 
He is susceptible to quite a few status debuffs so don't be afraid to use 
em. Especially slow. Afterwards, I recommend going all out offensive to 
build up his stagger bar. He will take a while to stagger so don't be 
afraid to go on the defensive from time to time. If you have Doctor's Code 
equipped then this will make your healing job a lot easier.

He will occasionally go into guard mode. In this stance, your attacks will 
do pitiful damage but he won't be attacking. This is a great opportunity 
to catch up on healing and buffing/debuffing. Make it quick though since 
he won't be guarding for too long.

When his health is halfway down, he will undergo a mutation. He will then 
start pulling off even deadlier combos and he will cast all sorts of buffs 
on himself. One of the worst moves he can do is to float in the air and 
use that seraphic move. Not only will it do a lot of damage to your party, 
but it also removes any status protection you once had on yourself. A good 
paradigm to use right after this is one consisting of MED/SEN/MED so you 
can regain control of the situation.

Hopefully his stagger bar will be nearing full around this time. If you 
see him in guard mode when it is near full, DON'T STAGGER HIM. In guard 
mode he will be immune to most of the effects of stagger, and you will 
waste a lot of precious time, instead heal and buff/debuff until he 
lets go, then let loose until you stagger him. Once he's staggered, try 
and keep him airborne for as long as possible, you don't want him 
regaining control of himself and debilitating your party members so soon.

Hopefully you can take off a massive chunk of his health once stagger 
wears off, and hopefully you can finish him soon afterwards. Good luck!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zuQM2UEv00
========================================================================
Boss #19: Bahamut

I really hate this battle. Mostly because they change your party right 
before it, and the paradigm selections they give you is not efficient 
enough IMO. The goal once again is to amass chain bonuses, but like Odin 
he attacks quickly and ruthlessly. There are three ways you can go about 
this:

1. If this is your first time fighting him, then the game won't let you 
set up your paradigms. In this case start with SAB/MED/COM and try and get 
slow on him. After his series of attacks spam potions (Doctor's code helps) 
and try again. Hopefully you can get it within the first two tries. If 
Bahamut decides to focus on Lightning then your job just became easier. 
Once Slow in on him, stick to this paradigm and spam slow and curse on him, 
healing when needed. Eventually you can press square to finish this.

2. If you're fighting this on a retry and you skip the cutscenes 
beforehand, you're allowed to setup your paradigms. In this case setup 
these two:

SEN/MED/MED
SAB/MED/SAB

Start with SAB/MED/SAB and cast slow and other debuffs on him, switching 
to SEN/MED/MED whenever he gets near. Eventually his gestalt gauge will 
fill and you can end it.

3. Use a fortisol and aerisol beforehand, and use one of the above 
strategies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xiVpZvV9Lg
=========================================================================
Boss #20: Alexander

This is easy. You start as a RAV/SEN/MED, stick to this while the boss is 
attacking and have Hope spam spells over and over. Lightning should be 
able to manage health just fine while Fang guards the boss's attacks.

When the boss uses "Focus Challenge". Switch to RAV/RAV/COM and let loose 
with everything you got. Eventually the boss will switch stances so switch 
back to RAV/SEN/MED when that happens.    

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye0Qx-LTOlA
=========================================================================
Boss #21: Hecatoncheir

Well this is the first forced boss battle you have in gran pulse. And it 
is a bit of a doozy. I highly recommend exploring the gran pulse and taking 
on as much missions as you possibly can cause the experience will be pretty 
necessary from here on out. Also now is the time to get on the ball with 
upgrading your weapons and stuff as best as you can.

Anyway, this one is a bit tricky, because once again your party is 
automatically changed and the paradigms they give you is still insufficient. 
However like the Bahamut fight if you retry and skip the cutscenes that 
came before you can change your paradigms.

1. If this is your first time then switch to SAB/SEN and spam as much 
debuffs as possible. This is really the only way to build up the gauge in 
time and you'll still most likely be cutting it close. When Fang's health 
gets low, switch to MED and heal Fang (or yourself) for a little bit, then 
switch back to SAB/SEN. Keep debuffing and healing and hopefully you'll 
pull through. Hopefully Fang will have enough HP where you don't need to 
switch to MED too often.

2. If you're doing this on a retry and you skip the cutscenes, then add a 
SAB/SAB paradigm that way you now have two members who can help charge the 
gauge. Making things much easier, but don't forget to heal every so often.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neuWOgOaXBM
=========================================================================
Boss #22: Dahaka

This boss is only tough if you don't keep your health high. He can use some 
nasty moves that can inflict status ailments and do nasty damage to your 
whole party. It is for this reason that I recommend making a combat clinic 
paradigm (MED/SEN/MED) to quickly heal your characters. Also having a SYN 
and SAB to help buff and debuff won't hurt either. Stick to RAV/COM/RAV 
and try and get that stagger gauge up (shouldn't take long). Then beat him 
when he's down. That's basically the whole strategy. Keep your health up 
and beat him down. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5JX9KBwxWs
=========================================================================
Boss #23: Barthandelus (Rematch)

This fight is way harder than the last time. In fact, I'd say this is your 
toughest battle yet. There's really no easy way to go about this. Your 
party must be strong.

I recommend starting with buffs and debuffs. The two most important things 
you can use is haste and/or slow. Those two spells can take you a long way 
in this battle. I also highly recommend having two capable medics on your 
team so they can both cast cura to survive his relentless assault. Having 
a sentinel can also help a lot since they can soak up the damage from the 
boss's attacks, which will make your healing job much easier.

What will also REALLY help is accessories that can help resist against his 
status ailments. The biggest one you have to worry about is daze. I highly 
recommend putting a rainbow anklet on at least one of your medics so they 
can use esuna to heal anyone who might be affected.

When the battle starts, he'll only have 1 face that will attack. But soon 
there will be two, four, and five faces. He grows more faces as time goes 
on and once he sprouts the main face, that's when things can get really 
hectic. The three biggest attacks you have to worry about is dazega, an 
attack where he'll blast the whole party for around 1.5k damage(keep your 
health up!) and another attack that does around 500 damage and removes all 
positive statuses from your party, and all negative statuses from himself. 
You must keep yourself buffed and him debuffed. If you can keep that up, 
then it makes him SO much more manageable.

The good news is, he staggers easily. So you must wisely alternate between 
healing and attacking to safely get him to stagger. Once he's staggered, I 
recommend going all out on him for as much as possible until your health 
gets dangerously low or he loses stagger. Reason I recommend it is because 
I heard he can cast doom if the battle runs on too long. So definitely take 
every opportunity you can to inflict as much damage to him as possible. If
you see him even getting close to being staggered and your health is fine, 
then switch to relentless assault and pound him with all you got. If your 
health is low, heal yourself before staggering him so you're not wasting 
too much time healing while he's weak.

Good luck! If all else fails, use them shrouds, and if you're still having 
difficulties then you may need to earn more CP points. Luckily the area 
before the boss has enemies that give good CP. So grind on those for a 
while if you still can't cut it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bkrw3zoyXM
==========================================================================
Boss #24: The Proudclad

This guy is a nice breather from Barthandelus. This guy just likes to 
attack your whole party for some minor damage but he moves fast so don't
hesitate to keep yourself healed. Buff yourself then let him have it. 
Once you get him staggered it's pretty much over. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz6PNdH-cEM
=========================================================================
Boss #25: The Proudclad (Rematch)

Alright this is much harder than the last time you fought this but if you 
fight this wisely, it won't be too bad. Before you start you're definitely 
gonna want a SYN with Haste and two MEDs in your party.

Immediately start with a SYN and a MED. The SYN should immediately cast 
haste and other buffs on everyone while the MED spams healing spells. 
You're gonna want to spam it, since he will spam an attack that hits your 
whole party for 1k damage. Keep on doing this until he goes into 
"aerial defense mode". By the time he does this, most of your major buffs 
should be on.

Next focus on attacking him and healing. Although attacking him may not be 
that important because he will eventually regain his health to full when 
he shifts to his next phase. When he does this, switch to a paradigm with 
two MEDs and spam heals. He will attack you relentlessly during this time 
so just stay alive until he goes back to his first phase. When he does 
this, now is the time to attack. Alternate between RAV/COM/RAV and 
RAV/COM/MED to build up the stagger bar and keep yourself alive. He 
staggers easily and if you can stagger him during this phase, you can 
juggle him in the air for a little while.

Eventually he will switch back to his aerial phase. Now you're definitely
gonna want to finish him off now. Go all out till he staggers and pummel 
him till he dies. With your buffs, you shouldn't have to heal very often 
but do remember to keep your health up. He should die before he switches 
phases again. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIX14SKTvGI
========================================================================
Boss #26: Bandersnatch & Jabberwocky

The toughest part of this battle is surviving the beginning where you're 
trying to buff yourself and debuff the beasts. Get Haste and Protect up as 
fast as you can while the MED spams heals on whoever is being attacked. 
If you can get those two up along with your buffs in one piece, then 
you're set.

Attack the smaller beast first, he'll go down a little quicker than the
big one (Shouldn't be hard, they're easy to stagger). Then go after the 
big one and take him down.

Basically just survive, buff and debuff, then go after them. They should 
be no match for you with your increased strength and their weaknesses.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkBjAJdIpVo
=========================================================================
Boss #27: Varandiraus

I highly recommend making a team of two Commandos and one Sentinel. Also 
make sure you have a MED on your team of course.

Don't even worry about casting buffs or debuffs, they won't last for long. 
And he's very resistant to magic so attacking is your best bet. Also it's 
extremely hard to stagger him unless you have maxed weapons with 
insta-stagger or something so you're just gonna have to attack him to 
death.

Basically the SEN will guard his attacks while the COMs go to down on him. 
Be VERY careful in watching out for the SEN since this guy can inflict 
Deprotect and he also has an attack that can wipe out a person (or at 
least send them to critical) in one shot if left unguarded so be quick to 
alternate to your MED if that's the case. This is a bit of a long battle 
and it really all just boils down to surviving as long as possible. If 
you can keep the SEN alive then you should win this battle. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzoTNo_nhTc
========================================================================
Boss #28: Tiamat Eliminator

Once again don't worry about buffs. Every attack he hits you with 
eliminates all buffs. Also I strongly recommend having a SAB in your team.

When the battle starts just focus on attacking and healing. Keep this up 
until he shifts forms. Now bring out your SAB and have him cast stuff like 
Deprotect and Deshell. This is the only opportunity you have to make em 
stick on him so heal and debuff. When you got your debuffs on once again 
alternate between attacking and healing. He'll be much easier to manage 
when he's debuffed so go all out on him. Lightning's "Army of One" attack 
is great for building up the chain bonus when he's staggered so use that 
so the others can do maximum damage. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyHJAYxJ7Fk
========================================================================
Final Boss Part 1: Barthandelus (3rd round)

Well, this is it. The last battle. Equip your highest upgraded weapons and
any strength, magic, and HP boosting accessories. I HIGHLY advise 
equipping your party members with accessories that resist against instant 
death like fully upgraded Cherub's Crown's. You need as much Death 
resistance as possible for this battle's second phase.

The first part isn't too bad. Cast as many buffs and debuffs as possible. 
You're definitely gonna want to put on DeProtect, Deshell, and Slow. 
When you're all buffed and healed, go on the attack. He staggers easily 
compared to the last two times. When he's staggered I like to use 
Lightning's "Army of One" technique to build up the chain bonus. This way 
you can easily build it up to do maximum damage per hit.

Attacks to look out for is Ultima and Thanatosian Laughter. Ultima does 
what you'd expect it to do, and it REALLY hurts even with Shell. 
Definitely get a MED in as soon as you see him start using it so you can 
cure before he finishes you off.

Thanatosian Laughter I think actually lowers your health in the same way 
a gravity spell works. It's just there to lower your health. But don't 
take my word for it, keep your health up just in case.

If you can survive those two attacks and keep yourself buffed, then this 
part shouldn't be too big of an issue. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rr6jVIDdVM
========================================================================
Final Boss Part 2: Orphan (Form 1)

Ok, this is the hard part. The worst thing about this fight is you kinda 
have to be lucky in this battle. Sometimes I'd beat him with ease, other 
times it was a struggle, and other times I'd get destroyed cause things 
just went horribly wrong.

He starts the battle with his most dangerous attack, Merciless Judgment. 
It knocks all your health down to critical levels. Immediately heal after 
this attack otherwise he'll pick you all off a few seconds later. Also 
keep in mind that whenever he uses this attack, his chain gauge will be 
reset. Highly annoying when you're close to staggering him.

He'll also put out two un-targettable orbs. The white one will heal for a 
few thousand every few seconds, while the dark one will attack you. The 
main target himself will smack you around, target one person for high 
damage, and when his health gets a little lower he can drain HP from all 
3 members, debuff your characters, and he can inflict some particularly 
nasty ailments. Another thing I STRONGLY advise is to be on the lookout 
for poison. It's bad enough to be inflicted by it but if any party members 
are still poisoned when he does his Merciless Judgment attack, the poison 
will drain away any bit of health left before you can even get a chance to 
heal.

Another attack to be aware of is one that actually works like a Death 
spell. This is why I recommended putting on accessories like Cherub's 
Crown's on all members to lower the chances of being insta-killed. Nothing 
sucks worse than him having less than a quarter of health left then being 
snuffed out because of a lucky death spell.

Start the battle out with massive healing then use your buffs and debuffs. 
One of the best spells you can use on him is to inflict him with Poison.
It drains his health like no other. If you have can put that on him then 
this battle actually gets a lot easier. You can also focus on staggering 
him like usual, then once you stagger him go all out. You should be able 
to chip off quite a bit of health off while he's staggered and debuffed. 
Odds are good he'll use Merciless Judgment again so heal afterwards. Next 
is a matter of surviving as you slowly try and build up the stagger bar 
again. It'll be difficult but you gotta keep it up. Also try and keep him 
debuffed as much as you can. Slow, Deprotect, Deshell, Poison, these are 
all things you have to focus on. Also make sure you have Haste, Shell, 
Protect, and w/e else you can comfortably put on. Try not to let too many 
statuses pile up. The worst one he can do is a massive Stop effect on all
members. If that happens, hopefully you can survive until it wears off, or 
use an esuna if a MED is available.

Hopefully you can stagger him again and finish him off before you get too 
overwhelmed. Don't be too discouraged if things get very hairy. Like I 
said this battle requires a bit of luck in that you don't get one-shotted 
by Death, or hit with extremely debilitating statuses. If you see him get 
close to being staggered, go all out offensive and do it before he resets 
it or he starts using some really nasty stuff. Good luck! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGjkFLUkv3I
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Final Boss Part 3: Orphan (Form 2)

Believe it or not, this is easier than both the previous parts. You do 
this with a doom counter, but you have plenty of time.

Start with Haste, Protect, and Shell and cast any debuffs you can put on 
him. Deprotect, Slow, and Deshell works wonders. Then attack! Any attack 
you inflict on him will do no damage but keep it up, you're trying to fill 
the stagger gauge (and it shouldn't take long). Once he's staggered, LET 
HIM HAVE IT! Juggle him in the air for as long as possible, he actually 
doesn't have too much health.

Really the worst two attack he can use is one that removes all buffs and 
debuffs, and another attack that does massive damage to a single target. 
This can be lessened with Shell. But really as long as you're hasted and 
shelled and you are aggressive, then you can kill him long before the 
timer runs out.

Once you beat him, enjoy the ending, and congratulations! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOw_DonQyPE
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CREDITS

SPecial thanks goes to:

Gamefaqs: For being one of the best game sites ever and hosting my Guide.

Youtube: For allowing me to post videos of my strategies.

More may come.
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END