Final Fantasy III for Nintendo DS "Boss FAQ"
By Mykas0
version 1.37
8-8-2008


BE SURE TO READ THIS FIRST PART! You can read this faq as long as you
don't change ANY part of it (including this small introduction). Also,
you can print it but only for use at your home, you may NEVER sell 
this stuff or else you will make me really mad and maybe I won't work
anymore! Finally, if you want to use this faq on your site (or use any
part of it for other things, like writing your own faq or something) you
have to mail me and ask me for it, I will almost surely grant it to you!
Finally, this guide may NEVER be published in CheatCC.


Also, I must warn you that this faq is full of small spoilers, so if
you don't want the game spoiled for you, just don't read it!


0~. Version History
1~. Introduction and important tips
---------------------------------------------------
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Normal Bosses
2~. Land Turtle
3~. Jin
4~. Bahamut
5~. Big Rat
6~. Medusa
7~. Guzco
8~. Salamander
9~. Hyne
10~. Kraken
11~. 4 Frogs
12~. Goldor
13~. 3 Gold Knights
14~. Garuda
15~. Hekaton
16~. Dorga
17~. Unne
18~. Titan
19~. Zande
20~. Dark Cloud - PART 1
21~. Dark Cloud - PART 2
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Optional Bosses
OP1~. Odin
OP2~. Red Shinobi
OP3~. Leviathan
OP4~. Bahamut
OP5~. Amon
OP6~. Kunoichi
OP7~. General
OP8~. Scylla
OP9~. Guardian
OP10~. 2-headed Dragon
OP11~. Ahriman
OP12~. Echidna
OP13~. Cerberus
OP14~. Iron Giant
---------------------------------------------------
FAQ. Frequently Asked Questions
B_END. Special Thanks
END. Contacts



0~. Version History

-> version 1.37 <-
- Added a new strategy for the battle against Bahamut.

-> version 1.36 <-
- Added a new strategy for the battle against Hyne.

- version 1.35 <-
- Added a new strategy for the battle against the Land Turtle.

-> version 1.31 <-
- Fixed a minor problem concerning the battle versus the Kraken.

-> version 1.3 <-
- Added a new question to "Frequently Asked Questions";
-- Added more information on the "Iron Giant".

-> version 1.25 <-
- Added the HP for "Iron Giant";
-- Added another strategy for the battle against "Jin".

-> version 1.2 <-
- Added the HP for most of the bosses;
-- Corrected some minor problems in the guide;

-> version 1.1 <-
- Fixed a minor mistake;
-- Added a new optional boss.

-> version 1.0 <-
- Did the entire guide.



1~. Introduction and important tips

Another Final Fantasy game release (well, more like a port...), and this
time I don't really have much to say. Let's skip to the initial notes,
which you should give a look before even trying to read specific boss
strategies, as they may help you.

- Like in most RPGs, your current level is quite important, allowing you
  to easily increase your stats and even have an easier time with the
  battles that you will face later on. In case you really can't seem to
  defeat a particular boss, ALWAYS consider to gain a couple more levels
  before trying again.

- Apart from levels, your armor and equipment is also important. Every
  time you visit a new town, try to get the best weapons and armor that it
  sells for each of your characters, even if that means selling some of
  your items and equipment, or even getting into more battles just to win
  some extra cash.

- Every time an Inn crosses your path, take your time to decide if you
  should rest there or not. Most of the times, you'll be wanting to rest
  in there, to restore the HP and MP of your characters. However, be aware
  that resting there doesn't bring a character back to life, or cures
  certain bad status, for example, "Stone" or "Frog".

- With new job classes, yet more power joins you. Every time you defeat
  one of those bosses next to a crystal and you gain new jobs, be sure to
  give them a look, as more than once they will be really useful. As some
  important upgrades you should try, I can state the White Mage -> Shaman
  -> Sage, Black Mage -> Warlock -> Sage, Fighter -> Knight or anything at
  all to Ninja (he is probably the best class in the game).

- While I mostly used a party composed by 2 Mages, a Knight and a Monk
  during my game, it doesn't mean that you have to do the same thing. I
  strongly advise you to take a White Mage (or a Shaman, or even a Sage
  with powerful healing techniques) with you at all times, but the other 3
  elements of your party are usually up to you. You can either accept my
  suggestions (usually given near the strategy for that boss) or creating
  your own, using the job classes you like the most.

- Each time you change your class into a new one, your stats become halved
  for a bit. Therefore, I strongly advise you against changing them in the
  middle of dungeons or before facing particularly strong enemies. This
  halving is easily seen by looking at the menu, where you will see a
  small arrow pointing down, meaning that his (or her) stats are currently
  halved. How to fix it? Run around, facing a couple battles, and
  eventually it will disappear.

Having all these tips and informations in mind, you can now continue
reading, for more information on each of the bosses you can fight in this
game.



2~. Land Turtle   (111 HP)

Your first boss turns out being quite easy to defeat.
Hopefully, you explored the cave as much as you could, and you should now
equip two swords (you must have 2 of those, if you battled enough and
opened all the chests) instead of a sword and a shield. Then, head to the
battle and ALWAYS use FIGHT command. When the health of your only current
character drops below 10HP, be sure to use a "Potion" and proceed as
usual, your foe will go down in no time at all.
There's also a possible alternate strategy, which consists of simply using
"Antarctic Wind" (an item found in this cave), before striking with a few
physical hits - such strategy makes it even easier to defeat this boss.



3~. Jin   (600 HP)

Sara may appear during this battle and cure your characters, but such
occurence turns out being fully random. I went to this battle with my
characters around level 10, and I strongly suggest you to do so, too. Now,
your main strategy should be the one of using the "Fight" command for
everyone (come on, there's not much you can do right now, is it?) and if
someone's life goes under 50HP, cure him with the "Cure" white magic (you
hopefully already equipped it to someone) or by using a "Potion". Keep on
ollowing this same strategy and eventually your enemy will go down. While
he seems to have a multi-hit fire spell, it won't cause you much trouble
if you just follow what I've stated above.
For an even easier time, you can use an item that cause Ice Damage (one of
which is called "Antarctic Wind", in the American version of the game) in
order to cause damage as quickly as possible.



4~. Bahamut   (probably 34000 HP)

It it discussable if this is actually a "battle" or not, but in case you
actually try to beat this fearsome beast, you'll notice him to be way
stronger than anything you've seen this far. It MAY be possible to beat
him at this point, but it would require a whole lot of level ups, and it
just turns out not being worthy. So, all you have to do is running away
from this battle, as soon as possible. For those of you who are playing
a japanese version and haven't got a clue on where the RUN option is, I
can just tell you to press the last option in the battle menu. Doing it
for everyone is probably a good idea, too, as it increases the overall
effectiveness of the process.



5~. Big Rat   (900 HP)

Your main problem here is that your party is minimized, and therefore
their physical attacks will barely scratch the enemy. Bearing this in
mind, there's a single way to win this battle: magic.
Hopefully, you have at least a single Black Mage in your party, equipped
with his own proper spells. If you have more than a Black Mage (or even
Red Mages, it's up to you), even better! Having one White Mage (at least
during this battle) is also a good idea, so that you can heal your
characters easily.
Now, as soon as the battle starts, you should start attacking the enemy
with black magic spells (start by the upper level ones, like level 3, and
when you run out of them use lower ones) and using the characters that
have no spells of that kind to heal. Whatever happens, don't let your
mage(s) die, or you will be in big trouble. Keep on striking with those
spells and eventually your enemy will go down. Here, it's not only a
matter of strategy but also one of damage, with you needing to level up
enough (I mean, try to level up as much as you want, the more you do it
the better it will be) in order to ensure a victory.



6~. Medusa   (3000 HP)

While this battle isn't very hard, it turns out being tricky. Your best
bet is probably striking physically with at least 2 characters, have a
White Mage to ALWAYS heal the injured party members, and you can add a
Black/Red Mage if you want, or trade him for another physical attack. In
case you actually use a Mage to case offensive magic, try to go (first)
for the more powerful spells and then for the weaker ones, but stay away
from fire-based spells, as they seem not very good to use in this battle.
As you may notice during the battle, the most important features about
this boss is that it can turn your characters to stone, or simply make
them unable to cast spells. If any of those 2 effects are induced in your
characters, be sure to use the proper item (or even a magical spell) to
remove such effect, as soon possible.
By avoiding these 2 effects, healing with the White Mage and attacking
with everyone else, your enemy will probably go down in no time. When I
fought this battle, my weakest character was at level 14, and I strongly
suggest you to do that very same thing, in order to have an (even) easier
time fighting this mythological foe.



7~. Guzco   (3500 HP)

This battle turns out being slightly weird... while most of the enemies in
the cave can use ice spells against your party, ice spells also seem to
work quite good against this boss. Well, nevermind, back to what really
matters.
While there are many possible configurations for your party when it comes
to this battle, personally I had my lower-level character at level 15 and
went to the battle with two fighters, alongside with a Black Mage and a
White Mage.
Having the white mage in there is ALWAYS a good idea, but the rest is up
to you; since magic seems to cause a good amount of damage to your enemy,
a good option would be, for example, 3 black mages and 1 white mage, or 2
black mages, a knight and 1 white mage, or... in a sum-up, be sure to
include 1 White Mage and 1 Black Mage on your party, giving the other 2
places to anyone you want.
To the white mage, you should give the task of healing when necessary, and
the other party members should be constantly attacking the enemy, either
with physical attacks or magical spells. If you're going for the spells,
start with the more poweful fire and ice ones until you can't use them
anymore, and then you should advance for the weaker ice/fire ones. If you
follow this strategy and your characters are properly levelled (since the
enemy seems to get a lot of critical hits...), I doubt you will have much
trouble with this battle.



8~. Salamander   (5700 HP)

In this battle, your biggest problem is a flame attack that your foe can
sometimes use, and which damages all the elements of your party for a good
amount of damage. In order to prevent him from using it many times, you
should try to defeat this fiery enemy as quickly as possible.
The best way to damage him is by using ice-based spells, and while you can
actually manage to beat this battle with a single Black Mage, you may want
to take more than one. A White Mage will be really important (who should
always be healing the party in EVERY turn), and you should try to cause as
much damage as quickly as possible, as I've already told you.
Be aware that your enemy can strike twice in a row, and you should always
have that in mind when you're deciding how to proceed and who to heal.
Personally, I found it important to heal the entire party at each turn, to
prevent the enemy from easily weaking my party. You may want to gain some
levels before fighting this enemy, as it may be a tough battle for you (my
weakest member was now at level 19), but that's a detail that is fully up
to you.



9~. Hyne   (4500 HP)

While this enemy is not particularly strong, it has 2 interesting
abilities: he is not only an undead, but he can also change his weak point
(in terms of magic) each 3 rounds. In the original version of FFIII, I
remember that you could use the Scholar job class to see an enemy's weak
point, which would be of great help in this battle. In this game, you can
do the very same thing, so that may be helpful when you're facing him.
As for the "undead" issue, it turns out being quite weird, as healing
items (such as potions) don't seem to do any harm, unlike it is usual in
most Final Fantasy games.
So, how should you proceed in this battle? First of all, be sure to take
at least a White Mage to this battle, along with a Black Mage. Besides
those two, I would also suggest an additional Black Mage and any kind of
physical attacker, the strongest you have.
Now, when your battle finally starts, be sure to always attack with the
physical striker (or strikers), heal (whoever is damaged, or even the
entire party) with your White Mage in every turn and use offensive magic
with your Black Mage.
In case you have any way to check the enemy's current weakness (read the
initial statements of this strategy to understand it), use that method to
check the current weakness and then using a magical spell of that very
same type. From time to time the enemy will change this weakness, as I've
stated before. When that happens, scan him once more and proceed as stated
above. Repeat until the enemy is defeated once and for all.
If you don't have that luck (like I didn't), your battle will be tougher,
but yet possible to beat. If that's your case, simply follow the strategy
stated in the second paragraph, but be warned that you will need a lot
more level ups before managing to beat this enemy; personally, my weakest
character was at level 22 when I managed to beat it.

Strateby by "Screeling_":
"
One strategy that I had for Hyne, which was maybe a little bit of luck
thrown in, was to take a Geomancer. I think the character had a job level
of around 9. Definitely lower than 10, because I hadn't really used it
that much before this dungeon. Even 'elemental' attacks like Ice Pillar
are not blocked by Hyne's elemental defense, and if you get really lucky
you'll hit him with Shadowflare, which should do enough damange to take
him out in one shot.
"




10~. Kraken   (8000 HP)

Hum, so, it appears that the usual water boss is back. Did you missed him?
I know I didn't... anyway, about the battle, his physical attacks are
strong, but if you got some levels before heading into this battle, you
won't have problems. Personally, I went to the battle with my weakest
character at level 25 and the party fully healed, and had no trouble at
all.
As usual, heal with the White Mage when needed (which will probably be
every turn), attack with your Knight, use the most poweful spells by the
Black Mage (try to use the "Bolt" ones above all the others, as they seem
to cause more damage) and give the final spot to anyone you want. I went
to the battle with a Monk in there, but it is really up to you.
While preparing for the battle, bear in mind that physical attacks are
probably your best change in this battle, and that the enemy has an attack
which may induce the "Blind" status in your characters, making them miss
most of their physical attacks. If that happens, have the White Mage heal
him, before proceeding as usual.



11~. 4 Frogs   (800 HP each)

Believe it or not, this in the sewers turns out being nothing more than
one of those battles that you randomly seem to face in this area. You have
to beat 4 frogs, which you can easily eliminate with physical attacks,
magic or any strategy you normally use for random battles. The only
special thing that you must be careful with is poison, which your enemies
seem to (sometimes) induce with their attacks. However, you can easily
cure this with the proper item or white magic, and then continue attacking
as usual.



12~. Goldor   (9000 HP)

Against this enemy, physical attacks appear to be the most effective
weapon, and while you should still have your White Mage in the party, a
good idea would be including at least 2 characters capable of causing a
good amount of physical damage, but you can even go for 3. In case you
want to keep your Black Mage in the party (I did!), always use his most
powerful spells, hoping to cause as much damage as possible.
With my weakest character at level 27, I had no trouble in beating this
battle, and except for the Bolt spell (which he may use in a sole
character or in your entire party) and one where he may try to induce the
"Blind" status, he appears to be quite calm. Always heal with the White
Mage (as we did in battles before) from the damage he causes in each turn
(mostly with his physical strike), and be aware that sometimes he may even
attack twice in a row.



13~. 3 Gold Knights   (1100 HP each)

A non-random battle against 3 of those folks, fought in a bar. Well,
beating them is kinda easy, just be careful with their magical attack
(an electrical one) and you'll do fine. Heal when necessary and strike
with the best moves of every character in your party.



14~. Garuda   (10000 HP)

Once more, the main problem with this boss turns out being his very own
Bolt magic, since it can cause a whole lot of damage to your party, in
case you are not at an high level. Now, there are basically two strategies
for this battle, feel free to choose yours from between these two.
You can give your entire party the Dragoon class (or job, or whatever you
wanna call it), properly equip them (you can find/buy equipment for them
in the 4 small city areas nearby), go into battle and then just use their
"Jump" ability all the time, hoping to defeat the enemy. This strategy,
while effective, turns out being much easier if your characters are at an
high level, so they can cause as much damage from each attack as possible.
Keep following this strategy until you (hopefully) win.
In case you aren't interested in changing all the equipment and jobs of
your characters (something that I surely wasn't, at this point), you can
go for the usual party of a Knight, Monk, White Mage and Black Mage. With
those characters, you should constantly attack with the Knight (which
should be using a sword in each hand) and the Monk (empty-handed, as he
seems to cause more damage like that), use the White Mage to heal everyone
at each turn of the battle and finally use the Black Mage to cast the most
powerful magic you have, probably the latest installment of "Ice", which
also works quite good.
Keep on repeating this strategy, healing properly your characters with
ONLY the White Mage and attacking with everyone else, and your enemy will
probably go down soon. This strategy worked amazingly good with my
characters at level 29, and if you manage to get those level ups right,
you will have an even easier time here.



15~. Hekaton   (28000 HP)

For some reason that I can't seem to understand, this battle is too easy,
or maybe just my current party was too strong, or something... Your enemy
can attack twice in a row, and he seems to feature a powerful magic attack
which damages the entire party. (FAQ by M y k a s 0 :P)
With your Black Mage, simply use the best spells you have in a descending
order (first the level 6 ones, then the level 5, and so on), while you are
healing, as usual, with the White Mage. The other two members should
constantly attack the enemy. You can also do the same thing as I did,
train a lot (most of my characters were at level 40 when I defeated this
boss) and you'll easily win.



16~. Dorga   (22800 HP)

Hum, he's back... not only his physical attack damage is quite big, but so
is the damage caused by his magical attacks. Exactly what we were supposed
to see in this kind of character, I guess...
Anyway, he seems not to have any particular weaknesses in terms of
elemental magic, so your best bet is probably attacking him with physical
strikes. You surely have to include the usual White Mage on your party,
but you can also put 3 physical attackers in there, if you want. Your
whitey should do the same task as in battle before (i.e. heal your team in
EVERY turn) and the other members should be constantly attacking the enemy
with physical strikes.
A good idea could probably be the one of putting 2 Knights and a Monk in
the party, or any physical strikers you like, but it turns out being fully
up to you, just be sure to take good care of the White Mage, as you'd be
pretty much in trouble, without her.
At level 41, my characters were more than enough to beat this foe, but you
will then have to fight yet another boss battle, exactly after this one...



17~. Unne   (21800 HP)

She seems stronger than Dorga, at least in my opinion. Like what happened
to the boss you fight just before her (look above ^ ), she has no weakness
in terms of elemental magic but she is weaker against physical attacks.
For obvious reasons, you will be using the very same party that you used
in the battle before, and your strategy should be almost the same. Your
enemy goes mostly for magical attacks, with a powerful spell that puts ANY
of your friends with less than 10 HP (however, this attack will never kill
anyone, think about it as this game's version of a powerful "Demi" spell)
and other powerful spells. You can also use some attacking spells, but I
don't think it is a very good idea.
Mostly, try to stick to physical attacks and healing all your party EVERY
turn. In case more than one of your members dies (except for the White
Mage, which you should revive as soon as possible), try keeping your
strategy up and attacking as usual, but DON'T forget that HEALING is the
most important thing in this battle. Without it, you will be really fucked
up, and there's not even much you can do to save you from defeat.



18~. Titan   (29000 HP)

>_> I think we've seen this somewhere else, didn't we? Well, use the usual
strategy, with the White Mage healing everyone, the Black Mage attacking
all the time with the most powerful spells you have, and finally your
physical strikers doing their usual task. At level 44, this was an easy
enemy, and I hope that you will also have an easy time with him.



19~. Zande   (49999 HP)

The first of the final bosses, he appears to be stronger than he indeed
is. From time to time, he may use "Meteor", and that's probably your
biggest (or, perhaps, only) problem. I strongly advise you try to face
this battle only after your characters being at least at level 56. Also,
before heading to these final battles, there are probably some tune ups
that you should do in your party. In case you've usually used White and
Black Mages (or even their upgraded forms), change BOTH of them into
Sages, who have an interesting abiliby of being able to use ANY kind of
magical spells, apart from largely increasing the amount of most powerful
spells you can use. As for the physical strikers, you should get at least
a single Ninja, who has the ability of throwing stuff at the enemy you are
facing. Provided you bought lots of Shuriken (more than 30 will be just
fine) in Eureka's secret room, he will be of great help against the final
enemies, even being able to deal up to 9999 damage per Shuriken thrown.
You can turn all your physical fighter characters into Ninjas, but wether
you do it or not, it's up to you.
As for the strategy in this battle, it turns out being easy: use your
Ninja to throw ONLY 3 Shuriken in this battle, and then strike with
physical attacks for the  rest of the time. The Sages should be mostly
used for healing up the party, a task that you should be specially careful
with, in order to avoid the damage that comes from your enemy's "Meteor"
magic. Any other physical attackers that don't have the Ninja job should
simply give physical attacks to this foe.



20~. Dark Cloud - PART 1   (probably 120000 HP)

"HUH, what an amazing foe", you think... well, it isn't. There's no way
you can win this battle, you should simply defend (and NEVER use any
Shuriken, since it would be just a waste of time and effort) until your
enemy uses its special attack, which deals 9999 damage to the entire party
of yours. THERE'S NO WAY TO WIN, so you don't even try. I doubt you can
even cause a ridiculous 1 HP of damage to the enemy, which easily proves
that this battle isn't supposed to be won.



21~. Dark Cloud - PART 2   (120000 HP, or less)

Stated in the optional bosses section of this guide, you will see that you
can beat 4 optional bosses in this final area before going for this final
enemy. In spite of being totally your option, I strongly suggest you
defeat those 4 main enemies before venturing to this battle, in order to
have an easier time and hopefully defeat this boss. In order to access
this battle, take the central teleporter in the Dark World and follow that
path (tricky area, once again) until you find another teleporter, which
you should take. My characters were at level 57 when attempting to beat
this boss, and hopefully yours will have an even higher level.
Your enemy has a lot of strategies in here, but the most important thing
is that she can strike 4 times in a row. She usually goes for physical
attacks, but she can also cast a lightning-like magical attack (which
damages your entire party), some protection spells on her (both for
physical and magic damage), turn one of your characters into a frog and
even use the very same attack that killed you in your previous encounter
with her, an attack that isn't *that* powerful right now, causing less
than 1500 HP of damage to every character currently in your party.
If you did everything as I've told you, this won't even be an hard battle.
The Ninja should be throwing Shuriken until you run out of them (which,
hopefully, will not happen before your enemy dies), and then strike with
physical attacks.
The (hopefully 2) Sages should be given different tasks, one casting
mostly attack magic (but switching to heal/revive characters when needed)
and the other ALWAYS healing your entire party, with the usual healing
spells. Be aware that both of them should, above everything, should be
used as healers, and if you have to choose between nailing yet another
offensive spell or healing your entire party even more, you'd better go
for your curing spells.
Bearing all this in mind, form your own party and go for it, I can do
nothing more than wish you good luck. In case you have more than 15
Shuriken right now and you are willing to put 3 Ninjas in your party (be
careful when trying this, since when you change the job of a character,
his stats are halved for a while), always throwing Shuriken, and a single
Sage, that could probably be the best possible party for this encounter,
as you would generally be able to cause at least 25000 HP of damage per
turn.

After this battle, the ending of the game is seen. Hope you like it!


---------------------------------------------------


OP1~. Odin   (31000 HP)

While you fight this boss as soon as you get your ship's ability to go
underwater, I strongly advise you not to do it until much later in the
game, since this enemy may cause you a lot of trouble. While he first
seems to be a weak foe, he has a special attack that he uses from time to
time, called "Atom Edge", which deals an enourmous amount of damage to
every person currently in your party.
When I first tried to face this battle, all my characters were at level 35
and they didn't even managed to survive against a single of those special
attacks, so it's probably better to come face this enemy only when you're
sure you can beat him.
In case you really want to face him, well, simply take your ship to the
sea exactly south of the city that is divided in 4 places plus a castle
(you know, the place where you fought Garuda), go underwater in there and
you will find a cave. At its end, you will fight a palace-like room, where
Odin is, alongside with his horse.
Personally, I advise you to go for the exact same strategy that you used
against Garuda, with the 4 party members turning into Dragoons and using
the "Jump" command all the time. However, you can also go for the other
strategy I gave you back then, with a Black Mage always attacking with his
best spells, a White Mage healing your party every turn and your physical
strikers (hopefully you'll be using more than one) causing their damage as
usual, you'll manage to beat this enemy BUT only if you are properly
levelled up. I am not tired of stating this, the problem here is not
strategy, but your party having enough defense to withstand that powerful
special attack that your enemy has.
After beating this battle you will win the "Odin" summon spell, which you
can equip in anyone you want.



OP2~. Red Shinobi   (probably 11000 HP)

Found in the Fargabaad town, behind the waterfall, he is weaker than you
may have supposed. Go for the very same strategy you use in random
battles, but be aware that (and despite striking only once, unlike most
boss battles you face right now) his physical attacks may sometimes poison
one of your characters. His strenght is certainly high, but provided you
have the White Mage healing your party, that won't put you in much
trouble.
After winning, you get a powerful sword.



OP3~. Leviathan   (32000 HP)

After getting the Invencible, you can go back the the original map (you
know, that floating island that you came from) and you will eventually be
able to find a lake with a black shadow floating around. You can simply
stop it around (there's some grass on the lower area of the lake, where
you can stop your airship) and then use the canoe to enter that black
shadow. When you're inside, there's not only a whole bunch of treasure to
collect (all of which you should try to get before continuing) but you
can also find Leviathan at the end, in an area full of the usual gray
bridges.
Fighting him, you'll probably notice that he is nothing more than a
slightly tuned up version of Odin. His physical attacks aren't that
powerful, but he has a powerful special attack (the name is probably
"Tsunami") which may even kill your entire party, if your level isn't high
enough. Being a water creature, he obviously has its weakness in the
electrical attacks.
Your strategy for this battle is simple: your Black Mage (and you MUST
take one with you, this time...) should constantly use your best
electrical attacks (I used the 3rd "Bolt" spell) and your White Mage must
be healing the entire party at all times. As for the other two characters,
their choice is up to you. Personally, I took a Knight (who was always
hitting the enemy with his two swords) and another Black Mage, who was
using the best "Bolt" spell he could.
Now, there's a tricky part. Even if someone dies due to one of those
"Tsunami" attacks, you shouldn't take a turn to revive him, unless your
White Mage already has the "Full Life" magic, which I doubt. Instead, you
should keep on following your usual strategy, so that *maybe* your next
strike may even kill this beast. In case you are wondering, I was around
level 38 when I slayed this beast.
After winning, you acquire the "Leviathan" summon spell.



OP4~. Bahamut   (34000 HP)

This is probably the strongest of the optional bosses so far, I strongly
advise you to be at least at level 43 before even attempting to face him.
Using the best flying ship, the Invincible, you should head to the place
where you first fought (well, if that can really be considered a
battle...) against this Bahamut. From there, head southeast and follow the
shore, which will eventually lead you to a small place where you can see a
cave nearby and one of those places where you can use your airship to jump
to another place. Do it, enter the cave and follow it up to the end, where
you will finally face this enemy in a deadly battle.
Bahamut mostly uses physical attacks (two in a row), but he also has a
powerful special attack where he damages your entire party for a whole lot
of damage, usually even killing them all. Your main problem will probably
be this very same attack, since you can't dodge it and it is REALLY
powerful.
If you think about it, you probably may want to defeat this enemy as soon
and as quickly as possible, so that you don't even have to taste the
awesome power of that special attack. Above any type of strategy, your
main concern in here should be heading to this battle with your characters
as powerful as you can get them. I suggest you come here before heading
into the game's final dungeon, and trying to have as many levels in each
character as possible. The less damage you take from that special attack,
the easier your life will be and the less damage you'll take from the
special attack stated above.
When it comes to strategy, you'd better have a Shaman (the upgraded form
of a White Mage) in there to heal your party, CONSTANTLY (and I mean it!)
using healing spells in the entire party. About the other 3 characters,
you should mostly pick the strongest physical strikers you have available,
alongside with their best weapons and armor. They should constantly attack
the enemy, while being healed by the Shaman. You can have the usual Black
Mage (or a Warlock) in there, but magic seems to cause less damage than
the one you can inflict with characters prepared for 
physical attacks.
When you finally are able to defeat this powerful beast, you will acquire
the "Bahamut" summon spell, to equip in whoever you want.

Strategy by D. Anderson:
"
If you have a Dragoon, just buy his weapon on the Invincible (I think it
was "Dragon Spear") and just keep using "Jump".  It does 9999 each hit, so
the fight is fairly short. No, I did NOT have a Shaman (just a White
Mage), and I barely had to heal.  Also, I still had a black mage, and just
had him keep using "Bio". The fight lasted 4 turns for me.
"



OP5~. Amon   (33500 HP)

The first boss found in Eureka, which you can fight by picking up a
chakram, or a boomerang, or whatever that is.
While he kinda resembles Hyne, he isn't very strong and usually goes for
physical attacks and some magical ones. Keep on healing with your Shaman
and attacking with everyone else (a Warlock should use his best spells,
in order to try to cause as much damage as possible) and eventually this
enemy will be down, awarding you that boomerang-type weapon.



OP6~. Kunoichi   (29000 HP)

The second boss placed in Eureka, which you can fight by picking up the
first sword you find, placed to the right of a place where you come from
the upper side and can head down, left or RIGHT.
She is not very strong, mostly focus in physical attacks and some magic
(which she usually opts by using in your entire party), but be aware that
she can strike up to 3 times per turn.
Strike with everyone else ("Flare" for your Warlock seems to be quite
good against her), either with physical attacks or black magic, healing
the entire party with the Shaman in EVERY turn, and she will go down
probably even quicker than the boss you faced before her.
At the end you gain the sword that you've just seen.



OP7~. General   (35000 HP)

The third boss which you can find in Eureka, you can fight him by picking
up the second sword you find, placed to the right of the final door, in an
area full of those wooden bridges.
Seems even weaker than the 2 bosses found before him, he mostly goes for
(strong) physical attacks. Use "Flare" with your Warlock, physical
strikes with your characters that are better at that kind of task, and
finally heal with the Shaman, the very same task that we have been doing
up to now.
After winning, you'll acquire the sword that you've seen before, which
turns out being one of the best ones available in this game.



OP8~. Scylla   (35000 HP)

Also in Eureka, you can fight this mythology-based enemy by picking up the
staff, shown exactly to the left side of second-to-last room in this area
of the game.
She isn't very strong, and provided you follow the exact same strategy as
in the battle before, (and I mean "Flare" for the Warlock, curing everyone
for the Shaman and striking physically with the other 2 guys) you will
probably do just fine.
After winning the battle, you get the staff you've just seen.



OP9~. Guardian   (33700 HP)

When reaching the final area of Eureka, the same one where you fight
Scylla, you can head to the right to fight this boss battle, acessible by
interacting with the golden sword, the final one you'll see.
Like Scylla, he isn't very strong. However, he has some powerful magical
attacks and sometimes he even casts "Reflect" on himself. If that happens,
(you'll easily notice it because he turns purple) stop using all kinds of
offensive magic and have your Warlock (or whoever you were using magic
with) just defend himself. Everyone else should continue attacking, and
the Shaman should be healing as usual. Provided you are careful with the
magical attacks (which fortunately he hardly uses) and with his status
that reflects magic, you'll do just fine and defeat him easily.
After beating you, you get a new sword.



OP10~. 2-headed Dragon   (99999 HP)

On the last area of the game, the Dark World, you should take the upper
right path and follow it until you find this boss.
He only uses physical attacks, but all of those are quite strong and you
may have a lot of trouble with them. Also, some of his physical attacks
seem to induce the "Silence" status in your characters, stopping them from
being able to use magic.
If this happens to ANY of your Sages, be sure to heal that effect as
quickly as possible, and then continue using those very same characters to
heal the damaged members of your team, a task that you should do in EVERY
turn, in order to prevent the enemy from killing any of your party
members.
With your Ninjas, you should always throw Shuriken at the enemy, and if
you have other physical strikers, they should be constantly attacking the
enemy.
After winning this tough battle, you will not only have your party fully
healed but also also gain an interesting effect, which instantly weakens
the final boss, lowering its maximum HP.



OP11~. Ahriman   (99999 HP)

Also on the last area of the game, the Dark World, you can take the lower
right path and follow it up to the end in order to battle this enemy.
He isn't very strong, but can attack twice in a row, with usually
different moves. His physical attack isn't very strong, but it may
sometimes petrify your characters; if that happens, try to cure that
effect as soon as possible, using the classical "Soft" item (you brought
some, didn't you? I hope so, that's important!). He may also cure himself
(usually for around 4500 HP) and use most offensive magic types against
your characters.
Well, apart from the petrifying issue, this enemy isn't that powerful, you
can use Shuriken with your Ninja (but be careful with how many you have
left, since you will be needing it for the final battle), physical attacks
with the characters who are good at that task. As for your Sage (or, even
better, Sages, as you should have 2 of them in your party by now), he
should be healing all your party (when necessary) or casting "Flare" or
"Bahamut".
After beating this enemy, not only your party will be fully healed but the
final boss will be weakened even more, by having its maximum HP lowered.



OP12~. Echidna   (99999 HP)

In the Dark World, you can take the lower left path and take it up to the
end (be careful, the area is a little tricky) in order to fight this very
same enemy. She seems to cast "Drain" (which, as you may suppose, drains
some HP from one of your characters) every turn, followed by another
attack, which may be a physical one (sometimes inducing "Silence" on the
character attacked) or a "Death" spell. None of those attacks are really
that powerful, and you should mostly stick to an adapted version of the
usual strategy.
Your Ninja, as usual, should be throwin Shuriken at the enemy. Your other
physical attacker should be striking physically as usual. As for the 2
Sages you (hopefully) have in your party, one should be ALWAYS (whatever
happens, even if the enemy only caused you 1 HP of damage last turn)
healing the entire party, while the other one should be casting "Flare"
or any kind of offensive spell every turn.
Eventually you will beat her, and your party will be fully healed. Also,
the final boss will have its HP lowered even more.



OP13~. Cerberus   (99999 HP)

Also in the Dark World, you can take the upper left path and follow it up
to the end in order to fight this enemy. He is stronger than the other 3
optional bosses, usually attacks up to 3 times per turn (sometimes even
inducing the "Poison" effect with his physical attacks), either with
strong physical attacks or the best "Fire" magic, sometimes used in a
single character and others on your whole party.
As in the battle before, use your Ninja to throw Shuriken at the enemy
(be sure to have at least 13 left for your final battle) and attack
physically with the other character. Then, one of the Sages should ALWAYS
cast the best healing spell in the entire party and the other one can cast
offensive magic (go mostly for "Flare" or the most powerful ones you
currently have). In case someone dies, ignore this last action and be sure
to revive them as soon as possible, then continuing with this strategy as
if nothing had happened.
After beating the enemy, your party will once again be fully healed and
the final boss (which will be next, if you are following my guide on
beating these last 4 optional bosses) will be given even less HP than it
normally would have. The strategy for beating that very same final boss of
the game is stated in its proper section.



OP14~. Iron Giant   (199999 HP)

First of all, in order to unlock this boss you need to send at least 8
messages via Mognet to your friends. Then, send 4 messages to "The 4
Elderly" (and wait until they reply back to you, which is usually quick),
followed by 4 messages to "King Arusu", and when he replies to it with a
forth mail, grab your airship (you'll need the one that can go underwater,
so be sure to get that one) and go to the area with the floating island,
you know, the one where you started the game. From that place, start
heading to the right side and continue going until you see a big circular
shadow inside of the water.
There, go down with that special airship and you'll be able to enter a
secret cave, where you will fight this optional boss, the strongest one
available in the game.
Since I don't have a Wifi connection, I wasn't able to unlock this boss
and therefore I can't give you any strategies made by myself, but several
people discussed with me that the best strategy for such battle is byuing
the most powerful magic you have, while having all your characters into
the back row and using 2 shields.
The enemy starts by using "Meteor" several times. After losing a certain
amount of HP, he will use several physical attacks and "Slash", that hits
everyone in your party for good damage.

After defeating him you gain a massive amount of experience (99999, in
case anyone is wondering), alongside with lots of money (once again, the
incredible amount of 99999 gil) and a card that you can use in your
messages. Besides, you can go back to that area, and probably fight him as
many times as you want.

In case you disagree with the strategy stated above or you found a better
one, be sure to mail me about it, and I'll add it to this guide, obviously
crediting you for it.



FAQ. Frequently Asked Questions

Some of the questions you, readers, may have... in case you mail me an
interesting question and I think that other readers should also hear the
answer, your question will be added here and your name will be credited.

Q: [Insert something here], where should I go next?

A: Did you noticed that this was a Boss FAQ, not a FAQ/Walkthrough? Be
   sure to read one of those instead, since I have no idea on what to tell
   you about that kind of question.


Q: Hey, my strategy is better than yours! What should I do?

A: First of all, if your strategy is indeed better than mine, just use
   yours instead of mine. Also, you can mail me that strategy and in case
   I find it interesting, I will also add it to this Guide and credit you.


Q: Why isn't Nepto in your bosses' list?

A: Finding him (or not) is fully random. Besides, you lose your normal
   ship later in the game, and I couldn't find a way to visit Nepto's bay
   by water after such occurence.


Q: Are there any other bosses not stated in this guide?

A: I don't believe so. While I heard that you can acquire certain quests,
   items and more stuff by using Mognet and the Wi-fi funcionalities of
   this game, I wasn't really able to try it, as I don't have a wireless
   connection. I don't have the DS Wireless Adaptor either (feel free to
   offer me one! :P), but I strongly believe that even in those new quests
   you wouldn't be facing any new boss, besides the ones stated in this
   very same guide.


Q: Why do you display the bosses in that order? I fought them in a
   different one!

A: The order given here is exactly the one I've faced in my game. Besides,
   apart from a single battle (and not counting the optional bosses), you
   MUST face them in that order.


Q: Where do I get the Ninja? Or the Sage?

A: You get them after reaching the last crystal.


Q: In Eureka, where can I buy the Shuriken? Where's the secret room?

A: Well, lots of people seem to ask that. First of all, you must enter
   Eureka (a secret, rocky, place, available in the Crystal castle, found
   near the end of the game), and follow it until the end, where you will
   find a teleporting circle. By taking it, you're able to visit a smaller
   area, where there are no enemies, just people selling equipment and two
   healing fountains. In that very same area, you'll see a strange group
   of walls, in the right side of the room. By taking your character
   there, he will be able to get inside the wall and follow an invisible
   path which, at the end, features a person selling not only Shurikens,
   but also other amazing pieces of equipment.

That's all...



B_END. Special Thanks

I want to thank the following people:

- Everyone who made this game;

- Andyrm, for confirming that Hyne's weakness can still be studied with
  the "Scholar" job class;

- coverzin1, for telling me of a way to confirm the boss' HP;

- Zach L. , for telling me the exact HP of the "Iron Giant";

- PuppetKing, for more information on the "Iron Giant";

- Everyone who mailed me about the "Land Turtle" battle;

- Everyone who contributed strategies, they are generally credited along
  with their own contributions;

- Everyone who likes my works, it's for those people that I like to work
  in this type of project.



End. Contacts

If you want, you may see my web page, just check it at the HTML 
address www.geocities.com/Mykas0/ .
My e-mail is Mykas0 [at] gmail.com , you can send me some questions you
may have or contributions to this guide, but please try not to ask any
questions that aren't about this guide or Boss battles, as I am not the
best person to reply to those. Also, se the following subject or I will
NEVER reply.

Subject: "FF3 BOSS FAQ" for posing questions or giving contributions

Thanks and until the next version!!!!!!