The game's first real boss. Uses wide sweeping tail attacks and breath attacks. Stand to the side, not directly behind — tail sweep has massive range. Barret is invaluable here for ranged damage when Midgarsormr goes airborne. Cast Thunder to apply pressure, then attack the body once grounded.
Two-phase fight. Phase 1: destroy both arms using focused attacks and Lightning. Once both arms are destroyed, the core is exposed and vulnerable. Phase 2: the Golem fights with its core directly exposed — stagger it for massive damage during this window.
A grotesque Shinra experiment with multiple limbs. Focus Ice attacks on the central body mass. Its tentacle attacks have long reach — keep some distance and dash in to attack, then pull back. Aerith casting Blizzara inside a Ward makes short work of this fight.
Gi Nattak is undead — this completely flips item usage. Heal items damage it, damage items heal it. Most importantly: Phoenix Downs deal enormous damage. Throw a Phoenix Down to skip its HP bar. Fire spells cause pressure. Standard healing items will restore its HP — use only the undead-exploit method.
Jenova emerges from a tank of Mako. Use Thunder/Thundara to pressure. It will use Regen on itself — dispel it immediately with Aerith or the regen will outpace your damage.
Phase 2 — Aerial FormJenova becomes airborne. Barret is essential here — switch to him immediately. Attack the tentacle appendages to expose the main body. Once appendages are destroyed, it descends for a major stagger window.
A large crustacean-type enemy. Wait for it to rear up on its hind legs — hit the exposed belly with Thunder for instant pressure. Keep range during its spinning claw attack. Yuffie is excellent here if she's in your party — Ninjutsu with Lightning element wrecks it.
Abzu is a serpentine boss with two distinct phases. Phase 1 it stays on the ground — hit with Ice and Lightning to pressure, attack the head. Phase 2 it rears up high — only its head is targetable and it gains new powerful attacks. Switch to Barret for sustained ranged hits when the head is elevated.
The first Summon battle of the game. Titan is enormous — most attacks target limbs. When he plants both fists into the earth, focus Lightning on both fists simultaneously to pressure both. This is your primary stagger route. His Landslide attack has very high range — dodge roll away from his body during windup.
Second FormAfter losing ~40% HP, Titan shifts stance. His attacks become faster and he gains an air slam. The stagger mechanic is the same — hit both fists with Lightning when planted. Use Aerith's Ward to amplify Thundara casts for the biggest stagger buildup.
Massive Shinra experiment. Covered in a tough outer layer weak to Ice — blast it with Blizzara until it cracks. Once cracked, the exposed core takes massive bonus damage from Lightning. At ~50% HP, it splits into two smaller versions — focus one down immediately before they combine their attacks.
A guardian spirit with elemental nodes across its body. Each node has a specific weakness — Assess reveals them. Yuffie's ability to switch elements on the fly is uniquely powerful here. Destroy all active nodes to pressure the core, then stagger and burst. Aerith's Ward dramatically increases the speed at which you can rotate elements.
Bahamut uses a Megaflare countdown — when it reaches zero, the attack will likely kill your party. You must stagger or interrupt him before the counter ends. Focus maximum damage from the start, don't pace yourself. Yuffie with Wind element Ninjutsu deals exceptional damage here.
Bahamut Arisen PhaseSecond form is faster and the countdown speeds up. Planet's Protection should be saved for Megaflare if you can't stagger in time. ATB Boost + Limit Break combo in the stagger window should deal over half his HP. This fight rewards offensive aggression over cautious play.
Sephiroth attacks fast with Masamune combos. Block in Punisher Mode — Cloud counters automatically. Synergy Skills trigger frequently in this phase. Bait his basic combo, counter, deal damage. His parrying AI is sophisticated — don't spam the same ability repeatedly.
Phase 2 — One-Winged AngelHe gains his iconic wing and power dramatically increases. Shadow Flare will target characters — move away from the target indicator immediately. Aerith should be kept alive at all costs — she's your only reliable healer for this phase.
Phase 3 — Shattered FormThe arena changes. His movement speed increases. This is the phase where most parties get wiped by running out of MP on Hard Mode — conserve every spell. Only cast inside Wards. Use physical attacks primarily.
Phase 4 — Supernova WarningFinal phase. Has a Supernova countdown like Bahamut's Megaflare. Max damage burst is your only option — there is no safe way through this phase. ATB Boost, all Limit Breaks, full Yuffie Ninjutsu combo. Kill him before the counter ends.