Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster - Low Level Part 10: 4 Fiend Rematches (Lich, Marilith, Kraken, Tiamat)

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MoogleBoss

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Published on May 21, 2023 4:33:57 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FawogALkXC4

Game:

Final Fantasy (1987)

Duration: 14:35

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We've made it to Chaos Shrine, the game's final dungeon, at levels 1112. The sole level-up necessary to get here much more quickly than possibly spending 100+ hours resetting to beat Lich at base level was to learn Temper with just one red mage, causing my rate of success to rocket. Other than the Knight, who gets to wield Excalibur and some exclusive heavy armour, the classes of the other three units do not matter at all.

The Four Fiends are rematched with changed (not necessarily improved) skill sets and generally higher stats. I go all out with strategies that net me the victory quickly and reliably, wasting X-Potions liberally in the process. I later redo the battles to conserve the X-Potions, as farming them sure takes up a lot of time, and we're going to need loads more for Chaos.

0:00 Lich

The big meanie who made me level up once to progress further in the run is back... with a totally different skillset. He's lost his elemental magic to gain Flare, dealing around 300 damage to everyone in the party that cannot be reduced with Ribbons and gear that renders us resistant to an element. Giant's Tonics are a must to survive these, and you want above 600 HP to survive two consecutive Flares. His other spells are status magic including Warp, Kill and Stop. Because we only have three Ribbons, somebody will be vulnerable to all three, meaning they'll die whenever MT Warp is cast. Keeping them alive and with high HP is probably a wasted effort.

Lich also attacks physically sometimes, and... it seems that his attack has not improved in power all that much since that first encounter? It's uncanny that everyone in the party can take a blow most of the time. This is the only battle where the Knight frontlines the party, as taking 1 damage is preferred to taking 28 and potentially more.

The strat used here is going to repeat in the next two battles. We ensure a level of longevity for the three Ribbon bearers in the party, then buff the Knight to start unleashing powerful attacks. HP is restored as and when it is necessary.

03:30 Marilith

Marilith, much like everyone after Lich, does not land any weak attacks. Gaining Firaga in place of Fira, he still threatens to KO everyone in the party before the first Giant's Tonics are used, meaning we do need to get lucky for these first couple turns. Besides the regular physical, Blind and Stun can be used, the latter something of a nuisance to the ribbonless red wizard before he's fallen to Firaga. The damage caused by the latter is far too great to maintain a fourth party member, and the spell IS spammed liberally.

07:23 Kraken

Previously the only fiend incapable of killing the party due to being locked into dealing damage with physicals, Kraken now boasts MT magic in Thundara, all while bolstering his physical damage further. The battle is similar to the previous one, with three allies buffing the Knight and reaching the end of the fight. The physicals really are vicious at this point.

10:47 Tiamat

Of the four fiends buffed for the rematch, Tiamat really takes the cake. Whilst he had four elemental spells previously, he now has... seven! Good luck seeing him use the regular physical attack now with this kind of choice. Some of them are also admittedly much weaker, like the -ara spells only dealing around 60-70 damage, but when you start with 30 HP you don't really find that relieving.

Keeping more than one party member alive and buffed with Giant's Tonics seems like Sisyphus' effort, as showcased in the video. With the Masamune making Red Wizards a respectable partner to the Knight for dishing out heavy damage, we can have either wielder of these two weapons ready to unleash punishment, but most of the time the first turn will be the last one with Tiamat outspeeding the party and consistently taking everyone out in one spell. The 56 HP Red Wizard can very occasionally survive one of the -ara spells, though there is little value in doing so unless a Giant's Tonic has been successfully used. Much like the first battle against Tiamat, this is most optimally done as a solo fight, even though you'd think the weaker spells would give a shred of hope you could maintain a larger party that doesn't have to worry about health as often.

If you've been sandbagging for a while, say by trying to win without using X-Potions, you may see your run end with Scourge being used. Despite being instadeath, it seems to go through Ribbon notwithstanding its supposedly low success rate.

So, the four fiends are down... Why are we in this shrine again? Oh right, we're here to....... ;)

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