Final Fantasy 16 bosses run the gamut from absolutely spectacular to kinda boring, but in true Final Fantasy fashion, there are so many of them that overlooking the less inspiring ones is easy to do. Final Fantasy 16 has over 40 main boss fights, if you don’t include mini-bosses, optional bosses, and some repeats and multi-form bosses. These range from tame battles against foes who become normal enemies later to genuinely awesome spectacles as Clive faces some of Valisthea’s biggest and most dangerous threats. We’ve ranked them all below in our Final Fantasy 16 boss list, and since it includes every mainline boss, bear in mind that there will be some mild spoilers.
Morbol
The Morbol is iconic, and that’s about all it has going for it. It stubbornly clings to life with its big health bear, and since Clive has just the bare minimum of abilities here, it drags out into a frustrating, dull fight.
Akashic Morbol
The Akashic Morbol is literally just a Morbol with some fancy new colors. You have far better methods of dealing with it this time, but it’s still a bit bland.
Dragon Aevis
Dragon Aevis seems pretty fierce at first, but you can take it down with comparative ease once you learn its movement pattern. It also ends up being a regular enemy not long after in the game, which dulls the impressiveness a bit.
Hill Gigas
The Hill Gigas hits just as hard as ever, and while it also becomes a regular enemy later, that mighty wallop lends this tutorial fight an unexpected sense of tension.
Tiamat
Poor Tiamat doesn’t have much going for him. He may be the leader of a daring special ops team, but with few tricks up his sleeve, the most noteworthy element to this boss fight is the emotion, the moment when Clive breaks free of his mental chains and fights back against his oppressors.
Shiva's Dominant
The battle against Shiva’s Dominant teaches some foundational concepts that play a role in later fights, and she’s a more complex foe to deal with using just Clive’s set of starter skills. Unlike Clive, we can see from the start who the Dominant is as well, which adds another layer of emotional drama to the fight.
Knight of the Blinding Dawn
The Knight of the Blinding Dawn is the first fight where you really have to pay attention to movement and think quickly. It’s also a nice callout to Final Fantasy 14 for those who’ve played Square Enix’s popular MMO.
Midnight Raven
Midnight Raven has some tough attacks to get used to, and you can easily – and literally – get roasted if you aren’t careful. It’s a fast, frantic battle, and a nice way to increase the tension as Clive and Cid track down the hooded man.
Republican War Panther
The Republican War Panther is surprisingly straightforward for a boss you encounter in the middle of the game. It swipes with its paws, jumps at you, and that’s about it. At least it’s easy to deal with.
Fafnir
It’s easy to forget Fafnir later, after you’ve bested all manner of giants, evil spirits, and more, but in the early game, the giant lizard is a pretty intimidating foe. Getting the drop on him takes good timing and patience, and probably several potions.
Fafnir is a bit sad too. As Cid says, he just wants a place to call home.
Control Node
The Control Node is pretty disappointing for a late-game boss. You’ve fought its kind before, first under Phoenix Gate and then again whenever you detoured into Fallen ruins. This one functions almost the same, except it has a few extra attacks that make it marginally more interesting, including a powerful charge you have to race to defeat and a split slam attack that catches you quickly if you don’t move fast enough.
Coeurl
This is another fairly standard fight from a foe that becomes a normal enemy later. The Coeurl has more surprises than most basic foes, though, including electric attacks and a powerful charge attack that deals heavy damage if you don’t react quickly.
Iron Giant
The Iron Giant is another classic Final Fantasy boss, and while it certainly hits hard if you don’t pay attention, its limited moveset – and the fact that you have few abilities of your own the first time you face it – makes the battle more of a slog than some of the better Iron Giant appearances. It’s a bit more fun in New Game Plus mode, though.
Aurum Giant
The Aurum Giant is a visual upgrade from its little Iron brother, but a splash of pizzazz and two new attacks don’t really change enough to make this battle interesting. The Aurum Giant behaves exactly the same, except for two attacks. It fires multiple aether projectiles in the air that you need to dodge – not too difficult, since the giant doesn’t have any follow-up attacks while this happens – and it swishes its sword across the floor, leaving exploding aether pools behind.
Garuda
Garuda suffers from being another tutorial fight. It’s a gripping cinematic spectacle at the best moments, but strays into repetition a bit too often – even more so when you play as Ifrit.
Imperial Cannonier
The Imperial Cannonier is a slow boss who’s easier to dodge and counter, which is good for story momentum, but it’s hardly the stuff of exciting boss battles. The second phase is more visually interesting at least, thanks to the Cannonier’s aether boost. On the bright side, taking him down means you can get to the Mothercrystal and a much more engaging set of battles.
Benedikta
The battles against Benedikta herself are slightly better than the fight against Garuda. Her moveset is a bit too easy to predict, as you’d expect from an Eikon tutorial battle. She does hit hard and puts your resource management skills to the test, though.
Liquid Flame
Liquid Flame is an awkward boss. It’s visually interesting, and the story context around the battle gives it plenty of emotional weight – which makes the battle itself even more perplexing. Eleventh Hour is the Flame’s only interesting and unpredictable attack. The rest of it plays out like one of the game’s earlier tutorials.
Chirada and Suparna
Benedikta’s minions put up a more interesting fight than their Dominant. It’s a tricky encounter that forces you to split your attention between two bosses whose attacks often overlap, and there’s a tangible feeling of relief once you vanquish them both.
Undertaker
Boss fights finally start getting more interesting with the Undertaker. This fierce foe has a broad range of attacks up close and at range, and things get particularly hectic in phase two. His signature attack in this phase can stagger you and leave you open to other attacks and the projectiles that swarm the arena.
Dragons
Final Fantasy 16‘s dragons aren’t the most diverse bunch. They all have the same attack patterns, for example, and behave in basically the same way. They’ll absolutely destroy you if you get complacent, though, and the circumstances around their appearance are consistently impressive – especially the Akashic Dragon.
Barnabas
Barnabas suffers from not having a hero’s set of skills. Like other human foes, he has a limited range of moves, which means you have an easier time of figuring out his patterns and weaknesses. He’s no match for Clive’s more robust collection of abilities. Oh well. At least his Eikon skills are handy.
Necrophobe
The Necrophobe makes you earn your victory. Magic types normally mean nothing in Final Fantasy 16, but the Necrophobe’s patterns and power change depending on its spell elements. It charges certain elements to deal heavier damage, dualcasts, and then does all of that at once, but stronger, in the fight’s final phase.
Sleipnir
Sleipnir is, ironically, more engaging than his lord. It takes smart dodging and good attack timing to break through Sleipnir’s defenses. His attacks cover almost the entire arena, and he’s a fast, fierce opponent up close. You might want to equip the Ring of Timely Evasion the first time you fight him.
Infernal Shadow
Okay so the Infernal Shadow battle maybe isn’t as complex as some of Final Fantasy 16‘s later boss fights, but it’s certainly one of the most memorable. Clive gets his Final Fantasy 4 on and turns his blade against his darkest, most repressed fears and emotions in an exhilarating battle set to one of the game’s best pieces of music. It shifts to Clive fighting an Eikon and then two Eikons battling each other before ending in an explosive finale that grants Clive his limit break ability. It’s hard to imagine a better setpiece.
Typhon
Final Fantasy 16 springs the Typhon battle on you completely unawares, but even without the element of surprise, it’s still one of the stronger fights in the RPG. Typhon is an eerie foe who unleashes powerful attacks that engulf most of the arena. Getting used to them takes practice, and once you clear the first phase, you’re treated to another Ifrit spectacle.
The Eikon of Fire
The prologue’s final fight is essentially just a bird flying around shooting fire bullets, but it sets the standard for what makes an excellent boss battle in Final Fantasy 16: unpredictable action, a superb soundtrack, strong narrative context, and clever use of cinematics. The fight against the Eikon of Fire has all of those, including one of the most brutal ending scenes of any RPG boss fight.
Hugo and Titan
Your deadly clash with Hugo and his Titan forms is one of the most striking experiences in Final Fantasy 16. Hugo is an excellent opponent even in human form, with his crushing earth attacks and surprisingly nimble movements. His Titan form is next-level stuff, though. Ifrit versus Titan and Lost Titan is simultaneously one of the most exciting boss fights in the series and the most unhinged, and for Final Fantasy, that’s really saying something
Bahamut
Bahamut might not have the off-the-wall anime style and soundtrack of the Titan battle. However, the fight against the iconic dragon does showcase some striking cinematics, including a certain fusion of two specific Eikons, which makes it one of the more standout boss battles in the game.
Ultima
What kind of Final Fantasy game would it be without a multi-phase, multi-form final boss fight? Not Final Fantasy 16, that’s for sure. We’ll avoid spoiling it for you in case you haven’t defeated him yet, but suffice to say, the battle against Ultima makes clever use of the narrative around Eikons and culminates in some of the game’s finest setpieces.
Behemoth
Sure, Behemoth isn’t an aether-wielding evil god of a final boss, but he’s an even more vicious foe than Ultima in some ways, in keeping with the Behemoth’s status as “monster you really don’t want to accidentally run into” in Final Fantasy. Better still is who you battle the Behemoth with. The whole thing is exceptionally satisfying and a brilliant way to blend narrative themes and character development in with a battle.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF
