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One of the Final Fantasy series defining characteristics is its large-scale, cinematic boss fights. Some of the most intense and memorable moments of the series have been these boss fights. However, a few of these fights tend to go overboard with their spectacle. Sometimes, Final Fantasy boss fights can take multiple hours to complete. While some players think this to be excessive, others feel that this helps add to the overall experience. Once battles pass the 10-hour mark, they become a battle of attrition rather than a fun experience. For any player looking for a challenge, here are some of Final Fantasy’s longest bosses of all time, plus where Final Fantasy 16 falls in the ranking.
4. Yiazmat
First up for Final Fantasy’s longest boss fights, we have Yiazmat from Final Fantasy 12. In the game, Yiazmat functions as the ultimate boss and challenge of the game. With over 50 million hit points, beating the boss will take well over an hour for skilled players, but most likely way longer. Many of the fights often sit somewhere in the 2-3 hour range. Additionally, at 4-5 health bars left, Yiazmat will start using Reflectga, which could potentially reflect a heal spell to Yiazmat, instantly healing the boss full. Players must keep an eye out for this mechanic to avoid having the boss fight double in time. Although Yiazmat isn’t the longest fight on this list, it is one of the more involved fights. Players will need to be on their A-game for three hours or risk starting over.
3. Adamantoise
Next, Admantoise is a superboss from Final Fantasy 15 and the game’s longest boss fight. This massive turtle boss has over five million HP and can take anywhere from 3-4 hours for your average player to beat. However, some skilled players have optimized the fight to the 1-2 hour range. Unlike with Yiazmat, there aren’t too many things in this fight to look out for. Many of Adamantoise’s attacks cover a wide area but are extremely slow and easy to dodge. On top of this, the boss’s swings don’t even do that must damage, meaning that a non-maxed-out party can beat the boss. Defeating this boss can also net some great rewards for the player, including an accessory that maxes out the wearer’s HP stat.
2. Pandemonium Warden
Next is the first of the two Final Fantasy 11 bosses, Pandemonium Warden. In the earlier days of Final Fantasy 11, some bosses had ridiculous amounts of HP. This created a challenge so difficult that some boss fights would carry on for well over 10 hours. One of these fights is the Pandemonium Warden, which was fought for over 18 hours before the battle was abandoned. Eventually, Square Enix did add some limits to make these fights much easier. However, many players’ experiences were already soured. This boss and the next boss on the list are considered the two High Notorious Monsters of FF11. This means that they present the highest challenge the game, or any Final Fantasy game for that matter, has to offer.
1. Absolute Virtue
Finally, the last of the two High Notorious Monsters of FF11 is Absolute Virtue. Not only is Absolute Virtue the longest boss fight in Final Fantasy, but it’s also one of the longest boss fights in all of gaming. For the longest time, this boss remained undefeated by any legitimate means and gained an infamous reputation. Many players had attempted to fight this boss for over 30 hours before being defeated. Players were so dissatisfied with this that Square Enix eventually had to lower the boss’s health by a huge amount. The boss was so difficult that beating it would require FF11’s level cap to be increased. This would give players an easy means of defeating Absolute Virtue, which currently can be done with relative ease.
What is FF16’s Longest Boss Fight?
As for Final Fantasy 16, the boss fights of this game don’t come close to the massive scale of these fights. The longest fight would probably have to be the final fight against Ultima at around an hour. However, most of the battle time comes from cutscenes, not actual gameplay. Overall, with its new action-based approach, Square Enix wanted to move away from lengthier encounters. Instead, fights now have quicker bursts of phases that keep players moving quickly through bosses. Hopefully, maybe we will see some superbosses as DLC in the future of Final Fantasy 16.
