megaTEN (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
tenshinoakuma) wrote2013-07-30 09:45 pm
tenshinoakuma) wrote2013-07-30 09:45 pm
Entry tags:
Optional boss fight info: Demi-Fiend (DDS1)
Introduction
Requirements
Preparation
Skills
Items
Battle Basics
Surviving Gaea Rage
General Battle Tips
Red Star Method
If you're looking at this guide, then you already know that the optional boss fight with the Demi-Fiend is often said to be one of the most difficult JRPG boss fights, if not The most difficult JRPG boss fight.
I'm here to tell you it doesn't have to be so.
In order to even access the Demi-Fiend fight, you need to be on a New Game+ file and have defeated Varin Omega in the Brutes' Base. When you've done so, the Demi-Fiend can be found in Anahata. Warp to the Citadel 1 Large Karma Terminal and take the ladder down to B1 with all the "poison gas".
[BLUH BLUH BLUH FILL THIS SPOT WITH ACTUAL DIRECTIONS TO THE BOSS ROOM, as well as the boos room warning message.]
I hope you are reading this guide before you start your NG+ file. If not, it's still possible to prepare adequately for the fight, but you may have sub-optimal stats.
You are going to be level 99 by the time you fight the Demi-Fiend. Anything less is asking for more trouble than it's worth. However, hitting level 99 is quite easy.
To minimise the amount of grinding you need to do, you should consider who you are going to (primarily) bring into the fight. Your main party of three will consist of three primary roles:
[(I strongly suggest Cielo as your support; using anyone else makes the battle tougher. I also suggest either Heat or a Serph with all his stat points distributed into Str/Agi as your physical-based attacker.)
i'll get into skills you should have for the fight later, but at the very least, all of your main party should have max magic, vit and luck, as high as possible agi, and the multi-target physical-based attacker should have max str.]
Which is where the Noise grinding comes in.
The following is a list of Noises, locations, and tactics for grinding:
I suggest grinding your Luck, Magic, and Vitality (in that order) to 99 as soon as possible. Maxing out these stats early means that Agility and Strength, whose associated Noises are extremely time consuming to grind, will be gained naturally through level up. While it's nice to have 999 HP and MP, it's time consuming and in reality, not all that necessary.
Firstly, you cannot equip any Nulling skills (aside from Null Sleep and Null Critical) into the battle; the Demi-Fiend will flip his shit and just straight up kill you. So no Null X skills (except Null Sleep and Null Critical) or Void/Drain/Repel skills. However, you can have Resist skills equipped. The main Resist skills you will care about for this fight are Phys Resist, Death Resist, and the resist skill that will cover the character's weakness (e.g. Fire Resist on Serph). Equip Null Critical, too.
Secondly, the only way to damage the Demi-Fiend is via Almighty, Earth, or Gun attacks. I favour Last Word and Ragnarok. While the Demi-Fiend can be damaged with Teradyne and Gun attacks, their low damage and the fact some of the Demi-Fiend's demons aren't affected by Teradyne or Gun attacks makes them very poor choices. You absolutely need Last Word, as it is both your primary damage dealing skill, and the skill you will use to control the HP on the Demi-Fiend's demons (as each demon has different amounts of HP).
Thirdly, you will be receiving a lot of damage and status effects, so Salvation is a must.
Finally, you will be receiving a lot of debuffs in certain parts of the fight, so Dekunda is needed. Dekaja is optional; Dekaja Rocks are usually sufficient.
[my ideal set-up in this party order
cells highlighted are "optional" skills
serph - last word, mind charge, [dekunda], salvation, fire resist, phys resist, death resist, null critical
heat - ragnarok, [power charge], [recarmdra], salvation, ice resist, phys resist, death resist, null critical
cielo - dekunda, salvation, recarmdra, close call, null sleep, phys resist, death resist, null critical
Other skills you could have instead: recarmdra, debilitate, dekaja. -kaja/-nda skills, but those are generally only used if you wish to attempt the Red Star method [LINK.]
The only skills your reserves need are Close Call
I like to have Salvation on all three party members, as this allows me a great amount of flexibility. while not necessary, power charge will make killing demons in 1 attack much easier]
Revival Orb, Dis-Mute, Dis-Stone, Panacea, Soma/Great Chakra, Dekaja Rocks (optional but highly suggested).
When you fight the Demi-Fiend, you will be fighting the Demi-Fiend and 2 of his 6 demons. His demons will have the same resistances as the normal DDS versions of these enemies, but will have different skills and boosted HP/MP. When you kill one of the Demi-Fiend's demons, he will summon the next demon in this order:
When you kill Parvati, he'll restart the cycle by summoning Cu Chulainn.
All of the demons have an internal counter. Every non-Dekaja/Dekunda move increments the counter by 1. When the counter reaches 30, the demon will use Recarmdra, killing themselves and fully restoring the HP of the Demi-Fiend and the other demon.
The Demi-Fiend himself gets two press-turns and has a high critical rate on his attacks. He has the following skills:
High agility stats will help you enormously, as the times you dodge his attacks will help make up for the fact he and his demons will be getting more turns thanks to his high critical rate.
[ I FEEL LIKE I SHOULD HAVE SOME MORE WRITING ON WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING WITH YOUR TURNS FOR MOST OF THE BATTLE ]
What makes Demi-Fiend difficult is that after he summons Pixie or Parvati, he will use Gaea Rage on his next turn, which will deal thousands of damage (HP caps at 999).
You must have control over when to trigger Gaea Rage. When you are ready to trigger it (I suggest doing it when one of the Demi-Fiend's demons are at an internal counter of ~25-27), you must ensure BOTH of the Demi-Fiend's demons before Pixie or Parvati (i.e. Cu Chulainn and Girimehkala, and Arahabaki and Titania) die in the same turn, and that there is a debuff on the Demi-Fiend. Power Charge + Ragnarok is the best for this; Power Charge makes it easier to ensure both demons die on the same turn, and Ragnarok comes with a Rakunda debuff.
Once you have that done correctly, there are only two ways of preventing a party wipe from Gaea Rage:
Since it's easier to watch a video than read me describing this in words words words, MasterLL's videos of his fight against the Demi-Fiend is a good demo of how to survive Gaea Rage. The end of the first video is how to survive it using Close Call. The beginning of his third video shows how to survive Gaea Rage with Null Sleep.
- you can gauge how well the fight is going by timing of mediarahan. if mediarahan comes before gaea rage, tl;dr you're fucked. mediarahan shortly after pixie is summoned is ideal. later than that, and you're doing the fight too slowly.
- MORE STUFF GOES HERE
- BLUH BLUH RED STAR METHOD
FHSDNG
- STALL PIXIE AND AHARABAKI UNTIL THEY RUN OUT OF MP
I DON'T LIKE THIS METHOD
YOU STILL NEED TO SURVIVE 1 GAEA RAGE
YOU CAN USE ANY -KAJA/-NDA SKILL BUT DEBILITATE IS WAY TOO MANA INTENSIVE AND SUKUKAJA/SUKUNDA ARE MOST LIKELY TO GUARANTEE THE SUCCESS OF YOUR BATTLE EVEN THOUGH IT MEANS ADDING A MILLION YEARS TO HOW LONG THIS BATTLE TAKES USING THIS METHOD.
Party setup
serph - last word, mind charge, sukukaja, salvation, fire resist, phys resist, death resist, null critical
heat - ragnarok, power charge, sukunda, salvation, ice resist, phys resist, death resist, null critical
cielo - dekunda, salvation, recarmdra, close call, null sleep, phys resist, death resist, null critical
reserves - close call
Requirements
Preparation
Skills
Items
Battle Basics
Surviving Gaea Rage
General Battle Tips
Red Star Method
Introduction
If you're looking at this guide, then you already know that the optional boss fight with the Demi-Fiend is often said to be one of the most difficult JRPG boss fights, if not The most difficult JRPG boss fight.
I'm here to tell you it doesn't have to be so.
Requirements
In order to even access the Demi-Fiend fight, you need to be on a New Game+ file and have defeated Varin Omega in the Brutes' Base. When you've done so, the Demi-Fiend can be found in Anahata. Warp to the Citadel 1 Large Karma Terminal and take the ladder down to B1 with all the "poison gas".
[BLUH BLUH BLUH FILL THIS SPOT WITH ACTUAL DIRECTIONS TO THE BOSS ROOM, as well as the boos room warning message.]
Preparation
I hope you are reading this guide before you start your NG+ file. If not, it's still possible to prepare adequately for the fight, but you may have sub-optimal stats.
You are going to be level 99 by the time you fight the Demi-Fiend. Anything less is asking for more trouble than it's worth. However, hitting level 99 is quite easy.
To minimise the amount of grinding you need to do, you should consider who you are going to (primarily) bring into the fight. Your main party of three will consist of three primary roles:
- single target magic-based attacker
- multi-target physical-based attacker
- support
[(I strongly suggest Cielo as your support; using anyone else makes the battle tougher. I also suggest either Heat or a Serph with all his stat points distributed into Str/Agi as your physical-based attacker.)
i'll get into skills you should have for the fight later, but at the very least, all of your main party should have max magic, vit and luck, as high as possible agi, and the multi-target physical-based attacker should have max str.]
Which is where the Noise grinding comes in.
The following is a list of Noises, locations, and tactics for grinding:
- Strength Noise - Drops from Ongyo-Ki, who show up in groups of 3 as extremely rare reinforcements in the second half of the Karma Temple, or solo as a rare reinforcement [IN ONE OF THE WATERWAYS] after fighting a group of Fuu-Ki, Kin-Ki, and Sui-Ki. Don't even bother grinding for these.
- Vitality Noise - Drops from Arahabaki, who show up as reinforcements in Manipura Waterways. [IS IT BEST TO FARM THEM IN THE AREA JUST BEFORE BEELZEBUB?] Just bring your Death Flies + Auto-Soma to clear out the normal enemies, and Cocytus for Arahabaki.
- Magic Noise - Drops from Horus, which are best farmed in 3F Brutes Base, accessed via Anahata Waterways once you defeat Orochi. Use of Magic Reeds at MIN Solar Noise and Mudoon on Auto-Repeat with Chakra Walk/Mana Walk/Auto-Soma is best (but be careful if Horus casts Magic Repel). You can also use Death Flies, but the animation time will slow your grinding.
- Quick Noise - Drops from Jatayu and Garudo, who are a semi-rare encounter in the second half of the Karma Temple. Don't bother grinding for these.
- Luck Noise - Drops from High Pixies. The best location
is after the [2nd Large Karma Terminal in Svadhisthana Waterways]. You will encounter a lone Pixie who will summon a High Pixie. If you keep killing the High Pixies before it's the enemy turn again, the Pixie summon another High Pixie. (If you are unable to kill the High Pixie in one turn, the Pixie will run.) If you're having trouble killing High Pixie in one turn, you can Tarukaja repeatedly before she summons the High Pixie. - HP Noise - Drops from Girimehkala, who are the only enemy in B1 Brutes' Base, accessed in the White Configuration. Although they are easily encountered, the drop rate on HP Noises is very low. You should find enough HP Noises through advancing the story to boost 3 party members past 750 HP at level 99.
- MP Noise - Drops from Isis, who are found in the Karma Temple and the latter sections of Manipura Waterways. You'll get plenty of MP Noises when grinding for Vit Noises.
I suggest grinding your Luck, Magic, and Vitality (in that order) to 99 as soon as possible. Maxing out these stats early means that Agility and Strength, whose associated Noises are extremely time consuming to grind, will be gained naturally through level up. While it's nice to have 999 HP and MP, it's time consuming and in reality, not all that necessary.
Skills
Firstly, you cannot equip any Nulling skills (aside from Null Sleep and Null Critical) into the battle; the Demi-Fiend will flip his shit and just straight up kill you. So no Null X skills (except Null Sleep and Null Critical) or Void/Drain/Repel skills. However, you can have Resist skills equipped. The main Resist skills you will care about for this fight are Phys Resist, Death Resist, and the resist skill that will cover the character's weakness (e.g. Fire Resist on Serph). Equip Null Critical, too.
Secondly, the only way to damage the Demi-Fiend is via Almighty, Earth, or Gun attacks. I favour Last Word and Ragnarok. While the Demi-Fiend can be damaged with Teradyne and Gun attacks, their low damage and the fact some of the Demi-Fiend's demons aren't affected by Teradyne or Gun attacks makes them very poor choices. You absolutely need Last Word, as it is both your primary damage dealing skill, and the skill you will use to control the HP on the Demi-Fiend's demons (as each demon has different amounts of HP).
Thirdly, you will be receiving a lot of damage and status effects, so Salvation is a must.
Finally, you will be receiving a lot of debuffs in certain parts of the fight, so Dekunda is needed. Dekaja is optional; Dekaja Rocks are usually sufficient.
[my ideal set-up in this party order
cells highlighted are "optional" skills
serph - last word, mind charge, [dekunda], salvation, fire resist, phys resist, death resist, null critical
heat - ragnarok, [power charge], [recarmdra], salvation, ice resist, phys resist, death resist, null critical
cielo - dekunda, salvation, recarmdra, close call, null sleep, phys resist, death resist, null critical
Other skills you could have instead: recarmdra, debilitate, dekaja. -kaja/-nda skills, but those are generally only used if you wish to attempt the Red Star method [LINK.]
The only skills your reserves need are Close Call
I like to have Salvation on all three party members, as this allows me a great amount of flexibility. while not necessary, power charge will make killing demons in 1 attack much easier]
Items
Revival Orb, Dis-Mute, Dis-Stone, Panacea, Soma/Great Chakra, Dekaja Rocks (optional but highly suggested).
Battle Basics
When you fight the Demi-Fiend, you will be fighting the Demi-Fiend and 2 of his 6 demons. His demons will have the same resistances as the normal DDS versions of these enemies, but will have different skills and boosted HP/MP. When you kill one of the Demi-Fiend's demons, he will summon the next demon in this order:
- Cu Chulainn - [Initial Demon] Spams Taunt. Uses physical attack skills on first turn and when Taunt is maxed. Dekundas debuffs.
- Girimehkala - [Initial Demon] Dekajas buffs, including Cu Chulainn's Taunt. Mamudoon all other times.
- Pixie - Dormina when first summoned. Dekundas(?) debuffs. Will cast Mediarahan when Demi-Fiend reaches <9k HP for the first time. Megidolaon or Vanity all other times. The danger is getting charmed by Vanity and healing the Demi-Fiend's party is very real. Kill after she Mediarahans.
- Arahabaki - Dekajas(?) buffs. Debilitate, Ragnarok, or Gate of Hell all other times.
- Titania - (Dekundas and Dekajas?). Sometimes Rakundas. Spams Ma-dyne spells otherwise. Fairly harmless.
- Parvati - Casts -kaja buffs and -kunda debuffs. Very rarely will cast Mahama. -kaja buffs are extremely dangerous when combined with Cu Chulainn's Taunt. Kill as soon as possible.
When you kill Parvati, he'll restart the cycle by summoning Cu Chulainn.
All of the demons have an internal counter. Every non-Dekaja/Dekunda move increments the counter by 1. When the counter reaches 30, the demon will use Recarmdra, killing themselves and fully restoring the HP of the Demi-Fiend and the other demon.
The Demi-Fiend himself gets two press-turns and has a high critical rate on his attacks. He has the following skills:
- Javelin Rain - One of two main attacks. Multi-target, high physical. Chance to Stun.
- Xeros Beat - One of two main attacks. Multi-target, high physical. Chance to Mute.
- Heat Wave - Multi-target, high physical. Used less often than Javelin Rain and Xeros Beat.
- Attack - A normal punch. Rare.
- Gaea Rage - Multi-target, Almighty. Deals thousands of damage (HP caps at 99). Only triggers on his next turn after summoning Pixie/Parvati, or if a Null skill (aside from Null Sleep and Null Critical) is equipped (including Phys Absorb and Repel Element) or a Void/Drain/Repel skill is used. The next section is dedicated to teaching you how to survive this attack.
- Mediarahan - Only triggers if you put him below 9000 HP for the first time and he does not have any demons summoned. If you ever see this, you messed up.
High agility stats will help you enormously, as the times you dodge his attacks will help make up for the fact he and his demons will be getting more turns thanks to his high critical rate.
[ I FEEL LIKE I SHOULD HAVE SOME MORE WRITING ON WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING WITH YOUR TURNS FOR MOST OF THE BATTLE ]
Surviving Gaea Rage
What makes Demi-Fiend difficult is that after he summons Pixie or Parvati, he will use Gaea Rage on his next turn, which will deal thousands of damage (HP caps at 999).
You must have control over when to trigger Gaea Rage. When you are ready to trigger it (I suggest doing it when one of the Demi-Fiend's demons are at an internal counter of ~25-27), you must ensure BOTH of the Demi-Fiend's demons before Pixie or Parvati (i.e. Cu Chulainn and Girimehkala, and Arahabaki and Titania) die in the same turn, and that there is a debuff on the Demi-Fiend. Power Charge + Ragnarok is the best for this; Power Charge makes it easier to ensure both demons die on the same turn, and Ragnarok comes with a Rakunda debuff.
Once you have that done correctly, there are only two ways of preventing a party wipe from Gaea Rage:
- Null Sleep. You should always try this method first. When Pixie and Parvati are summoned, the first move they will do is Dormina. If a character with Null Sleep falls asleep, they will avoid all damage, including Gaea Rage. Cielo is the best for this because of his weakness to ailments. If Cielo is affected by Dormina, his weakness will trigger and give the Demi-Fiend another turn, which he will use to Gaea Rage, guaranteeing your survival; sleep can wear off before Gaea Rage if you use this method on other characters). Once your Null Sleeper wakes up, they can Recarmdra the rest of your party.
- Close Call. You should only use this method if Null Sleep does not trigger. When Null Sleep doesn't trigger, you will have one round of turns, which you will use to bring in a reserve character (who should be equipped with Close Call). Always try to use a reserve character instead of someone from your main party, just in case you end up in a situation where you do not have time to swap in a reserve. Once that is done, you can use the rest of your turn to attack the Demi-Fiend.
If you did the set-up correctly (killed Cu Chulainn + Girimehkala/Arahabaki + Titania on the same turn, have a debuff on the Demi-Fiend), then the Demi-Fiend's party's next turn should follow this pattern:- Demi-Fiend -> Gaea Rage.
Pixie/Parvata -> Dekunda
Demi-Fiend -> Summon
If you messed up the set up (did not kill Cu Chulainn + Girimehkala/Arahabaki + Titania before Gaea Rage, or do not have a debuff on the Demi-Fiend), then your Close Caller (who will be in human form and on 1 HP) will generally be killed by either the Demi-Fiend, or one of his demons.
Once you survive his Gaea Rage, revive one of your party members with the Revival Orb. Your Close Caller will die on the next attack. Don't bother reviving your Close Caller (unless you had to use a character from your main party, or the party member you revived has Recarmdra); you can easily replace them with your main party member without needing to revive your reserve Close Caller.
Unlike Null Sleep, this method will guarantee your survival, but you can only use this method three times, and is harder to get back your party back on its feet. - Demi-Fiend -> Gaea Rage.
Since it's easier to watch a video than read me describing this in words words words, MasterLL's videos of his fight against the Demi-Fiend is a good demo of how to survive Gaea Rage. The end of the first video is how to survive it using Close Call. The beginning of his third video shows how to survive Gaea Rage with Null Sleep.
General Battle Tips
- you can gauge how well the fight is going by timing of mediarahan. if mediarahan comes before gaea rage, tl;dr you're fucked. mediarahan shortly after pixie is summoned is ideal. later than that, and you're doing the fight too slowly.
- MORE STUFF GOES HERE
Red Star Method
- BLUH BLUH RED STAR METHOD
FHSDNG
- STALL PIXIE AND AHARABAKI UNTIL THEY RUN OUT OF MP
I DON'T LIKE THIS METHOD
YOU STILL NEED TO SURVIVE 1 GAEA RAGE
YOU CAN USE ANY -KAJA/-NDA SKILL BUT DEBILITATE IS WAY TOO MANA INTENSIVE AND SUKUKAJA/SUKUNDA ARE MOST LIKELY TO GUARANTEE THE SUCCESS OF YOUR BATTLE EVEN THOUGH IT MEANS ADDING A MILLION YEARS TO HOW LONG THIS BATTLE TAKES USING THIS METHOD.
Party setup
serph - last word, mind charge, sukukaja, salvation, fire resist, phys resist, death resist, null critical
heat - ragnarok, power charge, sukunda, salvation, ice resist, phys resist, death resist, null critical
cielo - dekunda, salvation, recarmdra, close call, null sleep, phys resist, death resist, null critical
reserves - close call