Ffxiii-2 Fight the Final Boss Again

I am an avid video game player, and the "Final Fantasy" series is ane of my all-fourth dimension favorites.

Every time I think a Final Fantasy endgame boss can't get any weirder than a giant superball or a jell-O tick... — Every fourth dimension I think a Final Fantasy endgame dominate can't become any weirder than a giant superball or a jell-O tick...

What Happened at the End of Last Fantasy XIII?

Final Fantasy xiii gives u.s. a classic Squeenix cracktastic landscape, Die-and-STAY-DEAD ultimate boss fight with a WTF-just-happened mind-bending FMV finale.

I'm sure I'1000 not the only one who didn't entirely sympathise what happened in Terminal Fantasy XIII'south ending. I think I've got it all untangled now, so let me share with yous the gist. (It made me appreciate this flawed game more than before.)

But before I get into discussing plot: were you having trouble with FF13'due south ending boss fights? Let's review final boss strategies.

My Strategy for the Final Boss Fights of FFXIII

Hit Em Hard and Heal Speedily

I didn't really know what I was doing, but I had leveled up on Gran Pulse by going on a ton of Mark, er, Cie'th Stone Hunts, so I blew through all three battles fairly easily. I used the aforementioned strategy for Barthandalus, Bartie & Baboon, and Orphan.

Use Lightning, Hope, and Fang.
Lightning should take Ultima Weapon (upgradede from Lionhart) past this time. I similar Quick Stagger.
Fang's strength should be up in the 2400 range and Hope's magic should be effectually 2300, thanks to weapons upgrades and crystarium maxing out on Marking, er, monster hunts. Lightning should be around 1700/1700 for Str/Mag.
All 3 should have over 10K hit points. I gave Hope a Diamond Bangle and maxed-out Ribbon to protect him plus the Weirding Glyph, piled my all-time Sorcerer and Shaman Marks on Lightning to boost her magic, and piled my best force-maxing accessories onto Fang.
First the battle with Lightning SAB and the other 2 SYN (Superiority) to debuff the baddie (Imperil, Deshell, and Deprotect) and buff everyone as much as possible.
If baddie didn't yet have Deshell/Imperil/Deprotect once the party was buffed, switch to SAB/SAB/SAB (Infiltration).
Switch to RAV/RAV/COM (Relentless Set on) to pound boss.
Switch to MED/MED/SYN (Convalescence, Fang = SYN) every time the dominate started to driblet some godawful move on us with ruby letters. Promise had Curaja.
Repeat 5-eight until boss is dead.

Fifty-fifty before Orphan was staggered, I sometimes hit it with Relentless Assault, considering the chain judge built faster.

Terminal Fantasy 13 Ending Plot Discussion

Function I: The Cavalry Set on on Eden and Orphan

Final Fantasy XIII's problematic evolution manifests equally choppy, fuzzy continuity in various parts of the game, including the ending. Even after the evolution teams' frictions were resolved, some non-essential plot had to exist removed due to infinite constraints on the Xbox 360 version.

The showtime phase of Final Fantasy XIII's ending is our heroes trying to caput off the Cavalry from attacking Orphan, the fal'Cie that serves every bit the heart and power plant of Cocoon. Without it, Cocoon'due south power supply and the gravitational forces holding it aloft will fail.

I suspect at that place's a small chunk of plot that had to exist deleted: a final showdown betwixt Rygdea, leading the Cavalry, and our heroes, before the Cavalry are turned into Cie'th. This is a nasty bit of piece of work on Barthandalus' role: he manipulated the Cavalry into attacking so that Lightning and friends would come up to Eden (the urban center, and the fal'Cie that serves as its administrator/CPU with Barthandalus' assistance). Once the party has been lured to Edenhall, Barthandalus transforms the Cavalry members l'Cie with no Focus, and they plow to Cie'th on the spot.

Orphan With Lyrics of "Fighting Fate" on Blade

fal'Cie Discussion: Barthandalus, Orphan, Eden

The Unholy Trinity of Cocoon

These 3 fal'Cie are the true antagonists of the game, and information technology's a little difficult untangling them and what they are doing.

From the Datalog we learn:

"BARTHANDALUS: This fal'Cie has long lived under the guise of Galenth Dysley, the Sanctum'south supposedly homo Primarch. Unbeknownst even to his closest aides, he has kept careful scout on the fugitive l'Cie through the optics of his rukh, Menrva, forcing them to grow stronger while at times aiding secretly in their flight.

Barthandelus desires only that the 50'Cie complete their Focus, which he explained to be transforming into the fauna Ragnarok in order to destroy Orphan and all of Cocoon."

Scroll to Continue

Plot Discussion: Fang and Friends Attack Orphan

Look, Aren't We Trying to SAVE Orphan?

Here's where things get confusing. The political party arrives with the idea of destroying Barthandalus to relieve Orphan and preclude Cocoon'southward destruction. They knock off Barthandalus easily plenty (they think). And so the iii-part monstrosity rises from the pool and declares itself (themselves?) Orphan, thanking the the party for freeing it and challenging them to battle.

Why do they fight Orphan, which they were trying to relieve from the Cavalry? Mostly in self-defense: they really don't have a chance to negotiate before it attacks them. At the finish of the boss boxing with the trinity Orphan, it knocks out most of the party, leaving Fang and Vanille to deal with it alone.

First information technology torments Vanille, which it probably did the previous time, too, to convince Fang to turn into Ragnarok. Fang loves Vanille (have it yet you will) enough that she'll "tear down the sky," and she volunteers to be Ragnarok to spare her friend'southward torment. The others try to stop her. In that location is a confusing moment when Fang nearly hits Vanille—just every bit she did dorsum on Gran Pulse when bawling out Vanille for lying to her, just there she stopped herself before the blow brutal—then she breaks free to initiate her own metamorphosis. Earlier she can turn into Ragnarok, the 4 from Cocoon turn into Cie'th and assail her. Her despair at this drives her into becoming Ragnarok, just she is not not powerful enough to destroy Orphan. "How many times must yous neglect?" it sneers, and proceeds to torture her by alternately inflicting Pain and Cura. It announces its intention to torment Vanille besides, seeking any means it can to catalyst Fang into condign Ragnarok. Fang pleads with Vanille to run.

Vanille refuses, saying she won't surrender a fight. At which point something makes Orphan explode. Some players interpret it that Vanille's ain force of will caused it to fall, but I recollect in fact it was Lightning and Sazh shooting Orphan. Both of them accept guns drawn when the camera swings their way.

Snow catches Fang, and Hope heals her. Then they assault Orphan again, and again 1 must inquire: hey, expect, didn't they come to save Orphan? But by this fourth dimension they've seen that Orphan is even more twisted and dangerous than Barthandalus. And Hope says, "If we have the ability to destroy Cocoon, we have the power to save it." Vanille natters almost miracles. They're gambling that they'll observe some way to save Cocoon even if they take out the corrupt fal'Cie powering it, and they attack on faith.

Plot Discussion: Did They Turn into Cie'th or Non?

Kingdom Hearts I Crossover Fourth dimension

Here's the side by side confusing problem: did the four from Cocoon really turn into Ci'eth?

Vanille: You're alive!

Fang: Simply you can't exist!

Lightning: Could be more than fal'Cie smoke and mirrors.

Snowfall: Fang, I'm sorry.

Lightning: We made you go it solitary.

Fang: (disgusted racket at self) Second time now, isn't information technology?

Vanille: But, where were yous?

Hope: Somewhere cold and dark, simply thinking most everything that happened until now. And then... then it was like --

Snowfall: It was similar--I had a glimpse of the time to come. Everyone was smiling and laughing. Fifty-fifty Serah. Even Light.

Sazh: I don't know. It was a new Focus, or something. Y'all know, I'm thinking, didn't really make sense of course. I mean, knowing we were worm allurement and all, but...As luck would have it, next thing I know I feel somebody pushing me correct forth.

Lightning: You were at that place too, Fang. Aforementioned side. All of usa. Together, until the terminate.

Say what? Well, it follows the design of Sora (Kingdom Hearts) turning into a Heartless and recovering himself. I remember Lightning, Snowfall, Hope and Sazh did get turned into Cie'th, simply their memories of their almost-death experiences-- past moments when they absolutely despaired, only then found the promise to become on-- snapped them out of the "cold, dark place." Also, "somebody pushing me correct along" may have been Dajh and/or Serah.

Notation that when Lightning says, "Could be more than fal'Cie smoke and mirrors," she'southward referring to the fact that they are alive, not that they turned into Cie'th.

When Fang mentions the "second fourth dimension," I think she'south talking a previous scene in which she brutal out with the party, closely parallel in staging to this ane: back on the Ark, everyone decided they'd defy fal'Cie orders, salvage Cocoon and decline to destroy it, and Fang said she'd get on alone. That was when Bahamut came down to knock some sense into her. The rest of the party protects her from Bahamut in gestures exactly parallel to their shielding Vanille when Fang threatens to get Ragnarok.

Of class, Fang could besides be referring to her second stint equally Ragnarok.

Later on playing Final Fantasy 13-2, I retrieve the "somebody" is Etro, and she's responsible for the vision of the future Snow mentioned.

Poll: Did our four friends become Cie'th or not? - I said what I recollect... what do you think?

Plot Give-and-take: What Did Fang and Vanille Do?

Sisterhood Power Saves the World...Sort Of

Sure enough, when Orphan is destroyed, Cocoon loses power and starts to fall out of the sky. Its outer shell heats up with the force of reentry and starts turning into lava. (The physics are rather unlikely, simply then is every single bit of anime physics.)

As Promise said, if they accept the power to destroy Cocoon, they also take the power to save it. Since Fang and Vanille cull to become Ragnarok on their terms, not on orders from Barthandalus and Orphan, they find a manner to create, not destroy. Outset they endeavour to hold Cocoon up with their arms. Then they summon all the material they can from the surface below, creating a pillar of support. As they crystallize, completing their Focus, they create a pillar stiff enough to support the damaged husk of Cocoon.

We saw something like this happen very early in the game, but it's easy to forget: right after the gang of v got turned into 50'Cie in the Pulse Vestige, the whole matter cruel. But it wasn't destroyed. It transformed Lake Bresha into solid crystal, as well as the expanse around information technology. It's not entirely articulate whether that was Anima's doing, to preserve its newly-recruited l'Cie, or whether (as I think) it was Serah'south doing. But at any rate, the visuals are very similar, and I think Fang and Vanille pulled off the same stunt.

Another significant quote from earlier in the game: Vanille privately says to herself, "So, Serah, being l'Cie ways y'all tin can still do the right affair." (I may have the wording wrong.) I call up Vanille takes Serah as an role model, mentally addressing her several times throughout the game.

At the end, the 4 from Cocoon are crystallized, then released (I suppose) when the last fal'Cie are gone. (FFXIII-2 explains this.) Noting how badly damaged Cocoon is, Sazh and Lightning observe that they really did complete their Focus: "that qualifies equally demolition." Cocoon is so badly damaged it can't be what it was before. Just most of the people are saved, and are evacuating to the surface of Pulse.

Terminal Fantasy thirteen Ending in Hard disk - Final FMV - Lesbian Power! (Okay, I Said It)

Prophecies Exercise Come True

As Do Promises

Just every bit Terminal Fantasy X played around with dreams, death, and spirals, this game plays around with promise/despair, prophecies, promises and fate.

Ironically, nearly everybody is right.

They do have to turn into Ragnarok: merely not to destroy Cocoon; they save it—or at least, most of the population.

They do air current upwardly destroying Orphan and wrecking Cocoon pretty badly.

Serah did tell them the right respond: to save Cocoon. By following her guidance and keeping all their promises, they thread their way through all the lies.

Fang saves her adopted family unit, as she promised, although she comes about to screwing information technology upwardly.

She and Vanille wind upwardly saving Cocoon as they promised.

Snow and Lightning keep their promises to Serah.

The fal'Cie laid various prophecies, Focuses and Fate upon them. But as Fang says, when prayers turn to promises—i.e., when one stops wishing to make it happen and makes it happen—not even fate can stand in their fashion.

Final Fantasy Thirteen is i of the most controversial of Final Fantasy games. It'southward flawed. It'south too linear. Information technology takes far likewise much grinding, and in that location's not enough exploring. Information technology's difficult to connect with the characters. Nevertheless somehow it grew on me.

That, or I just forgive it all its shortcomings because I've been pining for lesbians in catechism for so long.

What do you lot think?

...Oh, yeah, please share this page with fellow fans. I didn't write information technology just for me...

Rapha on May xviii, 2019:

Cheers for clarifying, confirming and extending what I saw. Cheers to your text, I could sleep safe and sound after finishing the game.

iNeededaLongerUsername on Nov 01, 2013:

Whew, thank you for writing this. I beat the game 20 minutes agone and needed an explanation ASAP. This is the second fourth dimension I've gone through the game and even so couldn't follow it 100%. XP

P.S. I actually want Fang/Vanille to be a canonical romantic relationship too. One tin can only promise.

anonymous on June 27, 2013:

I accept 13 but upwardly to chapter 5 I similar it anyway considering my blood brother completes most games within 36 hours plus I like everything.

auronlu (writer) from Spira on June 24, 2013:

@bearding: FFXIII-2 shows that Hope does observe something to occupy himself, but I won't spoil in example you haven't yet played the game. His futurity is something of a mixed bag -- he becomes a really quite appealling grapheme, but he's missing some of his friends and so much that he throws his whole life into locating them. (Unsurprising, I suppose, since information technology's an echo of losing his Mom). The datalogs in FFXIII-2 bespeak that Hope isn't totally solitary, however, as his Dad survived the crash of Cocoon and is helping with rebuilding.

anonymous on June 19, 2013:

I feel kinda bad for hope since he lost his friend vanille and his mom while lightning got her sister snow got his soon to exist married woman and sazh got his kid but what about hope?

auronlu (author) from Spira on March 22, 2013:

@DesignSpace: Yes, FFXIII's pacing and storytelling skills were a footling slipshod. I *finally* understand most of it at present that I've played the sequel, but the story definitely could have been delivered in a more coherent way.

There were rumors of major development issues with FFXIII; supposedly the teams doing the graphics and character development and storyline were not all on the same page, and they hadn't entirely settled *where the game was going and what would happen* even quite a ways into game creation. I see signs of that in the fact that the storytelling seems a bit rushed and impuissant. Whereas the characters themselves -- their personalities, interactions, looks -- seem more polished and well-idea-out.

And and so on peak of everything else, they wound up having to hack out nigh enough cloth for some other game in order to trim it down to a size that would fit on XBox. (This is supposedly the kernel of Versus.) That may as well take contributed to the feeling of "wait...what am I missing?"

I think FFXIII could've used a few more story edits and rewrites before they went into production. I all the same love it despite its glaring flaws, but it certainly is NOT the all-time-put-together game of the series. The adept $.25 shine through, simply and so exercise the development bug.

DesignSpace on March 22, 2013:

@auronlu: I'1000 fine with randomness so long every bit it's sort of vaguely explained. In recent games though every graphic symbol knows what is going on just me. :( And perchance Serah only she doesn't ask enough follow upwardly questions.

auronlu (author) from Spira on March 22, 2013:

@DesignSpace: Heeeee. Having only played through FFI thru FFIII in the past three months, I tin tell y'all the randomness is zilch compared to the pirates, ninjas, Vikings and European knights -- not to mention Scottish Dwarves and random bosses with names from Greek mythology -- in the early games. :D

TVTropes has a name for this issue: the Fantasy Kitchen Sink:

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Fantasy...

(I'm non defending it, just sayin' it's been a staple of Final Fantasy since 1987. We'd only gotten used to slightly more internally-consistent games in 9 through XII).

DesignSpace on March 21, 2013:

Ha, thanks for this page - I'one thousand 20 minutes into the sequel and I'm non lost every bit to what's going on that I thought I must have forgotten huge parts of the catastrophe to this game. Alas not, and I'm withal confused as to what the hell Viking mythology and flying fourth dimension men take to do with Concluding Fantasy. Sigh.

auronlu (writer) from Spira on November 08, 2012:

@anonymous: Ooh, good question.

The Cocoon Fal Cie seem to have died. I'thou not sure why the Pulse Fal Cie WOULD dice, but at that place don't seem to be whatsoever in 13-ii.

I should dig back through the datalogs the next time I play 13-2 and see what it says about where they went. Which is cheating, since it's a sequel and not the original, but I call back they were both developed together fairly seamlessly.

anonymous on November 08, 2012:

did all of the coccon fal cie die too as the pulse fal cie or only the ones on coccoon?

anonymous on July 04, 2012:

etro recovered the party from crystal sleep

anonymous on May 30, 2012:

I was just confused equally you were virtually the ending, only afterward reading this, I take to say I'd pretty much that the aforementioned equally you did. Equally for the game as a whole, I loved it, despite the lack of connectedness to the characters, lack of exploration throughout, and the linearity of it. Only for some reason, I nonetheless loved playing. As a game itself, it's not also bad, though I wouldn't compare information technology to other final fantasy games. Thank you for the review mate =]

anonymous on February 18, 2012:

Nice, thanks for immigration some of that upwardly :)

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