Final Fantasy VI Bosses

Interesting trivia: the Japanese game showed much more skin on the Chadarnook (Goddess) image. Nothing horrifying and ungodly like any kind of ladyparts, but still, more skin. Anyway, here's an odd encounter. It's a living painting of the Esper Lakshmi, possessed by the demon Chadarnook. You already knew that. Even if you don't care about art in general or Owzer's pathetic pleas, there really isn't any point to damaging the painting; as soon as Chadarnook (Phantasm) is exorcized, it won't be a threat anymore. So, the strategy is clear to us; wait until Chadarnook (Phantasm) shows its face, and hurt it until it dies. We've been doing an awful lot of hurting so far, so we should be well prepared. You'll start out facing the Goddess painting. It'll use either Battle or the dreaded, blasted Entice attack. Fortunately, the effects of Entice are undone whenever your opponent changes, so it's not as much a bother as it could have been in this specific case. After that first turn, the demon will reveal itself.

Chadarnook attacks with Lightning-elemental spells (Thundara and Thundaga) and the confusing Flash Rain; sparkly as it may look, Flash Rain is actually Ice- and Water- elemental and has nothing to do with Lightning. The demon won't use Flash Rain until it starts getting weaker though: when it hits 15360 HP (after taking 14640 HP worth of damage, in other words), to be precise. The demon Chadarnook will always hide when he has been damaged five times, as well as after 40 seconds. Unfortunately, (and possibly unintentionally), it seems that the painting's timer is also used when Chadarnook checks his 40 seconds, so if you faced Chadarnook for 35 seconds and the monster changes, Chadarnook will only be there for five seconds before returning. This is particularly frustrating, especially if you'd just finished putting in all your commands as soon as Chadarnook appeared, leaving you to attack the Goddess a few times in a row. Speaking of which, attacking the Goddess is bad news. Not only is it pointless (as soon as you deplete her HP, she'll just regenerate - she's immortal), it's rather dangerous, as she has a mean counter. 33% Battle, 33% not doing anything, and 33% Poltergeist.

Poltergeist is a multi-target attack that sets the super-duper-special HP Leak status on a target, which can only be seen in this battle. It's the same as Seizure, only it's much more dangerous because it isn't Seizure. This means you can't protect from it with Relics, you can't override it by setting Regen, and you can't cure it in any way. As soon as HP Leak is set, any current Regen status (even if it's from a Angel Ring or Miracle Shoes) will be removed. Trying to set the Regen status on a character with the Regen spell or Kirin's Life Guard attack will accomplish nothing. All in all, the constantly dropping HP gets annoying quickly, even dangerous if you don't watch your party's HP. Don't be afraid to spend some turns healing even when it isn't immediately necessary. Chadarnook (Goddess), by the way, will also attack normally after her first appearance; her arsenal consists of Battle, !Last Kiss (sets Doom), the dreaded Entice, and the surprisingly crippling Lullaby, which (as you know) sets Sleep on all characters.

So what to do? You should be covered in equipment that protects against the Phantasm's Lightning-elemental spells and possibly against that Flash Rain attack too. Patiently wait out the first turn against the Chadarnook (Goddess) picture, then quickly throw whatever you have when the demon appears. The monster is extremely weak to Fire-elemental and Holy-elemental spells, as it has both a weakness to the element and a Magic Defense that really isn't all that stellar.

Terra and Celes's Fira and (preferably) Firaga spells will really hurt Chadarnook (Phantasm) (Firaga takes priority over Holy, too), but keep in mind that, because Chadarnook (Phantasm) absorbs Lightning-elemental spells, Valigarmanda's Tri-Disaster will be absorbed. Shadow's Flame Scrolls should be boosted by Hero's Rings and Earring to ensure a lot of damage, although it should be noted that the much more expensive Flametongues will hurt considerably more. Setzer should throw his Fixed Dice around if possible; if not, Fira, Holy, and Firaga take priority over the Heiji's Jitte-induced GP Rain. Sabin should stick to Phantom Rush regardless of his spell selection, whereas Edgar is probably better off sticking to Drill unless you're really sure that when he lands from a Dragon Horn Jump, he'll be landing on the demon (in which case, with the Holy Lance, he'll be doing a massive amount of damage). The same really goes for Mog: his Dances are useless, as he will also attack the Chadarnook (Goddess) painting when he's in a trance. Stick to spells if you don't want to risk Jump attacks (or just plain don't have the right equipment). Cyan is horrible in this scenario (as often before), as his charge times mean you would have to waste a lot of time in a battle where speed is top priority. Gau and Umaro (while certainly hard to take down) suffer from the uncontrollable nature. Gau, if used, should stick to his Magic spells if possible, while Umaro should be... Yeah, killing him in the middle of battle seems a little harsh, so you might be better off setting Stop on him if you for some reason defied me and brought him here.

You can't do anything when Entice connects, and you can't do anything when Poltergeist connects. Fenrir/Golem will help against the physicals (especially !Last Kiss can be a pain), while the Hastega spell is an asset as always. If you have a few characters unprotected from Chadarnook (Phantasm)'s attacks, Zona Seeker's Wall attack can help. Basically, throw up your barriers when the demon is hidden and go all-out on the offensive when the demon is around while making sure your HP stays in the four digits at all times wherever possible. Expand Full Strategy

Crane (Right) is fire-based. It will attack physically and use the Fire and Fira spell. When hit by a Fire-elemental attack of any kind, it will charge, going through "THERMAL REACTION LEVEL: 1" to "THERMAL REACTION LEVEL: 2" and finally to "THERMAL REACTION LEVEL: 3 UNLEASHING THERMAL ENERGY" at which point it will, indeed, release all that thermal energy (target the entire party with a Firaga spell). When alone, the right crane will boost its defenses with Magitek Barrier, which grants both Protect and Reflect, protecting it from Magic spells. After one minute of fighting, the message "The crane shakes the deck!" will appear and the Crane (Right) will perform a Magnitude 8 attack. Finally, every third time it has been damaged, it will perform a Thundara spell on the other Crane (Left), charging it. It has a rare Debilitator steal that you might want; it's another Tool for Edgar.

The Crane (Left) is pretty much the same, only lightning-based. From "ELECTRIFICATION LEVEL: 1" it will pass through "ELECTRIFICATION LEVEL: 2" and "ELECTRIFICATION LEVEL: 3 Electrical energy unleashed!" performing a multi-target Gigavolt attack. All other features are the same, only it will cast a Fira spell on the other crane every third time it has been damaged.

If you brought Gau and he knows how to perform the Anguiform Rage, you're in luck, as the Aqua Breath attack is incredibly powerful in this battle, up to the point where an Earring-boosted Aqua Breath will probably kill one Crane in one hit. Do not let him enter a Rage that performs either Fire or Lightning based attacks, and don't let him enter a Rage with a special attack that is Reflectable. Locke can do little here but try to Steal the Debilitator from the Crane (Right). Focus on one Crane at the time where possible. Drill / Chainsaw and Aura Cannon are songs often sung right now, and Cyan can enjoy his Kazekiri. Setzer is easily the weakest link at this point, lacking in proper equipment. Just try to nail a diamond or Chocobo on your first spin; that will make for the most consistent damage output. Expand Full Strategy