Final Fantasy VI Bosses

Hell's Rider is a durable fellow who has an extremely strong physical attack in !Silver Lance, which he also uses to counter a successful Steal attempt. Every fourth attack, he has a 1/3 chance of using Venomist, a multi-target Poison-elemental attack with low accuracy that also sets the Poison status.

Gau can take him out in a single hit with Mu's Snare and the Break spell from Darkwind and/or Commander. If you have nothing along those lines, Areneid's !Numb and Primordite's !Numbclaw will stop him in his actions. If you lack Gau (shame on you), Cyan's Tiger works great if used first, and any combination of your strongest attacks should suffice. He can also counter any Attack with Reverse Polarity on that character. Expand Full Strategy

Hidon attacks with Battle and Bio. That's what he does. He has a 33% shot at using Bio, and a 66% shot at Battle. If you hit him with something, he has a small chance of countering with the Poison spell. Whenever a character dies in-battle (aka the Wound status), Hidon will try to revive the fallen character as a Zombie with the Crypt Dust attack, which will fail if the fallen character is immune to the Zombie status ailment. When Hidon is alone, its first turn will be devoted to glowing with an eerie yellow light and attacking with the magnificent Lore Grand Delta, which will deal between 900 and 950 damage on your sorry posterior. That's about when you'll notice that Hidon is particularly mean when it's by itself; it'll start attacking with all kinds of crazy spells, including Venomist (the multi-target Poison-elemental attack that misses a lot yet looks funky) and Leech (the non-elemental HP draining spell). Eighty seconds after the last of the Erebus has perished, Hidon will call his minions back into existence. If you kill them all again, Hidon will cast Grand Delta again, and then revive them again.

Throw up your barriers where possible (Hastega, Mighty Guard, Golem/Fenrir, Kirin) and set Slow on Hidon. Evasion of physical attacks is doubly important, as all the Erebuses will try to set nasty status ailments on you with their Specials. Now, it's time to take care of the Erebuses. While Bahamut's Mega Flare attack is by far the best way to take care of them all at once, well-timed doses of Cyan's Eclipse attack, possibly paired with Edgar's Auto Crossbow or Flash Tools, should get the job done. The most difficult Erebuses to dispatch is the one in the lower-left corner (it is inherently Reflective, absorbs all elements, and has Instant Death protection). Shadow's stronger throwing stars work well against this one, as does Strago's Traveler attack, Setzer's Fixed Dice, and Edgar's Drill. Also, don't forget to throw around stealing attempts until you've stolen something from Hidon; the common steal is a meager Teleport Stone, but the rare steal is a Thornlet, an elusive item that, provided you choose the Ragnarok sword over the Ragnarok Esper once the time comes, can only be found here.

The Thornlet is an odd piece of Headgear. The only thing it has going for it is the fact that its Defense is superior to everything, not including the Saucer on Imps. On the downside, the Thornlet grants inherent Seizure to the wearer (thorns inflict pain) and has no Magic Defense whatsoever. The verdict, then, is that the Thornlet should be ignored. The only valid reasons for getting one are either to complete your item list as much as possible or to bet it later for a Mirage Vest.

Now, behold the power of Grand Delta! As soon as that's all over, it's time to defeat this wretched being. Valigarmanda's Tri-Disaster attack, Fira, Firaga, and Quake spells really hurt, as does Shadow's Flame Scroll. Having Shadow Throw a Flametongue, Gravity Rod, or Holy Rod hurts Hidon very badly. Equipping Mog or Edgar as a Dragon Horn Dragoon paired with a Holy Lance can also deal great amounts of damage. Mog should definitely refrain from using Dances; the Twilight Requiem sucks. Phantom Rush and Fixed Dice are reliable as always. Strago and Relm themselves really need to rely on their Magic skillset if used; if Strago's selection is extremely poor, I would suggest Aero or Traveler. Obviously, if Strago is level 43, his Stone attack surpasses all other options (except Firaga). Cyan should probably stick to his Flurry skill, unless you've put in the time to teach him Firaga. Gau has a few options, but most of them are kind of odd. Devil Fist is nice enough, as it allows Gau to absorb Poison, Bio, and Venomist. Inherent Haste and Will o' the Wisp are good enough too. If you're not too concerned about that Poison ailment, have Gau engage (don't forget to cast Float on yourselves beforehand, since Litwor Chicken uses Quake). Finally, Magic Urn turns Gau into an ever-present tank that heals your party. Nice. And Umaro? Just let him go, man. Expand Full Strategy