Quick Links
- Where Is Tiamat Located?
- Pre-Battle Preparations
- Tiamat Boss Battle Phase One
- Tiamat Boss Battle Phase Two
The first elemental Fiend you will come across in Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin is Tiamat, a multi-headed, poison-spitting, wind-blowing, and lighting-striking dragon. Sounds badass, right? In fact, she is so badass that beating her will take you longer than saying that first sentence out loud.
Tiamat is a tricky enemy thanks to her quick blows, her ability to fill the fighting arena very quickly, and her high Break Gauge damage. Her self-healing skill and auto-targeting laser attacks in phase two make for an absolutely infuriating battle.
No worries, though, this guide will show you how to defeat Tiamat in Stranger of Paradise.
Where Is Tiamat Located?
As the Fiend of Wind, Tiamat can be found in the Flying Fortress. She will be in the final room of Crystal Mirage during the main mission: Memories of Wind. You can also find this boss during the side mission: Ebon Memories: The Tragic Cynic.
Just before the fight against Tiamat, there is a bunch of cubes just like with every other boss. Recover all your HP and MP and let's switch to the last equipment collected in the Flying Fortress.
Pre-Battle Preparations
You are off to a long battle, so you will definitely want to set up healing and detoxification strategies.
Healing Strategy
Tiamat recovers health by regenerating when HP is 50 percent or less. As this one tends to be a long-term battle, it's a good idea to prepare means of recovery besides potions.
| HP Recovery means | Description |
|---|---|
| Cure (White Mage) | Restores minor HP to one or all allies. |
| Raise (White Mage) | Revives fallen allies. |
| Regen (White Mage / Red Mage) | Recover HP and refill your break gauge at the cost of MP. |
| Focus (Monk) | Recover HP and refill your break gauge at the cost of MP. |
| War Cry (Warrior) | Gradually recover HP over a certain amount of time. |
Detoxification Strategy
Tiamat performs a deadly poison attack. If you are poisoned and don't have any means of detoxification, things will get ugly, so be sure to get means of detoxification just in case.
| Detoxification means | Description |
|---|---|
| Chakra (Monk) | Cures and then raises the player's resistance to status ailments. |
| Purifying Light (Paladin) | Grants immunity to all status effects. |
Tiamat's weakness is ice. If you set up a weapon with an ice attribute as a special effect or a job with access to ice such as Mage, you will inflict loads of damage. She is also weak to slashing damage, especially on her necks.
Tiamat Boss Battle Phase One
| Attack name | Description | Counterattack |
|---|---|---|
| Tempest | She takes a leap behind and fires four wind-based energy shots. | Dodge or block. |
| Poison Gas | She deals Poison damage and may inflict a status ailment if the effect accumulates. | Stay away from the poisoned area. |
| Macro Burst | She bursts out either green wind or purple poison energy forwards and then spread upwards. | The further away you are, the better. |
| Breath | She shoots a beam of energy downward inflicting damage to those who are near. | Dodge or block. |
| Tornado | She unleashes a giant ball of wind energy. | Dodge your way out of this area. |
| Tri-tornado | She unleashes three tornados directed towards the players. | Dodge to the side until the attack is over. |
| Tail Swipe | She swings her tail to strike foes from behind. Can be one or two hits. | Stay away and dodge when possible. |
First-Half Strategy
- Knowing when to attack and when to parry is critical to surviving the fight with Tiamat. You can usually only connect a few hits before having to parry or dodge. If she is using Breath and you are right close to her, this is your greatest chance for a combination skill.
- Some of her attacks can be absorbed and used against her, however, Thunderbolt, Poison Gas, and Tempest deal little damage and are hence should not be prioritized.
- Make sure you hit her right in her head (one of them, that is). Each of her heads has a unique hitbox and large weapons and AoE assaults deal continual damage to their health bars.
- Be on the lookout for when Tiamat is not facing you or when her attention is drawn to Jed and Ash, as this is the perfect time to deal some blows before feeling away. You can press the directional buttons to make one of your teammates draw her attention with more success.
- Consider using long-range weapons or attacks, as being too near her is risky. You can also take advantage of moments in which she drops her heads after her big attacks, exposing her necks. Again, long-range weapons are preferable since they allow you to avoid getting too near to her. If you believe you won't be able to complete the attack in time, don't take the risk and fall back.
Tiamat Boss Battle Phase Two
| Attack name | Description | Counterattack |
|---|---|---|
| Tri-Disaster | She goes an all fours and unleashes a beam of energy with her heads. | Run to one side. |
| Wind Burst | She shoots a quick wind bullet. | Dodge away. |
| Lightning | She strikes two lightning bolts right in front of you. | Stay put or absorb with Soul Shield. |
| Regenerate | She regenerates its health to fill up to half its full HP. | n/a |
Second-Half Strategy
During Phase 2, things can get ugly. Fast. Tiamat continuously uses Regenerate when weak and recovers quickly to her maximum HP – 50 percent of the full bar. The speed at which she recovers makes it quite difficult to inflict damage.
Don't give up just yet, though. Keep wearing down her Break gauge by attacking her constantly. Use Jed and Ash as decoys to distract her while you deal damage to her exposed neck. When Tiamat's HP is below, 50 percent, she will be amputated every time she suffers a certain amount of neck damage. The more you amputate your neck, the weaker Tiamat's attack will be, so play aggressively.
Tiamat can only be defeated with Soul Burst. Other bosses will automatically generate a Soul Burst if their physical strength is depleted, but to beat her you need to clear your Break Gauge, so use this skill efficiently. Try to use Light Bringer to reduce her burst limit.
It may take several tries, but eventually, you'll be able to wear her down enough to trigger a Soul Burst. Don't let her constant regeneration get you down.
Best Team Compositions
Your ideal team for this fight is composed of Jed and Ash. You can trigger their resonance states while keeping a safe distance from Tiamat. This strategy will prove to be the best to persuade Tiamat to show off her moves. While your comrades act as decoys and drag her away, you can study her attacks and deal damage when the opportunity arises.
The safest bet is to enter a battle with a long-range approach. It is a great idea to equip a job that allows you to use a weapon with a long reach; that is, either Ronin, Samurai, Marauder, or Swordsman. Do not discard close-range combat entirely, though, as attacking Tiamat's back can also be a fantastic offensive strategy.
Source: Read Full Article