Ultimecia - The Final Battle
Walkthrough

This section of the strategy guide provides a walkthrough of the final battle of the game against Ultimecia once you have completed Ultimecia’s Castle dungeon. Return to the previous page if there are other side quests and events that you would like to complete before reaching the end of the game.

Preparation

Because this is the end of the game, there is no reason not to go all out and make use of every consumable item you have, use Card Mod to get some of the best items, and equip your characters accordingly. The preparation notes mentioned below are similar to those recommended for the optional boss battle against Omega Weapon.

1) Commands:

Ensure that between your three characters that they have access to the Magic and Item commands. Consider removing the Draw command as you won’t require it. Suitable replacements include the GF, Revive or Defend commands.

2) Guardian Forces:

Take some steps to maximize the effectiveness of your Guardian Forces. Use any remaining Rosetta Stones that you have to make sure all three of your characters will have access to the Abilityx4 ability. You also want to have acess to the following abilities for all of your characters or as many as possible:

The easiest way to do this at this stage is to use Card Mod on some of your Triple Triad cards, assuming you collected most of them before reaching this area, and using the refined items on your Guardian Forces. As a reminder, you can use Amnesia Greens to remove unnecessary abilities from your Guardian Forces such as any SumMag+% ability or and GFHP+% ability.

Equipping Selphie with Auto-Protect, Auto-Shell and Auto-Haste ahead of the final boss battle against Ultimecia

3) Items:

You can refine the Bahamut Card to get 100 Megalixirs which are very helpful for healing your party and removing any negative status effects. Consider using the Rearrange function in the menu options to move Megalixir closer to the top of the list so you can find them a lot easier.

Once you are finished your preparations, its time to begin. There are a total of 4 different boss battles you will be engaging in, so get ready for a lengthy showdown…

Boss Battle: Ultimecia
Close up of Ultimecia during the first stage of the final boss battle

Ultimecia’s first form is relatively straightforward, but she does have a particularly potent attack called Maelstrom that will reduce each character’s HP down to 62.5%. It may also inflict the Curse status effect, recognizable by the darker character model and which will prevent that character from performing a Limit Break.

While casting Meltdown on Ultimecia during this phase and in subsequent phases is recommended, this is also the first time the boss will cast Meltdown back on your party. Utilize a Remedy, a Megalixir or Esuna magic to clear these two negative status effects.

Boss battle against Ultimecia

Draw List:
Haste
Slow
Reflect
Demi
Mug List:
(None)
Drop List:
(None)
Boss Battle: Griever
Boss battle against Griever, Ultimecia’s Guardian Force

Your next fight is against Ultimecia’s Guardian Force, Griever, though note that this boss may have a different name if you chose to rename the lion on Squall’s ring during the battle between Balamb and Galbadia Garden.

Griever can destroy entire stocks of magic junctioned to a character, which will prevent a character from casting that spell but will also impact the junctioned character stat. A message will appear on the screen saying something along the lines of “Squall’s Triple has blown away”. Try to defeat Griever as quickly as possible to preserve as much of your magic as you can. Cast Meltdown on Griever and cast Aura on your party members, particularly Squall, to maximize Limit Break opportunities.

If you defeat Griever before it can use a move called Shockwave Pulsar, be prepared for it to use this move as its last action before the next battle. Ensure your party members are healed, as Shockwave Pulsar inflicts significant damage.

Griever using Shockwave Pulsar at the end of this section of the fight

Draw List:
Bio
Quake
Tornado
Mug List:
(None)
Drop List:
(None)
Boss Battle: Griever (with Ultimecia Junctioned)
Start of the battle against Ultimecia with Griever junctioned

The third fight involves Ultimecia being attached to and junctioned to Griever, similar to the battle against Adel when Rinoa was junctioned. This new enemy possesses the attacks and power of both Ultimecia and Griever.

Ultimecia can summon Helixes to enhance her and Griever’s strength. If she both Helixes are successfully summoned, she will use “Great Attractor”, an attack which deals substantial damage, as it bypasses your character’s Vitality and Spirit stats.

Speed is crucial in this fight. Use Meltdown again, followed by Aura to execute as many Limit Breaks as you can.

Boss battle against Ultimecia with Griever junctioned

Draw List:
Level 1 to 19:
Fire
Thunder
Blizzard


Level 20 to 29:
Fira
Thundara
Blizzara


Level 30 to 100:
Firaga
Thundaga
Blizzaga
Mug List:
(None)
Drop List:
(None)
Boss Battle: Ultimecia (Final Boss)
Opening cinematic of the battle against Ultimecia at the end of the game

This is Ultimecia’s final form and the ultimate boss battle. As the fight progresses, Ultimecia will deliver some dialogue… “Reflect on your childhood. Your sensation, your words, your emotions… Time will not wait. No matter how hard you hold on, it escapes you. And…” (the theme of the game).

She starts off this battle by using Hell’s Judgement, which will cause a significant amount of damage, so be prepared to recover. She can also use “Apocalypse” by Drawing power from the lower section of her form, dealing devastating damage to your team. When Ultimecia draws Apocalypse, heal your party members and consider using the Defend command to reduce the incoming damage. Don’t be afraid to use your Megalixirs here!

The strategy here is similar to the strategies mentioned above - use Meltdown on her and Aura on your party. Good luck!

Final boss battle against Ultimecia at the end of Final Fantasy VIII

Draw List:
Flare
Holy
Apocalypse
Mug List:
(None)
Drop List:
(None)
End of Game

You will receive the End of Game Achievement/Trophy as soon as you have defeated the last iteration of Ultimecia and completed the game.

End of Game Trophy
Squall embracing Rinoa on the balcony of Balamb Garden during the end game cinematic

Congratulations, you have completed Final Fantasy VIII! Here are a few screenshots from the ending cinematic. Some of them are extremely creepy! (none of those ones are included below)

Balamb Garden sailing away into the moon

Thank you for reading this strategy guide! Be sure to return to jegged.com if you move on to any of the other Final Fantasy titles! Check out the Final Fantasy portal to see which games are available.

End of the game screen