Each time Leviathan defeats Ifrit, the fight can be retried from the current phase. In theory, it wouldn’t be such a quick battle against Eikon if it weren’t for the Tsunami phase, a race to stop the attack before it instantly floods everything in Mysidia. Here’s how to break Leviathan’s shield in Final Fantasy XVI: The Rising Tide.
How to break Leviathan’s shield in Final Fantasy 16 The Rising Tide – Leviathan Phase 3 Fight Eikon
Leviathan phase 3 does not discriminate, its difficulty is high no matter what mode you are playing. The key is to never have a moment where Ifrit is not on the offensive.
Spitfire every time it loads
Spitfire is Ifrit’s laser ability (R2 + Triangle). Every time it charges, no matter when you are, use it.
Sulfur when you’re around
Brimstone is a charged explosive shield skill that can only damage monsters at close range. When you’re right next to Leviathan, hold R2 + Square until the gauge is in the red zone and unleash him. Like Spitfire, the goal is to use it whenever it is charged for another use.
Melee as much as possible
When you run out of special moves, the next attacks that will damage Leviathan the most are your melee moves. Wildfire (Circle) runs towards him to get closer.
Always Aim for a Backdraft Finish
When you’re doing your melee combo, always aim for a Backdraft ending. On a PS controller, that is:
- Square + Square + Square + Square (4 hits of Ifrit’s claw)
- Triangle (for a Fireball Burst combo)
- Triangle (and another for a Backdraft finish)
A Backdraft finisher deals approximately four to six times more damage than a claw attack.
Related: All the dominants in Final Fantasy 16, ranked
Charged shot when you are too far away
When Leviathan is too far from your claw’s reach, fire off charged shots when you can. Hold Triangle and release it once you hear a small “ping.” The latter is a sign that it is at maximum power. It is more efficient than throwing normal fire.
Dodge everything
Lastly, make sure you don’t get hit by Leviathan’s attacks! No matter how much damage it does to your HP, getting hit will waste precious seconds that you could use to stop the tsunami.
Leviathan is a pretty forgiving Eikon… sort of. At least it’s more forgiving than the Timekeeper, who we only defeated with an armful of potions. Once you have passed the Tsunami phase, you will have reached your last checkpoint. Whenever you are defeated in the next phases, the battle will always return here.
For more Final Fantasy XVI: The Rising Tide guides, check out All Aquamarine Locations (Map) in FF16 The Rising Tide here on MyFullGames.