The central figure of The Rising Tide DLC for Final Fantasy 16 is the Eikon Leviathan and just like all of the other massive Summons from the main game, you will need to battle serpent at the end of the DLC’s main campaign. This boss fight is packed full of action and spectacle, keeping true to the battles seen in the base game, but the developers have said that they wanted to really challenge the player with this battle so allow us to help anyone who might be struggling. This guide will show players how to defeat the Leviathan boss fight in Final Fantasy 16: The Rising Tide.
How to Beat the Leviathan Boss
Like the battle against the other Eikons in Final Fantasy 16, you will enter this boss fight as Ifrit which means you won’t need to worry about constructing a useful build or equipping the right Abilities as they are already pre-selected. This boss has a lot of moves at its disposal, including a phase that can instantly end your run, so we will break down how to avoid all of these moves and how to get past that massive hurdle.
Phase 1
The first phase of the Leviathan fight is a falling sequence where Leviathan has many attacks that keep them at a distance until certain moves are performed. You will need to shoot Ifrit’s Fireball to keep doing damage until Leviathan gets close. Some of the Eikon’s basic moves
include a vertical tail, a forward-moving bite, and a horizontal-moving laser beam. Both of
these moves leave the boss open for melee attacks and your Special Abilities.
- The Riptide Special Ability will see Ifrit surrounded by a sphere of multiple rings that all condense into the center. Dodge this move right as the rings are about to touch Ifrit to get a Precision Dodge and get a charged Fireball shot at the distant Leviathan.
- Spinning Dive sees Leviathan enter the water tornado that makes up the boundaries of the combat arena before bursting out to attack you. Be prepared to dodge when you see the water near Ifrit start to glow a bright blue.
- Tidal Roar is a large laser beam that takes up much of the battle arena. The best way to avoid this is to use Wildfire to the left or right to get out of the circle that the beam takes up as it is being charged.
- Another basic attack that Leviathan can use is summoning a cluster of bubbles that will be launched at Ifrit. Dodge these and use the Precision Dodge to shoot a changed shot back at the boss.
- Grand Fall sees Leviathan summon multiple rings of bubbles that all fly towards Ifrit with the boss then using a charging forward attack. Use your Fireballs after Precision Dodging the bubbles and then use the opening provided at the end of the charge attack to get a few melee combos on the boss.
Once you stagger the boss, unleash all of your Special Abilities and get as much damage off as you can. Once Leviathan recovers, a cutscene will play which will lead into Phase 2 of the fight.
Phase 2
Now that you are back on solid ground (or solid water), you can use your standing combo strings. Leviathan’s basic attacks remain mostly the same here with his bite attack and laser beam returning from Phase 1 and he also gets the charge move from the end of the Grand Fall attack. All of these attacks give you an opening to attack the boss.
- One of the new Special Moves is Breach. Leviathan dives beneath the water and a ring will form beneath Ifrit before the boss explodes out of the water. Use Wildfire to dash out of the ring to escape the attack.
- Waterjet is an attack where Leviathan takes to the air and zigzags across the arena while firing a beam beneath them. This is fairly easy to avoid if you just stay out of the beam’s heavily telegraphed path.
- Riptide returns in Phase 2 and is only a single ring that you will need to dodge to avoid, exactly the same as the version seen earlier in the fight.
Break the Shield!
When the boss reaches around 50% health, it will surround itself in a shield that you must destroy or face an instant game over. This is the biggest hurdle in the entire battle.
Close the distance and start attacking the shield while dodging the bubbles and water geysers that the boss summons. Use your Special Abilities quickly to give them time to recharge because you will need them. While waiting to have your Abilities changed, make sure you are using the Backdraft Combo Finish to do heavy damage. You can do this by doing a full combo string (4 hits on the ground, 3 in the air) and then doing a magic burst instantly followed up with another Fireball attack.
After some time, you will be pushed back and will need to get close to the shield again. You will only have 3 chances to break the shield before the boss uses its super move. On the third attempt at the shield, a countdown will begin. If the shield is still active when it reaches 0, Leviathan will use Tsunami and instantly kill you, ending the boss fight.
When the shield is broken, Leviathan will be staggered so use whatever Special Abilities you have left and attack the boss until it gets back up and starts Phase 3.
Phase 3
Phase 3 sees many of Leviathan’s Special Abilities from the previous phase get new properties and some moves even combine together along with new attacks being added to the boss’s arsenal.
- Maelstrom is one of the deadliest moves in Phase 3 as it will pull you into the center of a circle and do constant damage before exploding and then summoning bubbles that attempt to crush you. Use the Brimstone Special Ability to protect yourself from the first attack and then dodge the bubbles.
- Riptide sees a huge upgrade in this phase and multiple rings are spread out across the arena, forcing you to make several well-timed dodges to escape unharmed.
- Salt Spray is a move where Leviathan takes to the air, retreating away from you as bubbles are left in their path. These bubbles will then fly towards Ifrit in the order in which they spawned.
Phase 4 [Final Phase]
Once Leviathan’s health gets low enough, Phase 4 will begin. This is the final phase of the boss fight. At the start of the final phase, Leviathan will use Waterspout, summoning a giant typhoon similar to the one
you fought in Phase 1. While it takes up a large part of the arena, you can get around it to avoid damage.
Angry Seas is Leviathan’s final stand as they unleash all of their Special Abilities one after another, finishing off with a beam attack similar to Tidal Roar from Phase 1. Stay focused and dodge accordingly to survive. Once the beam attack is let off, Leviathan will be open for a lot of attacks so use this time to do big damage.
When Leviathan is under 10% health, you’ll be pushed away and the boss will summon Tsunami. There is no need to worry, however, as this means you have basically won. This will begin a Quick Time Event which leads to the end of the fight and the final cutscene of The Rising Tide DLC main story. Congratulations!
