FAQ: How to Beat Sephiroth

[Rytackle22]

STICKY PLEASE! This thread needs to be out there to help the public.

[Twilight Fighter]

alright then here is my strategy. I beat him at lvl 82

Abilites
First equip High jump,Quick run, Aerial dodge and glide. You can get them by leveling up every drive form. Then put on as many ground and midair combo pluses as you can and put on a negetive combo. Put on leaf bracer, upper slash,Trinity limit if you want, guard if you want so you can use Counterguard,Horizontal Slash,Scan, Beserk charge and
Once More. Use any others which can help you.

Keyblade and items
Rumbling rose is a good keyblade to use. Put on as many elixers as you can. If you don't have enough put on some hi potions and ethers

shortcut screen
CUREGA IS A MUST HAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

strategy
part 1
keep pressing triangle after the cutscene to block and attack him quickly.
just keep dodging and attacking him
part 2
now he starts using his fire wall and black balls.
use glide to dodge his wall and refectga to stop the balls.other than that he'll use the same attacks as last time.
part 3
now he's faster, stronger and uses his sin harvest and meteor.
to stop sin harvest, jump and use aerial dodge then glide then bash him!
to stop meteor jump and use glide.don't hit him when he uses meteor, its impossible.
do this and be careful and you shoud be fine

[Rytackle22]

that's great man....this thread was almost dead.

[Akans]

Additional moves for extra damage:
1) During Stage 1, when he unleashes a ground combo, block and then use reflect. This is tricky, hit square when you see him lift his sword, DONT do it too early or too late, or you'll end up with 1 (or 0, if you didn't equip Second Chance) HP. His ground combo is too long for you to block it all with one guard, so when you see him pause for a second, either guard again, or use reflect to block the rest of his ground combo. Reflect is suggested, as it does damage to sephy, and then you can unleash YOUR ground combo on him. You can also substitute the first guard with a reflect, but it doesn't do any more damage, and you just have less MP to use later on. On the up side, you'll have less chance of missing.

2) When he uses Sin Heartless Angel, and your too far away to get to him, get as close as possible, and use Trinity Limit. Make sure he's locked on, and that your not too far away (about halfway across the map is the limit). You'll instantly appear next to him and start bashing away. You can get three Trinity hits with Sora if you keep mashing Triangle, and he'll take tons of damage while you end up with only no MP.

[TrueRoxas527]

Just saying, I used guides VERY similar to these and beat Sephiroth at level 57 on Proud. It took me 25 times to succeed, though. Sorry, if I constantly say this to any Sephiroth threads, but I can't help with the bragging. (I don't have Final Mix so I can't try the No EXP Ability throughout the game, .....dang)

[sora364]

I compiled this guide roughly a year and a half ago. I was excessively bored, thus the incentive for its existence. This guide goes into expicit detail on defeating Sephiroth. I put an abundant deal of effort into it, so read every last letter!

This boss fight is the most difficult you may experience in the entire game. If you are an expert, should be able to complete this battle at a minimum of level 38. However, if you are a first timer, I strongly suggest you level up Sora to at least 80. Sephiroth attacks are devastating. You should be alert to them at all costs.

1. Combo: Sephiroth will slash his Masamune at both a fast a fierce pace. He uses this technique often through out the battle. Do not be deceived. It may be a common method of attack, but it can be disastrous if not avoided.

2. Teleportation: With this specific move, it makes defeating Sephiroth somewhat more difficult. He will teleport (normally directly behind you), and slash Sora, ultimately plunging him into the air. Soon afterward; he will teleport into the air (as you are falling) and start to take hacks at you.

3. Descend Heartless Angel: This is Sephiroth’s most deadly move. He will fly into the air (beyond your reach, if not properly prepared) and say “Descend Heartless Angel”. If he completes the ritual, it will reduce your HP to 1 and MP to 0.


4. Inferno: Sephiroth will occasionally cause walls of fire to arouse from the ground. This always leads from his “Perish Now!” statement. The fire can cause heavy damage, and will suck Sora into it if he is not heading in the opposite direction.

5. Rush: Sephiroth will be constantly using this move. He will rush towards Sora at an extremely fast pace, and slash him. This normally kills Sora instantly or puts him into near/half dead state. It leads from his “That’s enough!” statement. The reaction command is immediately available. So it must be executed before he reaches you.

6.Dark balls of energy: Sephiroth will normally make balls of dark energy to surround you. Most of the time, they all will come at you at the same time; resulting in a significant loss in Sora’s HP.

7. Meteor/Super Nova: Instants before Sephiroth’s defeat, he will float into the air (it is impossible to reach him). He will summon gigantic meteors that descend towards you and will cause a tremendous amount of damage.

Now that the moves are settled; now we can finally begin preparation for the actual fight.
There are certain advocates Sora will need to make the battle easier. They include:

Abilities
Slapshot
Dodge Slash
Guard
Lvl 2 High Jump (or better)
Lvl 2 Quick Run
Lvl 3 Aerial Dodge
Combo Plus
Combination Boost
Trinity Limit
Aerial Recovery
Aerial Sweep
Aerial Spiral
Aerial Finish
Finishing Plus
Explosion
Guard Break
Second Chance
Once More
Slide Dash
Counter Guard
Scan


Spells
Reflectga (Make available on shortcut menu)
Curaga (Make available on shortcut menu)
NOTE: Avoid using Curaga if all possible. Your MP will essential to the battle.

Items
5X Hi Potions *or elixirs* (Make available on shortcut menu)

Now you are set for the fight. Head to the Radiant Garden , then approach Sephiroth in the Dark Depths. Talk to him, and the bout will trigger after the cutscene.

When the battle starts; hit the triangle button continuously to activate the “block” reaction command. The screen will dimmer and Sephiroth will rush at you at full speed, eventually slashing you to a point where Sora is half dead. Before Sephiroth unleashes this attack he always utters “That enough!” and the screen darkens. Whenever this happens, tap the triangle button. Important note: the reaction command does not work when you are in mid-air. Stay on the ground if all possible during this phase of the battle. He uses it quite often in the fight, so keep an eye out for it. After he is done, immediately lock on to him and attack him with all your might. His back is turned, so take advantage of him. In the end of Sora’s combo, Sora will do the “Explosion” that you previously set. Sephiroth will instantly teleport the instant your combo finishes. You have three options from this point. You can either let him hit you into the air, then use aerial recovery and lock onto him and attack him. This normally does a reasonable deal of damage. The second option is jumping into the air, before he attacks. This is hazardous because, Sephiroth can still hit you before you actually get a chance to jump. The third option is to simply guard and counterguard. Do this ONLY if you can time his attack appropriately. If not, you’re screwed.

What ever option you choose, is up to you. After it is over, Sephiroth will be in his battle stance, approaching you slowly. When he gets close enough, he will do his combo. This is easily avoidable. You can jump over him and attack with and aerial combo. Or, you can also guard. In order to do this, you must press the square button in rapid succession. To be successful, you have to pay very close attention to Sephiroth’s Masaumune. The instant it moves a mere inch, you must hammer the sequence. If it is done correctly, it will completely nullifying his attack. The moment his blade connects with your guard, tap the “X” button (activating Counterguard) This will temporarily leave Sephiroth defenseless. Take advantage of the situation and attack him. From what you have already read above, you must repeat this strategy. In the event that Sephiroth has taken a little more damage, he will start using more advanced methods of attacking you. Thus, making his movements less predictable. Keep repeating the strategy until he utters “Give into the dark!” He creates several dark balls of energy. Each of which surround you. Not long after, they will come lunge you at roughly the same time. They can also deal VERY heavy damage. Even worse, while you are taking damage from the balls, Sephiroth may or may not attack you in the process. He also occasionally will perform his “rush” while you are distracted by the balls. Be vigilant. Despite how difficult it seems to be, it can easily be eluded by the use of the reflectga spell (which should be on you shortcut menu for fast access).


Sephiroth will soon use his most deadly attack; Descend Heartless Angel. He flies into the air and begins saying the name of the attack. Lock onto him, double jump towards his direction, and thrash him before he completes it. When in close quarter combat, Sephiroth will utter “Perish Now!” After he says it, 3 large pillars of fire will arouse from the ground. Quickly use the quick run ability to avoid taking any damage. Hopefully, you haven’t used many items up to this point. You may need them in the near future. Keep an eye out for each one of the attacks previously mentioned. There is a possible method to avoid each one. Keep an eye out for “Descend Heartless Angel” and his rush. Those will benefit you greatly in the long run. Each leaves Sephiroth wide open for an attack. This will definitely bring Sephiroth’s HP down rapidly.

When Sephiroth is at his breaking point, he will begin to emit a pink aura. Then he will come at you with everything he has. This time, he is not going as much as a pushover. He has an attack, in which he will fly at you and begin swinging furiously. Keep in mind, in this he ends his combo and starts a NEW one. Therefore “second chance” and “once more” will not be of any use to you. The combo is very difficult to get out of in a timely manner. However it can be avoided by either casting reflectga continuously, attacking him before he hits you (VERY risky) or jumping beyond his reach. Near the end of the battle, Sephiroth will go into the air (it is impossible to attack him at this point) dozens of meteors will come plunging at you. The best method of elusion is to run to the back, and perform aerial dodge from left to right rapidly. Sephiroth will be using “Rush”, “Descend Heartless Angel”, and his balls of energy much more frequently. At this point, Sephiroth should have at least 2 HP bars left. It is time to finish him once and for all. Use trinity limit and attack him, mercilessly. He should go down in no time. Afterwards, you shall receive your final drive bar, making your former “6” a “7”

[Heartless Person]

use ultima weapon and have once more or second chance equiped

[thejakester1996]

I have a little trick that helped me a ton: With Leaf Bracer equipped, cast Curaga just before "Descend Heartless Angel" (he says it so much clearer now) connects, and you might still lose all your MP, but you'll have full HP instead of just 1. When he uses it before your MP recovers, is when you use an elixer.

Thats what I did because I ran out of elixers but I still lost:angry:

[TrueRoxas527]

Yeah yeah. Just attack and Reflect, jump, fly, attack, reflect, attack, reflect, dodge, dodge, attack, reflect, trinity. Use that strategy and you'll be done in no time.

[Kirby]

Ok. I'll use this the next time I attempt to make an approach.

[fireflame]

i have to put in this little note. Be careful when using potions. If you are near death and you throw up a potion and sephiroth attacks you right afterward, then you will die. So just be cautious when using them and try and stick with Curaga as much as possible