Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is an action role-playing game that is filled with action-packed battles. In it, you play as Jack, a fiercely strong warrior with a devotion to defeating Chaos. Alongside your allies, you must find a way to restore the light of the crystals to save the kingdom of Cornelia from the darkness.
On your quest to find the Wind Crystal you will encounter the first of the four Chaos Fiends, Tiamat. This is a particularly difficult boss fight as Tiamat's attacks are fast, brutal, relentless, and they can regenerate their break gauge. We strongly recommend attempting this fight after you reach level 20+ for two or more Jobs. Also, the fight moves fast, so it's worth equipping your desired armour and Jobs before entering the battle.
In this guide, we're going to show you how to defeat Tiamat.
How to Beat Tiamat
The fight with Tiamat happens in two stages. It's by no means a fast fight as you need to be patient and wait for the safest moments to strike. We recommend using Jed and Ash as your allies for this fight.
Observe, Learn, Attack - Part One
For the first few moments of the fight, stay as far away from Tiamat as possible and observe their attack patterns. They heavily rely on elemental attacks, breath attacks, and sudden movements to crush you at your current location. If you see Tiamat start to stretch and stand up properly, that's a clear indicator that they are about to launch themselves at you. Also, you can activate Jed and Ash's resonance states while you remain at a safe distance from Tiamat. This may sound cowardly, but it's the perfect way of getting Tiamat to showcase their attacks.
Also, we strongly recommend saving your health potions for the second half of the fight if possible. You will need them there as Tiamat is much harder to fight.
Once Tiamat does turn their attention to you, you must be ready to dodge. Attacking them repeatedly each time you're near them will not work, fighting Tiamat is about patience. When Tiamat starts to attack you, dodge as many times as you need to. If you are caught by them, it can take as little as 2 or 3 blows for you to be killed. It is possible to use your Soulshield to steal some of the elemental attacks that Tiamat has, but dodging and blocking are the best options.
One of the best moments to attack Tiamat is when their back is turned to you (but watch out for their tail, that can hurt too). This is usually easiest when Jed and Ash are in their resonance states as Tiamat's attention is on them. Equipping a Job that allows you to use a weapon with a long reach (Ronin, Samurai, Marauder, Swordsman, or Swordfighter) are the best ones to use. Getting too close to Tiamat is also dangerous. Use two heavy hits or four light hits before backing away again.
Another moment to attack Tiamat is when their heads are lowered, exposing their necks. They have several heads, meaning there are plenty of places for you to hit once they're exposed. Again, weapons with a long reach are the best as it means you don't have to get too close to Tiamat. Typically, their heads and neck are lowered after using the Tempest attack. However, if you think you will not be able to land the attack in time, do not risk it.
After you have worn down Tiamat's break gauge, and their health bar has been reduced by half, they will be vulnerable. Once they are down, swiftly run over and use Jack's Soul Burst to rip off one of Tiamat's heads.
Attack, Dodge, Repeat, Survive - Part Two
You must be careful in this section of the fight, Tiamat's attacks are far more aggressive than before. They're also a lot faster and harder to block or steal with your Soulshield. This is why it's best to save your health potions for this half of the fight. If you die here, you have to start the battle from the beginning.
This section is where fighting Tiamat becomes tricky as they can now regenerate each time their break gauge gets too low. However, persistence is key here. You need to keep wearing down their break gauge by constantly attacking them as you did before. However, this time, you can time your attacks for when they have their heads lowered. You can activate Jed and Ash's resonance states again to distract Tiamat. This can taunt them into unleashing an attack on your allies which will leave their necks exposed.
Each time Tiamat regenerates after you inflict a substantial amount of damage on them, the break gauge will become lower and lower. It can take some time to wear it down but, eventually, it will reach a point where you can destroy it within a few coordinated hits, leaving Tiamat vulnerable again. When Tiamat is like this, rush over to them, and use Jack's Soul Burst to bring the fight to an end.
Extra Tips
Here are some extra tips and tricks that can come in handy when fighting Tiamat:
- Best Jobs: Swordsman, Ronin, Samurai, Lancer, or Swordfighter (if they are level 20 or above).
- Best Command Abilities: Lightbringer and Venom
- Use Jed and Ash as much as possible. Distraction and misdirection are vital in taking down Tiamat.
- It can be tempting to use Soulshield to steal Tiamat's elemental attacks, but doing this can leave you vulnerable to follow-up attacks.
- Dodge as much as possible but block if you cannot get away in time.
- Save the health potions until you need them!
- If you die, try again with different pieces of armour.
- If this fight is too difficult, then you can change the difficulty settings to lower how intense it is.
- Head back on yourself to do some of the side missions if you need more practice.
Tiamat is one of the hardest boss fights at the start of Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, but they're by no means the last one. Tailoring your armour to each enemy you face can make the battle easier or harder. Check out our armour guide to find out more. Also, after you defeat a hard enemy, you'll probably want to ensure that your progress is safe. Find out how to do this in our saving guide.