Transcendence Tier 1

• Enemies open by targeting themselves, and their next attack will be a single target BRV+HP attack

• Enemies will tend spam ALL attacks which are AoE BRV + AoE HP (split) attacks that hit very hard

• Later in the fight, after they ALL attack, they will target themselves again, and from this point forward, they will gain a large amount of BRV (50k+) and reduce all BRV DMG taken to 1 until they are broken. Only one enemy will gain this effect at a time.

• If you do not break them, the enemy will do a very strong single target BRV + HP attack that deals upwards of 70k HP DMG

  • This attack can be negated by HP DMG reduction effects or dodge (see character notes for more details)

Required (all):

• Holy enchanter, as far as we can tell, is *hard* required. Paladin Cecil & Kuja (with his BT) are the only two capable of doing this. You do not need Paladin Cecil's BT, but if you don't have the BT, expect that you will need a BT in your party from one of your other allies. Note that at time of release, many JP players struggled to use Kuja here, but there are a number of possible clears since we have foresight into the fight. Example comps are Kuja, Gabranth, Hope or Kuja, Arciela, Aerith (her LD is coming soon)

• One member of the party has to be a white crystal color. Paladin Cecil, Arciela, Hope, & Penelo are some recent options.

Primary Strategies (pick one):

1. Allowing the boss to have turns, and allowing them gain BRV and reduce all BRV DMG taken to 1. You will need to choose one of these paths:

   • Instant break capability or 100% gravity: Gabranth, Ramza, Strago, Caius, Ardyn, Exdeath all have confirmed clears here. Caius call can also be useful if timed properly (use the call when they are targeting ALL), just make sure you have the debuff slots free.

   • HP DMG reduction capability to tank the attack: Gladio, Beatrix, Exdeath & Reno are the most popular choices for this strategy as they all have 100% reduction effects. Just make sure the reduction is timed properly.

   • Dodge the attack: Eight can dodge as the attack is not guaranteed hit.

2. Do not allow the bosses to have turns

   • Utilize HP Attack Disable from Arciela or Kefka. After the enemies target themselves, their next attack is a BRV + HP attack, and you can lock them here for the rest of the fight. Note that Kefka uses all 6 debuff slots, so you need to frame your holy imperil, from either Ceodore or Kuja. Arciela runs are expected to be easier thanks to the ability to stack debuffs and she also covers the crystal reqt.

   • 0 Boss Turns utilizing Lightning and Amidatelion. Note that Lightning doesn't need Ami, but expect the boss to take turns in that case, and you will need to use a strategy above. Amidatelion only shows up alongside Lightning, as she can compensate for Ami's lack of damage while simultaneously employing heavy delay. The third ally here will need to be white crystal and cover Holy, so Paladin Cecil is the only choice.

We'd kindly ask that you avoid calling this gate easy if you take a powerful team comp with ideal characters like those mentioned above. This fight can either be a cakewalk or a nightmare, and it all depends on how you approach it. Offer help to those struggling!

• High Resistance to Fire & Melee

• Enemies relentlessly retreat into their shell, with 60k+ BRV gains, while also reducing their BRV damage taken to 1 until they are launched

• Enemy will follow up either with a single target attack (typically Raise Stone, an HP attack) or Sparkle Stream (AoE 1 BRV + AoE HP split)

• A turtle will also use Jewel Brilliance, going into its shell, removing generic debuffs, gaining a lot of BRV, and gaining sparkles above them. They will receive reduced HP damage in addition to 1 BRV effect until they are launched or take a turn

Required (all):

• Launcher is *hard* required to complete this stage. Notable callouts include Cloud, Keiss, Dark Knight Cecil, & Ramza. Every team will have at least one of these 4, the more the merrier, SQEX Airlines is now boarding. Keiss is very strong here as his BRV attack within a launch will reduce enemy BRV to 0. Cloud has paralysis to lock down the enemy and give you more time to BRV shave or launch.

  • Calls for Cloud  or Dark Knight Cecil (if you don't have their weapons), or Ramza LD can be helpful, but aren't enough alone, you need a proper launcher in the main party

• One member of the party has to be a blue crystal color. Cloud and Krile are recent choices, and also Edward LD, Eight LD & Trey EX+ 3/3 are viable choices. Edward makes the fight much safer, Eight can dodge every attack in the fight, and Trey's EX debuff allows any BRV hit to instant break.

Strategy:

• Ramza & Penelo are good examples of those that battery while also being capable to instant break (Ramza) or 100% BRV shave (Penelo EX).

• Krile & Guy enchant your party to always hit weakness, which can help BRV shave, and both are batteries to synergize with launchers for more damage. Be sure to reapply their imperil if it is cleansed during Jewel Brilliance.

• For added protection, you can use Basch or Warrior of Light to tank attacks, they're both good options if you're worried. Eight, as mentioned can dodge every attack thrown at him if you opt to use him here, but his damage is low, so prepare to support him with BRV/HP DMG up and/or weakness.

• Amidatelion can help delete enemy turns to set up good launches while also giving you time to shave. Ami also has a 100% gravity effect on LD use for emergencies (or strong launches).

Note: This stage is confirmed to be capable of completion without a BT. Krile LD, Jack LD, Keiss EX+ can complete with tight gameplay.

Wave 1

• You can boost the orb by inflicting 1+ debuff on each enemy or 2+ debuffs on one enemy. Both orbs will increase by +2.

• At +2 orb only, their orb will only go up 1 after your turn. If your team isn't filled with debuffers, you may be put in a damage race at the end of the wave and need to summon or use BT (one of these should be enough, if you need it at all).

• When one Affect reaches 79% HP or 49% HP, both enemies will gain a blue aura, huge amount of BRV, reduce all BRV DMG taken to 1, reduce HP DMG taken by 70%, and delay themselves

  • Affect must be broken or take a turn to remove the blue aura & the reduction effect

  • Additionally, they will gain the blue aura after one of them is under 30% HP and after they do their Banishing Gaze attack. Only the one that does the attack will gain the blue aura. If the other does Banishing Gaze also, it will also gain the blue aura.

    • Thanks to VL for finding this, you can see this happen in this video

• Affect enemies will do a BRV + HP attack generally whenever they are unbroken on their turn 

• Unlike Ultimecia LC, the bosses do not cleanse debuffs or dispel your buffs

Wave 2

• The Flame Masks are punishing, truly. At 79%, 49%, & 29% HP each Mask will enter Flame mode, gain a pink flame above them, which lets the Flame Mask regen 86k HP on each party member turn, and drains their HP by 50% HP. If both are in Flame mode, they will both regen 86k on each turn you take.

  • The Flame Mask must be launched in order to cancel the Flame mode

  • If the enemies regen above the HP threshold, they will not re-enter Flame Mode when you bring it back down. It's just those 3 thresholds

• Their ALL attack is an AoE BRV + HP (split) attack

• Their recast attack is an ST multi BRV + HP attack

• These frequent and relentless HP attacks can make it difficult to keep one ally above 100% HP to keep their orb frozen

• The enemies do not enrage when one is killed

This is a punishing fight, there's a lot to unpack here, but we want to make one thing clear. 

This difficult fight can be cleared using just 1 of the key character *examples* above. See below for alternative characters that can be used to clear this difficult quest.

To clear this, you will need to be able to address these issues in the fight

• Wave 1 orb counter (inflict 1+ AoE debuffs or 2 debuffs)

• Instant Break or 100% gravity (can be bypassed with HP DMG mitigation)

• Strong Regen & Burst Healing (to keep an ally at 100% HP despite 50% HP poison and relentless AoE attacks)

• Launch (to cancel the flame mode in the last wave)

Paladin Cecil is one of the most popular choices, simply for his HP overhealing, coupled with HP DMG reduction, and enchant. His imperil is applied AoE, boosting the orb in the first wave, while his healing covers the orb in the second wave. Wide roled characters go a long way in this fight, and he is no exception. Hope & Rude are honorable mentions that can protect the team and battery. Rude has massive heals, while Hope has minor heals.

Ramza is very wide, covering launch and instant break, and he has some healing as well. Similar to Paladin Cecil, his EX debuffs, helping with the 1st wave orb while also slowing the enemy down. Penelo is worth mentioning as she has 100% gravity on her EX, and speeds your party up. Her healing is excellent, but she has no debuffs, and her gravity is single target.

Keiss is of course an excellent launcher, but also his chase BRV+ has 100% gravity with it, allowing you to easily shave wave 1 bosses. His enablement of high damage via launch ends the fight more quickly. Caius also could fill this role if timed properly. He handles the orb in the first wave, his LD handles instant break, and his EX launch tackles the second wave (just note it charges slowly).

Gabranth has instant break and debuffs for wave 1, and his debuffs go a long way in helping to protect you in wave 2. Having the easiest access to instant breaks is a luxury for this tier. Arciela, Exdeath, & Kefka slot here as alternates, shutting down the boss in various ways. Exdeath is a premium BRV shaver, the best in the game, and can help negate wave 2's AoE HP attacks. Kefka has instant break (single target) on his EX in addition to his crippling debuffs. Note that Arciela's LD debuff will prevent the wave 1 bosses from gaining BRV, and can make it tricky to inflict break to remove their BRV DMG reduction aura. Arciela & Kefka can lock enemies with their HP Attack Disable (just be careful of the HP Poison in the second wave).

Cloud only launches in addition to his damage output, but his paralysis can help to manage the bosses and give you time to recharge an instant break EX (like Kefka's for example). Noctis can fill a similar role if you'd like to place him here, as his EX and S1 help with the wave 1 orb, and S1+ enables launches in wave 2.

Gladio protects the team versus single target attacks, so he removes the need for instant break in wave 1, and protects you on the recast in wave 2. His battery & damage go a long way and help make the fight much safer. Eight if you have him, is an excellent alternative, dodging everything in the fight, just be sure to have a healer to cover what Gladio was providing.

Useful Calls!

Launch: Cloud (AoE), Dark Knight Cecil, Ramza (LD call, AoE), Keiss (AoE if your selected character does an AoE attack)

Instant Break: Caius LD

Burst Heal: Rem, Rude, Firion, Maria, Ramza