The Final Fantasy series is considered one of the most legendary JRPG series of all time, which is what makes Square Enix's foray into real-time combat all the more interesting. While there are definitely many detractors when it comes to this tonal shift, the Final Fantasy series was bound to evolve at some point or the other. For what it's worth, the two major Final Fantasy titles that have actually adopted real-time combat have done so in impressive fashion.
Final Fantasy 15 was the first mainline title to try out real-time action combat, although some earlier entries went down the MMO route. While the game certainly has its fair share of problems, the combat is definitely a highlight that elevates the quality of this title to quite an extent. Players would definitely want to apply and develop their combat skills by fighting as many enemies as possible, especially if they wish to take on the strongest monsters that can be fought in the game.
Updated on January 20th, 2022 by Ritwik Mitra: Final Fantasy 15's was Square Enix's first attempt at turning their legendary series into an action-RPG hybrid. While other spin-offs and the like in Final Fantasy had definitely experimented with this concept, Final Fantasy 15 marked the first entry in the mainline series to do so. The end result was quite spectacular, with the game offering a wide variety of enemies to try these combat skills on. Some of the hardest enemies to try out Noctis' skills on — along with the rest of the game — are mentioned below.
15 Jormungand
A boss fought in the Crestholm Channels, Jormungand is a really powerful enemy that will test players, especially if they aren't at a high enough level. The fight is grueling, with his fire attacks being the stuff of nightmares for many players.
Only high-level spells, good equipment, and a well-trained party will be able to take down this powerful enemy. The fact that this enemy appears as a normal foe in Costlemark Tower makes him even more of an imposing threat.
14 Manxom
The worst part about Jormungand is that he's not even the fiercest enemy that can be found in the Crestholm Channels. This honor goes to Manxom, who is one of the hardest enemies in the entire game.
It takes quite a bit of effort for players to take down this beast, mainly due to its high HP and impressive resistances. Players should be stocked up with healing items to deal with this powerful enemy.
13 Elder Coeurl
The Coeurl is already a pretty annoying enemy to fight in Final Fantasy 15. However, there's a more dangerous variant of this enemy that will give any high-level party a run for their money.
The Elder Coeurl can hit for massive damage and instantly kill party members as well. It takes a relentless offense and smart movement to take care of this nimble and powerful foe.
12 Mictlantecihuatl
Not only is this boss one of the hardest enemies in the game, but it also has a name that's downright impossible to pronounce. Mictlantecihuatl is not an easy foe in the slightest, with its lightning attacks being quite damaging indeed.
Players need lightning-resistant equipment, high DPS, and a ton of restoratives to get through this grueling battle. Final Fantasy 15 doesn't mess about with its hunts, and Mictlantecihuatl is a great example of the same.
11 Wyvern
It's hard to imagine Wyverns posing a major threat in any Final Fantasy game. However, it seems that this is precisely the case with one particular version of the Wyvern in Final Fantasy 15.
This version of the enemy is present in Steyliff Grove and pulls no punches in battle. The battle might be over quicker than some of the other fights on this list, but the scars left behind by this encounter are still going to sting quite a bit regardless.
10 Daemonwall
The Demon Wall is one of the most iconic enemies in Final Fantasy, and its iteration in Final Fantasy 15 definitely doesn't disappoint in this regard.
A Level 84 enemy that can definitely give Noctis and the party a tough time, Daemonwall demands that players stock up on items and magic if they don't want to be stuck in an extended battle.
9 Ayakashi
At a glance, the Ayakashi fight might seem like an enticing prospect — after all, he's pretty much a spruced-up Yojimbo, which implies that maybe there could be an enticing encounter waiting for players.
However, that's not the case. Aside from a high level, Ayakashi doesn't really have anything else going for him. Fighting him becomes more of an exhausting hassle than one might expect, which is rather disappointing.
8 Bilröst
Costlemark Tower is one of the more interesting locations in Final Fantasy 15. This mainly comes down to the fact that the player can't really use any items in this dungeon, which can prove to be quite a major hurdle to cross.
This makes fighting through this tower enough of a task as is, however, the icing on the cake has to be the Bilröst boss fight. This is genuinely a challenge that can take out any unprepared player who's already been tenderized by the numerous enemy encounters they had to get through to reach this point.
7 Naglfar
Randolph's quests can prove to be rather interesting challenges, but nothing tops the final test he has in store for Noctis and his friends.
In order to complete the Wondrous Weapon sidequest, players need to fight a powerful beast by the name of Naglfar. The superboss can easily send any unprepared player to a Game Over screen with its damaging attacks and resistances. Thankfully, with the judicious usage of magic, Naglfar can definitely be taken out, after a rather length battle, that is.
6 Dread Behemoth
The Dread Behemoth is an enemy that can only be fought as a part of a timed quest. This creature can present quite a sizeable challenge, forcing players to bring out their A-game to take this beast down. This monster is level 140.
However, while the Dread Behemoth may definitely be a powerful beast, it still pales in comparison to the true king of these timed quests...
5 Tyraneant
The Treant is unquestionably a challenging enemy in Final Fantasy 15, but there's a beefier version of this foe that poses a far more significant challenge.
The Tyraneant is an extremely powerful enemy that can only be faced as a part of a timed quest. This Lv. 130 enemy is challenging enough on its own, but there's one particular timed quest that forces players to deal with two of these super-powered enemies.
It's arguably the most challenging encounter in the entire game, and players need to stay on their toes if they wish to achieve victory in this battle.
4 Melusine
Melusine is a new enemy that was added as a part of the v1.13 patch, and she's definitely one of the toughest enemies in the entire game.
Even the power of a summon isn't enough to take this enemy down, and players will spend an entire in-game day just wailing on this powerful boss. Attaining victory shows that players have mastered Final Fantasy 15's flashy combat system.
3 MA-X Angelus-0
Encountering the MA-X Angelus-0 is an extremely rare occurrence. Players who manage to fulfill the mysterious criteria required to spawn the best Imperial weapon will have to deal with an encounter that is extremely tough and intense.
The fact that MA-X Angelus-0 has numerous resistances makes him even more of an annoying enemy to deal with. Players who manage to settle into a rhythm and defeat this enemy will find themselves with a broad smile on their faces at the end of this taxing fight.
2 Adamantoise
The Adamantoise fight had become legendary even before the release of Final Fantasy 15, with the developers going so far as to say that defeating this enemy could take 72 real-time hours.
While that's an extreme exaggeration in every sense of the word, Adamantoise is nevertheless a very time-consuming encounter. This battle will force the player to decipher the most optimal strategies to reduce the time taken to finish off this beast and save themselves from a long and boring ordeal.
1 Omega
It was only a given that a bonafide superboss would reign supreme when it came to selecting the strongest monster in Final Fantasy 15. An enemy that's exclusive to the Royal and Windows Editions of Final Fantasy 15, any player that happens upon Omega randomly will find themselves stuck in an extremely challenging encounter.
Omega has no weaknesses save for Royal Weapons, making this fight even more of a pain. However, with enough patience and a large number of curatives, Omega will eventually go down for the count.
Final Fantasy 15 was released on November 29th, 2016 and is available on PS4, Xbox One, Google Stadia, and PC.