Before Clive and Cid could come up with another plan for finding the Dominant of Fire, Benedikta suddenly transforms into Garuda. She's lost control over her power and will destroy the entire area if she is left unchecked. Clive gets seperated from Cid and Torgal and must carry on alone.
As Final Fantasy 16 players can expect based on the context, a fight with Garuda is coming up. While the eleventh main scenario quest, "Awakening", is relatively short, it packs in a great deal of action and story. As Final Fantasy 16 players brave the storm created by Garuda, here is what they can expect as they begin "Awakening".
This walkthrough contains spoilers, so players should proceed with caution.
Follow the Hooded Man
As "Awakening" begins, Final Fantasy 16 players have only one choice. They must go up the steps and follow the mysterious man that is allegedly the Dominant of Fire. He disappears a few seconds later, but keep going up the stairs. Garuda swoops down to taunt Final Fantasy 16 players, but then she flies off again. There are no items to find in this area, so just keep going up the stairs.
The mysterious man will keep appearing and disappearing. There is nothing players can do about this, as it is entirely scripted. Just keep going up the stairs. Garuda will periodically swoop down and act like she is going to attack. At the end of the path, climb up the ledge to continue onward. Take a left to reach the top of the path where the Dominant of Fire awaits players. As players approach him, a cutscene will trigger. Then it is time for a boss fight.
How to Beat Garuda
The fight against Garuda begins with Clive being grabbed by Garuda. This triggers a Cinematic Strike sequence. This doesn't do much damage, as this moment was mostly for interactive cinematic flair. At this point the battle against Garuda begins. Garuda will slam the ground with her wings as a primary attack. Using aerial attacks will allow players to dodge most of these if they time it right.
Early on in the fight, Final Fantasy 16 players get a tutorial about how takedowns. When a large enemy is partially staggered, players can use Deadly Embrace to fully stagger them. As Garuda reaches 50% health, she will cast an ability called Aerial Blast. While she uses this ability, she will unleash a constant barrage of tornadoes and other wind-based attacks. Focus on dodging all the attacks and eventually Aerial Blast ends.
Pay attention to where Gardua's Will Gauge is at, as being able to perform a takedown makes it much easier to damage Garuda without getting hit. Once Garuda reaches 10% or less health, the fight is basically over. At this point a series of Cinematic Strikes are triggered and players defeat her.
Ifrit Vs. Garuda
Of course, as strong as Clive is, the idea of a human defeating an Eikon is absurd from a lore perspective. After a series of cutscenes, players will suddenly find themselves playing as Ifrit. This is the first Eikon fight after the one in the prologue. As Ifrit, players have the following controls.
- 'Square': Melee Attack
- 'Triangle': Ranged Attack
- 'R1': Evade
- 'Circle': Lunge
Garuda will try to stay out of range. Dodge her attacks and use the ranged attack to cancel out her ranged attack. After that, use Lunge to get in close and unleash a series of melee attacks on her.
If Gardua casts an ability with a name, lunge cannot interrupt it. Wait until the attack is done before using lunge to avoid taking unnecessary damage.
As players repeatedly damage Garuda, there will be periodic Cinematic Strikes and Cinematic Clashes. Complete these to deal more damage to the boss. After a while, the rest of the fight becomes just a series of Cinematic Clashes that end with Garuda getting roasted when Ifrit casts Hellfire. After this a series of cutscenes brings this main scenario quest to a close.
Final Fantasy 16 is available now on PlayStation 5.
