Final Fantasy 7 Remake has turned what was once a short, introductory portion of a 3 disc PS One game into a full 30+ hour experience with a lot to explore. Like other games, this one has a secret boss that is both difficult to defeat and challenging to even find. Unlike other games, however, the remake of Final Fantasy 7 has two secret bosses. One secret boss in particular has a long and storied history in the Final Fantasy franchise and his inclusion will no doubt bring a smile to the faces of long time fans of the series. Spoilers abound ahead, so those wishing to discover the secret boss for themselves should turn back now.
In Final Fantasy 7 Remake, there are several summons. Disregarding DLC summons, Ifrit, and the Moogle and Chocobo summon, each of them are obtained by doing battle with them in Chadley's virtual reality combat simulator. One of Final Fantasy 7's secret boss, Bahamut, is no exception to this rule. Naturally, though, as the most challenging summon fight in the game, Bahamut is also the most powerful one to have on the player's side, and as such is an extremely valuable ally moving in to the post game content of Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
Who is Bahamut?
Bahamut has appeared in numerous Final Fantasy games since the very first Final Fantasy as a powerful dragon. Once summons were introduced to the franchise, he typically acts as the most powerful of all and can sometimes even play an important role in the story. The King of Dragons' signature attack is Megaflare, an incredibly devastating, often party killing attack which sits proudly as one of the most powerful magical spells in the entire Final Fantasy cosmology, with only Ultima and stronger forms of the Flare spell rivaling it. Usually, this spell is exclusive to Bahamut and cannot be learned by the player or used by other enemies.
In Final Fantasy 7Remake, Bahamut appears as a summon just like he did in the original game. That said, he can be obtained far earlier, as originally Bahamut's summon materia was found in the Temple of the Ancients, a location which players won't encounter until later episodes of the remake. Instead, unlocking him requires the player to complete the 19th Battle Intel Report. After doing this, Bahamut will become available for battle in Chadley's VR combat simulator, but the player will need to take drastic efforts to prepare if they want to come out of this battle on top.
How to Get Bahamut in Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Battling Bahamut in Chadley's simulator and defeating the Dragon King will unlock the Bahamut summon materia for Cloud and friends, but that is a lot easier said than done. Unlike other summon battles, Bahamut has no weakness and is easily capable of wiping the entire party should the player enter underleveled and unprepared. It is recommended to face this threat at max level and to ensure that healing materia is leveled up quite a bit. Most of Bahamut's attacks can't even be dodged, so proper block timing will be paramount for player trying to figure out how to beat Bahamut.
After unlocking the summon, Bahamut can be used in the same way that all other summons are utilized. Bahamut's skills, Umbral Inferno and Umbral Strikes, both cost 2 ATB gauges to use. The first sees Bahamut fly back into position firing numerous lasers at the foe for heavy damage. For the second attack, Bahamut charges two balls of energy in his claws and then throws them at his opponent, each is easily capable of dealing over 1000 damage. Finally, when the summon timer runs down, Bahamut will unleash his ultimate attack, Megaflare, dealing the maximum of 9999 damage to all enemies on the field.
Who is Pride and Joy Prototype?
Pride and Joy Prototype is what fans of the Final Fantasy series like to call a Super Boss. Super Bosses are always optional, sometimes difficult to unlock, and consistently some of the most difficult challenges in the entire game. Pride and Joy is unique to Final Fantasy 7 Remake, as he has never appeared as a boss in the original version of the game or any other Final Fantasy game, but poses a seemingly insurmountable challenge nonetheless. Regarding the origin of Pride and Joy Prototype, nothing is set in stone as the boss simply appears as a challenge from Chadley in the VR combat simulator. Still, given the creature's robotic nature and position as the most powerful challenge in the game, there are some similarities between it and the Ultima Weapon from the original Final Fantasy 7.
How to Unlock Pride and Joy Prototype in Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Pride and Joy Prototype is incredibly difficult to unlock, requiring the player to beat the game, play through again on Hard Mode, complete all Corneo Colosseum challenges, all 13 Shinra Combat Simulator challenges, and all 20 Battle Intel Reports. After doing this, Chadley will have new hard mode challenges available for players. In the final challenge, players will need to face five grueling rounds consisting of Shiva, Fat Chocobo, Leviathan, and Bahamut, before facing off against Pride and Joy Prototype.
Defeating Pride and Joy Prototype requires the player to be completely optimized as a party, but will grant the player the Ultimate Weapon trophy, a prerequisite for getting the coveted platinum trophy for Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Furthermore, this trophy's title seems to back up that there might be some relation between the Pride and Joy Prototype and the Ultima Weapon which is sure to appear in later episodes of the remake. Having a solid understanding of each summon fight's mechanics and a great party loadout are required if the player wants to tackle this challenge.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake is available now exclusively for PS4.
