Final Fantasy 6 follows a brave group of adventurers on a quest to prevent a truly sinister foe from claiming an otherworldly power. While progressing through the story, players will be tasked with defeating an array of powerful foes, but some are much more dangerous than others.
Upon reaching the World of Ruin and unlocking the Falcon airship, players will be given the chance to explore the newly deformed world and uncover its hidden secrets. Final Fantasy 6 is chock-full of challenging optional bosses, but some, like Deathgaze, are incredibly hard to find. Deathgaze can also be quite a challenging foe, especially if the party encounters it when they don't expect to.
How To Find Deathgaze in Final Fantasy 6
The only way to find Deathgaze in Final Fantasy 6 is for the party to first reach the World of Ruin and then acquire the Falcon, an airship that provides the player with the means of reaching previously inaccessible areas on the map. Once these requirements have been met, players can begin their search.
Unlike other bosses, Deathgaze can only be fought while exploring the world while aboard the airship. It is possible to fly into this foe while exploring the world naturally, but it isn't the most reliable method. Thankfully, there is a way to reliably run into Deathgaze, but it can take some time.
The best way to guarantee an encounter with Deathgaze is to board the airship, take off, maneuver the aircraft slightly left or right so that it isn't aiming north directly, and fly straight. Crossing the northern edge of the map will cause the airship to reappear in the south, making it possible for players to keep flying at the same angle for however long they wish to.
This method of finding Deathgaze can be pretty time-consuming and will likely require the player to fly over most areas on the map, but it is without a doubt the best way to run into it. As long as players continue flying the airship straight without changing the angle at which they are traveling, they will eventually encounter Deathgaze.
Unlike other bosses in Final Fantasy 6, players will need to battle Deathgaze several times if they are unable to bring it down during the first encounter. When this happens, the best way to find Deathgaze again is to continue flying around the world while using the previously explained method. Again, this can take time, but with enough patience, the party will encounter it again.
Saving the game after Deathgaze flees from the battle is recommended as, if the party happens to die during the second encounter, the creature will regain all of its previously lost health, forcing players to begin the process of finding him for the first time all over again.
How To Beat Deathgaze In Final Fantasy 6
Since it only has 55,555 HP, a high-leveled party can take Deathgaze down within a few turns, but those unable to hit for maximum damage might struggle. To make matters worse, Deathgaze's high Magic Defense will weaken the power of the party's magic significantly, which can be a pretty big problem for those who have been prioritizing magic over physical strength.
That said, endgame spells like Ultima, Firaga, and Holy can be a huge help; Ultima for its power and ability to ignore Magic Defense and Shell, and Holy and Firaga because of the bonus damage they can deal to Deathgaze specifically.
Before beginning the fight against Deathgaze, players should be aware of what its first attack, Lv. 5 Death, is capable of. When cast, this spell will instantly KO any character whose level is a multiple of 5. Because of this, players should ensure to only bring party members who are currently at a level that doesn't end with the number 0 or 5. Grinding levels at the Dinosaur Forest can be a great way to advance characters to a more suitable level, but the enemies there can be especially hard to bring down.
After casting Lv. 5 Death, Deathgaze will begin the battle by either attacking the party physically or casting Blizzaga or Death. Celes' Runic ability can be of great use for Deathgaze's magic attacks, as it will absorb any spells cast in the battle. That said, those hoping to do a lot of quick magic damage should probably equip the party with Reflect Rings instead to prevent their own spells from being nullified.
On its second turn, Deathgaze can either cast Aero or Death. Again, Reflect Rings can be used to send the Aero spell right back at it, dealing some additional damage.
The Deathgaze's third attack will see it attempting to flee. If successful, the beast will disappear from the battle, and the player will be given control of the airship once more. Any damage done to the Deathgaze during this encounter will remain, so all players need to do is find the beast again and deal the finishing blows to defeat it for good. If it escapes again during the next attempt, the process will need to be repeated.
On top of this, Deathgaze has a chance to counterattack with a slash whenever it is hit, making it slightly harder for party members to retain their maximum HP. While this is more of an inconvenience than its other attacks, players should still ensure to have a designated healer reader to restore the party's HP and revive those who run out entirely.
To bring the Deathgaze down quickly, players should prioritize casting high-level magic and, if possible, attack using characters capable of hitting multiple times per turn. The Soul of Thamasa Relic will replace the wearer's Magic Command with Dualcast, allowing them to cast twice per turn, and the Master's Scroll and Genji Glove Relics can be used to increase the number of hits a party member will deal. If both the Master's Scroll and the Genji Glove are equipped to the same character, it will allow them to attack eight times per turn.
If players are still struggling to deal enough damage to Deathgaze, Shadow's Throw ability can be used to throw weapons at it. Thrown weapons ignore enemy Defense stats, making them extremely useful against well-protected foes. To make the most out of this ability during the Deathgaze battle, players should prioritize throwing weapons with Fire or Holy attributes, as these will do the most damage.
When Deathgaze finally goes down, the party will be rewarded with the Bahamut magicite, an extremely useful item that, when equipped, will allow players to call upon the iconic Bahamut summon to aid them in combat and will also permit the wearer to learn Flare at a x2 rate.
Final Fantasy 6 is currently available on PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Mobile.