Final Fantasy: 15 Most Brutal Boss Battles

3. Ultima Weapon (FFVIII)

FFVIII's Ultima Weapon isn't the hardest incarnation of the recurring superboss in the series. It isn't even the hardest boss in Final Fantasy VIII. Yet here it is flirting with the upper echelons of this list. Why?

The real difficulty lies in the fact that Ultima Weapon resides at the bottom of one of the series' most exigent dungeons, a hellish research facility in which nearly every other step is greeted with a random encounter unless the player carefully times their movement. On the lower floors, horrendous monsters are entirely unavoidable.

By the time the party is face to face with the location's resident menace, they're more than likely on their last legs. Not that that necessarily matters; Ultima Weapon's Light Pillar will obliterate a character regardless of their current vitality. With so much legwork to finally get there, defeat is a not a prospect worth countenancing. Which amongst us sacrificed our hard-earned rare Triple Triad cards just to blast the boss and get it over with? If only we knew what was to come...

Cactaur Needles O' Pain: 700

Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.