You were able to relax for a while in Final Fantasy VII Remake, after the nightmare of Hell House. But, obviously not as silly as he seems, Don Corneo was inspired by Jabba the Hutt, and a boss as hideous as he is frightening awaits you in the trap under his room. At least you have a whole group to calm it down, with Cloud, Aerith and Tifa.
Planning & Materia
- You normally start the fight with your life and your mana to the maximum. Optimize your equipment and Materia before going to wake up Tifa and Aerith.
- Unlike other monsters, Abzu is not vulnerable to ice, but to fire. We therefore advise you to equip the Materia with basic affinity for the character you intend to control, and to link it to a Fire Materia. Make sure that everyone in the group has an equipped Fire Materia in order to have a ranged attack option.
- Ifrit's summons will be by far the most useful on this boss.
- Although Abzu uses poison in several of his attacks, it's not too problematic and does not justify equipping a talisman to protect against it. You should instead give the crescent moon talismans to your teammates, and use the champion's belt on the character you intend to use.
Abzu abilities
- Bash and Smash: Multiple melee attacks, which particularly hurt. Try to stay behind his back, and dodge if he turns to face you.
- Charge: Dangerous both in melee and from a distance, you must beware of this attack and prepare to dodge on the side.
- Ground Pound: A large area attack quite difficult to avoid. As often, you will have to watch your action bar and be ready to move, or to heal the group.
- Backwash: When the boss is on the edge of the map or high up, he likes to use this attack which inflicts damage, knocks down and poisons a character.
- Backwash Spout: Apsu's most devastating attack, watch out for the many puddles on the ground and try to get away from it. Expect to have to care for the group after use.
- Provoke: The targeted character is unable to use his skills, spells, invocations etc. Use another character in the group to send him an alteration dissipation consumable.
Combat
- Still a difficult boss in melee, between his painful attacks, his charges and the fact that he likes to hang on the ceiling, attacking him in melee can be frustrating. Using Aerith as an active character can be easier, both to attack and to keep everyone alive.
- The combination of Arcane Ward, Fleeting Familiar and Fire spells from Aerith will do wonders in terms of damage to Abzu, care must be taken to keep it alive. Using healing spells with the other 2 members of the group can be a good option.
- When summoning is available, Ifrit will be the best choice, and its area attack will help you destroy the horns of Apsu. Focus all of your attacks on them to shock him and reduce his powers.
- The rest of the fight is pretty straightforward, the damage Abzu inflicts is huge, but it's not particularly hard to hit. Seek to keep everyone alive and send fire spells with everyone when hanging from the ceiling.
