Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age: Finding and Defeating the Hell Wyrm

HELL WYRM:
Hell Wyrm is one of the hardest Super Bosses in the Game. Not quite as hard as Yiazmat or Zodiark but he is formidable non the less. This Guide will cover how to get to Hell Wyrm in order to face him, good/best Character Set Ups and a viable Strategy to defeat him. This Battle will take a while because he has 9 MILLION HP!! Not as much as Yiazmat, but its still a lot. In order for the Hell Wyrm to even appear you first have to complete Draklor Laboratory in the main story and the Get My Stuff Back Hunt. You can find the Hell Wyrm in the Sochen Cave Palace.

RECOMMENDATIONS:
I recommend that your Characters be AT LEAST Level 70 for this fight. I recommend having two main Damage Dealers and two Support Characters (one should be a White Mage) ready for this Battle. As always make sure you are fully stocked up on Items for this fight. Phoenix Downs, all manner of Potions and Ethers. Hell Wyrm’s Judgement Attack can cause STOP Status so Chronos Tear’s and/or Remedies (If your Support Character has the Remedy Lore 3 License) or Dispel/Dispellga will be needed. You’ll want a Power Armlet or two to Equip on your Support Character(s) for Immunity to STOP. His Stone Breath causes PETRIFY Status so you’ll want Gold Needles and Stona and a Fuzzy Miter for your Support Character(s.) Or, if you have one or two RIBBONS for your Support Characters, that would be even better because you’ll be Immune to ALL Status Effects (including STOP and PETRIFY. So you won’t have to switch.) You’ll also want Raise/Arise, Curaga/Curaja, Bubble, Protect/Protectga, Shell/Shellga, Decoy and Bravery. Haste/Hastega and Berzerk would be good too. Haste Motes/Hastega Motes and Bacchus Wines would also be good. And if you want to use Attacking Magick on him, Holy is pretty much the only way to go. As for Weapons you’ll want Holy Elemental Weapons. Excalibur will be your best Weapon in this fight (its a Holy Elemental Greatsword *You CANNOT have the Wyrmhero Blade before this fight because defeating Hell Wyrm is required to get it*) You may also want Holy Lance and probably want the Holy Rod too. And as always, Masamune or Khumba. You’ll want White Robes (Boosts Holy Elemental Damage by 50%) for everyone who is using Holy Elemental Weapons and the Holy Spell (your White Mage.) You’ll also want the other best Armors Available to you. Also a GENJI GLOVE two if you can manage it (Boosts Combo Rate.) You may also want the Technicks Wither (reduces the Enemies Physical Attack Power,) Expose (reduces the Enemies Physical Defense,) Addle (reduces the Enemies Magickal Attack Power,) and Shear (reduces the Enemies Magickal Defense.)

SET UP:
The Hell Wyrm is a Dark Elemental Enemy, as such he actually ABSORBS Dark Elemental Damage, so the Dark/Darka/Darkga Spells and Dark Elemental Weapons like the Yagu Darkblade will be USELESS in the fight and would actually heal him. However, that also means that he is weak to Holy Elemental Damage. A Knight paired with a Mystic Armor Job (like White Mage, Black Mage, Red Battlemage or Bushi) with Excalibur  and White Robes and maybe even a Genji Glove Equipped would be your best Damage Dealer in this fight. An Uhlan with one of those Mystic Armor Jobs with Holy Lance and White Robes and maybe even a Genji Glove Equipped would also be good. If your Support Character is a White Mage they should be Equipped with the Holy Rod and White Robes for when they might get an Attack in. Also, a Power Armlet Equipped on your Support Character(s) would be wise to make them Immune to STOP. As always a Bushi paired with a Heavy Armor Job (like Uhlan or Knight) with Masamune or Khumba (with a Bushi/Knight you can Equip a Shield with Khumba,) Grand Helm (or you best Heavy Helm,) Lordly Robes (or your best Mystic Armor) and a Genji Glove Equipped would be a really good Damage Dealer (its pretty much the best Non-Elemental DPS in the Game.) A Foebreaker and other Characters that can use Wither, Expose, Addle and Shear would be wise to use in this Battle as well.

HOW TO GET TO HELL WYRM:
Head to The Northsward in Cerobi Steppe (the same place you fought the Monster in the Get My Stuff Back Hunt) and head to the south side of the windmill furthest to the east and you’ll get an Interaction Prompt. After a Cutscene you’ll obtain an Ageworn Key which you will need to get to the Hell Wyrm. Go to the Sochen Cave Palace and make your way to the Falls of Time Area. Take the exit to the east into Destiny’s March. Enter the central circular area, and open the Doors of Hours in a CLOCKWISE DIRECTION (use your Mini-Map.) Once you come full circle to the place you started you’ll get a message saying “You hear a door open in the distance.” Head to the west of Destiny’s March and the Ascetic’s Door will now open. Follow the tunnel around to the North and Unlock the Door at the end with the Ageworn Key, there the Hell Wyrm will Attack.

STRATEGY:
The Hell Wyrm has 50 Health Bars and for every Five Health Bars you destroy he will unleash a Judgement attack that can cause STOP. Start the Battle with your two main Damage Dealers and one Support Character (your White Mage.) Or you can start the Battle with your Foebreaker and another Character (or two Characters) to use Wither, Expose, Addle and Shear on him to lower his Stats, but then bring in your Damage Dealers. Have your White Mage do their best to keep Casting Bubble, Protect/Protectga, and Shell/Shellga on everyone. Cast Decoy and Bravery on your Primary Damage Dealer(s) to keep the focus on them and do more Damage. You can also switch in your Time Battlemage to Cast Haste/Hastega and Berzerk on your Damage Dealers, but then quickly switch them back out for your White Mage. Or you could even use Haste Motes/Hastega Motes and Bacchus Wines on your main Damage Dealers. Just keep Attacking and if you can spare the MP have your White Mage be Casting Holy on him. Your Damage Dealers will probably die fairly regularly, so managing your White Mage’s MP can be mean difference between Victory and Defeat, so you might not what to use Holy, at least not that much. The Hell Wyrm mostly sticks to physical attacks for the first part of the fight, but once you take out 10 Health Bars he will start using some Elemental Spells, Stone Breath, and Rake in addition to his regular Attacks. After 15 Health Bars are gone he will now start Casting Invert on you so keep your Bubble up and Heal your Characters as fast as possible, however now you won’t have to worry as much about MP so why not start Casting Holy on him?? At 25 Health Bars down he will ease off on Physical Attacks for a while, although he will use Rake more often. When you’ve destroyed 35 of his Health Bars you’ll want to switch out one of your Damage Dealers (the one that deals less Damage) for your second Support Character, as now he will be using Rake like CRAZY. You’ll be doing less Damage, but its better than being DEAD. When you’ve destroyed 40 of his Health Bars he will start favoring Stone Breath, so if your Support Characters don’t have RIBBONS, switch your Power Armlet’s for Fuzzy Miter’s. At 45 Health Bars gone he will switch to using Invert and Elemental Magicks. When you finally whittle him down to HP Critical Status his Defense will sharply Increase so your Attacks won’t be doing that much and this part can get pretty drawn out, he will also be using every Attack in his playbook. You can try your Summons (Ultima if you have her,) or your Quickenings, but they might not even finish him off. You can also start Casting Holy for extra Damage from your White Mage, that will help. Eventually you’ll take the Hell Wyrm down and emerge Victorious.