There are many great games that come to mind when theFinal Fantasyseries is included in a conversation. That being said, there’s one title that is almost alwaysunfairly excluded from said conversationfor some truly befuddling reasons —Final Fantasy VIII. While it’s true that the eighthFinal Fantasywas overshadowed by the impressive success ofVIIand the nostalgic callbacks ofIX, there’s still no denying the fact thatFinal Fantasy VIIIis still a great gamein its own right thatany fan of good JRPGs should try out.
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The Junction system is one of the most divisive aspects of this title, but people who loved the increased emphasis on what was essentially gamified number-crunching willdefinitely find themselves addicted to this system. This is essentially a good thing since there are some enemies inFinal Fantasy VIIIthat will completely wipe the floor withSquall and his troopsif they don’t bring their A-game in battle.
Keeping this in mind, here are ten of the strongest monsters that one can encounter inFinal Fantasy VIII.
10Ochu
When one talks about some of the most iconic enemies inFinal Fantasy, then it goes without saying that the Ochu would be a major part of this conversation.
The iteration of the Ochu inFinal Fantasy VIIIis easily one of the most deadly ones in the series, especially due to how early players can encounter this enemy.
9T-Rexaur
Speaking of enemies that can be encountered early, how can one fail to mention the dreaded T-Rexaur that one can encounter in the early stages ofFinal Fantasy VIII?
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The T-Rexaur is easily one of the most daunting enemies that players can face in the game, and serves as a great tutorial on how status effects are almost necessary at times to deal with certain enemies.
By the time this enemy reaches Level 100, the player will definitely find themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place after encountering this enemy.
8Chimera
The Chimera is definitely not the first enemy that comes to mind when people think about tough enemies in theFinal Fantasyseries, but the fact of the matter is that this enemy has consistently proven to be a deceptively tough challenge across the franchise.
Final Fantasy VIIIis no exception to this golden rule, with the Chimera proving to be a rather tough foe that can wipe out an unprepared party. The fact that it’s one of the rarer encounters in the game is not a mistake — the developers intentionally did this so that players wouldn’t be frustrated after defeating this enemy over and over again.
7Tonberry
The Tonberry is another legendary enemy inFinal Fantasy, whose iteration inFinal Fantasy VIIIproves to be more frustrating than challenging at times.
Basically, the player needs to beat 20 Tonberrys in one go before facing a GF by the name of Tonberry King. While this might imply that the player should just passively play along and finish this arduous task as soon as possible, a single misstep in an otherwise ironclad strategy can cause a wealth of problems for the player, especially when a lucky Tonberry unleashes the Everyone’s Grudge attack.
6Marlboro
It would be impossible for a list featuring some of the toughest monsters inFinal Fantasy VIIIto not mention one of the most infamous enemies in the series.
The Marlboro might have some of the most important items in the game, but there’s no denying the fact that fighting even one of these enemies can prove to be an arduous task indeed. One Bad Breath can put the party in an extremely tough spot, if not wipe them out altogether.
5Iron Giant
The Iron Giant is another iconic enemy in theFinal Fantasyseries, who even appeared as a superboss inFinal Fantasy III!
While his role has mostly been relegated to being a regular enemy in later games, there’s no denying that fighting this enemy is a massive challenge in anyFinal Fantasygame, includingVIII. Having to deal with scores of these enemies before reaching the end of the Deep Sea Research Center can make any gamer pull their hair out after a point.
4Ruby Dragon
The Ruby Dragon is one of the hardest enemies inFinal Fantasy VIII, with his Breath attack being the stuff of nightmares for players who’ve fallen prey to this powerful attack.
This can prove to be especially frustrating in the Deep Sea Research Center, where players are pretty much forced to fight these enemies at least twice.
3Gargantua
Vysage is an enemy that is annoying enough as is, but players who have a decent knowledge of the combat and Junction system will be able to take care of these enemies after some time.
The same can’t be said for Gargantua, which fools players by starting off as a Vysage before showing its true form. Gargantua is easily the hardest mini-boss in Ultimecia’s castle, and will send players into an early grave if they end up underestimating this boss fight.
2Ultima Weapon
Going through the Deep Sea Research Center will allow players the opportunity to obtain the Eden GF… that is, after facing off against an extremely powerful boss in the form of Ultima Weapon.
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Sporting Cloud’s best weapon fromFinal Fantasy VII, Ultima Weapon is not a boss that should be taken lightly. He can easily wipe the floor with the party in a few seconds, and the party’s offense and defense need to be completely solid if they wish to take this enemy out without facing any major problems.
1Omega Weapon
However, Ultima Weapon doesn’t even hold a candle to its superior counterpart that can be fought in Ultimecia’s Castle.
Omega Weapon is easily the strongest enemy inFinal Fantasy VIII, and can easily wipe out the entire party in mere seconds if the player goes into this battle without a proper strategy.
His most powerful attack is easily Terra Break, which candestroy the entire partyif they aren’t using Protect, Zombie, or Defend… and even then the chances of survival are extremely slim.
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