Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is no stranger to having some of the most challenging encounters in the entire franchise, pushing its players to their limits, forcing them to use everything they possibly can to squeak by and continue Ramza’s epic tale. And, even when using the game’s best characters, your work will be cut out for you.
Still, even with these intense and nearly impossible battles, the game’s charm shines through. It still finds a way to make it feel rewarding and exhilarating, even when you’re getting absolutely demolished over and over again, as it forces you to strategize and really explore the game’s deep systems and mechanics, giving you a greater appreciation for its unique combat!
Merchant City Of Dorter
Ahh, yes, the Merchant City of Dorter, your first skill check in Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles. This battle will be most players’ first significant challenge, as it’s relatively straightforward and manageable up until this point in the story. Since you’re up against three Archers, two Black Mages, and a Knight, you will likely be severely outranged.
Couple that with the fact that Delita and Argath are utterly useless in this battle, and you have a recipe for disaster if you aren’t prepared. If you can’t focus the Archers and eliminate the Black Mages before they can cast potent Spells, you’re cooked, and it will become more and more frustrating as you attempt to find new starting positions and routes to overcome their solid offense!
Lionel Castle Battles
Up next is the Lionel Castle, which serves as your first Continuous Battle in the game, having you fight at the Castle Wall and then at the Castle Keep. Both encounters are pretty challenging, as you must be prepared for both if you want to make it out alive. Have poor Movement or can’t reliably heal as Ramza? You’re going to have a tough time making it past Gaffgarion.
Don’t have a way to negate the effects of Sleep or Doom? Then the Castle Keep won’t be a walk in the park either. As your first Continuous Battle, Lionel Castle does an excellent job at showcasing how brutal they can get and how you must be prepared for anything and everything beforehand if you want any hope of clearing it!
Limberry Castle: Castle Keep
Of course, you can’t talk about formidable Continuous Battles without bringing up Limberry Castle. While the Castle Gate or Undercroft sections aren’t terribly challenging, the Castle Keep battle in particular will give you a run for your money, as Elmdore and his pair of Assassins aren’t playing around and can make things very frustrating, very quickly.
Between Elmdore’s devastating AoE attacks, the ability to turn you and your party members into Vampires, and his Assassins’ ability to one-hit kill anyone, it can get quite dicey. That’s not even taking into consideration that the Assassins will transform into Ultima Demons when defeated, which throws everything into greater turmoil than it already was.
This battle is tough, there’s no doubt about it. But, at least you can Steal the excellent Genji Set and Masamune Katana, which sort of makes up for it. Right?
Midlight’s Deep: End
Midlight’s Deep can be pretty challenging to get through, but not impossible-feeling, that is, not until you get to the ‘End’ level. Here, if you don’t have anything that prevents you from being turned into a Toad, you won’t be happy, as that is sort of Serpentarius’ thing.
While this fight won’t be nearly as challenging with the proper setup, most players likely won’t have it on hand, making it immensely difficult if you don’t want to back out to the world map and obtain the Maiden’s Kiss or level up a Chemist. It’s still very doable without taking preventive measures, but it will be beyond frustrating!
Lost Halidom
Look, the final stretch of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles can be challenging in a variety of ways, but nothing comes close to how irritating Barich and his army of Dragons can be in the Lost Halidom battle. Barach can snipe you or your party members with an Arm Shot across the world, preventing them from attacking for a prolonged period if successful.
Not only that, but he HURTS, and so do those pesky Dragons. It also doesn’t make things easier that the arena’s layout is bizarre and extremely tricky to navigate. But, since the Dragons can fly, it is no issue to them, or the immense range of Barich’s gun. We hate this battle, even more so than the final showdown!
Riovanes Castle Battles
Lastly, of course, we have Riovanes Castle, as it is the de facto most brutal battle in the entire game. Even if the Castle Gate section can be a bit overwhelming, nothing compares to Ramza’s one-on-one encounter against Wiegraf, then the all-out brawl between Ramza and his party against Wiegraf’s twisted Lucarvi form, Belias, and his group of Archaeodaemons.
Both battles are exhausting, and if you make it past the first phase and fall during the second, you must repeat the first phase all over again. Unless you have a specific build locked and ready to go for your solo battle with Wiegraf, you likely won’t have much of a chance against him. This battle is the textbook definition of infuriating and will always be the ‘true’ skill check of the game. If you can clear this mission, nothing will stand in your way!
