Necrophobe is the second boss that you fight during the Fire in the Sky main story quest. It’s similar to the White Dragon, in that it has a lot of attacks, but Necrophobe is definitely easier than that fight. However, it is one of few enemies in the game that can outright kill you with a certain attack, which you will see during the course of the battle.

How to Beat Necrophobe in FF16¶

Necrophobe has a lot of attacks, but most of them are fairly easy to avoid, making it a step down in difficulty after the White Dragon. However, you will still need to be careful, especially when it comes to its sword attacks. Necrophobe has a lot of projectiles here, which can make Heatwave a valuable ability. One big thing you will need watch out for in this fight, is when the boss charges up for its one attack. If you don’t stop this, then you will be dead!

All Necrophobe Attacks in FF16¶

Necrophobe is a boss that will be using a lot of different attacks, across three different phases. He is also one of the few bosses in the game that will basically change up its whole arsenal in between each of the phases.

Spinning Charge¶

Necrophobe will charge itself with lightning, then do a spinning dash attack straight at you. So many enemies have this kind of attack, so you should be pretty much used to it by now, which also means you know how to dodge it. Necrophobe will start off the fight with this move.

Sword Slash¶

Necrophobe will use its four orbs to form a sword, then try and horizontally slash you with it. There is a slight delay before the attack actually comes out, so try not to dodge too early.

Fireball¶

When you see Necrophobe gather its orbs in front of its body, with a red glow, it will shoot out a slow-moving fireball that will track you some. The fireball is easy enough to avoid, since it’s not fast at all, but you can view it as a chance to use Heatwave for the counter.

Icy Shot¶

Another move where Necrophobe will have its orbs in front, but this time, it will shoot a quick ice-like projectile at you. While it is quick, the attack isn’t hard to dodge, as you will kind of know it’s coming.

Electric Orbs¶

This is the final move in the first phase, where it gathers the orbs in front of its body. It will shoot out three little orbs that are a medium speed, and really not difficult at all to avoid.

Elemental Dissonance¶

You will see this happen after you stagger it for the first time. This is less an attack and more of a phase change, as Necrophobe will absorb its orbs into its body. The battle will definitely ramp up a little bit in difficulty, at this point.

Firaga¶

Necrophobe will unleash a number of fireballs (same size as the normal attack above), which circle around its body before disappearing after a few seconds. It’s better to just get away from the boss to avoid them, especially since you might get hit more than once if you’re up close when it performs the maneuver.

Blizzaga¶

Necrophobe will shoot a laser straight ahead, which will cause ice to form on the ground, beneath it. This attack is executed quickly, so you should dodge to the sides as soon as you see the name appear on your screen.

Sword Combo¶

Necrophobe will update its Sword Slash, to a combo now. The first two slashes will always be the same, but the finishing blow (third hit) seems to be different, depending on a few factors. If it knocks you into the air with the second hit, then it will follow you and do a midair slash. If you manage to dodge the first two hits, then it will throw the blade at you for the third hit. There seems to be a third ender later in the battle, where it basically does the Blizzaga attack for the third hit. The Sword Combo is definitely the most dangerous move, outside of the obvious one that will appear later, as it is quick and you now have to contend with three hits.

Death¶

After the second stagger, Necrophobe will begin charging up for a move, similar to previous ones, with a purple bar replacing the health in the upper right. You will need to go on the attack here, as draining the purple bar is of the utmost importance. While doing this, various markers will appear on the ground, which is where lightning will strike the ground. It can also use Firaga during this, so be mindful when you see the red color. If you manage to fail to drain the purple bar, then Necrophobe will use Death, instantly killing you for a game over. There’s no dodging this attack at all, so you should be using anything and everything here.

Enfiraga¶

Upon thwarting Death, the third (and final) phase of the battle will begin, sparking some new skills. Enfiraga is one of those, and is the first attack in a set combo. Necrophobe holds its sword up high and coats it in fire, then will charge at you and try to knock you into the air with the flaming sword. You can attempt to dodge it, or simply just use Titanic Block.

Enblizzaga¶

Follow Enfiraga, Necrophobe will go straight into this move, where it will form a circle around its body. After a few seconds, it will spin around and cause ice to sprout from the ground. Even if you get hit by Enfiraga, you should just have enough time to escape the circle before the attack is executed.

Enthundaga¶

The last of the three -aga combo, Enthundaga will just be Necrophobe summoning lightning strikes around the battlefield. They will be marked with little circles, similar to when it was charging up for Death, so they aren’t particularly dangerous or hard to avoid.

Dualcast¶

In the final phase of the battle (third phase), Necrophobe will start to use Dualcast with both Firaga and Blizzaga. Nothing is different with the attacks, but it will just use them twice in quick succession, so adjust your evasion accordingly.

Best Strategy for the Necrophobe Boss in FFXVI¶

As you can see from the above list, Necrophobe has quite a few attacks, with it changing up things with each phase change. The first phase of the fight is pretty simple and, other than the Sword Swipe, you shouldn’t have any trouble with any of its attacks. The Sword Swipe is only a problem because the attack is slightly delayed some, before it’s executed, so you might end up mistiming your dodge. After you stagger the boss for the first time, it will switch to the second phase of the battle, where it starts by absorbing its orbs with Elemental Dissonance.

The previous Sword Slash will now turn into a combo, which is even more dangerous, since it’s three hits instead of one. If you dodge the first two hits, then the third attack will be different, than if you got launched into the air with the second attack. The second phase will also bring out both Firaga and Blizzaga, but both aren’t really troublesome at all. Firaga puts some fireballs around the boss, which only have so much reach, while Blizzaga is more of a laser that produces ice. Once you get a second stagger on Necrophobe, it’s time for a third phase change.

Necrophobe will begin charging up an attack, with it saying Dark energies swirl… Like other attacks you’ve experienced, you need to deplete the purple bar before the boss finishes the countdown. While doing this, you will see lightning strikes across the arena, and the boss can also use Firaga. If you fail, then you will experience Death, which outright kills you and causes a game over, so you cannot fail at all here. After that is when the third phase will begin.

Necrophobe can use Dualcast now, but it will only do two castings of Firaga or Blizzaga, in quick succession. You know how to deal with them at that point, and nothing’s really different. The boss will gain three new attacks this phase, too, although they are all performed one after another. It starts with Enfiraga, which is nothing but an uppercut, then Enblizzaga immediately follows. This places a circle around the boss, from which, some ice will sprout from the ground. The last one is Enthundaga, which will just be lightning strikes across the battlefield.

Upon defeating Necrophobe, you will have just a little bit to go in the main quest, then you will be pitted against Bahamut.