Sadly, not a panda
A few of Final Fantasy XVI‘s best equipment pieces require some big crafting materials. And while items like Orichalcum are shiny and neat, the one you’ll acquire from the Pandemonium Hunt in Final Fantasy XVI is a bit more unsavory. Look, no one said saving Valisthea would be glamorous.
Pandemonium is an S-Rank Hunt in Final Fantasy XVI that pops up much later in the game. In fact, to access the Hunt, you’ll need to have reached a later-game area that’s a spoiler in and of itself. So, if you’re just poking around here because you’re curious, be aware there are some mild late-game location spoilers ahead.
With that, let’s hunt some Pandemonium. The Hunt Board location for Pandemonium is fairly slim, but using the few clues we’re given, we can get a good sense of where he is.
Pandemonium location & directions in Final Fantasy XVI (FF16)
Head to the Shadow Coast Obelisk, on the Ash half of the Twins, and follow the path forward. You’ll see a castle area; you might remember running past this, after your first landing here. Head over to that western area, with a conspicuously laid-out arena in front of a castle gate.
Once here, the castle gate opens and you’ll be met face-to-face with the King of the Orcs, Pandemonium. His rebellion failed against King Barnabas, and now Clive is here to finish the job, I suppose. Seems like they could be pals if they talked things over for once.
Final Fantasy XVI (FF16) Pandemonium tips & tricks
Pandemonium isn’t the hardest Hunt boss in Final Fantasy XVI, but he’s no slouch. This battle is similar to other Orc Warlord fights, but Pandemonium brings a few variations to the battle, helping him live up to his kingly title.
He’ll start the fight off early with a Sanguine orb attack, initially only firing off one that will eventually crash down and explode in an area. He’ll throw that out before teleporting around and either swinging his staff at Clive, or casting more magic. As the fight goes on, he’ll swap to Sanguine Field, which summons a lot of orbs. Time them out for a good dodge, or just stay out of the area of effect.
He still launches plenty of magic barrages and staff swings at Clive, which should be easy enough to deal with, either dodging or using skills like Heatwave.
The other important move to look out for is the Rictus laser attack. Much like other enemies, Pandemonium can charge and launch a laser that can easily wipe Clive out, at most levels. What’s also important to note is that Pandemonium will start teleporting while charging, trying to catch you and Clive out. Be prepared to dodge a second time, and use abilities like Shiva’s dash to quickly get away.
Other than that, just lay on the damage. My personal strategy for a lot of the endgame bosses is to use Bahamut’s Megaflare, combined with range attacks, to poke and prod while dodging big strikes. Then, when you hit Stagger, get in close with some damaging attacks from Odin, Ifrit, or other offensive-heavy Eikons. Bahamut’s Gigaflare also works great here, to stack up big burst damage in stagger windows.
Striking down Pandemonium in Final Fantasy XVI will net you the Stained Loincloth, which helps upgrade the late-game golden Vambrace option. I’m not sure Blackthrone will be happy about what he’s got to do with that Loincloth, but it’ll make you a pretty decent accessory for the coming battles.
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Published: Jun 28, 2023 12:53 pm