Lightning (Final Fantasy XIII-2 boss)

Lightning is a downloadable content "monster" from Final Fantasy XIII-2. As the Arbiter of Time reveals, this is only an exact copy of the actual Lightning except in having a soul.

Strategy
The fight begins with Lightning alone. At first she doesn't seem very threatening as she only uses base Gunblade attacks. However, at about 80% health a brief cutscene introduces Amodar and his gargantuan machine gun.

It is recommended to enter the fight with a very high-level party. The fight is still a challenge for a party with maxed-out Crystarium, full-fragment Odin weapons, a generic Paradigm deck (no Tortoise required), and fully developed Gold and Silver Chocobos.

A word of warning: Saboteurs are fairly useless in this fight unless you intend to use a gradual Poison or Wound strategy. Both foes are immune to Dispel (among other things) and will be buffed with one thing or another for most of the fight. It should be noted that casting Imperil on Amodar will decrease the time needed in this fight immensely as he will become weak to ice, wind and lightning.

Lightning and Amodar will Paradigm Shift periodically. Both have access to Commando, but while Ravager, Synergist, and Medic are exclusive to Lightning, Sentinel and Saboteur are exclusive to Amodar. Both will often pummel your party with Ruinga and Blitz as their primary forms of damage while together.

Looking at their Role lists, one might think that Lightning should be the primary target as she can heal. If you have trouble dealing enough damage to make her single-cast healing spells worthless, take her out first. However, be warned that Amodar is among the most bothersome Saboteurs you will ever face. He will throw grenades that can do damage and inflict multiple debuffs at a time, and can give you a long list of debuffs in a matter of seconds in this mode. Fog, Pain, and Slow are the most problematic, though Deshell, Deprotect, and Poison are threatening as well. Remember to switch into Combat Clinic (MED/MED/SEN) if things get out of hand. Ribbons can help immensely in this fight, especially on a healer. Otherwise, alternate between chain building and healing, as your buffs won't last long.

Recommended paradigms are:
 * Player should start the battle with Evened Odds paradigm (SYN-SAB-MED) to cast Vigilance, Protect, Shell and Veil on the whole party (using their -ga variations makes things faster). During this time, it isrecommended to inflict Imperil on Amodar.
 * If player's HP is quite low, Salvation (MED-MED-MED) should be used.
 * Player should switch to Tri-disaster (RAV-RAV-RAV) and pummel away at lightning using fire, wind and ice elemental abilities. If player needs to heal, it is recommended to switch to Diversity (COM-RAV-MED), and then go back to Tri-disaster.
 * Once Lightning is staggered, keep on pummeling at her until she gets at least 500.0% on the stagger gauge, the switch to Cerberus (COM-COM-COM). Launching her during this time proves an immense aid. She probably won't die in one stagger so player should repeat this process again. It is essential to buff the party.
 * Lightning should be taken care of in no time. Amodar is a greater problem now though as he can inflict a lot of serious debuffs on player's party (Ribbon is ideal, or at least Unicorn Horns). Player should try to rebuff his/her party before s/he start on Amodar, and as usual, should keep Vigilance up most of the time.
 * Go into Tri-disaster and this time hit him with wind, ice and lightning attacks. This is where Imperil comes into action. Once staggered keep on hitting him until he has 700.0% stagger and then switch to Cerberus to pound away at him. Noel's Meteor Javelin helps quite greatly in this phase. Repeat the process until Amodar is dead.

Both opponents can be Launched, rendering them harmless while airborne.

When one falls, the other gets stronger. If Amodar is the last one left, he will gain Protect, Shell, Regen and Veil. If Lightning is the last one left, she will gain Haste, Bravery, Faith and Vigilance. They will also now gain access to their full-ATB abilities. Amodar's Iron Bear Claw will deal massive damage to one party member, while Lightning's Army of One will deal a long string of small physical hits. The latter sends the target flying, leaving them helpless for a few extra seconds. You will be unable to act during these skills, which pauses the battle to let them thrash you.

The drop rates on their crystals are extremely low, so expect to fight them many times before acquiring either.

Related Enemies

 * Lieutenant Amodar