Diablos (Final Fantasy VIII)

Diablos is an optional boss who becomes a Guardian Force upon defeat in Final Fantasy VIII. Diablos is the fifth available Guardian Force, but listed as the sixth GF in the menu. It is a demonic Gravity-based Guardian Force who deals fractional damage to opponents depending on its level.

Diablos learns HP-J, Mag-J and Hit-J junctions, being among the few GFs to learn the latter. It learns HP and Magic boosting support abilities and Mug, which lets one steal items from opponents with the Attack command. Its unique abilities are ones that reduce the frequency of random encounters and refine abilities that let the player make time magic and status magic from items. Because Diablos's attack power is determined differently from most GFs', it doesn't learn SumMag+ abilities or Boost.

Profile
Diablos is a red-and-black Guardian Force that resembles depictions of the devil. It has bat wings and a long devil's tail. It is muscular, and has horns and claws. It always hovers using its wings for flight.

Obtained
Diablos resides within the Magical Lamp, an item received from Headmaster Cid when the party first sets upon their mission for Timber. Upon using the lamp in the menu the screen will dissolve and the player will fight Diablos. Should the player lose, the game ends in a Game Over; the item's description advises the player to save their game before using the lamp. It is advisable to defeat Diablos just after receiving the lamp. If careless, the player can lose the chance to obtain the Diablos GF by selling the Magical Lamp.

Obtaining Diablos in the Steam version earns the player the achievement Diablos.

Battle
Diablos's summon attack is Dark Messenger that deals damage in relation to the enemies' maximum HP via a percentage equal to Diablos's level range {e.g. 10-19, 30-39} (with a set damage limit at 9,999).


 * $$Damage = TargetMaxHP * Level / 100$$

Diablos can kill the opponent in contrast with other Gravity-based attacks, meaning, at level 100, it will kill any foe with less than 9,999 Max HP. If Diablos is below level 10, its attack will deal 9% of enemies' maximum health in damage. Diablos is especially useful against enemies with high defense, such as Tonberries and Adamantoises.

Dark Messenger won't work on most bosses, as most are immune to Gravity. Because Diablos's damage is calculated differently from all other Guardian Forces' he cannot be boosted, and though he can learn SumMag+% abilities via items, they have no effect on his attack power.

Compatibility
The charge time for summoning depends on the compatibility between the character and the GF and the Battle Speed. The greater the compatibility, the less time it takes to summon. Compatibility can be boosted with compatibility boosting items, by casting magic that is the same element as the Guardian Force (or in Diablos's case, gravity and forbidden magic), and by summoning the GF during battle. Compatibility is reduced by using "opposing" magic to the GF's element and other summons. Diablos is unique in not having an "opposite" Guardian Force whose summoning would deplete its compatibility the most.

The below values are the base compatibility values with all playable characters at the start of the game. Although Seifer cannot junction Diablos in a normal playthrough, a default compatibility value still exists for him.

Stats
The following table represents the base stats:

Abilities
Abilities learned naturally by Diablos are listed below:

Boss


Diablos is an optional boss summoned into battle by using the Magical Lamp. Upon using the lamp in the inventory, the current party is transported to an alternate dimension where Diablos is fought. Diablos can be fought with either Squall's or Laguna's party, as the Magical Lamp may be used at any point in the game. Though Diablos is a Gravity-based enemy, he himself is vulnerable to Gravity. It mainly attacks with Gravity-based attacks, and while they do a high damage, they cannot kill the party.

Trivia

 * Diablos's ST Mag-RF skill is an integral part of the more casual of low level challenges, as it is the earliest possible source of the Break magic that allows GFs to gain AP while keeping characters low level.