Astos

Astos is the evil king of the Dark Elves in the original Final Fantasy. He and his cronies attack Elfheim before the Warriors of Light arrive, placing a curse on the Prince of Elfheim (that puts him in an endless sleep) and sacking the treasury. Afterward, he steals Matoya's Crystal Eye to prevent her from making a potion to revive the Prince, and poses as a weak old king in the Western Keep and tricks the Warriors of Light into recovering the Crown from the dangerous depths of the Marsh Cave. When the Warriors return, Astos shows his true form, but the Light Warriors destroy him.

Battle
Similar to Garland, players will have no problem defeating Astos if they considered leveling up a bit in the areas around Elfheim or the Marsh Cave. Physical attackers should do their thing, while Red and White Mages should use Heal. Black Mages should use Tier-2 magic such as Fira. The player should prepare with some Phoenix Downs or the spell Life, as Astos has the magic Death, which can instantly KO any party member.

Another strategy is to cast Silence at the beginning of the battle to prevent Astos's Death spell or to use the item Cockatrice Claw, which can be won by finishing in third place in the Ship's 15 Puzzle, to have a small chance of a instantly KO.

Other Appearances
In the Dawn of Souls remake, Astos appears in the Whisperwind Cove. There is a room with flame — like spirits which must be calmed so they can go rest in peace. One of those souls is Astos, seeking revenge. Another boss battle ensues, but Astos has the same level as before, and as the Light Warriors have grown stronger, the fight will be very short, possibly ending in one turn.

Astos was also in the episode "The Fractured Fantasy of Captain N" of, under the disguise as a Friar who had the Light Crystal.

Astos' likeness inspired the appearance of the Dark Elf in Final Fantasy IV. The PSP sprites of the two are identical aside from their colour.

Basis
While decidedly different in appearance, Astos and the other dark elves are based on the drow elves from Dungeons and Dragons.

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