Sky Fortress Bahamut



The Sky Fortress Bahamut is a massive airship in Ivalice, the world of Final Fantasy XII. Designed by Doctor Cid to be Archadia's ultimate airship, the structure is so large that normal power supplies are insufficient to fuel it. It serves as the game's final dungeon. Similar to the Great Crystal in Giruvegan, the map shows a sketch of the Sky Fortress rather than a real map, with an approximation of the player's location.

Hovering over Rabanastre, the Bahamut can only be reached by the Strahl. Once entered, the party cannot leave and there also are no Save Crystals.

Structure
The Bahamut serves as a capital ship, aircraft carrier, and superweapon for the Archadian armies. It carries a large complement of fighters and has rapid-firing cannons placed on the hull, and utilizes a multitude of glossair rings to support its massive structure.

It is so large it is capable of generating a whirlwind when flying. Its most prominent feature is the Cannon Superstructure placed near the top, a powerful cannon powered by Mist that can destroy enemy airships with a single blast.

Armaments
The Bahamut weaponry are deadly enough to take out an airship armada. Its mist cannon fires a large amount of Sun-Cryst's energy to destroy an airship in a single blast, causing it to explode into Mist. However, it takes a long time to recharge.

The cannon beam itself is fast, making any heavy airship, such as carrier and frigate, unable to avoid it. The Bahamut also has anti air guns surrounding its body that are possibly operated both manually and automatically. Some are seen operated manually by the imperial pilots.

Story
The Bahamut is the Archadian Fleet's flagship involved with crushing the Resistance. It can only fly when a large quantity of mist is supplied. Such energy is obtained once Reddas destroys the Sun-Cryst, allowing Vayne Solidor to pilot the craft into battle with the Resistance over Rabanastre.

Though the two fleets were otherwise a match for each other, the Bahamut turns the tide and decimates the Resistance airships. Ashe's party, piloting the Strahl, docks at the Bahamut, and Ashe and her allies lead a force up the airship to find Vayne. Along the way, Judge Gabranth arrives, driven to kill his twin brother Basch. The Judge Magister is defeated, but Basch spares him.

At the Bahamut's bridge, Vayne greets the party with is younger brother Larsa, who turns on Vayne as he opposes the war. The party apparently kills Vayne, but he rises again as Vayne Novus using the power of manufacted nethicite. Gabranth stumbles to the scene and assists the party in battling Vayne to ensure Larsa's safety. After a fierce battle, Gabranth attacks Vayne but is struck down.

Vaan picks up Gabranth's fallen sword and impales Vayne, forcing him to retreat to the top of the Bahamut's cannon while Vayne's Occurian ally Venat momentarily prevents the party from following. Having achieved its goal, Venat breaks up into wisps of energy that bestow a dying Vayne the power of an Occuria, grafting pieces of the Bahamut unto himself to become The Undying, a mechanical monstrosity.

When The Undying is destroyed, the party flees to the Strahl as the Bahamut begins to descend on a crash course with Rabanastre below. Balthier and Fran stay behind to repair its glossair rings and the Bahamut crashes just outside the city. A year later it has been covered with plant life, and a small lake surrounds the base.

Enemies

 * Imperial Swordsman
 * Imperial Gunner
 * Imperial Hoplite
 * Imperial Magus
 * Mastiff
 * Sphere-Rook
 * Spinner-Rook
 * Helm-Rook
 * Gabranth (Boss)
 * Vayne (Boss)
 * Vayne Novus (Boss)
 * The Undying (Final Boss)

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
The Sky Fortress's Cannon Superstructure area, where the party fights The Undying, appears as an arena. It is here that Vaan witnesses Kefka arguing with Terra and torturing her when she refuses to fight, and Vaan eventually battles Kefka and flees with Terra. Kain begins his storyline here. Lightning is also briefly fought alongside the Warrior of Light against Kefka and Ultimecia.

The stage consists mostly of a large bridge over a Banish Trap with several breakable pillars, leading to a circular central area with a small sloping rectangular area. The doorway to the inside can be seen on the other end of the bridge. Grind bars ringing the outside of the stage lead from the end of the rectangular arena to the other end.

In the Omega version the sky glows orange with Mist as the fortress speeds forward, the wind blowing characters back towards the edge of the arena when dodging or jumping—characters move normally when attacking in the air, including chase sequences. Characters hit by wind lose a percentage of their Bravery, which is added to the Bravery Pool as though they were caught in a Banish Trap.

The far end of the stage becomes a Banish Trap that teleports the characters back to the central area, which characters can be blown into if they are in the air long enough. The Bravery Pool rises quickly when both characters are on the ground, and rises at a slower pace when only one character is on the ground—it does not increase at all when both are in the air.

The Sephira is the battlegen item obtained through stage destruction in this area.

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy
The Sky Fortress Bahamut appears as the Battle Music Sequence for "Boss Battle", "Desperate Fight", "Battle for Freedom" and "Ending Movie", the latter appearing during a Dark Note only.

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call
The Sky Fortress Bahamut returns as the BMS for "Desperate Fight", "Battle for Freedom", and "Ending Movie".

Musical themes
"The Sky Fortress Bahamut" is a location theme from Final Fantasy XII. It is written by Hitoshi Sakimoto and is the fourteenth track on disc 4 of the original soundtrack. It plays as soon as the player enters the Bahamut. The track starts off with percussion and violin before giving away to a militaristic march.

A rendition of "The Sky Fortress Bahamut" appears in Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift as "Finale/The End". It is the nineteenth track of disc 2 of the original soundtrack, also written by Hitoshi Sakimoto.

Etymology
The main ships of the Archadian fleet are named after recurring summoned monsters from the Final Fantasy series. Bahamut is usually a top-tier summon, reflected in the Sky Fortress's status as the Empire's ultimate airship.

Luftfeste Bahamut