Griever (boss)

Griever is a boss in Final Fantasy VIII. It is battled in one of the phases of the final battle, summoned by Ultimecia as her Guardian Force. Squall also has a ring and a necklace called Griever, and his starting gunblade has an image of Griever carved on its blade.

Griever is his default name, as he will be called whatever the player named Squall's ring when he gives it to Rinoa, to reflect that he is part of Squall's mind.

Appearance
Griever resembles a giant, anthropomorphic lion-like creature with a pair of wings, crimson blade-like protrusions on his arms and horns on his head. His skin is deep purple with crimson patterns. He has white hair or fur on his head and parts of his body, and his wings are bat-like, yet have white feathers instead of leathery membrane.

Battle
Griever is fought during the second phase of the final boss battle, and later merges with Ultimecia in the third phase creating a hybrid. His main attack in his original form is Shockwave Pulsar, which is Quistis's ultimate Blue Magic. During the battle Griever is capable of blowing away the party's magic reserves. The party can defend against Shockwave Pulsar by casting Shell. The player can tell when Griever is about to use it, as the battle background will be swirling and shaking more than normal, so they can heal to full health before.

As with all stages of the final battle, knocked out party members may be absorbed into time if not revived fast enough. Before the final battle it is useful to fill everyone's magic reserves so all spaces are used, even with spells like Fires and Blizzards that are not used for junctioning, as the final bosses are capable of destroying the player's magic stocks, but which spell is chosen is random.

The music that plays during the battle with Griever is titled "The Legendary Beast".

Related enemies

 * Ultimecia (First form)
 * Ultimecia (Griever Form)
 * Ultimecia (Last form)