Elder Wyrm (Final Fantasy XII)

The Elder Wyrm is a boss in Final Fantasy XII, an ancient Greater Dragon in the Golmore Jungle. It died several thousand years ago, but was reanimated by the wood it died in and became part plant as a result. The Elder Wyrm serves as the Wood's protector, attacking any outside intruders that threaten the source of its new life. It is also fought in the International Zodiac Job System trial mode at stage 15 along with 2 Treants.

Though many walkthroughs state otherwise, the Elder Wyrm is actually an optional battle. One can skip the Elder Wyrm battle by heading south out of Golmore Jungle, fighting past Level 38+ enemies, such as the Hellhound, into the Feywood, and out into Paramina Rift.

Bestiary Entry

 * Genus: Boss
 * Classification: Greater Dragon

Battle
The party should dispatch the two Treants accompanying the Elder Wyrm first, allowing them to fully focus on the boss, using the spells Countdown, Warp, or by physical means. The Elder Wyrm's Sporefall will cause random status effects, so Esuna is a must-have. Confuse, Oil, Poison, Blind, and occasionally Sap are Sporefall's common effects; Esuna will remove most of these, but Oil can only be cured with Handkerchiefs. With the right Remedy Lore, Remedies can remove all status ailments, Oil included. The Elder Wyrm can also cast Silence, Slow, Sleep, and a variety of other status effects separately.

The Oil status must be cured immediately, as the Elder Wyrm's Fireball does extra damage to party members under Oil status. Otherwise, to minimize Sporefall's effects, the player should keep the party spaced out so at least one person can avoid it and heal the others. For healing, Larsa's infinite Hi-Potions and X-Potions can be of great help, but he cannot revive KO'd party members, so one should bring several tufts of Phoenix Down, or the spell Raise. With the Jade Collar equipped the Fireball can be parried, especially with the Main Gauche and the best shield equipped.

Sporefall has a frontal, cone-shaped area of effect. Its effects can be easily managed by using one character as a tank, and turning the Elder Wyrm away from the remainder of the party - as close to "in the opposite direction" as possible is best. The breath will only hit the character in front of him, therefore reducing the chance of having multiple characters hit with status effects. If Decoy is available, it is useful on the tank. Although, it is still possible for Sporefall to affect characters facing the Elder Wyrm's tail, and not to affect characters facing Elder Wyrm's face.

The player can use Quickenings, though MP would be better put to use curing status ailments. It is also recommended to purchase weapons at Jahara; Betelgeuse or Flametongue are advised. The Demonsbane from the Tomb of Raithwall is also useful here.

In terms of licenses, it is best to have all the augments for Remedy Lores so that Remedies will cure almost every status effect inflicted. Another tactic is to summon Belias and let the Elder Wyrm focus on him. The player must cast Curaga on Belias as much as possible, as Larsa will not be here to help.

If the summoner is far away from the Elder Wyrm when it uses Sporefall, it will not hit. The summoner can Charge or use an Ether or Elixir when the Elder Wyrm is focused on Belias to summon it again when it uses Hellfire or dies.

One easy way to dispatch Elder Wyrm is inflict Sleep and then reflect Aero off the party. For maximum effect, the player should buff with Faith, Haste, Shell (to protect against the effects of Sporefall), and Reflect. Next, for every party member the player should equip Cherry Staff, and the best Mystic Armor available. One character should have Nihopalaoa, and the other two Thief's Cuffs.

The first gambit for each party member should be Ally:any - Aero, and gambits should be initially turned off and Larsa KO'd before entering the battle (so he won't wake the sleeping Elder Wyrm). After using a Remedy on Elder Wyrm with the character who equips Nihopalaoa, and stealing, the party should equip Golden Amulets to all six characters, turn the gambits on, and watch as Elder Wyrm and the Treants fall in under a minute, before he can even unleash a single attack.

When the player defeats the Elder Wyrm, it falls onto the ground as it dies and becomes part of Golmore Jungle, as its body turns into rocks, grass and plants.

Rewards
Montblanc will give 800 gil for defeating the Elder Wyrm.

Trivia

 * The Elder Wyrm, along with Daedalus (Final Fantasy XII), are the only enemies in the game that do not vanish after being killed.

Related Enemies

 * Ash Wyrm
 * Shield Wyrm
 * Lindwyrm (Mark)
 * Ring Wyrm (Mark)
 * Fafnir (Mark)
 * Yiazmat (Ultimate Mark)
 * Tiamat (Boss)
 * Hell Wyrm (Optional Boss)

Walddrache Drago antico (Final Fantasy XII)