Golbez (Final Fantasy IV 2D)

Golbez is a boss in Final Fantasy IV. He is encountered twice. The first time is a battle only viewed between Tellah and Golbez, and the second is a playable battle.

First Battle
This is a cutscene battle where Tellah fights against Golbez. Tellah will cast a series of magic spells until he finishes both Golbez and himself with Meteor.

Second Battle
In the second battle, Golbez first paralyzes the entire party and then summons the Shadow Dragon to fight with him. The Shadow Dragon then uses it's Black Fang attack to instantly defeat Cecil's allies one by one until only Cecil himself remains. At the last moment, Rydia finally makes her return and saves the party. After that Golbez attacks with a very simple attack pattern - Bio, Thundaga and Fira, over and over. Despite his HP total, one does not need to deplete Golbez's HP to win - once he has taken approximately 3000 damage, he is defeated. Thus, he is actually a very simple boss to defeat.

DS Strategy
The opening of the battle is identical, up until Rydia enters the battle. Use a Spider Silk on him as soon as possible to make the second half easier. If Kain Jumps at the right time, he can survive, but this is not integral.

Golbez begins the second segment by casting Barrier Shift, acquiring a random elemental weakness and making himself absorb all other elemental damage. Golbez will group-cast Level 2 spells on the party, and also casts Drain and Osmose to heal himself. Cecil or Kain should use Libra or Bestiary to find Golbez's weakness while Rydia summons the corresponding summon to hit that weakness. This can do great damage, but whenever Golbez is hit with his weakness he uses Barrier Shift again, forcing the party to use Libra to find his new weakness. The other party members need not be revived, as he will fall quickly.