Template:Sideicon Cactuar is a rare enemy in Final Fantasy XV fought in parts of Leide, Duscae and Cleigne. It will respawn after a minimum of 15 minutes.
They commonly appear in Timed Quests where they fight alongside slactuars. These battles are great grinding opportunities. Completing their Timed Quest rewards 100 QP. The Cactuar + Slactuar combo is fought on the following days of the month: 1, 6, 16, 21, and 25. The day 21 quest is different from the others: the player fights 25 of the enemies rather than 100 and the battle is atop the stone arches in Rydielle Ley in Duscae; the player can reach there on a chocobo.
A Lv.10 cactuar also appears in the All-Star Monster Mayhem of the Totomostro with a team name Spiny Speedsters.
Bestiary
- Alpha
- Quick-footed creature shrouded in mystery. Rumors about this legendary spiny sprinter running across the continent date back to antiquity, yet few have actually seen the cactuar with their own eyes. It is said to launch exactly 1,000 needles at its foes in self-defense, but biologists have yet to find an explanation for the precision of its attack.
- Size: 2.36 ft. Weight: 12.7 lb.
- Beta
- Cactaur that appeared in great number in the Causcherry Plains of Duscae, scientists were stumped by this occurrence since the cactuar typically prefers a life of solitude. Thankfully for Duscaen citizens, the Hunters quickly quelled the situation, now known as "The Night of 100,000 Needles."
- Size: 2.33 ft. Weight: 11.9 lb.
- Gamma
- Cactuar encountered atop the Duscaen Arches. While it may seem strange to find anything but birds so far above ground, some biologists hypothesize this specimen ascended to such heights in order to aid its own pollination process, implying that the cactuar is an anemophilous species.
- Size: 2.36 ft. Weight: 12.5 lb.
Stats
Alpha
Beta
Gamma
How to find
Cactuars were notoriously elusive in the early versions of the game. They spawn northwest of Hammerhead. The player can advance time to morning at the nearby haven, then roam the area until a cactuar spawns. They stop spawning around 7pm; if the player hasn't found one by then, they advance time at the haven again. After killing one, the player will have to wait 15 minutes minimum until another will appear.
The inclusion of Timed Quests makes fighting cactuars (and thus collecting their spoils) easy as they spawn in great numbers in predetermined places in predetermined times.
Battle
Cactuars are powerful and fast opponents that can dodge warp-strikes. They boost their defense with Stalwart. When defeated, they yield high amounts of EXP, which can be boosted further with Expericast from Elemancy (lightning is a good element to use). They use needle attacks that deal fixed damage. Their poison attack disperses from above and cannot be phased through.
Strategy
When fought in Timed Quests they are great for grinding; the player can try to kill them with warp-strikes to yield AP as well, but they tend to be evasive. The player should protect against Confusion for these quests (as slactuars use it) with accessories or food (or Magitek Exosuit). Cactuars themselves use poisoning attacks, but it is a much more benign status ailment and could be ignored.
Prompto's Gravisphere aimed at a cactuar surrounded by other cactuars is especially effective. His Gravisphere damage can be boosted by giving him more Magic power. The player can also boost Noctis's strength with accessories, items, food and attire and use the Noiseblaster's charged special attack (via what is usually the warp button) against groups of cactuars.
Other appearances
A King's Tale: Final Fantasy XV
Cactuars are very fast and will try to escape from Regis so they can use their 1000 needles attack from a distance. Regis can use any attack to deflect the incoming needles and can also stun cactuars by hitting them repeatedly.
Merchandise
Merchandise.
An official cactuar plushie produced by Taito Co. is available from Japanese arcades from February 2018. They are also available online.
Non-Final Fantasy guest appearances
Gallery
Trivia
- Compared with former installments, Final Fantasy XV is more realistic, and the developers this had to think carefully how to deal with comical or cute characters. The designers paid attention to the cactuar's physical texture, and the depiction of the inside of its mouth, to make it more realistic as a wild creature.[1]
- The Needle and Giant Needle versions of fishing lures are fashioned after cactuars. There are green, silver and gold variations. While only the green ones appear in the wild, the Final Fantasy XIII series had metallic cactuars, themselves allusion to the Dragon Quest series where metal versions of slime monsters are rare encounters that run away easily.
Related enemies
References
- ↑ Final Fantasy XV Collector's Edition Guidebook developer interviews