Archeoaevis is a boss in Final Fantasy V. It protects the Earth Crystal at the Ronka Ruins, and it is fought in five parts.
Stats[]
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
Revived
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 See behind the scenes
Battle[]
The battle is fought in five phases. Every phase is permanently floating and vulnerable to Darkness and Poison statuses.
The first four phases have 1,600 HP each. When the first three phases have their HP reduced to 0, the next phase spawns into the fight at full health (excess damage on one phase does not carry over to the next), with status effects cleared. The 2013 mobile/Steam version add a slight tint to monsters when they receive status effects, so players can see a phase change when the tint disappears. Otherwise, there are no visual cues for the first three phase transitions. After defeating the fourth phase, the monster fades like a standard defeated enemy, but is revived immediately into the fifth and final phase.
The first phase uses Breath Wing, a Wind-elemental attack that hits the whole party for a quarter of their max HP, and Sap, a single-target physical attack that can inflict Sap status. The first phase has a weakness to Wind-element, and is the only phase to have a weakness.
The second phase uses Frost, a magical Ice-elemental attack that hits the whole party for moderate damage (roughly 250 per party member) and can inflict Sap status. Its other move is Wing Attack, which deals single-target physical damage and can inflict Poison status. This phase absorbs Ice-elemental attacks, and lacks the Heavy flag.
The third phase uses Blaze, a Fire-elemental attack that hits the whole party for a quarter of their max HP, and Tail, a single-target physical attack that can inflict Blind status. This phase absorbs Fire-elemental attacks.
The fourth phase uses Lightning, a Lightning-elemental attack that hits the whole party for a quarter of their max HP, and Claw, a single-target physical attack that can inflict Paralyze. This phase absorbs Lightning-element attacks, and lacks the Heavy flag.
When the fourth phase is defeated, Archeoaevis dies and revives into its fifth phase with 2,500 HP that uses all of the party-wide elemental attacks from the previous phases (Breath Wing, Frost, Blaze, Lightning). It can additionally cast Maelstrom, which reduces every party member's HP to single digits; Entangle, which inflicts Paralyze on a single target; and Tusk, a single-target physical attack that may inflict Confuse status. On the final phase, it becomes immune to Fire, Ice, Lightning and Wind elements.
If a form dies by a Monk's Counter, the battle will end as no new forms will spawn.
Strategy[]
Due to Libra and Scan only showing elemental weaknesses and not immunities or absorptions, these abilities are not useful in determining Archeoaevis's current phase. One needs to be careful using Black Magic and Summon as the boss's current phase may absorb their element. In addition, neither magic type can effectively damage the final phase.
It is best to focus on non-elemental attacks, such as physical attacks from Knight and Monk, or the elements that no phase absorbs or becomes immune to: poison and water. There are only a few ways to deal these types of damage at this stage of the game:
- Mystic Knight's Poison Spellblade
- Ninja throwing Water Scrolls. Throwing Shurikens is another option, but they are much more expensive and can be weaker.
Blue Mage's Blue Magic is useful for the entirety of the battle.
- Flash can reduce the accuracy of Archeoaevis's physical attacks, simultaneously reducing the chance of being inflicted with status effects. Darkness is cleared between phase changes, so it will need to be re-applied. On the 2013 port, it can also be used to determine phase transition.
- Aera is wind-elemental spell that is highly effective on the first phase, neutral on the next three, but stops dealing damage in the final phase.
- 1000 Needles is a fixed damage ability.
- If the character's level matches the current phase, Goblin Punch can deal heavy damage. Each phase is on a different level.
- Death Claw works against the second and fourth phases.
- Level 5 Death instantly kills the final phase.
Beastmaster can release Lamias to use 1000 Needles, or Sand Bears for a strong physical attack. Releases should be saved for either the second or final phases, as those are the most risky.
Geomancer's Gaia can be useful for the first four phases.
- Wind Slash deals wind-elemental damage and is stronger than Aera.
- Twister reduces the boss to single digit HP, but only works on the second and fourth phases.
- Sonic Boom reduces the boss to 3/4 of its current HP, but like Twister, only works on the second and fourth phases.
Gaia stops being useful at the fifth phase, as all of its abilities are blocked.
The majority of Archeoaevis's attacks deal fractional damage to the whole party, and so staying above a quarter health should prevent anyone from dying for three of the five phases. Group-casting Cura keeps everyone's health up. The first phase is a good time to buff everyone with Haste.
The second phase's Frost ability is not fractional and it is advised to pass through this phase quickly.
In the final phase, a party-wide attack after Maelstrom can cause a sudden wipe, but there is always one turn of a single-target attack between the turns that Archeoaevis uses Maelstrom and its other party-wide attack, allowing time to restore the team's health. If the healer becomes afflicted with confuse or paralyze, the party should heal with recovery items.
A fully offensive team can prevent the first four phases from ever taking action if they can deal enough damage fast enough. They only need to cause the phase change just before the Archeoaevis is about to take its turn, as its ATB timer will be reset when it switches to the next phase. A low level party can accomplish this as four Ninjas throwing Water Scrolls. Higher level parties can have hasted Blue Mages spamming 1000 Needles, instead.
Other appearances[]
Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia[]
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Behind the scenes[]
The enemy ability known as Resploder in the PS version and Chain Detonation in the GBA version, is named ゆうばく in Japanese. It may have been intended to be a special attack (as it appears in the attack lists for Ramuh, Catoblepas, Sekhmet, Sandworm, Exdeath's normal and tree forms, Archeoaevis, Gilgamesh, and Wendigo), but it is just a normal physical attack. Crystal Dragon has it as a Catch/Release ability, but when used as a Release it acts the same as a normal Attack. The ability was removed (at least from Crystal Dragon) in the iOS version.
Gallery[]
Etymology[]
The creature's name comes from the Greek root archaeo- meaning "ancient" and the Latin word avis meaning "bird".