Wretched insects of this alien world... Rejoice...and fall to your knees in supplication! I, the supreme deity Garuda, shall rule over the skies and fill them with storms!
Garuda
Garuda is a boss and a superboss in Adventurer from Another World collaboration quest with Final Fantasy XIV in Final Fantasy XV added in patch 1.27. Her battle is called The Howling Eye in reference to the battle against her in the MMORPG.
Garuda is a primal from Eorzea summoned into existence by the Ixal beastmen at Perpetouss Keep. The player party fights her as the final boss of the quest and can challenge her Lv.120 form after for an additional challenge (but will still receive only one Allagan tomestone).
Garuda is immune to Libra and doesn't have a bestiary entry, making her stats (bar her level, which is 45 for the normal battle) unobservable. The Lv.120 battle is on a "time limit", as it ends if she destroys too many meteorshards before unleashing her hurricane attack. She is supported by Razor Plumes, Chirada, and Suparna. Y'jhimei, who supported the party as a healer in previous battles, does not take part against Garuda.
The boss battle(s) can be repeated.
Battle[]
Behold as my gales drown out your arrogant protestations. Tremble as my winds tear you limb from limb! Surrender yourselves unto me... I would feast upon your aether. NONE SHALL STAND AGAINST THE WIND!
Garuda
Garuda is weak to one-handed swords.
The battle arena starts with four meteorshards that can be used for point-warping, but Garuda's attacks damage them (though their health is hidden from the player). Garuda damages the meteorshards via her summoned plumes or through attacking them. She will not specifically target the shards, but they get damaged if fighting is happening around them, and thus the player is advised to lure her away from their vicinity to preserve them for longer.
Garuda is a flying opponent and when she soars up high, Noctis's warp-striking+airstepping is the only/best way of damaging her. The player can target the main body and the wings separately, and breaking her wings yields Vortex Feathers for use in Y'jhimei's trading post.
Garuda and her copies.
While ground-level she attacks with punches and kicks at those near to her and does a pirouette that damages those in her vicinity. She can fly upward, disappear and drop down energized plumes only to reappear elsewhere on the battlefield. When far away she can blast a powerful wind attack that travels across the ground. When fighting Noctis midair, she swipes her wings in wide arcs and might use herself as a "bullet" to plunge down to return to being a ground-based opponent, damaging everyone on her way down. Garuda's Aerial Blast is a powerful hurricane that knocks the party off their feet and deals more damage the closer the player is to her when she uses it.
She can "copy" herself by manifesting her supports, Chirada and Suparna, who only use melee attacks and are much weaker than her and largely act as distractions. Rather than being weak to one-handed swords like the real Garuda, they are weak to greatswords. Garuda also summons Razor Plumes that may wander about aimlessly or circle her as both a guard and a distraction. The real Garuda is distinguishable from the "copies" at a glance by the Razor Plumes that only accompany the genuine article. If the player kills her supports, Garuda might summon them again.
When her wing breaks when soaring, she may plummet to the ground and be vulnerable for a time, unable to fight back. When she is vulnerable, the player can initiate a cross chain against her.
She is immune to magic from the Ring of the Lucii.
Level 45[]
If all meteorshards are shattered, the Messenger of the Winds summon sequence is triggered. If the party is entirely KO'd, the Messenger sequence still triggers, and the party is healed to full health for the player to initiate the summon command. Summoning ends the battle even if the summon did not do enough damage to actually deplete Garuda's health.
Level 120[]
The Lv.120 variant of Garuda ignores Magitek Exosuits' protection, and thus the player is better off using another attire.
Garuda will use Aerial Blast when at half health. She appears to the center of the arena and conjures massive tornadoes, which shatter all the meteorshards. If there are fewer than two shards left, the battle ends with the player's loss. To win the "superboss" encounter the player should work fast. This mechanic alludes to the Final Fantasy XIV fight, where players need the crystal pillars to remain intact when Garuda casts Aerial Blast to survive it. In Final Fantasy XV, the player is booted from the battle if Garuda conjures her hurricane with only one or no meteorshards left standing.
To win the Lv.120 encounter, the player must deplete her health to 0. The summoning prompt may still initiate, and the summon is always the Messenger of the Winds, but the summon does not necessarily end the battle like in the Lv.45 battle; if the summon did not do enough damage to defeat Garuda, the battle will continue. The summoning prompt can appear even when Noctis is not in Danger state.
Strategy[]
Your insolence shall not go unpunished!
Garuda
Equipping a powerful one-handed sword is good, such as Balmung, Ultima Blade. or Ragnarok if the player has them. For the Lv.120 variant, the player can get the Gaze of the Vortex from the trading post that deals more damage in aerial attacks and always criticals.
The player should try to prevent too many of the meteorshards from shattering before Garuda uses her Aerial Blast by not fighting Garuda in their immediate vicinity too much.
When she is on ground level, the player can try and get behind her for blindside-strikes and links. Because the Lv.120 battle can end instantly if too few meteorshards still stand when she uses her special attack, it is important to deal a lot of damage fast; linked attacks are the most powerful moves the player can do, especially with the Limitless Link Ascension node unlocked. It is best to unleash offensive Techniques only when she is ground-based to make sure they hit; Gladiolus's Impulse tends to be powerful, especially with Limit Break unlocked in the Ascension. Ignis's Overwhelm tends to miss a lot of the hits as Garuda moves about so much.
Armiger against Garuda.
When she summons minions, it may be best to ignore them and keep focus on Garuda as the battle is won when she falls. Using Armiger or Armiger Unleashed when available is effective. When she soars into the air, the player should warp-strike her and keep fighting while in midair. The player can use Armiger midair, but the Armiger Chain will not hit if she is too high up.
MP can be replenished by point-warping to the meteorshards.
Musical themes[]
The theme that plays in her battle is "Fallen Angel", Garuda's boss music from Final Fantasy XIV.
Gallery[]
Etymology[]
Garuda is a large, birdlike creature that appears in both Hinduism and Buddhism. It serves as Lord Vishnu's mount and is the Hindu name for the constellation Aquila. Contemporary representations of Garuda are the brahminy kite and phoenix.
The Emissary of the Winds summoned at the end of Garuda's boss battle adopts the name Garuda for herself.