You only delay the inevitable, O Unworthy One. Look how you tremble. With every passing second, the fear in your heart grows greater still.
Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh is the final boss of Final Fantasy XV: Episode Gladiolus, faced at the end of the Tempering Grounds.
Gilgamesh was added to Final Fantasy XV: Comrades as a boss on March 26th, 2019.[1]
Battle[]
The Well-tempered Gladio[]
The player first faces Gilgamesh after defeating the brunnsormr snake. This fight is unwinnable, as Gilgamesh's attacks cannot be blocked and he will quickly KO Gladiolus. The player can attack but it has very little effect on the Blademaster and even if one manages to wear him down to about 2/3rds of his HP, the following cutscene will play immediately as though the player had lost.
To Serve as Shield[]
Blind alliance on strength alone reveals your weakness of will. Countless disappointments met their end here, and so shall you!
Gilgamesh
Final Fantasy 15 Episode Gladiolus Gilgamesh Boss Fight (1080p)
Gilgamesh is the final boss. His level is displayed as "???" and his stats are unobservable. With the power afforded to Gladiolus from passing the trials, he can now block and damage Gilgamesh, though the Blademaster remains a formidable foe who can quickly land combos for punishing damage. He can bolster himself with red energy to make his strikes so deadly he can defeat the player in a couple blows. He can jump before landing a devastating stab, similar to Ignis's High Jump.
He starts the battle wielding a large greatsword, which he can plunge into the earth in front of himself and wields in wide arcs. Gilgamesh can also quickly phase forward with a red glow after drawing energy into his greatsword. He is slow in this first phase.
After losing half his health, Gilgamesh chastises Gladiolus on his "weakness of will" in a cut scene. Gilgamesh soon abandons his greatsword, sticking it to the ground, and pulls out a fencing sword, becoming quick on his feet, evasive, and changing his battle stance to that of a fencer. He can still plunge it into the ground in front of himself, emanating energy.
When he leaves behind red holograms, it is best to stop attacking as Gladiolus only phases through Gilgamesh, leaving him open for counterattacks. It is best to not attack him when he shifts between his weapons or the energy emanating from it will damage Gladiolus. Gilgamesh sticks his weapons into the ground when he changes.
After being depleted of his health for the first time, Gilgamesh will restore himself, grow a second arm and begin to use the Genji Blade as his primary weapon with a two-handed stance. He is stronger and faster than before, slicing the katana in all directions around himself, and remaining evasive with a phasing technique. To add further challenge, he can now dual-wield the Genji Blade with another katana, which will most definitely knock out Gladiolus. The player can tell Gilgamesh is about to use this technique when he takes the Genji Blade to one hand and manifests another into his "ghost" hand. He uses his jump attack more frequently.
After Gilgamesh has lost around half his health a second time, Gladiolus tries to use Maelstrom against Gilgamesh who will block it in a cut scene and scar Gladiolus on the forehead. Gilgamesh now starts to charge energy into the Genji Blade and send waves of pink energy when he slashes down.
Gladiolus's Dual Master Glaive Art seems to be the same move Gilgamesh uses against him with the Genji Blade in the second phase of the battle. Gladiolus thus seems to have copied the skill from Gilgamesh.
Strategy[]
It is recommended to maintain patience as while Gilgamesh's barrage is hard to block, he does eventually let up. While attacking without having parried one of his attacks before will leave the player open to a counterattack, it is possible to attack him normally. With quick-timing, the player can attack him when he shifts his weapon and to quickly fall back to avoid the energy coming from it. His uses of warp and phase can be anticipated through the red holograms he leaves behind.
Musical themes[]
The theme for the second battle against Gilgamesh is "Battle on the Big Bridge (EPISODE GLADIOLUS version)". It was arranged by Keiichi Okabe whom the development team encouraged to incorporate his own style into the composition, resulting in the addition of vocals and elements from his previous work with the NieR series.[2] The theme is available in the main game in the music player.
Other appearances[]
Final Fantasy Record Keeper[]
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