A summon recreated in virtual reality. This entity is a tutelary dragon deity said to protect the people from natural disasters. Today, most of its worshipers live in the vicinity of Wutai.
Enemy Intel
Leviathan is an optional boss in Final Fantasy VII Remake fought in Chadley's VR mission after completing Battle Intel missions 1–14, first available in Chapter 13, "A Broken World". The player can take it on with the party of Cloud, Tifa, and Barret. The earliest Leviathan is available, the battle may be too hard to complete. Defeating Leviathan in Chadley's VR mission earns it as a 
Summoning Materia. Leviathan is also fought in the gauntlet up to Pride and Joy Prototype in the Shinra Combat Simulator in Chapter 17, "Deliverance from Chaos", in hard mode.
Stats[]
Attacks[]
= Physical damage- = Magical damage
| Attack | Pic | Description | Block | KBKnockback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Charge
|
Charges at a target. | |||
| Bite
|
Bites a target. | |||
| Tail Whip
|
Dives under the floor and swipes at the party with its tail. | |||
| Spin Rush
|
Diving under the floor and spins towards a target. | |||
| Fly Up
|
Dives under the floor and emerges under a target. | |||
 Briny Barrage
|
|
Deploys 4–8 homing orbs. | ||
| Briny Bellow
|
|
Fires a jetstream from left to right across the battlefield. | ||
| Gyre Spume
|
Draws in the party before releasing an explosion. | |||
| Spinning Dive
|
Charges across the arena. | |||
| Tidal Roar
|
Whirlpools appear that deal damage those who touch them. Hard Mode: The pools "swallow" party members. |
|||
| Aquatic Focus | Prepares Tidal Wave. If staggered, Tidal Wave is canceled. | - | - | |
| Tidal Wave
|
Floods the arena to damage all party members. |
Battle[]
Leviathan is tough, and it is preferable to be near to level 30 before taking it on. Leviathan is weak to 
Lightning and uses various strong non-elemental magic attacks with long animations that affect wide areas; it can be difficult to avoid damage, but guarding against them is easy due to the animation length. Leviathan cannot be interrupted unless it is pressured or staggered.
After losing half its health, Leviathan uses Tidal Roar and takes up to the air. Geysers appear around the arena that block damage to Leviathan when it is behind one. The serpent alternates flying up high and down low, and during the lower phase Cloud and Tifa can reach it with their normal attacks and ATB abilities. If Leviathan staggers while airborne, the geysers vanish and the serpent comes crashing down. Its Spinning Dive may be used twice in a row in this phase. Leviathan's ultimate attack is Tidal Wave, which deals severe non-elemental unavoidable damage. The attack has a charging period, and if Leviathan is staggered during this, Tidal Wave is canceled.
Leviathan will target the player-controlled character; if the player manages to split their party in an optimal manner, and switches whenever Leviathan turns, the boss can get stuck in a "retargeting" phase rather than attacking.
Strategy[]
Everyone is best equipping 
Lightning Materia and some means of healing. Lightning materia can be paired with 
Elemental Materia in weapons to make physical attacks more worthwhile, especially for Barret with a ranged weapon as when Leviathan takes up to the sky, Cloud and Tifa will struggle to hit it with normal attacks. They will have to resort to using magic and can improve their spellcasting with 
MP Up Materia and Magic Up Materia (though Leviathan does resist magic damage, Thunder spells do not miss and are still a good way to do damage when the serpent is flying).
While Leviathan is on the ground, its stagger gauge is filled faster by physical melee and lightning attacks, and will be pressured by losing 30% of its max HP during its grounded mode. The party should focus on reducing Leviathan's HP as quickly as possible by targeting its weakness, and when it becomes pressured, raise the stagger gauge rapidly with abilities such as Focused Thrust and Focused Strike. When the serpent takes to the skies, it cannot be pressured. However, Leviathan's gauge will be filled faster by targeting it with physical ranged attacks and lightning attacks while it is flying.
Using 
Manaward halves magical damage, important against Tidal Wave, and the Barrier Materia can be paired with Magnify Materia to protect the whole party at once. If the party has it, Manawall can be used to halve both magical and physical damage. Another option is to pair magnify with Healing Materia, but the party can also use 
Prayer Materia and Chakra Materia. Equipping armor that prioritize magic defense over physical defense is beneficial. Revival Earrings may come to use, as does the Revival Materia. Fat Chocobo Materia is a good summon for this battle as there is no lightning summon in the base game. Steadfast Block Materia is good as well, as the player will be guarding Leviathan's attacks more than avoiding them; it is good to start guarding when the ability name pops above Leviathan's head, though it can be difficult to always spot it as the boss is so large and a lot of it may be off screen.
Cloud and Tifa can use their melee attacks up close when Leviathan uses Briny Bellow and Aquatic Focus, and move away when it prepares Gyre Spume. Briny Bellow will miss if the player is right next to the serpent, giving a good opening to deal some damage and build stagger. When the ATB gauges fill, the party can use their focus abilities to raise Leviathan's stagger. Barret can also help by using Steelskin and Lifesaver to tank some damage, and then be bestowed with 
Regen.
When Leviathan staggers, the party can go all in with damage. Tifa can use her 
abilities to raise stagger bonus damage and Cloud can use Infinity's End. Holding 
while in Punisher Mode has Cloud finish his combo by sticking his sword to the ground, gaining 
Berserk that makes Infinity's End even more powerful. Leviathan's stagger is also a great time to use limit breaks; Tifa can empower hers by using Starshower first.
When the serpent takes to the skies, Barret can hit it with his normal attacks and Overcharge to rapidly fill its stagger gauge, while Tifa and Cloud use Thunder spells. The geysers block damage to Leviathan if in-between Barret and the serpent, so one should maneuver a little among them and not use Overcharge when it can't hit. When Leviathan begins casting Tidal Wave, the player should heal right away and cast Manaward.
Chapter 17[]
Leviathan is fought on the third round of the summon gauntlet to reach the Pride and Joy Prototype in hard mode. Though the battle again relies on dealing damage during stagger, Leviathan's attacks, particularly Tidal Wave, can be devastating and easily wipe the party. It is important to keep HP topped up. Leviathan's attacks can be avoided by staying close to it (easily dodging its Briny Bellow attack), even with Barret and Aerith, so if using spells, Arcane Ward is unreliable. Cloud's Focused Thrust, Barret's Focused Shot, and Tifa's Starshower can be used to build stagger; occasionally doing so can also pressure it, providing more opportunities to build stagger. Before Leviathan uses Tidal Wave, the player should cast Manaward on the party and heal to full. While Leviathan flies, spells can be used to defeat it, and when it flies lower, the player can focus on staggering it with the focus skills.
Gallery[]
