The Malboro is an enemy in Final Fantasy X-2. One is encountered as a boss in the Bevelle Underground in Chapter 3, following the meeting between Baralai, Gippal, and Nooj. The rest are encountered in Besaid and the Thunder Plains from Chapter 3 onwards, as well as Cloisters 24–26 of the Via Infinito in Chapter 5.
Stats[]
Normal
Oversoul
Battle[]
Malboro fought in Bevelle.
The Malboro boasts two attacks in its normal form. The first is Gastric Juice, which targets one character for 221~249 HP of physical damage, ignores their Defense, and induces STR Down and MAG Down (each one level) along with DEF Down and MDEF Down (each two levels). The second is Bad Breath, which targets all characters in a 120-degree fan angle in front of it and causes the following status effects: Silence (30%), Darkness (80%), Poison (30%), Curse (50%), and Slow (80%). Bad Breath is used only when the Malboro has been targeted a total of ten times and it has MP remaining.
In Oversoul, the Malboro gains access to several new abilities: Halitosis, which inflicts Itchy (120%) on all characters in a 120-degree fan angle in front of it; Chomp, which inflicts 549~620 HP of physical damage on one character, ignores their Defense, and induces a one-level reduction in Strength, Magic, Defense, and Magic Defense; and Ingest Antidote or Ingest Eye Drops, dealing 68~77 HP of physical damage to one character and deleting an Antidote or Eye Drops from the player's inventory, respectively. The "Ingest" attacks are never used if either the player has fewer than eight of any of the aforementioned items or an Alchemist is present in the party, in which case Chomp will be used instead. Every time the Oversoul Malboro has a turn, Chomp has a 50% chance of being used, while Bad Breath and the "Ingest" attacks each have a 1/6 (16.67%) chance of being used. Halitosis is used only once the Malboro has less than 50% of its max HP remaining.
Strategy[]
A moderately difficult enemy due to its Bad Breath attack, it is best to equip a Ribbon to negate any status effects it can inflict, and carry several Remedies to counteract any statuses any other party members may receive. Alternatively, employing captured creatures with Ailment Def. is also helpful, as they will be unaffected by Bad Breath. Unlike in Final Fantasy X, Malboros are not weak to fire, but are still very vulnerable to magic nonetheless due to their incredibly low Magic Defense.
In Oversoul, it is best to have an Alchemist in the party to prevent the Malboro from using its "Ingest" attacks. The Oversoul Malboro's Halitosis attack has no effect on captured creatures as they are controlled by the game's AI and thus always immune to Itchy.
If the player tries to learn Bad Breath from Malboro for their Gun Mages, they will have to alter its HP ten times before it will use it. Both attacking and healing it counts, but the Malboro will need to have MP to be able to use Bad Breath.
Creature Creator[]
In Chapter 3 only, the Malboro can join the party via a Trap pod L in Besaid. It comes into the party having learned its signature Bad Breath attack, as well as Chomp and Ailment Def., the former of which ignores Defense, and the latter of which provides protection against all status ailments other than those inflicted by attacks scripted to bypass immunities.
In battle, the Malboro can eventually learn Staccato and Really Bad Breath, the latter an ability also usable by the Great Malboro, as well as Total Limit Break at a high enough level.
The Malboro boasts large amounts of HP, as well as decent Defense and Magic, high Strength, good Accuracy, and very high Agility. However, its Evasion and Luck are also very low, as is standard for most recruitable creatures.
Etymology[]
The name may be a reference to Marlboro Cigarettes, since the creatures often spew horrid fumes from their mouths. The word "mal", originating from Latin, means "bad" or "evil" across many languages, including English, where it is not used on its own but can be found within words such as "malevolent" or "malefic".
Related enemies[]
Final Fantasy X[]
Final Fantasy X-2: Last Mission[]
- Malboro