Template:Sideicon Mushussu is an enemy in Final Fantasy XIII. It is the mark of Cie'th Stone Mission 24.
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Mission
24 - A Potent Sting
| Mark: | Mushussu | |
| Locale: | Taejin's Tower - Fifth Tier | |
| Class: | B |
Tormented soul, head my plea and we shall bring light to your dark path.
Know that a mushussu holds my power thrall within this spire. Slay it and I shall once more be free.
If you can but restore the strength of my two brethren and I, here on the upper tiers, the way will be opened unto you.
Stats
Battle
The mark is tough, and is accompanied by two Yakshini. The default target is Mushussu, but it has a lower damage to hit point ratio than the Yakshini, and can employ defensive buffs to become even tougher; the Yakshini, by comparison, are not only glass cannons but can debuff as well.
Mushussu is resistant or immune to all elements, both spells and strikes.
Mission 24 is known as an efficient target for leveling and gil before Eden and the final stage of the Crystarium, as the mark and mission start are less than ten paces apart.
Strategy
If the player is in doubt about the party's capacity to take damage, the Yakshini should be dealt with first.
Because Mushussu may cast Protect and is not resistant to magic type damage, Ruinga is the ideal attack, although characters with a Strength value considerably higher than prospective Ruin casters' Magic stat may still have a higher damage output with physical attacks.
Deprotect can reverse the magic/strength damage output ratio, but it is a gamble. Not only does Protect have a 50% success rate, but Mushussu can recast Protect, turning what was intended as an offensive influence (damage increase for the party) into a defensive tendency (damage decrease for both the party and the enemy, as both the Saboteur and Mushussu take time out from dealing full damage to recast). Furthermore, casting debuffs on Mushussu tends to trigger it to cast its buffs; parties that can kill it fast see it buffing only 20-30% of the time.
Etymology
The mušḫuššu is a creature depicted on the reconstructed Ishtar Gate of the city of Babylon, dating to the 6th century B.C. As depicted, it is a mythological hybrid, a scaly dragon with hind legs like an eagle's talons, feline forelegs, a long neck and tail, a horned head, a snakelike tongue, and a crest.