I am the wellspring of darkness, fed by Zemus's unbridled hate... I am He who is called Zeromus... I am he who knows naught but hate!
Zeromus
Zeromus is the final boss of Final Fantasy IV and the spirit and hatred of Zemus incarnate. Zeromus appears with three battle scripts, with only the third being possible to defeat. The party faces him in the Moon.
After Fusoya and Golbez defeat Zemus, Zeromus emerges from his corpse, proclaiming itself as Zemus's hatred. Fusoya and Golbez's attacks have no effect on Zeromus, and when Golbez tries to use the Crystal, the creature proclaims evil hearts cannot wield it, and attacks both with Meteor.
Everyone left at Mysidia prays for Cecil. Their prayers revive him and his party, and Golbez hands over the Crystal and beckons Cecil to use it. Zeromus's invincibility disappears, revealing its true form.
Stats[]
Script
#196
#197
Battle[]
Zeromus will counterattack Rydia's summons with a party-targeted Osmose (and can also cast it on occasion), Holy magic with Whirl (in his third phase, he can also cast it on rare occasion), and Black Magic with Flare (in his second phase, he can cast it occasionally). On occasion, Zeromus can cast Black Hole, removing all positive status effects (including Sap and Slow) from the party and himself. On the turn before he casts Big Bang, Zeromus will shake. When below 30,000 HP, Zeromus can cast Meteor.
Zeromus absorbs Flare, presumably to halt what would otherwise be the most efficient method of dealing magical damage.
A Dark Matter can be stolen from Zeromus. It can be used to fight the superboss Proto-Babil.
Strategy[]
To minimize downtime from inputting commands, Battle Speed may be set to the slowest setting (denoted by 6 in the options menu).
To reveal the true form of Zeromus, Cecil needs to use the Crystal, which can be found under the Items command. Nonetheless, there is no need to rush things, since Zeromus is docile in this form. Initiating the battle proper can be delayed indefinitely, conveniently allowing application of the viable buffs. Even though Zeromus will soon dispel all of them with Black Hole, effects such as Haste grant some head start in terms of damage. Protect and Blink (including Edge's Mirage) are useless, with Zeromus not using any physical attack. Zeromus absorbs any damage dealt by Flare, while countering summons and most magic with Flare of his own. Therefore, Reflect might be counter-productive, especially as it prevents direct healing and buff application via magic; either way, the most lethal ability cannot be reflected. Once ready, every ATB bar should be full before using the Crystal.
Not unlike other bosses, Zeromus is susceptible to Slow, although his is regularly dispelled by Black Hole. Nonetheless, Slow remains a potent defensive measure and should be present on Zeromus at all times, even though applying it may be countered by Flare. While Rosa is the only character able to cast Slow, any party member can substitute the spell by using the Spider Silk item. To maximize the advantage, Slow may even be applied before the first Black Hole.
Big Bang is the greatest threat within this battle, especially in Hard difficulty. Unless mitigation is used, it is capable of one-shotting the entire party, including Cecil. This ability appears to be affected by Shell rather than Protect; as such, Shell should be applied after each Black Hole. Another means of survival is the Defend command. With both, even the vulnerable characters stand a chance of survival.
Using summons prompts Zeromus to counterattack with Osmose, but this can be exploited; if used at the right time, Rydia's summon will cause a slight delay and counter with Osmose. This will not prevent Zeromus from using Big Bang immediately after.
As this is the final battle all items can be used liberally. For those who intend to play New Game+ afterwards, it is crucial to ensure that Dark Matter be stolen; there are no other means of obtaining this item, making the content it unlocks missable.
AI script[]
If HP => 90,001
- Turn 1: Black Hole
- Turn 2: (Shake)
- Turn 3: Big Bang
- Turn 4: Black Hole
- Turn 5: Osmose (party target)
- Turn 6: (Shake)
- Turn 7: Big Bang
- Turn 8: (Shake)
- Turn 9: Big Bang
- Turn 10: Osmose (party target)
- [loop]
If HP is between 30,001 and 90,000
- Turn 1: Osmose (Party target)
- Turn 2: (Shake)
- Turn 3: Big Bang
- Turn 4: Black Hole
- Turn 5: Flare
- Turn 6: Osmose (Party target)
- Turn 7: Black Hole
- Turn 8: (Shake)
- Turn 9: Big Bang
- [loop]
If HP <=30,000
- Turn 1: Meteor
- Turn 2: Osmose (party target)
- Turn 3: Whirl
- [loop]
At all times:
- If damaged by Summon magic: Osmose (100%)
- If damaged by Holy-elemental magic: Whirl (100%)
- If damaged by any other magic: Flare (50%)
Musical themes[]
"The Final Battle" plays during the final battle. It was rearranged and included in The Black Mages' second studio album The Black Mages II: The Skies Above.
Gallery[]
Etymology[]
Zeromus is an extended version of Zemus, which is Amharic for "Prayer". Perhaps because of the added 'Zero', it means "No Prayer".