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Fafnir of the Northis the first enemy inFinal Fantasy 16to combine bothagility and sizein one body. Players will encounter this humongous lizard foe early in the game when Clive first visits theGreat Forestwith his new friendCidolfusand his trusty wolf companion,Torgal.
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While Fafnir’s fight isn’t incredibly challenging, some of its attacks can be quite frightening anddifficult to dodge in time. It’s important to get used to Fafnir’s attacks in case you face off against its stronger variants later in the game.
Before You Fight Fafnir
By now, you will have probably unlocked most of Clive’s basic skills, as well as the fire Eikon’s three main skills, but the good thing is that you canremove and re-assign your used ability pointsat any time.
For example, you can remove points from some skills that you won’t be using in this fight likeTauntandStomp(which are ineffective against Fafnir), and instead invest in strengthening some long-ranged attacks such as theCharged Fire spell, which is exactly what I recommend as getting close to Fafnir can spell your doom sometimes.
There is no special equipment needed for this fight, but you might want to upgrade yourlong swordat the blacksmith to deal some extra damage against Fafnir’s hard hide.
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Fafnir’s Moveset
Fafnir’s moves depend onwhich part of its bodyyou are attacking.
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How To Defeat Fafnir
Fafnir is ajack of all trades, but amaster of none. It has a near-perfect set ofdefensesandcounterattacks, and it knows how tolink them together. However, you can easilylure itinto doing the moves and attacks you want from it, and Fafnir is such areactive lizardthat it won’t know you are manipulating it every single time.
In practical terms, all you have to do ishit one of its sides(preferably theheadortail), then quickly move to the other side and deal somereal damagewhile it’s busyfighting the airwhere you were standing. Thisisn’tanomnipotenttechnique, however, as Fafnir can sometimescancelits tail or head move into ajumping ball curlorSpin Cycle, so you have to be aware of its other potential moves as well.
It’s probably better to useHeatwaveandRising Phoenixand benchScarlet Cyclonefor this fight, as the latter has along casting timethat leaves youopenandvulnerabletoFafnir’s counterattacks. The other two attacksdon’t take much time to castand dealheavy damageon top of it.
All things considered, Fafnir will still move the way you want it to at least90% of the time. If you want to attack it directly, you’re able to stillparryits headbutt and hand slam moves with your sword at precise times and flip the tables. You can also escape the technique where it lifts its body to slam and roll into you by using yourPhoenix Shifton top of a double jump then an R1 dodge, and you will find yourself out of its sight in no time (don’t forget to keep casting your Fire spell even when you are dodging or retreating).
Therewardsfor finishing the fight are28 EXP (Experience Points), 70 AP (Ability Points), 1000 Gil and 2 Gnarled Scale and 40 Wyrrite Material.
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