- Final Fantasy XVI Of Gods and Men Guide - July 13, 2023
Of Gods and Men is the epic final clash that takes place in Final Fantasy 16. The moment where you are able to finally discover whether Clive can fulfil Cid’s legacy and completely reform Valisthea, saving millions from unjust slavery and inevitable extinction. No pressure, right?
Of Gods and Men is the most pivotal moment in the game, and you would be forgiven for feeling a little anxious or wanting to know what you’re in for before diving headfirst into Ultima’s onslaught. I was, anyway!
It is also the hardest part of the game, by far, as most final boss battles are. So if you’ve been feeling even slightly as anxious as I was to begin the last chapter of your journey, or you’re struggling to come out on top against Ultima, you will find everything you need to succeed in this Final Fantasy XVI Of Gods and Men guide.
*** SPOILERS AHEAD ***
Please note that this is a guide for the final mission of the game, where the final boss fight takes place. Due to the nature of this guide, there are heavy spoilers ahead. Consider yourself warned.
Key Notes Up Front
Of Gods and Men is the last mission in Final Fantasy 16, and is where you will embark on your multiple-phase boss fight with Ultima for the last time. Of Gods and Men begins after leaving the Hideaway and making your way to Origin as part of the Back to Their Origin quest.
This quest see’s you fighting Ultima in a five-phase boss fight that will take you around 30 minutes to an hour to complete.
So make sure you bring yourself a snack to fuel up before you head to Origin, and it’s probably worth making sure Clive has some, too. This guide will contain everything you need to know about the fight, including what moves to expect and how to combat them.
Preparing for the Final Fight
Any final boss fight requires a decent amount of preparation beforehand. Ultima is no joke, and taking a few extra minutes to make sure you have the strongest weapons and armor you can get your hands on will be well worth the time and effort.
And it’s the big showdown, the last fight, so there is truly no better time to put the best weapons and armor to use than in Of Gods and Men.
This the armor build I used when I went up against Ultima, and I am sure I have the following gear to thank, at least in part, for my success. This equipment will give you the best shot, at least.
Weapon
Gotterdammerung – 375 strength | 375 will.
Gotterdammerung is the strongest weapon in the game, for your first play-through, at least. It cannot be bought and can only be crafted with materials dropped by some of the strongest Notorious Marks on the Hunt Board.
You also need the Ragnarok sword, which is given to you as a reward for completing all four Blacksmith’s Blues quests. Please be aware that there is only one Ragnarok. If you sell it, you can’t make Gotterdammerung. The same applies to the Primitive Battlehorn that Gotterdammerung calls for.
Belt
Circle of Heaven +2 – 91 def | 30 HP.
Blackthorne can forge the Circle of Heaven +1, and upgrade it to +2 at the Black Hammer.
Vambrace
The Founder’s Grasp – 94 def | 50 HP
The Founder’s Grasp is a reward for defeating the griffin and completing the Where There’s a Will side quest. The Founder’s Grasp is a vambrace designed for Clive and Joshua by their father and left to them in his long-lost will.
Accessories
Berserker Ring
The Berserker Ring is one of the best accessories in the game, hands down. You can also get your paws on it incredibly early on in your adventure, making it all the more useful throughout your journey. The Berserker Ring significantly increases Clive’s attack power for a couple of seconds after every precision dodge.
Precision dodging is essential during the boss fight with Ultima, so equipping this ring before heading to Origin is a must. You can collect the Berserker Ring as one of the first donation rewards you get at the Patron’s Whisper.
Adamantite Gloves
The Adamantite Gloves increase Clive’s HP by 500 points. That’s a huge upgrade that far exceeds any of the other belts or vambraces in the game, making the Adamantite Gloves an essential piece of equipment for taking on the final boss.
You can find the Adamantite Gloves in a chest at the end of a small passage that shoots off the main road from the Edge of Infinity toward Eistla.
Genji Gloves
The Genji Gloves increase damage dealt to enemies by 5%. That doesn’t sound like much, but every little bit counts, and 5% damage added to every single hit you make adds up quickly.
The Genji Gloves are the second last donation reward you can earn from the Patron’s Whisper. Don’t ask me why you can equip two sets of gloves at once; perhaps Clive wears one on each hand? I’m not sure, but they are some of the best accessories in the game, so I’m not complaining.
Embarking on Your Mission
Of Gods and Men starts after you leave for Origin, so open up your map and head to Origin on Bahamut’s back to begin the final clash.
Fight One: Bahamut (Dion), Phoenix (Joshua), Ifrit (Clive) vs. Ifrit Prime (Ultima)
No time is wasted on this mission, and you dive head-first into the action as soon as the quest begins. The first fight is an epic battle between Eikons as Bahamut, Phoenix, and Ifrit take on Ultima in his Ifrit Prime form.
The battle is mostly composed of cinematic clashes, so make sure you have your finger on the square button ready to push as soon as the familiar blue flash crosses the screen.
You should be familiar with cinematic clashes by now if you’re researching a guide on the final boss fight, but just in case you need a refresher, you have a matter of seconds to push square when prompted to block and return an attack to the sender.
If you miss your queue, you will take the full brunt of the attack and lose a significant amount of HP. You can’t use potions or high potions in Eikon battles, so make sure you are giving this fight your full attention.
The first move you will make when you take control of Ifrit in Of Gods and Men is a cinematic clash. Press square as soon as your reflexes allow. You will then take control of the Phoenix after Ifrit gets pushed back to perform another cinematic strike.
After successfully attempting your cinematic strike with the Phoenix, control switches to Bahamut, where you will, once again, press square as soon as you’re prompted to land another cinematic strike on Ifrit Prime. This one actually does a minimal amount of damage to your foe, which is a nice change.
After taking an absolute pummelling for quite some time, Ifrit Prime will charge up a massive punch. This allows you to press R1 at the perfect moment to perform a cinematic evasion.
Land another cinematic strike with Bahamut almost immediately after this, and follow up with two more cinematic strikes, one with Ifrit and one with the Phoenix.
The three Eikons will soar to the skies and combine their special attacks to create one massive move, the Tri-disaster. Mash the square button when it flashes on the screen to hit Ifrit Prime with everything you’ve got.
It’s not enough. You may or may not notice at this point that the trio is no match against Ifrit Prime and that you are failing quite miserably. Don’t let this get you down. You aren’t trash! You’re just not supposed to win this fight.
This is the point where everything starts going downhill. Clive gets slapped out of the sky like a mosquito, and Bahamut steps in to block Ultima as he prepares to deliver a mortal blow against the fallen Ifrit.
While Bahamut does manage to distract Ultima and get some hits in, his efforts are ultimately fruitless, and Dion falls from the sky, accepting his fate as penance for his actions that took place previously in the game.
After Dion’s sacrifice, Ultima retreats, giving the Phoenix just enough time to heal Clive before the wounded pair stumbles off to the next part of the battle, the final boss fight.
Ifrit vs. Ultima: The Final Clash
Joshua and Clive slowly begin to realize they were mere puppets of Ultima’s plan all along, and Joshua gets ripped apart as the piece of Ultima that he absorbed bursts free from his chest. Joshua lends Clive the power of the Phoenix in his final moments, making Clive’s power complete and thus beginning the final battle.
The fight between Clive and Ultima consists of four main phases that you have to complete to thwart Ultima for good. Ultima uses a selection of moves in a random order during these phases. Here is a full overview of each phase:
Phase One: Clive vs. Ultima
Phase one of the big battle takes place in an arena with Clive and Ultima. Ultima uses a selection of several light-based attacks, as well as some other special moves in random order.
The first attack is a charge attack, where Ultima will launch himself at you, creating a trail of light as he goes. Press R1 just as you’re about to get hit to dodge the move, and press square immediately to land a precision dodge. This attack is the easiest to both avoid and deal damage to Ultima. He usually does it three times in a row.
The other move you can expect to see here is where Ultima summons forth a bunch of lightning balls that he throws out on the battlefield. Avoid these, and Phoenix Shift toward Ultima to land some hits before the next move.
Ultima will also charge at you during this phase with a charged punch. Press R1 to avoid and square immediately to retaliate with a precision dodge.
There is another move where Ultima rains beams of light down upon the battlefield. The best way to combat this is just to avoid them and wait until the attack is over to approach and land a couple of hits.
Ultima can disappear and reappear in a ring of light that surrounds Clive. Press R1 to dodge the attack and Phoenix Shift in for some more hits, being careful to dodge the shock wave as you’re heading back in.
Flare is a special move where Ultima summons forth great balls of fire that surround Clive and explode on contact. Press R1 to dodge your way out of the circle and avoid damage here.
Holy is another one of Ultima’s special moves that he can pull out during this phase. First he summons one giant fractal light crystal that creates a large ring of light around it. Start dodging your way out of the circle as soon as the first light crystal appears to get out of this move unscathed.
After performing either one of his special moves, Ultima will stop attacking for a moment while two wings disappear from his back. This is a great time to unleash an Eikonic move before his regular attacks start up again.
Phase Two: Clive vs. Ultima
Phase two begins once you’ve decreased Ultima’s HP by about a quarter. At this point, the battleground changes, and he adds a few more moves to the mix.
The first new move is called Rift. During Rift, Ultima causes a great crack to open up on the ground beneath you that a massive beam of light energy bursts out of. As soon as you see the ground open up, press R1 to dodge your way out before the beam blasts.
Meteor is a special move that Ultima uses to rain flaming meteors down on you. This one isn’t too tough to dodge, as you can see where the meteor is going to hit before it lands. Dodge out of underneath any glowing orange spots. Unless you want to get hit with a meteor, that is.
Ultima’s self-named attack is the most powerful special move in this phase. It begins with Ultima creating a vacuum that sucks in all nearby energy, including you. Press R1 to dodge backward and widen the gap between you and Ultima.
Once Ultima has gathered enough energy, he will release it, causing two massive shock waves that you need to dodge. This is one of the trickiest moves, especially since it can hit twice. It’s easy to forget this, so make sure you dodge twice in a row to escape unharmed.
Once Ultima’s HP gauge is completely emptied, it is time to move onto the third phase of the fight.
Phase Three: Ultima Risen vs Ifrit Risen
This is where things start getting epic. Ultima becomes frustrated that he is losing to you and destroys the arena, so the rest of the phase happens in space. Not only that, but he also unleashes his Ultima Risen form, meaning you get to become Ifrit Risen.
These forms are basically Ifrit Prime and Ifrit, but in space, which is where the ‘Risen’ part comes in. Mash the square button to transform and start the phase off with a cinematic clash.
In this phase, Ultima mainly sends a bunch of projectiles your way. Dodge these with R1 and slowly make your way toward him. Whenever you get close enough, unleash one of your special moves to take a massive chunk out of Ultima’s HP. Be careful when you get too close, however, as Ultima does have a spinning saw attack that happens fast and is hard to avoid.
There are also a few more moves you can expect to see in this phase. One of these involves Ultima releasing three shock waves in a row. Dodge these with R1 and slowly edge closer to your foe to deliver more strikes and take more HP off Ultima’s health gauge.
The Rapture is probably the most challenging move to dodge in this phase. Ultima summons an absolutely massive ball of energy that expands to fill almost the whole battlefield. You need to dodge the blast when it comes too close and keep dodging one after the other until the move is finished. It usually takes around 14 dodges to end.
Stellar Xyston is a hugely powerful move where Ultima shoots two beams of light and spins around. It’s better to dodge this move rather than focusing on attacking. You can land attacks after the move is over, but it’s hard to do both simultaneously.
Pulsar is another favorite of Ultima’s and involves encircling himself with massive beams of light. There is an opening in the center of the circle, however. Aim for this spot and push your attack while dodging the beams in between each spin.
Dimachairos is the other major lightbeam attack. It moves relatively slowly and splits into two, so focus on avoiding it while edging your way closer from the back. Once you’re safely behind Ultima you can focus on attacking.
Once you decrease Ultima’s HP by half, he will begin priming his ultimate attack. You really have to rush in and do everything you can to stop this attack from happening. If the attack hits, you’re pretty much done. Make sure you deplete the special attack gauge before he has time to activate it.
This was the most stressful part of the fight for me, especially since Ultima doesn’t stop attacking while you’re decreasing the gauge. If you get hit, you get knocked back pretty far and have to make your way back again, wasting precious moments.
When you completely deplete Ultima’s HP for the second time, it is time to begin phase four of the battle.
Phase Four: Clive vs. Ultimalius
Phase four still features many of the same moves you saw in phase one, plus a series of massively strong Eikonic moves courtesy of all six Eikons. There are also a couple of new Ultima moves thrown into the mix for good measure.
These moves can also be used simultaneously, making the battlefield a chaotic mess of projectiles or dangerous light beams. Whenever I found myself getting overwhelmed by simultaneous attacks, I just started spamming R1 to dodge until the arena cleared. That usually did the trick.
At three points throughout the battle, there are great cinematic clashes where Ultima channels one of the six Eikons and releases one of their attacks. Clive matches the attack, and you have to mash the square button as fast as possible to overpower Ultima.
The Eikons switch automatically for you, so you don’t have to worry about going into your abilities and changing which Eikons you channel between every attack.
These are all the attacks you should look out for. Some of these are Ultima’s signature light-based moves, but most are channeled by each of the six Eikons.
Divine Embrace is a tough move to avoid since Ultima summons great pillars of light that cover most of the battlefield. It takes a while to charge, though, giving you just enough time to step into a small clearing or perfectly dodge the hit.
Exaflare is another move Ultima pulls out of his bag of tricks for the final fight, where he blasts a giant beam of light out of his chest that circles the battlefield. Try to circle around to his back to land some hits before the move is over.
The first Eikonic move Ultima uses in this phase is called Euroclydon and involves Ultima summoning a mass of Garuda claws that head straight for you, with one giant claw swipe to finish. These are fast and are tough to dodge but not impossible.
Cataclysm is Titans move where Ultima summons a giant fist to pound into the ground, hopefully catching you underneath it.
Dodge quickly out of the way and perform a precision counter while you’re at it. When the fist makes contact with the ground, it creates three massive shockwaves, which you will also have to dodge. Once you get hit by one shockwave it is impossible to dodge the others.
Fulmen and Fulgur is Ramuh’s special move, where Ultima summons one giant lightning strike down upon you. Dodge, as per usual, and Phoenix Shift in for the attack.
Boreal Rhapsody is Shiva’s move, where Ultima rains icicles down from the sky. Use your intuition and the lights on the surface of the battlefield to judge when and where you should dodge the razor sharp icicles.
Severance is Odin’s Eikonic move. It is one of the toughest to avoid, as Ultima uses the divine sword to slice almost every section of the battlefield. It is harder to judge, so pressing R1 as much as you can will give you as many chances for a dodge as possible.
Empyriosis is the Phoenix’s Eikonic move. It begins with a swirling tower of fire that can hit you on the way up and a diving Phoenix that can hit you on the way back down. If you get hit by the first part of the move, it’s near impossible to dodge the second half.
Ashes to Ashes is another Phoenix move Ultima uses, where he summons fiery projectiles to smite you. Dodge with R1 to avoid this move.
Flames of Creation summons a giant ball of blue fire. It moves very slowly, giving you plenty of time to judge when you should precision dodge through it. It does, however, summon a massive pillar of flames in the impact zone soon after it hits.
Around halfway through the battle Ultima will activate Limit Break, making him far faster and more powerful than before, which is truly saying something. You might want to take the opportunity to unleash Limit Break yourself, but I recommend saving Limit Break for when Ultima is staggered to maximize the amount of damage dealt.
Those are all the moves you can expect to see from Ultima, so at this point, there is nothing more to do except to keep pushing your attacks. Make sure to judge all his moves and combat them using the suggestions above until you full deplete Ultima’s HP for the third time, winning the battle once and for all.
And Thus, Your Journey Ends
There is a little more that happens after the final climactic clash that concludes the epic battle between Clive and Ultimalius, but I will save the juicy details for you to experience for yourself once you beat Ultima.
If you followed along with this guide and came out on top, congratulations! The fight isn’t easy, but with enough determination and precision dodges, it is possible. If you are reading up on this guide to get a firm grasp on what to expect when you go up against Ultima yourself, good luck.
Final Fantasy XVI Of Gods and Men Guide: FAQs
Question: Can I learn any of the Eikonic moves Ultima uses in the final fight?
Answer: No, unfortunately. The moves are based on ones you can learn on the ability tree, but are far more powerful and, sadly, can only be wielded by Ultima.
Question: What do you get for playing New Game Plus in Final Fantasy mode?
Answer: Playing in Final Fantasy mode allows you to unlock the strongest weapon in the game, aptly named Ultima, and get the Fantasy, Finally trophy, which is needed to get the Platinum trophy.
Question: Can I replay the Ultima fight?
Answer: Yes! Since competing the game sets you back to before you leave for Origin, you can replay the entire Of Gods and Men mission, plus the epic boss battle, as many times as you want.
What Do You Get for Completing Of Gods and Men?
Nothing. Since Of Gods and Men is the very last chapter of the game, you don’t get any spoils to take home with you.
Many games take you back to before the last quest after you complete the final mission, and Final Fantasy 16 is one of them. So anything you did collect, you would be unable to use when you went back in time to before the battle, anyway.
But while you don’t get anything in terms of EXP or spoils, you do get to watch the final cutscene of the game, which is amazing. You also unlock New Game Plus, which allows you to play Final Fantasy 16 again in Final Fantasy mode. Final Fantasy mode is much harder, and perfect for the hardcore FF fans out there.