Final Fantasy XVI’s story revolves around Eikons and their abilities which play a major part in the game’s plot. Fighting these Eikons via Ifrit and taking their powers enable Clive to progress further in the game and put an end to the madness. In Final Fantasy 16, Garuda is a wind Eikon who is bound to her dominant, Benedikta Harmon.
The fight with Garuda in FFXVI takes place during the main quest, Awakening. After you defeat Benedikta, she loses her mind due to grief of losing Garuda’s powers and her loyal soldiers at the hands of the Imperials. This triggers her priming and she fully transforms into Garuda’s Eikon form and starts a tempest in the area
A hooded man, the second Eikon of Fire during the attack at Phoenix Gate, beckons Clive to follow him through the heart of the storm on the Eye of the Tempest where he comes across Garuda. Clive was following this mysterious figure to find out the truth about the Night of Flames during Flight of the Fledgling main quest. Garuda attacks Clive without warning leading to the battle of monsters.
How to defeat Garuda in FF16
Fight with the Wind Eikon, Garuda, in Final Fantasy 16 takes place in two phases. Clive needs to fight Garuda in his human form first and then switch to Ifrit to finally take down this rampaging monster. We will be covering both phases in detail.
This fight happens rather early in the game and there is not much we can recommend except for stocking up on potions and high potions. Steelskin and Strength potions also come in handy in this fight against Garuda.
Phase 1 – Clive vs Garuda
The first phase of the boss fight against Garuda in FF16 starts with Clive climbing the mountainous path to try and find Garuda. Keep going forward until you reach the top of the cliff. Garuda throws Clive in the air and grabs him with her claws. Deliver a Cinematic Strike when the prompt appears to be free and starts the first phase properly.
The fight with Garuda in FFXVI plays a lot like the fight with Poseidon in God of War 3. Garuda fights while on her knees and slams the ground in front of her with her claws and head. Make sure to dodge these attacks and move to the back of Garuda.
Use Wicked Wheel and Gouge from Garuda’s skill tree to inflict as much damage as possible. Keep shifting to Phoenix to mix and close the gap in case you move away. Gouge is particularly useful to stagger Garuda easily.
Garuda hits like a truck in the first phase. Use potions to increase Clive’s defense and make sure to replenish your health once it is down. Don’t wait for too long or this will be game over for you.
During partial stagger, use Garuda’s Deadly Embrace skill to smash her head on the ground and make her vulnerable to the following attacks. Garuda always recovers by a sweep attack with her right-wing which can be evaded using cinematic dodge. Look out for leg sweep attacks that deal massive HP damage.
Once Garuda is taken down or staggered, unleash hell upon her by using everything in your arsenal. This is your best chance to deal as much damage as you can. Halfway through the fight, Garuda summons Aerial Blast which surrounds her with an impenetrable cyclone.
Keep moving through the arena to avoid time bombs and only use magic attacks from afar. Garuda also summons homing cyclones that can be avoided with precision dodge only.
Repeat the same strategy until Garuda’s health is reduced to the final 10%. This will start a cutscene that allows Clive to cut down one of Garuda’s claws and eyes during QTEs. Clive earns 100 exp points, 500 gil and sharp fangs as a reward for this battle.
Phase 2 – Ifrit vs Garuda
The second phase of Garuda fight in FF16 starts with a cutscene that shows Garuda healing her wounds instantly. This throws Clive into a rage and he properly awakens to Ifrit for the first time.
This phase is straightforward and self-explanatory. Melee attack with Square, fireball attack from a distance with Triangle, close the gap between Ifrit and Garuda with Circle, and evade the incoming attacks with R1.
Garuda uses slash, smash and sweep attacks during close encounters, and summons homing cyclones when combating from afar. Watch out for Skyfall and Aerial Blast attacks which can be avoided by mashing square button repeatedly.
This is not a difficult phase but extremely drawn out. This QTE fest can be completed without any problems or difficulties. Rewards for completing this phase and completely defeating Garuda in Final Fantasy 16 are 400 exp points, 200 renown points and 2500 gil.
