How to Beat Sephiroth | Boss Fight Guide (Normal & Hard Mode)

This is a guide to beating the Boss Sephiroth in the game Final Fantasy 7 Remake (FF7R). This article explains Sephiroth's attack patterns, weaknesses, and tips and strategies for defeating him on both Normal and Hard Mode.

Sephiroth Stats and Information

Basic Information

Sephiroth
Species	Movement	Type
Unreadable	Grounded	Boss

Description

Unable to read.

Assess (Tips)

Unable to read.

Sephiroth Stats

	Easy	Normal	Hard
HP	35836	65157	87246
Attack	205		301
Magic Attack	205		301
Defense	251		342
Magic Defense	251		342

Sephiroth Weaknesses & Resistances

Weakness / Status Ailments	-
Lesser Resistances	Fire, Ice, Lightning, Wind, Magic
Greater Resistances	Fixed Damage
Immunities	Poison, Silence, Sleep, Slow, Stop, Berserk, Proportional Damage
Absorbed Elements	-

Stagger Rates

Melee	Ranged	Magic	Fire
×1	×1	×1	×1
Ice	Lightning	Wind	-
×1	×1	×1	-

Stagger Length

Stagger Length	5 seconds

Rewards

	Easy/Normal	Hard
Gil	0	0
AP	0	0
Exp	0	0
Items Dropped	-
Rare Items Dropped	-
Steal	-

Learnable Enemy Skills

No Enemy Skills can be learned from Sephiroth.

List of Enemy Skills

Sephiroth Boss Fight Guide

Sephiroth Abilities and Attack Patterns

Name	Element	Blockable?	Knockdown?	Status
Slash	-	Yes	No	-
	Raises his sword to the upper left and slashes down to the right.
Aeolian Onslaught (Side)	-	Yes	No	-
	Spins his body clockwise while slashing at a target.
Aeolian Onslaught (Down)	-	No	No	-
	Uppercuts a target then slams down with his sword.
Telluric Fury	-	Yes	No	-
	Charges at a target and hits 3 times with his sword.
Scintilla	-	Yes	No	-
	Crouches down with his sword behind him. If attacked, will counter attack with a series of blows.
Firaga		Yes	No	-
	Cast Firaga on a target.
Blizzaga		Yes	Yes	-
	Casts Blizzaga on a target.
Masamune in Waiting (Hard)	-	-	-	-
	Raises his sword in front of him, blocking any incoming damage.
Moon Slash	-	Yes	Yes	-
	Pulls his sword back to his right and sweeps it to the left.
Boundless Void	-	No	Yes	-
	Sephiroth pierces the ground with his sword, dragging a target towards him before uppercutting them.
Zanshin	-	Yes	No	-
	Readies his sword and fires off waves of energy at a target.
Hell's Gate	-	No	Yes	-
	Jumps into the air and lands on top of a target, followed by a 6 directional wave of energy from the ground.
Thundaga		Yes	No	-
	Casts Thundaga on a target
Aeroga		Yes	No	-
	Casts Aeroga on a target.
Elemental Infusion	-	-	-	-
	Changes his elemental affinity and weakness.
Octaslash	-	No	Yes	-
	Rushes to a target and deals 8 blows that cannot be blocked.
Flamewall		No	No	-
	Sends fire running across the ground 4 times for 12 seconds that erupt into walls of fire. The walls of fire will last for 10 seconds.
Frostspike		No	Yes	-
	Summons 4 ice crystals that will explode in 8 seconds if not destroyed.
Thunderstorm		Yes	No	-
	Sends lightning bolts across the battlefield 6 times over 8 seconds. Each lightning bolt will strike twice.
Windwail		Yes	Yes	-
	Will use wind imbued Telluric Fury and Aeolian Onslaught that have an extra 3 hits after execution. Casting Aeroga leaves a gust of wind on the battlefield for 5 seconds to deal damage to anyone who enters it.
Shadowflare	-	Yes	Yes	-
	During phase 3 summons a single orb of energy under a target, while in phase 4 causes them to appear randomly on the battlefield. Each orb lasts for 2 seconds.
Blade of Ruin	-	No	Yes	-
	Brings his sword above his head and slashes down after 2.5 seconds.
Shadow Slice	-	Yes	No	-
	Shoots dark orbs that will home in on a target. If a target is hit, they will become unable to move for 7 seconds. While in the sky will shoot less but stronger orbs that do not halt movement.
Wave of Nihility	-	Yes	No	-
	After emitting a dark aura, stabs his sword towards the ground and releases a shockwave.
Divine Proclamation	-	-	-	-
	Starts counting down from 9 to 1. If the countdown completes, the entire party will wipe.
Heartless Angel	-	No	Yes	-
	Jumps into the sky and dives into the ground, creating a large explosion with a wide radius that reduces anyone hit's HP to 1.

*Status Effects and Ailments Guide

Best Characters for This Boss

Available Characters

Cloud	Barret	Tifa	Aerith

In Phase 1 of the fight, only Cloud will be available. Another party member will join in Phase 2, and finally, one of the remaining two characters will join in Phase 3.

While initially believed to be random, the party members who join you when you fight Sephiroth is actually decided by a point system based on actions performed in the battle with the Whisper Harbinger. Depending on the point values at the end of the fight with Whisper Harbinger, different characters will show up during the final fight.

How to Choose Who Fights Sephiroth

Recommended Characters

By the time your other party members join the fight, Sephiroth will be using powerful magic attacks that can knock out your entire party. It's a good idea to have a tank character like Barret who cna potentially weather attacks like Heartless Angel with a few HP Up Materia under his belt. Having Aerith as a healer and offensive magic user during Phase 3, when Sephiroth gains a weakness to a certain element, will help back up Cloud effectively.

Sephiroth Attack Phases

Phase 1

	Phase Point Summary
1	Cloud will fight Sephiroth one-on-one.

Phase 2

	Phase Point Summary
1	Another party member will join to help Cloud fight Sephiroth.

Phase 3

	Phase Point Summary
1	One more character from the remaining two will join the fight to help Cloud and the first character.

Phase 4

	Phase Point Summary
1	Sephiroth will start using his most dangerous attacks, like Heartless Angel, and begin counting down Divine Proclamation.

Tips & Strategies for Beating Sephiroth

★ Strategy Checklist ★ (Click to jump)
Don't Use an Elemental Materia Fill his Focus Gauge Use Counterstance liberally Use Support Magic on Cloud Target His Elemental Weakness Stay Away During Heartless Angel Finish Him Before the Countdown Reaches 0

Don't Use an Elemental Materia

Sephiroth taking reduced damage from a sword equipped with Fire Materia + Elemental Materia.

Sephiroth has a Lesser Resistance to all four elements – Fire, Ice, Lightning, and Wind. If you have an Elemental Materia equipped to Cloud's sword, all your attacks will have Reduced damage This becomes even more dangerous in phase 3 when he will start to absorb a random element. Instead of Elemental, use the extra slot for something like Steadfast Block which will help you weather Sephiroth's attacks.

Fill his Focus Gauge

Although he does not take much damage from attacks, Sephiroth's Focus Gauge fills more quickly than other bosses. When you see his Focus Gauge rising, continue hammering hard with attacks to max out his Focus Gauge and stagger him, then follow through with a Limit Break or powerful Ability.

Use Counterstance Liberally

Cloud using Counterstance to hit directly after Blizzaga.

Particularly in Phase 1 of the battle, in which Cloud goes toe-to-toe and sword-to-sword with Sephiroth, you'll want to take advantage of Twin Stinger's Counterstance Ability. Unlike Punisher Mode's auto-counter, Counterstance is able to counterattack even against offensive Magic, so you'll be able to use it to hit back against Sephiroth regardless of what he uses against you.

Use Support Magic on Cloud

As Sephiroth has a Lesser Resistance to Magic for most of the fight, casting offensive Magic against him won't always be the best way to take him down. You're better off buffing Cloud with bonuses like Barrier and Manaward to protect from both Physical and Magic attacks, as well as Haste, to ensure he can use Counterstance as much as possible.

Target His Elemental Weakness

During phase 3, Sephiroth will use a random Elemental Infusion ability that will allow him to absorb the element as well as become weak to another. Targetting this weakness will help to increase the Focus Gauge quicker so this is the best time to use offensive magic.

Elemental Weaknesses

Infusion Skill	Weakness
Fire Infusion	Blizzard
Ice Infusion	Fire
Lightning Infusion	Aero
Wind Infusion	Lightning

Stay Away During Heartless Angel

When Sephiroth uses Heartless Angel, anyone in range will have their HP reduced to 1, which can lead to a swift death. As there is a range involved, steering clear of Sephiroth during this attack will prevent you from taking damage. In the event you do get hit by it, there is a small window where you can pull off a clutch heal, so not all is lost.

Finish Him Before the Countdown Reaches 0

When Sephiroth becomes low on health, he will begin counting down to Divine Proclamation. When the number reaches 0, your entire party will take 9999 damage and instantly game over, so go all out with your strongest abilities during this time.

Sepiroth: Hard Mode Guide

Recommended Materia

Cloud

Recommended Materia for Cloud
Steadfast Block	Healing or Chakra	Revival

Until the final phase, it is best to make Cloud your tank and counter every attack possible. With the Steadfast Block materia equipped, guarding will also increase your ATB gauge so you can continue to use Counterstance.

As healing magic's potency is reliant on your Magic Attack, you should equip the Chakra materia if you go with the Hardedge or the Healing materia if you choose the Iron Blade which has higher Magic Attack.

Everyone Else

Recommended Materia for your Party
Healing ✕ Magnify	Steadfast Block	Revival
Fire, Ice, Lightning, Wind

Use the above to support Cloud with healing and offensive magic. You especially want to take advantage of the times when Sephiroth has an elemental weakness to lay on the hurt.

Characters that aren't being targetted tend to guard more often so giving everyone Steadfast Block will help you to keep your party member's ATB gauges up as well.

Hard Mode Guide

Stagger Sephiroth With Counterattacks

During the first few phases, put Cloud into Punisher Mode and prepare his auto-counter to quickly stagger Sephiroth and push him through phases. Choosing a route other than countering will make progressing past the first phase more difficult, so unless you're looking for more challenge, counter your way to victory. Once one of your party members has joined the battle, things get a little trickier and countering is less effective. Once you've countered an attack start going to town on Sephiroth.

Protect Your Party Members During Elemental Infusion

When Sephiroth starts imbuing himself with an element, take his attention with Cloud and have your other party members attack him with their strongest magic.

►Sephiroth's Weaknesses

Wait Out Heartless Angel in the Final Phase

During the final phase it's okay to play it safe and guard from a distance. When Sephiroth teleports himself to you and starts to prepare Heartless Angel, immediately run away and wait until it goes off before continuing your assault. It is much easier to get away if you run in the opposite direction of him rather than using the O button to evade Heartless Angel.

This is also the best time to pull of any Limit Breaks you may have been holding on to.

Boss Fight Related Articles

List of Boss Battles

Major Story Bosses

All Major Story Bosses
Chapter 1	Scorpion Sentinel
Chapter 4	Roche
Chapter 5	Crab Warden
Chapter 7	Airbuster
Chapter 8	Reno Rude
Chapter 9	Hell House
Chapter 10	Abzu
Chapter 11	Ghoul Eligor
Chapter 13	Failed Experiment
Chapter 14	Abzu (2nd Fight)
Chapter 15	The Valkyrie
Chapter 16	Specimen H0512
Chapter 17	Jenova Dreamweaver Rufus The Arsenal
Chapter 18	Motor Ball Whisper Harbinger Sephiroth

VR Mission Bosses

All VR Mission Bosses
Chapter 8	Shiva
Chapter 9	Fat Chocobo
Chapter 13	Leviathan
Secret Boss	Bahamut
Superboss	Pride and Joy Prototype

Story Sub-Bosses

All Story Sub-Bosses
Chapter 2	The Huntsman
Chapter 3	The Hoodlums
Chapter 4	Enigmatic Spectre
Chapter 12	Enigmatic Spectre
Chapter 17	M.O.T.H. Unit Brain Pod Swordipede

Monster Variants & Optional Sub-Bosses

All Monster Variants & Optional Sub-Bosses
Chapter 3	Doomrat Cerulean Drake Wrath Hound
Chapter 8	Hedgehog Pie King Mark II Monodrive Venomantis Chromogger
Chapter 14	Rust Drake Tonberry Trypapolis Type-0 Behemoth
Chapter 17	Malboro

Intergrade and INTERmission Bosses

Intergrade and INTERmission Bosses
Chapter 1	Levrikon Gigantipede
Chapter 2	Scarlet & The Crimson Mare Projector Nero the Sable
Optional	Ramuh Weiss the Immaculate Pride and Joy Mk. 0.5 (Top Secrets)