How to Beat Abzu (2nd Fight) | Boss Fight Guide (Normal & Hard Mode)

This is a guide to beating the Boss Abzu (2nd Fight) in the game Final Fantasy 7 Remake (FF7R). This article explains Abzu's attack patterns, weaknesses, and tips and strategies for defeating it on both Normal and Hard Mode.

Abzu (2nd Fight) Basic Information

Abzu

Stats and Weaknesses

Abzu
Species	Movement	Type
Biological	Grounded	Boss

Description

A giant beast that Don Corneo keeps in the sewers. Much more intelligent than it appears, it uses the surrounding environment to its advantage and attacks with sewer water.

Assess (Tips)

Magic attacks have only a slight effect on its stagger gauge, and ice attacks have no effect on the gauge at all.

Abzu Stats

	Easy	Normal	Hard
HP	21450	39000	93420
Attack	151		382
Magic Attack	151		382
Defense	110		268
Magic Defense	140		342

Abzu Weaknesses & Resistances

Weakness / Status Ailments	Fire
Lesser Resistances	Ice
Greater Resistances	-
Immunities	Poison, Silence, Slow, Proportional Damage
Absorbed Elements	-

Stagger Rates

Melee	Ranged	Magic	Fire
×1	×1	×0.25	×1
Ice	Lightning	Wind	-
×No effect	×1	×1	-

Stagger Length

Phase 1	Phase 2
10 seconds	10 seconds

Abzu Shoat

Stats and Weaknesses

Abzu Shoat
Species	Movement	Type
Biological	Grounded	Boss

Description

Offspring of Don Corneo's pet, Abzu. These feocious creatures live in herds down in the sewers. They immediately attack anything that moves.

Assess (Tips)

All attacks have only a slight effect on its stagger gauge.

Abzu Shoat Stats

	Easy	Normal	Hard
HP	2204~2950	4008~5364	7074
Attack	190~253		373
Magic Attack	148~196		283
Defense	111~145		194
Magic Defense	111~145		194

Abzu Shoat Weaknesses & Resistances

Weakness / Status Ailments	Fire
Lesser Resistances	-
Greater Resistances	-
Immunities	-
Absorbed Elements	-

Stagger Rates

Melee	Ranged	Magic	Fire
×0.25	×0.25	×0.25	×1
Ice	Lightning	Wind	-
×1	×1	×1	-

Stagger Length

Stagger Length	10 seconds

Rewards

	Easy/Normal	Hard
Gil	350	1125
AP	10	30
Exp	840	5400
Items Dropped	Phoenix Down (100%)
Rare Items Dropped	-
Steal	Turbo Ether (10%)

Learnable Enemy Skills

No Enemy Skills can be learned from Abzu.

List of Enemy Skills

Abzu (2nd Fight) Boss Fight Guide

Abzu Abilities and Attack Patterns

Name	Element	Blockable?	Knockdown?	Status
Smash	-	Yes	Yes	-
	Slams its left fist into a target.
Bash and Smash	-	Yes	Yes	-
	Moves towards a target, swinging its fists 3 times (5 once its HP goes below 75%).
Ground Pound	-	Yes	Yes	-
	Raises both arms and smashes them into the ground.
Pounce	-	No	Yes	-
	From up on a wall jumps down on top of a target, binding them while smashing its fists 5 times. If Abzu takes damage from abilities twice or a Limit Break, it will release them. If Pounce misses, Abzu will fall over instead but can still deal damage in this state.
Provoke	-	No	No
	Does a little dance, inflicting fury on a target.
Playtime	-	-	-	-
	Roars and commands the Abzu Shoats to use Diving Tackle and Headbutt.
Tailspin	-	Yes	No	-
	Spins while waving its tail around. Doesn't deal any damage after Abzu's tail is destroyed.
Charge	-	Yes	Yes	-
	Charges at a target and swings its horns upwards at them.
Backwash	-	No	No	(120 sec)
	Dirty water in the ground will come out of a few of the 4 puddles dealing damage to the party. All 4 puddles will release dirty water during phase 2 (and occurs twice on Hard mode).
Backwater Blast	-	No	Yes	(120 sec)
	Releases a large wave of sewage water from the drains on either side of the arena.
Reversal	-	Yes	Yes	-
	Spins in a half circle and swings out with its left fist. Often used directly after Tailspin.
Triple Charge	-	Yes	Yes	-
	Charges at a target 2-4 times (2-5 time on Hard mode).
Blackwater Deluge	-	No	Yes	(120 sec)
	Sewage water comes pouring out of each drain one at a time. Abzu and the Abzu Shoats can both be hit by this, however Abzu takes very little damage.
Enrage	-	-	-	-
	Beats its chest and its horns turn red, increasing its attack power but decreasing its defense.

*Status Effects and Ailments Guide

Abzu Shoat Abilities and Attack Patterns

Name	Element	Blockable?	Knockdown?	Status
Charge	-	Yes	No	-
	Rams into a target.
Headbutt	-	Yes	No	-
	Runs a short distance before headbutting a target.
Diving Tackle	-	Yes	No	-
	Dives into a target.
Collect	-	-	-	-
	Picks up something from the ground and uses it as a weapon.
Typhoon	-	Yes	Yes	-
	Spins around in circles throwing the items previously picked up with Collect. Damage is dependent on the items.
Toss	-	Yes	No	-
	Throws the item picked up with Collect. Damage depends on the item.
Spit Up	-	Yes	No	-
	Spits water from its mouth at a target.

*Status Effects and Ailments Guide

Best Characters for This Boss

Available Characters

Cloud

Barret

Tifa

Recommended Characters

Unlike the previous fight, you'll have Barret in your party this time to attack Abzu from long range. Equip Elemental Materia + Fire Materia to Barret to deal consistent damage to him throughout the fight, even when he moves out of range.

Otherwise, consider placing the Elemental + Fire combination on Cloud instead and using Iron Blade's Triple Slash to wipe out the Abzu Shoats that cause a nuisance this time around.

How to Get the Elemental Materia

Abzu (2nd Fight) Attack Phases

Uses powerful attacks and Tail to deal heavy damage

Abzu is encountered for the second time in the sewers in Chapter 14. Compared to the first time you battle him, he can dish out heavy damage with each attack, so don't take him too lightly just because you beat him the first time.

He'll also have Abzu Shoats to back him up this time, which continue to grow stronger throughout the fight. Be sure to keep track of each of your characters' HP, as they can go down quickly if you're not paying attention.

Tips & Strategies for Beating Abzu

★ Strategy Checklist ★ (Click to jump)
Use Fire Magic and Ifrit Take down the Abzu Shoats starting in Phase 2 Destroy the Tail and Shorten its Range Watch your HP when it's Enraged Avoid the drains before Backwater Deluge

Use Fire Magic and Ifrit

Like in the first battle with Abzu, he will be weak to Fire Magic, so equipping Fire Materia and summoning Ifrit will deal big damage to Abzu each time.

Equpping Elemental Materia together with Fire Materia will allow your standard attacks to hit with increased damage as well.

Take down the Abzu Shoats starting in Phase 2

In Phase 1 of the fight, they won't pose much of a threat, but the Abzu Shoats fighting alongside Abzu this time will start to use new moves like Headbutt and Diving Tackle in Phase 2 of the fight. At this point, take them down with Fire Magic before they cause too much of a hassle to your party.

Destroy the Tail and Shorten its Range

Unlike the first time you fight him, Abzu's Tail has been added as a target, and he will use it together with new Abilities. By destroying his Tail, you can shorten his attack range and disable his Tail attacks, so be sure to target it right off the bat.

Watch your HP when it's Enraged

When Abzu's HP is cut down to 30%, his horns will get red and he will use the Enrage Ability. His Attack will be significantly increased, and any of his attacks will deal about 1000 damage apiece, so be sure to watch your characters' HP carefully until the fight is won.

Avoid the drains before Backwater Deluge

Abzu will use Backwater Deluge to unleash waves of sewer water onto your party, hitting for about 1500 damage if you get caught by it. When you see Abzu preparing this attack, move to a position out of the line of fire of the drains. The left and right drain will start the attack at different times, so be wary and watch carefully when avoiding this attack.

Abzu (2nd Fight): Hard Mode

Best Characters and Equipment

Cloud	Weapon: Mythril Saber Armor: Force Bracelet Accessory: Criclet
Tifa	Weapon: Feathered Gloves Armor: Force Bracelet Accessory: Champion Belt
Barret	Weapon: Light Machinge Gun Armor: Chain Bangle Accessory: Healing Carcanet

Best Materia to Use

The number of slots in your Weapon may vary depending on your Weapon Level.

Cloud

Weapon (6 Slots)
Elemental+ Fire		Magic Up
Magic Up	Revival	Chakra
Armor (4 Slots)
HP Up	HP Up	MP Up
MP Up
Summon
Leviathan

Tifa

Weapon (6 Slots)
Elemental+ Fire		First Strike
Time	Revival	Chakra
Armor (4 Slots)
HP Up	HP Up	Steadfast Block
Parry
Summon
Ifrit

Barret

Weapon (6 Slots)
Magnify+ Healing		Steadfast Block
Binding	Revival	Fire
Armor (4 Slots)
HP Up	HP Up	MP Up
MP Up
Summon
Shiva

★How to Beat Abzu (2nd Fight) on Hard Mode★ (Click to jump)
Becomes harder to Stagger with Fire Magic Focus on Breaking the Horn First Cast Sleep on Abzu Handle the Abzu Shoats with Fire Elemental Triple Slash Follow your uncontrolled characters to avoid Backwater Deluge

Becomes harder to Stagger with Fire Magic

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Compared to the first battle with Abzu on Hard Mode, he's become significantly harder to Stagger by simply throwing Fire Magic at him. Although it continues to be an effective method of dealing damage, you won't be able to disable him the way you were in Chapter 10.

Focus on Breaking the Horn First

While you can target both Abzu's horn and tail, they both take awhile to break. It is better to focus on the horn first. It has less health and can be broken first.

Cast Sleep on Abzu

You can cast Sleep on Abzu to temporarily disable it. It is useful during the later phases when you are starting to get overwhelmed by the Shoats. You cast Sleep on Abzu to give yourself more spave to deal with the Shoats. Watch out for Abzu using Enrage. Sleep will no longer work after it uses it.

Handle the Abzu Shoats with Fire Elemental Triple Slash

By equipping Cloud with the Elemental + Fire Materia, he can deal increased damage to the Abzu Shoats with Iron Blade's Ability Triple Slash. Wait for the right moment and you can hit multiple Abzu Shoats in a single attack, and up to three out in one blow.

Follow your uncontrolled characters to avoid Backwater Deluge

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Backwater Deluge works the same way on Hard Mode – avoid the drains to avoid eating a mouthful of sewer water. When you have trouble figuring out when and where it will hit, check how your uncontrolled characters move after the Ability name appears. Although they sometimes make a mistake, characters avoiding the move will tend to stand near Abzu while guarding. Follow their example as a good rule of thumb for finding a safe space to evade the attack.

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)