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[xellos2099alpha]

I am wondering what's people opinion on this? In the long history of JRPG there had been bosses that got close to impossible difficulty spike compare to anything before that are impossible to overcome without massive grinding. Final boss and side-quest boss don't count as they are usually design to be hard or a challenge.

Mine go to Borgan from Lunar Eternal Blue. In fact he is so hard in game universe that a character mention final boss first form is easier as a fourth wall joke.

Spoiler alert of course

 

[Greedings]

Persona 4 had a couple of silly difficulty spikes. Yukiko being the worst offender.

 

[Dunki]

the newest one Tales of Vesperia Gutso. This wolf/fox thing was an insane spike

 

[xellos2099alpha]

Persona 4 had a couple of silly difficulty spikes. Yukiko being the worst offender.

Yeah that one was pretty bad unless you prepare the persona for it

 

[V2Tommy]

Seymour Flux in Final Fantasy X is a popular one. That really stopped a few people cold back in the day.

 

[Danjin44]

I personally LOVE them. It forces you to really learn the mechanics of those games.

 

[Nymphae]

I'm no RPG encyclopedia, but there are several places in Xenogears that you get annihilated by bosses if you didn't grind like a motherfucker beforehand, you'd lose hours of progress having to go back to older saves because you saved in the middle of a scenario with a ridiculous boss and there is literally no way to level up.

 

[xellos2099alpha]

I'm no RPG encyclopedia, but there are several places in Xenogears that you get annihilated by bosses if you didn't grind like a motherfucker beforehand, you'd lose hours of progress having to go back to older saves because you saved in the middle of a scenario with a ridiculous boss and there is literally no way to level up.

Sewer was bad and FU Hammer and Rambus

 

[Cert.in.Death]

Gonna have to dig into the memory vault for a moment...

Legend of Legaia - Berserker and Xian were both intense mid-game difficulty spikes that sorta continue through to the end of the game. It’s imperative you spend time leveling simply to compete against bosses thereafter (farming materials to allay status effects and capturing Seru for spells is also necessary).

Final Fantasy X - Primarily, the spike occurs at Mt. Gagazet, where you have to fight the 2nd form of Seymour (sorry for the spoilers, but the game is 15+ years old), then the mountain guardian before then descending into Zanarkand and fighting Yunalesca. That area was pretty brutal, particularly if you hadn’t acquired the proper debuff spells or did not possess enough items to survive the ads on your way through those zones.

Wild Arms 2 - This is is perhaps not objectively true, but a handful of encounters really got tough in that game from what I recall of it. Fighting Kain(?) - the female bounty hunter - as well as the lengthy dungeons where you have to kill the 4 outlaws/terrorists were particularly difficult.

I’m quite keen to read others’ submissions.

 

[xellos2099alpha]

I also want to add Phantasy Star IV:.ALL the named main story bosses. I recall I was utterly destoried by Zio the first time I got to him. Then it was fucking Dark Forces. Worst offenders was Lassic 3 lacky who will control-alt-delete if you do not kill one of them quickly due to their combination attack. The game predate current internet so there ain't guide to tell you what bosses are hard

 

[sublimit]

Dhoulmagus from DQVIII. That was straight up unfair if you didn't grind before it.Thankfully that was the only major spike in that game.

Also the first boss of DQV ( Haunted Housekeeper) was the first and only difficulty spike in that game.It was the first time i had to grind so early in any game.

Persona 4 had a couple of silly difficulty spikes. Yukiko being the worst offender.

I don't remember i had any major problems with her. It was Shadow Mitsuo that made me quit the game.

 

[Danjin44]

I don't remember i had any major problems with her. It was Shadow Mitsuo that made me quit the game.

In Persona 4 Golden they made her much more easier than original Persona 4. To me She is not even that hard compare to SMT Nocturne and SMTIV.

 

[sublimit]

In Persona 4 Golden they made her much more easier than original Persona 4. To me She is not even that hard compare to SMT Nocturne and SMTIV.

Ah ok i didn't knew that. I only played the Vita version.

 

[kingbean]

I personally LOVE them. It forces you to really learn the mechanics of those games.

I'm currently playing Nocturne for the 1st time and yes, this boss was a major pain in the ass. Mainly because I had a bad save location and had to redo some stuff then I had to do a little (lot) of grinding. Luckily I had no trouble getting the right demons to help make the fight easier.

 

[Danjin44]

I'm currently playing Nocturne for the 1st time and yes, this boss was a major pain in the ass. Mainly because I had a bad save location and had to redo some stuff then I had to do a little (lot) of grinding. Luckily I had no trouble getting the right demons to help make the fight easier.

And thats what the game try to teach you with that boss. Demon fusion in SMT is even more crucial than in Persona series, because they are your party members instead of your powers like in Persona.

 

[kingbean]

And thats what the game try to teach you with that boss. Demon fusion in SMT is even more crucial than in Persona series, because they are your party members instead of your powers like in Persona.

Immunity to force and healing is all thats really needed for that boss.

Game also teaches you pretty early that buffs and debuffs actually work.

 

[Pallas]

Persona 2: Eternal PunishmentI remember having the hardest time with Kandori in Persona 2: Eternal Punishment on Nanjo’s route. You fight him along with 4 X-2 robots, it was a very sharp increase in difficulty in boss fights and unless you were prepared, you would easily get overwhelmed.

Final Fantasy Tactics Wiegraf/Velius This was such a highly difficult battle in both phases, auto potion skill made the first portion survivable if you had it, but the second phase, was mainly about luck, I also remember being stuck when I had died on this boss fight. Many considers this the hardest fight in the game.

Wild Arms 2 - This is is perhaps not objectively true, but a handful of encounters really got tough in that game from what I recall of it. Fighting Kain(?) - the female bounty hunter - as well as the lengthy dungeons where you have to kill the 4 outlaws/terrorists were particularly difficult.

I’m quite keen to read others’ submissions.

She was pretty difficult but I always found the bizarre battles against Liz(Toka) and Ard(Ge) to be some of the toughest in that game at different intervals since if I recall you fight them multiple times throughout the game.

 

[CatCouch]

Just off the top of my head:

It took me more than a year to grind until I could beat the final boss of Lunar 2.

There was a mech battle toward the end of Xenogears I never beat. I tried and tried but could never beat it.

More recently there is an early boss in Hyperdimension Neptunia Rebirth 1 that blindsides you requiring at least some grinding.

Shin Megami Tensei Digital Devil Saga had a 7 headed snake boss, IIRC, towards the end of the first game that gave me hell.

 

[JareBear: Remastered]

Final Fantasy Tactics Wiegraf/Velius This was such a highly difficult battle in both phases, auto potion skill made the first portion survivable if you had it, but the second phase, was mainly about luck, I also remember being stuck when I had died on this boss fight. Many considers this the hardest fight in the game.

I remember failing many times on this one. Loved this game as a kid

 

[TeamGhobad]

FFX final boss, you had to go through a maze fighting enemies until you reached the boss everytime.

 

[Cert.in.Death]

Persona 2: Eternal PunishmentI remember having the hardest time with Kandori in Persona 2: Eternal Punishment on Nanjo’s route. You fight him along with 4 X-2 robots, it was a very sharp increase in difficulty in boss fights and unless you were prepared, you would easily get overwhelmed.

Final Fantasy Tactics Wiegraf/Velius This was such a highly difficult battle in both phases, auto potion skill made the first portion survivable if you had it, but the second phase, was mainly about luck, I also remember being stuck when I had died on this boss fight. Many considers this the hardest fight in the game.

She was pretty difficult but I always found the bizarre battles against Liz(Toka) and Ard(Ge) to be some of the toughest in that game at different intervals since if I recall you fight them multiple times throughout the game.

I was hesitant in naming those fights because they’re one-offs, mainly, while the Kain fight happens either soon after one of those encounters or just before having to go to each of the towers to kill the outlaw characters.

 

[TheShadowLord]

Isn't the final boss from DQ9 painfully hard or something? I know because it is the final boss and it is supposed to be hard. But from what I heard, it requires you to grind a lot just to beat it.

 

[John Day]

Wiegraf in FFT, that fucker with battles in a damn row!

Xenogear’s Id in Zeboim the first time you go like hot damn dude chill!

Xenogears too! Elly under drugs! A pair of fights and then her immediately, when that early Gear Fuel is precious!

I’m sure there are many more!

 

[John Day]

Forgot that FFX’s Seymour fight in the mountains.

 

[AV]

I'm only half joking.

 

[UltimateUnknown]

I'd say Elizabeth in Persona 3. But that's kind of expected since she is a post-game boss.

The game lulls you into a sense of security by then and you're dominating everything in sight until you take a Megidolaon to the face and get 1 shotted into oblivion.

 

[Greedings]

I'm only half joking.

As a kid this definitely checked me. When I replayed HG/SS I annihilated that POS without any issue.

 

[AdamisFox]

Final Fantasy X, the fight against Sin on top of the ship...

 

[Starlight Lotice]

Seymour from Final Fantasy X (ALL ENCOUNTERS)

If you do not prepare...prepare to grind like hell.

Minions Auto Heal, Seymour attacks Twice and does high Damage. Anime can OHKO you if you are not careful (and ignore Tidus advice).

Then he just gets ridiculous in the 3rd Encounter with that Zombie attack and Auto Life combo.

 

[JohannCK]

I personally LOVE them. It forces you to really learn the mechanics of those games.

I like it when games tell you to go learn how they work (a couple of Tartaros bosses in Persona 3 did that, I recall), but not when the mechanics are gated behind levels. I distinctly remember having to grind for an hour or two just to be able to make an Amenouzume with a group heal for the Matador fight.

 

[Diddy X]

I haven't played too many JRPG but one boss that represented a spike and I remember is this

The first boss in Lost Odyssey, I don't remember there being anything special about this boss, it was just too strong for my level so I had to grind for a couple hours and actually equip the best equipment, see, this made me realize that items played an imortant role in the game.

 

[Pallas]

I haven't played too many JRPG but one boss that represented a spike and I remember is this

The first boss in Lost Odyssey, I don't remember there being anything special about this boss, it was just too strong for my level so I had to grind for a couple hours and actually equip the best equipment, see, this made me realize that items played an imortant role in the game.

That and the second boss after that, where you had to fight it twice without resting. Almost all the bosses after that sans some of the optional ones were pretty easy.

 

[Chairman Tickles]

Every boss in this awful awful game (Quest 64)

 

[Mr Hyde]

I agree that Xenogears had a lot of difficult bosses, often inserted after a lengthy cutscene with loads of dialogues. If you came unprepared or underleveled it was almost impossible to advance. I remember one boss, if it was Miyang or Esmeralda, who had a gear equipped with long tentacles that stole your fuel. It was hard as hell and I managed to beat on pure luck. Come to think of it, I believe Xenogears is the hardest JRPG I have ever played.

 

[Turnip Truck]

The end of Final Fantasy XIII-2. Too many extremely powerful enemies in quick succession without the option to save in between some of these battles. You battle Pacos Amethyst and Pacos Luvulite who keep reviving each other so it's a nasty long battle. Then you run into a proto-behemoth that will wipe you out. And that's not even the final boss sequence. After repeating that sequence multiple times, I finally gave up and never went back.

 

[Fbh]

IMO the final boss in Resonance of Fate.
Late into the game there's a moment when from one chapter to the other there's suddenly this big difficulty spike which was still manageable... until the final boss

I mean, the final boss should be hard but while I managed to get through the rest of the game without grinding too much it's a shame that right at the end you are met with a difficulty spike that means you'll have to spend several hours grinding if you want to see the end

 

[Queso de Grande]

I'm no RPG encyclopedia, but there are several places in Xenogears that you get annihilated by bosses if you didn't grind like a motherfucker beforehand, you'd lose hours of progress having to go back to older saves because you saved in the middle of a scenario with a ridiculous boss and there is literally no way to level up.

I came to say this. Xenogears felt like every 4th or 5th boss was a huge jump in difficulty.

 

[JimmyRustler]

Came in to say FFX at Mt. Gagazet... See it's already covered.

That part was crazy. I was like... What the hell is going on all of a sudden?

 

[VectorVictor]

Lost Odyssey had an optional boss and area via DLC that required you to be a master of buffs and strategy in order to take it down. Like, you had to make sure people in your party died to properly buff the other folks, then rez them at a certain time, etc.

I could never beat that guy--that whole area and boss was a mindf*** that I couldn't ever figure out.

Hardest boss ever, to be honest. Don't remember any others that were as tough as the LO DLC boss.

 

[sublimit]

Came in to say FFX at Mt. Gagazet... See it's already covered.

That part was crazy. I was like... What the hell is going on all of a sudden?

Yunalesca in FFX was also pretty tough. The first time i played the game i almost broke my controller due to my rage lol

 

[Virex]

Final Fantasy X if you decided to not use Kimahri all that much.

 

[Shaqazooloo]

Off the top of my head, The Minotaur from Shin Megami Tensei IV. You pretty much hit a break wall at that point and have to super grind to even stand a chance and take your time to fully understand the mechanics.

It's worth it for that kickass boss theme though.

 

[FStubbs]

A more recent example is the the boss at the end of Alfyn's third chapter in Octopath Traveler. Recommended level 33ish? You'd better be level 40 for that boss.

 

[mejin]

Earlier this month I finished The Last Remnant Remastered and there I remember Gates of Hell and mother fucker The Fallen.

 

[Lionel Richie]

Definitely Matador if you're not used to playing the game how it's meant to be played.

 

[xellos2099alpha]

A more recent example is the the boss at the end of Alfyn's third chapter in Octopath Traveler. Recommended level 33ish? You'd better be level 40 for that boss.

Ouch the bandit boss... flashback....

 

[zenspider]

Can't do markups on my phone, but Xenoblade Chronicles had one towards the end that put itself back on my shelf.

 

[SLoWMoTIoN]

Never had a problem with any SMT boss. I can see why people have brought up Minotaur since you can be kicking his ass easily then one of your dumb ass HUMAN friends casts agi on him and gives him a free smirk but even then eh. RGN gods watched over on those extra bosses so I can't count them as being a difficulty spike or w/e. Like Satan from DDS2 or the extra 4 from Strange Journey Redux.

 

[Danjin44]

Never had a problem with any SMT boss. I can see why people have brought up Minotaur since you can be kicking his ass easily then one of your dumb ass HUMAN friends casts agi on him and gives him a free smirk but even then eh. RGN gods watched over on those extra bosses so I can't count them as being a difficulty spike or w/e. Like Satan from DDS2 or the extra 4 from Strange Journey Redux.

It can be difficulty for most people how are not that familiar to Press turn combat in SMT/Persona.

Also really liked this boss in Redux, it had clever use of alignment mechanic.

Spoiler

 

[Mr Nash]

The Last Remnant kind of did. That general that could cast Galaxy was pretty rough. The thing with that game was that it had a weird level scaling system in place where bosses would be in certain stat ranges depending on what plateau the player was on. Depending on the situation, players could just barely find themselves on the next plateau, but this would result in the bosses being significantly stronger than the party because of the weird system. So, players would need to grind a bit to even things out, but not too much lest they creep into the next plateau and have the same problem.