This page contains a boss guide on Zodiark, the Keeper of Precepts, including boss stats and strategy guide on how to defeat it in Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age (FF12:TZA).
Zodiark, the Keeper of Precepts
If you’re looking for the Zodiark (Esper Guide), please click here.
| Zodiark | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Zodiark | Element | Dark |
| Combo | – | Receive | – |
| Steal | Serpentarius, Megalixir, Trango Tower | Poach | – |
Zodiark, Keeper of Precepts represents the zodiac sign of Ophiucus. As a representative of the Serpent Holder, the esper takes the form of a serpent. As one of the strongest espers, Zodiark stands at the peak among all the Espers especially as the wielder of the Dark Element. He also goes by another name known as the Serpentarius, which is represented by a rare gem that Vaan can steal.
Before acquiring Zodiark, one must have at least 10 Espers in order for him to recognize your potential. After that, speak to the Geomancer Yugelu at Jahara. There, he’ll open the doors which will lead you to the Henne Mines. The mines have many strong enemies but there are two ways to go through the mines: you can grind your way there or the Immobilize Glitch (which may be patched upon game release). Once you reach the end of the mines, Zodiark will wait for you at the end.
Battle Strategy
Things to note:
Upon entering the battlefield, the party cannot leave unless they defeat Zodiark. To start off, the esper will cast Darkja which deals heavy dark damage while having a small chance of inflicting blind. If one of your party members die while blinded, the status ailment will not heal itself. To soften the damage, equip the Bubble Belt as Darkja and its other attack, Banish Ray, is capable of inflicting 9,999 damage.
Once the battle starts, Zodiark will cast Haste, Shell, Reflect, and Protect. At half HP, the esper will cast Magick Wall which nullifies all incoming magick damage. At 25% HP, it will cast Shift which allow it to change its vulnerabilities. When Zodiark discovers that you have figured out its weakness, it will cast Shift again to change element.
When his HP hits Critical, Zodiark will cast Battle Cry which will increase his damage output. The already outrageous damage of both Darkja and Banish Ray will increase.
In order to counter this, use any armor or equipment that can absorb dark damage. While it cannot completely absorb damage , it will at least soften the incoming blow. Also, all characters must at least be level 70. Shields are useless against Zodiark due to his Ignore Evasion augment. However, there are still two shields that are viable for this battle: the Shell Shield which casts Auto-Shell or Demon Shield to absorb Dark damage.
Strategy
Before entering the battlefield, cast all the necessary buffs (i.e Shell, Protect, Reflect, and etc.). There are some buffs that are useful such as Bravery, Faith, and Regen. Some cast Berserk but the lowered defense may not be advisable when fighting Zodiark. Equip Bubble Belts and Black Masks to absorb the Dark elemental damage. For weapons, equip the Tournesol, Zodiac Spear, the Masamune, Holy Rod, the Excalibur, or even the Wyrmhero Blade. If none of the mentioned weapons are available, any weapon with Holy Attribute can do.
Be prepared to cast Dispel/Dispelga every turn due to Zodiark’s constant replenishing of his buffs. Also, another strategy involves casting Berserk on your strongest party member. However, this battle will require swapping between a main team and a reserve team. While the reserve team may not be as powerful, having one of the members equipped with Pheasant Netsuke may help especially when casting Arise. The main purpose of the reserve team is to replenish the main team in order to keep the damage output consistent.
The moment Zodiark shuffles his elemental resistances, equip weapons that have no elemental attribute. Or, you can also swap to using armor and accessories that can absorb Dark damage. While doing so, you can still cast non-elemental spells such as Scourge or Scathe. While Scathe deals the most damage, Scourge is preferred for faster casting time. You can also use Opal Ring in order to have your spells ignore the Reflect attribute.
When Zodiark reaches 25% HP, chain your Quickenings together to prevent Zodiark from casting Anti-Magick Wall. By doing so, the battle should end quickly.
Another strategy involves using Shemhazai and having it cast Soul Purge to open the battle. That way, you can gain the advantage of dealing 20% damage off Zodiark’s HP.
Stats
| Status | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Level | 66 | EXP | 0 |
| HP | 336,847 | MP | 999 |
| LP | 70 | Clan Points | 7610 |
| Gil | 0 | ||
Attributes
| Elemental Resistance | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fire | – | Earth | – |
| Ice | – | Holy | x2 |
| Water | – | Dark | Null |
| Wind | – | Elec | – |
However, Zodiark will change its Elemental Resistance once it detects that one has discovered its weakness.
Status Ailments/Attributes
| Immune | Status | Augments |
|---|---|---|
| Petrify | – | No Knockback |
| Sap | – | Ignore Vit |
| Doom | – | Ignore Environment |
| Silence | – | Low HP Mag +Half MP |
| Oil | – | If HP < 50%, ignore normal attack evade |
| Disease | – | 0 MP |
| Disable | – | If HP < 20%, Magick CTO |
| Immobilize | – | – |
| Berserk | – | – |
Related Articles
Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age / FFXII Recommended Article List
| ▼Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age Recommended Articles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Walkthroughs | Side Quests | Characters |
| Storyline Boss Guides | Sidequest Boss Guides | Esper Boss Guides |
| Job Class System | Gambit System | License Board System |
| Mob Hunts | Unchangeable Elements | Leveling Guide |
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