Missed out on the Bastard Sword upgrade?
In Final Fantasy XVI, Aruna is a mighty Notorious Mark that throws powerful wind magic at Clive and his friends. Fortunately, you’ll quickly realize it is similar to beasts that you faced during the early stages of the game. If you slay this foe, you’ll gain a Clouded Eye, which is needed to upgrade the Bastard Sword.
Here’s where to find Aruna and how to beat it. Note that Aruna will only appear once you unlock the hunt board.
Final Fantasy XVI (FF16) Aruna location & directions
To head to Aruna, you’ll need to fast travel to the Northreach fast travel point. After that, leave the small town and run southwest into Claireview. From the distance, you should see this former Garuda ally hovering around the fields of this location.
Run up to this beast, and the battle will instantly begin. If you struggle with Aruna, however, you can run away to fight another day. It is a Level 27 creature, but I was able to beat it at Level 25.
How to beat Aruna in Final Fantasy XVI
If you remember the fight with Chirada and Suparna earlier in Final Fantasy XVI, you may know this creature’s not that hard to beat. The main part of the boss to watch for is their air blast attack. A row of energy will appear before Aruna, and you don’t want to be in its sights whenever the air blast is launched. Dodge out of the way, and you should be able to avoid the attack easily.
The trick is to look out for a green spark of energy from within the beast’s body. Once that occurs, try to precision dodge out of the way or parry their attack. Both of these options will give you opportunities to dwindle its stamina bar. Once that’s depleted, give Aruna the best attacks you have. Flames of Rebirth, for example, deals a ton of damage. While fighting Aruna, I found that the Limit Break lowers Aruna’s stamina meter dramatically.
Be weary of Aruna’s lunges as well. It will fly in the air and charge at Clive, launching him into the air. Try to use Swift Recoveries to get the protagonist back on his feet in no time. As you see the monster leaning forward, try to strike to get an awesome parry off it.
If you follow these tips, you should be able to defeat Aruna in Final Fantasy XVI easily. Don’t get cocky though. This is only a C-rank, unlike the Carrot, which is more difficult. The rewards for beating Aruna include: 350 experience points, 40 ability points, and a Clouded Eye.
