As Clive and gang make their way into a mysterious Fallen tower in Final Fantasy XVI Echoes of the Fallen, they’re immediately thrown into a gauntlet. The first real challenge is a boss fight against the intimidating Sigma.
Sigma is designed to protect the tower from intruders and does so with incredible displays of violence. For those like myself who haven’t played since beating the game shortly after its release, this fight is sure to shake off that rust. Here’s how to put that spooky scary skeleton down.
How to beat the first boss in Final Fantasy 16 Echoes of the Fallen
One super-important thing to know before stepping into the Tower is that once you’re inside, there’s no leaving without completely resetting your progress. Despite being an endgame activity, this series of fights is brutal and you’re going to be burning through potions and the like. I highly recommend completing any lingering sidequests, upgrading all of your pouches, and going in fully stocked.
General tips
I went into this fight at level 49 and while I wasn’t getting wrecked, I definitely felt it when Sigma would land an attack. Despite being so large, Sigma is surprisingly quick and nimble. That being said, it does have large wind-up times, so you should be able to either move or time your parry.
As for the Eikonic abilities, you can really get away with whatever you like here. I used Phoenix, Shiva, and Ramuh. Charged attacks work, but make sure you’re timing them appropriately.
As for how to beat it, pay attention to the named attacks and dodge accordingly. I didn’t have much success in parrying them. Normal attacks tend to be chained together, so always anticipate another blow. Fighting Sigma is a marathon, not a sprint. Play smart, don’t get too aggressive, and get your hits in where you can. My first time clearing it took about five intense minutes.
Sigma attacks
General attacks
Sigma likes to perform combos. It is incredibly rare for the construct to launch an individual attack without chaining into another. These can be named attacks, like those below, or a wide range of “normal” attacks. These include sweeping punches, kicks, projectiles, an E. Honda-esque torpedo, and AoE explosions.
Ballistic Kick
Sigma leaps backwards into the air before diving back to the ground with a fearsome sliding kick that can hit multiple times. It tends to link this into an AoE explosion.
Colossal Blow
Sigma plants both fists into the ground and summons six columns of flame in a 2×3 grid directly in front of it. After casting Fulmination the first time, Colossal Blow will trigger many columns of flame all around the construct instead of the 2×3 grid.
Fulmination
Sigma begins channeling energy in a circle around it. It then launches a series of explosive orbs in pulses from the circle. While dodging those, be aware that it will also send out ground pulses that must be jumped over or dodged.
As if that weren’t enough, it channels a version of Colossal Blow which creates large patches of explosive columns. These are indicated by the purple circles on the ground. You should have enough time to maneuver between grids before they erupt.
Fulmination ends when Sigma jumps into the air, curls into a ball of energy, and hurls itself toward you. If not dodged, it will inflict massive damage.
Plasmonic Pulse
Sigma slams its fist into the ground, creating a shockwave that covers the entire arena.
