Kingdom Hearts 3’s final boss can be tricky. The Kingdom Hearts series has been building up to this moment for over 19 years. Kingdom Hearts 3 is the conclusion of the Xehanort saga and the moment fans have been waiting for. The series has always kept the bar high thematically when it came to the conclusions of its main numerical titles. In the original Kingdom Hearts, the final boss Ansem transformed into a giant monstrous ship while wielding a dual-ended blade that belonged to the child he possessed (these are things only the minds behind the Final Fantasy series can come up with). As for Kingdom Hearts II, Xemnas sends you to a realm of infinite nothingness to finish the job. Kingdom Hearts 3 continues its tradition in having over-the-top final bosses and here is a guide to help you beat them.
After the player defeats Ansem, Xemnas, and Young Xehanort, the elder Master Xehanort comes forward and eliminates Kairi in front of her friends. By killing her off, Xehanort is now able to unlock the power of Kingdom Hearts. While hope is lost, there’s one final attempt to set things right from our heroes. Sora, Donald and Goofy leap into a portal that comes from Master Xehanort’s heart and they appear in the beautiful Scala Ad Caelum. This peaceful town acts as the final battleground. There are 6 phases to this final battle. Make sure you bring as many Ethers and Hi-Potions as you can.
13 Xehanort’s Fight in Kingdom Hearts 3
Walk forward into the town. As you explore the town, more copies of Xehanort will appear. Each Xehanort copy is pulling their abilities from the New Organization 13. The Xehanorts each have their own hitbox, meaning each body shares its health with each other. Using Aeroga can trap multiple vessels and give out large amounts of damage. Also, blocking and using Counter Impact can hit multiple enemies at once. Keep using both of these methods and the first phase will be done.
Armored Xehanort in Kingdom Hearts 3
Xehanort warps the battlefield in this next phase. He begins the fight by generating green balls around Sora. The player can roll out of this attack by timing it properly. If the player finds themselves a long distance from Armored Xehanort, using Air Step will close that gap, as Armored Xehanort is constantly teleporting around the field. Block the incoming red, spinning attacks but do not retaliate until the move is over, as he will continue to keep swinging regardless of a counter. Eventually, Armored Xehanort will create a large, fiery pillar at the center of the map. Sora is able to block the incoming fireballs. After a while, he will lunge at the player. Block this and he will be open to attack. As the fiery pillar comes to an end, Xehanort begins to pull the player into a fireball. Mash rolling away and once the fireball explodes, Air Step to Xehanort to punish. Do this properly and Xehanort will begin his next phase.
Underwater Armored Xehanort in Kingdom Hearts 3
During this phase, your abilities are limited as you’re underwater. Meaning the player cannot rely on Links or Keyblade Transformations to help them out. Xehanort creates homing fire pillars above Sora and another move where it begins to pull Sora in before exploding. Time it properly and Sora can block both of these. After delivering some damage, Xehanort will surround Sora will more fiery pillars that swirl around him. Xehanort also continues attacking Sora with his Keyblade. Block the Keyblade swings and once the pillars stop spinning, block when they approach Sora. Repeat this process until Xehanort starts his next phase.
The Last Armored Xehanort Fight in Kingdom Hearts 3
The player returns to land and the entire city of Scala Ad Caelum is destroyed. After one normal combo from Xehanort, he warps to the center of the map and creates another fiery pillar. Air Slide out of the way of spawning fire pillars and block the fireballs that come from the center. During this portion of the fight, play defensively, as Xehanort won’t be open to punishment until it’s over. After some time, Xehanort will lunge at you. If you block this, he staggers and is now open to attack. His final attack to worry about in this phase is when he starts to pull Sora into a ball of light. Air Slide away from the ball. Xehanort will spawn green balls to pull you in. Time the air-slide properly to avoid it. Rinse and repeat until this phase is over.
Master Xehanort Fight in Kingdom Hearts 3
Sora, Donald, and Goofy make their way to the top of Scala Ad Caelum to face Master Xehanort, who is now using the power of the X-Blade. Throughout this fight, Xehanort will constantly teleport and lounge towards Sora. Block these attacks and punish him with a counter. This is all Xehanort does in this phase before making his way into the sky for his final clash. Xehanort creates a platform made of light and raises our heroes into the air.
The Last Xehanort Fight in Kingdom Hearts 3
Xehanort begins this phase by raining down dark fireballs onto Sora. Follow the timing of when they come in and block them. Similar to the first phase against this version of Xehanort, he will teleport and lunge towards Sora. Block these and counter to punish. He will repeat these two moves up until he reaches his desperation move. During his desperation move, Xehanort removes all the light from inside of Sora and the player needs to get that back. Every time Sora attacks Xehanort here, a bit of light will be returned to him. Avoid the light pillars by using Rage Forms barrier. When Xehanort shouts “Foolish!”, he will send rows of light in your direction. Block these and counter. This will stagger Xehanort, giving you an opportunity to attack him. Once you’ve collected enough light, the “Return To Light” prompt will appear. Players get a flashy cinematic of Sora attacking Xehanort. This concludes with Xehanort’s final attack. Chairs rise from the ground and Xehanort begins to send dark clones to attack Sora. Use the Wreck-It Ralph Link to avoid being killed during this attack. Once it’s over, cancel Ralph and the fight will return to when it started. Continue to attack Xehanort until the “Last Ray” prompt appears and players will be rewarded with a beautiful cinematic that will conclude Kingdom Hearts 3’s Final Boss.
If the player is not comfortable with using Links during his desperation move, they can learn the pattern by blocking and dodging at the correct time. Master Xehanort’s final clash wrapped up the Xehanort saga in the most thematic way possible. Sora, Donald, and Goofy come together with the power of friendship to push out the darkness. For all of the fighting, players can see how the Xehanort Saga concludes. While this is not the end of the Kingdom Hearts series, it does wrap up this 19-year-old saga with a bow.
More: Kingdom Hearts 3: How To Get 12 Million Points on Verum Rex (Centurion Trophy)
Kingdom Hearts 3 is available on the Playstation 4 and Xbox One.
