In Norse legend, Sliding is a mighty horse belonging to the all-father Odin, and has also been portrayed that way in previous Final Fantasy titles. But while Odin’s associations are still relevant, the Sleipnir you encounter in Final Fantasy 16 takes on quite a different form and is also one of the trickiest bosses in the game.
You will face Sleipnir at the end of The Free Cities of Kanver stage during the main scenario quest “Cloak and Dagger” in Final Fantasy 16. At this point in the game, you will have the power of five Eikons to help you in this quest. fight, so there are different ways to approach it as well.
Below you will learn how to defeat sleipnir in Final Fantasy 16, as well as how to prepare for that slippery opponent.
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How to prepare for Sleipnir in Final Fantasy 16
Sleipnir is one of the toughest bosses you’ll face in Final Fantasy 16 as a sort of old-school duel against a very formidable opponent versus a huge monster or an Eikon vs. Eikon showdown.
If you haven’t already, we recommend increasing Clive’s inventory size by completing the Strange Science quest, so you have more potions for this fight. While encounters during the level can also deplete your potion stash, if you get a Game Over you can at least retry the fight with a fully replenished stash.
Of the five Eikons you have, Phoenix and Garuda are probably essential to equip, as you’ll be able to warp and use Flames of Rebirth to regain health with the former and also use Deadly Takedown and Rook’s Gambit to counter with the latter.
For the third slot, it’s a toss up between Titan or Bahamut, though it depends on your playstyle. For melee-focused players who like to parry, the first’s Titanic Block is too good to pass up. against Sleipnir’s attacks, while Wind-up does heavy damage when you have an opening to punish.
For players who prefer to keep their distance and evade attacks, Bahamut’s Wings of Light begin casting Megaflare when activated. It also charges faster each time you get a precision dodge, and the higher the level (which can be mastered up to level 4), the more effective it is. Conversely, being hit can also lower the charge gauge, so waiting for this to cast can prolong the fight if you’d rather just get stuck.
In any case, make your decision and spend your ability points before entering the courtyard where the battle is taking place, because you will not be able to change Eikons once the cutscene has started or during the fight.
How to defeat Sleipnir in Final Fantasy 16
What makes Sleipnir a tricky opponent in Final Fantasy 16 is his speed. This is compounded by his ability to warp or close in on you at any time, while his sword’s charge thrust can also quickly follow a combo. You can run the risk of being distracted by anticipating the push and letting your guard down afterwards.
Luckily, he won’t follow up with a cheap attack as soon as he’s warped, so you usually have a moment to anticipate what’s to come. The most common move is his thrust, so as soon as he’s warped towards you, he’ll take a step back, charge his blade back, and then lunge forward with a sword thrust. He immediately follows with an upswing, then a quick flurry of swings. As the thrust moves forward, he’ll turn on you with these follow-ups, so don’t let your guard down just because you dodged to one side.
It’s possible to counter the initial push with an ability like Rook’s Gambit or Titanic Block, but keep in mind that these won’t break the follow-up. Nonetheless, a perfectly timed Rook’s Gambit will still freeze the action and land those counter moves, while allowing you to dodge the attacks that follow right after.
Two other potential attacks that Sleipnir can do after warping are launching a projectile ball of energy. It’s fairly easy to dodge, though you want to follow up with a magic blast rather than a melee counter. He can, however, have a blue aura around him as he slams his fist into the ground, and you’ll suddenly find yourself surrounded by an ominous dark red ring. This follows for a few seconds before flames shoot out from the ground. While you have a small window to escape those flames, Sleipnir continues to attack you during this time, so you have to juggle your attention between watching him and when the ground beneath you is about to burst into flames.
Your goal should be to try and counter the thrusts and then apply pressure to bring down his Willpower gauge. Rook’s Gambit is most effective when timed perfectly, while Bahamut’s Impulse or Megaflare can also shake it during combat, but the latter will only be effective if you are able to cast it at its max level. When partially staggered, use Deadly Takedown to further punish him.
Once he’s staggered, take that time to dish out all the high damage Eikon abilities you can or, if your limit gauge is maxed out, use that as well, and if you’ve taken damage, that state can also restore your health instead of immediately using your limited potion supply.
When Sleipnir is down to about two-thirds health, you’ll get a cutscene before he enters his next phase and gains a new weapon, Odin’s legendary spear, Gungnir. Fortunately, the first time he uses it will be a QTE, so press R1 when prompted for a cinematic escape. But we will have to arrange for the next ones.
Along with Gungnir, he has a few new attacks, which always turn the spear into red flames at extended range. One of them makes him load the weapon before giving him a big blow. He will now also use it in his thrust attack, followed by flaming swings from side to side in an upward diagonal motion before somersaulting back and performing a flaming charge thrust. It’s like a combo but be careful because he can also do them as individual attacks.
A special attack to also watch out for is Scar of Nibelung, where he leaps into the air before plunging the spear into the ground, emitting huge waves of flame that then spread out. You better keep your distance when this attack comes around.
As big and damaging as these new attacks are, they’re not immune to dodging, so it’s, again, a matter of carefully considering what he’s about to do, timing your breakouts before countering as you continue the process of reducing his willpower. deal more damage to his health bar.
If you take damage from his attacks, make sure to use your Limits or also use the Phoenix Rebirth Flame to regain health before using your potions if possible.
Once Sleipnir is down to a third of his health, he has another trick up his sleeve called Dead Man’s Bier. Here it will levitate in the air, glowing with fire and surrounded by flames so you can’t reach it. Once he disappears, bolts of flame will fall to the ground.
These are telegraphed with red rings of death before the actual strike, so you’ll have time to flee the explosion. This will then follow up with a few more columns of fire materializing on the ground, and when they explode, it will send fiery shockwaves to the ground, which you can jump on or use precision dodge. When Sleipnir rematerializes, he will send out two of these shockwaves side by side at once and perform a Scar of Nibelung-like dive emitting flamewaves. Talk about exaggeration.
The good news is that if you manage to dodge all of that, he stays vulnerable on the ground for a few seconds to recover, so now’s a great time to get in there and unleash all of your high-damaging abilities.
He also has a few extra attacks in this phase, including Creeping Darkness, where he sends balls of dark electro magic towards you, but which you should be able to escape from. There’s also Ratatoskr, where he rains down bolts of flame on you much like the first half of Dead Man’s Bier. Either way, these happen pretty quickly and aren’t hard to avoid.
Ultimately, you want to stay alert to Gungnir’s fast and fiery attacks, as well as Dead Man’s Bier, and make sure to come back for the punishing blows when the moments arise. Don’t let your guard down, because even at his last health he will continue to fight hard.
Sleipnir rewards in Final Fantasy 16
Defeating Sleipnir in Final Fantasy 16 will net you 5,200 XP, 420 Ability Points, and 3,500 Gil, with crafting materials in the form of 2 Blood Insignia, 45 Wyrrites, and 2 Meteors as loot.
But while you are victorious in this fight, the bad news is that you have an even tougher enemy to face after the one you are not quite ready to face, and, despite your best efforts, the Free Cities of Kanver aren’t looking great at all. As for Sleipnir, let’s just say you haven’t quite seen the last of him yet, either.
It wouldn’t be Final Fantasy without a few twists, would it.
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