After a false start in 2010 and a complete overhaul in 2013,Final Fantasy XIVhas managed to remain relevant and retain millions of players. Over the course of five major expansions and countless smaller patches and updates, the massive MMO, set in theFinal Fantasyuniverse, has grown beyond its initial scope. However, ever since the last expansion,Dawntrail,began, fans have been criticizing the MMO for not breaking out of its own mold—feedback that the game’sdirector Naoki Yoshida admits is valid.
Over the years, players have accompanied the beloved main cast of characters across an expansive world based loosely around our own Earth, and across time and space (several times). Of course, many of the characters and enemies that they’ve faced come from otherFinal Fantasytitles. There are stillseveral key bosses from across theFinal Fantasyfranchise that should make cameos inFinal Fantasy XIV,no matter what the future holds for the MMO.
10Air Buster From Final Fantasy 7
The Mechanics From The Original With The Style Of The Remake
With the release of the third andfinal installment of theFinal Fantasy 7 Remake,it would make sense forFFXIVto introduce some crossover characters and bosses. All theFinal Fantasy 7bosses are iconic, butone that would work particularly well inFFXIVis the Air Buster.
The robotic enemy is formidable enough in the originalFF7,with a unique fight that has two party members on either sidedeal massive amounts of damage to the enemy whenever its back is turned—a mechanic that would make the Air Buster an interesting battle in the MMO.
9Necron From Final Fantasy 9
Warning: Spoilers for the ending ofFinal Fantasy 9can be found in the next two paragraphs. To avoid the spoilers, skip ahead to the next heading.
For nearly all ofFinal Fantasy 9,you’re under the impression that your enemy and the final boss is Kuja. After all, the character thwarts your party at every turn, is out to destroy the world, and he has white hair—a staple ofFinal Fantasyantagonists.
At the very last moment, though, after finally defeating Kuja, you get to go up the true final boss of the game, Necron. This manifestation of existential dread comes completely out of left field inFF9,but would be right at home inFFXIV.From the epic design to the questioning of the world’s morality and mortality,Necron would fit in with the likes of Meteion from theEndwalkerexpansion.
8Masamune From Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis
Discover The Backstory Of Sephiroth’s Legendary Sword
Although it’s not one of the mainlineFinal Fantasytitles, the mobile gameFinal Fantasy 7: Ever Crisismakes some interesting additions toFF7lore. Among these lore drops isthe story of howSephiroth’slegendary long katana came to be,which includes the introduction of a new character, Masamune.
Players face the wordsmith Masamune(yes, the sword is named after its creator) inEver Crisis,in a fight that has the sword maker literally turn into the very fires that forged the sword. Surprisingly, Sephiroth’s sword isn’t inFinal Fantasy XIV,but if the MMO ever does add it, Masamune should be brought along with it to provide backstory.
7BGH251F2 From Final Fantasy 8
An Epic Fight Against A Literal War Machine
BGH251F2 isn’t the most memorable boss inFinal Fantasy 8,at least partially because of its difficult-to-recall name. The two times you fight it, though, definitely stand out in memory as tough and unique fights,similar to battling the recurring Alexander or Phantom Train.
Since both of the aforementioned fortress-like bosses arealready present in the MMO, it would make sense to bring BGH251F2 in, as well. Also known as Iron Clad,the Galbadian troop carrier has a high defense(thanks to being a literal armored war machine) and apowerful cannon that it uses liberally,and would make a great raid boss inFFXIV.
6Ardyn Izunia From Final Fantasy 15
FFXIV Should Bring In More Human Enemies
ThoughFinal Fantasy XIVoften brings in enemy bosses from other games,humanoid villains aren’t adapted for crossovers as often. When characters make cameos inFFXIV,they do so more often as allies than enemies.
An exception should be made for Ardyn, the main antagonist ofFF15.Battling against Ardyn in the MMO could be a potentially interesting experience, asthe baddie had an arsenal of ethereal weaponslike Noctus, which he pulled out of thin air. The mechanics kept players on their toes throughout the battle and would work well in a collaborative battle in the MMO.
5Wrexsoul From Final Fantasy 6
One Of Your Allies Is Now Possessed
Wrexsoul is one of those rare boss fights that I hopeFFXIVchanges up a bit if the MMO ever chooses to adapt it. In the originalFF6fight,the enemy “possesses” one of your team members, removing it from the fight for a few turns but otherwise doing the character no harm.
AnFFXIVadaptation of this fight would bemore interesting if the modern game decided to change up the classic fight.This might take the form of a raid, where one character, unbeknownst to the rest of the team, apart from a “tell,” becomes the possessed target for the others to seek out and unveil, adding an element of unpredictability to the battle.
4Genesis Rhapsodos From Crisis Core
The Return Of Genesis Would Make A Great Crossover Event
Genesis is thetragic,Loveless-poetry-obsessed antihero ofCrisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-.Although he doesn’t appear in the originalFinal Fantasy 7, his close ties to Sephiroth and several hints in the remake have many fans convinced that he’ll play a key role in the final part of theFinal Fantasy Remaketrilogy.
Although havingSephiroth himself appear inFFXIVwould make sense, Genesis would be afun change of pace and a less obvious choice. It would also allow for some potential fun theatrics, like bringing the main characters of the MMO into the world ofLoveless(in a way different from howFF7 Rebirthdid it, of course) or as a side story stemming from the mysterious sighting of a one-winged character.
3Evrae From Final Fantasy 10
Dodge Serpentine Poison Breath From Atop An Airship
There’s no shortage of dragons inFFXIV,so one more would fit right in with the existing roster. Evrae fromFinal Fantasy Xisn’t just another wyrm though—with astyle inspired by a mix of serpentine Japanese dragons and actual snakes,Evrae is an airborne fight that would be epic to replay as a standalone boss battle inFinal Fantasy XIV.
AnFFXIVversion of the battle—and the subsequent “zombie” version—would have parties dodging the boss monster’s poison breath and avoiding hitting it with melee when given the cue. The fight would be even more exciting in its original battleground,atop the airship Fahrenheit.
2Orphan From Final Fantasy 13
The Underrepresented Game’s Enemies Have Epic Designs
Final Fantasy 13isoften overlooked byFFfans, as the game struggled to win players over when it (and its two semi-sequels) launched. This might be whythe title is so underrepresented in theFFXIVrosterof boss monsters from otherFinal Fantasygames.
That’s unfortunate, because some of the unique monsters and enemies found inFF13have incredibly epic designs that would work quite well within the MMO’s world.Orphan—a mix between an angel and a one-armed sword—is one of the most striking boss monsters in theFF13world that should defintely be brought over toFFXIV.
1Tiamat From Final Fantasy 1
The Many-Headed Elemental Would Make A Great Throwback
The legendary Tiamat hs appeared in nearly everyFinal Fantasygame to date, includingFFXIV,where she’s depicted as a one-headed green wyrm. But what the MMO is missing is a representation of Tiamat as she appeared in the very firstFinal Fantasygame ever.
In this first iteration, Tiamat is a teal-hued, multi-headed dragon that serves as the Fiend of Wind. A fight with the original Tiamat as it appeared in the first game would be an awesome throwback to the franchise’s origin, and a fantastic addition to the list ofFinal Fantasy XIVbosses pulled from otherFinal Fantasygames.
