If you played Final Fantasy XV back in 2016, you probably remember the hype surrounding the Trial of Leviathan. It was the centerpiece of every trailer. Square Enix marketed the hell out of it. We saw Noctis flying through a collapsing city, dodging water cyclones, and facing down a god-sized sea serpent. It looked like the peak of action RPG design. But when players actually got their hands on the Final Fantasy XV Leviathan encounter, the reality was... complicated.
Some people loved the spectacle. Others felt like they were just holding down a button while the game played itself.
Honestly, the Hydraean is one of the most mechanically bizarre bosses in the entire franchise. It shifts the game from a grounded, tactical action-combat system into a floaty, supernatural bullet-hell shooter. This isn't just a boss fight; it’s a narrative pivot point that changes Noctis from a displaced prince into a true King of Kings. But did it actually work? Let’s get into what really happened during that development cycle and why the fight feels the way it does.
The Messy Development of the Hydraean
To understand why the Final Fantasy XV Leviathan fight feels so different from the rest of the game, you have to look at the messy history of Versus XIII. Originally, the E3 2013 trailers showed a much more interactive version of Altissia. Noctis was seen warping between buildings, fighting magitek soldiers in real-time while Leviathan wrecked the background. It looked seamless.
By the time Hajime Tabata took over direction from Tetsuya Nomura, the scope had to be reigned in. The engine was struggling. To make the scale of Leviathan work, the team basically had to break the game's core physics.
When you trigger the "Armiger Unleashed" state during the fight, the standard ground-based combat logic is tossed out the window. You aren't really playing FFXV anymore. You’re playing a cinematic event. This is why many players complain about the lack of "weight." Since Noctis is flying, the hitboxes have to be massive, and the sense of impact is dampened by the sheer distance between the player and the boss. It was a compromise. Square Enix chose visual awe over mechanical depth, a decision that still sparks debates on forums like ResetEra and r/FinalFantasy today.
Breaking Down the Trial of Leviathan
The fight is split into two distinct phases. The first part is grounded. Sorta. You're jumping across broken masonry, trying to get close enough to parry her massive lunges. It’s chaotic. If you aren't careful, the camera becomes your biggest enemy. It struggles to keep up with a boss that is literally the size of a skyscraper.
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Then, the story beats kick in. Lunafreya awakens the Oracle's power, Noctis gets his power-up, and the music—"Apocalypsis Noctis"—hits a crescendo.
Phase Two: The God Mode Problem
Once Noctis enters his powered-up state, the difficulty vanishes. You have infinite MP. You can fly. You’re basically just holding the attack button while circling the serpent. For some, this is the ultimate power fantasy. You finally feel like a god. For others, it’s a boring slog because there is almost no way to lose.
Interestingly, the Royal Edition of the game tried to fix some of the pacing issues in the surrounding chapters, but the Leviathan fight itself remained largely untouched. It’s a scripted sequence disguised as a boss battle. If you go in expecting a challenge like the Adamantoise or the Level 99 dungeons, you’ll be disappointed. But if you view it as an interactive cutscene? It’s arguably the most beautiful moment in the game.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Lore
There’s a common misconception that Leviathan is just "evil" or "angry." That’s not quite it. In the lore of Eos, the Six (the Astrals) don't view humans as equals. They are more like forces of nature. Leviathan, the Hydraean, is specifically known for her disdain for humanity. She doesn't want to help Noctis. She thinks he’s a weakling.
When Lunafreya summons her, Leviathan is insulted that a "mortal" is making demands. The entire boss fight is essentially an audition. Noctis isn't just trying to kill her—he's trying to prove he has the will to command her. This adds a layer of desperation to the voice acting that often gets overlooked. Ray Chase (Noctis's VA) does a phenomenal job sounding like a kid who is way out of his depth.
The Tragedy of Altissia
We also have to talk about the collateral damage. This is where Final Fantasy XV Leviathan differs from your standard "hero saves the day" trope.
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- Altissia is decimated.
- Ignis loses his sight (as seen in the heartbreaking Episode Ignis DLC).
- Lunafreya dies.
- The political landscape of Eos collapses.
Usually, when you beat a boss in a Final Fantasy game, you get a victory fanfare. Here? You get a funeral. It’s the moment the game stops being a "bros on a road trip" simulator and becomes a tragedy.
Why the Music Carries the Encounter
You can’t talk about this fight without mentioning Yoko Shimomura. "Apocalypsis Noctis" is a masterpiece. It uses a heavy choral arrangement and aggressive strings to match the scale of the water goddess. Many fans argue that the music does 90% of the heavy lifting. If you played this fight on mute, the mechanical flaws—the repetitive warping, the lack of varied combos—would be glaringly obvious. The score creates an illusion of intensity that the gameplay doesn't always provide.
Pro Tips for the Trial (If You're Replaying in 2026)
If you're jumping back into the Windows Edition or playing on a PS5/Series X, there are a few ways to make the Final Fantasy XV Leviathan fight more engaging.
First, stop spamming the warp-strike. I know, it’s tempting. But if you actually try to time your parries during the first phase, the animations are incredible. The game has specific "contextual" counters that only trigger if you're standing in certain spots on the platforms.
Second, pay attention to the environmental destruction. As the fight progresses, the buildings in the background actually sink. It’s a detail that was easily missed on the base PS4's 1080p resolution but looks stunning in 4K.
Also, don't ignore the dialogue. Leviathan’s ancient tongue isn't just gibberish; it’s translated in the subtitles, and her insults toward the Line of Lucis provide some of the best world-building in the mid-game.
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The Legacy of the Hydraean
So, where does Leviathan rank in the pantheon of FF summons? She’s certainly the biggest version of the character we've ever seen. Even Final Fantasy XVI’s Eikon battles, which are clearly inspired by this fight, struggle to match the sheer "verticality" of Altissia.
However, the fight remains a symbol of FFXV’s fractured identity. It’s a game caught between being a hardcore RPG and a cinematic blockbuster. Leviathan is the moment the blockbuster side won. It’s messy, it’s beautiful, it’s frustrating, and it’s unforgettable.
If you want to experience the "full" story of this encounter, you absolutely have to play Episode Ignis afterward. It shows the battle from a different perspective and fills in the gaps of what was happening while Noctis was busy flying around in his glowy blue aura. It actually provides a "what if" scenario that gives Leviathan even more screen time.
Actionable Steps for Players
To get the most out of this specific chapter in Eos, follow these steps:
- Check Your Level: Don't over-level. If you're level 50+ going into Altissia, you'll melt through Leviathan's health bar so fast you'll miss the music transitions. Stay around level 30-35 for the best experience.
- Equip for Spirit: Since the second phase is magic-heavy, boosting Noctis's spirit stat can help if you're struggling with the projectile spam, though the fight is generally easy.
- Watch the Skies: Use the tactical camera (wait mode) to actually look at Leviathan's model. The scale is genuinely impressive when you aren't stuck in the "attack" animation loop.
- Play Episode Ignis Immediately After: Do not skip this. It reframes the entire Leviathan conflict and offers a much more challenging boss fight against a certain someone in the middle of the burning city.
The Final Fantasy XV Leviathan trial isn't perfect. It’s a glorious, chaotic mess. But it represents a specific era of Square Enix history—one where they weren't afraid to be overly ambitious, even if they couldn't quite stick the landing. It’s a spectacle that demands to be seen, even if the "gameplay" part of the game takes a backseat for a while.