Although it’s home to a wide selection of lengthy dungeons, Ys Memoire: The Oath In Felghana is primarily known as a boss rush game — and for good reason. While the exploration and grinding play a major role in advancement, the boss battles are where Ys Memoire really shines.
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These bosses act as checkpoints in the game, ensuring you’ve achieved the right skill level to continue. If not, they’ll make you retry over and over without mercy. The fact of the matter is, no walkthrough can fully help you through Ys Memoire: it’s a game you just have to get better at. Here are the bosses that tested us the most.
8
Ligaty
The Three Flying Succubi
These three color-coded faeries act as a mid-boss summoned by Dularn, herself a recurring enemy in the game. The Ligaty aren’t particularly challenging on lower difficulties, but on Hard and above, they’re downright vicious. Part of the reason for this battle’s difficulty is that if you kill one fairy, it enrages the other two and makes them more powerful.
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Luckily, their colors correspond to the bracelet weapon that’s most effective against them. If you were thinking there would be some kind of Fire Emblem rock-paper-scissor system, think again and go the simple path.
7
Ellefale
Azure Queen Of The Depths
One of the earliest boss characters who will cap off your dungeon crawling, Ellefale forces you to make full use of the Ignis bracelet you find shortly before facing her. You see, this boss can only be damaged by ranged attacks. Your melee weapons are useless against her.
If you pay close attention to her telegraphing, you can outsmart Ellefale very quickly. Her right hand is for horizontal attacks, while her left hand is for vertical attacks. Dodge appropriately and shoot as many fireballs as possible.
6
Istersiva
The Crystalline Entity
Very few bosses in Ys Memoire: The Oath In Felghana have multiple phases. The reason is simple: one phase is hard enough. However, Istersiva has two brutal phases, one as a giant worm and the other as a giant crystal monster.
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Istersiva leaks a green slime that makes the floor beneath Adol’s feet slippery. If you don’t have the Stone Shoes equipped (and outside of New Game Plus, you won’t have them at this point), this is a big disadvantage. However, the second phase is much easier.
5
Guilen
The Fire Eater
Here is a boss fight that can be simply impossible to beat if you don’t have the right equipment. If you managed to get to this boss without obtaining the Firewyrm bracelet, you wasted your time. Not only will Guilen burn Adol to death within seconds, it’s very likely that the lava will get you first.
Preparing for this boss fight will be your first brush with Ys Memoire’s non-linear exploration. You’re supposed to fall down into an apparently bottomless pit to uncover a secret chest that contains the Firewyrm amulet, which makes you immune to lava. Only then can you challenge Guilen.
4
Gildias
Guardian of The Icy Depths
There are a few moments in Ys Memoire: The Oath In Felghana that feel downright unfair, and all of those moments are during Gildias’ boss fight. This boss literally controls the field of battle and Adol’s positioning. He is selectively immune and can pick you up and throw you through a bunch of rocks for no reason.
To beat a boss like Gildias, you end up pushing back against the game and breaking it in your own way. The sweet spot to beat Gildias is to get behind him and use the Terra bracelet on his legs to make him fall over, then attack his weak point for massive damage. We’ll cheat, too.
3
Chester Stoddart
The Black-Hearted White Knight
Let it not be said that Ys lacks the capacity for absurdity. This is a game with ice dragons, flying lava worms, and giant hornets that give birth to larvae ready for battle. And yet, one of your toughest boss fights is against a regular dude named Chester.
Elena’s big brother, Chester, fights you twice in the game. The second time, he’s not much of a challenge because Adol himself has grown stronger. The first time, however, he will knock the stuffing out of Adol. Our advice is to use his voice lines to time your dodges and attacks.
2
Death Faleon
The Ever-Whirling Assassin
There is no shame if, after fighting Death Faleon a few times, you give up and go back to grind. This boss is in a race to inflict as much damage on you as possible, and the only valid strategy is to inflict more damage on him first.
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If you’ve managed to get this far in the game without grinding, good for you. Now Adol will get mauled as badly as Conor McGregor at UFC 229. Swallow your pride: go back to grind. A few levels go a long way in this game.
1
Zirduros
The Clockwork Cannon
This futuristic steampunk boss may seem nigh unbeatable for your first ten or eleven attempts. The reason for this is that his only weak point is his tail. The rest of him is invincible. Did we mention that every time you land an ineffective hit on him, he pushes you back? Better still, his tail isn’t always exposed.
The best way to beat this seemingly impossible boss is to use the Terra Bracelet and get some immunity of your own going. There are online guides that suggest using the wind attack — and we have no shame admitting we browsed guides to beat this boss — but our own personal recommendation is to use the Terra Bracelet and spam boosted attacks.
- Released
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January 7, 2025
- Developer(s)
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Nihon Falcom
- Publisher(s)
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Nihon Falcom, XSEED Games
- ESRB
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Teen // Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes
- How Long To Beat
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11 hours
- PS5 Release Date
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January 7, 2025
- Nintendo Switch Release Date
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January 7, 2025
- Number of Players
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1
- How Long To Beat (Completionist Runs)
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19.5 hours
- OpenCritic Rating
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Strong