How to beat Ifrit in Crisis Core

Crisis Core is finally free from the PSP exclusivity that kept so many Final Fantasy VII fans away. The game puts you in the role of Zack Fair long before the events of the original PS1 classic. You'll have to tangle with a number of iconic franchise enemies throughout your journey, including Ifrit. This Fire Elemental has been in the game since Final Fantasy III, but if you want to use him in Crisis Core, you have to beat him first.

Best strategy for beating Ifrit in Crisis Core

You'll first encounter Ifrit as the final boss of the first chapter. Arguably, he's the first substantial combat challenge in the game. Ifrit is a massive physical threat who can also do damage from a distance with his Flame Shot attack. To beat him, you'll need to abuse his elemental weaknesses and time your attacks just right.

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Ifrit is a fire-based enemy, so Blizzard or Dark Blizzard is the most important tool in the fight against him. Drop a Blizzard on Ifrit to deal additional damage due to his elemental weaknesses and briefly open him up to additional damage. Those Materia will also briefly stun him in place, making it easy to follow up with a powerful combo.

Ifrit has one Special Attack called Hellfire, which will display a countdown timer. This attack is unavoidable, but you can mitigate or negate the effects by dealing a lot of damage during the countdown. Once the purple meter appears above his head, use Blizzard or Dark Blizzard, roll to get behind him, and attack his back to deal critical damage. If you're quick, you can cut the attack's damage in half or cancel it entirely.

Use the Fire Armlet against Ifrit to render the fight extremely easy. You'll earn the Armlet if you clear out all of the Wutai soldiers in the mission immediately before encountering Ifrit. After beating him in the first story mission, fight him again at any save point to unlock him as a summon and add this powerful foe to your arsenal.

For more on Final Fantasy games and Crisis Core remaster, we at Pro Game Guides recommend What is Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis? Release date, platforms, games, & more and When is the Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade coming to Steam? Answered.