Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is a brutal onslaught of dungeon crawls that each end with an intimidating opponent that puts the player's action combat skills to the test. The fights obviously get much more challenging as the game progresses, but even the earliest SOPFFO fights still require careful strategy and planning for players to make it through them. The notorious pirate Captain Bikke is one of those first fights that will put Jack and his party's skills to the test.
Bikke is likely a recognizable face for longtime fans of the Final Fantasy franchise. The pirate appeared in the original Final Fantasy release, and he's back once again in Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. Towards the end of The Journey Begins mission, players will finally catch up with Bikke and board his ship. From there, a single phase boss fight kicks off that will require players to carefully dodge some deadly close range attacks and a handful of additional spawns that arrive to help out the pirate.
Bikke may be a single phase fight, but that doesn't mean he is a total pushover. The captain hits incredibly hard, which is great motivation to keep some distance from him, and he also spawns a ton of adds to aid his efforts throughout the battle. The adds are the trickiest mechanic to manage during this fight, but players that stay focused and stick to a single strategy should be able to get through this battle without too much pain.
How to Defeat Bikke
- Pirate buddies of Bikke's will spawn throughout the fight. Eliminate the adds when they show up immediately. Failing to do so will lead to being swarmed and overwhelmed in the later stage of the fight.
- Watch out for the whirlwind attack. Bikke has a number of powerful melee attacks that hit incredibly hard and will drop Jack's health and Break Gauge. Dodge them as much as possible and block them when getting out of the way isn't an option.
- Stick to a job that allows ranged attacks if possible. Bikke is at his strongest when Jack is getting up close and personal. Players should spec themselves with at least one ranged class for this fight to keep some distance.
- Dodge the bombs. Once players get wise enough to start keeping their distance from the whirlwind attack, Bikke will start tossing some bombs to deal some ranged damage. Focus on blocking these as much as possible.
Since this is a single phase fight, that's pretty much everything players need to know to survive. It may take a few tries to get a feel for the pattern of Bikke's attacks, but the general mechanics aren't terribly challenging compared to some of the fights that are still to come. Be sure to check back in the near future for more Stranger of Paradise guides, news, and updates.
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin releases March 18th for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.