Introduction
Kraken is the third of the Four Fiends in Final Fantasy 1 Pixel Remaster. As the Fiend of Water, it guards the Water Crystal at the bottom of the Sunken Shrine on 1F. Your party should be around level 35-38 by the time you reach this fight. The Sunken Shrine is the longest dungeon so far, and Kraken waits at the very end after five floors of aquatic enemies.
Unlike the first two Fiends, Kraken relies entirely on physical attacks. It gets eight hits per turn, and those hits can inflict Blind on your fighters. But it also has a clear weakness to Thunder magic, which makes this the most exploitable Fiend fight if your Black Wizard still has Thundaga charges.
Boss Stats
Strategy
To beat Kraken in FF1, exploit its Thunder weakness with Thundaga while your White Wizard keeps Protera and Invisira active. Buff your Knight with Haste and Saber (via Giant's Gloves from the Sunken Shrine 2F), then split damage between physical attacks and Thundaga casts. Kraken's eight-hit combo can inflict Blind, so keep Curaja ready.
Kraken's 160 Magic Defense is lower than what you faced against Lich or Marilith, and the Thunder weakness means Thundaga deals solid damage here. Your Black Wizard should cast Thundaga every turn without exception. If you picked up Thor's Hammer from a previous dungeon, it casts Thundara as an item and gives your White Wizard a way to deal Thunder damage between heals.
Kraken's physical attacks can apply Blind, which cuts your fighters' accuracy. If Blind lands on your Knight, don't waste a turn curing it; Saber's accuracy bonus mostly compensates, and your Black Wizard's Thundaga isn't affected by Blind at all. Focus your healing on keeping HP up rather than removing status effects.
Battle Plan
- White Wizard - Open with Protera, then Invisira. Alternate between Curaja and rebuffing as needed.
- Black Wizard - Haste the Knight on turn one, then Thundaga every turn after that.
- Knight - Giant's Gloves (Saber) on turn one, then attack. Diamond Armor from 4F gives Thunder resistance if Kraken somehow uses a spell.
- Monk/Master - Attack every turn. Bare-handed damage stays consistent even if Blind lands.
Quick Tips
- Thundaga every turn - The Thunder weakness is Kraken's biggest vulnerability. Your Black Wizard should never cast anything else during this fight.
- Don't cure Blind - It's not worth the turn. Saber compensates for the accuracy loss, and magic damage is unaffected.
Rewards
After the Battle
The Water Crystal is restored when Kraken falls, and the Revitalizing Waters trophy unlocks. A portal appears that warps your party out of the Sunken Shrine entirely. Three of the four Fiends are now defeated.
Back in Onrac, fly to Melmond and find Dr. Unne near the gravestones. Show him the Rosetta Stone (from the Sunken Shrine 5F) and he'll teach you the Lufenian language. You'll need it to enter Lufenia on the southern continent, which is where you'll get the Warp Cube for the Mirage Tower. The fourth Fiend, Tiamat, waits at the top of the Flying Fortress.