Introduction
Tiamat is the last of the Four Fiends in Final Fantasy 1 Pixel Remaster. She waits on the fifth floor of the Flying Fortress, guarding the Wind Crystal behind a long bridge patrolled by some of the toughest random encounters in the game. Your party should be around level 40 before attempting this fight. And if you're hunting the rare Warmech on that same bridge, you'll want even more preparation (the 4.7% spawn rate means plenty of walks back and forth).
Tiamat hits the entire party with elemental breath attacks each turn, cycling through Blaze, Icestorm, Thunderbolt, and Poison Gas. She has no elemental weakness and resists Fire, Ice, Lightning, and Earth magic, which eliminates most offensive spells from your toolkit. Defensive buffs aren't optional here; they're the difference between a clean victory and a total wipe.
Boss Stats
Strategy
To beat Tiamat in FF1, cast NulAll on turn one to halve her group breath attacks, then focus entirely on non-elemental damage like Flare, Holy, and Haste-buffed physical attacks. She has 2,400 HP, no weakness, and resists all four elements, so brute force with the right buffs is the only path forward.
Tiamat has 2,400 HP with 200 Magic Defense. Every elemental spell in your book is resisted, so your Black Wizard's best option is Flare (non-elemental, bypasses resistances entirely). Your White Wizard should open with NulAll, then switch to Holy when healing isn't needed. NulAll covers Fire, Ice, and Lightning in a single cast; reapply it every few turns because Tiamat can strip buffs quickly by hitting with multiple breath types in sequence.
Physical damage carries this fight once buffs are active. Cast Haste on your Knight and Monk (or Ninja and Master, if you've upgraded classes), then use Giant's Gloves for Saber or Temper to stack attack power. A Hasted Knight with Excalibur and Temper can deal 400+ damage per swing. But keep everyone's HP above 200 at all times; Tiamat can chain two breath attacks in a row, and a low-health character won't survive the second hit.
Battle Plan
- White Wizard - Open with NulAll, reapply every 3-4 turns, cast Holy between heals
- Black Wizard - Haste both physical attackers first, then cast Flare each turn
- Knight - Use Giant's Gloves for Saber, then attack with Excalibur every round
- Ninja/Master - Attack every turn after receiving Haste; use Healing Helm if the White Wizard falls behind
Quick Tips
- NulAll first - Covers Fire, Ice, and Lightning breath in one cast. Reapply it often.
- Non-elemental only - Flare, Holy, and physical attacks are the only damage sources that work at full power.
- Keep HP above 200 - Back-to-back breath attacks can kill anyone sitting below that threshold.
- Healing Helm as backup - It casts Heal when used as an item, saving your White Wizard's MP for Holy and NulAll.
Rewards
After the Battle
The Wind Crystal is restored the moment Tiamat falls, and a portal appears for a quick exit. All four crystals now shine again. The Wind's Caress trophy unlocks automatically after this fight.
Before heading to the final dungeon, fly to Mt. Duergar with the Adamantite you picked up on Flying Fortress 2F. The blacksmith Smyth forges it into Excalibur (if you haven't done this already), one of the strongest weapons in the game. Stock up on 99 Potions, 99 Ethers, and a full stack of Phoenix Downs. Your next stop is the Chaos Shrine, where you'll travel 2,000 years into the past and fight all four Fiends again in their stronger forms. The road to Chaos starts where Garland once stood.