How to Beat Vampire
Introduction
The Vampire is the fifth boss in Final Fantasy 1 Pixel Remaster, waiting on B3 of the Cavern of Earth west of Melmond. He appears as a bat blocking the corridor; talking to him triggers the fight. The Star Ruby he guards is the key item that unlocks the next leg of the chapter, and the encounter sits between the easier Cavern of Earth random encounters and the much harder bosses to come.
This is a step up from Astos, but in a different way. Astos’s threat was the Death cast; the Vampire’s threat is the Paralyze Gaze. He hits for 76 Attack per swing (more than double Astos) and roughly one in three turns he replaces the swing with a paralysis gaze that locks a single party member. If your healer goes down to a gaze, the fight gets ugly fast. Lean on his Fire and Dia weaknesses to chunk him out before that happens.
A few numbers worth flagging. Weak to Fire and Holy (Dia) means Fira and Diara hit for double damage against him, the fastest path to a clean kill. Magic Defense 0 combined with Magic Evasion 75 means most spells land cleanly and at full damage; you’ll see the occasional miss but mostly reliable casts. Attack 76 is the highest physical hit you’ve faced, enough to drop a Black Mage in two swings if HP slips. Hits per turn: 1 keeps the pressure manageable as long as your White Mage stays on Cura. No drops, no steals; total rewards are 1,200 EXP and 2,000 Gil.
Strategy
Quick Tips
- Fire and Dia double up
His weaknesses make Fira and Diara your best damage by a wide margin. Lead with them.
- Paralyze Gaze locks members
Roughly a third of his turns paralyze a single party member. If it lands on your White Mage, the fight gets ugly fast.
- Cura preemptively
76 Attack can two-shot a Black Mage. Heal before HP drops, not after.
- Haste your fighter
Doubles physical hits and shaves a round off the fight, cutting the number of gaze attempts he gets to roll.
- Skip Ice and Death
Both are resisted; status spells like Sleep and Stone are immune. Save the MP.
To beat the Vampire in FF1, lead with Fira from your Black Mage and Diara from your White Mage every round, both of which hit for double damage thanks to his weaknesses. Two casts a round chunk through a meaningful slice of his 280 HP pool, and physical attackers chip in for the rest. With zero Magic Defense, the fight should end inside three rounds with a properly stocked party.
The reason speed matters is the Paralyze Gaze. Roughly one in three of his turns is a single-target gaze that paralyzes a party member, locking them out of acting until the status wears off. If it lands on your White Mage, you can lose your healer for several rounds while his 76 Attack swings keep landing. Fira-Diara every turn from your casters keeps the fight short enough that paralysis on a single member doesn’t snowball into a wipe.
Don’t neglect healing. His swings can drop a squishy caster in two turns if you let HP slip, so Cura preemptively when anyone is one swing away from dropping. Status spells are wasted; he’s immune to Sleep, Paralysis, Stone, Stun, Poison, and Darkness. Likewise skip Ice (Blizzard line) and Death-element casts, both of which he resists.
Move Set
The Vampire has a small move set with two main rolls per turn:
| Action | Effect | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Fight | Basic 76-Attack physical | 64% |
| Paralyze Gaze | Single-target paralysis | 32% |
The remaining ~4% is a generic fallback that rarely produces meaningful action. Practically, every turn is either a hard physical or a paralysis attempt, so the question each round is whether you absorb a 76 Attack swing or lose a member’s turn.
Battle Plan
- Black Mage: Cast Fira every turn. Skip Thunder; Fira hits for double on the weakness.
- White Mage: Alternate Diara (offence on the weakness) and Cura (when anyone drops below 50 HP).
- Warrior / Monk: Attack every turn. A Hasted Warrior with a Mythril Sword chunks his armour easily.
- Red Mage / Thief: Fira if your Black Mage is healing, otherwise standard attacks. There’s nothing to steal.
After the Battle
The Vampire drops the Star Ruby along with 2,000 Gil. The Star Ruby is the key item to focus on, and the next stop is Giant’s Cave to the northwest, which is where the chapter walkthrough picks up.
Rest at the Melmond Inn before continuing. The dungeon ahead has tougher random encounters than what you’ve fought so far, and you’ll want full HP and MP heading in.