This is a quick guide to Final Fantasy 5R, a hardtype romhack of Final Fantasy V.

There are dozens of spoilers in this guide. Consult this if you get stuck, but don’t read ahead if you want to challenge yourself to figure out the bosses.

Changes from FFV

1. Job Changes & Pointers
   1. Thief
      1. Can steal multiple items!
      2. Steal often, the whole game
   2. Ninja
      1. Shuriken are only 250g in this version
      2. Buy as many as you can afford, they will help immensely
   3. Red Mage
      1. can equip Bows: more effective in the back row as a result
      2. the sooner you unlock DualCast, the better
         1. it’s an unneeded luxury in the original game, but it’s important in FF5r!
   4. Blue Mage
      1. shines a bit brighter in this version, as GoblinPunch can rly help defeat some early game bosses (make sure you learn this before entering the Canal)
      2. WhiteWind and MightyGuard are required for the super bosses
   5. Paladin Mime
      1. hidden Job in World 3 is changed
      2. has slightly better equipment options than Mime
      3. still earns !Mimic ability at 999 ABP
2. Overall Changes
   1. Battles are tougher, especially later in the game
   2. Playing on the slowest battle speed is strongly advised
   3. Some new gear exists, and there’s even a Staff that hits like a Sword late in the game. Keep your characters Stealing and you won’t miss out on awesome stuff like the Imp Armor (which is completely waterproof) and many other prizes that will make the game more enjoyable.

FF5r Bosses

Many upgrades to the bosses. Some demand a special strategy. Optional Super Bosses require special gear (see the Steal often notes above).

1. Wing Raptor
   1. casts WhiteWind, recovering its current HP worth of HP
   2. party needs to
      1. hit it rly hard, rly fast
      2. use Potions to keep all 4 warriors alive
      3. let this fight be a lesson to use items more than in FFV!
   3. if you’re having trouble, get everyone to Level 4
2. Kraken ( Karlabos )
   1. it’s a timed fight, so focus on DPS
      1. Monks are a viable stragegy
      2. blast Thunder spells with 4 Black Mages if all else fails
   2. vulnerable to GoblinPunch strategy
      1. which means: if the caster is the same level as the target, huge damage ensues
3. Scarmiglione ( Magisa )
   1. one of the tougher bosses in the entire game, imho!
   2. eliminate the zombies asap, and then prepare to use all of your Phoenix Downs
   3. vulnerable to GoblinPunch strategy
4. Cargnazzo ( Garula )
   1. Protect is advised
   2. vulnerable to GoblinPunch strategy
5. Rubicant ( LiquidFlame )
   1. breaking an Ice Rod to end this fight or start it off strong is smart
6. Ifrit
   1. there’s a trick to make him waste his MP down to zero
   2. its either confusing him, or casting Ice on him, I forget 😹
7. Ultros ( Byblos )
   1. not particualrly challenging, Fire works well as usual on this fool
8. optional: Scarmiglione Zombie ( Ramuh )
   1. Fire and Shuriken
9. Sandworm
   1. no magic!
   2. Only enough time for 2 attacks before it dips down again
      1. be patient and you can avoid attacking the Holes
   3. 2 melee and 2 healers is a good party recipe
10. Plague ( CrayClaw )
    1. bring White magic, lots of Raising in this one
    2. If you want to be really on top of this fight, use Haste to ensure some of the Condemned party members die sooner
       1. If all the Doom counters are close together it’s worse
11. 2-Headed Dragon ( AdamantTurtle )
    1. deals out 9999 dmg from physical attacks
       1. use Cover + Guard
          1. Guard will block the 9999 dmg attack
          2. Cover will keep the critical HP party alive
       2. use !Image
       3. revive rapidly while giving them/it high DPS
          1. Shuriken are a hack, as with many new bosses in this version
12. Barbariccia ( Sol Cannon )
    1. Gotta stop her spinning, just like in Tower of Zot
       1. use the Aero spell
       2. does Jump work?
    2. rapid healing is essential in this fight
       1. consider a mix of Time/White magic
    3. vulnerable to GoblinPunch strategy
13. ArchaeoAvis
    1. do NOT engage with this boss until you’ve learned WhiteWind from the WhirlDemons
       1. learning 1000 Needles from the Lamia is also advised
    2. use Shuriken or GoblinPunch
       1. don’t play its shifting vulnerability game