Final Marcus

Learn how to take down Final Marcus, the lowest-level superboss in Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition. Get tips on his attacks, weaknesses, and best strategies.

Alright, let's talk about Final Marcus! He's technically the easiest superboss you'll run into, and he shows up before you even get to the Mechonis Core. Since he's only level 100 and you're likely around that level too (or even higher if you've prepped for other superbosses), he's not as terrifying as he sounds. You can usually find him chilling at Three Sage Summit on Valak Mountain, but only at night and when the weather's clear – no blizzards allowed! You'll know it's clear when those crystals on Valak Mountain are actually glowing at night.

Honestly, if you've already geared up for the tougher superbosses, Final Marcus might feel like just another strong enemy. His attacks hit hard, but he doesn't have a huge variety. His Light of Demise is the one to watch out for, especially if your Debuff Resist isn't at 100%. It can lock you down with Bind and Paralysis. Thankfully, it's his only Ether attack; the others are Physical. If you've built your party right, he'll struggle to land those physical hits.

At the start of the fight, he'll always use either Strengthening Will or Iron Will. It's totally random which one he picks, so be ready for either!

• Strengthening Will: This buff boosts his Strength but lowers his Physical Defense. He only uses this or Iron Will at the very beginning of the fight.
• Iron Will: This one boosts his Physical Defense while lowering his Strength. Again, he only uses this or Strengthening Will at the start.
• Thrust: A Physical attack that targets one person. It has a chance to cause Knockback and deals medium damage.
• Light of Demise: This is his Ether attack. It hits in a frontal arc and can inflict Bind and Paralysis. It can also cause Blowdown, but won't cause Daze.
• Mountain Impact IX: This is probably his strongest move, a Physical attack that deals medium to heavy damage. It can cause Knockback and has a chance to inflict Confuse.

Now, one of the trickiest parts about Final Marcus is his damage spike shield of 640. If you're running a melee-heavy party and don't deal with this, he can take you down pretty fast. Your best bet here is using Spike Defense gems. Linking these with Dunban's Steel Protection skill (from his Prudence tree) can get you close to 95% Spike Defense, especially with maxed-out gems. For his Mountain Impact IX, if you have Shulk's Monado Shield at level 9, use it right before he unleashes his attack. Good news though: Final Marcus is susceptible to Break, Topple, and Daze. That Daze resistance is pretty unique for a superboss, so definitely try to exploit it!