How to Defeat Diablos in Final Fantasy VIII

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FFVIII marks Diablos' first major appearance in the franchise as a Guardian Force (summon). His magic attacks are gravity-based, meaning they inflict damage equal to a certain percentage of the opponent's current HP. Hence, obtaining Diablos is extremely useful in dealing with opponents with extremely high HP (such as Ruby Dragon and T-Rex).

You must defeat Diablos to acquire him. To start the battle, simply use the Magic Lamp acquired from Headmaster Cid after the Timber mission in Disc 1.

Steps

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    Heal your party. Make sure everyone has Draw ability. Save your game before using the Magic Lamp (just like what the item description says).
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    This sounds like a sneaky move but Diablos was made vulnerable to Blind magic for a reason. Considering that Diablos' magic can't reduce your characters' HP to zero (Demi takes 25%, Gravija takes 75%), blinding him effectively disables his only way of killing anyone in your party.
    • You can stock up on Blind from Granaldo, the bug creature at the training center during the Ellone rescue. If you are out of Blind, you may still win, but you may need to stock up on Phoenix Down.
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    Diablos is the first opponent you can draw Demi from so you may stock up on that for junctioning, but mainly use Draw to cast it back on him. Your Draws will fail frequently at this point in the game because Diablos' magic will be significantly higher. Let your strongest magicians (high Mag) do the Demi-casting and let your strongest warriors (high Str) attack (especially using Limit Breaks).
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    Right after casting his Gravija, Diablos always uses his physical attack on the character with the lowest HP. Without Blind, you can get killed so heal up.
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      Tips

      • Grinding and leveling up is not useful in preparing for this battle because Diablos' stats increase as your characters do.
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      • One strategy is to let Diablos inflict you with Gravija first to put your party in Crisis mode. Blind him immediately afterwards and you can unleash your Limit Breaks at will.
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