Ghoul (VII Remake)

Ghoul is a boss in Final Fantasy VII Remake, fought by Cloud, Aerith and Tifa in the Train Graveyard in Chapter 11, "Haunted", during the "Shadow in the Control Room" mission. Like regular Ghosts, the Ghoul is weak to , is damaged by curatives, and can become incorporeal; in this form, only magic can damage it.
==Stats==
==Attacks==
After losing enough health, the Ghoul enters a new battle phase and begins using some new and more devastating attacks.
: = Physical damage
: = Magical damage
Attack 	Pic	Phase	Description 	Block	
Orb 	 	All 	Deploys homing floating orbs that deal damage on contact. 	 	
Shock Wave 	 	All 	Swings its right claw creating a trail that explodes. 	 	
Telekinesis 	 	All 	When in physical form, hurls objects all around at three variations:
*Levitates and hurls 1 or 3 objects at one target.
*Levitates everything and smashes them to the floor.
*Levitates up to 6 individual objects to hurl at a target.	 	
Claw Swipe 	 	All 	Swipes at a target, inflicting damage and for 15 seconds. 	 	
Piercing Scream 	 	All 	Stuns anyone nearby unless they hide behind debris. 	 	
Phantasmic Flurry	 	All 	When in ghostly form, creates red lights from where arms emerge when approached to bind a target for up to 20 seconds. 	 	
Incorporeality 	 	All 	Changes into ghostly form. 	- 	-
Balefire 	 	2 	Blue flames erupt around the boss that explode when touched and persist for 12 seconds. 	 	
Etheric Drain 	 	2 	Binds a target and absorbs their MP for 5 seconds. 	 	
Etheric Burst 	 	2 	Charges energy and releases it in a wide area. Damage can be avoided by hiding behind debris, or by canceling the attack by hitting the Ghoul it with magic during the charge.	 	
==Battle==
The Ghoul is weak to . When Ghoul uses Incorporeality, it switches form. Ghoul switches between physical (blue) and ghostly (red) forms. Neither magic attacks against the physical form, nor physical attacks against the ghostly form, have any effect on its stagger gauge. When in physical form, Ghoul hovers objects over its head, it will throw them. When in ghostly form, it will use Phantasmic Flurry. When in ghostly form, the Ghoul takes damage from healing spells and items (but not all curative spells and items build stagger on it). 
The Ghoul becomes pressured when it takes enough damage, though when it has less health left, pressuring it requires slightly less damage. Another way to pressure it is by hitting it with magic while it is charging Etheric Burst, canceling the attack. After losing enough health, the Ghoul begins using some new attacks, flooding the battle arena with exploding ghostly flames. One needs to remain vigilant when approaching the boss when the flames are present as not to touch them, as they can deal severe damage.
The following healing spells deal both damage and build stagger on the Ghoul when it is vulnerable to magic (higher tier spells have a greater effect on both, and the effects are further magnified if the Ghoul is pressured when the spells hit): , , . The following spells do damage, but do not build stagger: , , . Curative items work similarly to the cure spells, building stagger and dealing damage; elixirs have the greatest effect. Using a phoenix down makes it revert to physical form.
===Strategy===
The player should switch between Tifa and Cloud for the ghoul's physical form, and use Aerith for its ghostly form, casting spells when it is in ghostly form to build its stagger gauge, and using character abilities when the boss is in physical form. Attacks from Aerith can be used to ascertain its form; if it takes damage from her, it is in ghostly form and vulnerable to magic spells, whereas if it is immune, Tifa or Cloud should lay into it with character abilities. When it is ghostly it is best to attack it fast with magic.
When it charges Piercing Scream or Balefire, everyone should remain at a distance; using can make fleeing easier. When Ghoul hovers objects over its head, it is best hiding behind debris. If Tifa or Cloud can avoid the Ghoul throwing the objects, and reach it in melee range, they can lay into it with character abilities and attacks.
To exploit the Ghoul's elemental weakness, someone can equip with . Ghoul is not immune to or , both dealing damage over time in its ghost form. It is also susceptible to , which can be used to ensure that tier 3 spells that take a moment to cast will not miss.
===Hard Mode===
The Ghoul needs to lose more HP to become pressured in hard mode, and attacks harder and more frequently. It is advised to have one character on physical damage, one on magic damage, and one as a mix, to optimize damage against both forms. Aerith can't deal physical damage, while either Cloud or Tifa can be put towards physical damage or a mixed role. Tifa is better suited to physical damage with her movement speed, combos, and weapons giving her higher , while Cloud has more MP. Equipped weapons should reflect the character's chosen role.
Fire materia should be paired with elemental on a physical attacker. Spellcasters can pair it with or , though because Ghoul is actually vulnerable to healing spells, this is not always necessary. should be equipped, including and for spellcasters, while physical attackers equip . is especially useful on Tifa, on Cloud, and Parry materia on both. can be given to Aerith to allow her to use abilities more often, and is also great for any character.
As the battle begins, the party can buff up with and , on everyone if possible. When Ghoul uses Incorporeality, Aerith and a spellcaster can cast or offensively, from within Aerith's Arcane Ward if possible, instantly pressuring the boss. The player can then immediately switch to Tifa or Cloud to rush in with follow-up damage, from Tifa's Starshower and Cloud's Triple Slash.
In the first phase the only safe window of opportunity to attack is while the Ghoul is pressured from a spell. At any other point, it is best to stay behind debris and dodge. Aerith's Lustrous Shield can also help. Otherwise, one should wait until it disappears and cast another spell. Buffing the party with may help against the Ghoul's strong second-phase attacks. Pairing with lets the party buff everyone at once.
Defeating Ghoul will grant Aerith the Telluric Scriptures Vol. X.
==Musical themes==
The boss theme for the battle is simply called "Ghoul" on the soundtrack. A slightly-extended version (which includes the intro) called "Ghoulish Symphony" also exists on the Plus version of the soundtrack. 
Both were composed by Yasunori Nishiki, who is well-known for his work with the OCTOPATH TRAVELER franchise also by Square Enix.
==Other appearances==
===Final Fantasy Brave Exvius===
==Gallery==
Ghoul from FFVII Remake Enemy Intel.png|Enemy Intel.
Balefire from FFVII Remake.jpg|Balefire.
Etheric Drain from FFVII Remake.jpg|Etheric Drain.
Phantasmic Flurry from FFVII Remake.jpg|Phantasmic Flurry.
Piercing Scream from FFVII Remake.jpg|Piercing Scream.
Ghoul Bound from FFVII Remake.jpg|Aerith bound by the Ghoul.
==Etymology==
==External links==
*Game8 guide to Ghoul with a breakdown on its curative stagger effects, etc
Category:Bosses in Final Fantasy VII Remake