Neo Exdeath (Final Fantasy V)

Neo Exdeath is the final boss of Final Fantasy V. When Exdeath's tree form is consumed by the Void, Neo Exdeath emerges, a being that seeks to "consume and turn all to nothingness, so that it, too, can disappear". The battle's background is the only fully animated battle background in Final Fantasy V, similar to the final battle of Final Fantasy IV.
It is possible to avoid facing Neo Exdeath altogether by employing a few tricks on his previous form.
The ending is slightly different depending on which party members (if any) are knocked out at the end the battle.
Defeating Neo Exdeath earns the "Warriors of Light" achievement in the now discontinued 2013 Matrix Software version. If no one is KO'd by the end of the battle, the player gains the achievement "The Real Letter".
==Stats==
== Battle ==
Neo Exdeath is split between four body parts: the front is the horned humanoid, the top is the region between the red and canine creatures, the middle target is near to the grinning horned skull, and the back are the two skeletal figures.
Neo Exdeath attacks quickly and relentlessly, using a variety of status ailments, physical attacks, magic attacks, defensive spells, the almighty Almagest spell, and his dangerous Grand Cross attack.
Neo Exdeath's most dangerous attacks, Almagest and Grand Cross, are telegraphed. If Neo Exdeath begins to shake, he is preparing to perform Almagest. If he says "The laws of the universe mean nothing!" ("The universe is in peril!" in the PS1 version) and darkens, he is preparing to perform Grand Cross.
The Front section largely performs physical attacks, the Top section performs Grand Cross, the Middle section uses Almagest, and the Back section can perform Delta Attack. When only one part of the four remains, that section switches to an AI script that attacks twice per turn and emphasizes Vacuum Wave, Meteor, and Almagest.
=== Strategy ===
The best strategy is to attack each section one part at a time. The Front section has the least HP, but should be focused on thirdly due to its lack of powerful attacks. For healing, the best strategy is to have a White Mage with Dualcast. Since this is the last battle, items (and gil if the party has Zeninage) can be used with reckless abandon, unless the player is playing the GBA or the now defunct mobile or Steam versions and wants to do the bonus dungeon that opens after the game is completed. These versions' Gladiator's Finisher attack can be used to easily damage Neo Exdeath. A Cannoneer's Dragon Cannon also does great damage (Blitzshot + Dragon Fang).
Although it is overall not a good idea to use one-hit KO moves on bosses, the summon Odin's Zantetsuken attack can one-shot Exdeath's back portion, but only if used through the Magic Lamp; otherwise Odin will use Gungnir. Additionally, the Blue Magic spell Doom will also work. The Middle section is susceptible to Petrify, and Mystic Knight's Break Blade will do the job.
If the player is at a low level, they should have a character with the Mix ability and enter the battle with Exdeath's first form and mix a Hi-Potion with a Dragon Fang to cast "Dragon Power" on an ally. This raises the character's level by 20 for the remainder of the battle. This may be cast as many times as needed to reach level 99. During this time a White Mage should be healing the party. Flare and Holy should now deal more than 6000 damage points.
After defeating Exdeath's first form, the second form is fought with the character(s) still at level 99. If the player can mix an Elixir with a Dragon Fang to cast "Giant Drink", they double the allies' maximum HP. Golem can be summoned to block Exdeath's physical attacks.
The cheapest method is to make the party Mimes with one equipped with the Summon and Dualcast commands. The characters can summon Bahamut twice and keep miming each other. Alternatively, the player can replace one of the Bahamuts with Curaga.
The battle is also fairly easy if the characters have mastered Ninja, Ranger, and Samurai. In the Freelancer class the character can equip Rapid Fire and Zeninage. Having mastered Ninja all party members already have Dual-Wield. The first form is easily defeated by using Rapid Fire five to six times and the second form is defeated by tossing gil. This should kill Neo Exdeath before he has a chance to use Grand Cross. The Rapid Fire can also be used in conjunction with Mystic Knight's Flare Blade.
When one part of the four is remaining, it will use powerful spells until it dies. After destroying two parts of Neo Exdeath, it is better to split the attacks on the remaining two instead of killing one part only to avoid the constant barrage.
== Musical theme ==
The music that plays during the confrontation is "The Final Battle" . It was known as "Neo Exdeath" in The Black Mages' third studio album.
== Other appearances ==
=== Final Fantasy XIV ===
Neo Exdeath is fought in the Savage mode of Deltascape V4.0 after Exdeath is brought below 60% HP in under four minutes.
=== Dissidia Final Fantasy (2008) ===
Neo Exdeath is available as a Player Icon.
==== Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy ====
Exdeath's second alternate outfit is based on artwork of Neo Exdeath, and his EX Mode appearance is based on Neo Exdeath's in-game sprite.
=== Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade ===
=== Final Fantasy All the Bravest ===
Neo Exdeath is the last boss. Its Grand Cross attack can wipe out a row of the player's party members. However, it is very slow. The cheapest trick is to use "Fever" every time it's available.
===Mobius Final Fantasy===
Neo Exdeath appears as a Supreme card. It is a Dark Ranger card with the ability "Grand Cross", which inflicts Debarrier, Stun, Break Defense Down, and Critical Resist Down on all enemies in addition to dealing damage. It also has the Misfortune passive, which increases the power of the card based on the number of ailments the enemy currently has.
=== Final Fantasy Brave Exvius ===
== Non-Final Fantasy guest appearances ==
=== Puzzle & Dragons ===
Neo Exdeath appears as part of the Final Fantasy collaboration. The collaboration event happened in the North American version from 2 to 15 November 2015.
== Gallery ==
Neo Exdeath FFV Nomura Art.jpg|Artwork by Tetsuya Nomura.
Centaur Exdeath - Yoshitaka Amano FFV.PNG|Concept artwork by Yoshitaka Amano.
FFVAmano4.PNG|Possible alternate art of Neo Exdeath by Yoshitaka Amano.
FFV Bestiary iOS Neo Exdeath.PNG|Neo Exdeath's battle image (iOS).
FFV PRM Jp Neo Exdeath.png|Neo Exdeath with Void (Pixel Remaster)
ExdeathThirdAlt.png|Exdeath's third outfit in Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, based on Neo Exdeath's artwork.
ExdeathThirdEXMode.png|Exdeath's third outfit EX Mode in Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, based on Neo Exdeath's sprite.
== Etymology ==
 This signifies Neo Exdeath's "reborn" stage.
== Related enemies ==
* Exdeath (boss)
* Exdeath (tree form)
*Enuo
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Category:Bosses in Final Fantasy V
Category:Final bosses