Cerberus (Final Fantasy VIII)

Cerberus is a Guardian Force in Final Fantasy VIII. Despite being fought as a boss, it is a support Guardian Force, bestowing the player party with the ability to cast more than one magic spell per turn. It is one of the few Guardian Forces to speak to the party.
Cerberus learns more junction abilities than the Guardian Forces obtained so far, as well as Speed boosting support abilities and status attack and defense, among them useful Status Defense x4. It is the only GF to learn Auto-Haste naturally, and also learns an ability to reduce the number of spells expended from the spell stock when the user Dualcasts with the Double status. Its unique ability lets the player avoid back attacks in random encounters.
==Profile==
Cerberus is a large gray and red three-headed dog. It has glowing eyes, and large fangs and claws. It has a long muscular tail. It has more mass up front to support its three heads.
==Obtained==
Cerberus can be found during the event referred to as the Battle of the Gardens where Balamb Garden and Galbadia Garden clash. Cerberus is found within Galbadia Garden, where he appears as an optional boss in the atrium during the raid. This spot also has a Haste draw point. Approaching Cerberus will initiate a battle, and after defeating him he becomes a Guardian Force. If the player misses Cerberus, it can be drawn from Gargantua in the final dungeon. Cerberus is the only non-drawable GF who becomes a drawable GF if the player misses it. If missed on both opportunities, Cerberus cannot be obtained in that playthrough. Obtaining Cerberus in the Steam version earns the player the achievement Cerberus.
==Battle==
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When Cerberus is summoned using the GF command, he uses a move called Counter Rockets, which casts Double and Triple on the party, allowing the player characters to cast two or three magic spells in one turn. Because Cerberus is not a damage-dealing GF it cannot be boosted, and while it can learn SumMag+% abilities from items, they will have no effect.
===Compatibility===
The charge time for summoning depends on the compatibility between the character and the GF and the Battle Speed. The greater the compatibility, the less time it takes to summon. Compatibility can be boosted with compatibility boosting items, by casting magic that is the same element as the Guardian Force and by summoning the GF during battle. Compatibility is reduced by using "opposing" magic to the GF's element and other summons. Unlike most GFs Cerberus doesn't have an opposite GF whose summoning would deduct from his compatibility the most.
Compatibility Chart	Compatibility Chart 	Compatibility Chart
Summon Effect 	Cerberus +20, Every other GF -1.6 	
Compatibility Items	Dragon Fin +3.2 (-1.6 for others), LuvLuv G +20.2 	
Casting Magic 	Triple +2, Double +0.8, Haste +0.6, Apocalypse +0.2, Aura +0.2, Dispel +0.2, Esuna +0.2, Protect +0.2, Reflect +0.2, Shell +0.2, Ultima +0.2, Berserk -0.2, Break -0.2, Blind -0.2, Confuse -0.2, Pain -0.2, Sleep -0.2, Silence -0.4, Slow -0.8, Stop -0.8	
The below values are the base compatibility values with all playable characters at the start of the game. Although Seifer cannot junction Cerberus in a normal playthrough, a default value still exists for his compatibility.
Party member	Compatibility
Squall 	640
Quistis 	620
Zell 	600
Selphie 	740
Rinoa 	700
Irvine 	650
Seifer 	300
Edea 	728
===Stats===
The following table represents the base stats:
Level	HP
23 	1,490
30 	1,876
40 	2,434
50 	3,000
60 	3,574
70 	4,156
80 	4,746
90 	5,344
100 	5,950
==Abilities==
Abilities learned naturally by Cerberus are listed below:
Ability 	AP 	Prerequisite
Str-J 	(Already learned)	(Already learned)
Mag-J 	50 	None
Spr-J 	50 	None
Spd-J 	120 	None
Hit-J 	(Already learned)	(Already learned)
ST-Atk-J 	160 	Mag-J
ST-Def-J 	100 	Spr-J
ST-Def-Jx2	130 	ST-Def-J
ST-Def-Jx4	180 	ST-Def-Jx2
Ability x3	(Already learned)	(Already learned)
Ability 	AP 	Prerequisite
Magic 	(Already learned)	(Already learned)
GF 	(Already learned)	(Already learned)
Draw 	(Already learned)	(Already learned)
Item 	(Already learned)	(Already learned)
Spd+20% 	150 	Spd-J
Spd+40% 	200 	Spd+20%
Auto-Haste	150 	Spd+40%
Expendx2-1	250 	Cerberus Lv30
Alert 	200 	None
GFHP+10% 	40 	None
GFHP+20% 	70 	GFHP+10%
GFHP+30% 	140 	GFHP+20%
==Boss==
Cerberus uses Triple, combined with strong elemental spells and Haste when his HP falls low. The party will express surprise at there being a Guardian Force in Galbadia Garden, even Irvine who was a student there.
==Triple Triad==
Cerberus is a Level 9 GF Card in Triple Triad used for playing the minigame and for turning into 100 Lightweights with Quezacotl's Card Mod. The card drops from the Cerberus boss.
== Other appearances ==
=== Final Fantasy Record Keeper ===
Cerberus from Final Fantasy VIII appears as an enemy and Soul Break.
FFRK GF Cerberus Icon.png|Soul Break.
FFRK Cerberus FFVIII.png|Cerberus enemy.
===Mobius Final Fantasy===
The Final Fantasy VIII incarnation of Cerberus appeared as a life-aspected Support ability card for players to summon during the Final Fantasy VIII collaboration event. It allowed player characters to perform the Counter Rockets Support ability, which drew nine elemental orbs, along with increasing the player's Ultimate gauge and granted Quicken.
===Final Fantasy Portal App===
Cerberus from Final Fantasy VIII appears as a Triple Triad card.
164a Cerberus.png|Final Fantasy VIII.
164b Cerberus.png|Final Fantasy VIII.
164c Cerberus.png|Final Fantasy VIII.
==Behind the scenes==
The Cerberi in Final Fantasy XV Universe resemble the Cerberus Guardian Force from Final Fantasy VIII.
==Gallery==
Cerberus FFVIII Portrait Art.jpg|Portrait artwork by Tetsuya Nomura.
Cerberus summoned from FFVIII Remastered.png|Cerberus summoned.
Counter_Rockets.png|Counter Rockets.
Cerberus-FFVIII-action-figure.jpg|Action figure.
==Etymology==
Category:Guardian Forces in Final Fantasy VIII
de:Cerberus (FFVIII)