Aeronite (Lightning Returns)

Aeronite is one of two superbosses in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, the other one being Ereshkigal. It inhabits the Dead Dunes and moves around the desert as a space distortion surrounded by lightning-type effects. It can be found in the Giant's Sandbox from Day 7 onwards.
Upon defeat, it gives 50,000 gil, 9.00 EP, and drops the Falcon Charm accessory on the ground. It also has a chance to drop a variety of rare components, including both Holy Forgefire and Demonic Forgefire. Disaster is a guaranteed drop in Hard Mode.
Aeronite is considered a Last One, and defeating it will count towards the relevant achievements and trophies. However, defeating it is not needed for "Last One Standing"; instead, Aeronite's defeat has its own quest: "What Rough Beast Slouches". Defeating Aeronite earns the Desert Dragonslayer achievement.
== Stats ==
Aeronite's attributes are modified depending on the current stagger level.
== Location ==
Aeronite appears at the Giant's Sandbox, its location rotating counter-clockwise depending on the time of day.
* 0400–0759 = northeast (area directly west of Temple Ruins East Gate)
* 0800–1159 = north
* 1200–1559 = northwest
* 1600–1959 = southwest (area directly in front of the station)
* 2000–2359 = south
* 0000–0359 = southeast
== Battle ==
Aeronite has 8,800,000 HP in Easy Mode, 11,000,000 HP in Normal Mode, and 38,500,000 HP in Hard Mode—more if one lets him follow to a Chaos infusion. It must be staggered four consecutive times to deal any significant damage to it. The player is given approximately three minutes to stagger Aeronite, after which there are another three minutes to reach the second stagger level and so on up to the fourth stagger level. If the player cannot maintain stacking stagger effects, Aeronite will use Fed Up and flee the battle and fully heal itself when it is next encountered.
When Lightning is far away, Aeronite will use its Magnet-like ability, Black Hole, to bring her close, and attack with her a swipe attack that launches her back, Roar, or Dragon Breath, two powerful multi-hit attacks. It will also use Roar one time immediately after the first three staggers. Megaton Break, which takes time to charge up, unleashes a major physical attack followed by a Quake magical attack. During this time Aeronite takes no damage from attacks.
Once Aeronite staggers for the first time, its behavior changes slightly. It casts "ga"-tier spells instead of "ra"-tier spells, which can be more detrimental given their longer duration, particularly Aeroga, which can last a considerable amount of time. It also casts Painga and Fogga. During this stage, Megaton Break will take longer to cast, but is more potent.
After the second and third staggers, Aeronite's attacks become less frequent. Its physical attack now launches Lightning, and it starts using Flare, Chill, Tornado and Surge instead of "ga"-tier spells. It replaces Megaton Break with Hellflare, a powerful move that ignores resistances even with Quiet Guardian/Cyber Jumpsuit garbs. The execution is faster and requires either more HP or a Perfect Guard to survive, since it can deal around 6k HP worth of damage in Normal Mode.
Only when staggered for the fourth time can Aeronite truly be damaged, as a 500% modifier is applied to all physical attacks. After the fourth stagger, it will only use Aeroga, Firaga, Thundaga, Blizzaga and Ruinga.
=== Strategy ===
The player should stock up on Ethers (by breaking skeletons outside of Sacred Door Room, and killing lizards all over the desert and go appraise the items in Ruffian). The player should get some Phoenix Downs, Enaero Potions and any potion that gives Bravery.
The player should stay far away and stagger Aeronite with magic (preferably "ra"-tier spells). Having Fang in the party likely provides negligible benefits at best, but her attacks could aid in stagger maintenance.
One trick is to have the Quiet Guardian or Cyber Jumpsuit garb, Preta Hood and Runic Ring accessories to gain a 100% resistance to magic damage, since using spells keeps one away from Aeronite. Whenever it uses a magic attack, one can switch to Quiet Guardian/Cyber Jumpsuit to take no damage without the need to block while using the schema. The player can then attack with magic to keep the stagger running. Any attack that isn't a usable spell will not be negated, however, e.g. Roar.
It is recommended to have "ra"-tier spells on at least two of the schemata. The L'automne garb includes two of those Lv. 3 spells with reduced ATB cost. It is also recommended to equip the White Strap accessory to prevent Fog. A shield with fast ATB recovery and the Chaos's Revenge sword (Quick Stagger 75%) should be used with L'automne or the Quiet Guardian/Cyber Jumpsuit schema to hasten the stagger process. Including Deprotect and Imperil will come in handy for the crucial last phase of the battle.
The Equilibrium+ garb is recommended for its increased ATB Recovery and Attack Lv. 4. Alternatively, Miqo'te Dress can be used for its Magic Slash ability, but it is worse in other areas. Debuff spells, such as Debrave and Defaith, will reduce the potency of Aeronite's attacks. Including a Ruin spell will help maintain/stabilize the stagger gauge. The schema should be equipped with a weapon that offers high Strength, preferably 800 or more points. The Forge in Yusnaan offers such weaponry and the Flesh Render dropped by the Reaver Ω gives +900 to both Strength and Magic. Accessories that boost physical damage, such as the Wolf's Emblem, help to defeat him in time during the fourth stagger. Also, the Enlister's Gloves, dropped by the Skata'ne Ω, increase damage when the opponent is at close range.
The battle should start with the player casting debuffs, then using Quiet Guardian/Cyber Jumpsuit and the other schemata to attack with spells and switch to Quiet Guardian/Cyber Jumpsuit when Aeronite casts a spell. Learning the timing takes practice, but eventually the player can save precious time and launch combo finishers properly by learning when to switch in. One can use the other two schemata to pummel at Aeronite, and then shift at the last second to Quiet Guardian/Cyber Jumpsuit to be immune to its spells and attack. The player should shift to Equilibrium+ to cast debuffs and Ruin when the other schemata have run out of ATB.
When Aeronite attempts to perform Megaton Break, Equilibrium+ should be used to debuff Aeronite before mixing between "ra"-tier spells and Ruin to maintain a stable stagger. Megaton Break takes time to use and unleashes a major physical attack followed by a Quake magical attack. The first one can be parried completely by perfectly timing the dash, which is not overly difficult to predict since the camera zooms on Aeronite when it is about to take flight. Otherwise Heavy Guard can still mitigate the damage, while the damage from Quake attack is easily avoided by being in Quiet Guardian/Cyber Jumpsuit. During this time, Aeronite takes no damage from attacks. Repeating this process will eventually stagger Aeronite, although it may take some tries for the party to have an easier time.
Once Aeronite staggers for the first time, it will cast "ga"-tier spells. The player should beware Aeronite's Fogga, which prevents the player from casting magic and wastes time or EP to heal it. Wearing a White Strap eliminates this annoyance. One should debuff and pummel him with "ra"-tier spells, since the longer cast time to Megaton Break gives the player a precious window to quickly stagger him and even prevent it altogether.
After its second stagger, Aeronite uses Hellflare that requires either a high amount of HP or a Perfect Guard to parry since it can deal 6,000+ worth of damage. One should parry just before it's about to breathe it, when the camera shows both Aeronite and Lightning. Beyond this, the player should do the same as above and stagger him once more.
After the third stagger, Aeronite uses Flare, Chill, Tornado and Surge, but with Quiet Guardian/Cyber Jumpsuit they are ineffective. The player can repeat the same procedure and stagger him easier than in previous stages given the large windows now given, as it takes longer to charge Hellflare.
As soon as it's staggered for the fourth time, one should use the Enaero Potion, and if possible, a potion that bestows Bravery and/or Haste, like the Hero's Potion, and cast Deprotect and Imperil, then switch to Equilibrium+/Miqo'te Dress and pummel Aeronite with Attack/Magic Slash. If the player has performed nearly all quests and using the mentioned equipment, each slash of Attack will take 60,000+ of its HP with the combo finale being capable of inflicting 130,000+, and with Haste, the damage output is constant.
During this stage Aeronite only uses "ga"-tier spells, which are easily blocked by changing to Quiet Guardian/Cyber Jumpsuit. When the Equilibrium+ is about to run out of ATB one should use Overclock and keep eating at Aeronite's HP. When the player runs out of EP to spare, they should use the time when on the Quiet Guardian/Cyber Jumpsuit schema to use an Ether or another Bravery Potion to ensure the conditions are optimal, and recast Deprotect and Imperil when they're about to run out.
==Other appearances==
===Mobius Final Fantasy===
==Behind the scenes==
Some concept art of Diabolos (top right; central second row; central bottom) for Final Fantasy XIII resemble the Aeronite. Diabolos was not used for Final Fantasy XIII, but it appears the design has been modified to create Aeronite and the Faeryl in Final Fantasy XIII-2.
== Gallery ==
LRFFXIII Aeronite.jpg
Desert Dragonslayer.png|Achievement icon.
== Etymology ==
The quest that demands Aeronite's defeat, "What Rough Beast Slouches", derives its title from a W. B. Yeats poem, Second Coming, which has the line, "And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?" The poem refers to the origin of a monster (often interpreted as the Beast of Revelation and/or the Antichrist); fitting given the approaching end of the world in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.
== Related enemies ==
=== Final Fantasy XIII-2 ===
* Faeryl
Category:Superbosses
Category:Bosses in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII