This section of the strategy guide provides a walkthrough of the final battle of the game against Ultimecia once you have completed Ultimecia’s Castle dungeon. Return to the previous page if there are other side quests and events that you would like to complete before reaching the end of the game.
Because this is the end of the game, there is no reason not to go all out and make use of every consumable item you have, use 
Card Mod to get some of the best items, and equip your characters accordingly. The preparation notes mentioned below are similar to those recommended for the optional boss battle against Omega Weapon.
Ensure that between your three characters that they have access to the 
Magic and Item commands. Consider removing the Draw command as you won’t require it. Suitable replacements include the GF, Revive or Defend commands.
Take some steps to maximize the effectiveness of your Guardian Forces. Use any remaining 
Rosetta Stones that you have to make sure all three of your characters will have access to the 
Abilityx4 ability. You also want to have acess to the following abilities for all of your characters or as many as possible:
Auto-HasteAuto-ProtectAuto-ShellHP+80% (or enough to reach 9,999 HP)Str+60%The easiest way to do this at this stage is to use Card Mod on some of your Triple Triad cards, assuming you collected most of them before reaching this area, and using the refined items on your Guardian Forces. As a reminder, you can use Amnesia Greens to remove unnecessary abilities from your Guardian Forces such as any SumMag+% ability or and GFHP+% ability.
Kiros Card to get 3x Accelerators which can teach a GF the Auto-Haste abilityAlexander Card to get 3x Glow Curtains which can teach a GF the Auto-Shell abilityAuto-Protect learned, but for two more, you would need to have 2x Steel Curtains, or refine 20 Adamantine into 1 Steel Curtain (so you may not be able to get this done now but you should be fine without it)
You can refine the Bahamut Card to get 100 
Megalixirs which are very helpful for healing your party and removing any negative status effects. Consider using the Rearrange function in the menu options to move Megalixir closer to the top of the list so you can find them a lot easier.
Once you are finished your preparations, its time to begin. There are a total of 4 different boss battles you will be engaging in, so get ready for a lengthy showdown…
At the beginning of the battle, Ultimecia will randomly select party members, which can be unfortunate given that you have meticulously set up junctions and magic for specific characters. However, there is a way to cycle in your intended party members.
When a character is KO’d during any of the upcoming fights, you have a limited window of time to revive them before they will be automatically removed from the battle permanently, referred to as being “Absorbed in Time”. While this may pose challenges because you will need to be fast when your real party members die, letting non-primary party members get KO’d and removed from the fight is the key to bringing in your desired party members.
In Game Description: A sorceress trying to change the world by compressing time and taking power from all sorceresses.
Ultimecia’s first form is relatively straightforward, but she does have a particularly potent attack called Maelstrom that will reduce each character’s HP down to 62.5%. It may also inflict the 
Curse status effect, recognizable by the darker character model and which will prevent that character from performing a Limit Break.
While casting 
Meltdown on Ultimecia during this phase and in subsequent phases is recommended, this is also the first time the boss will cast Meltdown back on your party. Utilize a Remedy, a Megalixir or Esuna magic to clear these two negative status effects.
In Game Description: In Squall’s mind, the strongest GF. Through Ultimecia’s power, continues fighting without vanishing.
Your next fight is against Ultimecia’s Guardian Force, Griever, though note that this boss may have a different name if you chose to rename the lion on Squall’s ring during the battle between Balamb and Galbadia Garden.
Griever can destroy entire stocks of magic junctioned to a character, which will prevent a character from casting that spell but will also impact the junctioned character stat. A message will appear on the screen saying something along the lines of “Squall’s Triple has blown away”. Try to defeat Griever as quickly as possible to preserve as much of your magic as you can. Cast Meltdown on Griever and cast Aura on your party members, particularly Squall, to maximize Limit Break opportunities.
If you defeat Griever before it can use a move called Shockwave Pulsar, be prepared for it to use this move as its last action before the next battle. Ensure your party members are healed, as Shockwave Pulsar inflicts significant damage.
In Game Description: Ultimecia Junctioned to Griever. A powerful monster that combines Ultimecia’s and Griever’s forces.
The third fight involves Ultimecia being attached to and junctioned to Griever, similar to the battle against Adel when Rinoa was junctioned. This new enemy possesses the attacks and power of both Ultimecia and Griever.
Ultimecia can summon Helixes to enhance her and Griever’s strength. If she both Helixes are successfully summoned, she will use “Great Attractor”, an attack which deals substantial damage, as it bypasses your character’s Vitality and Spirit stats.
Speed is crucial in this fight. Use Meltdown again, followed by Aura to execute as many Limit Breaks as you can.
In Game Description: Ultimecia, transformed to absorb all time and space. Absorbing all existence as we speak.
This is Ultimecia’s final form and the ultimate boss battle. As the fight progresses, Ultimecia will deliver some dialogue… “Reflect on your childhood. Your sensation, your words, your emotions… Time will not wait. No matter how hard you hold on, it escapes you. And..” (the theme of the game).
She starts off this battle by using Hell’s Judgement, which will cause a significant amount of damage, so be prepared to recover. She can also use “Apocalypse” by Drawing power from the lower section of her form, dealing devastating damage to your team. When Ultimecia draws Apocalypse, heal your party members and consider using the Defend command to reduce the incoming damage. Don’t be afraid to use your Megalixirs here!
The strategy here is similar to the strategies mentioned above - use Meltdown on her and Aura on your party. Good luck!
End of Game
You will receive the End of Game Achievement/Trophy as soon as you have defeated the last iteration of Ultimecia and completed the game.
Congratulations, you have completed Final Fantasy VIII! Here are a few screenshots from the ending cinematic. Some of them are extremely creepy! (none of those ones are included below)
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