Final Fantasy VIII
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Death Claw

Death Claw in the Lenown Plains forests

Where to Find It

  • Forests of the Lenown Plains in Centra
  • Grandidi Forest in Esthar
  • Galbadia Garden, during the Battle of the Gardens

Vital Statistics

Like nearly every enemy in Final Fantasy VIII, this enemy’s level rises with your party’s average level, and its rewards change across three level brackets. Check out the Character and Enemy Leveling page for the full explanation of how enemy levels work.

Level bracketsLow 1–19
Mid 20–29
High 30–100
HP by levelLv 1: 4,231Lv 10: 4,650Lv 20: 5,400Lv 30: 6,450Lv 100: 22,200
HP formula1.5x² + 30x + 4200 (x = enemy level)
AP3
Triple Triad CardDeath Claw Triple Triad Card
Command Ability IconCardRarely turns into Granaldo

Elemental Affinities

ElementEffect
Fire Element IconFireNormal
Ice Element IconIceNormal
Thunder Element IconThunderNormal
Earth Element IconEarthNormal
Poison Element IconPoisonNormal
Wind Element IconWindNormal
Water Element IconWaterNormal
Holy Element IconHolyNormal

Status Vulnerabilities

Percentages are the base chance for the status to land before level and junction modifiers; the higher the number, the easier it is to inflict.

StatusWorks?
Death Status IconDeath70%
Poison Status IconPoison80%
Petrify Status IconPetrify70%
Darkness Status IconDarkness80%
Silence Status IconSilence80%
Berserk Status IconBerserk60%
Zombie Status IconZombie70%
Sleep Status IconSleep80%
Slow Status IconSlow90%
Stop Status IconStop50%
Doom80%
Petrify Status IconGradual Petrify70%
Confuse Status IconConfuse60%
Drain Status IconDrain100%
Degenerator80%
Vit 0 (Meltdown)100%
The EndWorks

Draws, Steals, and Drops by Level

Low (1–19)Mid (20–29)High (30–100)
DrawGreen Magick IconAeroGreen Magick IconAero
Green Magick IconDispel		Green Magick IconAero
Green Magick IconDispel
Green Magick IconReflect
MugMiscellaneous Item IconShear Feather x2Miscellaneous Item IconShear Feather x4Miscellaneous Item IconShear Feather x6
DropMiscellaneous Item IconM-Stone Piece x2 or Miscellaneous Item IconSharp Spike x1Miscellaneous Item IconSharp Spike x1 or Miscellaneous Item IconShear Feather x1Miscellaneous Item IconSharp Spike x2 or Miscellaneous Item IconShear Feather x2
Drop (with Party Ability IconRare Item)Miscellaneous Item IconSharp Spike x1 or Miscellaneous Item IconWindmill x1Miscellaneous Item IconWindmill x1Miscellaneous Item IconWindmill x1–2
DevourRestores max HPRestores max HPRestores max HP

Attacks

  • “Bear Hug”: A crushing grab that always lands and always crits.
  • “Gas”: A counterattack: non-elemental damage to the whole party with a chance of Green Magick IconSleep.
  • “Explosion”: Its other counter, straight area damage with no status attached.

Strategy

It counters your attacks with sleeping Gas and Explosions, so end the fight quickly with strong single hits.