The Dark Abyss
Journeying to End of the World drops you at the threshold of the Gate to the Dark. Head out of the small cave for a cutscene, and then set out to explore the vast expanse ahead of you. Despite there being very few visible areas to walk on, an invisible path stretches from stone to stone, so you can just walk normally. The various Treasure Chests scattered around contain some pretty awesome Items, but some will release dark orbs that will engulf your party and force you to battle some rather nasty Heartless (which you’ve fought before if you’ve already taken on the Hades Cup before coming here). Defeating them will reward you with the Item that should have been in the Treasure Chest.
Sometimes, dark orbs will simply fall from the sky in an unavoidable cutscene, which will again, force you to take on the native Heartless. When you reach the end of the Gate to the Dark area, a final dark orb will rain down and you’ll be forced to battle another Behemoth, this time with even more strength and HP than the one you fought during your second visit to Hollow Bastion. Defeating this Behemoth brings you to the Giant Crevasse area, which is absolutely enormous and full of nooks and crannies to explore.
There are many Treasure Chests scattered throughout the Giant Crevasse that will require the use of High Jump and Glide to reach. As an added bonus, there aren’t really any enemies in this area, making exploring that much easier. Your eventual target is a giant hole in the ground with swirling white mist pouring out of it. Use the Save Point close to the hole if you want to save, then jump right in.
Blast from the Past
The World Terminus area up ahead is a very peculiar place. There are a series of pillars in this area, each with their own swirling portal in the center. You can enter these portals to revisit fake versions of all of the worlds you’ve visited prior to End of the World (except for Destiny Islands, Monstro, and Hollow Bastion). If you chose to enter these portals, you can defeat the Heartless that appear and then locate the Treasure Chest in each portal. You can also choose to simply walk around these portals and use the glowing lights on the other side of the pillars in the World Terminus to advance to the next pillar.
Whatever route you take, we recommend you at least enter the last portal, which will take you to the 100 Acre Wood. There are no enemies here, but there is a Treasure Chest and a Save Point to save your game. This is the last Save Point for a while, so you might want to consider using it.
Back in the World Terminus area, the final pillar beyond the 100 Acre Wood portal features a burning red portal. Enter it to be brought to a dark corridor where you’ll have to fight off some Heartless. When you’ve gotten rid of them all, a door to the side opens. Examine the machine to learn a few neat things, then be ready for another fight against the Heartless. Don’t forget to grab the nearby Treasure Chest, as you won’t be able to return to this room at all if you miss it! After clearing the room, return to the World Terminus through the same portal that brought you to the dark corridor. At this point, we recommend you return to the 100 Acre Wood portal and use the Save Point again. Make sure that Sora’s Magic Shortcut Menu features Firaga, Curaga, and Aerora (if you’ve managed to track down all of the missing Dalmatian Puppies, you’ll have Aeroga, which is even better). Place a few Mega-Potions in your Item Slots, and maybe even some Mega-Ethers or Megalixirs. When you’re ready, return to the World Terminus and return to the final pillar. The once fiery portal is now a swirling blue vortex. Jump inside and be prepared for quite the battle!
Boss: Chernabog
HP: 1500 / EXP: 15,000
Battling the Chernabog may feel a lot like fighting Giant Ursula in Atlantica. The controls are pretty much the same and your target is the creature’s head. The only difference is that the Chernabog has a lot more HP, a lot more strength, and a lot more ferocity!
Cast Aerora/Aeroga as soon as the battle begins. Fly right in and begin attacking the head. For the most part, the Chernabog won’t fight back for the first portion of the battle. Be on the lookout for two very powerful and very devastating attacks though. The Chernabog will either lean forward or lean backward to signal these attacks. If it leans forward, this means that it is about to cause a massive volcanic eruption from the mountain below. Fly away fast to avoid being hit by this, as it is unavoidable if you stay close by. If it leans backward, it is about to attack with its fiery breath, which will either sweep from left to right or right to left depending on where it starts. This attack can be avoided by getting behind the head, where you can continue your assault without being hit.
The Chernabog may occasionally blow you away with a large gust of wind. Simply fly back in to continue attacking. When you’ve reduced a good chunk of its HP, the Chernabog will begin summoning fiery orbs that follow you in addition to its usual attacks. Keep moving and attack the head when you can to keep his HP dropping.
Victory Reward: Superglide Shared Ability
Battle After Battle
Now that the Chernabog is defeated, enter the mountain that it was perched upon and make your way down to the bottom. Enter the white vortex at the floor of the mountain to be brought to a series of small rooms. Keep making your way through them and entering the vortexes to advance to the next room. When you come to the final room, another Behemoth battle awaits you. Take it out using the same strategy as always and then be prepared for a rather grueling series of battles against wave after wave of Heartless. The emblem on the back wall of the room will gradually crumble as you fight. Keep defeating Heartless until the entire emblem falls apart. This will reveal a door to the Final Rest area.
Side Quest: Secret Boss
Reaching the Final Rest unlocks one final Secret Boss for you to challenge. If you’re up for the task, return to the Castle Chapel in Hollow Bastion and enter the portal that previously brought you to fight the Dragon. Something far worse now waits inside. For more details on this Secret Boss, refer to our Side Quests pages.
Inside in the Final Rest, there is a Treasure Chest and one last Save Point. Beyond the door is the final series of confrontations before the end of the game! You’ll need to make sure that you’re prepared for whatever lies ahead. We recommend you make the following adjustments to your characters before entering the final door:
- Make sure that Sora’s Magic Shortcut Menu contains Curaga and Aerora/Aeroga. The third slot is up to you.
- Fill Sora’s Item Menu with Elixirs and Megalixirs, fill Donald’s Item Menu with Mega-Ethers, and fill Goofy’s Item Menu with Mega-Potions.
- Remove the Sonic Blade, Ars Arcanum, and Trinity Limit abilities if you have them equipped to Sora. You won’t need them, and this will allow you to equip other abilities like Combo Plus, Air Combo Plus, Second Chance, Leaf Bracer, and more. Be sure to have the Ragnarok ability equipped though.
- Goofy should definitely have the MP Gift ability equipped. Remove abilities like Rocket, Charge, and Tornado to prevent him from spending unnecessary MP.
- Both Donald and Goofy should have their Second Wind and Second Chance abilities equipped. Donald should also have his Leaf Bracer ability equipped as well.
- Equip your characters with the most powerful weapons you’ve got. If you’ve cleared the Hades Cup, you should at least have the Lionheart for Sora. If you completed the Hades Cup Time Trial and the Solo Hades Cup, then you should also have the Save the Queen for Donald and the Save the King for Goofy. If you managed to collect the necessary materials, you can also synthesize the Ultima Weapon for Sora back in Traverse Town.
- Equip the accessories that give your characters the greatest stat boosts possible.
When you’re ready to go, examine the door.
Destiny Islands
The door in the Final Rest area has brought you back to Sora’s home, though it might not be as “home, sweet home” as Sora remembers. Approach the entrance to the Secret Place by the waterfall for a brief cutscene in which the entire layout of the Destiny Islands is changed for the worse. You’ll also notice Riku standing on the shoreline. Approach him to trigger the first of many battles!
Boss: Ansem
HP: 1500 / EXP: 10,000
Ansem goes relatively easy on your for your first encounter with him. His attacks will still seem relentless and powerful, but there are steps you can take to ensure that you come out on top of this battle in the end. First, use the Tinker Bell Summon at the very beginning of the battle. She’ll constantly replenish your HP periodically while you’re fighting. Also, cast Aerora/Aeroga to reduce any damage you may receive and gradually damage Ansem as well. Now you’re ready to take him on!
Ansem floats around the beach with his familiar close behind him. If you attack with standard combos at first, Ansem’s rather high MP Recovery rate will quickly replenish any MP you’ve lost. Occasionally, Ansem’s guardian will emerge in front of him, blocking all frontal attacks. He is, however, still vulnerable from behind, though he’ll rotate quickly to ensure that he is always facing you.
You don’t want to use up any Items during this encounter, as you will need them for the fights to come. You also don’t want to use up too much MP, but don’t be afraid to pound Ansem back with the Ragnarok ability if need be. Also, be on the lookout for Ansem’s favorite catch phrase, “Submit!”. He’ll sick his familiar on you, which can put you in a real bind if it manages to latch on to Sora. Not only will it gradually reduce Sora’s HP, but it will also occasionally replace the Attack Command with the Freeze Command instead. If you attempt an attack while the Freeze Command is present, the familiar will grab on to Sora and lift him up in the air, draining even more HP from him. If you continue to attack Ansem while the familiar is following you, it will lessen the amount of time you’ll be stuck with it.
Ansem will still attack, even if his familiar is latched onto you. He’ll hide in a massive energy shield and ram into you, dealing damage. When he calls his familiar back, he might also rush away and unleash a barrage of dark energy disc attacks. You can use the Superglide ability to glide right over this attack and nail him with a combo or two.
After defeating Ansem, he’ll retreat into the giant crater nearby. Use this downtime to use a Cottage if you have one in your Item Inventory to fully restore your Party’s HP and MP. If you used any Items from your Item Menu, replenish them before jumping into the crater. From here on out, you will not get a chance to replenish Items or heal your characters. It’s battle after battle after battle from this point on!
Boss: Darkside
HP: 900 / EXP: 8000
Darkside is back for one final rumble, and not much has changed since the last time you fought it. Take it down using the same strategy you used way back at the beginning of the game and Darkside will fall with ease. You should be able to make it through this fight without taking too much damage or using any MP.
Boss: Ansem
HP: 1200 / EXP: 20,000
With Darkside defeated, Ansem emerges yet again to take you on. This time, you don’t have Donald and Goofy, which means you can’t use the Tinker Bell Summon spell to constantly replenish your HP. You should still cast Aerora/Aeroga as soon as the battle begins.
Taking Ansem on one-on-one is much like fighting him before, as he’ll attack with many of the same moves. He does, however, have a few new tricks up his sleeve. One new attack that he’ll use frequently starts when he summons a protective barrier in front of him and starts speeding around the area, bashing into you as he passes. You should be able to use the Dodge Roll ability to avoid this, but you can also use the Guard ability to stop him in his tracks and follow up with a Counterattack.
Like last time, Ansem will randomly yell “Submit!” from time to time, signaling his familiar to latch itself onto you like it did in your previous battle. Handle this the same way you did in your first fight, but keep an eye on Sora’s HP this time. Without the Tinker Bell Summon, you’ll have to heal yourself the good old fashioned way with a Curaga spell here and there.
Ansem’s biggest attack is also the easiest to avoid. He’ll start to glow and make his way to the center of the area. He is invulnerable during this attack, so don’t bother advancing. Simply Dodge Roll constantly to avoid being hit by the familiar and its assaults. When he’s finished, Ansem will attack as he normally does, meaning that you can hit him with a combo or even a Ragnarok attack!
With the defeat of Ansem, Sora and the gang are plunged into the darkest depths! Though the point of no return has long since been passed by now, this officially marks the home stretch that is the Final Boss Sequence just outside the Door to Darkness! The entire ordeal could take you anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to complete, depending on your play style, so be ready for the long haul!
Boss: World of Chaos
HP: 1500 / EXP: 20,000
Ansem and his familiar have undergone quite the transformation, but they’re actually easier to take out than they were in your previous encounters. Cast Aerora/Aeroga to start the battle, then charge straight at Ansem. You’ll be flying throughout the entirety of this series of battles.
Sora is still all alone in this fight, but that shouldn’t be a problem. The World of Chaos doesn’t attack much, but when it does, it hits hard with a series of rapid blows. You can pretty much attack it uninterrupted, but be sure to back off when it winds up for a series of attacks. Also, keep an eye out for small energy orbs that fire laser beams from them. These little pests can be annoying and interrupt your combos, so fly around to avoid being hit by them.
Boss: Room Core
HP: 30 / EXP: 0
Sora is brought to a pitch-black room filled with Shadows. Take them all out with ease to reveal the Room Core. Attack it with a few aerial combos to take it down. The Room Core will explode and Sora will return to the World of Chaos.
Boss: Cannons
Small Cannons – HP: 120 / EXP: 90
Large Cannons – HP: 240 / EXP: 240
Back outside, rows of Cannons line up and lob shots at you. Fly around and take them all out to advance to the next portion of the fight. Periodically throughout the battle, Ansem’s guardian might knock you away with a fierce gust of wind. Simply fly back in to continue battling the Cannons until they are all defeated. A portal will appear just above them when you destroy them all. Fly inside for the next battle!
Boss: Room Core
HP: 30 / EXP: 0
Inside this dark room are Darkballs instead of Shadows. As an added bonus, Goofy is back in your Party for this fight, so you should have no trouble defeating them. Take out all of the enemies, then destroy the Room Core when it appears. When the explosion clears, Sora will be back outside with Goofy at his side!
Boss: Face
HP: 1200 / EXP: 3000
With Goofy beside you, it’s time to take on the front of the ship. The Face will attack very rapidly, raining lightning bolts down in front of it. Cast Aerora/Aeroga to render the damage dealt by these attacks insignificant. Keep hammering it with combo after combo and it will be destroyed in no time. After the Face explodes, another dark portal is revealed. Fly inside to continue the fight.
Boss: Room Core
HP: 30 / EXP: 0
The final dark room is swarming with Invisibles, but with your fully-restored Party, you should have no problem defeating them all. Destroy the Room Core when it appears, which will bring you back outside. The shield surrounding the Main Core is now down, allowing you to attack the heart of the ship!
Boss: Main Core
HP: 300 / EXP: 0
The Main Core is surrounded by Cannons, but other than that, you won’t have any opposition while you take it out. Attack it with combo after combo and it will explode in no time. The only thing left to do is take on the World of Chaos itself for the last time!
Boss: World of Chaos
HP: 1200 / EXP: 24,000
With the entire ship in pieces, the World of Chaos emerges from behind its now-broken seal. It’ll attack with the same assaults it used before, only this time, it has one very dangerous new attack to watch out for. Cast Aerora/Aeroga to start the battle and hammer the World of Chaos as you did before, watching out for its halberd attacks and laser beam assaults.
If you ever notice that Sora is suddenly being pulled away from the World of Chaos, do your best to fly straight toward it, as you are being sucked into a black hole. This will do some serious damage if you get sucked all the way in, so fly in the opposite direction of the pull to avoid being hit. With some perseverance, the World of Chaos will fall for the final time!
CONGRATULATIONS!!! You have now officially beaten KINGDOM HEARTS Final Mix! If you found all of the Dalmatian Puppies, cleared the Hades Cup, AND sealed every single Keyhole to every single world, then there’s a special secret ending waiting for you at the end of the credits!