Spectral Keeper

Attacks all frontal targets when hit. It will plant a Glyph Mine upon a circle, causing instant KO when detonated. Use the trigger command Move to transfer to another circle.

Scan description

Spectral Keeper is a Spirit-Beast fiend in Final Fantasy X. It appears after completing the Zanarkand Cloister of Trials.

Stats[]

Stats

AP (Overkill)

Status resistances and immunities

Capture

Lv. 4

Immune

Sphere of Monster
#165 ←	#166	→ #167

Classification

Species

Spirit Beast

Other information

Enemy is Tough, Heavy.
Immune to eject.

Sensor description	Scan description
Attacks all frontal targets when hit. Use trigger command Move to get out of the way.	Attacks all frontal targets when hit. It will plant a Glyph Mine upon a circle, causing instant KO when detonated. Use the trigger command Move to transfer to another circle.

Items

Equipment drop (100%)

2-3 slots, 1-3 abilities

Weapon abilities

Piercing, Firestrike, Lightningstrike, Waterstrike, Icestrike

Armor abilities

Fireproof, Lightningproof, Waterproof, Iceproof

Abilities

Physical attack, Berserk Tail, Glyph Mine

Battle[]

The battlefield is unique, as each party member stands on a floating platform, each representing a temple Yuna has visited on her pilgrimage, with the Spectral Keeper in the middle. Party members can teleport to other platforms at any time via Trigger Commands; because the party is separated on individual platforms, the Guard and Sentinel commands are disabled and cannot be used to protect allies. Any aeon Yuna summons will stand on a rock outside the central area. Hellfire, Thor's Hammer, and Delta Attack have alternate animations against the Spectral Keeper, though the latter can't be seen under normal circumstances.

The Spectral Keeper can strike a random teammate with its tail, with a 50% chance of inflicting Berserk. When attacked, it will sweep its claws and hit anyone standing on the three platforms in front of it. When Provoked, it will target the Provoker with Berserk Tail followed by its area-attack. After taking damage four times, it will use its turn to place glyph mines on two random platforms that explode on their turn, causing Instant Death. The Keeper will not summon additional mines until the previous ones have detonated. If an aeon is summoned, glyph mines placed on panels will have no effect when they explode, though they will be placed under the aeon after the Keeper attacks them three times, which includes the Keeper counterattacking an aeon's attacks.

The boss is immune to most status effects and has equally high Defense and Magic Defense, although it is susceptible to Mental Break.

Strategy[]

It is best not to use aeons unless their Overdrive bars are full, because they will only get a few turns. The party should be spread around Spectral Keeper, leaving one panel on either side of each character blank. This limits Spectral Keeper's ability to damage more than one character at a time as it can strike three panels at once, and it tends to lay glyph mines close together. Provoke can keep damage away from less robust characters; provoking characters should be kept in the line of Spectral Keeper's attacks.

Using Mental Break makes Black Magic (especially Ultima) or Holy particularly effective. Curing Berserk and applying Protect may be necessary, though merely having Berserk Ward will give full protection against Berserk Tail. Characters with high Evasion, such as Lulu, can work well against the Spectral Keeper's low Accuracy. Overdrives, Mixes, or aeons summoned with a full Overdrive or with Yuna's Grand Summon, will be useful to weaker parties in getting an Overkill (netting an extra Lv. 4 Key Sphere).

Behind the scenes[]

Spectral Keeper has an unused physical attack called "Counter-Attack". It deals no damage, instead removing KO status from the target, suggesting this was meant to be used to instantly kill a character under Zombie status.