ArchMage is an enemy that appears in Breath of Fire III. It can be encountered in Container Yard. It is typically recognized, along with Berserkr, as being one of the strongest enemies in the game. Defeating it is the only way to acquire the Holy Avenger, which is Rei's strongest weapon and Ryu's second strongest weapon.
AI[]
Type
1/1
Abilities
4/8 Myollnir
4/8 Mind Sword
Condition
Character is alone
Stats
Reverse targeting
Mod
Enabled
Type
1/1
Abilities
1/1 Benediction
Condition
Character is not alone
Stats
Reverse targeting
Mod
Disabled
Type
1/1
Abilities
4/8 Myollnir
4/8 Mind Sword
Strategy[]
The ArchMage is a fearsome foe who can easily kill party members in a single attack even at levels at high as the 40s. Myollnir and Mind Sword can deal several hundred damage each. Myollnir can be mitigated via Thunder Rings or if the player is lucky enough, Ivory Charms (both of which can be duplicated in Faerie Village).
This leaves Mind Sword as the only threatening attack and it can still be fairly dangerous, although the player can mitigate this through high Def and Protect as it uses physical defense for damage. At 80 Agi, it will undoubtedly outspeed the player unless they are at an absurd level, making heals likely be slower hence why resisting its brutal attacks is the best choice.
The worst part about fighting this enemy is that despite having just 3000 HP (much lower than many end game bosses), it has a monstrous 1500 HP regen per turn which all but ensure this foe will live almost ad eternum unless the player can outdamage this value by a significant amount, as otherwise they'll spend valuable time in a fight the player is already on the losing end.
It is thus better to defeat the ArchMage in as few hits as possible (highly recommendable to make use of EX turns, as he only heals after the EX turns ends if there are any), maybe even in a single hit, which is fairly possible even at the early 40s. To do so the player can rely on a combo of Ryu's perfect Kaiser form, Focus and Bonebreak. By spending stacking Focus twice a single Bonebreak should deal well above 3000 damage, defeating this enemy instantly and yielding the Holy Avenger. For good measure Ryu should be in Attack Formation for maximum damage (Chain Formation will help with the use of EX turns).
