How to Beat Kraken (Past)
Introduction
Kraken (Past) is the third Fiend rematch in the Chaos Shrine, blocking the descent on B3 below the Marilith (Past) fight. The original Kraken at the Sunken Shrine was a clean two-move fight: 8-hit physicals and Ink, with a glaring Lightning weakness that made Thundaga the win condition. The rematch removes that weakness entirely and adds a third move to the rotation: Thundara, ironically the same element that crushed his story version, now turned around and cast on the party at 33% per turn.
The other change is brute scaling. HP doubles from 1,800 to 3,600, Attack jumps from 50 to 60, and Defense climbs from 60 to 80. The 8-hit Fight pattern that was already brutal in the original hits even harder here, the highest sustained physical output on any non-final boss. Ink still blinds the party, Thundara still chips, and there’s no elemental shortcut to fold the kill clock. This is a long endurance fight.
A few numbers worth flagging. HP 3,600 is exactly double the original. 8 hits per turn at 60 Attack is the new highest sustained physical output on any non-final boss, ahead of Marilith Past and the original Kraken. Magic Defense 0 combined with Magic Evasion 200 keeps connecting spells full-damage but most casts whiff. Defense 80 matches the rest of the Past Fiend pattern. Lightning weakness gone is the headline change; Thundaga is no longer the fast win, and worse, Thundara is now in his rotation at 33% per turn as a single-target damage cast on the party. Status immunities: only Stone, so Sleep, Hold, Slow, and Silence can theoretically land if you want a long-shot rescue. Drop rate: 8% on Eye Drops, the first non-zero drop on any Past Fiend (and conveniently a Blind cure for Ink). Total: 2,000 EXP, 1 Gil.
Strategy
Quick Tips
- NulShock for Thundara
Halves the 33% Thundara cast he now uses on the party. Cast it turn one alongside Protera.
- 8 hits per turn at 60 Attack
Massive incoming damage into one member per Fight turn without buffs. Protera and Invisira are mandatory.
- Ink blinds, but skip Blindna
Same as the original; don't waste a turn curing it. Magic damage is unaffected, and physicals will work despite the accuracy drop.
- Sleep is a long-shot rescue
Only Stone is on his status immunity list. Magic Evasion 200 whiffs the cast often, but a connecting Sleep skips a turn.
- Curaja non-stop
Three move types all chip the party. Heal preemptively rather than reacting to damage.
To beat Kraken (Past) in FF1, the fight runs on NulShock for the Thundara cast, Protera and Invisira for the 8-hit Fight, and Hasted Saber-buffed physicals chunking through 3,600 HP. The original Kraken was a Thundaga sprint; the rematch is an endurance test. Plan for 6-8 rounds of grinding through his HP with melee chip damage.
The new wrinkle from the original is Thundara at 33% per turn. Each cast hits a single party member for moderate lightning damage, which is annoying chip on top of his 8-hit physical pattern. NulShock from your White Wizard halves Thundara damage, and casting it turn one alongside Protera and Invisira is the cleanest defensive prep. NulAll covers it too if you’d rather use that for general elemental coverage. Without either buff up, Thundara becomes the third source of incoming damage and your healing tempo can fall behind.
The 8-hit Fight pattern at 33% remains the dominant physical threat. With Defense 80 walling off your unbuffed swings, Saber from the Giant Glove plus Haste from your Black Wizard is mandatory to make your Knight’s chip damage matter. Ink at 33% is the same blind cast from the original, and the same advice applies: don’t waste a turn casting Blindna, since magic damage isn’t affected by Blind and your melee will still hit even with the accuracy drop. Offensive magic from your end is mostly wasted; Magic Evasion 200 plus the resist sheet means only Flare and Holy land for meaningful damage, and even those whiff often. Your Black Wizard’s MP is best spent on Haste and Temper for buffs.
Move Set
Kraken (Past) cycles through 3 actions, equally weighted:
| Action | Effect | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Fight | Eight 60-Attack hits in one turn | 33% |
| Thundara | Single-target lightning damage | 33% |
| Ink | Party-wide Blind | 33% |
The original Kraken alternated Fight and Ink at 50% each; the Past version splits the same time between three moves and adds Thundara as the new chip threat. Roughly two-thirds of his turns now do damage to one or more party members, and the only “free” turn is Ink. Plan healing around the rotation: a Fight turn into your Knight is when you panic-heal; a Thundara is when you reapply NulShock; an Ink is when you continue buffing or attacking.
Battle Plan
- White Wizard: NulShock turn one (or NulAll if you prefer broader coverage), Protera turn two, Invisira turn three if HP is stable, then Curaja non-stop.
- Black Wizard: Haste on your Knight turn one, Temper from there. Skip damage spells; nothing meaningful penetrates 200 Mag Evasion.
- Knight: Equip the Aegis Shield and use the Giant Glove (Saber) turn one. Attack every round with Excalibur if you’ve forged it.
- Master / Ninja: Attack every turn after Haste. Eye Drops if Ink lands and you really want to clear it (rarely worth the turn).
After the Battle
Kraken falls and the stairway down opens. The chapter walkthrough picks up the route from here.
Save and rest if your party took heavy hits. The next floors keep the same fight rhythm: high-Defense walls, Mag Evasion 200 blocking offensive magic, and Sleep as a possible long-shot rescue.