How to Beat Whisper Harbinger in Final Fantasy VII

Whisper Harbinger is a challenging multi-stage boss found in the epilogue of Square Enix’s masterpiece, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, which is tough to beat. It is basically the gateway encounter before the game’s final boss itself, Sephiroth. The Whisper Harbinger boss is fought by the whole party. It is a towing presence that is exclusive to the remake—the original FFVII game does not feature this character at all. In this article, we aim to guide you on how to beat Whisper Harbinger in FFVII Remake. Follow the steps we’ll talk about and make the encounter much more manageable for you.

Whisper Harbinger: How to Beat FFVII Remake’s Penultimate Boss

Prepare yourself for a long grueling battle if you wish to defeat Whisper Harbinger. While there is no universally recommended ‘Materia-to-equip’ list, make sure that you have the best ones with you. Furthermore, if you have some powerful Enemy Skills with you, make full use of what you think are the best ones as well. That said, you’d be doing a lot of blocking in this boss fight, so having the Steadfast Block feels like a no-brainer.

Needless to say, your bag should also be filled with as many healing items as you can. Be sure to stock up on Potions, Ethers, and Phoenix Downs before you proceed with the encounter. Feel free to use them throughout the fight. For Hard Mode gamers, you shouldn’t really bother with this as items are not allowed.

Beating Whisper Harbinger means going through five tough boss phases. Do not worry, we’ll guide you through each of them and inform you about the optimal strategies. Let us begin.

First Phase: Three Whispers at Once 

Upon entering the boss encounter, players will take control of the series protagonist Cloud as he runs along several floating debris. Soon, he will reunite with Barret and Tifa as the boss towers from a distance. The Whisper Harbinger will then summon three Whisper beings, particularly the Whisper Rubrum, Croceo, and Viridi. Players are tasked to defeat all three Whispers to complete the first phase of the boss fight.

Right from the start, focus on one of the three Whispers. We strongly suggest you go for Whisper Rubrum first as he has the highest physical attack among the three. Furthermore, he is also perhaps the easiest to take down. He engages in a close range which can easily be punished by Cloud’s Punisher Mode. 

Pay close attention as well to his Firaga and Crimson Arc attacks. Simply block with Steadfast Block and you should generate enough ATB to initiate a counterattack. Staggering Whispers shouldn’t be much of a challenge as well assuming that you know what you are doing.

After taking down one Whisper being, you are off to the other. Just repeat the same process until you defeat all three. Take note that each Whisper tends to focus on one party member. You’d spend most of the time facing just one Whisper at a time. That said, make sure your party members always have high HP by constantly using cures or using items.

Second Phase: Against One Powered-up Whisper

The next phase sees the party go up against one powered-up Whisper. Although its basic attacks from the previous phase will still be there, he will have brand new tricks up his sleeves so better beware. However, the strategy here remains the same. Block, evade, and mount a counterattack whenever possible. Just don’t be greedy as the powered-up Whisper packs a serious punch.

Reducing the Whisper’s HP to zero staggers it completely and the damage done to it directly transfers to the Harbinger itself. Limit Breaks are extra helpful in this phase. That said, if you can manage without expending your characters’ Limit Breaks, that’d be the most ideal situation. The next phases are much harder than this one and having such at your disposal could just be your lifeline.

Third Phase: Against Two Powered-up Whispers

After finishing the second phase, Aerith and Red XIII will show up. The moment they do so, however, Whisper Harbinger will split the ground, separating the five main characters apart. Cloud, Barret, and Red XIII are on one side while Tifa and Aerith are on the other. The three boys will then be met by two powered-up Whispers. Again, the method of beating them stays the same. You just have to be more vigilant than ever not to take necessary hits.

Moreover, try your best not to engage in two Whispers at once. Always strive to separate them and focus on just one until you can stagger it. Do as much damage as you can and as fast as you can while the enemy is staggered. Much like the previous phase, the damage you deal when the Whispers are staggered directly transfers to Whisper Harbinger. After lowering Whisper Harbinger’s total health pool to about 50%, the next phase should begin.

Fourth Phase: Against Whisper Bahamut

After you beat Whisper Harbinger and the other one, Cloud will join Tifa and Aerith. The three Whispers you defeated will show up once again and try to halt your progress. Stick with what you are doing from the start and shortly after a cutscene will trigger. The three Whispers will combine to form Whisper Bahamut. This is a much tougher encounter than the previous phases. 

Whisper Bahamut attacks very aggressively while also dealing tons of damage. With that in mind, dedicate a character or two to healing the party. Believe us, you’d need it. Be extra vigilant with its Umbral Strikes as well. It will throw two large purple balls of flame at the ground, creating a massive explosion that can easily wipe out whoever gets caught. There is also the Umbral Inferno. In this attack, Whisper Bahamut creates a swarm of lightly-homing fireballs, which can definitely ruin your day. 

The worst is the Mega Flare. Halfway into the encounter, Whisper Bahamut will use his ultimate attack. There is no better way to counter this attack other than to ensure that your party is at high HP all the time. That is it.

This is the time when you should capitalize on your available summons. The silver lining in this phase is that Whisper Bahamut doesn’t have a ton of HP. You can probably brute force your way through the encounter. 

Fifth Phase: Dealing the Final Blow to Beat Whisper Harbinger

As tough as the previous phase proved to be, defeating it doesn’t mean you are done. After defeating Whisper Bahamut, he will revert to his original self, meaning you have to take down the three Whisper beings yet again. If you still have some summons left or a Limit Break to expend, now is the time. That said, remember that the final boss encounter is still on the horizon, so try to save some still.

Nonetheless, defeating them significantly reduces Whisper Harbinger’s health, exposing it to the final attack in the final phase. To finally defeat the Whisper Harbinger, you need to deplete its HP pool by defeating as many Whispers as you need. Luckily, Whispers come back with much lower health and are much easier to stagger. The final blow cutscene should trigger as soon as you deplete Whisper Harbinger’s health to zero.

And that is it! That is how you defeat FFVII Remake’s penultimate boss fight! Follow the tips and tricks we mentioned above and soon you’d beat Whisper Harbinger finally. Doing so would definitely be a challenge, but the gratification of finally beating this towering menace should prove very exhilarating.