Sora & company arrive at the Olympus Coliseum: where true heroes are made! Enter the Lobby straight ahead of you and talk to Phil. Try pushing the pedestal along the wall, then talk to Phil again to begin "hero training."
Phil's Training
Complete the two obstacle courses by breaking all of the barrels within the given time limit using combo finishers or magic. The second course is a bit trickier; break the barrels at ground level first, then climb the platforms. You can use a Fire spell to break the barrel on the floating platform (lock on to the barrel before casting).
Exit the lobby through the large doors behind you and Sora will encounter Hades, who will give him an Entry Pass into the games. Return to the lobby, equip as many curative items as possible, and save your progress at the nearby save station. Talk to Phil to begin competing in the preliminaries.
Use a conservative strategy when fighting in the preliminaries, as you will need to keep your HP up; pace yourself and be aware of attackers from all sides. Try to keep your view focused on a large group of enemies while you focus your attacks on one enemy. You must survive all of preliminary matches until your battle with Cloud.
Seed 7 | Shadow Scout
x4
x3
Use Fire magic to defeat the Blue Rhapsodies quickly (lock on before casting). Keep all Soldiers in view when attacking.
Seed 6 | Sinisters
x10
x3
Use Fire magic to clear the Blue Rhapsodies quickly (lock on before casting). Keep moving to avoid Shadow attacks from behind.
Seed 5 | Heat & Freeze
x5
x5
Take out the Red Nocturnes first, always jumping and attacking (to avoid Blue Rhapsody attacks).
Seed 4 | Shadow Platoon
x3
x3
x2
x2
Take out the Red Nocturnes first, always jumping and attacking (to avoid Blue Rhapsody attacks).
Seed 3 | Blue Revenge
x9
Keep jumping to avoid Blue Rhapsody attacks; keep as many in your vision as possible to avoid being blindsided.
Seed 2 | Big One
x1
x4
x4
Focus on Red Nocturnes first; keep jumping to avoid Blue Rhapsody attacks; keep as many in your vision as possible to avoid being blindsided.
Seed 1 | Cloud
HP: 300 EXP: 80 DIFFICULTY:
There are two solid strategies to knocking down Cloud's HP without taking damage: [1] If you have the Guard ability equipped, you can use it to break Cloud's forward thrust attack (you'll need to guard against it twice in a row), then immediately follow up with a complete ground combo. [2] Use Dodge Roll to evade Cloud's vertical sword strike, then strike him twice and dodge roll away to safety.
When Cloud leaps into the air, dodge roll away as he lands; if you're quick, you can turn around and deal two hits before Cloud's next attack. His stationary three-part sword swing can also be parried with Guard or a well-timed attack, and doing so sometimes leaves him open to stagger from damage. Having one or two Potions on-hand can be helpful in a pinch.
REWARD: None
If you lose to Cloud in the final match of the prelims, the game will still continue and the story will progress.
Prepare for Cerberus
After the match with Cloud, Hades releases Cerberus to wreak havoc on the coliseum and contestants. However, Hercules arrives just in time as Sora and Phil run to safety. Save your progress in the lobby, equip curative items, and enter the arena once more.
Cerberus
HP: 600 EXP: 200 DIFFICULTY:
Cerberus begins by walking around, spitting fireballs that track you; Dodge Roll around him in a tight circle to avoid damage. Alternatively, you can deflect the fireballs back at the heads using Guard or a well-timed attack to deal a little damage. After a short while, Cerberus will settle down and remain stationary, attempting to bite you using one head at a time or all three together; after each bite, strike one of the outer heads twice with the Keyblade and back away to avoid taking damage (try not to complete your combo, as Cerberus may attack before you can complete it).
Cerberus will eventually rear into the air and come down with force, causing a tremor; jump over the tremor to avoid damage, then try to climb onto its back by jumping from its back left leg. At this point, Cerberus will spew dark matter into the ground, causing dark fissures to follow you around the arena and appear from below you. If you managed to jump on top of Cerberus' back, you will avoid damage completely. If you're unfortunate enough to remain on the ground during this time, Dodge Roll in a wide circle around Cerberus to minimize damage. After a while, Cerberus will return to sending out fireballs or biting.
Sora & co. receive a Hero's License and are dubbed "junior heroes" by Phil. Exit the lobby and approach Cloud, who is sitting on the steps across from the vestibule; he will teach Sora the special ability Sonic Blade. You can now return to the gummi ship through the large doors behind you and travel to the world on the right.
The Phil Cup becomes available after completing the preliminaries and sealing the keyhole in Traverse Town. Each tournament has three modes, and victory in each mode will grant a special reward.
Use Blizzard magic to clear them out before they are able to move around.
Seed 8 | Monkey Magic
x1
x2
x2
x5
Defeat the Red Nocturnes first, then the Queen Requiem. Keep jumping to avoid attacks from the Power Wild.
Seed 7 | Big Feet
x4
x1
Use Blizzard magic to clear out the Powerwild, then focus on the Hammer Legs.
Seed 6 | Magic Alert
x5
x5
Take out the Red Nocturnes first; keep on the move avoid fire and lightning attacks.
Seed 5 | Nightwalkers
x1
x5
Focus on the Powerwild first; use Blizzard magic to clear them out quickly.
Seed 4 | Hard Hitters
x4
x3
x1
Focus on the Gauntlets first, and keep jumping to avoid Blue Rhapsody attacks; keep as many in your vision as possible to avoid being blindsided.
Seed 3 | Indomitable
x2
x6
Defeat the Green Requiem first, then focus on one Large Body at a time.
Seed 2 | Wild Corp
x1
x1
x4
Use Blizzard magic to defeat the Powerwild quickly; defeat the Hammer Legs next and leave the Gauntlets for last.
Seed 1 | Shadow Battalion
x1
x4
x4
Stay on the move to avoid attacks from all sides; keep jumping to avoid ground attacks from Blue Rhapsodies, and defeat them first.
The Pegasus Cup becomes available after completing the story episode within Monstro. Each tournament has three modes, and victory in each mode will grant a special reward.
Use Blizzard magic to clear them out before they are able to move around.
Seed 8 | Marauders
x2
x4
x3
Cast Fire magic on the Barrel Spiders to make them explode and damage surrounding enemies.
Seed 7 | Sluggers
x1
x1
x1
x2
Cast Blizzard magic to damage clustered enemies; focus on the spiders first.
Seed 6 | Pots & Bolts
x2
x5
x3
Take out the Green Requiems first, then the Yellow Operas; keep jumping to avoid attacks from the Pot Spiders.
Seed 5 | The Big Combo
x2
x4
Blizzard magic will make quick work of these enemies when clustered together.
Seed 4 | Toadstool
x3
Use Gravity magic at the start of the match to lower their HP, then rely on combos. Dodge roll away from spewed poison.
Seed 3 | Pots & Barrels
x5
x5
Cast a quick Fire spell on a Pot Spider to cause an explosion and send the other enemies flying.
Seed 2 | Giant Impact
x3
x2
A well-timed Gravity spell while they are clustered together will help lower their HP quickly.
Seed 1 | Leon & Yuffie
HP: 600 / 300 EXP: 400 / 300 DIFFICULTY:
Leon and Yuffie have very different fighting styles, and they tend to target you at the same time, which makes this a tough battle. You can deflect Yuffie's shurikens by using Guard or attacking just before they reach you. You can temporarily daze Leon if you lock-on to him and send one of Yuffie's shurikens his way, then you can focus your attacks solely on Yuffie. When Yuffie creates a large glowing shuriken, jump or Dodge Roll to avoid damage; this large shuriken will turn around and follow you, so stay on the move.
Try to keep the distance between you and Yuffie to a minimum: she will periodically somersault away and try to heal herself (you can use Fire magic to stagger her while she attempts to heal). Leon's sword strikes can be dodged by rolling or running to his side. When Leon charges up his sword, you can guard/parry it three times in order to make it return to its original state. You can also Guard against his fireballs to send them back for damage (and it dazes Leon for a short time).
The Hercules Cup becomes available after sealing the keyholes in Halloween Town and Neverland. Each tournament has three modes, and victory in each mode will grant a special reward.
Use Blizzard or Thunder magic to clear them out while they are clustered together.
Seed 8 | Minions of Horror
x4
x2
x1
Cast Fire magic on the Barrel Spiders to make them explode and damage surrounding enemies. Dodge roll to avoid Wight Knight attacks.
Seed 7 | Buccaneers
x1
x4
Take out the battleship first; keep all pirates in sight to avoid being pushed into a corner.
Seed 6 | Stray Phantom
x4
x3
Use Blizzard or Gravity magic to damage several enemies clustered together.
Seed 5 | Mad Truffle
x1
Simply strike the Rare Truffle once to end the match; you can keep volleying it in the air for more EXP.
Seed 4 | Cloud
HP: 500 EXP: 450 DIFFICULTY:
There are two solid strategies to knocking down Cloud's HP without taking damage: [1] If you have the Guard ability equipped, you can use it to break Cloud's forward thrust attack (you'll need to guard against it twice in a row), then immediately follow up with a complete ground combo. [2] Use Dodge Roll to evade Cloud's vertical sword strike, then strike him twice and dodge roll away to safety.
When Cloud leaps into the air, dodge roll away as he lands; if you're quick, you can turn around and deal two hits before Cloud's next attack. His stationary three-part sword swing can also be parried with Guard or a well-timed attack, and doing so sometimes leaves him open to stagger from damage. Having one or two Potions on-hand can be helpful in a pinch.
Defeat the Wight Knight first, then the Pirates. Use Thunder or Gravity magic on the airborne enemies.
Seed 2 | Flying Pirates
x2
x1
x1
A Gravity spell cast on Battleships will help lower their HP quickly.
Seed 1 | Hercules
HP: 450 EXP: 700 DIFFICULTY:
Hercules may move around the arena slower than your average title match competitor, but his attacks pack a big punch. Whenever Hercules has a golden aura around him, he cannot be damaged; you must pick up one of the nearby barrels and toss it on his head. Doing so will remove his aura and allow you to attack (and periodically, hitting him with a barrel will daze him).
When you close in on Hercules, he may wind up for a punch; run to his side, then strike with a ground combo after his punch. You can guard/parry his charge attack to stagger him out of it, and you can dodge roll or guard to avoid damage from his spin attack. If Hercules gains his aura again, run away from him to avoid damage from the blast of light.
After winning the Hercules Cup, the party will be able to perform the Yellow Trinity in the Lobby and seal the Keyhole.
The Hades Cup becomes available after winning all previous tournaments and sealing the keyhole in Hollow Bastion. Each tournament has three modes, and victory in each mode will grant a special reward.
After defeating the boss match every 10th seed, your tournament progress is saved and you are able to continue from the next match. For example, if you are KO'ed in the 24th seed, you can start again from the 30th.
A quick Blizzard spell at the start of the match should take care of it.
Seed 48 | Wild Dance
x3
x4
Cast Blizzard magic while they're clustered together to clear them out. Dodge roll to avoid incoming attacks.
Seed 47 | Terrible Feet
x1
x2
x4
Cast Blizzard magic while they're clustered together to defeat the Shadows and Soldiers, then strike the Hammer Legs.
Seed 46 | Dirty Claws
x1
x8
Use Blizzard to damage several enemies clustered together.
Seed 45 | Mad Truffle
x1
Simply strike the Rare Truffle once to end the match; you can keep volleying it in the air for more EXP.
Seed 44 | Yuffie
HP: 600 EXP: 450 DIFFICULTY:
You can deflect Yuffie's shurikens by using Guard or attacking just before they reach you. You can temporarily daze Leon if you lock-on to him and send one of Yuffie's shurikens his way, then you can focus your attacks solely on Yuffie. When Yuffie creates a large glowing shuriken, jump or Dodge Roll to avoid damage; this large shuriken will turn around and follow you, so stay on the move.
Try to keep the distance between you and Yuffie to a minimum: she will periodically somersault away and try to heal herself (you can use Fire magic to stagger her while she attempts to heal).
A well-aimed Gravity spell cast on the Defender will help lower its HP quickly.
Seed 41 | Bad Union
x1
x2
x1
x1
x1
A well-aimed Gravity spell cast on the Large Body will help lower its HP quickly.
Seed 40 | Behemoth
HP: 450 EXP: 700 DIFFICULTY:
When the fight begins, immediately run to the side to avoid the enemy's first pounce attack. The Behemoth is only vulnerable to damage at the horn on top of its head. Jump onto its back (using its back legs as platforms as needed), lock-on to its horn and attack relentlessly. When Behemoth froms a large orange orb above its head, jump down and stand under its belly; this will prevent damage from the small spheres that are sent in all directions. After depleting its HP enough, Behemoth will stagger and fall for a few seconds; use this opportunity to attack with aerial combos relentlessly for heavy damage. When its horn lights up again, run towards the edge of the area to avoid damage from the large beams of light.
A well-aimed Blizzard spell should clear them out.
Seed 38 | Blue Legion
x7
x2
Use Fire magic to make quick work of the Red Nocturnes, and use aerial combos on the Gargoyles.
Seed 37 | Sorcerous Armor
x1
x2
x2
Clear out the smaller enemies first, then use Gravity and relentless combos on Guard Armor's parts.
Seed 36 | Mad Fungus
x1
x4
Defeat all Green Requiem first, then strike Black Fungus. Use Gravity when they're all clustered together.
Seed 35 | Spiders & Magic
x3
x2
x3
Blizzard magic against a clustered group works well.
Seed 34 | Optical Trick
x1
x2
x4
Defeat all Green Requiem first, then the Blue Rhapsodies, then Stealth Sneak last.
Seed 33 | Magic Force
x1
x4
x2
x2
Cast Aerora/ga magic to put up a barrier and deal damage.
Seed 32 | Shadow Summoners
x6
x3
Cast Gravity magic on clustered groups to drain HP quickly.
Seed 31 | Mystic Mages
x1
x4
Cast Gravity magic on clustered groups to drain HP quickly. Cast Aero magic for protection and staggering effect.
Seed 30 | Cerberus
Cerberus begins by walking around, spitting fireballs that track you; Dodge Roll around him in a tight circle to avoid damage. Alternatively, you can deflect the fireballs back at the heads using Guard or a well-timed attack to deal a little damage. After a short while, Cerberus will settle down and remain stationary, attempting to bite you using one head at a time or all three together; after each bite, strike one of the outer heads twice with the Keyblade and back away to avoid taking damage (try not to complete your combo, as Cerberus may attack before you can complete it).
Cerberus will eventually rear into the air and come down with force, causing a tremor; jump over the tremor to avoid damage, then try to climb onto its back by jumping from its back left leg. At this point, Cerberus will spew dark matter into the ground, causing dark fissures to follow you around the arena and appear from below you. If you managed to jump on top of Cerberus' back, you will avoid damage completely. If you're unfortunate enough to remain on the ground during this time, Dodge Roll in a wide circle around Cerberus to minimize damage. After a while, Cerberus will return to sending out fireballs or biting.
Use Thunder magic while enemies are grouped together, or Aero magic to protect you from incoming attacks.
Seed 22 | Night Soarers
x3
x2
x3
Use Gravity magic while enemies are grouped together if you have MP to spare. Otherwise, clear out the Wight Knights first.
Seed 21 | Air Corsairs
x1
x4
x2
A well-timed Gravity spell while enemies are grouped together will help you quickly win this match.
Seed 20 | Cloud & Leon
HP: 600 EXP: 200 DIFFICULTY:
It's recommended to target and defeat Cloud first, as he can more quickly close the distance between himself and Sora. There are two solid strategies to knocking down Cloud's HP without taking damage: [1] If you have the Guard ability equipped, you can use it to break Cloud's forward thrust attack (you'll need to guard against it twice in a row), then immediately follow up with a complete ground combo. [2] Use Dodge Roll to evade Cloud's vertical sword strike, then strike him twice and dodge roll away to safety.
When Cloud leaps into the air, dodge roll away as he lands; if you're quick, you can turn around and deal two hits before Cloud's next attack. His stationary three-part sword swing can also be parried with Guard or a well-timed attack, and doing so sometimes leaves him open to stagger from damage. Having one or two Potions on-hand can be helpful in a pinch.
Leon's sword strikes can be dodged by rolling or running to his side. When Leon charges up his sword, you can guard/parry it three times in order to make it return to its original state. You can also Guard against his fireballs to send them back for damage (and it dazes Leon for a short time).
Defeat the Wight Knights first. Use Gravity magic while Large Bodies are grouped together.
Seed 18 | Blaze Bandits
x3
x4
Blizzard magic will help make this match a quick one.
Seed 17 | False Angels
x2
x2
x2
Well-aimed Gravity magic while enemies are grouped together can help deal heavy damage.
Seed 16 | Dark Storm
x?
Use Thunder magic while enemies are grouped together or build your MP back up by attacking relentlessly with aerial combos.
Seed 15 | Air Brigade
x1
x1
x1
x1
x1
Use Thunder magic or aerial combos to defeat aerial enemies.
Seed 14 | Violent Bunch
x2
x1
x2
Focus on defeating the Invisible first, then the Fat Bandits.
Seed 13 | Heavy Warriors
x2
x1
x2
Use Gravity magic to cut down large chunks of HP quickly.
Seed 12 | Interceptors
x3
Try to lure one Defender away from the others to deal damage to it. Use Gravity magic to cut down large chunks of HP quickly.
Seed 11 | Elder Force
x3
x2
Focus on defeating the Invisibles first; be mindful of enemies from behind and to your sides.
Seed 10 | Hades
HP: 1800 EXP: 3000 DIFFICULTY:
Hades typically starts the fight by approaching you and sending flames out of his hands; run away from him until his arms move apart, then jump toward him and strike with a complete air combo. Hades's attacks pack quite a punch, so it's recommended to keep Aero magic active on Sora. Blizzard magic can be used to stagger Hades as well.
After taking six hits when staggered, Hades will turn red and move to the center of the arena to send flames out to both sides while rotating; run close to Hades in the same the direction as he's rotating to avoid damage. You can guard/deflect Hades's fireballs back to damage and daze him. Keep your distance from Hades while he approaches to strike down with his arms, and dodge roll to avoid his long-range finger gun attack.
Focus on defeating the Invisibles first; be mindful of enemies from behind and to your sides.
Seed 8 | The Requiem
x2
x2
x2
x2
x1
Focus on the Red Nocturnes first, then use aerial combos on the Wizards and Angel Star; be mindful of enemies from behind and to your sides.
Seed 7 | Invisible Fear
x1
x3
Focus on the Invisibles first, while keeping an eye on the Stealth Sneak as it attacks.
Seed 6 | Mad Mushroom
x3
Simply strike the White Mushrooms to make them disappear; try to get in as many hits as possible to receive MP.
Seed 5 | Black Storm
x?
x?
Use Thunder magic just as the Darkball's physical forms materialize to quickly defeat large groups.
Seed 4 | Twin Mirage
x2
Focus on one Stealth Sneak at a time to ensure that they both don't enter their second attack phase at the same time.
Seed 3 | Shadow Troopers
x?
x?
x?
Gravity magic used on clustered enemies can help cut down their HP quickly.
Seed 2 | Final Battalion
x?
x?
x?
Use Thunder magic as each wave appear to cut down on HP.
Seed 1 | Rock Titan
HP: 2100 EXP: 4000 DIFFICULTY:
The Rock Titan doesn't move very much, but creates shockwaves with its feet and fists; when it raises a foot (or both hands) high into the air, time your jump to avoid the incoming shockwave. Attack one of its legs relentlessly (you will receive +1 tech point for each strike, including hits dealt from upgraded Aero magic).
Eventually, the Rock Titan will fall on its back; this is your chance to jump up its front and reach its heads. Strike one of the heads relentlessly; when the head you are targeting starts to rise and slam down, switch to attacking the other head. It will eventually regain its balance and bend forward in an attempt to throw you off, but you can stay on top of its body by jumping and gliding as it tips forward.
