How to Beat Whisper Harbinger | Boss Fight Guide (Normal & Hard Mode)

This is a guide to beating the Boss Whisper Harbinger in the game Final Fantasy 7 Remake (FF7R). This article explains Whisper Harbinger's attack patterns, weaknesses, and tips and strategies for defeating them on both Normal and Hard Mode.

Whisper Harbinger Stats and Information

Whisper Harbinger

Basic Information

Whisper Harbinger
Species	Movement	Type
Unreadable	Grounded	Boss

Description

An accretion of Whispers, the so-called arbiters of fate. The creatures appear when someone tries to alter destiny's course. They are connected to all the threads of time and space that shape the planet's fate.

Assess (Tips)

Unable to read.

Whisper Harbinger Stats

Whisper Harbinger Weaknesses & Resistances

Stagger Rates

Melee	Ranged	Magic	Fire
×No effect	×No effect	×No effect	×No effect
Ice	Lightning	Wind	-
×No effect	×No effect	×No effect	-

Stagger Length

Whisper Rubrum

Basic Information

Whisper Rubrum
Species	Movement	Type
Unreadable	Grounded	Mini-Boss

Description

An entity from a future timeline that has manifested in the present day. It fights with a sword to protect the future that gave shape to it.

Assess (Tips)

Unable to read.

Whisper Rubrum Stats

Whisper Rubrum Weaknesses & Resistances

Stagger Rates

Melee	Ranged	Magic	Fire
×No effect	×No effect	×No effect	×No effect
Ice	Lightning	Wind	-
×No effect	×No effect	×No effect	-

Stagger Length

Whisper Rubrum Weaknesses and Obtainable Items

Whisper Viridi

Basic Information

Whisper Viridi
Species	Movement	Type
Unreadable	Grounded	Mini-Boss

Description

An entity from a future timeline that has manifested in the present day. It fights barehanded to protect the future that gave shape to it.

Assess (Tips)

Unable to read.

Whisper Viridi Stats

Whisper Viridi Weaknesses & Resistances

Stagger Rates

Melee	Ranged	Magic	Fire
×No effect	×No effect	×No effect	×No effect
Ice	Lightning	Wind	-
×No effect	×No effect	×No effect	-

Stagger Length

Whisper Viridi Weaknesses and Obtainable Items

Whisper Croceo

Basic Information

Whisper Croceo
Species	Movement	Type
Unreadable	Grounded	Mini-Boss

Description

An entity from a future timeline that has manifested in the present day. It fights with guns to protect the future that gave shape to it.

Assess (Tips)

Unable to read.

Whisper Croceo Stats

Whisper Croceo Weaknesses & Resistances

Stagger Rates

Melee	Ranged	Magic	Fire
×No effect	×No effect	×No effect	×No effect
Ice	Lightning	Wind	-
×No effect	×No effect	×No effect	-

Stagger Length

Whisper Croceo Weaknesses and Obtainable Items

Whisper Bahamut

Basic Information

Whisper Bahamut
Species	Movement	Type
Unreadable	Grounded	Boss

Description

Bahamut, as formed by the coalescence of three Whispers: Whisper Rubrum, Whisper Viridi, and Whisper Croceo.

Assess (Tips)

Unable to read.

Whisper Bahamut Stats

Whisper Bahamut Weaknesses & Resistances

Stagger Rates

Melee	Ranged	Magic	Fire
×1	×1	×0.5	×1
Ice	Lightning	Wind	-
×1	×1	×1	-

Stagger Length

Whisper Bahamut Weaknesses and Obtainable Items

Rewards

Learnable Enemy Skills

No Enemy Skills can be learned from Whisper Harbinger.

List of Enemy Skills

Whisper Harbinger Boss Fight Guide

For the majority of this fight, you'll see Whisper Harbinger in the distance, but it won't participate heavily in the battle. Instead, you'll be up against three smaller Whispers – Whisper Rubrum, Whisper Viridi, and Whisper Croceo.

Whisper Harbinger Abilities and Attack Patterns

Name	Element	Blockable?	Knockdown?	Status
Reformation	-	No	Yes	-
	Gathers up debris in one hand and throws them at targets.
Inviolate		Yes	Yes	-
	5 spots on its body turn red and shoot fire balls at the battlefield.
Indomitable		Yes	Yes	-
	Lightning strikes various areas on the battlefield.
Correction	-	No	Yes	-
	Causes a gust of wind to blow across the arena. This attack cannot reduce HP below 1.
Intercession	-	No	Yes	-
	While swinging its left hand down the ground around the battlefield breaks. This attack cannot reduce HP below 1.

*Status Effects and Ailments Guide

Whisper Rubrum Abilities and Attack Patterns

Name	Element	Blockable?	Knockdown?	Status
Crimson Arc	-	Yes	No	-
	Raises its sword above its head and releases a shockwave. Will repeat once more while tempered.
Flurry	-	Yes	No	-
	Chases a target, swinging its sword 3 times. Will swing 5 times while tempered.
Sweep	-	Yes	No	-
	Does a sweeping attack that knocks over its target.
Firaga		Yes	Yes	-
	Casts Firaga on a target.
Temper	-	-	Yes	-
	Powers up its attacks.
Crimson Twist	-	Yes	Yes	-
	Spins around with its sword charging at each party member once.
Crimson Fury	-	Yes	Yes	-
	Swings its sword wildly at a target 4 times.
Impale	-	Yes	Yes	-
	Stabs at a target with its sword.

*Status Effects and Ailments Guide

Whisper Viridi Abilities and Attack Patterns

Name	Element	Blockable?	Knockdown?	Status
Punch Combo	-	Yes	No	-
	Attacks a target with its fists.
Azure Wave	-	Yes	No	-
	Causes explosions on the ground near its target. When Tempered, the explosions will be imbued with lightning.
Azure Plume	-	Yes	Yes	-
	Lights up the ground at its target's feet and causes it to explode. When Tempered, the explosions will be imbued with lightning.
Azure Burst	-	Yes	Yes	-
	Punches out with its right fist. When Tempered, the attack will be imbued with lightning.
Offering	-	Yes	Yes	-
	Does an uppercut attack that launches its target into the air.
Elude	-	No	Yes	-
	Appears behind a target and hits them from behind.
Thundaga		Yes	No	-
	Casts Thundaga on a target.
Temper	-	-	-	-
	Powers up its attacks.

*Status Effects and Ailments Guide

Whisper Croceo Abilities and Attack Patterns

Name	Element	Blockable?	Knockdown?	Status
Erode	-	Yes	No	-
	Shoots at a target 3 times (5 times on Hard mode) with one of its arms.
Scatter	-	Yes	No	-
	Fires 8 to 12 shots at a target with both of its arms.
Amber Whirl (Front)	-	Yes	Yes	-
	Sends beams of light shooting out of its arms forwards or in opposite directions
Amber Whirl (Rotating)	-	Yes	No	-
	Sends beams of light shooting out of its arms and proceeds to spin in a circle.
Amber Seeker	-	Yes	Yes	-
	Fires a shot from both of its arms that homes in on a target and explodes
Aeroga		Yes	No	-
	Casts Aeroga on a target
Temper	-	-	-	-
	Powers up its attacks.
Amber Judgement	-	Yes	Yes	-
	Charges a shot in its left arm for 1 second before releasing an orb of energy that chases a target. Explodes on contact.

*Status Effects and Ailments Guide

Whisper Bahamut Abilities and Attack Patterns

Name	Element	Blockable?	Knockdown?	Status
Cross Impact	-	Yes	Yes	-
	Swipes at a target with its claws from left to right.
Spin Rush	-	Yes	Yes	-
	Spins at a target 1 to 2 times.
Claw Swipe	-	Yes	No	-
	Scratches the ground with its right claw sending 4 shockwaves out in front of it.
Umbral Strikes	-	No	Yes	-
	Summons orbs of energy in each claw and hurls them. The orbs home in on targets and burst into flames on contact.
Bind Impulse	-	Yes	Yes	-
	Grabs a target with its claws, binding it for 5 seconds. If Whisper Bahamut takes 1000 or more damage during this it will release the target.
Flare Breath	-	Yes	Yes	(15 sec) (15 sec)
	Breathes flames from left to right.
Umbral Inferno	-	Yes	No	-
	Shoots 16 orbs from its mouth 3 times. Some will go in random directions while others will chase allies.
Megaflare	-	No	Yes	-
	Charges energy for 1 second and shoots an orb of energy into the ground, causing a large explosion.
Umbral Frenzy (Hard)	-	Yes	Yes	-
	Roars and chases a target, slashing with its claws 8 times.
Umbral Gaze (Hard)	-	No	No	( sec)
	A beam of energy comes out of Whisper Bahamut's eyes. Removes buffs and causes Stop.

*Status Effects and Ailments Guide

Best Characters for This Boss

Available Characters

Phases 1 & 2

Cloud

Barret

Tifa

Phase 3

Cloud

Tifa

Aerith

Recommended Characters

Unlike the next battle against Sephiroth, in which Cloud and two random party members will appear in the battle, this match against the Whispers will be limited to Cloud, Barret and Tifa for most of the battle. In the last phase, Barret will be switched out with Aerith.

They'll be split up at various points throughout the battle, so make sure each character has at least some Healing and Support Magic to help Cloud when Aerith isn't around.

Whisper Harbinger Attack Phases

Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3

Tips & Strategies for Beating Whisper Harbinger

★ Strategy Checklist ★ (Click to jump)
Don't Waste Your Attacks in Phase 1 Counter Whisper Rubrum's Attacks Take Down Whisper Viridi From Afar Finish Off Croceo First Go All Out When a Smaller Whisper is Staggered Hit Whisper Bahamut with Magic Avoid casting Spells with Absorbed Elements

Don't Waste Your Attacks in Phase 1

In the first part of the battle, when you're fighting each of the three smaller Whispers before Whisper Harbinger uses Intercession, there's actually no point to fighting back at all.

In this phase, you'll move to two separate areas to battle, during which Whisper Harbinger will use Correction and Intercession to move the battle to the next area. But after Intercession is used, you'll fight the three smaller Whispers again with fully regenerated health bars. This means that no matter how much damage you deal in Phase 1, it will be completely reset at the start of Phase 2.

Save your ATB and Limit Gauges

After testing out going through Phase 1 without using any attacks, all characters' gauges were fully maxed out.

To handle this harsh reality, focus on blocking and avoiding damage throughout Phase 1, and don't spend your precious MP here. Although the Whispers' damage will reset, your characters' ATB Gauges and Limit Gauges will not, so if you've saved these up throughout Phase 1, you'll be able to unleash a wave of damage at the onset of Phase 2.

Counter Whisper Rubrum's Attacks

Whisper Rubrum will come at you with a variety of sword-based attacks, allowing Cloud to take advantage of his Punisher Mode's auto-counter or the Twin Stinger's Counterstance ability to do a good amount of damage.

Take Down Whisper Viridi From Afar

Whisper Viridi's attacks are all close ranged and can stun your party leaving you open to attacks from the rest. To quickly take Viridi down, hit it with any magic but lightning or swap to Barret for long-range attacks.

Finish Off Croceo First

Whisper Croceo's attacks are all gun-baed, meaning it can attack anyone in your party from a distance. Target Croceo first with your strongest abilities to remove this nuisance from the battlefield.

Go All Out When a Smaller Whisper is Staggered

Tifa's Starshower cleaning a staggered Whisper Rubrum's clock.

When one of the smaller Whispers' HP runs out, they will be temporarily Staggered. This is your chance to deal vicarious damage to Whisper Harbinger. The more damage you deal to the Staggered Whisper, the more damage Whisper Harbinger will take.

If you don't manage to do enough damage to the Staggered Whisper, they'll regain half of their HP, or all of it on Hard Mode. This will force you to continue the sequence again until you've dealt enough damage to continue to the next Phase.

Hit Whisper Bahamut with Magic

Aerith casting Blizzara on a pressured Whisper Bahamut.

Whisper Bahamut will fly around quickly and stay out of range of most melee attacks. It will also use powerful attacks like Megaflare which will deal big damage to your whole party, so you'll want to finish off this phase of the battle as quickly as possible.

Now that you have Aerith back in your party, use her high Magic Attack with a level 3 Spell like Blizzaga to take down Whisper Bahamut before he does too much damage.

Avoid casting Spells with Absorbed Elements

Here, Whisper Rubrum heals 2241 HP after being hit with Firaga.

Each of the three smaller Whispers Absorbs an Element, matching the type of Magic they use. This means that attacking the Whisper with this Element of Magic with restore their HP instead of decreasing it. Fortunately, this doesn't apply to Elemental Materia – however, it will reduce the damage dealt in your next battle, so we advise removing any Elemental Materia anyway before starting this series of battles.

Whispers and the elements they absorb

As Ice is the only Magic not Absorbed by any Whisper, it's a good idea to simply avoid other elements and place Ice Materia on all your characters before the fight.

Whisper Harbinger: Hard Mode Guide

★ Strategy Checklist ★ (Click to jump)
Temper in the First Phase Hit Bahamut With -ga Level Magic

Temper in the First Phase

On Normal Mode, the Whispers would wait until phase 2 to use Temper and power up, but on Hard Mode they will do this from the beginning, immediately increasing their damage output. Link a Healing materia with Magnify or equip Prayer to keep up.

Viridi's lightning attacks will also become more annoying so linking Elemental with Lightning on your party's armor will help mitigate this damage.

Hit Bahamut With -ga Level Magic

Like on Normal, Whisper Bahamut is more susceptible to magic attacks. Using Cloud as your tank, keep Bahamut's attention while you target him with Tifa and Aerith's strongest magic.

Boss Fight Related Articles

List of Boss Battles

Major Story Bosses

VR Mission Bosses

Story Sub-Bosses

Monster Variants & Optional Sub-Bosses

Intergrade and INTERmission Bosses