FF16 Grimalkin: Location, Bossfight & Reward

Master how to survive the two phase Grimalkin bossfight by reaching its location and getting the rewards in FF16.

By Abdul Haddi July 1, 2023

Monster Hunts in FF16 are challenging high-level optional boss fights found all across Valisthea. Grimalkin is a C-Rank Monster Hunt unlocked after reaching the Dhamelkian Republic in FF16. Taking down this beast will earn you a rare hide alongside a handsome amount of XP and Ability Points that can be later used to craft exclusive items and unlock better skills.

Key Highlights

Grimalkin is a C-Rank Monster Hunt, unlocked after initiating the Out of Shadows questline.
It is located south of The Sickle, in The Cattery region of Dhalmekia.
Grimalkin is a two-phase bossfight.
In the first phase, Clive will face waves of Wild Nakkas, which can be easily nullified using AoE attacks such as Upheaval, Blind Justice, and Ignition.
For the second phase, it is recommended to focus on single-target attacks to stagger Grimalkin.
Once he gets staggered, use every Eikonic ability under your belt to deal as much stagger damage as possible.
Judgment Bolt, Pile Drive, Rising Flame, and Windup are great for single-target nuking.
Once Grimalkin is down, it will drop Grimalkin hide alongside 6100 Gil, 500 XP, 45 AP, and 10 Renown points as a reward.

Before You Start: The hunt for Grimalkin is unlocked level after starting the thirty-second questline of Final Fantasy 16 “Out of Shadows.

I recommend you also watch the following video about Grimalkin, and learn about how to beat this boss in FF16.

What Is Grimalkin In FF16

Grimalkin info — Who is Grimalkin? [Image Credit: eXputer]

Grimalkin is a C-Rank, level 32 Monster Hunt in Final Fantasy 16. The levels and the ranks are indicative of the difficulty of the fight, and it is recommended to approach these battles while having the same level, or at least close it. Grimalkin is a two-phase bossfight and is located at The Cattery, Dhalmekia.

Location

Map — Location of Grimalkin [Image Credit: eXputer]

Grimalkin is located at the dead end, south of The Sickle, in the Cattery region of Dhlmekia. The Jaw is the nearest obelisk to this location. Once you have teleported, call your Chocobo and run past every enemy in the area until you reach the desired location.

Bossfight

Level 32 monster — Grimalkin bossfight [Image Credit: eXputer]

Grimalkin has two phases. For the first phase, he’ll summon a large number of Wild Nakkas, and once you take them out, Grimalkin himself will enter the ring to face you.

Phase 1 – Wild Nakkas

Wild Nakkas themselves aren’t particularly hard enemies to beat; however, they’ll try to overwhelm you with their large number.
For the first phase, I recommend using AoE attacks to take out large quantities of Wid Nakkas.
Eikon ability – Upheaval [Image Credit: eXputer]
The Eikon moves I used for the first phase were Ignition, Blind Justice, and Upheaval.
These AoE attacks are great for separating the group of Wild Nakkas and leaving them vulnerable to individual attacks.
Stabbing Wild Nakka [Image Credit: eXputer]
Once they are separated, use Pheonix Shift to teleport to your targets and take them out.
Lastly, don’t waste your Limit Break on them; instead, use this phase to build up your Limit Break gauge.

Phase 2 – Grimalkin

second phase — Phase 2 – Grimalkin [Image Credit: eXputer]

Attack	Description	Counter
Forward Lunge	It is a basic forward lunge swipe attack	Dodge when Grimalkin is about to hit you with the swipe attack
Savage Attack	Grimalkin will begin the attack with a handful of wild swings and finish it off with a forward lunge	Time your dodge at it's last lunge attack

After you have taken out its minions, Grimalkin will join the battle.
The overall moveset and attack patterns of Grimalkin are reminiscent of panther-type enemies, albeit with more aggressive attack animations.
For Grimalkin, you’ll have to switch up your strategy and shift your focus to single-target Eikon Abilities instead of AoE Eikon abilities.
Ramuh ability – Judgement Bolt [Image Credit: eXputer]
For single-target nuking, the abilities I used for this bossfight were Judgement Bolt, Pile Drive, Rising Flames, Iginition, Upheaval, and Windup.
Wait until Grimalkin leaves itself open for attacks, then use your stagger-building Eikon abilities, which in my case were Ignition, Pile Drive, Upheaval, and Judgement Bolt.
Ramuh ability – Pile Drive [Image Credit: eXputer]
You can also create said openings via dodging and parrying.
At this point of the fight, your Limit Break gauge will also be full, and it is up to you to use it during the battle or wait until he gets staggered.
Ifrit Ability- Ignition [Image Credit: eXputer]
After you have him staggered, use Windup and Rising Flame alongside every other available Eikonic ability to deal maximum damage.
The Eikonic abilities I used are not necessarily the best for this fight, and you are welcome to try out other abilities; just make sure you have a nice balance of AoE and singe-target attack abilities.

Rewards

Hunt completed — Grimalkin Rewards [Image Credit: eXputer]

Once the Grimalkin is down, it will drop the Grimalkin hide, which is an essential item required for crafting the legendary sword Excaliber. In addition to that, you also earn the following rewards for completing this Monster Hunt:

XP: 500
Gil: 6100
Ability Points: 45
Renown: 10

Final Fantasy 16 is filled with exciting boss battles and elite enemy encounters, and if you are not well-versed in action games or their mechanics, consider reading our best combos and beginner’s guide.

To get a complete rundown of its characters and story, consider going through our guide on the characters and story of Final Fantasy 16. This concludes our guide on Grimalkin in FF16. Let us know your queries in the comments below.