Xigbar/Gameplay

Xigbar is a boss in Kingdom Hearts II. He attacks Sora fairly early in the Castle That Never Was.

Xigbar begins the battle by warping to a ledge overlooking the arena Sora is on, and a HUD display appears. Xigbar will fire combos of laser arrows at Sora just after the circles and rotating dots on the HUD align. The player must use the Reaction Command "Warp Snipe" to deflect Xigbar's shots. Once the player has deflected three shots in a row, Xigbar teleports back to the ground. He will likely do this again at least once more in the battle.

For most of the fight, Xigbar teleports around the arena rapidly, firing combos of laser arrows at Sora. These arrows can be dodged, or reflected back at Xigbar with Guard for minor damage. After approximately three combos, Xigbar will halt his attacks to reload his Gun Arrows. At this time, the player can easily strike him with a combo. Xigbar hovers upside-down in mid-air during the battle, so the player must jump to reach him.

Xigbar also shifts the shape of the arena during the battle. In one shift, the arena becomes narrow, with Xigbar at one end firing at Sora rapidly. In the second, the arena becomes a narrow box-shaped path with a single platform extending into the middle of the arena, which Xigbar hovers over. In the third, the arena becomes box-shaped with an intersection of platforms meeting in the middle. Xigbar will combo to bombard Sora with laser arrows, and the player must strike him with a finishing move to shift the arena back.

Later in the fight, Xigbar will charge a larger, blue laser arrow, and several of them begin to bounce around the arena. The player can use the reaction command Warp Snipe to deflect up to three of these blue arrows at Xigbar to damage him. These arrows bounce in addition to Xigbar's normal gun arrow attacks and teleportation.

When weak, Xigbar shifts the arena again into a small, square platform. He spins, firing an endless barrage of laser arrows, then teleports into the space around the platform to unleash several more attacks. Finally, he teleports into the air above the platform and creates dozens of laser arrows above him, which slam into Sora. The player can avoid this last attack by quickly running around the platform, dodging the laser arrows. This is easily Xigbar's most dangerous attack, as once caught in the barrage Sora will be stunned until the attack is over and thus cannot heal.

When fighting Xigbar, his normal attacks can be blocked with Guard, Reflect or Warp Snipe. However, since he is constantly teleporting and shifting the face of the arena, getting close to him to do damage can be difficult. As mentioned, the best time to hit Xigbar is when he pauses to reload his Gun Arrow, as he will not teleport and is highly vulnerable. Defeating him upgrades Sora's Magnet magic.