Frantastic!

It wouldn’t be a Final Fantasy if there weren’t any Espers/Aeons/Eidolons to help our heroes and Final Fantasy 12 is no different. Along with the five Espers you’ll pick up with the main story, there are an extra eight that you can also obtain. The good news is, none of them are missable so you can pick them up at any point after they become available.

Here we’ll tell you the locations of every optional Esper in Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age. I’ve listed them in the order which they become available. Do note though that some of these fights are tough so you may want to wait until you’re a good way through the game before attempting to tackle them.

As with most guides, there is some vaguely spoilerish content ahead so proceed with caution if you haven’t finished the majority of the story.

Adrammelech, the Wroth

Requirements: Complete the Tomb of Raithwall
Location: Zertinan Caverns (Athroza Quicksands) – accessible via Dalmasca Westersand (Galtea Downs)
Weakness: Ice
Absorbs: Thunder
Notes: You’ll need ranged weapons or magic to damage Adrammelech. It’s physical attacks cause Sap and the Thundaja spell can also inflict Stop. It will cast a ‘Perfect Defense’ when HP is low, rendering it immune to all damage for two minutes, so use this time to heal and buff up.

Zalera, the Death Seraph

Requirements: Complete the Tomb of Raithwall
Location: Barheim Passage (Terminus No.7)
You’ll need to complete a sidequest in the Dalmasca Estersand to obtain the Barheim Key needed to access the area this esper is located.
Weakness: None
Absorbs: None
Notes: Zalera will cast Level 2 Sleep, Level 3 Disable, Level 4 Break and Level 5 Reverse – characters with levels that are multiples of any of these numbers will be affected. She will also cast ‘Level Prime Death’ killing any character whose level is a prime number. Oh and there’s a five minute time restriction for this fight, just to make things a bit more interesting!

Cuchulainn, the Impure

Requirements: Complete the Tomb of Raithwall and complete the Hunts ‘Waterway Haunting’ and ‘Lost in the Pudding’ in order to gain the Sluice Gate Key.
Location: Garamsythe Waterway (No. 1 Cloaca).
Head to the Central Waterway Control in the Garamsythe Waterway and interact with the No. 10 and No. 3 switches (so the lights are on) and make sure the No. 4 and 11 switches are off. Next, go down the No. 3 Cloaca Spur and close the No. 1 South Waterway Control Switch. Head back to the main Central Waterway Control and turn off switches No. 10 and 3 and turn on No. 4 and 11. Enter the No. 4 Cloaca Spur to find the No. 2 North Waterway Control Switch and close it. Return once more to the Central Waterway Control and turn on switch No. 3 and turn off No. 11 – No. 3 and 4 should be the only two switches lit. Now save your game before heading up the No. 1 Cloaca.
Weakness: None
Absorbs: None
Notes: You’ll have an undispellable HP drain on you for the entire fight. This boss is also fond of casting Immobelizega and Disablega and he likes to throw out the occasional Invert, so keep your party as close to full health as possible.

Exodus, the Judge-Sal

Requirements: Available after completing Stilshrine of Miriam and Mt. Bur-Omisace.
Location: Mosphoran Highwaste (Empyrean Seat).
You’ll need Gyshal Greens in order to ride a chocobo to some of these locations. First, activate the Shrine of the South Wind in the Babbling Vale then head Northeast to the Rays of Ashen Light and mount a chocobo before heading south to find a new path. Ride west through tall grass to reach Skyreach Ridge. Dismount here and take the left path at the fork to find a Weathered Rock you can interact with. Once the rock is out of the way, activate the Shrine of Northwest Wind then head back to Skyreach Ridge. Take the left path at the fork and continue northwest to enter the Empyrean Seat.
Weakness: None
Absorbs: None
Notes: You will be unable to use items during this fight. He will start casting Scathe when he reaches 50% health so make sure your party is buffed accordingly to avoid being wiped out.

Zeromus, the Condemner

Requirements: Available after completing Stillshrine of Miriam and Mt. Bur-Omisace
Location: Stilshrine of Miriam (Throne of Veiled Gods)
Go to the Temple Grounds in Mt. Bur-Omisace and speak to the acolyte and receive the Stone of the Condemner. Now head to the Stilshrine of Miriam and enter the Ward of Measure; there is a Waystone at the south end which gives you the option to use the stone.
Weakness: None
Absorbs: None
Notes: Magic use is disabled during this fight so you’ll want to buff your party before teleporting to the area and you’ll need to use items to heal or resurrect allies. Zeromus will use Stop and Slowga, as well as gravity-based spells which lower both your parties current and maximum HP.

Chaos, Walker of the Wheel

Requirements: Available after visiting Archades and completing the Hunts ‘Waterway Haunting,’ ‘Lost in the Pudding,’ and ‘Crime and Punishment.’
Location: Necrochol of Nabudis (Cloister of the Highborn)
You’ll need to complete a fairly lengthy sidequest in order to access the location of this Esper.
Weakness: Earth
Absorbs: Wind
Notes: The Attack command is disabled during this fight so you’ll need to resort using magic and Techniques. Take out the Chaosjets first as they will heal Chaos and spam Silence on you. Dispel his Regen/Haste combo and hit him with non-elemental spells (such as Scathe, Scourge, Bio, or Flare).

Ultima, the High Seraph

Requirements: Available after Giruvegan.
Location: The Great Crystal (Crystal Peak)
To locate Ultima, you’re going to need to venture back into The Great Crystal. I’m not going to attempt to explain the directions here but you can find a good map here (thanks to Lucleonhart via Gamefaqs) and a written explanation here.
Weakness: Dark
Absorbs: Light
Notes: Your HP and MP will continuously drain during this fight. Dispel him immediately to remove his buffs. He will cast Holyja which can inflict Reverse and he’ll follow this up with a Renew, so remove the Reverse as quickly as possible.

Zodiark, Keeper of Precepts

Requirements: Obtain ten espers and complete the ‘Mine Flayer’ Hunt.
Location: Henne Mines (Special Charter Dig)
Head to Jahara and speak to Geomancer Yugelu who is located in The Lull of the Land. Teleport to Henne Mines then head north to the Ore Separation where you’ll find a newly unlocked door to the east. At the very end of this new area is the Special Charter Dig where Zodiark awaits.
Weakness: Light
Absorbs: Dark
Notes: Zodiark casts Level 2 Sleep, Level 3 Disable and Level 4 Break as well as a potentially fatal Banish Ray, which does a huge amount of damage to one character. Keep the boss dispelled and keep an eye on his health as when he reaches a certain point, he’ll start shifting his elemental weakness. Using non-elemental spells such as Scathe, Scourge, Flare, or Shock can eliminate any issues once he hits this stage.

If you think we’ve missed something or if you have an idea for a guide that we haven’t covered, leave a comment below or let us know via Twitter or Facebook!