Shesha Boss Guide – Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse
Shesha the giant snake is a servant of the Divine Powers, and one imposing boss that you’ll battle more than once. This ethereal reptile can be a tough enemy, as it packs four moves during each of its turns and has some devastating attacks that can hit your entire party. As long as you come with the right equipment and setup however, you should be able to bring Shesha down to size.
The very first thing you need to do is check your character’s equipment. At some point you went to the Fairy Forest on a main quest to obtain the sword Ame-no-habakiri. You may have switched it out for a better weapon since, but you must equip this weapon before you fight Shesha each time. It’s one of two things that can actually cause critical damage to Shesha each time it’s used. The other thing you’ll need to do is make sure that Gaston is set as your partner, as he possesses the second weapon that can cause critical damage to Shesha.
You want to bring along at least one, maybe two, demons that have the ability to use healing abilities and status boosting abilities like Rakukaja and Sukukaja. The third demon should have some strong magical attacks, as regular physical attacks do very little damage to Shesha. During battle, focus on healing and buffing your party while having Nanashi attack with Ame-no-habakiri, and your other demons hop in with powerful magic when able. It’s a good idea, like usual with boss battles, to have the assist gauge almost near full when you start the battle. You’ll basically want to keep your party alive, while causing damage with Nanashi and Gaston, until the assist gauge is full and your partners all attack. Then you’ll be free to throw your whole weight against Shesha for a turn.
The second battle with Shesha will see the snake take a couple specific actions in battle, where you can choose how to react. Whenever it does something to heal itself, choose the option to “have your partner back you up.” This will cause damage to Shesha, interrupt its healing and fill your assist gauge a bit. If it freezes you in place and attacks, choose the option to defend. You’ll take some damage but it will be lessened, and you’ll receive a boost.
As long as you take the right weapons and abilities into battle with you and have some patience, Shesha should be dealt with in no time.
