Challenge from Shiva CHAOS

The Esper of Ice is the first summon board released. It has one of the most useful evasion passives. Most of Shiva’s passives are geared towards SPD.

How to access:
You need to level up the summon to level 20 to unlock World of Illusions: Shiva Ultimate, and then farm materials on it to reach level 30 and access the CHAOS stage.

Stage Difficulty: Level 180 (SP cost: 5)

Mission Requirements:
Score 210k |Clear without any KOs | Clear within 125 turns | Take 15000 or less HP damage

Boosted Characters: All

Event Characters: Serah, Seifer, Trancred, Steiner, Auron, Prishe

Various team options with and without boosted characters are available in this event’s Call to Arms, and here are some examples:

	Serah Run Serah EX+3LB Ultimecia EX+3LB Sherlotta	Emperor Run Emperor EX+3LB Penelo EX+3LB Zack EX+3LB	Porom Run Porom Zack EX+3LB Leo EX+3LB	Basch Run Basch EX+0LB Penelo EX+3LB Fran EX+3LB	Celes Run Celes EX+3LB Cloud EX+3LB Y’shtola EX+3LB	Agrias Run Ultimecia EX+3LB Agrias EX+3LB WoL EX+0LB
Turns	10, 40	8, 52	10, 90	9, 73	10, 119	16, 94
Friend	Agrias	None	Aranea	Aranea	Agrias	None
Score	702k	519k	285k	361K	229k	294k
Summon	Brothers (LV20)	Ifrit	Ifrit	Ifrit	Ifrit	Leviathan
Video Link	Click Here	Click Here	Click Here	Click Here	Click Here	Click Here
Creator	Firezz	DFFOO GL SO	DFFOO GL SO	DFFOO GL SO	DFFOO GL SO	Mzpro2

Wave 1: Shiva

BRV Attack	attack
Boreal Plunge	attack
Ice Rock	attack; inflicts 10T SPD Down; high turn rate if breaking or attacking broken target
Hailstorm	attack after increasing own BRV; grants 5T SPD Up to self
Icicle Thrust	attack; inflicts 5T Turn Rate Down;
Icicle End	attack after increasing own BRV;
Diamond Dust	Recast ability; removes own debuffs (except enframed); increases BRV if below INT BRV; attack; applies Frostbite to field (prevents action until Shiva’s next turn); inflicts 2T INT BRV Down; grants 1T INT BRV Up and 3T Frozen Crystals (raises MAX BRV) to self

Avatar: removes own debuffs (even enframed) and becomes twin Shivas (at 80% HP of the first form)
The cold permeates: Raises ATK, DEF, SPD, INT BRV (at 80% HP of each Shiva twin)
The cold permeates further: Raises ATK, DEF, SPD, INT BRV, MAX BRV more (at 50% HP of each Shiva twin)
The cold intensifies: Raises ATK, DEF, SPD, INT BRV, MAX BRV even more (when one of the Shiva twins dies )
Resist Veil: Triggered when inflicting Break or attacking a broken target; nullifies HP damage; canceled when afflicted with Break

Although Shiva is a single wave fight, it consists of 2 sections. At first, you will fight a single Shiva. However, after depleting its HP to 80%, it will use Avatar and change its form into 2 Shivas. Even if it has been released for a while, this is still one of the toughest CHAOS to date.

For the event characters, other than Serah, this is probably one of the most mismatched banners for its event. The summon board is also one of the toughest to farm unless you have AOE DPS.

The boss’ recast ability is Diamond Dust. It will remove all non-framed debuffs, gain BRV, raise BRV if lower than INT BRV and apply the Frostbite field effect to all characters (freezing them in ice). The characters will skip their turn until the Shiva’s next action. It will also grant Shiva its Frozen Crystals (enframed) buff with Int BRV buff and an instant turn rate. With your allies frozen, it will use Icicle End (BRV Gain, group magic HP attack).

Shiva has couple of ST Ice elemental attacks that it will use to build up its Recast gauge – Ice Rock (inflicts SPD Down, high turn rate upon breaking target) and Hailstorm (potent Ice BRV attack, gains SPD Up). It uses Icicle Thrust – group Ice Magic inflicts Turn Rate down debuff on the party. If it has sufficient BRV, it could surprise you with a single target HP attack – Boreal Plunge.

Shiva has the Resist Veil gimmick which is gained whenever they break a target or attack a broken target – even if the target evades the attack! – and it nullifies any BRV+HP or HP attacks until you break them. It is imperative that you avoid being broken in this fight.

Like all other CHAOS bosses, they will increase stats at 80% and 50% HP thresholds. When one of the Shiva twins dies, the other one will enrage, so don’t focus only one of them.

Considering that the Shiva gains a lot of turns fast (due to its SPD Up buff and reducing your party’s speed with SPD Down, Turn Rate Down debuffs), the HP requirement is quite strict. You definitely need a healer. If you face 2 consecutive turn of Diamond Dust + Icicle End combo, your party won’t survive without major damage at the end of the battle.

Serah excels here due to her framed Goddess Light (poison debuff) along with her generic poison debuff. She hits a great amount of AOE at EX+3LB and her auras are strong as she is one of the best offensive supports in the game.

Weaken the BRV gains, thus weaken their attacks!

Units that offer framed debuffs with Sap/ Poison mechanics are very useful here. Examples are: Ultimecia (Sorceress’ Hatred (Sap) from her Hell Judgement), Sherlotta (Sap framed debuff from her Hurl Staff), Exdeath (Bud of Darkness (Sap) from his Black Hole, Curse (HP Poison) from his Almagest) and Kimahri (Bad Breath (Poison) from Mighty Guard & Bad Breath)

Stop them for more turn actions

Units that offer paralysis/confusion will help a lot to delay the bosses’ turn so that you can set up as necessary against their AOE attacks – Cloud (ST Cross Slash), Agrias (AOE Judgment Blade, use the AA first for 100% paralyze chance) and Gilgamesh (ST small chance), Ashe (ST from her EX) and Porom (Confusion from Cry+). [Kam’lanuat is not viable since Shiva absorbs Ice.]

There are also units that have unique debuffs capable of stalling Shiva from using Diamond Dust – e.g. Agrias’ Silence (framed debuff) from her Hallowed Bolt.

Damage Mitigation

As they will constantly do lots of damage via their Diamond Dust + Icicle End gimmick, damage mitigation is best method to survive the damage output. Units with HP damage reduction – Basch, Porom and Kimahri are notable ones to come to mind. WoL is great for his shields to guard against BRV breaks so you don’t have to bother with the Resist Veil gimmick. Zack is also a decent option for taunt to lock the boss on him. Snow can be used but his Frost strike will result in the damage being absorbed, so I won’t recommend him for this CHAOS. Units with HP aura could help to increase HP base to tank the attacks (e.g. Basch, Leo, Cecil (Paladin), etc)

Detailed movelist breakdown

Ice Rock

attack;
inflicts

10T SPD Down;
high turn rate if breaking or attacking broken target

Hailstorm

attack after increasing own BRV;
grants

5T SPD Up to self

Avatar

removes own debuffs (even enframed) and becomes twin Shivas (at 80% HP of the first form)

Diamond Dust

removes own debuffs (except enframed);
increases BRV if below INT BRV;

attack;
applies Frostbite to field (prevents action until Shiva’s next turn);
inflicts

2T INT BRV Down;
grants

1T INT BRV Up and

3T Frozen Crystals (raises MAX BRV) to self

Icicle End

attack after increasing own BRV;
Used on its turn after using Diamond Dust and applying the Frostbite field effect.
Do note that debuff immunity/evasion/etc do not prevent Frostbite, since it is an effect applied to the field and not directly to your characters.

Resist Veil

Triggered when inflicting Break or attacking enemy afflicted with Break; nullifies HP damage; canceled when afflicted with Break

Icicle Thrust

attack;
inflicts

5T Turn Rate Down;

Boreal Plunge

attack
Watch for this when you are using a Tank. Make sure you tank has sufficient HP to withstand the damage. It tends to be used after Icicle Thrust.