We’ll show you how to beat Shiva in SMT V in this guide. Shiva is a super boss in Shin Megami Tensei V who is battled as part of the A Universe in Peril subquest.
Powerful bosses await players in Shin Megami Tensei V to challenge their strategy and strength. But none are as tough as Shiva, regardless of how difficult they can be. Shiva is SMTV’s ultimate boss, unspeakably powerful, outclassing even the game’s normal endgame bosses. To properly take on, you’ll need a party with equal power and strategic insight. Let’s talk about how to beat Shiva in SMT V.
How to beat Shiva: Plan
In SMTV, there is no such thing as a “correct party,” however, the demons that you bring along with you need to be capable of a few things. It’s crucial that no member of your party has any weaknesses, and you should be able to block, reflect, and drain multiple elements.
The fact that Shiva already hits hard enough isn’t going to help you, and giving him bonus damage and additional Press Turn Icons won’t help you either. Boss Shiva also has one weakness, Ice, so prepare a few heavy-hitting spell casters to face off against the god.
Shiva is a Level 96 monster, and your squad should be at least Level 95-99 to take on Shiva. Shiva may also summon adversaries to aid him, with a total of five distinct opponents to choose from. These demons will have a variety of vulnerabilities, but Ice, Force, and Dark are the most frequent. Including these three aspects will be beneficial. There’s also an adversary that is solely vulnerable to Fire, so carrying a Fire move with you can help you target that vulnerability. Bringing the appropriate Shards/Gems will be beneficial as well.
Shiva can utilize Fire and Electric moves that affect the whole party. It is strongly encouraged to have demons that absorb/repel Fire and/or Electric because denying the other team of all of its actions is worth even the slightest chance of it happening. Light Absorbing/Repelling is also encouraged, but not required.
Shiva can call allies
Shiva summons 2-3 demons in this order when there are no other enemies on the field using Tandava and then Call Allies:
- Kali
- Ganesha
- Parvati
- Dakini
- Ananta
Every demon has its own unique moveset, which focuses not only on supporting Shiva, but also inflicting status ailments or debuffing your team.
The key to winning this war is reducing the number of times Tandava is administered and minimizing the effects of Tandava. You can’t stop Shiva from summoning Kali and Ganesha the first time he uses Tandava. You can, however, leave one opponent alive to prevent Shiva from summoning more monsters and utilizing Tandava for the time being.
When it comes to choosing which adversary to keep on the battlefield, Parvati is the simplest to deal with, while Ananta is the most difficult. Mahamaon is Parvati’s attacking move, which may be canceled, absorbed, or repelled with the correct resistances to work in your favor. Parvati’s support abilities don’t interfere with your team’s offense (i.e., she can’t debuff your team).
Keep any adversary you select on the battlefield for as long as you can. Hit Shiva with Ice assaults and use the extra turns to enhance or debuff your squad. Even if your squad is relatively healthy, don’t be scared to heal; Shiva is always one move away from causing major damage to your team.
How to beat Shiva: Buffs and debuffs
Buffs and debuffs are strongly advised. The spells you should carry are Debilitate and Luster Candy; the other buffs/debuffs won’t be as beneficial. Shiva can lower your defense to its bare minimum, and Dekunda is your sole reliable means of eliminating it.
Bring your most powerful healing spells and equipment to this fight. Nothing should be off the table; Chakra Pots, Bead Chains, Balms of Life, and Somas should all be utilized because this is one battle they were made for. Anything other than Mediarahan and Samarecarm is probably not a good idea. Amrita Sodas, Showers, and Me Patra are also advised.
Bring no Dampeners; enticing though they may be, you can’t risk it against Shiva. It is significantly more trustworthy to rely on your inherent resistances. If you have the Glory, using Miracles to enhance your elemental proficiencies can save you a lot of MPs throughout the battle, which will come in handy. Sutras may be used to raise the proficiency of your demons similarly.
How to beat Shiva: Take advantage of the Passive Null Phys skill
Ongyo-essence Ki’s may be harvested for the Null Phys passive skill. Because Shiva frequently employs Physical assaults, equipping demons with Null Phys is a fantastic technique to reduce the enemy’s turn time. You can also utilize Sandalphon’s essence on Nahobino or other demons to inherit his affinity for naturally nullifying Physical damage.
How to beat Shiva: Ice and Force Skills
Use Ice-type abilities as much as you can on Shiva, but as soon as you see an Ananta appear, use Force-type talents to wipe it out before it can cure Shiva. Make sure you load up on Ice and Force Gems at Gustave’s shop ahead of time so you can strike these two weak places when they’re needed.
How to beat Shiva: Make use of Mediarahan and Energy Drain
It’s best to have many demons who are familiar with Mediarahan in your party or stock. If a healer doesn’t have enough MP to cast Mediarahan, make sure they know Energy Drain so they can replenish it when the opportunity arises. If not, you can replace your healer with another demon who has healing skills. Farming the essence of Nebiros near the Shinobazu Pond Leyline yields Energy Drain.
You can use these members in your team:
- Zeus
- Vishnu
- Metatron
- Beelzebub
- Nahobino
How to beat Shiva: One at a time
You can regulate Tandava’s usage and only have to worry about it on rare occasions if you use the “one-demon-at-a-time” technique. You can reduce Shiva’s danger by removing the other team’s remaining actions if you have Fire/Electric immunity/absorbing/repelling resistances. Megidolaon and the Physical Moves remain a menace, but they can be cured.
It’s never a bad idea to restore MP. Chakra Pots and Somas should only be utilized when absolutely required; running out of MP can put victorious combat to a halt. If you’re unlucky and develop a status condition, treat it as soon as possible using Amrita Soda/Shower.
Also, don’t be overconfident. Shiva has the ability to turn a battle around even if he is only one hit away from defeat. Play it cautiously and prioritize your team’s health before offense. Overextending oneself might quickly lead to a predicament from which you will be unable to recover.
Take your time and stick to your game plan. Never cease exploiting opponent flaws, boosting and debuffing them, and then healing and replenishing MP as required. You can win the battle and eventually bring Shiva down if you can fight Shiva with one other adversary on the field.
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