Key Takeaway
Complete first the side quests Under New Management I and II. Once done, head to Cape Orsiere in the Holy Empire of Sanbreque, northwest of Northreach, to find the Grim Reaper.
The Grim Reaper hunt tasks you with finding the Prince of Death in Final Fantasy 16. This particular phantom is a must-find because it drops an important crafting material: Darksteel. To start this hunt, however, you’ll first need to complete a series of side quests.
Table Of Contents
Where to Find the Prince of Death, the Grim Reaper
The Grim Reaper is located in Cape Orsiere in the Holy Empire of Sanbreque, northwest of Northreach. Though, before the Grim Reaper can spawn here, you’ll first need to complete the side quests Under New Management I and Under New Management II. Both are given by Isabelle in Northreach.
The first side quest will become available to you after you begin the Across the Narrow main quest. As for the second one, it will become available to you once the final main quest of the game, Back to Their Origin, begins.
Once both quests are completed, head to Cape Orsiere in the Holy Empire of Sanbreque. Start from the Northreach obelisk and then get north of this city. From there, travel west until you’re northeast of the Westwatch tower. For the Prince of Death’s exact location, take a look at the map image above.
How to Beat the Prince of Death, the Grim Reaper
The Grim Reaper is an A-rank level 40 Notorious Mark. It attacks you with a scythe—which glows whenever it swings. This is a good thing for you because it makes your foe’s attacks easier to anticipate.
As soon as the fight begins, the Grim Reaper will most likely teleport to get close to you. When it does, be prepared to dodge a slash. It continues to teleport toward and away from you for the duration of the fight.
When the Grim Reaper teleports away from you, it will occasionally follow it up by throwing its scythe at you. It can also fire a sharp beam at you by using the scythe. Be prepared to dodge these attacks as well.
NoteAside from its melee attacks, the Grim Reaper has one named special attack you need to watch out for:
- Soul Harvest: The Grim Reaper’s scythe will grow even brighter than before. It will then proceed to do a long series of attacks while teleporting multiple times. Be sure to wait for it to finish the entire combo before you land an attack of your own.
Be as aggressive as this enemy and time your dodges properly to put down this foe swiftly. Use fast abilities like Phoenix’s Rising Flames and Ramuh’s Pile Drive to deal tons of damage on the Grim Reaper. These abilities have short cooldowns so use them as much as you can.
The Grim Reaper Hunt Rewards
You receive the following for defeating the Grim Reaper:
- 8,000 EXP
- 100 Ability Points
- 15,000 Gil
- 45 Renown
- 1 Darksteel
The Darksteel is the most noteworthy reward here. This is a material you’ll need to craft the Gotterdammerung: the most powerful weapon in the game (more accurately, the most powerful weapon during the first playthrough). Should you play in New Game + under Final Fantasy mode, you’ll also need this to craft the Ultima Weapon, which is the actual most powerful sword.
If you’re set on this path, you’ll also need Orichalcum to craft either of the aforementioned swords. You can obtain these by defeating S-Rank Notorious Marks such as Gorgimera, Atlas, Svarog, and the Behemoth King.
