Schwarzgeist Kingdom Hearts Guide: How to Defeat this Boss and Unlock the Golden Highwind

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Cody has been in the video game business as part of media and content creation for more than 10 years. During that time, he has contributed and even led some of the largest sites in the world dedicated to gaming and entertainment. He has also dabbled some in PR and was a tester for Activision in the past working on the Call of Duty series. When not playing games or writing about them, he enjoys cooking, sharpening his Japanese skills, and watching the latest anime shows.

Bottom Line Up Front

Schwarzgeist is one of the strongest bosses you can face in the galaxies between worlds in Kingdom Hearts 3. If players want to tackle this boss, they must head to the Misty Stream Galaxy. They’ll also need to have a specific type of ship with a high enough speed stat to even start the fight.

Once they do, they’ll find that this battle involves a massive ship installation that is loaded with four massive health bars. If you are able to withstand its devastating attacks and minions, you’ll be able to earn arguably the best ship in the entire game: the Golden Highwind Gummi Ship.

Schwarzgeist Boss Overview

When I initially beat Schwarzgeist back in the day when Kingdom Hearts 3 was still relatively fresh and new to the masses, there was one aspect I didn’t realize about it. Like many of the ships in the Gummi Ship side of KH3, this ship is a callback to another Square Enix game.

In this case, it is a callback to the classic Einhander video game from the 1990s. In this game, one of the bosses you fight in the sixth level is the SS-01 Schwarzgeist. It turns out that Square Enix loved this boss design so much they brought it back for the Kingdom Hearts series.

As such, players have the chance to tackle this enemy and defeat it while playing as Sora and his friends. Though this game is far from the dark and gritty sci-fi setting of Einhander, this boss fight is complete with attacks that are similar to how it worked in the original game and even music from that title.

Better yet, there is even a particular ship that is recommended for this fight that is derived from Einhander, too. Let’s take a deep dive into how to beat this boss and earn its rewards.

How to Unlock the Schwarzgeist 5-Star Boss Fight

When it comes to the Schwarzgeist boss fight, you are looking at a five-star boss battle. This may seem overwhelming given the number of stars that it has, but, personally, this is one of the easier bosses of its caliber in the Gummi Ship portions of the game.

Before you can even take on the fight, though, there are some requirements you must meet first. There are two main prerequisites for this boss fight that will then unlock the ability to find the enemy and take him on at his unique location in the cosmos.

Requirements

The two requirements come down to two main problems you must take care of before you can even begin to take down the Einhander boss. The first of these has to do with your actual ship itself. Your Gummi Ship must meet strict stat requirements, or else the game won’t let you do this fight.

The other requirement is quite simple: you must have unlocked the galaxy where the boss is located. If you can’t reach this galaxy yet, you sure as heck won’t be able to take on the enemy and defeat it. Let’s get started.

Ship Speed

First off, no matter what you do with your Gummi Ship, there is a stat requirement you must meet. Whether you choose to go the custom route or pick one of the better-premade ships, your ship must have a speed stat of 200 or higher. That is a reasonably hefty speed stat requirement.

After all, there are only a few premade ships (worth using at least) that are at least 200. And you aren’t going to find any vessel really above 250, either, so there is a tight window of opportunity here. It is possible to make a custom ship with this speed stat, though I don’t recommend it.

The game will physically not allow you to engage in this boss encounter unless you have this speed stat or higher. The reason for this likely has to do with the fact that you need to be able to maneuver around the massive space battlefield fast enough.

While dodging via the rolling stat and speed are technically different, you want to be flexible enough in your ship to avoid the powerful laser attacks that Schwarzgeist has. If you can’t do that, you will have a very hard time winning this fight, which is likely why this requirement is in place.

Misty Stream Galaxy

The other requirement is being able to reach the galaxy that Schwarzgeist is in. It is in the Misty Stream Galaxy, which is only the second one you can visit in Kingdom Hearts 3.

This one is relatively easy to unlock, at least compared to the third and final galaxy, but it takes you playing a good portion of the way through the game.

You’ll need to have completed the main story for the first world of Olympus (Hercules), then visited Twilight Town, then beat everything in the Toy Box (Toy Story), and the Kingdom of Corona (Tangled). Some of those, like the Toy Story and Tangled worlds, can be done in any order, so do it however you like.

Once you complete the main story for these four worlds, you’ll open up the Misty Stream Galaxy and the next set of Disney-themed locations. At this point, you’ll be able to tackle the Schwarzgeist boss fight.

Schwarzgeist Kingdom Hearts 3 Location

To find the Schwarzgeist space installation and take it on in battle, the best thing to do is head toward the San Fransokyo world (Big Hero 6). You may not be ready for this particular world yet, which is fine, as you simply need to reach this location to get to the boss battle quickly.

From the Big Hero 6 world, you’ll want to go towards the tornado-looking green swirl path that is just a way to the right of the planet. All you need to do is go into the tornado whirlwind, and you’ll be taken directly to the Einhander boss to duke it out among the stars.

This is so long, of course, that you’ve met the previously mentioned requirement of having a ship with a 200-speed stat or higher. Otherwise, the boss won’t engage with you.

How to Win the Schwarzgeist Boss Fight

Don’t let the five-star nature of this Schwarzgeist boss fight intimidate you. It is surprisingly one of the easier fights you can engage with at this level. This is especially true if you follow our guide to the boss fight below, including the one ship you absolutely should use and the best strategy for winning the fight.

Recommended Ship

Above all else, keep this in mind: there is one ship that is far superior to everything else for this fight. That ship is the Endymion, one of the best prebuilt Gummi Ships you can get in Kingdom Hearts 3. It is, far and away, one of the most substantial ships due to its overwhelming speed and other stats.

Endymion is a strong attacker and fast ship, making it perfect for this fight. In fact, the game recognizes this as Endymion itself comes from the Einhander series. As such, if you use this ship in the boss battle, the music will even change to a specific version of the boss track.

Sure, you can use any ship you like, including custom ones, so long as they have a speed stat of 200 or more. But this is a must considering how easy it is to get the Endymion ship. All you need to do is find the Endymion constellation in the Misty Stream Galaxy where you already are and take a picture of it.

Health Explained

As for the fight itself, another possibly intimidating factor of the boss is how massive it is. It has a whopping four health bars that will take some time to knock down. This is because its overall health stat is an unbelievable 100,000, which is relatively high for a boss at this point in the game.

In addition, there are other enemies that Schwarzgeist will occasionally summon that have a significant health pool of 30,000 each. These numbers are significant and can be overwhelming to think about, but the fight itself is surprisingly easy, especially if you have Endymion.

Strategy for Winning this Fight

Don’t let the stats and massive size of the Schwarzgeist deter you; this is a relatively easy rinse-and-repeat boss fight. There is nothing too crazy that happens here; it is mostly doing the same steps over and over. The boss enemy will generally use basic laser attacks that you can avoid repeatedly.

There is one main laser move that you want to look out for. This one has to do with a massive laser bloom attack that it uses that spreads lasers across the entire 360 degrees around the boss. Each laser will curve and come towards you, but there are ample enough gaps between each one.

This is an essential move it uses, and the goal is to maneuver your ship in the gaps between the lasers each time. But there is more to it than this. Whenever it uses this massive attack, a neck part of the ship will be left exposed to you. You can clearly see this thin, weak point during this attack.

The goal is to attack that same weak point over and over while it is exposed, then make your usual attacks and dodges afterward. Then the massive laser bloom attack will happen again, and you can attack its weak point once more. This is the repetition of this fight, with one exception.

Occasionally throughout the boss battle, the enemy will summon four minion parts. These are the barriers for the boss, and they can also shoot out their own attacks at you. While it is annoying to have to switch targets, it is best to take care of these as soon as you see them.

Worse still, Schwarzgeist can bring these minions back into the fray later in the fight, which artificially lengthens this battle, but it is worth taking them out as soon as you see them. The added attacks can overwhelm you quickly and make this fight much harder than it should be.

So, the priority is the minions, followed by the weak neck point during the massive surrounding laser attack, and then your basic attacks and dodging. Keep all of this up in that particular order, and you should have this boss fight finished in no time.

Other Tips

In case you need some extra help, here are a few other tips to get you started on this Schwarzgeist boss fight:

Yes, it is possible to use a custom Gummi Ship here. You need the 200-speed stat or higher. I don’t suggest doing this, as your other stats will likely suffer at this stage, but you can do this if you want some personalization and more of a challenge.
You may want to consider a teeny ship if you opt for a custom one. The T-Invincible Lv. 4 ship is a welcome one, but you seriously need to find a solid weapon for it if you go this route.
Besides speed and offense, the other stat to count on is your rolling stat. You’ll need to be constantly dodging when taking on the four minions that the boss summons, as their attacks are pretty fast and can be deadly.
Finally, for Kingdom Hearts 3 custom pals out there, the Repair Kit is your best bet for the particular weapon you equip. You can make do with your regular weapons, so this is there for that final lifeline if you get hit too hard and need to recover.

Schwarzgeist Boss Fight Rewards Explained

This whole process of defeating the Kingdom Hearts 3 Schwarzgeist boss is all worth it in the end for the reward you get. First off, you’ll receive the Thermosphere trophy and achievement, which on its own is quite lovely. That is great for you, my friends, who are trophy hunters and completionists.

That said, that isn’t the best reward, in my opinion. The other bonus is the best, and that is a new ship in the form of the Golden Highwind. This is a Gummi Ship you should shoot to unlock as soon as you get to the Misty Stream Galaxy. It is far and away the best-premade ship in the entire game.

It is a teeny ship, which is already excellent for fights like this one, but its stats are unbelievable. It has the classic 250 speed, plus one of the highest health pools with over 2300, and massive attack of over 2000.

It has solid rolling, too, so you are able to maneuver around enemies with ease and decimate them with powerful attacks. The Golden Highwind is the only Gummi Ship you need in this game for any task out there, so it is best to take out the Schwarzgeist boss fight as soon as you can.

FAQs

Question: How do You Beat Schwarzgeist KH3?

Answer: To beat Schwarzgeist in KH3, you should try to have the Endymion ship. With it, you can dodge the basic summons that Schwarzgeist has and take out its minions. Look for its massive laser attack and get in between the gaps while attacking its weak point around the neck area. Repeat this until you win.

Question: What Speed do You Need for Schwarzgeist Kingdom Hearts 3?

Answer: You need at least 200 speed to take on the Schwarzgeist boss fight in Kingdom Hearts 3.

Question: What is the Meaning of Schwarzgeist?

Answer: Schwarzgeist means “black ghost” in German. Oddly enough, this isn’t represented at all in the overall design of the boss, which looks like a standard massive spaceship or station.

All of the Worlds You Can Visit in Kingdom Hearts 3

The Schwarzgeist boss fight in Kingdom Hearts 3 might initially seem like one of the toughest challenges for your Gummi Ship skills. That said, it is one of the easier ones that all players should finish well within the first half of the massive game.

This is because it is not only surprisingly easy (with the right setup and strategy) but because of the Golden Highwind Gummi Ship reward. There is no better ship in the entire game, stats-wise, so you are better off unlocking this ship as soon as you possibly can.

In addition to that, the Golden Highwind can be a welcome companion when you are exploring the galaxies in Kingdom Hearts 3 and all of the various Disney-themed worlds you can visit. It is stylish and will undoubtedly make any foe and challenge you face the easiest it can possibly be.

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