An old man in Albrook discussed Deathgaze with Strago in Final Fantasy VI.

Main Walkthrough

One of the nasty beasts released from... somewhere... when Kefka unravelled the world, Deathgaze is a rather unique creature in Final Fantasy VI. Appearing exclusively in the World of Ruin, Deathgaze has a few unusual properties tied to its existence:
  • It is the only enemy you face randomly while flying the airship. Deathgaze appears on a random tile somewhere on the world map whenever you take off in the Falcon, and if you happen to hit that tile you’ll get into a fight with Deathgaze. If this is your first trip into the skies in the Falcon, the fight can be startling. And painful.
  • Deathgaze is the only boss monster from whom you can flee. If you hit Deathgaze just after getting the Falcon, running is a good idea.
  • Deathgaze is also the only boss monster that will flee after a few turns of combat. It will return to its sky-hunting ways thereafter, and you’ll have to cruise the skies to find it a second time.
  • Even though it runs, Deathgaze will not regenerate its health between battles. Given the few turns you have to kill Deathgaze, this should come as a relief.
The Final Fantasy Wiki provides a good method for locating Deathgaze: Land the Falcon, then get back in. You’ll be facing north. Tap your airship a teensy bit to the left or the right, then apply gas. You’ll cross every section of the world map with enough travelling, and, eventually, you’ll find Deathgaze.

The party battles Deathgaze, an optional - and powerful - boss in Final Fantasy VI.

Deathgaze

HP: 55,555
Weakness: Fire, Holy

Deathgaze makes for a nasty battle. It uses the following attacks:
  • Venom Claw, which may inflict Poison on a single target
  • Blizzaga, an Ice spell
  • Aero, a Wind spell against the whole party that reduces everyone to low HP
  • Death, a OHKO spell
  • Lv. 5 Death, which OHKOs any characters whose party is a multiple of 5
In the short three turns where it appears Deathgaze always begins with Lv. 5 Death, potentially killing your whole team if their levels are a multiple of five. After that it uses more rudimentary attacks, typically a third-tier spell or Aero, and sometimes the nasty Death spell. It won’t stick around much longer than that.

Beating Deathgaze in one go is tricky, as it sports a has a lot of HP and a high magic edefense. The key here is to smash it with either Fire- or Holy-elemental attacks that target Deathgaze's weaknesses. Physical attacks are preferable, as magic doesn’t work that well on Deathgaze unless you’re at high levels, so stick with the Fight command and any special abilities you brought along. Some sugestions: 
  • Terra's Trance
  • Edgar's Tools, preferably Drill
  • Sabin's Aura Cannon
  • Shadow's Throw, preferably Fuma Shurikens from Thamasa
  • Cyan's Bushido
  • Gau's Rages (anything physical - Stray Cat is good)
  • Any physical attacker equipped with a Master’s Scroll / Genji’s Glove and two strong weapons
The fight is so short that healing shouldn’t be priority unless absolutely necessary. If Deathgaze killed several of your teammates with Lv. 5 Death, just run away to avoid a Game Over, or try to hold out with your remaining character. A single Curaga is the most you should use, and that to counteract the effects of Aero if it comes up.

Strago retrieves the Bahamut Magicite after defeating Deathgaze in Final Fantasy VI.

Defeat Deathgaze and you’ll clear the skies of trouble. You’ll also receive the Bahamut Magacite, which teaches the powerful Flare spell.

Main Walkthrough