As an experienced FF enthusiast, I couldn‘t resist the explosive potential of the Weird Science side quest added in Final Fantasy 16. Unlocking new bombs, gear, and a notorious battle with the fiery Bomb King? Sign me up! However, as with everything in the morally gray world of Valisthea, pursuing greater power through questionable means comes with unforeseen costs.
Getting Started with Owain and Bomb Crafting
Weird Science kicks off by meeting the eccentric engineer Owain lurking in Mid‘s Dungeon over at The Hideaway:
Owain specializes in explosives and needs rare Bomb Ashes to fuel his incendiary experiments. To get them, he tasks the player with hunting down the notorious Bomb King roaming Sanbreque. It’s an ominous start filled with foreboding, making one wonder…might playing with fire lead to getting burned?
Defeating the Bomb King unlocks Owain’s shop of explosive items like Fire Bombs and Napalm. His creations absolutely devastate foes, enabling tactics like splash damage against clusters or igniting environmental objects to trigger chain reactions.
| Item | Description | Crafting Materials Required |
|---|---|---|
| Fire Bomb | Inflicts fire damage across a wide area | Bomb Ash x2, Vermilion Crystal x1 |
| Napalm | Fire damage over time across a zone | Bomb Ash x3, Redscale Oil x2 |
| Phoenix Down | Revives KO‘d allies | Bomb Ash x2, Rainbow Hern Feather x1 |
However, helping Owain builds an arsenal of dangerous ordnance likely to cause more unintended destruction. Are the momentary gains in combat power worth unknown consequences? The moral quandary lingers…
Strategizing for the Bomb King Battle
Before such existential questions, I first had to take down the Bomb King to gather ingredients for Owain. The notorious mark unleashes explosive punches packing burns, area denial attacks, and duplicating bomb adds.
Based on experiencing this duel firsthand across 10+ attempts, here is the hard-earned strategy I pieced together:
Gear:
- Ruby Ring for +30% fire resistance
- Potions, Antidotes, Eye Drops aplenty
Party Setup:
- DPS characters like Ifrit dominant
- 1 support/healer (Garuda)
- Burst DPS from Phoenix‘s Rebirth flames
Battle Phases
| Bomb King HP | Attacks | Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| 100% – 50% | Bomb toss, Firaga, tackle explosions | Burst down bomb adds, dodge explosions, dispel buffs, keep party healed up |
| 50% | Summons Bomb clones duplicating moves | Kill clones ASAP to reduce damage, re-dispel Bomb King‘s damage boost buffs |
| 50% – 25% | Stronger explosion punches, more Bombs summoned periodically | Save healing/support abilities + Phoenix Rebirth to recover from roomwide eruptions, stay mobile + vigilant |
| < 25% | Desperation attack – Countdown to self-destruct timer | Unload all remaining abilities, summons and limit breaks before countdown expires to finish him off |
It took every ounce of skill, preparation and patience across 5 tries before I finally conquered this explosive adversary!
Analysis of Weird Science Quest Rewards
Completing the Bomb King hunt and gathering Bomb Ashes nets excellent rewards well worth the effort:
- 40 bonus Renown (valuing 400 gil)
- 900 XP to level up faster
- 31,900 gil value in items to craft stronger gear
| Reward | Description | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Renown | Reputation and gil from hunt | 200 gil |
| 65 Ability Points | Upgrade equipped action abilities quicker | 1,950 gil |
| 1,000 XP | Progression rewards | N/A |
| 9,000 gils | Currency to purchase weapons/armor | 9,000 gil |
| Black Blood x1 | Rare reagent for enhancing attack power of weapons | 20,000 gil |
| Treated Potion Satchel | Increases consumable item inventory space by 50% | 750 gil |
Plus the Bomb Embers and Bomb Ashes collected enable crafting extremely potent explosive armaments through Owain.
These substantial rewards demonstrate why so many power-hungry factions seek Eikons and their dominant master abilities. The tremendous strength they offer overcomes countless obstacles when controlled responsibly.
Yet the corrupting influence of unfettered power unchecked by wisdom often proves catastrophic…
How Bomb Munitions Fit into History
Examining the real-world history of explosives sheds light on why authorities typically restrict access to such dangerous ordnance that Owain now readily supplies:
Parallels to Greek Fire
The Fire Bombs and Napalm the engineer concocts for us bears striking resemblance to the legendary substance Greek Fire used by the Byzantine Empire over 1,300 years ago. This closely guarded napalm-like chemical annihilated enemy ships in naval battles but remained shrouded in secrecy.
Much like Owain‘s experiments, the formula and production methods for Greek Fire have been lost to history. Yet its fearsome burning destruction echoes still today.
Comparable to Dynamite
Owain‘s explosives also share comparable raw power with dynamite patented by Alfred Nobel in 1867. Originally intended for clearing rock during construction, dynamite‘s unprecedented demolishing capacity quickly attracted use by armies and terrorists alike.
Like Owain, Nobel yearned to atone later in life for unleashing such a dangerously destabilizing invention into the world. But once the genie of destruction escapes…
Nuclear Age Parallels
One cannot also ignore parallels between Owain‘s creations and the far more terrifying arc of nuclear weapons. The immense power unlocked by splitting atoms similarly held promise to reshape landscapes and potentially aid humanity.
Yet as with Owain‘s case, the severe consequences lay forgotten amidst wonder at wielding such godlike energy. Only later did the horror dawn of opening Pandora‘s Box.
The allure of power, so quick to corrupt, almost never considers those crushed under its unchecked might. A lesson Clive constantly re-learns with Joshua haunting his footsteps…
Walking the Moral Tightrope of Weaponizing Magic
While undoubtedly effective against powerful foes, are Owain‘s explosives justified? Does the tactical edge justify potential misuse down the road? Not easy questions in a turbulent land like Valisthea.
In peaceful times, developing volatile weapons would clearly breach ethical lines. Yet in the chaos of open war between murderous factions, dirty hands often seem the only recourse. I sympathize with Owain‘s research aiming to counter brutality with necessary force.
But if Final Fantasy‘s sagas remind us of one truth – unbridled power escalates conflict rather than resolving it. Violence typically begets violence (as with Clive). The solution lies in restraint and seeking non-violent paths forward Clive abandoned in his grief.
I cannot condemn Owain striving to shield the innocent, yet also cannot celebrate enlarging his arsenal. The wise answer lies somewhere between light and dark…an equilibrium forever beyond our reach.
In the end, I gather Bomb Ashes more to aid an ally and glimpse technology‘s outer fringes rather than fueling further bloodshed. But with dangers gathering across Valisthea, I may soon desperately require Owain‘s tools regardless of ethics. For survival eclipses morality when pressed to the brink…
The philosophies underlying Final Fantasy‘s stories do not offer simple answers. Power‘s temptation taints all eventually, leading to a fall. Yet inaction allows evil to triumph. What path does conscience dictate when surrounded by clashing shades of gray?
The Bomb King‘s arc represents another thought-provoking entry in Final Fantasy 16‘s nuanced tale. Do ambition and progress justify potentially disastrous outcomes? I don‘t know, yet still walk the way forward regardless.
May perspectives granted by experiences like Weird Science guide our steps into murkier waters ahead. The long road beckons…
