Game:Lingering Will

• Lingering Will
• Gameplay
• Gallery
• Quotes

Lingering Will
Japanese	留まりし思念
Rōmaji	Tomarishi Shinen
Type	Construct
Game	Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix
KHII tracks Battle theme - Rage Awakened

Location		HP	Strength		Defense	EXP
Keyblade Graveyard		3400	86		51	0
Physical	Fire			Blizzard
×1.0	×0.5			×0.5
Thunder	Dark			Neutral
×0.5	×0.5			×1.0
Rewards
First Sora: Drive gauge +1 Donald: Max HP +3 Goofy: Max HP +4 Second and after Manifest Illusion (100%) If a blue seal core is… …damaged: HP prize (1) ×1 …destroyed: HP prize (5) ×10 If an orange seal core is… …damaged: MP prize (1) ×2 …destroyed: MP prize (3) ×10
World(s)
Keyblade Graveyard

The Lingering Will is an unlockable secret boss featured in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix. It can be fought after unlocking The Gathering, then returning to Disney Castle's Hall of the Cornerstone, where a portal to the Keyblade Graveyard has appeared. Defeating the Lingering Will grants the Proof of Connection, and the Lingering Will can be fought again by leaving the Keyblade Graveyard and returning.

Strategy

The Lingering Will prepares to battle Sora, Donald, and Goofy within the Keyblade Graveyard.

Sora should have High Jump, Dodge Roll, Aerial Dodge, and Glide all at Level 3, as well as some action abilities like Retaliating Slash and Horizontal Slash and support abilities such as Once More, and Second Chance. He should pack as many Ethers as he can, and have at least one Combo Plus. Sora should also have Decisive Pumpkin equipped for its Combo Boost.

The Lingering Will has a very high forced retaliation point/Revenge Value, meaning that it is especially vulnerable to multiple combo attacks, but this can easily cause an inattentive player to be too combo-happy and not notice when its Revenge Value has been reached, making its counterattacks quite harsh and/or near-fatal. Combo Boost, Air Combo Boost, Combo Pluses and/or Air Combo Pluses are recommended to equip (especially the former two) due to such a high Revenge Value, but the key point is that in most normal circumstances, the player should be careful to back off before dealing a 5th normal combo finisher in a row to manage its Revenge Value via an estimate.

Furthermore, it has a unique armor mechanic where the more combos landed on it (including finishers), the more overall damage starts to build up on it, completely independent of either Combo Boost or Air Combo Boost damage formulas. The first combo landed on it each time it is left open will always do very little damage, until the subsequent ones increase in output.

One safe and effective setup would be for Sora to have only two Combo Pluses, a Finishing Plus, and the Guard Break and Explosion combo finishers equipped, allowing him to land three combos—two ending with Guard Break, and one ending with Guard Break and then using Finishing Plus to follow up with Explosion—before the Will forcefully retaliates. The combo portion of Ars Arcanum, without the Reaction Command finisher, is also quite useful for racking up damage without triggering any increase in Revenge Value, albeit Elixirs should be stocked for MP recovery + Damage Drive or any other Drive-enhancing abilities to ensure Limit Form can be used as often as possible or to last long in one-go or two.

However, if trying to intentionally trigger its Revenge Value to properly punish it, then Sora should only have Explosion equipped since it creates some distance between Sora and the Will to avoid some of its Revenge moves. Using Thundaga from a distance to safely trigger a retaliation is also a viable strategy.

The Lingering Will's most basic attack is Rush Attack, in which it dashes at Sora three times in midair. The timings of the dashes are easy to predict, so avoid being hit by Dodge Rolling or Guarding. Anticipate where its third dash will end, and attack afterwards. If hit by the first or second dashes, use Retaliating Slash to block the next dash, and time successive Horizontal Slashes to deflect further dashes.

The Lingering Will can Formchange its Keyblade into a variety of weapons to assault Sora. Its Drill Attack has it sprint towards Sora, Formchange its Keyblade into a drill, and perform a three-hit punching combo that finishes with a multi-hit thrust. It isn't easy to predict when the Lingering Will is going to actually use Drill Attack after running, but Sora can easily defend himself using Guard or Reflega. If Guard is used to block the attack, Sora must wait before attacking; otherwise he will take damage from the drill and be knocked far away from the Lingering Will. However, if Sora simply Guards the first two attacks, the drill will miss, creating an opening.

For its Whip Attack, the Lingering Will Formchanges its Keyblade into a whip that it will swing around itself, dealing massive damage to anyone caught within its radius. Whip Attack can easily catch Sora off-guard, but the Will tends to use this move after three Rush Attacks, or as a forced retaliation. Sora can defend himself with Guard or Reflega, but it is much better to just run away and quickly get close to the Lingering Will as soon as it is landing and attack it with a new combo. However, if Sora does get hit, it will very likely reduce his HP to 1 if Once More and Second Chance are equipped, so do not try to resist with Aerial Recovery or Retaliating Slash, or else Sora will likely fall. To get out of the attack and save HP, activating a Drive Form, or using a Limit with Donald or Goofy are the only ways for getting some invulnerability.

For its Cannon Gun attack, the Lingering Will Formchanges its Keyblade into the cannon from Terra's Ultima Cannon Shotlock and fires a giant sphere of energy that can home in on Sora. The explosion is huge, but Sora can deflect the sphere back at the Lingering Will by Guarding, hitting it, or casting Reflega. If it is charging the cannon and Sora is too far away, then Dodge Roll, or Quick Run against it to nullify the explosion. If Sora is close enough to the cannon, deflecting it back at the boss will launch it high into the air, leaving it vulnerable; the shot counts as a finisher and contributes to its hidden Revenge Value.

For its Command Change Attack, the Lingering Will Formchanges its Keyblade into a bow-like weapon and shoots three Light Arrows at Sora, but keep in mind that it can shoot up to five when low on HP. If any of the Light Arrows hits Sora, it will inflict him with a similar curse to the Unknown's Invitation to Nothingness from Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, draining his health as the Command Menu begins shuffling between Release and Fall. To break free of the curse, Sora must select the Release command; selecting Fall will cause considerable damage to Sora. He should Glide away while waiting for Release. The Light Arrows can be evaded with the right timing of Dodge Roll, or Reflega; equipping Quick Run may be counterproductive in case one uses it by mistake. When it turns its Keyblade back to normal form, it is time to attack.

The Lingering Will's Wave Rider attack has it Formchange its Keyblade into Terra's Keyblade Glider and move around the map extremely fast. Using Guard is the best way to defend, and if Sora is in Final Form, simply using Glide will cause his Keyblades to protect him. Sora can attack when the Lingering Will lands, though it's hard to predict when and where.

In addition to its Keyblade, the Lingering Will has some magical abilities as well. Its Command Seal Attack has it create a seal that either creates a blue or orange orb above Sora's head. The orange orb prevents Sora from attacking, while the blue orb prevents Sora from using Magic or Items. To break free from the curse, Sora needs to deplete a new, smaller HP bar on the Lingering Will. If a blue orb in seen, attack to deplete the bar; if an orange orb is seen, use Magic, Valor Form's abilities, or Limits in Limit Form. Either way, Drive Forms are still usable. Sora can evade this move by using Dodge Roll, Quick Run, or Reflega if timed right. The Lingering Will uses this move unpredictably, but it has a relatively slow start-up which is also telegraphed by a distinct sound cue. Another clue for Sora to prepare for this attack is when the Lingering Will begins flying at high speeds and repeatedly landing right behind Sora.

The Lingering Will can summon Bits that fire beams of light at the party. When it is low on health (below seven bars left), it automatically launches them and disappears for a few seconds, signifying the beginning of the second phase. Sora can react to this attack by using Guard, Reflega, or simply gliding away. Sometimes though, even when the Lingering Will is full on HP, it can combine its other moves, especially Wave Rider, with the Bits. This can make the battle more difficult as not even a correctly-timed Guard or Reflega can always protect Sora from several angles, although with some luck Sora may be able to deflect against the Lingering Will itself. The Bits can be destroyed with Aerial Dodge - although it's not worth it to specifically aim to do this - as well as through collision with a rock spire, however any destroyed Bits may be resummoned immediately.

In the first phase of the battle, the Lingering Will usually executes its abilities in a predictable pattern, which corresponds to the first attack it used at the beginning of the battle. Thundaga is best for staggering the Will if Sora is too far away, giving him time to get closer. Remember to keep track of the its forced retaliation point to prevent being attacked unawares.

When the Will's health reaches below seven HP bars left, it will use its desperation move for the first time, marking the end of the first phase. In this phase, it will be much more aggressive with its moves, often chaining them together for extended periods of time. It will also make use of Magic, casting gravitational fields similar to Magnega to pull Sora into its path or fire icicle shots similar to Blizzaga in tandem with Wave Rider; it can also cast gravitational fields in tandem with Command Change Attack.

When the Lingering Will uses Super Wild Dance, it enters a berserk state similar to Terra's Ars Solum. Its arm gauntlets and helmet will emit a bright red aura, and it then splits its Keyblade into two weapons. The first part of the attack is quite easy. Sora can either use Guard or Glide and no particular time is needed for blocking. In the second part of the attack, Sora cannot physically block anything. Just Glide away, and land as soon the Lingering Will prepares the third and final phase of the attack. The third part is probably the most difficult move to block/evade in the entire battle. It is all about having perfect timing with Guard, Dodge Roll, and Quick Run. The final part starts by the Will swinging its Keyblade in midair. It then disappears, and reappears near Sora and utilizes several teleporting dashes similar to Terra's Chaos Blade. To defend Sora from this attack, lock-on to the Will and Guard. Keep Guarding until it does a final horizontal dash through Sora and lands, after which it is left vulnerable. Just like every other move, however, there are various ways to evade this one as well. If Sora happens to get hit, make sure to use Aerial Recovery at the right time to nullify the final dash. This way, Sora can still quickly reach the Lingering Will and start a new combo. A very useful trick for avoiding the final part of the desperation move is gliding away and keeping Sora's back against the edge of the map. This way, the Will is forced to always teleport in front of Sora, making it easier to Guard all of its attacks.

During the final phase, the Lingering Will's AI can be exploited by stopping Sora's combos just short enough to manipulate its Revenge Value, causing it to repeatedly retaliate with Super Wild Dance in a predictable manner whenever it lands back on the ground. Otherwise, if the forced-point/Revenge Value is reached, the Lingering Will will instead generally retaliate with Rush Attack and Whip Attack in sequence, often choosing randomly between which of the two to start with; even then the player can watch out for those in order to punish it accordingly.

Overall, learning to manage the Lingering Will's Revenge Value can be considered quite hard since the Will's chosen Revenge moves are among some of the hardest to see coming once triggered and within enough range to barely escape; this can also apply to hitting its specific HP ranges when trying to get a grasp on its usual retaliation points since hitting said ranges to enter another phase will ALWAYS cause a Revenge move to come out regardless. The Lingering Will is invincible in the middle of attacking, making it impossible to chain Reflect to build up damage on it.

Technique		Element	Power	Guard?
Drill Attack (ドリル攻撃, Doriru Kōgeki)	(Weapon)	Physical	x1.0	△
	(Gear)	Physical	x0.5	△
	(Finish)	Physical	x1.0	△
		The Lingering Will Formchanges its Keyblade into a drill and performs a quick three-strike combo, thrusting its Keyblade forward for the finisher.
		May be used three times in a row when at low HP.
Cannon Gun (キャノン砲, Kyanon-hō)	(Weapon)	Physical	x0.5	△
	(Light Bullet)	Physical	x5.0	O
	(Explosion)	Physical	x3.0	X
		The Lingering Will Formchanges its Keyblade into a cannon and fires a giant sphere of energy that homes in on Sora and causes a powerful explosion upon impact.
		Deflecting the Cannon Gun back at it successfully counts as a full combo with finish. Resembles Ultima Cannon.
Rush Attack (突進攻撃, Tosshin Kōgeki)		Physical	x1.5	△
		The Lingering Will leaps in the air, and performs three dashing attacks.
		The Lingering Will can cancel the last dash and follow with either Rush Attack, Wave Rider, or Whip Attack. This is repeated up to 3 times. Can also be used at 70% HP after having disappeared during a Revenge Action. Resembles the Rising Sun Reaction Command.
Wave Rider (ウェイブライダー, Weiburaidā)	(Transformation)	Physical	x0.5	△
	(Rush Start)	Physical	x1.5	△
	(Rushing)	Physical	x0.5/x1.0	△
	(Gravitational Field)	Physical	x1.0	△
	(Ice Shot)	Blizzard	x0.5	△
		The Lingering Will Formchanges its Keyblade into a Keyblade Glider and dashes across the field. At low HP, it can draw Sora in with a gravitational field resembling Magnega or shoot icicles similar to Blizzaga.
		The Lingering Will can cancel the last dash and follow with either Rush Attack, Wave Rider, or Whip Attack. This is repeated up to 3 times.
Whip Attack (ムチ攻撃, Muchi Kōgeki)		Physical	x1.0/x0.5	△
		The Lingering Will Formchanges its Keyblade into a whip and swings it around itself.
		Used as a midair Revenge Action, additionally when its HP drops below 70% as it disappears and 40% HP to follow with Bit. While it seems like the Lingering Will remains stationary while floating, it'll actually slowly move towards Sora during the animation, so spacing away from this attack is vital when it activates.
Command Seal Attack (コマンド封印攻撃, Komando Fūin Kōgeki)		Physical	x1.0	X
		The Lingering Will charges energy onto its Keyblade to then warp to Sora's location with a diving-slam strike to form an array of rune columns erupting, which casts one of two seals; an orange seal, which disables Sora's attacks, or a blue seal, which disables Sora's Magic and Items.
		When sealed, deplete the Lingering Will's smaller HP bar to regain commands.
Command Change Attack (コマンド変化攻撃, Komando Henka Kōgeki)	(Light Arrow)	Physical	x1.0	X
	(Gravitational Field)	Physical	x1.0	X
	(Command Change)	—	1 HP per 0.67 seconds	—
	(when using Fall)	—	x4.0	—
		The Lingering Will Formchanges its Keyblade into a bow and fires three light arrows. When hit by an arrow, Sora's commands change to Release and Fall. Using Fall damages Sora, while pressing Release restores his commands. At low HP, it shoots up to five arrows, and can create a gravitational field akin to Magnega.
		Resembles the Unknown's Invitation to Nothingness.
Bit (ビット, Bitto)		Physical	x0.25	O
		The Lingering Will summons several Bits, which shoot light projectiles at Sora.
		The bits can be destroyed with an Aerial Dodge or by having their shots deflected back at them. Can be used at 70% HP after having disappeared during a Revenge Action. Used when at 40% HP after Whip Attack as Revenge Action, then follows with Super Wild Dance. This attack can also be combined with others such as Wave Rider or Rush Attack.
Super Wild Dance (超乱舞, Chō Ranbu)	(Starting Light)	Physical	x0.5	△
	(Weapon & Rush)	Physical	x1.0	△
	(Gear)	Physical	x0.25, Finish: x1.0	X
	(Shock wave)	Physical	x0.5	△
	(Rotating Swing)	Physical	x8.0	△
		The Lingering Will enters a berserk state, and uses several powerful combos in a row. Proceeds to rush at Sora and wildly swings its Keyblade multiple times, then it creates spinning gear around itself. Lastly, it warps at Sora's location and rushes through him multiple times, swings its Keyblade around several more times, and finishes with a final rush attack.
		Used when HP drops to 40%, after using Whip Attack as a Revenge Action, and Bit as it disappears. Afterwards it is used after Command Change Attack or Command Seal Attack. If within that HP phase to allow usage of it, then the Lingering Will always executes this attack if its Revenge Activation Value is not reached after being attacked-then-left alone.
The Lingering Will is invincible as long as it is using an attack.
Guard/Block: △ = Can be blocked; O = Can be blocked and interrupted (melee) or deflected back (projectile); X = Cannot be blocked.

Video

Lingering Will – Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix