Mission 61: Vanquish the Heartless threat

Mission 61 in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days sends Roxas and Demyx to Olympus Coliseum to exterminate a Guard Armor Heartless in the games.

Summary
''An unidentified giant Heartless has surfaced in Olympus Coliseum. Team up with Demyx, find it, and eliminated it at once.''

Objectives

 * Track down the unidentified giant Heartless!
 * Enter the Games and locate the giant Heartless!
 * Round 1! Defeat all the Heartless!
 * Round 2! Defeat all the Heartless!
 * Round 3! Defeat all the Heartless!
 * Round 4! Defeat all the Heartless!
 * Round 5! Defeat Xigbar!
 * Defeat the Guard Armor!

Story summary
Roxas and Demyx are sent to Olympus Coliseum to eliminate the Guard Armor in the games, but Roxas encounters a familiar, scarred face in the semi-final match. During the battle against the Guard Armor, Roxas sees a vision of a boy in red fighting alongside him.

Mission walkthrough
Defeat the Heartless appearing outside the Coliseum, then enter the Vestibule. Phil informs Roxas that the games have already started. The only way to enter the Coliseum and search for the Heartless is to enter the games. Speak to Phil again when your ready. The objective is to defeat five rounds of enemies. Using the barrels or not to achieve this is totally up to you. Remember, hitting an enemy with a barrel is an instant defeat. Round four features a Tailbunker that is harder to bring to the ground then usual. Jump onto the top platform and knock barrels into it to inflict severe damage and ground it. Follow this up with a quick combo before it rises, once it does rise into the air, repeat the process until your victorious. Now, to defeat the Heartless threat!

...Or not, turns out Xigbar decides that he wants to test Roxas's strength. Don't waste all your healing items and magic spells on Xigbar, he surrenders once his HP has been depleted by half. After Xigbar, the real target shows up: the Guard Armor. Brace yourself for a long battle if you're not fast. After the Guard Armor is defeated, RTC.

Challenge Mission
You will need to be well prepared for dealing with challenge here and also know your opponents fighting style. Conduct trial runs if necessary before attempting this challenge unless if you are experienced enough. For your Keyblade, you will need one with the least amount of combat hits to knock barrels into enemies without wasting time that could leave you open to attack. If necessary, come back after you completed the main game, as Kingdom Key+ (with Zero Gear equipped) can knock barrels away with only two hits. Also using Sight Units in all your gear slots and equipping the Critical Sun ring will contribute greatly to making this challenge easier. Quickly head to the Colosseum at the start of the mission ignoring all enemies and begin the games.

In the first round, as long your attacks are strong enough to do it quick, it shouldn't be too hard. In the second round, keep a close eye on the Hover Ghosts and use the barrels to destroy them. The only thing to worry about is their teleporting so remember to keep moving and use the barrel when it is safe. For the third round, carefully use the barrels again or use hit and run tactics and keep an eye on Ice Cannons movements, and make it defeating it your top priority. For the fourth round, quickly beat all the Yellow Operas with your Keyblade, then stun Tailbunker by hitting it with a barrel and attack and get ready to retreat when it recovers. As long as you know how to fight it you will be fine, and if you can use the barrels to help keep it pinned down.

In the fifth round, while there is no guarantee if you can dodge Xigbars attacks, make sure to keep any damage as minimal as possible and quickly bring down his HP quickly enough so he can leave. For the sixth and final round, as long as you know how to dodge Guard Armors attacks you will be fine. Just remember to keep an eye on your surroundings and only use one combo attack before retreating when dealing with the hands and feet to avoid unnecessary risks. Plus the more chances you have to attack its head, the easier it will be to defeat Guard Armors main body once the hands and feet are destroyed.

You can use the same tactics as the last challenge to help with some of the strategies, aside from the fact you don't have to rely on hit-and-run tactics as much. Make sure Roxas is at a high level, and using the same type of keyblade as the last challenge to be able to use the barrels easier. Any Limit Break usage should only be reserved for Tail Bunker and Guard Armor so they can be defeated quicker to help save time. Bring plenty of Limit Recharges, especially for when you fight Guard Armor since using Limit Breaks is the best way to defeat it quick enough.