Final Fantasy X | X-2 HD Remaster

The Dark Aeons Guide for Final Fantasy X

Updated 2026-10-10

Full spoilers.

The Dark Aeons are corrupted copies of Yuna’s aeons, sent out by Yevon’s remnants to settle a grudge. They are part of the International content that the HD release includes, and they are the hardest things in the game outside Penance and the arena’s Nemesis. There are ten of them in eight places — the Magus Sisters are three — and more fights than that, because Dark Ixion has to be beaten twice and Dark Yojimbo five times in a row. Beat them all and Penance appears.

None of this is for a story-level party. Even the weakest of them has 800,000 HP and an Overdrive that wipes a team without Auto-Life. Come back with celestial weapons, armour built from the Monster Arena, and stats taken well past the normal grid.

When they appear

They start appearing late in the story, after Bevelle. In practice:

• Dark Shiva and Dark Yojimbo can meet you before you have the airship. Walk back to Macalania Temple after Bevelle, or leave the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth the long way after hiring Yojimbo, and they may be waiting. Guides disagree on whether these two need the airship first; assume they don’t.
• Dark Anima appears once you have reached Zanarkand.
• The rest — Valefor, Ifrit, Ixion, Bahamut and the Magus Sisters — wait for the airship, which is the only way you can reach most of them anyway.

What they block

Most of them only fight you if you go looking. Three stand in doorways:

Anima matters here more than anywhere: she needs all six Destruction Sphere treasures, and two of them can end up behind Valefor and Shiva. If you are locked out of her, you’ll have to beat those two without her.

Dark Yojimbo can be walked around (take the pad at the back of the cavern back to the entrance), and the others only fight when you trigger them.

Getting ready

Every Dark Aeon has the same shape: huge HP, a big Overdrive on a timer, and a party-wipe if you let it fire. The kit that answers it:

• Celestial weapons. Their Break Damage Limit lets you hit past 9,999, which is the whole fight. See the celestial weapons guide.
• Break HP Limit isn’t essential, but most of these hit for tens of thousands; without it you rely on Auto-Life and aeon shields.
• Armour: Auto-Haste, Auto-Phoenix, Auto-Protect, and Ribbon or Stoneproof. The Monster Arena guide shows where the materials come from.
• Quick Hit on everyone who attacks.
• Auto-Life up before every Overdrive, or have Yuna summon an aeon just before it fires — the aeon takes the hit and dies in your party’s place.
• High Luck helps against Bahamut, Yojimbo and Anima, who dodge a lot. Aim on Kimahri or Yuna is the cheap substitute.

Their drops repay the effort: every one gives Dark Matter (Master Sphere on a rare drop) and always a weapon or armour with three or four slots, often carrying Break Damage Limit, Ribbon or Break HP Limit.

A good order

Valefor → Ifrit → Ixion (both rounds) → Shiva → the Magus Sisters → Yojimbo → Bahamut → Anima → Penance.

Valefor and Ifrit are the gentle ones and their drops help with everything after. Yojimbo before Bahamut, because his equipment drops are the best of the set. Anima is the biggest wall and goes last.

Dark Valefor

Besaid, on the way into the village. A summoner steps out and ambushes you as you reach the gate. Save at the promontory first.

• 800,000 HP. Takes half damage from every element.
• Energy Blast, her Overdrive, is the only real threat. Auto-Life on everyone or an aeon in front of it, then keep hitting.
• Steal: X-Potion (Elixir rare). Drops: Dark Matter (Master Sphere rare) and gear.

The easiest of the set. Beat her and Besaid village opens again.

Dark Ifrit

Bikanel Island, the far north of the Sanubia Desert near the ruins of Home. There is no save sphere in that last stretch, so save in the central desert. An Al Bhed woman near the old entrance asks for help; agree, then walk north.

• 1,400,000 HP. Absorbs fire, immune to lightning and water.
• He counters attacks physically, and Meteor Strike can kill a weakened character outright. His Overdrive, Hellfire, is a party-wide burn — block it with an aeon.
• Steal: Mega Phoenix (Elixir rare). Drops: Dark Matter (Master Sphere rare) and gear.

Dark Ixion

The Thunder Plains, north section. A lone soldier stands under one of the lightning towers a little north of the travel agency; talk to him.

• 1,200,000 HP, twice. Absorbs lightning, immune to fire and ice.
• Round one: he counters every attack with a physical that inflicts Sleep, so wear Sleepproof (or Ribbon). His Overdrive, Aerospark, strips your buffs, Auto-Life included — recast it straight after.
• Round two: save, then go to where you hear the next lightning strike and he appears again. Leaving the Thunder Plains resets this. The counter is gone, his physical now confuses, and his Overdrive becomes Thor’s Hammer, a party-wide hit that Auto-Life survives.
• Steal: Stamina Tablet (Elixir rare). Drops: Dark Matter (Master Sphere rare) and gear, from each round.

He is the only Dark Aeon you can run from.

Dark Shiva

The road up to Macalania Temple. A Guado summoner greets you on the way in.

• 1,100,000 HP and maximum Agility — she will take two or three turns to your one unless you have Auto-Haste.
• Her physicals strip buffs. Heavenly Strike is an instant KO. Diamond Dust, her Overdrive, does enough to wipe any party; an aeon block is the dependable answer.
• Open fast: Hastega or Auto-Haste, Quick Hit from everyone.
• Steal: Mana Tablet (Elixir rare). Drops: Dark Matter (Master Sphere rare) and gear.

When she falls, Guado guards chase you as they did the first time around. Run for the crevasse or leave the screen, then walk back to the temple.

The Dark Magus Sisters

Mushroom Rock Road, at the Mi’ihen Highroad end. Two summoners are talking with a child near the entrance; get close and the sisters come for you.

Do not fight all three at once. Together they share Delta Attack, which hits each target for 99,999 more than once and ignores Auto-Life. Instead, run — straight up the road into the valley, and keep going. If you reach the far side without being caught, they straggle in one at a time. Cindy drops behind first; Mindy won’t ride the lift to the upper level.

Alone, each one’s Overdrive is Mega-Graviton, which Auto-Life handles. Take Mindy first if you can choose. Each drops Dark Matter (Master Sphere rare) and gear.

Dark Yojimbo

The Cavern of the Stolen Fayth, once Yojimbo is yours. Go to the back of the cave, then walk out the long way — not by the pad — and a Yevon soldier ambushes you with him.

• 1,600,000 HP, very high Luck, and the first fight is always an ambush.
• Daigoro petrifies; Kozuka slows and breaks (an Armor Break here is usually a death); Wakizashi hits everyone; Zanmato, his Overdrive, ends the game unless an aeon is in front of it.
• You must win five fights in a row. Each one waits a little nearer the entrance. You can heal at the save sphere between them, but loading a save, a game over, leaving the cavern, using the pad or opening the blitzball menu puts you back at fight one. Saving on its own does not.
• Steal: Stamina Tonic (Elixir rare). Drops: Dark Matter (Master Sphere rare) and the best equipment of any Dark Aeon, on every win.

Because of that last point, the first four fights are the place to farm gear — reload before the fifth until you have what you want.

Dark Bahamut

The Beyond, at the back of the Zanarkand Dome — the room where you fought Yunalesca. Walking in starts the fight.

• 4,000,000 HP, maximum Agility, high Luck.
• Impulse follows every fifth hit that lands on him (counterattacks don’t count). It slows, petrifies and breaks the whole party. Wear Ribbon or Stoneproof and Dispel afterwards.
• Mega Flare, his Overdrive, does around 40,000 to everyone and strips buffs. Summon an aeon to take it, or have Auto-Life up on all three.
• Steal: Twin Stars (Elixir rare). Drops: Dark Matter (Master Sphere rare) and good gear.

Beat him once and the Sun Crest’s room is yours again.

Dark Anima

Mt. Gagazet. Go back into the caves (the pads take you there), replay Wakka’s ball-throwing trial in the western flooded room, win it, then return to the mountain gate. She appears there.

• 8,000,000 HP. Absorbs every element and is immune to magic damage. High Luck: bring Aim or a lot of Luck.
• Pain is an instant KO on one character. Mega-Graviton inflicts Darkness, Doom, Silence, Sleep and Slow — Ribbon stops all of it.
• Oblivion, her Overdrive, kills almost everyone outright. Have an aeon ready, or Auto-Life on all three. Watch for Doom landing just before it.
• Steal: Three Stars (Elixir rare). Drops: Dark Matter (Master Sphere rare) and gear.

She is the longest fight of the ten. Bring every Overdrive.

Rewards in short

Every one: rare steal Elixir, common drop Dark Matter, rare drop Master Sphere, and a guaranteed piece of three- or four-slot equipment.

When the last one falls, Penance appears on the airship’s NavMap. See the Penance guide.