Orthros is your first real challenge in Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster. This two-headed elemental beast shows up at the end of Chapter 1, and if you’re not ready, it can absolutely wreck your party in a few turns.
Here’s everything you need to know to beat Orthros, including the best jobs to use, the key strategy to shut down its powerful AoE attacks, and what to watch out for. Also check, HD Remaster vs. 3DS – What’s Different?.
📍 Where You Fight Orthros
You’ll face Orthros after retrieving the Rainbow Thread and giving Agnès her Vestal Garments. Head back to the Wind Crystal Temple, make your way through the hallway, and enter the Crystal Room past the red-suited Adventurer.
Time to battle.

🐺 Orthros’ Attack Breakdown
Orthros has two heads, and each one uses different elemental attacks. If you’re not careful, they’ll tag-team your party into a quick KO.
Here’s what to look for:
- Blazzard (Frost Breath)
– Deals Ice AoE damage to your whole party
– Triggered by the blue head (left)
– Watch for blue flames coming from its mouth - Hellfire (Fire Breath)
– Deals Fire AoE damage to the whole party
– Triggered by the orange head (right)
– Also signaled by blue flames from its mouth (yes, confusing!) - Flaming Fangs
– Fire-based multi-hit bites to one or more characters - Bite
– Physical attack, may strike a single target multiple times
⚠️ Important mechanic: If you kill one head before the other, the surviving head goes into rage mode, unleashing a brutal attack chain that can wipe your team. You must defeat both heads at the same time to avoid this.

🧠 Strategy: Step-by-Step Guide to Defeat Orthros
🧙♂️ Recommended Jobs:
- White Mage – For healing and buffs (Protect, Shell, Cure All)
- Black Mage – To disable Orthros’ breath attacks
- Thief (optional) – For stealing useful items
- A fourth flexible damage dealer (any physical attacker works)
✅ Turn-by-Turn Strategy:
- Turn 1: Shut Down the Breath Attacks
- Use Brave x2 with your Black Mage
- Cast Blizzard on the orange head
- Cast Fire on the blue head
- This will temporarily stun both heads and deactivate their breath attacks (you’ll know it worked if the flames vanish)
- Use Brave x2 with your Black Mage
- Buff the Party
- With your White Mage, cast Protect and Shell to boost defense
- Follow up with Cure All to stay ahead of incoming damage
- With your White Mage, cast Protect and Shell to boost defense
- Even Out the Damage
- Use your other two party members to split damage between the heads—your goal is to drop both at the same time
- Don’t go all-in with Brave x4 unless you’re certain you can finish both
- Use your other two party members to split damage between the heads—your goal is to drop both at the same time
- Repeat Elemental Cancel Every 5 Turns
- The breath attacks will return after 5 turns
- Reuse Blizzard and Fire to shut them down again right before they come back
- The breath attacks will return after 5 turns
- Steal for Bonus Loot (Optional)
- Use a Thief to grab:
- From the blue head: Antarctic Wind, Potion
- From the orange head: Bomb Fragment, Ether
- From the blue head: Antarctic Wind, Potion
- Use a Thief to grab:
⚠️ Things to Avoid
- Don’t use Brave x4 recklessly. If you leave your healer or Black Mage vulnerable, Orthros can capitalize and destroy your strategy.
- Keep an eye on breath cooldowns—if you forget to recast Blizzard and Fire, both AoEs can come back and nuke your team.
- Don’t accidentally focus one head. Keep their HP bars close to even.
🏆 Final Tips
- This fight teaches you the importance of turn planning, elemental targeting, and status awareness.
- Once you’ve mastered the breath-stun loop and evened out the damage, Orthros becomes much more manageable—even on higher difficulties.
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