Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance/The World That Never Was

Dive Boss: Queen Buzzerfly
In what should be his final dive, Sora faces off against Queen Buzzerfly. This Nightmare should be a breeze by this point. Dodge the attacks of its little helper bees (they will usually attempt to circle in on Sora with their stingers, but can also team up to create lasers that can act as a trap) and attack them once the targets deem them accessible. It only takes one attack to knock a bee out, so press repeatedly and Sora will move between the targets, taking out up to three bees in one go. Repeat the dodging process until all bees are knocked out, in which case you can move onto Buzzerfly. Attack its head until it turns around, revealing the vulnerable spheres on its back. Eventually, it will turn around and once again summon smaller bees, forcing Sora to repeat the process before he gets a shot at Buzzerfly again. Destroy all spheres on its back to complete the battle.

Main
Upon Sora's arrival, he is attacked by Xigbar, who subsequently explains what has really been going on for the entirety of the game. After this long series of cutscenes, Sora faces a mandatory drop, and the game will switch you back to Riku. Once you drop back to Sora, he'll face some puzzling mirages from his past. You start off in front of a Save Point and a Moogle Shop. Do whatever is necessary here before moving on. Follow the path into a group of some powerful Nightmares. Defeat them and continue to the dead end. Use Flowmotion to climb the building to the left, then turn back and jump onto the higher building. A chest at the edge of it contains a Dulcet Fantasy. Drop back down to the previous building and take note of the lower roof to the north. Jump across to it and use Flowmotion to climb the building directly to the left. It's a long climb, but at the top of it is a large chest containing Salvation. Drop back down and jump to an adjacent rooftop; at the edge of it is a Shield Cookie 3. Drop down past the chest to land on a staircase. At the top of it you should find a Water Barrel. From here, jump up so that Sora is directly in front of the building with the white marks on it. Enter Reality Shift and slash the chains at the bright white areas with the stylus. Follow the newly-cut up buildings upward, using any buildings with blue marks on them as catapults to the next, until you reach a building with a chest at the corner. Open it for a Savage Fantasy.

Drop back down to the ground and follow the mist to its source. In a large open area, a group of Nightmares should spawn. Take your time defeating them and open the large chest for a Drak Quack Recipe. Continue following the source of the mist by using Flowmotion to climb to the top of the building. Drop off the other side of it and take out the Nightmares. A chest to the right holds an Elixir. Press forward and continue to stay on the offensive with the Nightmares. A chest to the left holds a Dream Candy. Continue following the path right to enter a new area.

Contorted City
After the scene, open the chest up to the left for Block-it Chocolate 3. Move forward a bit and Sora will stop to observe the strange movements of the buildings. Head to the blue mark in the center and stay there until you're catapulted up to the building to the right. From here, move to the white-marked buildings that pop up. Use Reality Shift to slash them out of your way. Once that's done, some Nightmares will spawn, and as soon as they're taken out, even more Nightmares will spawn, until finally you can climb the steps to the left. At the top is Ars Arcanum. Continue forward, but stick to the left of the path to find an Elixir. Jump back onto the main path and, again, make use of Reality Shift.

Jump onto the slashed building and drop off to the right twice. Turn back the second time to find a chest containing a Shield Cookie 3. Use Flowmotion to ride the rail up ahead into a group of Nightmares. Continue on the path and some more Nightmares will spawn on higher ground. Jump up to the left for a chest containing Confetti Candy 3. Move forward and you should spot another rail to the right; ride it and you should see some Nightmares spawning in the far distance. The set of rails to the right are not only a good means of quick transportation to them but also makes the battle a bit easier by giving Sora the ability to heavily rely on Flowmotion attacks. If that isn't enough, linking with your Spirits is always an option in rough times. At the fork in the road, take whichever path you want. They both lead into a group of Nightmares, and a chest off to the right corner containing a Wondrous Fantasy. Use Flowmotion to climb up and continue forward.

Nightmares spawn continuously here, and as difficult as they may be as a group, it is recommended to stick around and defeat them all in preparation for Sora's final boss. At another fork, take the raised right path to an Ice Dream Cone 3. Continue forward into the Nightmarish Abyss.

Final Boss: Xemnas
Save and organize your deck appropriately before moving on to face Xemnas. Equip strong attacks aimed at a single target, such as the always-useful Sonic Blade and the recently acquired but equally as useful Ars Arcanum. You should also have a couple of Curaga spells in your deck. When facing off against one of Xehanort's forms, there is no such thing as too much caution.

The battle begins with Xemnas off to the other side of the map, throwing buildings at Sora. Dodging these is possible but a bit difficult; nevertheless, they don't deal too much damage, and you always have a break between buildings to cure if it becomes too much. Survive through this exchange and Xemnas will drop down to Sora's level, making him vulnerable to attacks but also giving him the ability to unleash a multitude of powerful attacks on his own. Xemnas is quick and unpredictable in his attack patterns. If you stray too far from him, he may either teleport to your location or dash toward you with a pair of glowing red swords. Getting caught in any one of his combos is an enormous risk, so dodge until he gives a pause. However brief it may be, this is an opening to unleash Sonic Blade, Ars Arcanum, a link attack with either one of or both of your spirits, or any other powerful attack which will get the job done.

Occasionally, Xemnas will form a box around Sora and shoot flares at the easy target. This is escapable by simply jumping out of the box, though you can form this into a Flowmotion attack by bouncing off the wall. Xemnas also has something of an instant KO in his arsenal, in the form of a circle of flares which he forms around Sora. Once you see this, jump up and dash away as far as you can get, as staying in his sights will only lead to certain death. A while into the battle, after you've knocked off enough of Xemnas' health, he'll halt the battle to toss buildings again. Dodge them and, from the force of one of Xemnas' buildings on Sora's floating platform, he will be catapulted into the air. All you can do here is trigger Reality Shift as soon as you see the pink target and slash the chains. While this isn't necessary, it will result in a great advantage, leaving Xemnas temporarily stunned and vulnerable to a barrage of attacks.

Defeat Xemnas to obtain two Glossary entries: Recusant's Sigil and Hearts Tied to Sora.

Riku
As soon as Riku lands in a world unknown to him, he immediately senses that something is up. Use the Moogle Shop to stock up on Curaga and any strong attacks you might need, though you should have plenty to choose from if you've been scouting out treasure chests, such as Ice Barrage and Shadow Breaker. Don't forget to save at the Save Point before moving forward. Open the chest on the ledge by the ramp for a Dream Candy and test out any new commands on the group of Nightmares. Up the ramp, a line of Nightmares will spawn in front of a large, spinning sphere. Attack it to gain access to Reality Shift, and slash the chains with your stylus to open up a path. Head down it to a room where a machine sporadically shoots lasers all over the place. Past it, to the north of the map, is a chest containing Curaga. Head down the path to the left.

Defeat the Nightmares and use Flowmotion to glide on the first pipe. To the right of it is a ledge with a chest containing Confetti Candy 3. Where the Nightmares spawn, use Flowmotion to climb up the wall to the east for a Keeba Tiger Recipe and an Elixir. Drop back down and continue down this path and open the chest by the wall at the end of it for another Elixir. Now walk into the beam of light and execute Reality Shift again. Drop down and open the chest for Doubleflight. Perform Reality Shift on the laser-shooting machine to finally destroy it. Head up the newly-formed path and, at the top, follow the path to the left. Some Nightmares will spawn along the way, along with a large group in the open room. Once they're done with, turn to the red wall with the moving ledges. Unfortunately, Flowmotion cannot be used to climb this wall, making the chests that much harder to obtain. Follow the ledges to the right up until you can jump up to an opening, where you'll find a chest containing an Elixir. There's also an opening to the left, with a chest containing a Dulcet Fantasy. You can use Flowmotion off the side of the ledges for easier access, especially for the opening in the middle, where a large chest holds Dark Splicer. Once done in this room, drop back down and return to the fork, going the opposite direction this time. Open the chest for a Dream Candy and exit to the next area.

Walk of Delusions and Fact within Fiction
Open the chest by the entrance for a Drop-Me-Not. Repeat the drill with Reality Shift and open the chest under the stairs for a Lofty Fantasy. Follow the path without jumping, until you have no other option but to jump. On this landing some Nightmares will spawn. Defeat them and reach the end of the path to perform another Reality Shift. Drop down to the ground floor and execute one last Reality Shift. Open the chest for an Ice Dream Cone 3, save at the Save Point, and continue to Fact within Fiction.

Follow the halls into some Cera Terrors and a couple of rails. Ride the one closer to you to the end and Riku will be launched up to a ledge holding Spark Raid. Drop back down and two chests should be visible to you, one containing a Balloon and the one around the corner containing an Elixir. Continue forward and jump over the purple lasers (Flowmotion on the tight walls should make them much easier to avoid) to the chest at the end containing a Royal Cake. Drop into the beam of light to be launched to a higher area. At the fork, go down the ramp to the left and defeat the Nightmares that spawn. Claim the chest containing Block-it Chocolate 3 and walk into the beam of light next to it. Riku will be launched over a wall; take the rail on the other side of it. At the end of the rail, jump up to the first ledge and drop directly to the left. In a small opening in the wall there's a chest containing an Intrepid Fancy. Ride the rail back and go up the ramp back at the fork. Defeat the large group of Nightmares that spawn (it may help to link with some Spirits here) and continue forward. Open the chest for a Mega-Potion and examine the lift to be taken to the Verge of Chaos.

Verge of Chaos
Move forward until you reach an open area where Nightmares spawn. A chest to the left of the entrance holds Paint Gun: Black x10. Continue on the path; at the end of it are some Nightmares and a chest containing an Elixir. Backtrack to the thick pipe and hop onto it. Whenever a pipe comes up to the left, switch to that one. Eventually, Riku should land on a platform with another thick pipe coming off of it. On the other side of the platform are some Treasure Goggles. Jump off, and this time follow the pipes to the right to another platform. On this platform, take the lone pipe up until Riku is launched off. Fall to the right and defeat the Nightmares before opening the large chest for a Skelterwild Recipe. Look across to the left of this platform to see another; jump off to that one for a Wondrous Fantasy. To the left of this platform is another pipe which you can ride to the next area.

Follow the ramps up and you should find two chests, one containing an Elixir and the other a Shield Cookie 3. There's also a Moogle Shop and a Save Point here. Prepare for the bosses by working on your Spirits and swapping out some commands in your deck for ones with good range, such as the newly-acquired Spark Raid. Once you're ready, continue forward.

Boss: Anti Black Coat
The fight against the Anti Black Coat is the first in a long series of boss battles. As such, it can be considered the easiest of the bosses, but it is not to be taken lightly. The Anti Black Coat moves very quickly, so abilities from Spirits are an absolute must here, particularly Leaf Bracer. The Anti Black Coat teleports often and usually keeps a distance from Riku, using quick attacks that are difficult to avoid. However, these shouldn't be fatal as long as you keep your health gauge filled with Curaga spells. In one of these attacks, the Anti Black Coat shoots a group of poisonous bullets, one after the other, toward Riku. These don't deal too damage on their own, but if they hit Riku altogether, the poison can prove deadly. Simply heal and the status effect will be removed on its own with a bit of time. To avoid this attack, dodge continuously. Riku can afford to be hit by a couple of these bullets, but the same cannot be said for the rest of the Anti Black Coat's attacks.

The Anti Black Coat utilizes two ranged attacks that involve it sending red shadows after Riku. One will appear in a circle on the spot, and if Riku is in the center of it, he will be pierced by a group of spears. The other is sent from the Anti Black Coat's position in a line toward Riku, and if Riku gets caught in it, his health will be stolen until he only has one point left (even without Second Chance). Fortunately, when hit by both of these attacks, the Anti Black Coat will give Riku just enough time to heal quickly and dodge roll away in time for the next one. When the Anti Black Coat isn't performing ranged attacks, it will teleport to Riku's position and begin slashing away with combos. This is possibly the easiest attack to avoid, simply by dodging away from its position, and this is also its most vulnerable state. If you have a command on your deck that isn't ranged, now would be a good time to use it. Otherwise, attack using ranged commands and heal often to defeat the Anti Black Coat.

Boss: Ansem
After a scene, Riku will be confronted by the familiar Ansem that has caused him a great deal of torment throughout his journey. This time, Riku is determined to quiet him for good, all while accepting the darkness in his heart that is restrained by the light. Riku and Ansem begin the battle by floating in mid-air. Fortunately, you can still perform all the usual and necessary abilities such as dodging, and if you're still not fond of this arena, Riku has the opportunity to change it all with a coming Reality Shift. Ansem's attacks are basic and easy to dodge, and he is not nearly as fast as the Anti Black Coat. When he charges at you, dodge out of the way as soon as he makes his move, and repeat until he gives up the attack. Make sure you're close to Ansem around this time, as the Reality Shift target will pop up and give Riku the opportunity to sway the battle in his favor with a devastating attack. Following the Reality Shift attack, Ansem and Riku will find themselves on solid ground. Ansem's attacks are much of the same here, so one dodge roll should suffice. There are times when the shadow behind Ansem will rise up to guard him. All you have to do here is wait it out; it will return to its position and Riku will be free to continue the attack on Ansem once again. Defeat Ansem here to face him once more.

The arena's different this time, with Ansem floating in a stationary position as he shoots different types of bullets at Riku. The bullets can all be avoided for the most part by blocking (a reprisal command such as Counter Aura should help in this case), and even if Riku is hit by all of them, he will have a chance to use Curaga until the next series of bullets are shot. Simply watch for the attack patterns; when Ansem moves further back, he'll throw low, so jump over the bullets or block when they come rushing toward you. When Ansem aims with a group of spherical bullets, dodge away from your position, as they'll home in on Riku (though these can also be blocked). If you decide to get up close, Ansem can easily push Riku away with heavy punches (which can also be interrupted with a block).

Eventually, Ansem will switch up the arena so that he's in the same position while Riku is a long distance away. This is where Second Chance comes in handy. Ansem will either shoot small and relatively weak bullets or shoot two large lasers Riku's way, the latter of which can kill Riku in one hit if he's hit full-on and not high leveled. The best way to avoid the lasers is with Flowmotion; bounce off of the walls on one side of the arena, moving higher and closer with every step. If you time this well enough, you can bounce off of the final wall as soon as Ansem's lasers hit, missing them completely. When you get close, there's a good chance Riku will unwillingly get pulled into one of the black spheres in front of Ansem, depleting his HP until he only has one point left. If caught, use Curaga immediately after and you should be fine. To avoid this attack, get close to Ansem and use block continuously. If he simply punches, block and use Counter Aura. If he tries to capture you (indicated by the black circle that attempts to wrap around Riku), block continuously. Use Counter Aura in this case will only result in him capturing you immediately afterward. After a few attempts at capturing you, the spheres will be sent away, and Ansem will go back to his usual strategy of shooting and punching.

When you knock down enough of Ansem's health bars, the battle will get a bit trickier. The field will become dark when beams of light strike up from below. Instead of dodging, stay in the same spot and simply block. When Riku blocks one hit, he can halt all consecutive attacks with the same block, allowing him to keep his guard up until the light attacks finish. Following this, Riku will be sent back a distance, but Ansem will switch up his attacks. This time, large dark spheres come barreling toward Riku. Move to one side and dodge forward just as they're about to come into contact with Riku, as this will give him valuable invincibility frames as well as allowing him to continue forward. It is still possible to get hit by a couple of spheres if they come at you from the side, but with this strategy, you should survive through the attack. When the attack finishes, you are given ample time to use Curaga, approach Ansem, and get back on the offensive until he is defeated.

Boss: Young Xehanort
Unlike the previous boss, you are given some time to prepare for this one. However, if you made it through the previous battles without too much of a struggle, there should be no reason to change up your deck. Save at the nearby Save Point before heading to the left of the tall building to the area marked with "???" and Riku will finally confront the mastermind behind it all, Xehanort.

Go into this battle with strong Spirits, as you will need all of the distractions that can be given to the speedy Xehanort. He teleports constantly, so catching him with an attack can be rather difficult. Alternatively, his attacks have enough range that they can hit Riku from any position easily. These include whip-like lasers that move at jagged and unpredictable angles and bullets that, when Riku is hit by them, slow him down and leave him vulnerable to more attacks. These can both be dodged once you get the patterns down. The easiest attack to dodge, unless Riku is hit by the stunning bullets, is an ice attack in which Xehanort surrounds Riku with blocks of ice that target him. Simply dodge out of their range and attack him with a ranged command while he's distracted by the ice. Dodge and cure regularly. It may take a few tries, but eventually, Xehanort will be stunned by the loss of his health bars. Approach him as soon as this happens and perform Reality Shift. If you fail or don't press in time, Xehanort will regain two of his health bars and you must deplete them once again. If you are successful, Riku will be sent to a new arena.

The clock in the center is the target. Dodge the attacks of the multiple Xehanorts running at you and blasting fire at you, and simply focus on attacking the clock. If you don't deplete all of its health in time, Riku will once again be sent back to finish off two of Xehanort's health bars in the previous arena. Defeat the clock to complete the battle, but Riku's journey isn't over yet.