How to Beat Xaldin (Data Battle) in Kingdom Hearts II

Knowing Which Equipment to Use

Boost up with Guardian Soul. Obtained after completing the second episode of Olympus Coliseum, this Keyblade's ability, Reaction Boost, is perfect for this battle as you'll be relying on the "Jump" Reaction Command to get through Xaldin's defense.

Deploy Decisive Pumpkin (Combo Boost). An alternative to Guardian Soul. Obtained after completing the second episode of Halloween Town, its ability, Combo Boost, is useful for increasing the damage of Sora's ground combos.

Equip the Grand Ribbon. This one-of-a-kind accessory provides you with 25% damage reduction from all elemental types; Xaldin's wind-based attacks come to mind. It's boost in physical defense is appreciated as well.

Equip more Armor. Aside from the Grand Ribbon, the basic Ribbon is also useful for its damage reduction.

Increase Strength and MP recharge with Full Bloom+. This higher-tier accessory not only increases Sora's Strength, but even has MP Haste attached to it which makes it very useful.

Dodging Xaldin's Attacks

Understand Xaldin. Xaldin is a nasty boss. He has a lot of lances in his arsenal, and he won’t think twice about using them on you. This is compounded by an equally powerful defense. Being forewarned will work in your favor. It's important to know how he wields each weapon so you can block it and even inflict damage.

Block his Wind Cannons. Unlike the base fight where he deploys his Aero Shield, Xaldin now opens the battle with an offensive technique: A powered-up version of his wind projectiles that move fast and can hit Sora up to twice. Block it with Guard or Reflega. He will do this three times in a row each time he uses this attack -- unless you interrupt him with attacks of your own!

Guard against his Spear Thrust. When Xaldin winds up and moves quickly towards Sora, that means he's about to unleash his thrust attack. If you're quick enough, a Guard/Reflega will stagger him off-balance. However, since this is the Data fight, his Aero Shield won't break; you'll need to have collected a Jump.

Fend off his Sweeping Lance. If Xaldin begins moving around Sora, he'll use a wide-ranged sweeping attack that knocks Sora away. You can defend against it, but jumping over it allows Sora to collect Jumps in the process.

Jump to break his Aero Shield. The hardest thing to deal with in this fight is his Aero Shield. It damages and knocks Sora away, denying any attempt to normally approach him. What's worse, it reduces any incoming damage to just a single HP point off his health bar! To break it open and get to him, Sora needs to use the Reaction Command (∆) "Learn" whenever Xaldin does any melee attacks. Now that his Attack command has been replaced with Jump, Sora will now dispel the Aero Shield and is free to attack Xaldin for a little bit. You can also summon Stitch as his attack will stun Xaldin when he’s hit at the right moment. Stitch can be a good asset in this battle, as Stitch not only causes constant attacks (although the damage is low), but also keep Xaldin stuck in the air and give you HP recovery balls.

Double-jump, glide, and block Lance Dive. Xaldin will continuously drop down from the sky, piercing you with his lance. He will eventually send his lances to circle over you and do a stronger Lance Dive. Easily dodge the first few Lance Dives by double-jumping, and then gliding around the area. The last strike can only be blocked with Reflega.

Anticipate harm when he uses Teleportation . Xaldin will teleport around the arena. This skill is usually used to move around, but he will attack if you're near enough. Should he attack, block him with Guard (□) or Reflega.

Overpower his Desperation Attack. As a desperate measure, Xaldin will release a barrage of lance attacks before riding his lances into the background. He will then create a large whirlwind to sweep across the arena. As soon as he starts attacking, press □ and wait for him to fly over to the background. Run to one side of the area and cast Reflega when the whirlwind gets close.

Keeping in Mind Key Information in Battle

Study intently Xaldin’s pattern. He will be highly intimidating at first. His attacks are quick, he has a huge range, and he deals a large amount of damage. However, he becomes easier to deal with once you've memorized his pattern.

Don't use Dodge Roll. Because of Xaldin's huge range, it's not advised that you use Dodge Roll, especially against Wind Cannon. It is a homing type of attack and will chase Sora until it hits.

Block all attacks except one. All Xaldin’s attacks, except the whirlwind from his Desperation Attack, is block able with Guard.

Use "Jump" as an attack command. The "Jump" reaction command is a bit special. It isn't a cinematic reaction command. Rather, it's similar to the Lancer Nobody's reaction command where you store it and use it as an attack command. The “Jump” reaction command can only be stacked a maximum of 9 times.

Battling It Out with Xaldin

Stand guard as soon as the battle starts. Xaldin will immediately use Wind Cannon three consecutive times. If you're able to get close to him, do it! Wind Cannon, when blocked at close range, will make Xaldin fall, and you'll be able to spam-collect the "Jump" reaction command.

Keep blocking Xaldin's attacks. Do so until you get some “Jump” commands. When you do, keep spamming it on Xaldin and following it up with an Air Combo once it runs out.

Stop your combo after landing the first finisher and glide away. This is to avoid having Xaldin land a hit on you. Land a few feet away from Xaldin, and wait for him to attack. Block it with Guard when he does, and repeat your combo.

Don’t attack Xaldin. Remember that Xaldin will always keep his Wind Guard casted, so don't even bother to attack him. Just keep blocking and stacking on "Jump" reaction commands to break his Wind Guard.

Repeat. Keep blocking and stacking until you cleave 10 to 11 bars off his health. He will then move to a stronger and more furious set of attacks.

Double-jump and glide around. Do so as soon as Xaldin leaps into the air and disappears using Lance Dive. Keep going around the arena until you see his lances swirling around Sora. As soon as you see it happen, land immediately. Don't worry, those lances won't hit you.

Cast Reflega as soon as you hit the ground. Xaldin will do one more Lance Dive on you. If you do it correctly, you'll have a chance to attack him with a full combo.

Leap and glide around if Xaldin uses Desperation Attack. Depending on how much damage you do, Xaldin may go into desperation mode. If he does use his Desperation Attack, leap and glide around the arena to avoid his ground combo, then land on one side of the arena once he goes into the background. From here, there are 3 ways to avoid getting hit by the Wind Cannon: Double-jump and glide on the opposite side of the bridge. This means that if he's on the right side, stay on the left side and glide all the way to the other side. Stay on one side, and take advantage of Quick Run's invincibility frames. Use Reflega three times as soon as the wind gets close.

Continue stacking up on "Jump" reaction commands. Keep doing so until Xaldin falls. You don't have to worry about landing a finishing strike on Xaldin; the "Jump" reaction command counts as a finisher and can deal a finishing blow on him.