How to Beat the Duneworm Without Getting Swallowed in FF7 Rebirth

If there’s anything Chadley’s Fiend Intel: Death from Below quest taught me, it’s that the Quetzalcoatl fight in the Grasslands wasn’t as difficult as I thought. Corel’s sandy landscape holds a nearly impossible-to-dodge enemy. So here’s how to beat the Duneworm in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth without getting swallowed.

How to Avoid Getting Swallowed by the Duneworm in FF7 Rebirth Fiend Intel Death from Below

Death from Below is the fourth Fiend Intel challenge in Corel Region, tasking you to complete three objectives as you fight the Duneworm, a rare variant of landworms in the area. Two goals are pretty standard, requiring you stagger the Duneworm and defeat it within the time limit. The third, however, will seem absolutely impossible, as you need to defeat the enemy without getting swallowed.

The only way to stop the Duneworm from swallowing you is to dodge it at the right time. Easier said, than done. There’s a tight window where you can roll away before the worm captures you, but I found that once you get a feel for the timing, your chances of success go way up. That said, your ability to dodge isn’t the only thing in your arsenal. Your party comp, who you control, and equipped Materia all play a role in beating the enemy.

FF7 Rebirth Fiend Intel Death from Below Strategy and Tips

Before you start the fight, keep in mind that the Duneworm’s Swallow ability targets the character drawing the most threat, so you’ll need to make sure you deal the most damage. If you’re not controlling the targeted character, it’s an automatic failure, since your teammate won’t dodge the attack. I tested this out as Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith, but what worked for me was playing as Yuffie. She’s quick, deals bursts of damage to hold threat, and her elemental Ninjutsu allows you to exploit the Duneworm’s weakness, making her the best character to control during the fight. Having Cloud’s melee damage and Aerith’s heals as back up also helps.

Assess reveals the Duneworm is vulnerable to Ice attacks, so I equipped Yuffie with Ice Materia. It doesn’t hurt to give your entire party Ice spells, though, as it allows you to cast Blizzard at all times. Unlike the Phoenix fight, I didn’t get a chance to use my Shiva summon here before the fight was over, but it’s still worth having on hand just in case.

Once you engage the enemy, spam as much Ice damage as you can before the first Swallow attack. The faster you can pressure the Duneworm, the better since you’re still under a time limit, and it seems to stop trying to swallow you once you get it under 50% HP and/or stagger it. Swallow then gets replaced by Earthquake, which is an AoE ability that’s much easier to evade.

As mentioned above, the best way to avoid getting swallowed is by dodging. As Yuffie, you can quickly put distance between you and the Duneworm once it goes underground. Then, make sure you’re running in one direction, and when the Duneworm pops out of the sand, immediately roll in the opposite direction to avoid it. So, if I ran right, I’d immediately evade left to dodge and vice versa. The timing is difficult, but as long as you give yourself enough space and don’t roll into the Duneworm (as I did), you’ll keep your party out of its belly.

That’s how to beat the Duneworm without getting swallowed in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. If you need more help against the strongest, and frankly most frustrating, enemies in the game, check out our guide on how to beat the Mindflayer.