The Ultimate Boss Guide – How to Kill Every Boss in The First Descendant
Welcome to The Ultimate Boss Guide for The First Descendant. This comprehensive guide is designed to equip you with strategies to vanquish every boss in both hard and normal modes. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a novice explorer, this guide will elevate your gameplay by offering invaluable insights into each boss’s unique mechanics.
What You’ll Learn: Strategies for Every Boss in Both Hard and Normal Modes. In this guide, you’ll uncover the nuanced strategies required to defeat each boss. From understanding their lore to mastering their attack patterns, we’ve got you covered.
The Importance of Preparation and Strategy. Success in The First Descendant hinges on meticulous preparation and strategic execution. By equipping yourself with the right knowledge and gear, you’ll be poised to conquer any challenge that comes your way.
General Tips for Boss Battles
Understanding Boss Mechanics. Each boss in The First Descendant boasts distinct mechanics that must be comprehended and countered. Recognizing their attack patterns, vulnerabilities, and phases is crucial for crafting an effective strategy.
Essential Gear and Weapons for Bossing. Your choice of gear and weapons can make or break a boss fight. Prioritize high-damage weapons, resilient armor, and items that enhance your survivability and damage output. Tailor your loadout to exploit each boss’s weaknesses.
Importance of Team Coordination and Roles. Successful boss battles often require a well-coordinated team. Define roles clearly—designate tanks, damage dealers, and support players. Effective communication and synergy can turn the tide of battle in your favor.
Health and Stamina Management. Maintaining your health and stamina is vital during boss encounters. Monitor your resources closely, and use healing items and abilities judiciously. Balance aggressive offense with timely defense to sustain yourself throughout the fight.
Timing Your Attacks and Dodges. Precision in timing your attacks and dodges can significantly impact your success. Learn to anticipate the boss’s moves and respond with well-timed strikes and evasions. This not only conserves your health but also maximizes your damage output.
I apologize for the oversight! Let me provide a more comprehensive guide that covers both normal and hard mode encounters in The First Descendant, including detailed strategies for the Executioner, and other bosses, tips for gear preparation, and strategies for general gameplay improvements.
Boss-Specific Strategies
Dead Bride
- Weakness: Fire
- Recommended Weapons: Sniper Rifle or Scout Rifle
Strategy:
- Shield vs. Health:
- Dead Bride has twice the shield compared to her health. Expect to focus on reducing her shield significantly before tackling her health.
- Enrage Mechanics:
- Be aware of Dead Bride’s enrage phase, marked by her teleportation followed by a snow globe attack.
- As soon as you notice her teleport, prepare to move out of her attack range.
- Grapple Mods:
- Equip midair or long-distance maneuvering grapple mods to quickly evade her snow globe attack.
- Breaking Weak Points:
- Use scoped weapons to target her arm’s weak points.
- Breaking these will stun her and reduce her shield, making the fight more manageable.
Tips:
- Maintaining distance is crucial. Avoid staying too close during her enrage phase.
- Use fire elemental damage for maximum effect.
Devour
- Loadout Recommendations: Shotgun and burst-damage descendants
Strategy:
- Focus on Pylons:
- Devour heals through pylons scattered around the arena. Destroy these quickly to prevent him from regaining health.
- Burst damage from shotguns is effective against pylons.
- Solo Play Advantage:
- Fighting Devour solo reduces the number of pylons he can deploy, simplifying the battle.
- Handling Poison Damage:
- Ensure your descendant can withstand his poison attacks, either by building resistance or maintaining distance.
Tips:
- Use a burst-damage descendant like Bunny or Sharon to quickly dispatch pylons.
- Roll away from the falling damage AOE during pylon phases.
Pyromancer
- Major Challenge: High damage output
Strategy:
- Tankiness:
- Build your character to withstand his high-damage attacks. Prioritize survivability to pass the DPS check.
- Shield Drone Hummingbirds:
- These drones will heal Pyromancer. Eliminate them as soon as they appear using AOE skills or thunder cage abilities.
- Stay Close:
- Staying close to Pyromancer allows for easier dodging of his fire orbs. These can be devastating if you’re hit from afar.
- Dodging Techniques:
- Practice dodging his attacks Dark Souls style, moving towards him to minimize damage.
- Weak Point Exploitation:
- Use elevated positions to target his weak points, particularly during his immune phase.
Tips:
- High-ground advantages can offer safe spots for dealing damage during his attack phases.
- Equip weapons with high weak point damage to exploit his vulnerabilities.
Swamp Walker
Overview and Lore. The Swamp Walker, a grotesque amalgamation of plant and beast, lurks in the murky depths of the swamp. Born of dark magic and nature’s wrath, it guards its territory with relentless ferocity.
Normal Mode Strategy
Key Weak Points. Focus your attacks on the Swamp Walker’s exposed roots and tendrils. These are its most vulnerable areas and striking them will yield significant damage.
Recommended Weapons and Builds. Utilize weapons with high single-target damage. Poison-resistant gear is advantageous, as the Swamp Walker’s attacks often inflict toxic debuffs.
Movement and Positioning. Keep moving to avoid the Swamp Walker’s area-of-effect (AoE) poison attacks. Position yourself strategically to stay out of its reach while maintaining a steady stream of damage.
Hard Mode Strategy
Enhanced Weak Points. In hard mode, the Swamp Walker’s weak points become more challenging to hit. Precision and patience are key to exploiting these vulnerabilities effectively.
Optimal Gear and Skills. Equip yourself with the best poison-resistant gear available. Skills that cleanse debuffs or enhance your resistance to poison will prove invaluable.
Surviving the Enraged Frenzy Phase. The Swamp Walker’s frenzy phase in hard mode is a test of endurance and agility. Stay mobile, dodge relentlessly, and focus on sustained damage to outlast this perilous stage.
- Loadout Recommendations: Weak point weapons (Scout Rifles, Sniper Rifles)
Strategy:
- Weak Point Targeting:
- Focus on the weak points on his head, only visible from elevated positions.
- Staying high allows you to deal consistent weak point damage.
- Enrage Mechanics:
- During his enrage phase, Swamp Walker will expose kneecaps that need to be destroyed to end the phase.
- Ensure you have enough tankiness to withstand his high damage output during this phase.
- Positioning:
- Utilize high ground to maintain line of sight on weak points and reduce incoming damage.
Tips:
- Build tankiness to withstand his damage, and prioritize breaking his weak points quickly.
- Use precise, high-damage weapons to deal significant damage to his vulnerable areas.
Hangman
Overview and Lore. The Hangman, a twisted executioner from a bygone era, roams the ruins with a spectral noose in hand. Its ghastly presence and malevolent power make it a formidable foe.
Normal Mode Strategy
Multiple Weak Spots: How to Identify and Exploit Them. The Hangman has several weak spots, including its spectral noose and shackles. Target these areas to disrupt its attacks and deal maximum damage.
Ideal Weapon Choice. Weapons that deal with holy or light damage are particularly effective against the Hangman. Their purifying power counters its dark essence.
Maintaining Mobility and Positioning. The Hangman’s attacks are slow but powerful. Keep moving to avoid its devastating strikes, and position yourself to exploit its slow recovery times.
Hard Mode Strategy
Advanced Weak Spot Targeting. In hard mode, the Hangman’s weak spots are harder to hit and require precise targeting. Focus on mastering your aim to exploit these vulnerabilities effectively.
High-Impact Weapons and Builds. Equip high-impact weapons that can penetrate the Hangman’s defenses. Builds that enhance your mobility and damage output will give you a critical edge.
Dodging and Countering Increased Attack Speed. The Hangman’s attacks become faster and more frequent in hard mode. Perfect your dodging technique and counter with quick, decisive strikes.
- Recommended Weapon: Tamer
Strategy:
- Enrage Tubes:
- Hangman’s tubes are the key to managing his enrage phase. If these fill completely, they will trigger a wipe mechanic, killing you and your team.
- Cube Mechanics:
- Monitor the enrage tubes’ fill level. Pull cubes from their slots when they are around 75%-80% full.
- While carrying the cube, target Hangman’s mouth to stop the enrage process.
- Coordinate Team Actions:
- Have teammates focus fire on Hangman’s mouth while you manage cube mechanics.
- Reset Enrage:
- Once the enrage phase is disrupted by breaking the mouth cube, return the cube to its slot to reset the enrage bar.
Tips:
- A strong DPS output can potentially skip some mechanics if executed correctly.
- Ensure everyone knows their role in managing the enrage phase, particularly when handling the cubes.
Executioner (Normal & Hard Mode)
The Executioner is a formidable opponent with a variety of deadly attacks. Here’s how you can handle this boss in both normal and hard modes:
Normal Mode Strategy
- Weak Points: The Executioner’s weak points are located on his head and chest. Target these areas for increased damage.
- Attack Patterns:
- Sword Swipes: The Executioner performs wide, sweeping sword attacks. Dodge to the sides or use defensive abilities to mitigate damage.
- Stomp Attack: He will occasionally stomp the ground, causing an area of effect (AoE) shockwave. Jump or roll away to avoid this.
- Ad Control: Ads spawn periodically. Use AoE weapons or abilities to clear them quickly, preventing distractions during the fight.
- Positioning: Stay mobile and keep a moderate distance to avoid his melee attacks while maintaining a clear line of sight for ranged attacks.
Hard Mode Strategy
- Gear Requirements: Aim for at least 15,000 HP and 35,000 defense. Equip high-level reactors and components to withstand his increased damage output.
- Optimal Descendant:
- Frina: Utilize her toxic abilities to exploit the Executioner’s weaknesses. Place toxic zones to deal consistent damage over time.
- Advanced Tactics:
- Close Quarters Combat: Stay close to the Executioner to continuously target his weak points while avoiding long-range attacks.
- Immunity Phase: During his immunity phase, the Executioner will charge a shock orb. Evade this by rolling sideways or taking cover behind obstacles.
- Solo Play: It’s often easier to tackle the Executioner solo in hard mode to avoid coordination issues with teammates and reduce the chaos of additional ads.
Obstructor (Normal & Hard Mode)
The Obstructor presents a unique challenge with its mechanic-driven fight. Here’s how to approach it:
Normal Mode Strategy
- Weak Points: The Obstructor’s weak points are its shoulders and core. Focus on these areas for maximum damage.
- Core Mechanics:
- Cube Summon: The Obstructor can summon a cube that traps a teammate. Destroy the cube quickly to free them and prevent deaths.
- Orb Attacks: Watch for slow-moving orbs that can deal significant damage if not intercepted.
- Ad Management: Prioritize eliminating ads using AoE attacks. Keep the battlefield clear to concentrate on the boss.
- Dodging Techniques: Stay agile to dodge its powerful ground pound and ranged beam attacks.
Hard Mode Strategy
- Gear Recommendations: Aim for 20,000 HP and 40,000 defense. Equip weapons with high weak point damage.
- Optimal Descendant:
- Bunny: Excellent for managing ads and orbs. Her ultimate can clear ads and weaken the boss quickly.
- Advanced Tactics:
- Weak Point Focus: Coordinate with your team to focus fire on the Obstructor’s shoulder weak points. This will help bring down its shield faster.
- Cube Strategy: Assign one player to focus on freeing trapped teammates by targeting cubes immediately upon their appearance.
- Orb Control: During the boss’s enrage phase, it will open portals that spawn destructive orbs. Use Bunny’s abilities to manage these effectively, ensuring none reach the boss.
- Team Communication: Ensure constant communication to cover all areas and handle orb and cube mechanics efficiently.
Frost Walker (Normal & Hard Mode)
Frost Walker is a mechanically intensive fight requiring precise execution. Let’s break it down:
Normal Mode Strategy
- Weak Points: Target the Frost Walker’s legs and head. These areas are crucial for dealing substantial damage.
- Core Mechanics:
- Ice Barrage: Frost Walker unleashes a barrage of ice projectiles. Sidestep or roll to avoid these.
- Freezing Auras: Avoid standing in the freezing auras it creates, as they deal continuous damage and can slow you down.
- Positioning: Stay at mid-range to avoid its melee attacks while maintaining the ability to dodge incoming projectiles.
- Ad Management: Ads will appear throughout the fight. Use crowd control abilities to manage them efficiently.
Hard Mode Strategy
- Gear Requirements: Aim for 25,000 HP and 45,000 defense. Equip weapons with elemental bonuses that exploit Frost Walker’s weaknesses.
- Optimal Descendant:
- Jayber: Jayber’s utility abilities are perfect for team support and ad management. Use his healing to sustain through damage phases.
- Advanced Tactics:
- Pylon Strategy: Assign one team member as the “runner” to collect fire orbs that spawn from weak points. They should focus on gathering exactly six orbs to activate the protective aura during the wipe mechanic.
- Weak Point Timing: Break weak points on its head to maximize fire orb generation before the wipe phase. This timing is crucial for sustaining the team.
- Orb Collection: The runner must avoid collecting orbs prematurely. Gather them just before the wipe phase to ensure they don’t expire or are deleted by Frost Walker’s attacks.
- Managing the Wipe Mechanic: At 7:30 and 4:30, Frost Walker initiates a wipe mechanic. The runner should have six fire orbs to activate the fire aura, shielding the team from the wipe.
- Repeat Phases: Continue targeting weak points and managing ads effectively until the boss is defeated.
Molten Fortress (Normal & Hard Mode)
Molten Fortress is the ultimate challenge with its complex mechanics and high damage output.
Normal Mode Strategy
- Weak Points: Focus on Molten Fortress’s arm joints and head for critical damage.
- Core Mechanics:
- Lava Pools: Avoid standing in lava pools that appear throughout the fight, as they inflict severe damage over time.
- Molten Barrage: Molten Fortress unleashes a volley of fiery projectiles. Use cover and dodge to evade these attacks.
- Ad Management: Ads will spawn at regular intervals. Focus on ad control to keep the battlefield manageable.
- Dodging Techniques: Maintain mobility to avoid its sweeping attacks and lava-based abilities.
Hard Mode Strategy
- Gear Requirements: Aim for 30,000 HP and 50,000 defense. Equip weapons with high DPS and weak point damage.
- Optimal Descendant:
- Enzo: Enzo’s ammo regeneration and sustain abilities are crucial for long fights. Use them to keep your team supplied and alive.
- Advanced Tactics:
- Pylon Connection: Molten Fortress’s primary mechanic involves connecting pylons in a square. Each pylon has a button to rotate it. Assign team members to specific pylons to form a square quickly.
- Orb Pre-Firing: Orbs will target the pylons. Pre-fire them to prevent
Final Tips and Tricks
Consistency and Patience: Keys to Victory. Success in boss battles often requires consistency and patience. Stay focused and persistent, and you will eventually prevail.
Adapting Your Strategy for Each Boss. Each boss in The First Descendant has unique mechanics and weaknesses. Adapt your strategy to exploit these weaknesses and maximize your effectiveness.
Team Coordination and Communication. Effective team coordination and communication are crucial for success in boss battles. Work together and communicate effectively to achieve victory.
Regularly Updating Your Gear and Skills. Keep your gear and skills updated to stay competitive. Regularly upgrading your equipment and abilities will enhance your effectiveness in boss battles.
Recommended Loadouts and Descendants:
- Versatile Weapons:
- Tamer: Great for weak point damage and sustained fire.
- Shotguns: Excellent for burst damage on pylons and close-range fights.
- Sniper Rifles: Ideal for precision hits on distant weak points.
- Top Descendants for Bossing:
- Bunny: Excellent mobility and AoE damage for mechanic management.
- Enzo: Provides crucial ammo support for extended fights.
- Glay: Offers infinite ammo potential for sustained damage.
- Freyna: Strong AoE capabilities for adding control and boss damage.
Conclusion
Recap of Key Strategies for Boss Fights. To defeat every boss in The First Descendant, remember to understand their mechanics, equip the right gear, and adapt your strategy to exploit their weaknesses.
Encouragement and Final Thoughts. Boss battles can be challenging, but with the right preparation and strategy, you can overcome any obstacle. Stay focused, persistent, and adaptable.
Share Your Own Tips and Experiences. We hope this guide has been helpful. Share your own tips and experiences in the comments to help others in their journey through The First Descendant.
FURTHER READING
