Boss Fight: Builder¶
First Phase¶
This is one of the more difficult boss fights in the game, so you’ll need to come prepared. You’ll soon find out why we recommended that you stock up on arrows, as shooting the Builder’s weak point on his head is crucial to bringing him down swiftly. You won’t have much time to do this most of the time during the fight, but there are certain moments which make it easier. First, you’ll benefit from using the Brush with Death (Way of the Raven) skill, which briefly slows down time whenever you perform a successful dodge. This will provide you with enough time to aim at the Builder’s head and shoot it before he can react to your dodge. However, you will need to ensure that you get the timing right with dodges to make use of this skill.
The other opportune moment for hitting the Builder’s weak point arises when Havi is hit by one of the magical bolts which the Builder fires from his hammer. You’ll want to avoid these normally, but since they inflict minimal damage compared with other attacks, you can suffer a few hits from them without much cause for concern. The main reason you’ll want to be hit by one of these is that they will send Havi flying into the air, which gives you an opportunity to use your bow in mid air (and therefore slow down time), so that you can aim at the Builder’s head and shoot his weak point before you hit the ground.
Whichever method you go with, you’ll need to hit the weak point 2-3 times to weaken the Builder enough so that he’s vulnerable to a stun attack, which will inflict a massive amount of damage. If you don’t have the Bow Stun Finisher skill (Way of the Wolf), you’ll need to enter melee range when the Builder is vulnerable to execute a stun attack. Each time you hit the weak point, you’ll find that the highlighted area becomes smaller, making it more difficult to hit.
Aside from focusing on hitting the weak point on the head, you’ll need to be cautious of a number of special attacks. The main attacks which the Builder will often use include a sweeping charge with his hammer. This isn’t marked by anything which indicates when it is about to be executed, so you’ll need to pay close attention to his movements and be ready for the charge. If you get too close to the Builder, he will stomp on the ground with area of effect damage that will be marked by a circle around his body. You’ll need to dodge or roll out of the way of this as soon as possible to avoid the high damage hit.
Other special attacks include the magical bolt which he will often fire at Havi, but this can be used to your advantage as stated above, and it only inflicts minor damage. He will however use a more deadly magical attack which is indicated by an aura on the ground surrounding Havi. You’ll notice that the Builder wields his hammer high in the air whenever this attack is initiated, and you’ll need to escape the aura with a dodge or roll before he slams it to the ground, inflict a high amount of damage. You’ll have a fair bit of time to avoid this during the first phase of the fight, so don’t fret too much at this point.
Second Phase¶
The second phase of the fight is where you might find yourself fretting a bit more. You’ll enter this stage of the fight once the Builder reaches half health, and it will be initiated by a cutscene. From now on, the Builder will have greater attack speed, and will use his special attacks more frequently. The attacks will also be less forgiving, which means that the ground aura won’t last quite as long before it explodes, so you’ll need to escape it as soon as possible. You’ll find that he will now spam these at you a few times in a row, which will almost certainly leave you without stamina for a brief period while you recover. This is when you’ll be at your most vulnerable, so try not to use dodge or spring unnecessarily, to ensure that you have enough to avoid the special attacks when they come.
Alongside the attacks described above, the second phase of the fight introduces a new special attack. This comes in the form of a shield aura which surrounds Havi if you’re caught in it. You should be able to avoid this most of the time, as it takes a while for the shield to properly form around Havi. However, if you are caught in it, you’ll be fighting the Builder in close proximity for a bit. This will be an excellent time to use some of your abilities to stop the Builder from using his special attacks, and buy you some time before the shield lifts.
The fight is likely to become tense at this point, and you’ll find yourself short on stamina much of the time. Keep in mind that a successful dodge will replenish your stamina bar, as will a few regular light attacks if you can get them in. You’ll want to end this stage of the fight as soon as possible to avoid being caught off guard without stamina, so try to use all your most damaging attacks while avoiding the Builder’s special attacks.
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