Hello all,

I can't tell if I like this game or think it's complete trash. I find the moment to moment combat great, but the boss fights so far have been ROUGH.

Right now I'm on the second main boss, fast lady with a parasol. She destroys me in, no exaggeration, about 15 seconds. If anyone has any tips for her (and in general) then I'd appreciate it. I play a lot of games, often on elevated difficulty levels, so it isn't as if I'm not usually up for a challenge. This game is just starting to feel unplayable and I don't want it to, because I like it a lot in theory.

This is a very good demonstration of the hardest version of this fight with minimal cheesiness:

This boss is extremely dangerous if you stay on the offensive but a real pushover if you just sit back and let her make the first move. Her attacks and combos don't chain together very well and always leave her completely open at the end. Just don't be greedy, hit her a few times at each of those openings and then get the hell out of there.

Dig through your accessories and see if you picked up a paralysis charm, I've always gotten at least one during that level and it really destroys her most dangerous attacks.

Check the other boss fight thread, it's pretty much an all boss thread right now. Basically paralysis gear/charms/items and good dodging.

@omgrich: I had a similar experience fighting her the first handful of times, it seemed like the difficulty curved in a way that was simply unfair and insurmountable. However, if you approach each boss as either testing your knowledge of the combat or a lesson going forward, it helps keep things in perspective.

Play it safe, the entire game has been offensive training up until this fight. Be overly defensive, dispel her AOE demon pools with your ki blasts and understand that it is going to be a long fight. Don't get greedy, slowly chip away her health and retreat.

Good luck man, hope it helps. I'm absolutely enthralled by the game about 12 hours in.

1. Stock up on anti-paralysis needles and anti-paralysis charms. A little paralysis resistance will go a long ways, since it will greatly reduce the amount of time you are actually paralyzed. You really don't need that much. Like 4-8 points can make a big difference. If you get up around 15, her paralysis wears off almost immediately.

2. I find that a spear in either mid or low stance is the best weapon here. It's got range so you can keep her at a distance, but it's fast enough to get a couple of hits in. You will probably have trouble hitting her if you use anything slower than that. Likewise the kusarigama and dual swords put you too close to her for my liking.

3. She divides her time between the ground and the air.

During the ground phase she will perform the following attacks:

• A series of kicks. It's always at least two and sometimes a third if you're close enough after the second kick. You can back out of range of this attack. She has a period of vulnerability after she's through with the combo.
• Her parasol attacks. Same thing as the kicks. Just back out the way and then hit her when she's done with the combo.
• Her paralysis blast. She screams and throws a paralysis blast at you. This does damage and roots you in place. If you don't have either the anti-paralysis needles or paralysis resist, it will probably last long enough for her to hit you with another attack. This should be dodged by moving to the side just before she throws out the attack. Time your dodge to the end of her scream. She may launch this several times in a row so it's best not to try to attack her in between.
• Her wing spin. This will also create a patch of corruption on the ground where she finishes. This can be either backed away from or blocked. If you block it, be aware that it will probably drain most of your stamina if you get hit by the entire spin. Don't worry about the corruption too much as clearing it isn't important in this boss fight - she doesn't put enough of it down to be a problem (you might want to get good at it for the next boss fight, though. Just sayin').
• A grab and bite. She will attempt to grab you and then suck your blood with face tentacles. This is really bad if it hits you because it does a lot of damage and also heals her. You know its coming because her hands glow black before she tries the grab. The good news is that if you dodge the initial grab, she still goes through with her feeding animation, which is an excellent time to put a lot of damage on her.

During the air phase, she will perform the following attacks:

• A dive-bomb attack. She jumps up and swoops at you. This can be dodged, but be aware that she's got two slightly different versions. One where she comes at you right away and another where she delays just a second to bait you into dodging too early. She will be briefly vulnerable after she lands.
• Hover and paralysis blast. Same thing as when she's on the ground. A blast that paralyzes you and does damage. Same dodging rules apply as when she is on the ground. If this hits she'll either plunge at you or keep firing more blasts until you're dead.
• Dagger toss. She throws two sets of three daggers. This can be blocked for minimal stamina.

She usually ends the air phase with a dive-bomb attack, but if you get immediately below her while dodging, she'll try to plunge straight down onto you.

4. As a general matter, fight her on the ground. While it is possible to hit her with arrows while she's in the air, you need to be pretty quick to do and if you're already having trouble with her, this is probably not something to try. It's best to try to bait her into doing her kicks or parasol attack and then getting in two or three shots afterward and backing out. If you stay in attacking too long she'll try to grab you. This can actually be useful to bait since she has such a large window of vulnerability if she misses but it's dangerous. It might kill you outright depending on what level you are and it will heal her regardless.

So dink and dodge is the best strategy for the first time. It is possible to break her, but it's hard to do and puts you at risk of running out of stamina when you need to back away. If she hits you with paralysis, use an anti-paralyis needle immediately. If you really need breathing room, use your Guardian Spirit as space to heal up and get a few free shots in.

Thanks for the tips everyone!

I've yet to beat her, but I did get about 3/4 of the way there. I've been having my best luck with an axe, believe it or not. Patience is definitely key.

And I had no idea about the paralysis charms, which obviously made a world of difference, so thanks! I can tell I'm not going to get anywhere tonight though, so I'll try again after resetting my reflexes tomorrow.

And I did it on my 4th try today, thanks duders!

@omgrich: Good job dude! I did the same thing where I tried her a handful of times one night and was like, ok I need a fresh head for this. Only took a few attempts the day after, she's definitely a sudden spike in difficulty lol.

She is pretty easy to beat when you know her patterns. The majority of her attacks are very close range. Which means if you dash out, you're save, then dash back in and deal damage. The only attacks you need to watch out for are her paralysis wave and when she charges you. Both are easy to identify if you look for it. You don't need to waste points on paralysis talismans. The items you find (needle something) work the same way.

@zevvion: I agree about maybe not needing the paralysis charms... eventually. Now that I have a feeling for her attacks and their animations and range and everything, I could probably do that fight without the charms. But I never would have been able to learn those attacks without the buffer the charms gave me to begin with.

I didn't have the charms so I just took what I could from armour. Almost every ground attack she has is punishable which is what made that fight so rough for me. I couldn't say no. The paralysis wave can be dashed through, if you're close enough. The only attack I steered clear of were the parasol combo and the grab.

Thanks, this actually really helped me. She ended up being easy just hanging back and letting her make the first move and hitting her a couple of times after each of her combos.

Kusarigama, unlock the hold block and mash heavy attack skill, pop your living weapon, hold block and mash heavy attack, win.

If you clear out everything in that area down there where she is you will get all of the archer garb—it increases your resistance to paralysis. There is a place near the shrine where you have to drop down to a ledge to get the abdomen piece. Also, there's a chest down there with an anti-paralysis charm. That helps a lot. Keep you distance. Poke and retreat. I used low stance with spear for a couple of quick hits and quick dodge to get away. Charge up your living weapon before you go in there to finish her off—only takes a few easy mobs and maybe one yokai.

After I died about 50 times tonight, I finally defeated her. Spear and plenty of patience goes a long way.

I found that if you play really defensively with the spear or sickle and chain she's not bad. Let her lead the attacks and guard and dodge as need be use the low stance also with the spear.

So far she's felt like the closest to a hunter fight in Bloodborne.