Struggling with Soldier on Stage 2 Boss (Phoenix Apex) - Help!

[Flash Hazardous]

Hi all, big rogue-lite and FPS lover here.

I'm struggling to clear Phoenix Apex with the Soldier (keen to clear with the started class before moving onto Hunter).

I usually die in Boss Phase 2 when Motherships start spawning as I struggle to keep shields replenished (Marking adds) and heavy ammo stocked (punching orbs) whilst focusing down both the Apex and the Motherships. Damage consistently feels too low. Best I've done is start of Boss Phase 3 before death - usually due to the consistent chip damage from adds that spawn off-screen. I feel like I have the boss moveset rotation down at this point.

In terms of meta-progression I've unlocked 3rd row of upgrades - but only invested fully in first two thus far - only missing Econocracy (2/3), Weapon Expert (1/3), Pyromania (1/2) and non-Soldier upgrades.

Any tips and tricks from the community? Am I doing something wrong or is the meta progression a soft-cap for beating bosses?

For reference I've done 11 runs and have been reaching Apex consistently since 3rd.

[orangutan]

Originally posted by Flash Hazardous:

I usually die in Boss Phase 2 when Motherships start spawning as I struggle to keep shields replenished (Marking adds) and heavy ammo stocked (punching orbs) whilst focusing down both the Apex and the Motherships.

What I find useful is getting the combat shell upgrade that resets hook cooldown when you kill an enemy quickly after using it. If you have enough damage to kill normal enemies in one shot then you can basically spam it on the adds to get free armor. It's also useful for getting away from the boss.

For the Motherships try having something that does decent electric damage since they are weak to it.

[Exilo]

There is no secret to success, it is all about game mechanics, mobility and kill efficiency. You should focus motherships asap an burst the boss when he's not hiding behind his shield. Rest of the time run around and farm shield on other adds. Just never stop running and get used to his attack patterns so you dont get killed faster than he does.

Feel free to try the other shells if you are stuck, even if they are different, the ennemy attack patterns stays the same :)

[Super King]

Im also struggling but i beat him just now after thinking about it.
His phase two electric ground pound was sucking away most of my health. its can be dodged but id focus my attention on too many other things (like motherships!)
So I make a point of watching his health in phase 1 so that i can stock up on armour and reset cooldowns just before phase 2. Then i go all out on phase 2, not really stopping to kill the grunts. as for the motherships, i just knock out the bombs that they spawn.
I ideally I fire two shots at the boss and then look at the mothership (kill bomb) then get back to the boss.
Phase 3 aint so troublesome/

[Flash Hazardous]

Thanks all - managed to take him down on 12th run. I think he's a damage check because the adds get stronger the longer it goes so you really need to dish some out to do it efficiently.

Originally posted by orangutan:

Originally posted by Flash Hazardous:

I usually die in Boss Phase 2 when Motherships start spawning as I struggle to keep shields replenished (Marking adds) and heavy ammo stocked (punching orbs) whilst focusing down both the Apex and the Motherships.

What I find useful is getting the combat shell upgrade that resets hook cooldown when you kill an enemy quickly after using it. If you have enough damage to kill normal enemies in one shot then you can basically spam it on the adds to get free armor. It's also useful for getting away from the boss.

For the Motherships try having something that does decent electric damage since they are weak to it.

That's an upgrade I always go for - and worked out well this run.

Mothership was the 1st prio target, then boss, and used the adds to replenish shields.

Onto Interport!

[NOBITON]

It's useful in normal encounter too that you throw a grenade when mother ship spawned 4 drones (also they make sound when they spawn), so they instantly get destroyed and you get some shield back.
I found this tip somewhere and it was the most useful one

[Flash Hazardous]

Originally posted by NOBITON:

It's useful in normal encounter too that you throw a grenade when mother ship spawned 4 drones (also they make sound when they spawn), so they instantly get destroyed and you get some shield back.
I found this tip somewhere and it was the most useful one

That's a great tip - you often only need 1 nade or rocket to render the mothership useless for a bit and the rest can go straight into the Apex

[Super King]

On Nueromancy now.
I really do feel that this is the hardest boss in the game.
This guy has easily killed me more than any other enemy. (would love to know if the devs are keeping stats on this for balancing purposes)
I only have like a 30% success rate. If i win then its more likely than not (60/70%) im going to beat the game!

to me, he's actually harder than the final boss. Mostly because of how well he can close the distance and the tiny arena allows all the minions to easily focus me down. You get much more breathing room on the remaining bosses.

[Eisvogel]

Originally posted by Flash Hazardous:

Originally posted by NOBITON:

It's useful in normal encounter too that you throw a grenade when mother ship spawned 4 drones (also they make sound when they spawn), so they instantly get destroyed and you get some shield back.
I found this tip somewhere and it was the most useful one

That's a great tip - you often only need 1 nade or rocket to render the mothership useless for a bit and the rest can go straight into the Apex

if i you have a shock on hit implant or the implant that makes explode on weakpoint hit mid-air.... you can clear away all bots with ease and without consuming resources (nade or sec)

[SNWMN]

I'll give you my huge tip for that fight: motherships are your best friends.
Don't kill them. instead just stay calm and wait for them to spawn 4 bombs under them. once they have 4 bombs under them, chuck a grenade at them. the grenade will mark AND kill the 4 bombs. this will cause 4 enemies worth of shields and ammo to rain down on you. the rest of the enemies are pretty easy to deal with when you have the personal mothership shield vendor floating around

[sombombud]

yep Snowman's tip is what helped me finally not have trouble with Stage 2 boss.
now only to figure out how to beat stage 3....

[SNWMN]

Originally posted by sombombud:

yep Snowman's tip is what helped me finally not have trouble with Stage 2 boss.
now only to figure out how to beat stage 3....

for stage three boss the best thing you can remember is to stay calm. after that here are the tips for each phase in my humble opinion (Note that there are 3 drone ads in each phase that can be used for shields / ammo as required)

1. lightning pizza phase: Get close to him. this will allow you to quickly move to safe areas as he makes new lightning pizzas. if you are far away then you'll have longer to travel. basic maths. while close to him, shoot him a bunch.

2. missiles phase: there are no environmental hazards in this phase, so you really only need to worry about the slow moving missiles. basically just keep looping around the arena and take shots at him when you can.

3. Steal your balls phase: the floor is lava! Not a huge deal tbh. find a platform to stand on that is either NOT near a CBALL or near an ALREADY corrupted CBALL. the boss will only do his big red damage circle on un-corrupted c-balls. If you are not near these, you're laughing. If the ground starts shifting while you're dpsing, find a new place to stand keeping the balls thing in mind. You want to try to get through this phase quickly, because if he gets all the balls corrupted, you'll be doing this phase and phase 4 at the same time

4. It's just a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ laser phase. Honestly easier than the 3rd phase. again just pick a platform to stand on and then blast him. a little hop is all it takes to get over the laser when it comes for you, and you can tank a few hits from them if you ♥♥♥♥ up. when the platforms shift He is kind enough to stop lasering you, so it's easy to focus on repositioning.

And that's it have fun