I was really enjoying this game...

[Hagamus Maximus]

Until I got stuck on the archer boss. No way to leave, basically stuck. I guess I could grind up another 10 levels or so (I'm at level 20 currently), but even then I doubt I'll have that much higher defense andI have a feeling that f****ing rapid fire attack will just keep paralyzing and one shotting me after he reaches appx 40-50% health. Maybe I'm missing something? I saw on these boards that several folks beat him when he glitched out and got stuck on the right side, but that hasn't happened yet (and not something I'm really hoping for anyway).

FYI, I've run through DS1-3 many times and all the bloodborne chalice dungeons, so I'm not new to this genre.

Anyway, I'm rage quitting for now. Will come back in another week or so and try again but not sure anything will really change. Suggestions are welcome!

E

[Hagamus Maximus]

FYI I am using the hammer and can avoid several of his attacks until the rapid fire paralyze move one shots me every time. I have 4 of the health potions but that doesn't seem to matter as I die at full health anyway. I will try grinding up after some down time, I just really dislike having to do that in a game like this where you should be able to move through a game without having to spend hours grinding (which I believe is what it will take to gain a significant amount of levels/health/damage).

[zerogear5]

he has very easy patterns to read the second half make sure you use the hammer to dodge the basically instant kill move.

[Dave_Jame]

And he is optional, you can skip him.

[Whoa it is I, Gill]

You can dodge every single one of his attacks. Just use the heavy hammer attack on one of the lifts to drop it down when he does the one shot attack.

This isn't a git gud post btw, I really struggled with this boss!

[Hagamus Maximus]

Thanks for your suggestions! I will give him a go again soon and take all of your advice.

Cheers,

E

[Hagamus Maximus]

Well, I finally defeated him. I wish I could say that feel happy, relieved, etc. (how I usually feel in situations like this), but I'm not. The reason: I got lucky and the one shot one kill move left me with a sliver of heath, which allowed me to finish the fight. For some reason on that ONE instance (in 60-70 tries), my guy didn't die. Seemed like a fluke more than anything.

I feel very strongly that coding that one shot one kill move was a terrible decision by the developer. I tried everything to avoid it; rolling, pounding the hammer, walking both ways, etc. and everything I did resulted in death. Because it doesn't matter where you are in the boss area when he does the move (it just sucks you on to a white spot and then pelts you with arrows until you die), there's really no strategy involved. You...just...die, over and over. All of his other moves can be easily avoided with some practice.

I have been told that this boss is "skippable", and if it truly was, I wouldn't be writing this. At least with my playthrough, I was unable to leave the area surrounding this boss after getting to the save spot right before the battle. I tried every inch of the area, but for the life of me could not find a way out. The way I got there was inaccessible after reaching the save point and all other routes were blocked. So, while it may not be a necessary battle to complete the game, since I couldn't get out of the area without defeating the guy, it's not really a "skippable" boss.

I truly am sorry for the saltiness, but I guess the fact I'm taking the time to write this is more a testament to the the fact that the game is a lot of fun otherwise. Hard bosses are really, really fun. Including moves in that occur exactly at a particular time in the fight that instantly kill the player are definitely not. More than that, this kind of decision will turn most players away from a game for good.

Anyway, thanks again to the folks who gave me suggestions. I sincerely appreciate it.

E

[KingOfTheConnors]

I had much the same trouble getting out of that area, but it is possible. Sorry this is too late, I only started playing this game last month, but if you're willing to give up on your sin (which makes you a bigger man than I), you can get out of that area.

To get to the save point, you had to walk across that slamming spike-platform. To escape the area, stand on that spike-platform just after it slams, wait for it to retract halfway and then roll off of it to the left. You'll roll back onto the left-entrance where you can leave through and kiss Gaston goodbye!

P.S. I enjoyed fighting Gaston, but only because I had invested all my sin upgrades into energy, so I could actually escape the one-shot with excessive roll maneuvers, and even then it was harder than any other boss in the game. I feel your pain.

[Zuben]

Originally posted by ericc555:

Well, I finally defeated him. I wish I could say that feel happy, relieved, etc. (how I usually feel in situations like this), but I'm not. The reason: I got lucky and the one shot one kill move left me with a sliver of heath, which allowed me to finish the fight. For some reason on that ONE instance (in 60-70 tries), my guy didn't die. Seemed like a fluke more than anything.

I feel very strongly that coding that one shot one kill move was a terrible decision by the developer. I tried everything to avoid it; rolling, pounding the hammer, walking both ways, etc. and everything I did resulted in death. Because it doesn't matter where you are in the boss area when he does the move (it just sucks you on to a white spot and then pelts you with arrows until you die), there's really no strategy involved. You...just...die, over and over. All of his other moves can be easily avoided with some practice.

I have been told that this boss is "skippable", and if it truly was, I wouldn't be writing this. At least with my playthrough, I was unable to leave the area surrounding this boss after getting to the save spot right before the battle. I tried every inch of the area, but for the life of me could not find a way out. The way I got there was inaccessible after reaching the save point and all other routes were blocked. So, while it may not be a necessary battle to complete the game, since I couldn't get out of the area without defeating the guy, it's not really a "skippable" boss.

I truly am sorry for the saltiness, but I guess the fact I'm taking the time to write this is more a testament to the the fact that the game is a lot of fun otherwise. Hard bosses are really, really fun. Including moves in that occur exactly at a particular time in the fight that instantly kill the player are definitely not. More than that, this kind of decision will turn most players away from a game for good.

Anyway, thanks again to the folks who gave me suggestions. I sincerely appreciate it.

E

LOL dude. That shot that keeps killing you is very easy to avoid. When he shoots the white spot and you get sucked onto it, you immediately charge the hammer to full blast and when it does it's charged attack it lowers the platform and you don't get hit by a single arrow. Look at youtube: there are a ton of people beating him this way.

[Earl ToeJam]

I agree with the complainers. I don't want to spend several hours just to beat one boss. I'm a casual gamer, and this game is rated "hard core". Now I know why. If I want to beat my head against the wall over and over, I'll keep playing it. For now, NO THANKS.

[jordan (endotherm)]

glad to hear you bested the archer boss. took me a few tries to figure out the hammer trick. feels good man

[hewhohuntscats]

Got to him at lvl 38 for the first time - explored around everywhere else first for a while - and a cooldown boosted greathammer smash takes off a ton of life. Had to watch out for the magnet pull, but other than that, charged hammersmashes at opportune moments did the trick.

[Shucks]

I realize this is a super old thread but archer boss was by far the hardest boss in the game for me.

Like non of the other bosses even came close.