Seen as Bloodborne is such a windy, optional-routes affair, this could be your second boss, or it could be your sixth. It really should be your sixth. The Witch and the Beast unlock so much useful stuff, and the training they give you will make the Vicar a bit more manageable.
Every experience is different, but I would personally say that Amelia is a ‘middling’ difficulty boss. She’s a heavy hitter, but she doesn’t bounce around like Darkbeast and is not as aggressive as Gascoigne. Most importantly, it didn’t require anything too clever for me to beat her. Dumb, brute force was required.
Preparation
I was just about to discover Ludwig’s Holy Blade in my second playthrough, but too late for the Vicar. If you’ve beaten Blood-Starved Beast, you have access to the Tower it’s respective Badge is sitting in. Go get it, save up some Blood and buy it. Upgrade it as much as you can. If you like the Hunter Axe like me, it’s just better.
I’ve beaten the game three times now. If I could summon an NPC companion for a fight, then I did. I only tried solo when I felt I wanted to give it a go; it’s a matter of confidence. In this case, I don’t think I really needed Old Hunter Henriett but she really makes this a lot more manageable. Like all good NPCs she is a good distraction if you need to get back and heal.
Oil urns and Molotov Cocktails can be brought in, but I had more success just hitting VA. Henriett likes chucking Molotovs so an urn throw helps her out.
Fire paper would be my main recommendation. Fire usually does well on the beasty bosses. Why not bring the extra damage?
Tactics
If you’re like me, you are two-handing a big axe (or sword… go get that sword). In that case, you’ll be happy to know that this is one of those fights where circling around and bopping is the way to go. Vicar Amelia can jump and stomp and swing, but you’re going to safer by her back legs and rump. Respectfully, of course.
I had more luck on her left side/your right side. The arm holding the pendant doesn’t do at lot, and although the other arm will swing round to meet you, I found being on her left gave my dodge a bit more room for error.
I’ve heard better players say “don’t get right behind her, you won’t be able to see”, but it’s fine. You can see your stamina bar and you know where R1 and R2 are. If your on your own she might turn on you but you’ll have so much time to dodge away. If you’re with your NPC buddy, you’ll have free hits for a long time.
Hitting her on the head can illicit a chance for a critical hit, but again, don’t bother. She has a grab attack, for one thing. Keep hitting her back legs and hopping around as she swings for you. If she connects, dodge away behind her. You’ll often stagger her by hitting the legs too. If you’re feeling adventurous, swap to the other side after staggering her left.
Phases
Vicar Amelia will likely jump away from you at some point. If you need to, heal. Otherwise, go back in, but be mindful that she’s probably going to do a ranged attack or leap at you. Get ready to dodge roll. If you’re into the second half of her health bar, she might start healing, so get in there just in case.
There’s a way of stopping her heals, but again don’t bother. If you’re two-handing and swinging away, you’ll either break even or do more damage than she can recover. If she heals near the end of her health bar, it might be the last move she tries.
Watch Out For
If you stay close, she might not ever jump on you. If she does, spam that roll button, expect that you will have to quickly heal afterwards so you won’t be disappointed.
If she’s got away from you, and raises up her arms early on in the fight, run or roll sideways. A shockwave is coming when she hits the ground that has surprising range.
I found that this ground pound and her heal look very similar at first, but it’s best to assume the worst as soon as the hands go up. Run towards her at an angle and dodge as the hands come down, or keep at her if you see a shining light.
If you want to try and get that visceral, go for it, but watch out for a slow pull back of both claws. Roll like crazy behind or back away, because the radius of that grab is also surprising.
In Other Words
- Get to her, get around her.
- As long as she’s not facing you, swing away.
- If she gets away, chase, but be weary of the ground pound.
- Henriett’s aggro is clutch.
Another reason to make sure this is boss number 6 is that this is one of few moments where the game changes. No spoilers from me, but stuff gets tougher and also more expensive after this fight. So don’t rush to get here.
Keep on Hunting!
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Gamer Peak 