I left Central Pthumeru quite optimistic. The third boss of both Chalice Dungeons have proved dicey but doable. My skill-less, chaotic, hack-and-hope play style had delivered me through the hard times.
But I’m a realist. I tempered my expectations for Hintertomb. Which meant I was pleasantly surprised when I not only made it passed another three bosses, but I did so on my first try for each of them.
I didn’t do it well, or with any amount of finesse, but I made it through…
Oh and if you’re doing this purely for the platinum trophy, skip! I didn’t realise this at the time, so this one was just for funsies.
Maneater Boar
Preparation
So every boss in Hintertomb is a repeat or a variation of a previous boss fight, which partly helps to explain my above mentioned success. Which means you can practice these fights to an extent.
So if you haven’t been to Hypogean Gaol at this point, and you get stuck on this fight, go there and practice on the other boars that are there. It’s a great place to got to for xp and upgrade items too.
Tactics
Having been to the Gaol a few times in my two playthroughs, I was ready for Maneater Boar. His attacks are straightforward and somewhat drawn out, but they hit like… well a truck-sized boar.
He’ll come running at you from the get-go, and if you put too much distance between you. Don’t do what I did, and assume the pillars are a safe space. They do nothing. But as you can see from the video above, a single dodge is all you need to avoid him. Dodge late so he doesn’t course-correct.
From there, his attacks are different head movements, which are very avoidable with a backstep. You can dodge back to be safe, but if you are moving backwards when he goes to attack, he usually misses. If you have a long stick to hit him with, you simply have to step back in and swing for the tip of his nose. No getting behind him or any other fancy moves. Step back, step in, swing.
And be mindful of the pillars, give yourself a nice open square.
Watch Out For
The one attack that will mess you about is the short-dash-and-head-swing. This was the only attack I found hard to avoid, but he likes to spam it. From my single playthrough, I notice that if you keep to his right, and ready a dodge back, you can get him to trigger a head swing when he’s too far away to strike.
So, if you’re keeping on the backfoot and he charges, you just need to dodge back twice as he moves forward. The first dodge will keep him at arm’s length, the second dodge makes the head swing miss and you’re primed for a nose bop. If he didn’t charge forwards, no problem.
In Other Words
- Ready to dodge the charge.
- Keep a little range from his nose.
- Let the attacks swing wide.
- Boop him with your stick.
Undead Giant
Preparation
Get ready to dodge when you enter.
Tactics
I do not know how I dodged his first attack, but I registered the cannon pretty fast. I think it was actually the fact that my reaction time is only so fast that saved me.
You see, the cannonball he fires is actually a little slow. Watching is back, you can see the ball glide across the screen, land and then explode. So trying to preempt the cannon isn’t the key, dodging as the cannonball lands a split-second later is what counts.
Once you grasp this, the cannon isn’t so bad, but that cleaver hits hard and can send you backwards ready for his cannon to combo you. So you need to get close enough that he dawdles forwards and goes to chop you. Backstep and go in for a swing.
After you first hit, it’s best to dodge away as he’s going to follow up surprisingly quick with a kick. I was feeling feisty, so I dodged into the attack to get another attack off…
Watch Out For
…which isn’t the best idea. The Undead Giant gets grumpy when you are behind him and spins around with way more speed than he usually shows. You are better off being at the front, baiting those swings.
Now here’s the unskilled (but it works) part. The downward chop is easy to avoid, the slash has a surprising reach. So expect to be hit by this. Be okay that the swing sent you backwards (avoid standing in front of pillars or walls) and the second slice will miss you. You’ll have time to heal, but know that he’ll be targeting you with the cannon now, so get ready with those slightly delayed dodges.
Also, like Undead Giant #1, this guy has pustule weak points. Don’t deliberately target them, as its not worth trying. With a big swinging weapon, you will get a pop, and the later it happens the happier you will be about where the health bar ends up.
If you’re like me, this will be one of those rare occasions where you get a visceral. Go to his bowed head after the blood gush and do a basic attack. He gives you ample time to set this up.
In Other Words
- Dodge the cannon slightly later than you think.
- Bait the chop for single swings.
- Don’t stand in front of pillars.
- Don’t worry about the weak points.
Blood-Starved Beast
Preparation
In the first playthrough, Blood-Starved Beast was really concerning. I was highly worried that I was not going to get passed them.
Now, they are much less unnerving, and the only major concerns here are the poison floor and the extra health.
There is an easy option here. A little underhanded, but easy. Make sure you have a handful of Pungent Blood Cocktails. I’ll explain below if you’ve not heard of this before.
Either way, you want fire papers. You can bring something for the poison, but my clumsy tactics involve just grinning and bearing it.
Tactics
Easy option – once inside, sidestep and dodge any initial attacks and throw a Blood Cocktail at the wall. Let the Beast sniff the wall, switch to a fire-covered weapon and swing for them. Be ready with a second and third cocktail as they will run out before long.
If you don’t want to go this way, and fight honourably, the main thing to realise with BSB is that the attacks are many but they are also inaccurate and frantic.
Keep to his right. If you see the right arm go up, dodge underneath it. You pass by to his backside where you can take a swing. If he suddenly goes into a dombo, dodge to the left. BSB will go through the whole combo even if you are not in front, which gives you ample time for a cheeky swing.
If you get caught up in a combo, just spam-dodge left or forwards. Seriously, this may sound alarming but it’s easy enough to pop out of the combo than to try a fancy maneuver.
The main thing is to only attack when you’re health is up. The combos can overwhelm, but very rarely will they take you out completely.
Watch Out For
The poison, you will possibly get hit and poisoned in the first half, or definitely get ill in the second half. Either way, let it happen. Just keep an eye on that bar. Any more than a quarter health lost, heal, otherwise just fight through. It is not worth panic swapping through items to cure something that will be imposed on you a few second later. Focus on hitting.
In the second half, when the toxic aura is up, you can even be as bold as to just stride into the poison pool if BSB is trying to get away. At this point being inflicted is very likely, so go with it.
Just be mindful that in that second stage, BSB will occasionally ‘burst’ and send out a shockwave. Step back when he leans back and telegraphs this.
In Other Words
- Blood cocktails optional, fire paper essential.
- Dodge forwards and under.
- Tank the poison
Keep on Hunting!
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