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XBOX Ninja Gaiden
BOSS FAQ
Version 2.20 March 12, 2005
Written by Dauragon C Mikado88 (Travis Rappa)
--------------------------
I. Table of Contents
--------------------------
1. Introduction to Ninja Gaiden
2. Introduction to Boss Fights
2A. Basic Strategies
2B. Weapon Overview
2C. Projectile Overview
2D. Ninpo Overview
3. Chapter 1 Boss - Murai
4. Chapter 2 Boss - Samurai Horseman
5. Chapter 3 Boss - Vigoorian Commando
6. Chapter 5 Sub-Boss - Dragon Fiends
7. Chapter 5 Boss - Tentacle Fiend
8. Chapter 6 Boss - Bone Dragon
9. Chapter 7 Sub-Boss - Tentacle Fiend II
10. Chapter 7 Boss - Alma
11. Chapter 8 Sub-Boss - Helicopter, Tanks, Turrets
12. Chapter 9 Bosses - Tanks, Helicopter, Soldiers
13. Chapter 10 Sub-Boss I - Giant Worm
14. Chapter 10 Sub-Boss II - 2 Giant Worms
15. Chapter 10 Boss - Ancient Dragon
16. Chapter 11 Boss - Doku
17. Chapter 12 Boss - Ice Fiend
18. Chapter 12 Sub-Boss - Flame Worm
19. Chapter 12 Boss II - Flame Dragon
20. Chapter 13 Boss - Alma II
21. Chapter 14 Boss - Spirit Doku
22. Chapter 15 Sub-Boss - Tentacle Fiend III
23. Chapter 15 Sub-Boss - Ice Fiend II
24. Chapter 15 Sub-Boss - Lord of the Fiends
25. Chapter 15 Boss - Vigoorian Emperor
26. Chapter 15 Boss - Vigoorian Emperor II
27. Chapter 16 Boss - Evil Murai
28. Submitting A Strategy ******Updated*****
29. Contact Information
30. Legal Information
NOTE: If you notice I skip a chapter boss. It's not because I actually
skipped one, it's because a boss doesn't exist on that chapter.
-----------
II. Versions
-----------
VERSION 0.50 - Bosses go up to Chapter 8, basically the bare bones
of the FAQ.
VERSION 0.70 - Bosses now go up to Chapter 10. Some custom strategies
have been added.
VERSION 0.80 - Finished Chapter 10 Bosses. Bosses now go up to
Chapter 12. More strategies added to the FAQ. Especially to
Alma, more to come.
VERSION 0.90 - Finished up to Chapter 14. More strategies
added. Next version will complete version 1.00 of the FAQ.
Also read the updated section about submitting a strategy,
because now it has some more ground rules for sending one.
VERSION 1.00 - All bosses finished! A few more strategies,
all that remains to the FAQ is filling up strategies and
maybe some cleanup. :)
VERSION 2.00 - Added 4 completely NEW sections to the FAQ.
Many new strategies. Also take note of the Submitting A Strategy. I was
bombarded by emails, and it has been edited again. If your strategy didn't get
posted, I am really sorry, I was taking a break after version 1.00, and I was
getting overloaded by too many submissions. Sorry!
VERSION 2.10 - Added a few more strategies, touched up some misspells,
and completed the short weapon guide.
VERSION 2.20 – Basically a grammatical update, no new strategies added.
Corrected some out-of-line characters, and corrected many spelling and grammar
errors. Please note that the ‘Submit a Strategy’ section is
CLOSED. I am no
longer accepting strategies, since the FAQ is basically done, and only that
remains to do is corrections and fixes internally. Sorry for the VERY long time
to update, but the FAQ was done in terms of actual guide content.
--------------------------
1. Introduction to Ninja Gaiden
--------------------------
Ninja Gaiden is the long hyped game for Xbox, that nearly every gamer was
waiting to play since Halo. After 3 delays, the game is finally on US shores,
was it worth the wait? You bet! Ninja Gaiden is a very difficult game, with
very fresh and fluid gameplay, along with some difficult puzzles, overall
making the game very balanced in nature.
--------------------------
2. Introduction to Boss Fights
--------------------------
Mastering the combat system in Ninja Gaiden is hard, but the trip to
get there is very entertaining. As you get more skilled at the game,
you will think you are a real pro at the game, until you get to boss
fights. Boss battles are a true test of how much 'Ninja Skills' you
have, all the bosses are fairly balanced, and all be won easily when
you are truly a master of the non-button mashing combat system of
Ninja Gaiden. But at first, some bosses can be very challenging and
difficult, so I have written this FAQ to hopefully help some
struggling players defeat the boss to continue to the next chapter.
Please Note that this FAQ is based upon facing the bosses on
NORMAL difficulty. As of now, this FAQ does not support Hard Mode.
However, I plan to add a split section on each boss as the FAQ
progresses.
---------------------------
2A. Basic Strategies
---------------------------
There are some basic strategies to know for bosses, before engaging
any of them. Ninja Gaiden is NOT a button masher, and all bosses
require you to take full control of an ability to defeat a boss.
*********************
HIT AND RUN!
*********************
Ninja's are not full on assault men as we all perceive them in a
coolness factor. Ninja's are actually warriors of stealth, and
use tactics and sneak attacks to defeat their enemies. In
Ninja Gaiden, directly engaging bosses will get you killed.
Using hit and run attacks, especially the flying swallow attack
(Lunge Jump + Y) proves to work nicely on many bosses. Always
try to get off a few slashes, then jump backwards or roll to
manage to stay on top of the boss at all times.
*********************
USE YOUR ENVIROMENT!
*********************
Many of the battles have an environment that you can use to your
advantage to defeat a boss. Many close quarters areas are good
for using wall attacks as much as possible to defeat a boss. A
good example of this would be Murai. In very large spaces, such
as the battle with Alma, or the battle with the Tanks, you have
to stay mobile more, since these bosses tend to keep on top of you
quite frequently. You'll have to use the open area as an advantage
to allow yourself to work around bosses, and position yourself to
various places on the map.
********************
USE NINPO!
********************
While a handful of the bosses are vanquished easily using your
weapons, Ninpo can become a great need when you are in a tight
jam. Note that Ninpo makes you invincible during the animation
period. This is great to get up close and personal with a boss,
without having to worry about taking damage. It's also good to
deal the final touches to a boss, especially if you are low
on health with no healing.
********************
CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON WISELY!
********************
The game can be beaten just using the Dragon Sword, but it is
not necessarily the best weapon to use. The Dragon Sword is balanced
it is good in power and agility. While the weapon like the Warhammer
is slow, yet packs a punch. The frails are not great to use on bosses,
unless they are shooting destroyable projectiles at you, that go all
around you (such as the second to last boss). So if you die, experiment
with weapons until you find the weapon best for the situation, you don't
have to always follow the guide.
*******************
BE PREPARED!
*******************
If you get hit by a boss when you least expect it, you will most
likely be hit hard if you are not prepared for items. You know a boss
is near if you spot a save point, and you have been wandering around
the level for a long time. If you do happen to be caught off guard,
backtrack to a shop and stock up on items, or just go on killing-sprees
until you get enough money to max out on necessary items. Don't try
to be a hero all the time!
------------------------------
2. Weapon Overview
------------------------------
Before heading into a boss battle, you should be aware of what type
of weapon is best for the situation. Typically, the Dragon Sword
will be able to put away almost every boss in the game, but there
is always another way to defeat the boss.
******************
Dragon Sword
******************
Your default weapon, as well as the most balanced in power and
agility. Your first encounter with a boss, you should always
use the Dragon Sword, unless it is obvious you are getting
defeated easily using it, which isn't common. At Level 2 and
Level 3, this sword is very deadly, especially with it's
Flying Swallow attack, it's your best weapon if you plan to
hit-and-run bosses.
Overall Rating: 5/5
*******************
Nanchaku
*******************
Very basic frails that you find in the streets of the Vigoorian
Empire. It serves an excellent purpose against the early enemies,
by racking up amazing combos, you give your enemy barely any
space to attack you. Of course, bosses will barely flinch to this,
so it's strongly recommended you do not use a Nanchaku unless the
enemy is shooting a bunch of hittable projectiles at you.
Overall Rating: 3/5
*******************
Vigoorian Frails
*******************
Basically the same as the Nanchaku, except it can be upgraded once,
and can execute more deadly combos on your foes, but basic enemies only,
because like the Nanchaku, it's not great against bosses.
Overall Rating: 3/5
*******************
War Hammer
*******************
The War Hammer may seem perfect for pumbling bosses, but like the Frails,
it's best for hitting normal enemies only. The War Hammer against
bosses may be powerful, but the delay time between each hit will
leave you wide open to a counter-attack. Unless the boss is really
slow, and overall very easy, you should just stick to the Dragon
Sword.
Overall Rating: 2/5
********************
Dabiliharo
********************
Exactly like the War Hammer, except it is extremely powerful at
level 3, and can kill default enemies in one simple combo. I have
tried using this against bosses, but it doesn't do that much damage,
like the War Hammer, and leaves you open to counter-attack. It's
best to use the Dragon Sword, again.
Overall Rating: 2/5
********************
Wooden Sword
********************
There is no point even considering using this on a boss. Not until
it's been upgraded to Unlabored Flawlessness. It does extremely
small damage, and will take forever to beat a boss with this. The
only real use I can find for it in terms of boss is to provide a
challenge for those who find the bosses too easy.
Overall Rating: 0/5
**********************
Unlabored Flawlessness
**********************
The final upgraded version of the Wooden Sword. It is like the
Dabiliharo, for it packs a powerful punch, with the downside
being the sacrifice of speed. I still would recommend using
the Dragon Sword for bosses.
Overall Rating: 2/5
********************
Kinetsu
********************
Acquired late in the game after defeating the first Doku. It
is a powerful sword, and pretty agile like the Dragon Sword,
with the huge downside of it draining your life every second.
The feeds off the souls of demons, so it would be OK to use for
regular enemies, but for bosses, unless you are quick enough,
this sword isn't worth it.
Overall Rating: 2/5
*******************
Dark Dragon Blade
*******************
Arguably the most powerful sword in the game, however, it
cannot be acquired your first game play through. In Chapter 13,
when you return to Hyabuasa village, it will be in Muramasa's
shop. The downside is that it is pretty slow, but not as slow
as the Dabiliharo or the Unlabored Flawlessness. So feel free
to use it later on instead of the Dragon Sword to see which
one you'd rather use.
Overall Rating: 4/5
-----------------------------
2C. Projectile Overview
-----------------------------
******************
Shrunken
******************
The default projectile weapon. It is only good for practically the
first stage, until you get the Bow. Early in the game, it is still
weak and you will need a lot of throws to kill someone. The
upside to it is you can use it infinite times, but as you
progress through the chapters, bosses will be completely
immune, and will fire back at you. Eventually, normal enemies
will do the same. So replace the Shrunken as quick as possible
Overall Rating: 1/5
******************
Bow
******************
The bow is gotten early in the game, and will prove to be a great
weapon until you get the Strongbow. It is best for picking off enemies,
especially at defeating the Samurai Horseman. It will be your best
projectile until you get the Windmill Shrunken and various other
arrows.
Overall Rating: 3/5
******************
Windmill Shrunken
******************
This fires one powerful windmill like Shrunken at an enemy to deal
damage, this is able to stay powerful for quite a lot of stages in
the game, so doing the few wall jumps in the alley to get it is
worth it. It is infinite like the Shrunken, so it is great for
using combos and using this for a lot of stages, and also
on bosses. So pick this weapon up as soon as you can get it,
for it's useful against a lot of stages, especially against those
mini-choppers!
Overall Rating: 4/5
******************
Explosive Arrows
******************
The most powerful projectile to use against organic bosses. These
let out an explosion on impact, which can do some pretty hefty
damage to bosses. When facing long distance with an organic boss,
pull out these arrows and let loose!
Overall Rating: 5/5 (On Organic Bosses)
*******************
APPSDS Arrows
*******************
These are the opposite of the Explosive Arrows, and are best to
use against mechanical bosses, such as the tank. These are
armor piercing, so it is also great to use against bosses who
have heavy protection on them. If the boss is an organic creature,
use explosive arrows first, then these to deal some more damage.
But use these first if you are facing any sort of machine boss.
Overall Rating: 5/5 (On Mechanical Bosses)
******************
Explosive Shrunken
******************
A good alternate to the Explosive Arrows, but not great. These
let out an explosion after about 3 seconds of landing on an enemy.
These are good for picking off normal enemies, but do mediocre
damage to bosses. Best used if the boss is on low health, and you
need something to finish the job.
Overall Rating: 3/5
--------------------------
Ninpo Overview
--------------------------
********************
Art of Fire Wheels
********************
Horrible for using on bosses. The fire wheels are only useful
for rushing a boss, which the boss can easily dodge. A projectile
attack would still mean damage, so you just wasted your Ninpo for
taking damage anyway. Get Art of the Inferno as fast as possible.
On normal enemies, this can be useful, however, just not on bosses.
Overall Rating: 1/5
********************
Art of the Inferno
********************
The best Ninpo to use on most bosses! When you first use it, you
become invincible for a short time, as you level it up, the
invincibility state becomes longer, so take good use of it, especially
if you are about to be attacked by something heavy. It is a projectile,
fireball, but note that it does not home in on that target, but it still
has a good chance of hitting. Use this whenever in a tight jam.
Overall Rating: 5/5
********************
Art of the Ice Storm
********************
This is basically a beefed up version of Firewheels, except it leaves
you invincible for about 5 seconds, and destroys anything that comes
near you. It is better to use than Fire Wheels, and not as good as Art
of the Inferno, and it does very light damage to bosses. Only use this
if a bunch of projectiles are coming at you.
Overall Rating: 2/5
********************
Art of the Inazuma
********************
The best Ninpo to use if the boss uses spawn creatures, or sends out
a bunch of hittable projectiles. These send a powerful lighting bolt to
all nearby directions, in which can stun bosses for a moment, and usually
destroy all spawnies, and projectiles in one or two hits. But like the Ice
Storm and Fire Wheels, only use this if the enemy is using a lot of spawns
and projectiles.
Overall Rating: 3/5
--------------------------
3. Chapter 1 Boss   Murai
--------------------------
BEST WEAPON USED: Dragon Sword
BEST NINPO USED: N/A.
BOSS ATTACKS: Only combos with his Nanchaku.
DIFFICULTY: Easy
My Strategy:
Facing Murai is not as difficult as it may seem. However don't judge
him by his size, since he can attack quickly with his Nanchaku. The
best method here is to try to work your way around him, and get off
some quick combos. While you can use your shurikens to deal some
damage to him, it is not recommended, since there is a chance that
he can send the shrunkens right back at you, plus it doesn't even
do much damage to him in the first place. Your best bet here is
to make good use of your only weapon at the moment, the Dragon
Sword. Also take into mind that Murai has short range, and
has no ranged spells to hit you with, so this fight will mainly
involve working around Murai, or battling him head-to-head
to defeat him. If you choose to fight him head on, block all his
attacks that he will throw at you, and land a few slashes on him
before he can attack you again, either roll back, or block his
attacks once again before hitting him again. Like I said before,
Murai has short range, so you can also work around him. You can
try methods such as wall slashes, and continue to simply hit
him gradually, because it's better to be safe than sorry, since
Murai can mess you up quickly if you leave yourself vulnerable.
Overall, the best method here is to do hit-and-run attacks to
keep Murai from doing combos on you. After you lower his health
to about 3/4, the battle will end in a cutscene.
Ron Arc's Strategy:
This guy's pretty easy because he only has a few attack patterns.
One way to find out is by blocking his attacks. Watch if he throws
3 nunchuk swings, he'll stop afterwards, leaving him open for counter
attack by Ryu's basic slashing combo. But beware though, if he only
swings twice, that means you have to roll out of his way, because he
will link his third attack with either a grab, or a charge attack
(which hurts a lot). Either way, just jump/roll out to safety when he
swings twice and stops. After rolling out, you can always get back to
him and repeat the blocking method.
Richard Kidd's Strategy:
The best strategy I used was going head on, since the Y button is basically
strong attacks, if you can block some of his attacks then use a combo that
involves they button you will most likely go into one of those weapon clashes
in which you should easily get the upper hand and be able to deal to him deadly
combos.
--------------------------
4. Chapter 2 Boss   Samurai Horseman + Mages
--------------------------
BEST WEAPON USED: Dragon Sword/Bow
BEST NINPO USED: The Art of the Inferno
BOSS ATTACKS: Ki Balls from the Mages, Also head-on attacks.
The Horsemen attempts to plow you with his horse, slash you, and even
use his grab attack (hurts a lot).
DIFFICULTY: Medium. Easy if Mages are killed.
My Strategy:
Facing this boss this early definitely proves to be one of the
most difficult boss battles for so early in the game. If you are
not starting to get good with the combat system, you will notice
yourself restarting this battle a lot, just like I did. While it
may seem like a 1v1, and an easy fight with the horseman, it turns
out he's brought some friends to prevent an easy assault on him.
The mages attempt to stand away from you and fire ki balls at
you as you attempt to attack the main horseman, this proves to be
difficult to do, because the mages can also teleport behind you
and assault you from the back. So what is the best method here?
To kill the mages. Facing the horseman while getting ambushed by
the mages proves to be very difficult, and taking out the mages
makes this battle as easy as pie. There will be two mages that
are always on screen to fight, sometimes three. As you attempt
to slash the mages, they will teleport around you, avoiding
damage. They will then teleport for an attack, simply block it
then assault the mage. One full combo kills a mage. As you kill
a mage, another one will respawn. But don't worry, this cycle is
NOT infinite, and the mages will eventually stop appearing once
you kill about 12. So what about the horseman? Yes, he will
attempt to plow you and slash you as you combat the mages,
and due to the camera, it's hard to know if he's coming or not.
Your best bet is to try to roll out of the way if he attempts
to plow you over, or jump to the side. He will then run back
to the other side, and then attempt to hit you again, giving
you some time to kill a mage or two. If he does happen to hit
you, it could hurt a lot, especially if he gets you in his
grab move, which can take away up to 3/4 of your health.
Luckily, once you kill a mage, they tend to drop health,
allowing you to replenish health without having to use
a potion, unless you really think you need it. After the mages
are dead, the true domination begins. Continue to dodge the plow
attempts from the horseman, then pull out your bow and let him
have it, sending some arrows into his back. These will deal some
very nice damage to him. If you happen to run out, it's still
not that hard. As he comes at you, jump into the air and attempt
to hit him with the 'A' slash. You may miss a few times, or he may
hit you instead with his slash, but don't worry, it doesn't do
much damage. If you have some Ninpo here, hit him with the
fireballs from the Art of the Inferno, a shot from this will
decimate his health nicely. After he's defeated, you receive
the Counter Attack ability, arguably the best skill you get.
Ron Arc's Strategy:
This fight is extremely easy. Just dispose of the mages first with a good
finishing combo (one set of combo should kill one mage right away), and roll
out of the way when the horseman gets near. I think you can block most of his
spear thrusts easily. After the mages are gone (there are about 10 or so, I
don't remember), it's time to dispose this menacing horse rider. The easy way
is to wait for him to walk to the other side of the bridge. When he's far
enough, charge your sword with the Y attack. Wait until he gets close, and then
unleash the attack. If timed correctly, you should appear right
behind the horse, giving you a great spot to slash him several times, and roll
out to safety. That's it! Just repeat the pattern a couple of times, and he
should be done in a moment. Rinse, lather, repeat.
Dennis Tapia's Strategy:
I completed it without having to use one elixir; a cheap way to do it but
effective.  I would stay at the door where he came out of and just continuously
wall run straight up and then attack down.  It would attack any mage near me,
or the horseman himself if he
ran at me. It's rather hard to tell when he's coming so I would just keep
doing it each time I landed, and if I saw him coming before I could get back up
I would tuck and roll out of the way and keep going back up the wall
Henry's Strategy:
On the 2nd level boss, the horseman with mages to help him, I’ve found a
really
effective and quick way to kill him. Once you kill a mage they usually drop a
blue essence and if you time it right you can unleash it right into the
horse-rider. The huge combo will kill him after just 3-4 times. And if you need
hp then you can just absorb the blue essences instead. Good Luck to anyone
trying to beat this.
Ghost Dog's Strategy
A somewhat easy way to help defeat the Samurai Horseman is to use the
bow that was found earlier in Chapter 2. Before entering the bridge area
make sure that you are stocked up on arrows from the dead ninja in the
area you fought the lesser samurai horsemen. When the fight with the boss
gets started fire your arrows at him. Make sure to stay away from the mages and
dodge their fireball attack. By the time you run out of arrows the horseman
should be down to half of his health or so. Now all you have to do is slash him
in the front roll out of the way of the horse and slash at the back of the
horse. Just remember to dodge the fireballs from the mages and block their
attacks. You can kill them if necessary to collect essence and health.
---------------------------
5. Chapter 3 Boss   Vigoorian Commando (Thanks to Justen E Ganson)
---------------------------
BEST WEAPON USED: Dragon Sword (Level 2 helps here)
BEST NINPO USED: Art of the Inferno (But not necessary)
BOSS ATTACKS: Various long range blasts, and powerful slam/throw.
DIFFICULTY: Medium. Hard for Button Mashers.
My Strategy:
While this big man may look tough, he's not so hard if you are
very familiar with the combat system now. If you have been
button mashing through the first few bosses, you'll notice
this as a nearly impossible boss fight. This boss is big,
and his speed isn't that great, allowing you to breeze
through the battle if you are good with rolling and dodging.
If you stay away from him, he will fire a bunch of purple
beams at you, which are easily dodged by jumping or rolling
away, but they can hurt if you get hit by one. Once he pauses
for a moment, hit him head on with a few slashes, he will
attempt to slam down on you, with really hurts if you get
hit, but it's predictable and slow, so you can roll out of the
way, allowing you to get more shots on him before he can turn
and try to hit you again. Basically, stay toe-to-toe with him
to avoid running from his gun blasts, and just roll and work around
him to eventually take the big man down.
Marcus' Strategy:
I found the easiest thing to do was first make sure you have the level 2
Dragon Sword for the air dash slash (jump+y) move.  And basically the only
tactic you need to do is stand a few feet away from the fat man, far enough
that he won't try to slam you and wait for him to charge up his weapon, then
jump toward him and perform your air dash slash.  Then back up a bit and wait
for him to charge up again then air dash slash again.  Basically this is all
you need to do.
-------------------------------
6. Chapter 5 Sub-Boss 3 Dragon Fiends
-------------------------------
BEST WEAPON USED: Dragon Sword
BEST NINPO USED: Art of the Inferno (But not necessary)
BOSS ATTACKS: Powerful Claw Slashes and Tosses.
DIFFICULTY: Hard when facing head-to-head, Easy using the Wall Trick.
My Strategy:
Facing the Dragon Fiends can either be a huge pain, or a cakewalk.
Facing these 3 Dragons head-to-head is the last thing you want to
do, because one slip up can mean a ton of health drained before
you know it. The best method to do here is to lure a dragon or two
near a wall, then run up the wall, and press 'Y' you should rip
right through the dragon, dealing some nice damage, you may
also rip through 2 dragons if they are lined near each other.
Once you do this, the dragon should lean back for a moment, allowing
you to stab it a few times if you want, but there is no need to.
Simply keep repeating the wall running/wall slash and you will
easily remain untouched, and will remain in good condition for the
immediate boss battle right after this.
Ron Arc's Strategy:
For those who don't really like using wall-run moves, you can use
the same method used against Chapter II's boss. Just charge the
sword, stun the dragon, slash 3 times, and roll out to safety.
Just make sure you're not surrounded by the others, or else you'll
be in trouble. Rinse, lather, repeat.
----------------------------------
7. Chapter 5 Boss     Tentacle Fiend
----------------------------------
BEST WEAPON USED: Dragon Sword (Level 2 for Easiest Fight)
BEST NINPO USED: Art of the Inferno (But not Necessary)
BOSS ATTACKS: Various tentacle whips, and some easy to dodge energy rains
DIFFICULTY: Very Easy
My Strategy:
This is arguably the easiest boss battle in the game, and it will
be over before you know it, provided you know what you are doing.
Remember when facing the 3 Dragon Fiends, that you worked
around them, using the wall running + Y button? Well the same
deal works here. The boss will have 2 primary tentacles to destroy
before you can actually damage the boss. Simply target one tentacle,
jump into the air at it, and press 'Y', if done correctly, you should
quickly launch a powerful air slice, going right through the boss.
2-3 of these slashes will destroy the tentacle. The tentacle should
rarely hit you at this point, so only heal when you are low on health.
Once both tentacles are down, the monster will stop for a moment to try
to regenerate them. At this point, hit it with all your powerful attacks,
for it takes great damage from sword attacks. Repeat the process of
slashing the tentacles off, then pumbling the boss, and this fight will
be over really quickly and effortlessly.
-----------------------------------
8. Chapter 6 Boss     Bone Dragon
-----------------------------------
BEST WEAPON USED: Dragon Sword
BEST NINPO USED: Art of the Inferno
BOSS ATTACKS: Bone Drops, Claw swipes, Tail Whips,
and a Devour Move (This usually means death)
DIFFICULTY: Easy to Medium
My Strategy:
This Boss is not that hard, but can be difficult if you are lacking on
potions. The objective here is to simply destroy all the feet of the
Bone Dragon to destroy it. The feet remain stationary most of the time,
but sometimes it will rise into the air to try to swipe you. The best
strategy here is to deal some quick attacks, then run back to avoid a
swipe. As you attack, it will also attempt to drop some bones on you.
These do not hurt that much, and are not that difficult to dodge.
You may also want to consider using the lunge jump + Y attack to
deal some quick and powerful aerial damage, usually allowing a quick dodge
of the bone drops. As one leg is destroyed, it will shift around, sometimes
trying to nail you in a tail swipe, which can hurt. But it's very easy to
notice when it's coming, and it can be jumped over pretty easily. Once it
changes shifts, continue the normal method. The 4th attack it does, and luckily
is easy to dodge, and rare to occur is the devour move. The dragon moves back
its head, then lunges forward, in attempt to grab you in its jaws.
If you aren't on full health, you are most likely going to die from this
move. But it's predictable when it's about to happen, and it can be
avoided by jumping to the right. The boss overall has no variation, and
will continuously use the bone drop, and the claw swipes to try to defeat
you and only 1-2 tail swipes during the entire fight, and usually 1
devour attempt. Also don't worry too much about the claw swipe, it doesn't
do it too often, and it's predictable like all the other moves of the
dragon, and it gives you time to jump back to wait until it's done.
Also consider using Ninpo to take down its health quicker, since
the claw is usually in one place, hitting the claw is nearly
100% hit chance.
-------------------------------------
9. Chapter 7 Sub-Boss   Tentacle Fiend II
-------------------------------------
BEST WEAPON USED: Dragon Sword
BEST NINPO USED: Art of the Inferno
BOSS ATTACKS: Tentacle Whips, Energy Rains
DIFFICULTY: Easy
My Strategy:
You experience this mini-boss after you unlock the room by using the switches
in the Red and Blue eye rooms. This boss is exactly the same as the first boss;
with the old difference is increased damage if you take a hit. Use the same
tactics as before, and use the lunge jump + Y to rip through a tentacle,
usually destroying it in 2-3 hits. Then attack the boss with sword slashes, or
Ninpo to quickly take down its health, then destroy the tentacles again, and
repeat the attacking process. If you do manage to get hit in a tentacle whip,
you will see your health go down a lot faster than before, so just heal as
necessary, and this fight will be as easy as the first time.
--------------------------
10. Chapter 7 Boss    Alma
--------------------------
BEST WEAPON USED: Dragon Sword. Nanchaku work well here too.
BEST NINPO USED: Art of the Inferno (A huge key here)
BOSS ATTACKS: Various quick attacks, slashes, and a powerful
grab move.
DIFFICULTY: Hard at first. Easy when you figure out a good method.
My Strategy:
The first time you face Alma, you are going to get obliterated,
fast. Hitting her seems next to impossible, since she is
the quickest boss you will experience so far, so you'll have
to time your attacks to defeat her. Start off the battle having
Art of the Inferno Ninpo equipped, for it is your best method
of winning this battle. As the battle begins, charge up your
Ninpo, and hit her with a fireball. She will immediately be
stunned, so quickly hit her with some sword or a Nanchaku combo
to take down some nice percentage of her health. You most likely
have 2 Ninpo at this point, and hopefully a few devil
elixirs. Be sure to time your Ninpo, because Alma's speed
allows her to dodge the fireball, which will not fare very well
in defeating her. Keep stunning her with your Ninpo, and attempt
to get her down to 3/4 of her health, give or take. If you run dry
of Ninpo, the battle will get harder. You will have to work around
her, and dodge around her attacks, jumping into the air and pressing
the 'A' button works well in getting off some moderately
powerful quick shots. Don't bother the lunge jump + Y attack, because
you will go right through her, however, the jump + y downward
attack does hit her, and does some nice damage as well. If managed
to get her down with your Ninpo, then finished her off with some
quick aerial attacks, this battle will be way easier than it looks.
Ron Arc's Strategy:
Probably one hard momma at first. What I did was a lot of evasive maneuvers.
Wherever you run, make sure you make a good wide-circling run around her.
This maneuver works best when she starts one of her attack patterns
(either a lunging aerial attack, or when she throws the 2 stone pillars at you).
As for the pillar attack, just roll once, and jump before the roll
animation is fully complete. 95% you won't get hit by the pillars.
As for her pink fireballs, just dodge them. Her most damaging move
is when a pinkish warp thingy appears under your feet. Make sure
you memorize the sound when this happens, and run away! or else
she'll take half your health out (yeah, slug Ryu in the stomach,
and kick him back face first on the floor. Oof). I don't really
like using Ninpos here coz they're pretty useless, except just
to stun her. Besides, your score is reduced by using them anyway.
So, I'll just stick with basic slashes when she decides to land.
Just make sure you roll out of the way after slashing her 2-3 times,
or else her counter attack will hurt you a lot.
Janos 'Merkhava' Audren's Strategy:
For this boss fight, DONOT uses the Flails. The Dragon Sword is
a FAR better choice. You need to have it at level 2. At level 2,
a move called 'The flying swallow' becomes available. To perform
it, have Ryu jump towards the target and press the Y button immediately.
When she is moving around on the ground, or when she has just
finished performing an attack, hit her with the flying swallow.
Unless she manages to dodge, this move is a guaranteed hit. Not only
will it hit her, but it will also knock her to her knees. This will
allow you to follow up the attack with a combo. You can quickly switch
to the Flails for this if you aren't comfortable with the sword. Simply
perform this flying swallow attack and follow it up with a combo. I was
able to beat her in a matter of minutes by performing this only 6-7 times.
Other tips:
The Bow and Arrow really helps. Just as you dodge her magic attack,
hit her with the arrow. It doesn't cause much damage, but a few good
hits can add up. Try to stay in mid range. If you get too far, she'll
constantly use her magic and dash attacks. If you stay too close, she's
lift you up and take out nearly half of your health. Sometimes, it helps
have a more clear view of the battleground because the camera moves so
fast. I suggest that you let her destroy all the surrounding pillars
before you start attacking her. It will really open up the place.
Messy's Strategy:
If she floats near you she'll use an energy beam to catch you pull you
to her, smack you twice and throw you down for 3/4s of your health, if
your in a position of life this will kill you and she hasn't thrown you
down yet, if you hit start fast enough you can get to the menu to drink a
potion before the impact with the ground might kill you.  That move will
mostly end people so if you happen to have any Ninpo handy, such as the
fireball one, when she swoops in to headbutt, stomp, grab you with her energy
beam or otherwise using it will temporarily make you invincible, if she's close
enough the initial energy surge will throw her to the ground and the fireball
will knock her back a bit, then run up and beat on her.  If you upgraded the
Flail to level 2 then it’s a better weapon choice to use on her because it
will
hold her on the ground longer when she does land to do more damage. Her primary
attacks are her swoop-headbutt, stomp, her energy grab, she'll rip the columns
off the walls and throw them at you and she also shoots energy blasts. The
headbutt is blockable or dodgeable, the stomp you BETTER dodge because she
lands when you do and you can whip out your flail and rip into her, her energy
grab is bad, either click start like a nut if your about to die from ground
impact or click a ninpo before she grabs you to give yourself immunity and
knock her down. The columns requires a lateral dodge roll jump to get ahead off
and the energy blasts as well, either if you get hit by the first volley you
will have a hard time dodging the rest.  Using jump and Y on the move is the
best bet to bring her down with the Flail, then churn out some damage on her,
if she tries to beam you when she floats back up either ninpo or take it but
you have to be on the ball to ninpo them.  You can rearrange this information
for clarity's sake but this is what I used after I learned her timing I beat
her fairly easy.
WAHSWORDPLAY's Strategy
just ran around the room in a circular motion, wall running off the walls to
avoid her projectile attacks and flying attack.  I found that wall running
off the fence and flying cicada slashing when she is near is
very effective, followed by Forward + Y, Y Slashes. (The slash that has Ryu
leaping up, then slashing straight down) BUT you MUST get away from her
immediately afterwards as she will most likely grab you. Keep away from her at
all times, and keep moving, preferably running  around the room and wall
running, unless she is idly floating or walking on the ground, at which point
you can try a Flying  Cicada Slash, Forward + , Y slash, OR if you prefer,
Ninpo. This may not work for everyone, but I found it easy.  I even had a
Talisman of Rebirth I had saved since the 2nd Chapter, specifically for use on
her, and I managed to not even use it.  I also managed to beat her without
using Ninpo.  Good Luck!!
---------------------------
11. Chapter 8 Sub-Boss   Turrets/Helicopter/Rocket Launcher
---------------------------
BEST WEAPON USED: Bow/Strong Bow
BEST NINPO USED: Art of the Inferno
BOSS ATTACKS: Machine gun blasts from the Turret/Chopper
Rockets from Rocket Launcher (Duh)
DIFFICULTY: Easy
My Strategy:
This fight will turn out to be quite easy, and you should be able to breeze
through it. The fight will start off with two turrets unleashing machine gun
fire at you. You can block them completely with your sword.  As they reload,
make a break for the sealed military gate. There will be a corpse with some
arrows on him, so pick them up if you are out of arrows. Don't leave this area
just yet, get to as close to the end of the gate as possible, but just enough
so that you can see the turret, but they cannot fire at you. If in a good
position, you can aim your arrows in first person, shoot them at the turret,
and kill the guy controlling the turret. Once the two turrets are out of
action, you will be attacked by a military chopper which never stops firing at
you. So you'll be blocking all the time. So how do you defeat it? You don't.
Simply keep in a block stance and block all the machine gun fire. After awhile,
the chopper will simply fly away. Finally, look up to a broken window, south of
the military gate, and you will see a rocket launcher guy standing in the
broken window, firing some rockets at random. Take your bow; hit him twice to
kill him. Once it's completed, you are free to exit back to the Skull Gate, in
then which you can hit the switch to the military gate. If you went here
previously, you could of picked up the Strong Bow (which you need to hit the
switch anyway), which makes beating the turrets and rocket launcher easier.
---------------------------
12. Chapter 9 Sub-Bosses
---------------------------
BEST WEAPON USED - APPSDS Arrows, Explosive Arrows
BEST NINPO USED: Art of the Inferno
BOSS ATTACKS: Rockets, Machine Guns, Getting Ran over.
DIFFICULTY: Medium
My Strategy:
You have to fight a series of little boss fights at this time. You must fight
two tanks, finally combat the Helicopter, and then battle some soldiers along
the way. First let’s start with the Tanks.
*****
Tank
*****
The tanks are probably the hardest part of the ordeal, since you have to
actively dodge, and fire off shots, while also avoiding the danger of being run
over, or shot by a cannon. The man on the machine gun turret can also deplete
your health quickly. Anyway, first start off the battle using a fireball using
your Ninpo, straight at the side of the tank. If done correct, the machine
gunner should disappear from the turret spot. Shoot as many APPSDS Arrows as
possible at the tank, which the tank seems to take extra damage when the gunner
is gone. By the time the gunner comes back, 3/4 of its health should be gone.
Once again, try to hit the side of the tank with your Ninpo to get the gunner
down the hole again. If not, try to fire some shots into the tank, but be
careful of distance from the tank, and try to roll and jump around to avoid
machine gun fire, then fire off a few shots to destroy the first tank. Just as
you thought it was over, you must now fight a second tank. You are most likely
out of APPSDS arrows right now, so you'll have to quickly retreat to get more.
A good suggestion is to get some new arrows while the old tank is almost dead,
to avoid getting it in the new fight. Anyway, after the two tanks are
destroyed, an elevator will come down. But before you go on, look towards the
right to find a treasure box with a full healing spiritual potion. This will
prove useful for the next boss.
**********
Helicopter
**********
Once you are up the elevator, head down, not up. There is a
hidden save point here, so if you happen to die, you will not
have to face the tanks again. Proceed up the stairs and you will
see two soldiers with rocket launchers quite hidden at the
end of the stairway. Simply jump over the rocket as it comes
near you, and then make another jump and hit them with the
lunge jump + Y slash through, stunning both of them at once.
This will give you time to quickly kill one, then kill the other
one before they can fire off another shot. If you are low on health,
their corpses should typically drop some health. After defeating
the soldiers, the old Helicopter that retreated from before is
back, and this time it's brought some missiles along. At the
beginning of the battle, the chopper will remain stationary,
and do nothing; try to aim the APPSDS arrows at the yellow
light in front of the helicopter, since that deals the most
damage. After it's taken some hits, it'll attempt to shoot you
with its machine guns, then fly over head of you. You can block,
or still fire, since it doesn't do much damage, also provided you
have some potions. It will now attempt to fire off some missiles
at you. Fire off a shot as you see it coming, which should
hit the Helicopter, this may sound weird, but when the missiles
are pretty close, that is when you attempt to jump out of the way.
Since the missiles home in on you if you start to move early, it's
better to move late. After firing off a batch, the Helicopter will
be a vulnerable again, so hit it with some more arrows. It will then
fly right, and come up to the side of you, sending more missiles.
Hit it a few times, and try to jump out of the way of the missiles
again. It will then fire off more machine shots, and circle back
to where it originally started, sometimes it goes under the bridge
and pops back up; this is a good time to fire off a few more shots
as it's rising. Once the Helicopter is down a bit from 1/2 its health
it will begin to fire two batches of 4 missiles. Ignore the old strategy
of waiting late for them to come, because once you jump out of the
way of the first one, the second batch of missiles will probably
hit you, so attempt to keep jumping around to avoid a missile.
After the 2 sets of missiles, fire off more shots into the Helicopter.
If you run out of arrows, there is some spare at the far left of the
stage. Just remember the Helicopter fires a set movement and
attack pattern. Usually 2 rounds of missiles, then it flies over you while
firing the machine guns. Luckily the Helicopter isn't very strong,
so you can take it out quite quickly, aiming well is also the
key here.
*************************
Soldiers/Rocket Launchers
*************************
Once you finish off the Helicopter and head up, you will have to fight various
soldiers as you make your way to the Radio Tower. First it will start off with
easy machine gunners, which you should be able to dispose of quickly. Then you
will notice rockets being fired at you. Draw your bow w/ explosive arrows and
you will see a bunch of rocket launchers scattered on the Radio Tower. The
objective is to destroy the Radio Tower, but killing all the Rocket Launchers
makes it easier. If you choose to kill the soldiers, aim well, since they are
small, and as a rocket approaches you, quickly jump or roll out of the way.
There is explosive arrows at the right side of the stage if you run out. After
you kill about 12 they will stop spawning, there will be some glowing lights at
the right of the Radio Tower, towards the bottom. Hit those with your arrows,
and they should explode. Once you destroy them all, the Radio Tower will
explode. You can just destroy the Radio Tower to kill all the Rocket Launchers
and save yourself the trouble, but you'll have to frequently dodge rockets as
you try to aim; both have ups and downs.
Yaska Chack's Strategy:
Kill all the machine gunner except one, and then take the tower down with the
explosive arrows. The amount of damage a gunner does it nothing compared to the
Rocket Launchers
EmpyrealHell's Strategy:
Equip the windmill star (in the alley by Han's bar, wall walk across the blue
streaks) and enter the battlefield. Once the battle starts, run up to the side
of the tank, and jump and throw the star. If you time it right, it will take
out the soldier manning the tank gun in one shot. After that, load up the
APPSDS Core arrows and start unloading. If you stay right up next to the tank
on its side, towards the middle, it should try to turn into you, but it can't
turn that tightly, and it will just spin around you. you can go into to first
person mode and just unload on it. If you see it start to back up or move
forward, get out of the aiming mode and get back into place. Once the Soldier
comes back to the top, just windmill him again and keep going. If you do it
right, you should only have to kill the soldier twice. When the second tank
comes, disable the soldier, and go refill your arrows, jumping to avoid the
tank gun. Then keep at him like you did the first time.
Varchild's Strategy:
What I did was stand right in the center by the gate to get a good view and
shot down the RPGs out of the air with my bow.   Since there’s an infinite
supply of arrows just to the right in that box, you can keep on firing away.
You have to be very skilled at the bow with this strategy but it lets you keep
your view of the tower in tact.
---------------------------------
13. Chapter 10 Sub-Boss  Giant Worm
---------------------------------
BEST WEAPON USED: War Hammer, Strongbow, Explosive Arrows, APPSDS Arrows
BEST NINPO USED: Art of the Inferno
BOSS ATTACKS: Thunder Balls, Body Sweep, Lunge
DIFFICULTY: Easy with Arrows, Medium without them.
My Strategy:
It is best you fight a few enemies on the Aqueduct before you must face this