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Mage Hunt: Parxa Krass, Force Incarnate

Summoned Mobs:

• Burnt Tender
• Energy Core
• Force Node
• Shatter Guard

Chase Sequence 

As soon as you initiate the hunt, Parxa Krass will appear right below you. After fighting him and his mobs here for a while, he will teleport to the upper-east where you original came from. Climb up the two ladders and grapple over the gap to the upper east to find him again. He will teleport again shortly in the same direction. Keep following up east. After fighting him near the main Obelisk, he will teleport to the lower sections of the area. To get to him, head back to where you initiated his hunt and take the lower east path this time. Below a set of stairs that you drop down to, there is a door your can open to find another Obelisk. Head back outside and continue eastward to the Unprofaned Lake sub-area where you will find the mage again shortly. After a couple more teleports, his Boss Fight will ensue once you reach the waterlogged area of the lake.

Boss Fight

Moveset:

Kinetic Axe Combo - Parxa Krass conjures a set of dual axes made of sharp rocks and begins a three-hit combo starting with a quick overhead slash from each axe ending with a double axe smash. Do not attempt to roll behind the mage until the final hit as this attack has very good tracking and the mage will quickly change directions to chase you.

Kinetic Axe Dash - Parxa Krass conjures his dual axes and raises one of them high up overhead. After a brief delay, he dashes forward and performs a downwards slash in a very wide arc. This attack can be dodged through with a properly timed roll.

Kinetic Axe Uppercut - Parxa Krass performs a quick upward slash with one of his axes. This attack has a bit of forward movement which also serves as its telegraph, but it can be very hard to read. It can be dodged through with good roll timing. Otherwise, back away from the mage.

Shatter Burst - Parxa Krass tilts slightly backwards and raises both glowing fists. He then punches the air diagonally downwards, creating a craggy construct along his arms which shatters after a brief moment, sending shards bursting outwards a short distance. You can stand right up against his legs to avoid damage from the construct's creation and then roll to his back to avoid the burst.

Kinetic Ring - Parxa Krass holds his glowing fist in a wide stance while creating a ring-like construct. The construct begins homing in on the player before locking on after a brief period. The mage will then throw the construct at the player. It will shatter upon impact with the player or the ground. Watch out as the resulting shards can still deal damage. You can avoid this attack by keeping on the move and waiting til the last second before dodging.

Kinetic Upheaval - Parxa Krass raises holds both glowing hands to his sides and raises them high up. As he does this, a set of three sharp rock formations form on the ground on both sides of the mage which explode after a brief delay, sending shards flying upward. You can avoid this attack by hugging his legs or staying far away. Beware not to rush towards the mage prematurely after the burst as the shards' hitboxes can linger a short while.

Strategy:

Parxa Krass is a very straightforward encounter with some easy-to-read moves. However, you should watch out for his melee attacks as not only does he have a devastating 3-hit combo by default, he has very little recovery time during his melee attacks and can easily extend his combos with any of his moves. When this happens, back away from the mage immediately until it breaks the melee chain.

Your biggest window to attack is during his Shatter Burst attack as long as you can stick close to his legs. While he is creating the construct and shattering it, you will have enough time to dish out 4 attacks with most weapons. Be careful as he may follow up with a Kinetic Upheaval which will force you to create distance or get hit hard. For his Kinetic Ring attack, make sure you aren't dodging prematurely as the ring attempts to create a lock on you. Always dodge at the last second and you should have no trouble closing the distance and getting at least 2 hits in.

Avoid fighting Parxa Krass at a distance as this not only opens you up to his highly damaging and very fast melee Dash attack. Instead, hug his legs to be able to deal consistent damage and back away when necessary.

Once his HP is depleted, he will collapse to the ground allowing you to devour his heart and end the encounter.

Mage Hunt: Logostus Rime, Undying Scholar

Summoned Mobs:

• Burnt Tender
• Codex Monk
• Glyphed Annelid
• Parchment Knight

Chase Sequence 

Logostus Rime can first be found high above his initiation point, on a long set of stairs. Jump onto the land west of the platforms and climb up the ladder. Continue on west until you see a tall wooden structure with a grappling point attached on the left. Grapple up to the platform above this structure and then grapple again to the landmass in the upper-east where the stairs and the Mage can be found. After fighting him and his mobs here for a while, he will teleport west. Retrace your steps from the grappling points and jump onto the landmass to the west where a set of stairs can be found with a lever at the top. Fight off the Mage here until he teleports and then pull the lever to lower a grappling point which will allow you to more easily reach this area later on by heading east from the main Elder Copse Obelisk. The Mage will teleport just to the west of this grappling point and then further west of the aforementioned Obelisk. Follow him while defeating his mobs and dealing damage to the Mage. He will eventually teleport down to the Unprofaned Mage and will finally settle in the same area you fought Parxa Krass earlier. Remember that there is an Obelisk west of the lake if you want to more easily return to the Boss Fight in case of death.

Boss Fight

Moveset:

Tome Combo - Logostus Rime holds his Tome with one hand in front of him, slams it down on the ground and then spins the Tome around all around his body three times while advancing forward before culminating in a final double-handed slam. This move is not only quick but it also covers the Mage's whole melee range. Do not try to find any attack openings and focus on getting away instead. You can however dodge through the final slam and get one or two hits in if you are quick.

Tome Burst - Logostus Rime flicks his Tome upwards in front of him where it spins in place briefly before exploding, sending a shockwave burst out in a medium radius. Roll through the mage to avoid this attack.

Rune Barrage - Logostus Rime forms a circle of runes in front of him. After a brief delay, each rune fires in a line towards the player. This attack will very quickly shred your health if each rune hits. To avoid this, roll behind the Mage as soon as he forms the runes as he will not change direction after summoning them and they will only fly in front of the Mage.

Rune Wall - Logostus Rime throws a wall of runes from behind him a short distance towards his front. You can roll through the runes as they approach but beware of a follow-up attack from the Mage.

Rain of Runes - Logostus Rime lifts up one hand on either side and releases a single rune with a dark aura around it which floats up into the sky while releasing several runes similar to the Rune Barrage move. The runes have a slight lock-on on the player at the beginning of the ability but you can avoid the brunt of the attack by keeping on the move.

Strategy:

Logostus Rime is one of the most difficult Mages you will encounter due mostly to his capability to deal large amounts on damage in a very short amount of time. Your priority should be learning the various patterns and telegraphs associated with his Rune Barrage and Rain of Runes attacks. These two moves will absolutely shred your health even at high levels and equipment upgrade levels if all or most of the runes connect.

For the Rune Barrage, rush towards the Mage as soon as he forms the circle of runes and dodge behind him. The runes will not hit you as long as you are not in front of the Mage. While this move is very dangerous, it is also your biggest window to get some attacks in so be sure to utilize this double-edged sword of an attack to full efficiency. His Rain of Runes will only home in on your during the beginning of the attack so keep on the move to bait the runes' trajectory. After they're set, you can roll through the runes and perhaps get a couple of attacks in on the Mage as he recovers.

Logostus Rime is not any easier at melee range, unfortunately, as he has one of the longest and fastest-hitting melee combos in the game. To top it off, he also advances forward during the combo and hits all around himself so you really don't have any openings to retaliate. Be patient however as the final slam in his melee combo can be rolled through and the short recovery state afterwards can be punished.

Logostus Rime also has quite a good resistance to staggering, but if you don't wait too long between attacks and can get a consistent chain of combos going, you can put him in the special stagger state where his eye glistens for a brief moment, allowing you to use it as a grappling point to dash towards his face and perform a powerful knife attack that deals a lot of damage. Make sure to utilize these moments when they come up.

Once the mage's health is depleted, press the appropriate button to devour his heart and end the encounter.

Boss Fight: Icon of Pandemonium

Moveset:

Rake - The Icon pulls back 3 of its limbs and then quickly strikes in front of it. This move has a very short distance and can easily be avoided or rolled through.

Lightning Strike - The Icon charges one claw with lightning and releases it in a cone towards the ground in front of it. The lightning has a large hitbox and decent range. Avoid this move by rolling underneath the boss as it charges. 

Grounded Lightning - The Icon raises its claws, charging them with lightning. After a brief delay, it throws the lightning on the ground directly underneath it. The lightning splits into two bolts which travel along the ground in both directions. It does this with both hands one after the other. You can jump over the bolts as they approach to avoid damage.

Ball Lightning - The Icon raises its claws in front of it, charging them with lightning. After a brief delay, it releases an orb of lightning that travels a short distance forward in the air before splitting off into 5 smaller bolts that home in on the player. The ball lightning itself will not hit you unless you jump in its path and the smaller bolts have a similar travel speed and can all be rolled through with good timing or baited into crashing in the ground.

Lightning Storm - The Icon flies high up while raising its claws and charging them with lightning. After a brief moment, several lightning orbs appear randomly in the air and rain lightning in an area below them. These orbs appear and attack in a staggered fashion so watch out for them manifesting and avoid the area underneath them.

Lightning Burst - The Icon raises both claws to its sides, charging them with lightning as blue rays of energy coalesce underneath the boss. It then brings its claws to the coalescence, causing it to explode in a burst of lightning, dealing damage in a medium radius around the Icon. It also moves forward a very short distance after the burst, carrying a ball of lightning that lingers underneath it for a brief moment.

Strategy:

While the Icon of Pandemonium has a lot of moves, its constant state of flight also makes it easier to get underneath or behind it and this should be your general strategy against most of its attacks. The only attacks you need to create distance from are the Lightning Burst and the Lightning Storm depending on where the orbs spawn. Aside from these two attacks, keep close to the Icon and utilize a dodge and poke tactic. Dodge an attack and retaliate with a single strike. Don't get greedy as the boss does not have much health to begin with. Take your time and play safe.

Another note for this fight is during its Grounded Lightning move, you are supposed to jump over the bolts to avoid damage but be careful not to jump prematurely as it will release two sets of bolts with a small delay between them. Jumping too early will get you through the first set of bolts but you will get hit by the second one.

Aside from these notes, the fight should be a fairly straightforward affair.

Boss Fight: The Worm That Does Not Die

Moveset:

Double Scythe Slash - The Worm performs a simple overhead slash with his scythe, followed by a second slash. Dodge through the boss during the first slash as he cannot change directions during the animation.

Helmsplitter - The Worm leaps high into the air, performs a second jump and then comes crashing straight down scythe-first. The boss will often perform a backwards leap to disengage before using this move. Simply watch for where the boss performs the second jump and avoid the area directly underneath him. He will also often perform a follow-up scythe jab and an upward slash, both of which you can roll through.

Flaming Geysers - The Worm whips a trail of flames in an upward arc with his free hand while raising his scythe as it glows a fiery orange. After a brief delay, several geysers appear in the arena, creating a pillars of fire that linger for a few seconds. The lower the boss' health is, the more geysers are created by this move. The geysers can be rolled through if you need to reposition around them. Watch out for the start-up animation as the whipping flames can also deal damage in melee range.

Hellfire - The Worm whips a trail of flames in an upward arc with his free hand, similar to the Flaming Geysers move, but this time, a septagram also appears behnd him. After a short delay, a violent flames erupt from the boss' center, cascading outwards. Run away from the boss as soon as you see the septagram. Watch out for the start-up animation as the whipping of the flames can also deal damage in melee range.

Meteor Shower - The Worm raises its scythe along with its free hand as it glows a bright orange, releasing a stream of fire up in the air as a fiery portal is created above the boss. Shortly after, the Worm brings his hands down as multiple fireballs shoot out of the portal. The fireballs will first shoot directly downwards, sweeping in an arc outwards in front of the boss. You can avoid this move by getting behind the boss as he forms the portal.

Strategy:

The Worm That Will Not Die is primarily a fire-based spellcaster whose spells will inflict burn, dealing damage over a short period of time after a direct hit. While the damage from this burn effect is minimal, his spells can still be quite devastating and it can be difficult to get close to him due to the area the spells cover.

Using ranged attacks is a viable strategy especially immediately after the fight begins at the Worm's walking speed is on the slower side. You can easily bait him to one end of the arena and make a run for the opposite side and pelt him with ranged attacks and throwables as he slowly closes the distance.

His most dangerous moves by far are the Hellfire and Meteor Shower moves. The Hellfire attack deals immense damage in a very wide hitbox from the center of the boss. You will need to run away from the boss as the septagram appears behind him to avoid this move. Alternatively, you can time your roll to i-frame the flames as they spread and get at least one hit in as the boss recovers. For the Meteor Shower, it is imperative that you get behind the boss as he channels the ability and the portal appears above him. He will not change directions during the attack and being behind him will prevent you from getting hit. The meteors will push you forward and upward, putting you along their firing path and quickly shredding your health so be sure not to get hit by even one of these small projectiles.

Finally, the Flaming Geysers are very easy to avoid but they linger for quite some time and the lower the boss' health, the more geysers are created. Be sure to roll through the flame pillars they create if you need to pass through.

Boss Fight: The Undone Sacrifice

Moveset:

Crash Landing - The Undone Sacrifice leaps straight up into the air and then swoops down toward the player. As he crashes into the ground, he sends a wave of lightning and debris spreading outward a medium distance on both sides of the impact point. Quickly rush underneath the boss as he performs the leap upwards.

Whirling Uppercut - The Undone Sacrifice performs an uppercut with his scythe while twirling it at the end of the move. This move will hit several times and requires precise timing to dodge.

Scythe Combo -  The Undone Sacrifice performs a downward slash with a slight backpedal, followed by another downward slash and then an uppercut culminating in a power slam that sends a wave of lightning and debris spreading outward over a medium distance on both sides of the impact point, similar to the Crashlanding move. This combo is very difficult to avoid due to the sheer speed and virtually no telegraphs. However, there is a very tiny window between each strike in which you can spam your roll. If you manage to get behind him, the rest of the move will not hit you. If you roll away instead, you should have enough time to run away from the rest of the combo.

Splinter Barrage - The Undone Sacrifice levitates a short distance above ground with his scythe on his shoulders and his other arm stretched out to the side. Several of the splinters on his back are released into the air and after a brief delay, he sends them shooting outwards in a very large arc. Get behind the boss as soon as you see him levitate. 

Fulgurite Strike - The Undone Sacrifice spins his scythe several times, culminating in a big slam attack that lodges the blade into the ground. After a brief moment, small bolts of lightning strike the ground one after the other. Each bolt sends a small spire of fulgurite bursting out of the ground. You will need to constantly be on the move until the boss pulls his scythe out of the ground as fulgurites will continually burst out of the ground, following you around the arena.

Stomp Combo - The Undone Sacrifice holds his scythe to his side in a low stance with his other elbow posed behind him. After a very brief delay, he dashes forward and stomps the player as he slides forward. He stomps one more time and strikes the player, sending them sliding forward a short distance. He ends  the combo with a Fulgurite Strike. The initiating stomp can be avoided with a perfectly-timed roll through the boss. If done correctly, the rest of the combo will not occur. If you get caught in the stomp, you are effectively locked in an animation until he sends you sliding forward. After this point, you should immediately roll forward to avoid the incoming fulgurites and get behind the boss.

Strategy:

The Undone Sacrifice may quite appropriately be the most challenging boss you will face in Salt and Sacrifice. This boss utilizes a combination of nearly all the boss mechanics you've encountered thus far and with staggering proficiency. While primarily a melee-oriented boss, he has several ranged attacks that are extremely demanding and require the tightest timing on dodges to overcome.

You will quickly find that there is no good positioning from which to trade blows with The Undone Sacrifice. You must constantly be on the move and carefully read his moves instead of trying to bait out attacks. His melee scythe attacks and combos are some of the fastest in the game and with the least amount of recovery, requiring you to create openings by learning how to i-frame them.

One of the moves that he tends to use a lot is the Crash Landing attack. Not only is a direct hit from this move deadly, the lightning and debris wave released on impact can catch you off guard as it has a very wide hitbox on either side of the boss. When you see him leap up, immediately rush under him but do not stop moving or the wave will hit you. A less risky way to approach this attack is to roll towards him a split second after he lands in order to i-frame the shockwave and position you close enough for a 1-2 hit counter.

His Scythe Combo is one of the most dangerous and difficult moves to avoid. It comes out very quickly and does not have a clear telegraph. If you get caught in this combo, it is best to spam your roll to mitigate the damage and potentially avoid further hits if you can manage to roll behind him. Another move to watch out for is the Fulgurite Strike telegraphed by the boss spinning his scythe before slamming it down. He will sometimes use this while you are nowhere near melee range but do not be fooled. The ensuing fulgurite bursts will follow you all around the arena for several seconds until the move is over. It is recommended you focus on evading the fulgurite bursts instead of trying to find an opening during this move.

To round out his most dangerous moves, players should learn how to effectively avoid his Stomp Combo. This move works similarly to a grab and locks you in the animation while taking a chunk off your health bar if the initiating stomp connects. It has a very short and subtle telegraph where the boss holds his scythe to his side with his other elbow behind his body, preparing for a dash. A split second later, the boss rushes forward at incredible speed. This is your window to avoid this move by rolling through. If caught in the stomp, you will be helpless until he strikes you with the scythe and you slide forward. Do not attempt to heal after this point as he will end the combo with a Fulgurite Strike which will very likely finish you off if you don't move.

Your biggest window for attacking will likely be during his Splinter Barrage move. As soon as you see him levitate, quickly roll behind the boss and retaliate with 2-3 hits and get ready to disengage, waiting for his next move. As long as you can get behind him before the splinters are released, they will never hit you. If you are caught within range of the attack as it starts, keep moving towards the boss as you can roll and i-frame through the portion of the splinters that land closest to him without taking damage.

Lastly, remember to make use of the environment. The arena is a very wide space and the Undone Sacrifice does not have a very fast walking speed. Like the previous bosses in the Elder Copse, you can abuse this by running far away and pelting him with ranged attacks and throwables to chip away at his health.

Similar to mages, once you deplete the Undone Sacrifice's HP, he will collapse to the ground and you will need to press the appropriate button to finish him off and end the encounter.

Boss Fight: Inquisitor Amben

Moveset:

Knife Stab - Inquisitor Amben raises his knife hand and stabs at the ground in front of him. Basic melee move that can easily be rolled through.

Rolling Slash - Inquisitor Amben leaps forward with good height and distance, lands in a rolling maneuver and ends with a large downward arcing slash with his knife. The Inquisitor cannot change directions after initiating this move so it is best to run or roll under his leap for a chance to retaliate but rolling through the slash itself is possible as well.

Advancing Strike - Inquisitor Amben takes on a lowered stance with one leg trailing behind him. He then leaps forward a good distance, stabbing at the ground with his knife upon landing. Note that the leap portion of this attack will also deal damage as the Inquisitor leads with his knee. Dodge through the leap to avoid damage.

Bladed Pinion - Inquisitor Amben brings one hand up in front of him, releasing a stream of feathers horizontally which subsequently fall to the ground, dealing damage to anything they touch. The Inquisitor will repeat this move with his other hand immediately. In addition to the damage, getting hit by these feathers will allow the Inquisitor to grab you and stab you on the ground with his knife. Finally, he will shove you forward with his palm. Dodge through to the back of the Inquisitor to completely evade the attack. Getting caught by the grab will lock you in an animation which you cannot escape.

Brilliant Plumage - Inquisitor Amben brings both hands to his side, raising them as they glow a bright white. Afterwards, a large amount of feathers rains from above over a very wide area around the Inquisitor. Avoid this attack by running far away from the Inquisitor as he raises his hands.

Feathered Dash - Inquisitor Amben leaps straight up into the air and then dashes forward in a straight line, dropping feathers along his travel path. These deal damage on contact but can be avoided by rolling through with good timing.

Strategy:

In direct contrast to Inquisitor Selet, Inquisitor Amben has many more moves with a longer recovery time between attacks. Despite leaving himself open after his movesets, Inquisitor Amben can be difficult to get close to due to the very wide hitbox of his feather attacks.

The most dangerous move in his arsenal is the Bladed Pinion attack. This move is deceptive in that it appears as a simple falling projectile attack but in fact hides a powerful grab maneuver which can take out a large portion of your health, if not outright kill you. Ensure that you are rolling behind the Inquisitor whenever he performs this move. This will also give you a window to attack 2-3 times if you are quick.

Another large opening you can make use of is his Rolling Slash. The Inquisitor leaps high up with his horizontal, culminating in a rolling maneuver and slashing with the momentum. As the Inquisitor cannot change directions once the move is initiated, you can easily get 3 or more hits in with most weapons if you run or roll past him as he descends to the ground.

When he uses the Brilliant Plumage attack, run far away to avoid damage as it has a very, very wide hitbox. Alternatively, you can attempt to roll through the feathers as they fall to the ground but this is quite difficult to do.

Finally, the Inquisitor is relatively easy to stagger with consistent attacks and doing so, you may get him in the special stagger animation where his eye glistens similar to grappling points. Use this opportunity to grapple to his head and deliver a powerful blow with your knife to deal a good amount of damage. You can also perform a falling attack right after the grapple for even more damage.