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Copyright Mister Sinister, 2007
==============================================================================
This guide is dedicated to Nabeel Rizwan Rafi
==============================================================================
CONAN BESTIARY GUIDE
==============================================================================
¦ This guide is copyrighted to Mister Sinister (2007) ¦
¦ I don't mind it being lifted in its entireity, but if you do so, please ¦
¦ make sure you give credit to the author (me) and DON'T pass it off as your ¦
¦ own. Thanks ! ¦
==============================================================================
============================================================================
¦ F O R E W O R D ¦
============================================================================
The aim of *this* guide is to give you a decent breakdown of the enemies
and bosses you will face in Conan, coupled with my thoughts and comments on
them where appropriate.
If you've any questions, queries or HELPFUL suggestions, you can get in touch
with me by e-mail at shadowpath@hotmail.com - however, if you've nothing cool
or productive to say to me, don't waste my time or you'll just incur my
disrespect. Thanks !! :)
============================================================================
¦ THE BESTIARY ¦
============================================================================
Since there are a number of enemies that reoccur, such as the Stygian Pikemen
and Tar Warriors, I have refrained from repeatedly announcing their presence
in each act, as there is very little that changes in their combat stylees,
trust me ;)
=======
ACT ONE
=======
ENEMY NAME - White-shirted Pirate
DANGER RATING - 1/5
DESCRIPTION - A pirate clad in a white shirt. Weak, slow, and predictable
CAN BE THROWN ? - Yes
OTHER NOTES - These guys lag REALLY nicely when they go to strike you, so
you have absolutely no excuse for not countering each and
every single one of them, thus bumping up your mastery of
counter-attacks significantly.
------------
ENEMY NAME - Brown-shirted Pirate
DANGER RATING - 2/5
DESCRIPTION - Brown-shirted pirates are quicker and more combat-ready than
their white-shirted counterparts. Their attacks are a bit
harder to see coming (although not much, truth be told), and
they have the ability to block your attacks, so be warned.
CAN BE THROWN ? - Yes
OTHER NOTES - None, really.
------------
ENEMY NAME - Buxom Beauty
DANGER RATING - 3/5
DESCRIPTION - The Buxom Beauties are the ladies that you will find from
time to time. They will all be topless (hence the danger
rating - we wouldn't want you to be thinking of anything
other than the mission at hand, would we) ;), and they will
all want you to free them. They WILL reward you handsomly
for your efforts ;)
CAN BE THROWN ? - You wish !! Over your shoulder probably, right ?? NO. ;)
OTHER NOTES - I am particularly fond of the shading on this sprite, AND
the rather gormless way they sway around after you've ...
liberated them ... =./
------------
ENEMY NAME - Pirate Archer
DANGER RATING - 1/5
DESCRIPTION - Pirate Archers will fire either regular arrows or explosive
arrows at you from a distance - however they do not move
from their positions, making them generally very easy foes
to locate and despatch. Press RB to withdraw any arrows
that DO become lodged in any parts of your anatomy, and
throw them to the ground (pay close attention to doing this
when they fire explosive arrows, as they are on a timer !!).
CAN BE THROWN ? - Yes
OTHER NOTES - If you do not remove the arrow/s quickly enough, you will
begin to sustain bleed damage.
------------
ENEMY NAME - Pirate Boss
DANGER RATING - 3/5
DESCRIPTION - Pirate Bosses are ANNOYING. They are comparatively heavily-
armoured, carry two-handed weapons, and wear helmets. Not
to mention talking a lot of sh!te. Best technique to adopt
against them is the tried-and-tested, hit-and-run technique
which works wonders.
CAN BE THROWN ? - No
OTHER NOTES - When their helmet falls off, they are approximately 50% of
the way through being cooked.
=======
ACT TWO
=======
ENEMY NAME - Corsair Ship
DANGER RATING - 1/5
DESCRIPTION - Since the Corsair ships never attack you personally, they
should be considered very easy to take out - HOWEVER, they
do attack A'Kanna's ship instead, and so you are on a timer
to despatch them. Use the stationery turrets to take them
out in good time.
CAN BE THROWN ? - No. Not even Conan can throw a ship ;)
OTHER NOTES - None, really.
------------
ENEMY NAME - Bone Cleaver
DANGER RATING - 4/5
DESCRIPTION - Bone Cleaver is the boss of Act 2, and deservedly so. He
has a series of four different attacks (listed in the
walkthrough, but to recap they are a smash-and-poke move;
calling for his archers to pelt his battle arena with their
explosive arrows; a spiralling sideflip which causes an
earthquake; and a 4-hit slow-moving but powerful combo.
CAN BE THROWN ? - HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA ... no.
OTHER NOTES - Time your attacks, watch out for getting caught in his 4-hit
combo, and jump over his earthquake move. Also be aware
that, when he's about 75% cooked, he will generate an aura
that is tantamount to a blood rage, which bolsters his
aggressiveness and combat performance.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
¦ B O S S F I G H T T I P S ¦
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
As with all the Boss Fights in Conan, this fight takes place in multiple
stages. Therefore, in order to make it easy for you to work with, I am going
to cite the stages and then go through them one by one :-
BONE CLEAVER BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1 - White Pirates
BONE CLEAVER BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2 - Brown Pirates, Pirate Bosses & Archers
BONE CLEAVER BOSS FIGHT STAGE 3 - Bone Cleaver himself
Take note of the arena and what is available to you - there are 2 green urns
and a wall full of spikes for starters.
Also BE ADVISED that the archers on the upper level do NOT shoot regular
arrows - they shoot explosive arrows, so be VERY quick in removing them from
your body if you get pegged by one or more or they WILL hurt.
===============================
BONE CLEAVER BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1
===============================
The first stage of this boss fight is SO easy it's unbelievable - Bone
Cleaver sends a couple of waves of white-shirted pirates (the lowest of the
low) into the arena to do battle with you. They will cause you NO problem.
===============================
BONE CLEAVER BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2
===============================
Once you have enraged him by slaying all his white-shirted pirates, Bone
Cleaver moves up to stage 2 - sending in wave after wave of brown-shirted
pirates, and a total of four pirate bosses (1 in 1 wave, 1 in a second wave,
and 2 in the final wave). His archers also start to pelt you with their
arrows, so keep on your toes and avoid the blast radius at all costs. Try
and avoid using either of the green urns during this stage if at all possible
as it is good to keep them for the Bone Cleaver fight proper.
Since the AI of your enemies is NOT generally particularly amazing, you can
lure them into the path of the explosive arrows to cause collateral damage
should you wish. Remember, SMART players get MORE ;)
===============================
BONE CLEAVER BOSS FIGHT STAGE 3
===============================
Once you have slain ALL his pirates (barring the archers on the upper level
and a couple of minions that are standing and watching you), Bone Cleaver
drops down into the arena and tells you that he's going to proudly display
your corpse from his axe (axe ??? It's not really an *axe* dude) before the
day is through, AND, more importantly, that he is the one that brought the
black death to this island.
============
BONE CLEAVER
============
First and foremost, Bone Cleaver CAN take damage from the archers who continue
to shoot their explosive arrows into the arena during the fight, so keep that
in mind.
Secondly, he is DECEPTIVELY nimble for a guy his size, and can attack you in
several different ways, including :-
A) An overhead smash and follow-up shove with his "axe";
B) Calling upon his archers to pelt the arena with explosive arrows;
C) A BEAUTIFUL side flip which, when he lands, sends out an earthquake.
To get around this one, jump ;)
D) A 4-hit combo which is slow but VERY powerful (the blade blur is orange
in colour) - you can easily roll away and, if you gauge his range just
right, you can be ready to strike back with a few strong hits once he
has completed the combo. All four of the hits are block-breakers, so
be aware of that.
The best technique to use against Bone Cleaver is NOT to try and combo him
too much - use strong attacks, hit once, gauge whether you can hit again and,
if you can, do so, and if you can't, roll away. Keep an eye out for when he
looks like he's about to jump and do his earthquake attack (C on the above
list), and jump over it to avoid irritation, and DO try and avoid his 4-hit
combo or you will be lifted into the air by the first hit, and that is ALSO
rather annoying.
Once he has taken about 75% damage, Bone Cleaver goes into a Blood Rage (he
displays a visible red glow, which fades to a white glow as the fight goes on)
and he becomes more aggressive for the last part of his fight, so beef up your
techniques for this last splurge.
=============================================================================
BE PREPARED TO PRESS THE B BUTTON ONCE YOU HAVE TAKEN AWAY ALL HIS HEALTH, AS
THIS TRIGGERS HIS FATALITY CUTSCENE.
=============================================================================
=========
ACT THREE
=========
ENEMY NAME - Lion
DANGER RATING - 2/5
DESCRIPTION - Lions are more annoying than dangerous - they attack very
much as you would expect a wildcat to - swiftly, and without
mercy.
CAN BE THROWN ? - No
OTHER NOTES - Lions catch fire quite nicely, and whilst it will in most
cases not kill them, it does cause them to run around like
they are ............... well ... on fire really !!
------------
ENEMY NAME - Stygian Swordsman
DANGER RATING - 1/5
DESCRIPTION - With tattoos on their faces, facemasks and lithe bodies,
these boys are RIPE for an ass-whupping !!! They are armed
with one-handed swords with nasty curved blades, and are the
weakest enemies you will encounter in the Sand Vault.
CAN BE THROWN ? - Yes
OTHER NOTES - Whilst they are the weakest, they are still palpably more
powerful than the white-shirted pirates were in Acts 1 & 2,
so be on your guard. They can do semi-unblockable hits (by
which I mean they stun your guard, leaving you open to
further attacks).
------------
ENEMY NAME - Stygian Pikeman
DANGER RATING - 2/5
DESCRIPTION - In a word ? ANNOYING. They are armed with polearms that
make them visually very easy to distinguish from their
Stygian Swordsmen cousins, and like to attack from a
distance with green, life-sapping fireballs, or VERY quickly
up-close-and-personal by snapping their staffs at you, which
leaves you very little time to dodge unfortunately.
CAN BE THROWN ? - No
OTHER NOTES - Try and take these boys out first, to minimise the annoyance
factor they will otherwise visit upon you.
------------
ENEMY NAME - Sand Dragon
DANGER RATING - 3/5
DESCRIPTION - The Sand Dragon is the boss of Act Three, and ranks as one
of the LONGEST bosses to fight (in terms of the number of
stages you have to go through with him). He isn't overly
difficult to kill as long as you follow either my guide or
common sense really, but the length of the battle can be
a bit aggravating if you're not careful.
CAN BE THROWN ? - Nope, not even in your dreams
OTHER NOTES - Be calm - he may be large, but he's not that tough.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
¦ B O S S F I G H T T I P S ¦
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Sand Dragon is the second boss in Conan and, like Bone Cleaver, its fight
must be conducted in numerous sections. The sections are :-
SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1 - Head through the Wall
SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2 - Chasing over the Rooftops
SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 3 - Open Air Platform Fight
SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 4 - Running the Gauntlet
SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 5 - Pillar Platform Fight
SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 6 - Scaling the Tower
SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 7 - Atop the Tower
==============================
SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1
==============================
Right, here we go. The Sand Dragon (because he is a rather DULL beast) has
stupidly rammed his head into the archway, and so doesn't have a HUGE degree
of room to manoeuvre in.
You are safe during this fight, as long as you stand right up against the
camera, so if you need to take a breather and get your bearings, head here.
The Sand Dragon attacks with a variety of biting attacks ranging from 1 snap,
to 2 snaps, to 3 snaps.
If you are a beginner then the best advice I can give you is to hang back and
watch his attacks to learn what they are, and then to rush forward (rolling
will close the distance reasonably quickly) and start unloading with the
strong hits, taking care to block his responses. If he knocks you back to
the camera, you will have had your block broken, and he will snap at you a
couple of times doing reasonable damage. If he knocks you to the side, you
should find you move that little bit closer to him (as in just inside the
crook of his neck), and can unleash HELL upon him no problem at all.
If you are adept at this game, then heed my advice for CRUSHING him :-
The safest place to do battle with the Sand Dragon from, is the top left-hand
corner of the area, as it is inside the crook of his neck, and he has quite
some difficulty snapping at you from there (but don't forget to block just
to be on the safe side). It is possible to do battle with him in this
position and take absolutely no damage during this stage of the fight.
Once he has taken enough damage, you will get a large health powerup, and he
will flail around for a bit before sinking his head to the ground. Run up
to him and press the button indicated, to begin the end-sequence for this
stage. You MUST hit the buttons in the right order, otherwise he will
throw you against the wall, and regain part of his health (meaning this
stage of his boss fight will become longer and harder than it needs to be).
Once you have correctly entered the commands (which will be Y, Tap B) you
will be HURLED up high into the air, and land on your back.
==============================
SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2
==============================
WASTING NO TIME, as the Sand Dragon is merely stunned, NOT dead, run to your
left (the camera pans), and keep going left until the ground breaks under your
feet and you slide down (Conan will say "I've GOT to keep moving").
Run to the left (Conan will say "This rooftop won't last", and keep running
to the left, jumping over two gaps as you go, and then having to jump up to
a slightly higher platform.
This leads you to the next actual fight with the Sand Dragon ...
==============================
SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 3
==============================
... the open air platform fight ! (Sorry, I really couldn't think what else
to call it !!).
The Sand Dragon has outpaced you, and must now be battered down again. He
rises up at the back of the platform you are standing on, all snake-like and
... snakey ... and engages you with a couple of nasty attacks, being :-
A) Expanding ring of flame (you will know he is about to do this because
he raises his head to the skies and glows with flaming energy before
breathing fire across the platform). This attack can be jumped over,
but your timing must be good.
B) Tongue Lash. He lashes out at you with his tongue. You CAN counter-
attack this move with the B button, but you must be VERY quick.
C) Bites. If you get too close to him, he will try and take a chunk out
of your manly butt with his snappy teeth - best dodged or blocked, and
I DON'T mean blocked with your arse ;)
As with the first fight with the Sand Dragon, as long as you stay as close to
the camera as possible, he CANNOT bite you. Therefore I would suggest
standing inbetween the two sets of black spiked railings, and jumping over
his flaming rings, and counter-attacking him. I wouldn't bother going in for
strikes unless you're brave, foolhardy, Spider-Man or on a VERY easy setting.
Once he has taken enough damage (from your well-timed counter-attacks or
other tomfoolery), he will once again slump onto the deck. Run up to him
and press the right combination of buttons when prompted (it will be X and
then B), and you will get up onto his head but, unfortunately, before you are
able to strike a killer blow, he comes to and shakes you off, causing you to
fly into a nearby building, smashing through one of the walls.
==============================
SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 4
==============================
From where you land, take out the Stygians and destroy the vases to get a bit
of green health, and then then run to the left and, when the Sand Dragon has
broken enough of this area for you to be ABLE to jump up, jump up the ledges
on the left-hand wall, and onto the platform at the top. DO NOT TRY AND
ENGAGE THE SAND DRAGON - JUST RUN AWAY FROM HIM.
When you reach the top (which puts you on a large wooden set of platforms),
run to the right and keep running until you can drop down the two wooden
platforms, to ultimately land (once again) on an open-air platform, which
leads us to ...
==============================
SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 5
==============================
... the Pillar Platform Fight.
As soon as you land on the platform the Sand Dragon's barbed tail will snake
up at the far end menacingly. Move to the far left corner, nearest the
camera to dodge the spines he shoots out, and he will make his slightly more
grand appearance, snorting at you before destroying the right-hand pillar.
You can do a LOT of damage to him at this point if you strike him from your
left-hand side whilst he's snaking up to do his first smash (of the right-
hand pillar), and if you remain in the top left-hand corner (retreating back
to behind the left-hand pillar when he raises his tail (until the left-hand
pillar is destroyed of course)), and time your rolls to avoid his head-smash
attacks, then you CAN defeat him in this stage without taking any damage
either !
His moves in this stage are :-
A) Rise up and slam his head down into the platform, causing a shockwave
which you can jump (you'll know he's about to do this as he snakes his
head veeeeeeeery slowly upwards before ramming it down);
B) Bites (in a number of different quantities, but as always he cannot
bite you if you hang around the back); and
C) Barbed Tail Spikes. He CANNOT hit you with them if you stay at the
bottom-left, AS LONG AS THE LEFT-HAND PILLAR REMAINS IN TACT. Once
THAT has fallen, try rolling to avoid the spikes as they hit all over
the bloody place.
Rush forward and hammer him with strong attacks, when he slowly raises his
head up get ready to jump away or roll away, as you won't be able to do him
any harm at that particular point in time, and when he drops down and the
tail pops up, get ready to either roll or jump away, unless the left-hand
pillar is up in which case hide in the bottom left-hand corner, nearest the
camera.
Once he has fallen, he chases you off the platform and onto a pillar, which
you cling onto and ascend, his response being to smack it with his tail,
causing it to fall into a set of wooden platforms built around ANOTHER tower
to the right.
==============================
SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 6
==============================
As soon as you are back in control of Conan, have him jump up to the first
ledge on the tower, then Right, Up, Left, Up, Left (if you want to get the
Treasure Chest) BUT DO NOT DAWDLE on that ledge as it crumbles rather quickly.
Assuming you've gone to the left and picked up the Treasure Chest, you will
then need to get back onto one of the central ledges to make the jump to the
pathway on the right. TO DO THIS, DO *NOT* JUMP - just run off the ledge,
aiming right and towards the centre of the pillar, and Conan should grab onto
the nearest ledge. If he fails to grab that one, there are two in line below
it, and he should grab one of those. If you jump then the odds are 95% likely
that you're going to plummet to your death.
Once you're on the central ledge to the left of the pathway that spirals off
to your right, jump to the right to get onto THAT pathway, and then follow it
as it snakes around the pillar upwards.
You will need to jump up onto one wooden ledge, and then over a reasonably-
large gap to another wooden ledge (which is made that little bit more awkward
because the camera is panning around the pillar as you go), before you reach
another section of ledges to jump around.
Jump Up, Right, and finally Up again to reach the highest platform, and set
the scene for ...
==============================
SAND DRAGON BOSS FIGHT STAGE 7
==============================
You will, I am sure, be ELATED to learn that this is the last stage of the
Sand Dragon Boss Fight ... WOOHOO !!
It's also one of the easiest, which is nice ... however if you don't know
what you're doing you WILL get battered, which is NOT so nice.
Your objective here is to knock the Sand Dragon back to the extent that he
backs off, giving you a little time to achieve 2 things. HOWEVER, the timing
of this stage of the fight means that you will have to do it like this :-
1) Knock the Sand Dragon back and stun him;
2) Achieve Objective 1;
3) Knock the Sand Dragon back and stun him;
4) Begin Objective 2;
5) Knock the Sand Dragon back and stun him;
6) Achieve Objective 2;
7) Sand Dragon FINALLY Dies.
The Sand Dragon's attacks in this stage are :-
A) Frenzied Tongue Lashing (block it to avoid damage and being drooled
all over, which is NEVER nice);
B) Biting (in various stylees) (block to avoid damage, but be aware that
if he hits you at the right angle he will break your block, and you
will take some damage);
C) Expanding Ring of Flame (as per the last time he used it - jump over
it to avoid it).
Once he has fallen back, smash your way through the wooden planks to the left,
and push over the massive rock (do not grab the green urn unless you need it -
remember you ARE running against the clock in this stage, and you do not
have enough time to pick up the green urn AND push over the rock). To push
over the rock, you need to "use" it with the RB button three times. This
will trigger a mini cutscene where you realise you are actually standing
atop a giant statue, and have just booted off one of its arms - an arm holding
some type of sword, which plummets to the ground below, sharp-end pointing
straight up ... hmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Once you are back in control, and have activated this cutscene (by which I
mean if you chose to get the green urn you will have to knock the Sand Dragon
back again and kick off the statue's arm before proceeding), do battle with
the Sand Dragon again to knock him back, and then head over to the LEFT-hand
side of this platform, and use the controls (RB, rotate the right-hand
thumbstick like billio). This will cause a giant ball of stone to be raised
up, and gradually be pulled to the left. Odds are you won't be able to get it
all the way up this time around, and will have to face the Sand Dragon for
another bout.
HOWEVER, once you've knocked him back a FURTHER time, you should have ample
time to complete this, your second objective on this level (just keep rotating
that thumbstick) and, when you're done, you will get your VERY well-deserved
cutscene.
========
ACT FOUR
========
ENEMY NAME - Tribal Warrior
DANGER RATING - 2/5
DESCRIPTION - Bald-headed man wearing face paint and carrying a two-handed
weapon. These are the grunts of the Tribe. They attack
quickly, and can do both block breakers and power attacks,
where the game slows just a touch and they raise their
staffs up before SLAMMING them into the ground to create
a mini shockwave.
CAN BE THROWN ? - Yes
OTHER NOTES - Aside from their speed, they are not too bad to fight.
------------
ENEMY NAME - Witch Doctor
DANGER RATING - 3/5
DESCRIPTION - They have face masks (BIG ones), and attack with sword and
shield, but are also able to cast spells from a distance
that rip up the earth with shockwaves and cause tusk-shaped
projectiles to shoot across the ground towards you. They
are NOT to be underestimated.
CAN BE THROWN ? - No
OTHER NOTES - Their face mask will come off when they have taken about
half-damage.
------------
ENEMY NAME - Tribal Hunter
DANGER RATING - 3/5
DESCRIPTION - Looking very similar to the regular Tribal Warrior, these
men use bow and arrow from a distance, and then switch to
brutal two-handed swords when you draw near. They are
suave combatants, able to cope very well with many of your
attacks, so be on your guard.
CAN BE THROWN ? - No
OTHER NOTES - They are versatile and not overly stupid. They also shoot
arrows over a VERY long distance, so be prepared to do a
fair share of dodging/rolling.
========
ACT FIVE
========
ENEMY NAME - Gorillaman
DANGER RATING - 3/5
DESCRIPTION - The Gorillaman is a huge, hulking man-beast that resembles
a Yeti or Caveman of old. He has huge muscles, but is not
hugely well-evolved, behaving very much like a primate. His
massive hands can deal heavy damage, and he likes to jump
and pound the ground, unleashing minor earthquakes to show
off his power.
CAN BE THROWN ? - You MUST be joking
OTHER NOTES - The best way to defeat the Gorillaman is to stand just out
of his range when he does his close-quarters punchy-chest-
poundy attack, and then to unleash 2 strong attacks whilst
he is preparing to attack you again. Rinse and repeat, and
keep an eye open for his ground pound attacks or you'll be
flat on your arse in no time ;)
------------
ENEMY NAME - Gorillaman Lobber
DANGER RATING - 2/5
DESCRIPTION - Having soft white hair in place of the regular Gorillaman's
dark smooth skin, the Gorillaman Lobber digs up boulders
from the earth to throw at you, meaning he has an
effectively unlimited supply of ammunition. The trade-off
is that he falls quickly in combat to strong attacks.
CAN BE THROWN ? - Nope, don't THINK so !! :)
OTHER NOTES - Crowd him and he will ordinarily try and back off to give
him a better chance of using his ranged powers against you.
THAT is the moment to lay the smack down ;)
------------
ENEMY NAME - Elephant God (aka Elephant Demon)
DANGER RATING - 3/5
DESCRIPTION - The Elephant God is NOT that tough an enemy to face - his
Boss Fight is short and reasonably sweet, and as long as you
keep your head, and avoid his concussive shockwave attacks,
you will do just fine.
CAN BE THROWN ? - You're joking, yes ? He's about 100 times your size !!
OTHER NOTES - None really - just keep calm ;)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
¦ B O S S F I G H T T I P S ¦
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
As with every boss fight (as you know), the Elephant God Boss Fight is
divided up into multiple sections (only 2 this time around though), being :-
ELEPHANT GOD BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1 - Meet and Greet
ELEPHANT GOD BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2 - The Puddle Fight
===============================
ELEPHANT GOD BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1
===============================
In this first stage of the Elephant God Boss Fight, he exhibits the following
main attacks :-
A) Tusk Slam (he slams his massive tusks sideways into obstacles, leaving
him vulnerable to counter-strikes during the lag);
B) War Cry (he blasts blue, sonic energy in a narrow cone-shape ahead
of him - you WILL take damage if you are in a direct line from it, so
BE SOMEWHERE ELSE); and
C) Stomp (he rears up and slams his hoofs down causing a shockwave to
emanate from the point at which he lands - jump or roll away to dodge).
Your objective here is to sever both the chains on the upper left and right
platforms. You won't be able to reach them without the help of the Elephant
God, so here's what I would like you to do.
1) Lure the Elephant God to either the left, or right-hand side of the
reasonably small arena in which you are currently combating him;
2) Do enough damage to him for his eyes to turn red, meaning a) he's
p!ssed off, and b) he's about to do a stomp and clear you a pathway
to the ledge on whichever side you are on.
3) Jump or dodge his stomp, and then vault over the now cleared area,
to get to the bottom of the platform.
4) The Elephant God will do a Tusk Slam (which you should avoid,
obviously) and then, when he is lodged against the wall, press the A
button when prompted to vault up onto him, and then press A and
whichever direction you need to, to jump up onto the platform nearby.
5) Destroy the small statue to release some green energy, and then cut
the chain, to cause a burning urn to drop down from above into the
black tar, hurting the Elephant God and causing him to yank himself
free of the rocks, tearing off one of his four massive tusks in the
process (OUCHIES !!).
6) Go back to 1), and do 1-6 for the other side of the arena.
Once he has lost two tusks, he screams and falls (apparently dead) back into
the black tar, forming a rather neat bridge for you to traverse to reach
A'Kanna. Move over him, and you can proceed to ...
===============================
ELEPHANT GOD BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2
===============================
--- CUTSCENE ---
As Conan strides confidently over the Elephant God's Corpse, it arises once
again behind him, ready to do battle with him anew.
--- END CUTSCENE ---
I have named this stage the Puddle Fight because the area in which you are
able to stand is not entirely safe - there are a number of black tar puddles
that you need to locate and avoid stepping in (they are at the back of your
area), and this can make moving to avoid the Elephant God a bit more taxing
than it was in the first stage.
In this stage the Elephant God exhibits the following attacks :-
A) War Cry (as per his attack in stage 1) - dodge it but be wary of
stepping into the black tar;
B) Stomp (same as before, but this time instead of causing a shockwave,
it causes rocks to fall from the ceiling down upon wherever he lands,
so be aware of that); and
C) Head Slam (he rises up and slams his jaw down into the ground, causing
a shockwave to emanate that throws you up into the air if you are hit
by it - jump or roll to avoid).
Go for strong hits on the schnoz (the nose) whenever you have the chance, and
ALWAYS be prepared to roll away if he rises up to do a War Cry or Stomp.
When you have done enough damage to him, his eyes will once again turn red,
and he will drop to the ground, with you being invited to execute the commands
B, A, Y, Y to sever the third of his tusks (poor lad - I actually do feel
really quite sorry for him) from his head.
You then need to do exactly the same thing again, but this time instead of the
previous set of button commands, you need to go B, X, B, B to sever his fourth
and final tusk from his head.
*sniff* *sniff*
This takes you onto the final piece of this stage, where you must do 100%
damage to the Elephant God (which will cause the two last little bits of his
two severed tusks to drop off), ending his undead existence, and trigger a
final cutscene.
============
HELPFUL HINT
============
Marc has been in touch with me to suggest an alternative way of engaging the
Elephant God during this second-stage of the Boss Fight. He says :-
"I did find a useful glitch in the second half of the elephant demon boss
fight. It will let you do that stage of battle taking virtually no damage.
As you know, there are three green flecked stalagmites available during the
second stage of the battle available for you to break and gain health.
Looking over Conan's shoulder, facing the lake and the skeletal pachyderm,
there would be one stalagmite toward your left and two to the very extreme
right. If you break the one on the right closest to the lake, it is possible
for Conan to stand in the space it occupied and be immune from anything the
elephant demon can throw at you; nothing it does can hurt you there. You are
still vulnerable to rocks falling from the ceiling, but you don't get hit
often, and damage is minimal. All you have to do is wait until the elephant
slams it's head down and keeps it there, then you run out and do damage.
When the elephant raises its head, simply retreat back to your safe spot and
wait for the next attack opportunity. This worked like a charm for me and I
took virtually no damage doing this, at least in the second half. Couldn't
find any easy solution to the first part, though"
Thanks Marc !! =)
=======
ACT SIX
=======
ENEMY NAME - Stygian Elite Swordsman
DANGER RATING - 3/5
DESCRIPTION - The Stygian Elite Swordsman is armed with a sword and
shield, and can project a blast of green energy from his
shield over a short distance that looks like green dust,
and which screws up your control system for a few seconds
(right and left, back and forward swap around, etc.),
making you easier prey for their attacks. They also have a
block-breaking running strike that is impressive to watch.
CAN BE THROWN ? - No
OTHER NOTES - These guys are the ones to watch out for - they are quick,
dangerous, and block well, so keep your eyes peeled !!
------------
ENEMY NAME - Stygian Archers
DANGER RATING - 1/5
DESCRIPTION - The Stygian Archers are just like the Pirate Archers from
Acts 1 & 2, save that they fire flaming arrows which do more
damage than their pirate relations.
CAN BE THROWN ? - Yes
OTHER NOTES - None, really.
------------
ENEMY NAME - Stygian Honour Guard
DANGER RATING - 4/5
DESCRIPTION - Able to block-break, block, and BREATHE FIRE (yes, you heard
me), these boys are NAILS and should be treated with respect
and care - BE VERY CAUTIOUS WHEN FIGHTING THEM. You'll
live longer if you take them out with a one-handed weapon &
a SHIELD ;). Their most devastating attack is a 4-hit combo
(2 fast, 1 block-breaking knockdown, fire breath whilst you
are on the floor) - it REALLY hurts, so avoid it at all
costs !
CAN BE THROWN ? - No
OTHER NOTES - Roll to avoid their fire breath or take MEGA damage ;)
=========
ACT SEVEN
=========
ENEMY NAME - Winged Lizards
DANGER RATING - 1/5
DESCRIPTION - Weird, dinosaur-style lizards that flap about causing more
nuisance than damage. When their eyes glow red they are
about to bite you, but this can be easily dodged and, with
a few strong strikes, they fall pretty nicely. They also
have a poisonous breath attack that can be countered, and
which will stun you for a few seconds if you are hit by it.
CAN BE THROWN ? - No
OTHER NOTES - None, really.
------------
ENEMY NAME - Sorceress Queen
DANGER RATING - 4/5
DESCRIPTION - A huge female upper torso atop a serpent's lower-half,
Chimera, the Sorceress Queen, is both grotesque and very
dangerous. She attacks with her staff, through which she
can channel red energy blasts and shockwaves, and by
bringing her followers back from Death's Door itself.
CAN BE THROWN ? - Nope
OTHER NOTES - She's a BITCH of the first order, and can really ruin your
day with her EXTREMELY annoying 4-hit combo.
------------
ENEMY NAME - Resurrected Stygian Warriors
DANGER RATING - 2/5
DESCRIPTION - Called back to life by Chimera, these fallen warriors lack
their weapons, but are given sharp claws to perform open-
hand strikes with, making them weak individually, but VERY
strong en masse.
CAN BE THROWN ? - Don't bother
OTHER NOTES - None, really.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
¦ B O S S F I G H T T I P S ¦
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a TOUGH boss fight, so we shall have to knuckle down. Obviously I
told you NOT to use the green urns, because you will need as much help as you
can get to make it through this one, believe me !!
As with all the other boss fights, the Chimera / Sorceress Queen Boss Fight
is divided up into sections, being :-
SORCERESS QUEEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1 - Hand-to-Hand #1
SORCERESS QUEEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2 - Warriors Awaken #1
SORCERESS QUEEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 3 - Hand-to-Hand #2
SORCERESS QUEEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 4 - Warriors Awaken #2
SORCERESS QUEEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 5 - Final Battle with Chimera
==================================
SORCERESS QUEEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1
==================================
The Sorceress Queen begins at the right-hand side of her battle arena, and
you begin at the centre. She has a number of attacks when she engages you
in hand-to-hand, being :-
A) 4-hit combo (3 short strikes followed up by a swinging, unblockable
hit that you must DOUBLE-roll away from);
B) Psyched-up strong stab that leaves a red trail, and is a block-
breaker, but not unblockable.
Additionally, she does not take a whole heck of a lot of damage from you in
hand-to-hand, so this is quite a slow-paced stage of her fight.
That being said, there is a ...
============
HELPFUL HINT
============
Mr Stuff has made contact with me to volunteer a couple of VERY, very helpful
hints that will assist you in this boss fight, being as follows :-
During Stage 1 of the Sorceress Queen Boss Fight, when she does her stab move
(move B on the above list), you can parry it and get a B prompt. If you do
this then Conan jumps onto her back and slams her head into the floor which
takes off a whole bunch of health (about 1/4 - 1/3 on hard)! It also gives
you a small window of breathing time as she gets back up. On the first
section of the fight she will usually say "you die now" (or something like
that). The move is not part of any of her combos, she just stabs out front.
Thanks Mr Stuff !!
====================
ANOTHER HELPFUL HINT
====================
BenHatinU has also been in touch to suggest another helpful way of despatching
the BIATCH that is the Sorceress Queen, being as follows :-
On either side of the level there are axe racks. All you have to do is grab
an axe and get within a few feet of her. Her staff will go red when she is
getting ready to strike. All you have to do is jump back out of the way of
the strike and then she leaves herself vulnerable. Throw the axe at her and
you take off a nice chunk of health. You can actually defeat her without
having to get too close to her. Although on the third stage you will have to
jump her energy ring. But it's a nice easy way to defeat her, just keep
chucking those axes and other weapons on the ground from the previous fight.
====================
Once she has taken enough damage we can move on to stage 2.
==================================
SORCERESS QUEEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2
==================================
Chimera slinks back to her Chalice, and casts a spell drawing upon the black
fluid that fills it. "Warriors, AWAKEN !!" she cries, as her black filth
pours forth, filling the lungs of the recently deceased Stygians and bringing
them back to life as puppets under her control.
The Stygians are nothing compared to how effective they were when they were
alive - HOWEVER, to make matters more interesting, Chimera fires blasts of
red energy from her staff into the ground in a regular pattern (first blasts
down the middle in a narrow cone; second blasts diagonally out and to the
sides), to try and fry you.
============
HELPFUL HINT
============
Mr Stuff has provided me with ANOTHER very cool hint that will help you in
THIS stage of the Boss Fight as well !! He says :-
"I also noticed that for the first warrior revive section if you stay to the
left or right of the chalice and fight the guys from there then you won't
get hit by any of her beams, unfortunately it doesn't work for the second
warrior revive.
"Finally I was using 2 handed and uppercut on the warriors gives you a good
bunch of health most of the time (X Y)."
Thanks again Mr Stuff =)
============
Once all the Stygians have been slain, we move onto stage 3.
==================================
SORCERESS QUEEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 3
==================================
Slinking back out of her Chalice to engage you in hand-to-hand combat once
again, Chimera exhibits the following attacks :-
A) 4-hit combo (3 short strikes followed up by a swinging, unblockable
hit that you must DOUBLE-roll away from);
B) Psyched-up strong swing that leaves a red trail, and is a block-
breaker, but not unblockable; and
C) Charged Attack (raises her staff and slams it point-first into the
ground, resulting in a red shockwave that ripples out, and must be
jumped over or rolled away from in good time, to avoid decent damage).
Once she has taken enough damage in this form, we go to stage 4.
==================================
SORCERESS QUEEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 4
==================================
As with stage 2, Chimera slinks back to her Chalice and casts her "Warriors,
AWAKEN !!" Spell. Isn't she getting tired of that ? I know I am !! Anyhow,
THIS time around there are plenty more Stygians to do battle with, and you
should take great care to avoid being penned into a corner, as their sharp
claw-attacks can demolish your health faster than Chimera herself !!
Also watch out for the Sorceress Queen's revised energy blast attacks - this
time she attacks in straight lines from left-to-right or right-to-left, and
in narrow cones from back to front. She does not WAVE the lines, however,
so once you see her starting to blast from back to front, my advice is to
ditch the Stygians and focus on rolling away from whatever line her attack is
coming at you from.
Once all the Stygians are dead (and relax, this time they ARE dead), her
Chalice breaks, and the Sorceress Queen falls back to the ground, wailing in
pain as she does so.
This take us onto stage 5 - the final stage of this boss fight.
==================================
SORCERESS QUEEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 5
==================================
In this stage, you start at the front of the battle arena (nearest the
camera), and Chimera is at the back. Her black tar has spilled all over the
arena floor, making your progress toward her VERY slow, and she emits wave
after wave of red energy toward you which is difficult to dodge because you
move AND JUMP at the same, very slow speed.
Get your timing right, however, and she won't be too much of a problem -
however, to REACH her, you must head diagonally up and to the top right-hand
corner of the arena, and then move to the left. Until you get to that point,
there will just be a question mark over her head.
==================================================================
ALTERNATIVE SUGGESTIONS FOR GETTING TO THE SORCERESS QUEEN QUICKER
==================================================================
Jameason has been in touch with me to point out that it is actually not only
POSSIBLE to head up the left-hand side of the arena to reach the Sorceress
Queen, it is actually a bit quicker to do so as well, as there is less
exposure to her sludgy goodness on the way ...
Cheers dude !! =)
====================
When you DO reach her, go B, X, Y, X, B, X, tap Y, X, tap X to defeat her.
============
HELPFUL HINT
============
WarCorpse18 has made contact with me to suggest that I point out to you (and
it IS worth pointing out, I agree), that the Sorceress Queen Boss Tappy Tappy
bit of the fight is VERY precise - considerably more precise than most in
fact - when it comes to the bit where I've put "tap Y". If you overtap, or
undertap, then she will just shuck you off her, and you'll have to do it all
over again from scratch, so WATCH THE TAPPAGE !!!!! =)
Thanks WarCorpse18 ;)
=========
ACT EIGHT
=========
ENEMY NAME - Argosian Archers
DANGER RATING - 2/5
DESCRIPTION - They fire fast, accurate, and without fear (meaning they
keep firing even if you are right in their faces - they do
not fall back for better vantage in general). Take them out
swiftly to avoid them becoming a pain in the arse. They
have AMAZING range on their bows, but the sparking noise
explosive arrows make whilst in flight gives their impending
attacks away ;) ROOOOOOOOOLL !!
CAN BE THROWN ? - Yes
OTHER NOTES - None, really.
------------
ENEMY NAME - Argosian Swordsman
DANGER RATING - 2/5
DESCRIPTION - They attack VERY quickly, but the charge-up for their
block-breaker move is slow, so they kinda even out. They
are hard to parry though, so be aware of that.
CAN BE THROWN ? - Don't bother
OTHER NOTES - None, really.
------------
ENEMY NAME - Argosian Elite Swordsmen
DANGER RATING - 4/5
DESCRIPTION - The Argosian Elite Swordsmen are some of the finest warriors
in Conan for the 360. They are fast, precise, strong,
SMART warriors with beautiful shields that function as both
an excellent defence AND an automatic counter-attack, owing
to the blades that run along their surface. You should
take them out with caution, and always watch out for the
retaliatory damage you will take from striking their shields
whilst the blades are out. They can throw their shields
and they will return, and finally they are able to charge
you (a block-breaker) with their shields !!!!!
CAN BE THROWN ? - Nope
OTHER NOTES - None, really.
------------
ENEMY NAME - Argosian Honour Guard
DANGER RATING - 3/5
DESCRIPTION - Whilst they are big and imposing-looking, and are armed with
a nasty whip which they can use to throw you about like a
rag doll (and which is very hard to counter owing to its
speed), they are poorer combatants than the Stygian Honour
Guard, and not particularly scary.
CAN BE THROWN ? - No
OTHER NOTES - None, really.
------------
ENEMY NAME - Tar Warriors (aka Ink-Covered Crewmen)
DANGER RATING - 2/5
DESCRIPTION - Whilst they are PISH individually, the Tar Warriors (who
re-occur later in the game) are QUITE annoying in multiples
as they attack quickly (they tend to lurch), and unleash
multiple swipes at you before running out of puff. They are
slow and generally easily-despatched, but DON'T GET PENNED
IN ;)
CAN BE THROWN ? - Yep
OTHER NOTES - None, really.
------------
ENEMY NAME - Giant Squid
DANGER RATING - 2/5
DESCRIPTION - The Giant Squid is not an overly tough boss to deal with,
truth be told. He is predictable, reasonably weak, and
unintelligent ... much like my boss. If you make good use
of the available terrain, and memorise which spots you will
be safe from his ink spray in, you will be juuuuuuuust fine.
CAN BE THROWN ? - Nope, not at all
OTHER NOTES - None, really.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
¦ B O S S F I G H T T I P S ¦
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Giant Squid Boss Fight is just like any other - it comes to you in
sections, being :-
GIANT SQUID BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1 - Slap Happy
GIANT SQUID BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2 - Mast Stranglehold #1
GIANT SQUID BOSS FIGHT STAGE 3 - Infection #1
GIANT SQUID BOSS FIGHT STAGE 4 - Mast Stranglehold #2
GIANT SQUID BOSS FIGHT STAGE 5 - Infection #2
GIANT SQUID BOSS FIGHT STAGE 6 - Mast Stranglehold #3
GIANT SQUID BOSS FIGHT STAGE 7 - Desperation and Anger
==============================
GIANT SQUID BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1
==============================
There are 2 green urns in the bottom right-hand corner, and top-left corner
of the boat should you start to take a pounding. There are also 2 blue urns
in the bottom left-hand corner, and top-right corner of the boat for you as
well.
In this first stage of the fight, the Giant Squid flings its tentacles out
of the water and slams them down onto the deck. You must sever the suckers
from the tentacles, causing pain to the beast.
The easiest way of doing this is to hand back behind the mast, as the Squid
cannot really attack you there, and to just slice off the tentacles as they
come right, left, right, left, repeat ad nauseum until he is down to zero
health - two strong attacks will sever a tentacle, in case you're wondering.
When he's done and dusted, we move on to ...
==============================
GIANT SQUID BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2
==============================
Frustrated at its inability to pound the ship to pieces, the Giant Squid
decides to try and wrap a single tentacle around the mast, and capsize the
boat. Use strong attacks to batter the tentacle until it can take no more
pain, and falls back.
We then come to ...
==============================
GIANT SQUID BOSS FIGHT STAGE 3
==============================
The Giant Squid decides to use one of its more icky powers, and wraps a
sucker around one of the crewmen, infecting him with its inky darkness, and
turning him into its slave. The crewman then proceeds to attack you !!
Keep striking at the tentacles that are poisoning the crew, and you will do
damage to the beast.
Once he has taken enough punishment, you can move onto ...
==============================
GIANT SQUID BOSS FIGHT STAGE 4
==============================
Back to his old tricks again - the Giant Squid decides to try once again to
pull the mast towards it, capsizing the boat. Slice its tentacle with strong
attacks to put pay to its plans in short order.
Then we can move onto ...
==============================
GIANT SQUID BOSS FIGHT STAGE 5
==============================
Another attempt to infect the crew, save this time the Giant Squid combines
its sucker-hold on crewmembers with slapping the deck with OTHER suckers,
making it more awkward to reach your comrades.
Stand behind the mast again and your expose to the Squid will be minimised.
==========================================================================
NB. IF YOU NEED TO USE EITHER THE BLUE OR GREEN URNS, NOW IS THE LAST TIME
YOU WILL BE ABLE TO GET AWAY WITH IT.
==========================================================================
Keep slicing and dicing those tentacles and you will be just fine. Then
we get to ...
==============================
GIANT SQUID BOSS FIGHT STAGE 6
==============================
YET ANOTHER attempt to capsize the BLOODY boat !! Although this time he's
really quite desperate so you MUST get to his tentacle quickly, or you will
lose BIG stylee.
Once you've struck him again - BAD Squid BAD !! We can go on to ...
==============================
GIANT SQUID BOSS FIGHT STAGE 7
==============================
Now he's getting REALLY mad. The Squid latches onto the vessel with as many
tentacles as he has left it seems, pulling himself up onto it and partially
capsizing it in the process.
This means you are no longer able to reach either the blue or green urns !!
In this final stage, the Giant Squid exhibits the following attacks :-
A) Sucker Smash (as per his previous attacks - he raises up his suckers
and smashes them down onto the main deck);
B) Ink Spray (he sprays about 75% of the deck with oil, leaving only the
very far left and very far right untouched, and instantly poisoning
any crewmen that come into contact with him);
Best way to defeat him here is to hang on the VERY far left, wait for him to
spray his gunk all over the boat (he will travel from left to right), and then
LEG it after him and unleash a strong combo whilst avoiding the crewmen,
before rolling back to the safety of the very left-hand side of the boat.
Once the Squid is down to zero health, Conan will automatically engage it
in a cutscene.
========
ACT NINE
========
ENEMY NAME - Bone Cleaver II
DANGER RATING - 3/5
DESCRIPTION - Bone Cleaver II attacks in two different stylees, both of
which are devastatingly powerful - his first shows him
coming at you with a two-handed weapon; his second with a
ball and chain. He is also backed up by a lion when the
match starts, so that should be the first enemy you take
out.
CAN BE THROWN ? - That boy has never been thrown in his entire life, sorry,
but nope
OTHER NOTES - None, really.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
¦ B O S S F I G H T T I P S ¦
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yup, our boy is back and he's MAD. REAL mad. Bone Cleaver II has a number
of abilities similar to those he exhibited the first time we fought him,
and a new bag of tricks to keep us amused ...
As with every boss fight, his is divided up into sections, his being :-
BONE CLEAVER II BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1 - Meet and Greet
BONE CLEAVER II BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2 - The Old Ball & Chain
===========================================================================
NB. THERE APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN SOME CONFUSION AS TO WHETHER OR NOT YOU HAVE
TO FIGHT BONE CLEAVER IN *BOTH* STAGES OF THIS FIGHT ON NORMAL DIFFICULTY
AS I HAVE HEARD DIFFERENT ACCOUNTS - I WAS FIRST CONTACTED BY EVERGREY06,
WHO DIDN'T HAVE TO DO THE SECOND PART OF THE FIGHT ON NORMAL, AND THEN
LATER BY NIGHTFALL, WHO DID.
I HAVE SINCE HEARD BACK FROM NIGHTFALL WHO HAS DONE SOME FURTHER RESEARCH
INTO THE MATTER ON OUR BEHALF, AND HE SAYS (AND I QUOTE) :-
"I've finally figured out what is going on with the two stages of the
Bone Cleaver 2 Boss Battle. I played the game again on Medium (Normal)
and this time when I fought the Bone Cleaver 2 battle I tapped B when
prompted by the game after the first stage was over. This ended the
fight and I didn't have to fight the second stage. The first time I
played this (also on Normal), I missed hitting the B button and I had to
fight the second stage. So apparently, it all depends on whether or not
you hit that B button when prompted. That's quite a severe punishment
for not hitting the button, don't you think? An entire new stage of the
battle, and five times more difficult than the first. Anyway, I'm glad
I finally figured it out."
SO THANKS TO BOTH EVERGREY06 AND TO NIGHTFALL FOR THEIR COLLECTIVE INPUT
INTO THIS ISSUE !! :)
===========================================================================
==================================
BONE CLEAVER II BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1
==================================
Bone Cleaver isn't alone this time around, OH no. He's got a lion to keep him
company. Take out the lion first, and then we'll focus on Bone Cleaver. If
you're having trouble with the lion, then retreat to the camera (as in, as
near to us as you can get), grab one of the water vases and throw it at the
lion to automatically stun it. HOWEVER, be careful as, more often than not,
Bone Cleaver will take that as an opportunity to throw a Bolas at you and, if
it hits, the lion will have come to by the time you break free =./
Bone Cleaver's attacks at this point are :-
A) Kick (which stuns you);
B) MASSIVE Combo (includes an unblockable hit, and should be avoided
at ALL costs);
C) Ground Pound (raises his two-handed sword above his head and dashes
it to the ground, causing a shockwave); and
D) Bolas (he glows blue and then throws a bolas at you, which ropes you
to the spot - tap B to escape from it).
The best technique I have learned to adopt for tackling him in this stage is
as follows :-
1) Take out the lion (use magic if you have to - you can't really use
magic EFFECTIVELY against Bone Cleaver);
2) DUPE Bone Cleaver by feigning a strong attack, and then when he goes
to attack you faster, roll away and then capitalise on his mistakes.
He does try to block the occasional hit, and when he does so, you can hit him
with a whole string of strong attacks in a combo, so whip out the best one
you've got in your repetoire.
Whenever he goes for his bolas, roll away and, if you ARE hit, make sure you
jam on the B button as fast and frequent as you can - if he gets close enough
to you, you WILL be slain immediately.
==================================================================
ALTERNATIVE SUGGESTIONS FOR TAKING DOWN BONE CLEAVER II IN STAGE 1
==================================================================
Mahk23 has very kindly made contact with me to provide me with some great
suggestions for doing battle with Bone Cleaver II on HARD difficulty, but I
see no reason why these cannot be applied to other difficulties just as well.
He says :-
"Center Bonecleaver in the center of the room, on the brownish tiles.
Begin to abuse the right analog stick, evading constantly, try to learn to
evade around in a circle. The reason why this works is because normally if
you pace around Bonecleaver, he waits for your attack before he moves.
However, the evade roll really seems to p!ss him off, haha. He will attack
with all his moves randomly, even if you aren't near him and he is still in
screen. Using this to your advantage, start smacking him with the good 1-2
in the openings and he falls instantly.
"The evade roll gets you out of the "shockwave" effects from the sword/chain
slam, but the roll has to already be in effect, so you can't land RIGHT when
he hits. It's a low chance but it happened to me.
"Never roll toward/away from him in a line from an attack. Instead, always
roll side to side for best evasion.
"Using the constant roll is useful against the bolas, I would say 20% of
the time he hit me."
Cheers Mahk23 =)
====================
Unless you are playing the game on normal (in which case you get a B button
prompt at the end of Stage 1 and, upon successfully pressing it, Bone
Cleaver takes a DIVE like the BITCH he is), then when you knock Bone Cleaver
down to zero health, we move on to ...
==================================
BONE CLEAVER II BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2
==================================
Disposing of his two-handed sword and electing to use a ball and chain, Bone
Cleaver STILL means business (poor lad doesn't know he's already dead !!)
Ha ha.
In this stage of proceedings, his attacks are :-
A) Swift Strike (a quick once-around flick with the ball & chain - hard
to dodge, but try rolling away if you see it coming);
B) Ground Pound (different than the first time around as he's using the
ball & chain, so the move lags longer than it did with the sword
as he needs to wind up to it. When he strikes the ground it unleashes
a HEAUUUUGE shockwave, so roll or jump AWAY from him - don't jump up
if you're already in hand-to-hand *points up at the whirling ball &
chain and winks at you*); and
C) Kick (as before, but he will ALWAYS try and follow this move up with
a Swift Strike during this stage of play).
Best advise I can give you here is to try and avoid getting SPLATTED by his
ball and chain. Whilst he may be slower in bringing some moves to bear, he
is generally LESS likely to block during this stage, and poses just as much
a danger now as he did in the first stage, if not moreso. The radius of his
shockwaves is HUGE, and the game IS smart enough to work out that if you're
too close and you jump to get away from him whilst he's prepping a shockwave
attack, you WILL get chobbled up by his ball and chain above you, so BE
WARNED.
==================================================================
ALTERNATIVE SUGGESTIONS FOR TAKING DOWN BONE CLEAVER II IN STAGE 2
==================================================================
Again, Mahk23 has provided me with some great suggestions for this section of
the boss fight as well (if you're fighting Bone Cleaver II on HARD). He
says :-
"During the ball/chain mode, the best move to take advantage of is the one
your refer to as 'Swift Strike (a quick once-around flick with the ball &
chain - hard to dodge, but try rolling away if you see it coming);' During
that attack I found I could use the Y, Y, Y combo while using the one-handed
stance. This ended up doing massive damage to him during that fight
sequence.
"After using the X and Y combos a lot, I found that I liked using the Y, Y
combo for the 1-2's, and the Y, Y, Y combo for the situation stated above.
It seemed to produce more damage potential than the X combo variations."
Thanks again mon ami !!
Alternatively, if you're fighting Bone Cleaver II on one of the lower
difficulty settings, then you might like to put into practice the FOLLOWING
suggestion that I got from justacityboy, who says :-
"I was trying to fight him the same way I did in stage one (two handed
sword and triple-striking when he tries to block), and kept getting my ass
kicked, but then I switched to dual-wielding axes (they're in a rack on
the left side of the battle area) and it was a lot easier. You let him
kick you, and then roll behind him as soon as you can recover. You can get
3 good hard hits on him before he can recover from his swing with the ball
and chain. Makes the stage go by really quickly. When I switched to this
strategy I finished the half of the stage in about 4 more of his kicks.
If you're rolling right, you'll be just behind him on his left right
before he finishes his downward swing, so you won't take any damage from
it ... but he will from you."
Thanks justacityboy !
====================
Once he has taken 100% damage, press the B button when prompted to end this
combat and get yourself a cutscene.
=======
ACT TEN
=======
ENEMY NAME - Desert Warrior
DANGER RATING - 3/5
DESCRIPTION - Desert Warriors Dual-Wield 2 one-handed swords, and use the
Savage Spin move to DEADLY effect, as well as charging into
close-quarters combat. They are ok on a 1-2-1, but when you
start to deal with 2 or more at a time, be VERY careful
about where you are standing, and how easily you can be
pinned at your current location.
CAN BE THROWN ? - No
OTHER NOTES - None, really.
------------
ENEMY NAME - Desert Pikeman
DANGER RATING - 3/5
DESCRIPTION - Desert Pikemen may LOOK slightly weaker than the Desert
Warriors, but BELIEVE me they are not. They have some truly
BEAUTIFUL moves with their staves and can spin them around
their bodies to end with some massive hits - watch out for
them, and DON'T underestimate them.
CAN BE THROWN ? - No
OTHER NOTES - None, really.
==========
ACT ELEVEN
==========
ENEMY NAME - Blue Wraith
DANGER RATING - 2/5
DESCRIPTION - Blue Wraiths Dual-Wield, and have a very nice multi-hit
delayed combo (you will think they have stopped, but they
will repeat the end-move 3 times so keep guarding). They
fall quickly to two-handed attacks, as they don't block too
well.
CAN BE THROWN ? - They have no legs dude.
OTHER NOTES - None, really.
------------
ENEMY NAME - Purple Wraith
DANGER RATING - 3/5
DESCRIPTION - Purple Wraiths are arguably more dangerous than Blue Wraiths
owing to the strength and prevalence of their guarding skill
which is VERY good - they are armed with a one-handed weapon
and a shield, and block like billio. Batter down their
defences and wreak havok upon them.
CAN BE THROWN ? - They have no legs dude.
OTHER NOTES - None, really.
------------
ENEMY NAME - Brown Wraith
DANGER RATING - 1/5
DESCRIPTION - Brown Wraiths use two-handed swords to attack you, and are
the strongest hitters, but poorest combatants of the wraith-
world, as they are SO obvious to predict in combat. They
do wield their two-handed weapons QUICKLY, but they lag when
they attack, and should pose no real problems for you.
Brown Wraiths are also responsible for all the pillars and
statues that fall upon you as you fight, so be wary of that.
CAN BE THROWN ? - They have no legs dude.
OTHER NOTES - None, really.
------------
ENEMY NAME - Giant Statue
DANGER RATING - 3/5
DESCRIPTION - Giant Statues are slow and, once you have mastered their
array of attacking moves, easy to deal with on a 1-2-1 in
combat. HOWEVER, the strength of their ground-pound move
is not to be underestimated, and it is difficult to avoid
on a GOOD day, so beware of that. They do a very nice 5-
hit slow combo that people tend to assume has finished
before time (2 fast, 2 block-breakers, 1 fast).
CAN BE THROWN ? - Never ever McNEVERever, no.
OTHER NOTES - None, really.
==========
ACT TWELVE
==========
ENEMY NAME - Graven
DANGER RATING - 5/5
DESCRIPTION - Graven is a MOFO - he fights in two different forms - very
bendy Graven for the kids, and central spinny Graven for the
grown-ups, and is backed up by HORDES of Tar Warriors, not
to mention his tentacles, so BE VERY CAREFUL, and be VERY
patient !!
CAN BE THROWN ? - Nope, never.
OTHER NOTES - None, really.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
¦ B O S S F I G H T T I P S ¦
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Graven is the most difficult of the bosses in Conan and, as with every other
boss fight, his is divided up into multiple sections, being as follows :-
GRAVEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1 - Plastic Man #1
GRAVEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2 - The Whirligig #1
GRAVEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 3 - Plastic Man #2
GRAVEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 4 - The Whirligig #2
GRAVEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 5 - Plastic Man #3
GRAVEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 6 - The Whirligig #3
GRAVEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 7 - Final Cutscene
PLEASE NOTE that you will lose your Magic Spells progressively during this
boss fight. As soon as you begin the fight you will notice that you have
already lost your Stone Prison Spell (not that it would do you any good here
anyway). I will point out where you lose your other spells.
PLEASE ALSO NOTE that there is a revised strategy for defeating Graven, kindly
contributed by Dr Nordo, at the end of this boss fight, for your perusal !!
=========================
GRAVEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 1
=========================
I've chosen to call this section Plastic Man because ... well ... you'll see.
Graven should have been renamed Pepparami or something 'coz he's bendy, funny
and not very intimidating unless you are DEATHLY afraid of toffee, but hey,
whatever.
In this stage of his boss fight he exhibits the following main attacks :-
A) Charged-up unblockable hit (with a delay beforehand so you can get out
of the way - roll to avoid);
B) 3-hit combo (fully blockable - either block or roll away to avoid);
C) Fist Slam (raises his fist and slams it into the ground, creating a
part of his body to shoot through the ground and strike out at you).
Engage him in hand-to-hand and, when he has taken 100% damage in this form,
Graven goes into a dramatic cutscene where you will be prompted to press a
series of buttons to overcome him.
This time around, the buttons are B, A, Y at the right time and, if you do
them in the right order, you will get to move onto the next stage of the
boss fight ... if, however, you fluff them up ? Then they will (as has been
pointed out to me by GIJoeJeff) CHANGE for your next attempt, so BE AWARE of
that. This is the same in all the similar stages of this boss fight.
=========================
GRAVEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 2
=========================
The boss fight is about to take a ... DIFFERENT ... turn ...
During the second, fourth and sixth sections of this boss fight you will be
expected to activate one of the cogs around the outside of the Dais to spin
the central section OF the Dais sufficiently to align the arrow on the
central section with the cog you are manning. Once you have done this, you
will strike Graven, and lose a Magic Spell. HOWEVER, to make it harder for
you, he will attack you in a number of different stylees ... so ... here we
go.
Graven rematerialises in the centre of the Dais, and you should IMMEDIATELY
run to your right around the Dais, to the closest cog on the right, which will
be raised up in a mini-cutscene.
You need to RUN because if you're able to get there before the cutscene begins
during which the cog is raised, THIS will be your respawning point if (or
should I say when) you die.
As soon as you reach the cog, use RB to activate it and tap X like it's going
out of fashion. As soon as you have pressed the RB button, Tar Warriors will
arise on both sides of you, so you need to get as much of the turning done
as you can at this point, but try NOT to do a complete revolution of the cog,
as the animation of Conan going back to the start point to grab it again is
uninterruptible, and time-consuming, leaving you open to both tentacle- and
Tar Warrior-attacks.
==========================================================================
NB. DO NOT use a Magic Spell here - you WILL need it later on, believe me.
==========================================================================
Once you have been surrounded by Tar Warriors, run away to the right, avoiding
Graven's tentacles (you can jump over them or roll under them at this point,
but jumping is easier and safer).
Try and work out the gaps between the tentacles (they ARE equidistant), and
take out ALL the Tar Warriors when you have the opportunity. The KEY to the
Graven Boss Fight is timing and patience - DO NOT RUSH YOURSELF !!
Once all the Tar Warriors are dead move back to the cog and, once Graven
draws all his tentacles back into his body and you have a few seconds to make
your move, grab the cog again, and give it another damned good thrashing.
If you still haven't got the arrow to where it needs to be, just stand in
place and jump over the tentacles until you get another break, as there won't
be any more Tar Warriors in this stage.
Once you have aligned the symbol with the cog, you get a beautiful mini-
cutscene, in which Graven is bombarded with Fire Rain from above, and takes
a pounding.
This brings us to ...
=========================
GRAVEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 3
=========================
You will have just LOST your Fire Rain Spell.
Graven rematerialises on the Dais, and enter into hand-to-hand combat with
you again.
THIS time, he exhibits the following as his main attacks :-
A) Charged-up unblockable hit (with a delay beforehand so you can get out
of the way - roll to avoid);
B) 3-hit combo (fully blockable - either block or roll away to avoid);
C) Fist Slam (raises his fist and slams it into the ground, creating a
part of his body to shoot through the ground and strike out at you).
He can either grab you or just stab you this time.
D) Downward-swipe with his claws and then a stab (which remains dangerous
for a good second or so after his animation has ended).
Once Graven has taken 100% damage in THIS stage, you are asked to press Y, X,
B, A, Y during the very nice and drawn-out cutscene, before you hand him his
butt on a plate.
This brings us to ...
=========================
GRAVEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 4
=========================
Your objective here is the same as it was in stage 2, so run to the right as
fast as you can, as soon as you gain control over Conan, and start spinning
the first cog you reach.
As soon as you press RB you activate the Tar Warriors around you, and Graven's
tentacles come after you as they did last time - HOWEVER, THIS time around,
he attacks with high AND low tentacle-attacks, meaning you have to jump and
roll faster to avoid him.
Aside from that it's the same old, same old. Take out his Tar Warriors when
you get a chance, and then focus on twisting the cog so that the symbol aligns
perfectly with it.
Once you have done this, you will be treated to a further cutscene, in which
you unleash the power of your Raven Plague Spell upon him, pecking him to
pieces.
We can now proceed to ...
=========================
GRAVEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 5
=========================
You will have just LOST your Raven Plague Spell.
This is the final stage in which he will engage you in hand-to-hand and AREN'T
you glad of that !!
This time he's PROPER mad, and uses the following as his main attacks.
A) Charged-up unblockable hit (with a delay beforehand so you can get out
of the way - roll to avoid);
B) 3-hit combo (fully blockable - either block or roll away to avoid);
C) Fist Slam (raises his fist and slams it into the ground, creating a
part of his body to shoot through the ground and strike out at you).
He can either grab you or just stab you this time too.
D) Downward-swipe with his claws and then a stab (which remains dangerous
for a good second or so after his animation has ended).
E) Block-breaker combo with unblockable finish (sounds like an advert for
BLEACH or something !! This is an aggravating combo where the energy
trails are orange for the first four hits, and then red for the fifth,
unblockable attack. Roll away to avoid it.
Once he has taken 100% damage in this form, you will be promped to press Y, X,
B, A, Y, tap X, B at the appropriate time to BEAT that MUTHA down, which takes
us to the PENULTIMATE stage of the fight ...
=========================
GRAVEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 6
=========================
You will be DELIGHTED to hear that this is the last of the SECOND phase of
combat with Graven that you will have to endure ... err ... I mean ENJOY !! =)
In THIS stage, as with stages 2 and 4, you must run to the right, get to the
cog ASAP, press RB tap X to spin it, HOWEVER ... THIS time Graven will send
out warriors from the central tar pit AND the tar pit around the last cog (and
that's a LOT of Tar Warriors). The ones that come from the central tar pit
WILL re-spawn, so crowd-control is only a partial solution here.
Additionally, his tentacles follow the same basic pattern as the fourth stage,
but they tend to shoot out a bit more randomly, which can intimidate the
less-diehard player.
You need never fight the Tar Warriors - just run around the outside of the
Dais avoiding the tentacles, and they will slowly pursue you. Then, as and
when the opportunity presents itself, grab the cog and tap X with all your
might to twist it.
Once you have aligned the symbol with the cog, you get to ...
=========================
GRAVEN BOSS FIGHT STAGE 7
=========================
DO NOT PUT YOUR CONTROLLER DOWN - this IS a cutscene, but it is ALSO a fight
so be ready ;)
--- CUTSCENE ---
The ground underneath Graven ignites, and a hole is burnt into the Dais where
he stands.
He plummets down to what looks like his demise, but as Conan is just about
to breathe a sigh of relief, Graven shoots a tentacle up and wraps it around
Conan's leg, in a Gandalf stylee.
Conan is dragged down into the depths of the earth along with Graven, and the
fight continues.
You must Tap Y, and then press X, B, and finally Tap A to beat this BOZO.
============================================================================
¦ IMPORTANT NOTE ¦
============================================================================
¦ It is possible that you will be asked to the A button before the above ¦
¦ list of buttons - I have been reliably informed of this by cyberwrat, so ¦
¦ please be aware of that ... thanks cyberwrat =) ¦
============================================================================
===========================================================================
D R N O R D O ' S A L T E R N A T I V E G R A V E N S T R A T E G Y
===========================================================================
I found a couple of neat strategies for this fight that weren't mentioned in
your strat. With patience I was able to beat Graven without taking any
damage.
In the 3 Plasticman stages I found that it was very effective to dance just
out of melee range with Graven and wait for him to attack. Watch for his
combo and his move where he punches through the ground, especially. After he
does his combo you can take a couple of steps forward and hit him with
Uppercut (I found the 2H weapons to be the most effective against him). When
you see him about to do the "punch through the floor" move, jump towards him.
If done properly this will dodge the attack and put you directly in melee
range where you can get a double heavy combo. More than 2 strikes puts you
at risk though. As for his attack where he makes the single (red) strike, I
found it was best to just ignore that attack. It turned out that he would
oftentimes take that opportunity to do a "punch through the ground" and if
Conan is in the middle of an attack he's not going to be able to dodge it.
With this tactic you can take him down in all 3 Plasticman phases without
taking any damage.
For the Whirlygig phases I did like you mentioned and ran directly right to
the first cog and started grinding away at it until the Tar Men spawned and
then immediately started running CCW (to the right). I found that you can
maintain an orbit where you will not ever have to jump over a tentacle
(because you are moving around the room at the same speed that Graven is
rotating). Maintaining this orbit also has two other key advantages. First
of all, the time it takes you to run around the room once is almost exactly
the time that Graven will be throwing out his tentacles meaning that once you
get back to the cog you will be free to rotate it.
Now you might be wondering about the Tar Men. Well, the other advantage of
maintaining the proper orbit around Graven is that the Tar Men tend to become
bunched up together and by the time you arrive back at the cog they tend to
be a considerable distance away giving ample opportunity to crank on the cog
for a few seconds before Graven's tentacles spawn again. Then go back to
orbiting Graven and heading back for the cog. I found that trying to fight
the Tar Men was far too risky. If they hit you once they're gonna stun you
and leave you wide open for Graven's tentacles which will rip you apart and
leave you vulnerable to further Tar Man combos. So yeah, all 6 phases I
never killed a single Tar Man. It worked wonders.
============================================================================
¦ T H A N K S D R N O R D O ¦
============================================================================
==============================================================================
¦ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ¦
==============================================================================
As I mentioned at the top of this guide, I would like to dedicate it as a
piece of work to Nabeel Rizwan Rafi - a charming young lad that lives in India
and who has made contact with me to give me one of the most uplifting
appraisals of my work I've ever received.
Mate, this is for you ;)
==============================================================================
¦ Copyright Mister Sinister, 2007 ¦
==============================================================================
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