Bosses
Every depth ends with a boss. There are five, and they repeat in the same order, getting tougher each cycle.
| Depth | Boss | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| 1, 6, 11 ... | Gateward | A knight who guards the way down |
| 2, 7, 12 ... | Nightrend | A giant wolf that hunts you and calls its pack |
| 3, 8, 13 ... | Voidshiv | A quick assassin with blades and shadow clones |
| 4, 9, 14 ... | Nemesis | A warrior with a huge sword and wide sweeps |
| 5, 10, 15 ... | Nrisca | The hardest boss of the cycle |
How boss attacks work
Every attack shows a warning before it lands. The warning area shows where the hit will be. Move out of it, then strike when the boss is open. Many attacks aim at where you stand, and lock their aim part of the way through the warning, so keep moving until the last moment.
How bosses scale
- Boss health grows with depth, with a cap.
- Every five depths the bosses step up: tighter aim, shorter warnings and less time between attacks.
- At depth 1 to 5 a boss uses one attack at a time. From depth 6 it chains two, and from depth 11 three.
- From depth 6 bosses start to fake you out with delayed hits and attacks that change timing.
Tips
- Watch the warning, not the boss.
- Do not walk into the boss to hit it right after a dodge. Wait for the opening.
- The Clear View and Keen Eye upgrades help read warnings in the dark.
- If you die on a boss, the Bloodstain waits for you in the same depth.
The mini boss
When Awakening is low, a mini boss called the Abysslayer can appear before a ghost fight. It moves by fading out and appearing elsewhere. Defeating it restores Awakening, and you can choose to skip the reward.