With the release ofThe First Berserker: Khazan’sdemo, you’re given a hefty chunk of the opening sections to try out the game for yourselves before its release.
One of the highlights of this demo is the Blade Phantom boss fight at the climax, an intense showdown thatrequires skill and finesse to overcome.
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Not to mention, the combat learning curve is reminiscent of aSoulsborne title, so the Blade Phantom can have you stuck on him with several re-tries under your belt.
Knowing how to beat the Blade Phantom isn’t exactly a walk in the park, so I’ve prepared a strategy to help you easily practice and beat this guy to a pulp.
The guide is based on the game’s demo version, but if any significant changes occur in the full release regarding this boss fight, we’ll update the guide accordingly.
How To Prepare For The Blade Phantom
Before I discuss the boss’s moveset and strategy, you must understand the loadout I used and the reasoning behind it. I’ve also included any additional details besides those below.
The Spear has the longest reach out of the three weapon types. It’s fast, makes your attacks more agile, and allows you to poke the Blade Phantom quickly from a good distance when attacking.
Although based on your armor drop RNG, having 2 or 3 armor pieces of the Ashen Wolf provides beneficial buffs like Dodge Stamina cost Decrease, Health Recovery Increase, and damage Increase to your Potent Blows.
Both accessories boost Stamina Recovery Rate, and with how aggressively we need to play against this boss and dodge/parry him, you’ll need all the stamina you can get here for an optimal playstyle.
Moonlight is the most important skill to have here, giving you a third slash at the end of your light attack chain. Chaser will help us extend our damage window when we exhaust Blade Phantom, and the endurance skill at two stacks is beneficial in reducing stamina cost for guarding.
With the setup out of the way,if you’re wondering about the level requirement, I went in at level 16,and the fight was completely doable.
But if you feel your damage is lacking and want to farm enemies for extra levels, that’s fine. Either way, the fight itself will still beskill-dependent for the most part,especially when learning his various attack patterns.
Blade Phantom Attacks & Moveset
As is the case with any souls-like or even bosses fromKoei Techmo’s Nioh games, the Blade Phantom can cycle between a multitude of attacks.
A couple of Blade Phantom’s attack chains have a rhythmic style to them, so attempt to adapt to their hit flow to practice your parry timing.
Even besides the attacks I discuss,he will mix those up with newer ones or modify their pattern in the 2nd phase,so it’s important that you learn to dodge and parry. Practice and patience are key here.
How To Defeat The Blade Phantom
The best way to defeat the Blade Phantom in The First Berserker: Khazan involves utilizing the spear for quick damage and correctly managing your stamina gauge.
Your first few runs should ideally be focused on learning his moveset. Don’t worry; if you die, you’ll respawn right outside the boss room.
Here’s the breakdown:The Blade Phantom is fairly tame with his aggressiveness for the first phase. Get in withquick pokes using the spear,followed by the third hit of the Moonlight Slash.
Theother key detail of the strategy here is maintaining your stamina.The game’s combat heavily relies on the stamina system for both you and the enemy, and unsurprisingly, even a boss like Blade Phantom has it.
You don’t want to drain your stamina meter completely and become exhausted, which could leave you open to a dangerous attack. It’s betterjust to play it safewhile still being aggressive in your minor attack windows.
If you manage to almost drain Blade Phantom’s stamina, he’ll attempt to walk backwards to recharge his stamina, a great opportunity to get some damage in him.
Sure, the spear’s attacks are quick,but I strongly advise against being too greedy with your offense.Get in two sets of the spear’s 3-hit chains, back off, and recharge for a brief second.
If you can successfully parry full attack chains, you can interrupt the combo, allowing you to attack more, exhaust the Blade Phantom easily, and allow for a brutal strike for some vicious damage to his health bar.
When he’sat 50 percent health, you’ll enter the second phaseof the fight, which becomes significantly more challenging. He’ll add slight variations to his existing attacks and more.
From my personal experience with the runs I did, Blade Phantom will more than likely open up the 2nd phase with theaforementioned Claw Furry combo,so attempt to practice completely avoiding it or other follow-up attacks after it.
Other than that, the same strategy from the first phase is maintained here. When he’s exhausted and open for a brutal attack, you’ll always have a second for a spear combo before executing the brutal attack animation.
Avoid sprinting too much; instead, only do it when you need to create distance to heal yourself.Try to reposition yourself just from strafing alone to maximize your stamina on guarding and dodging.
Nothing much else needs to be said here. Besides that, you’ll understandably be caught in his grab attacks initially, so learn to dodge them accordingly, especially the unexpected ones in the second phase.
Rewards For Beating The Blade Phantom
In addition to reaching the curtain call for the game’s demo, you receive the following rewards for defeating the Blade Phantom:
