Stoneshardis a hardcore RPG with a nostalgic, old-fashioned design. The game is in Early Access currently, but when it’s finished, it has a fighting chance to land on thelist of the Best Modern-Day CRPGs. True to form, every enemy you encounter in the Prologue is deadly. None more so than Archon, the final boss. He has a lot at his disposal: area of effect spells, summoning zombies, and healing those zombies, all while pecking away at you from within his impenetrable bubble. Once he’s on the ropes, he transforms into a bloodthirsty gargoyle. He’s tough, but once the player gets the gist of his strategies, he can be beaten.
Archon appears on the third floor, called The Corrupted Cathedral, of the Prologue quest. He appears to have some of Verren’s friends captured and hauled up in cages over a haphazard altar. They have varying opinions about what Verren should do next. There are two large statues on either side of Archon. Those will be important soon.
After some tense dialogue, the fight begins…
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How the Archon Fight Works
While far from being one ofthe hardest boss fights from games this year, Archon does have a few tricks up his disheveled sleeve. The fight itself has two phases: Cleric Archon and Gargoyle Archon. The first requires quick feet, while the second is more about brute force and careful placement.
How to Beat Cleric Archon
In the Cleric Archon phase, Archon raises an impenetrable shield around himself. Then, he summons a zombie from one of the two piles. Finally, the statue on the left squirts aBlood Puddleat Verren’s feet.
First, examine Archon to understand his skills.
Hover over each of the Abilities to read more about them:
The objective is to take out the statues on either side of Archon. Both of them have 75 health, and each enables Archon to cast a certain spell. The left statue enables Archon to castBlood Puddle, and the right statue enables him to castSummon the Restless. The statue on the left is the higher priority. Archon usesBlood Clotthroughout, so it’s best to focus down the statues as soon as possible to save your health for the next phase.
Since the fight opens with Verren’s foot in aBlood Puddlealready, the first move should be to take one step to the left to avoid the upcoming damage. Continue left to the statue. The first zombie will get taken out by theBlood Puddleif it spawned on the right side. If it spawned on the left, use aFire Barrageto take it most of the way down and give it a whack when it gets close enough. Otherwise, focus on the statue. When attacking the left statue, it’s best to be positioned at the center of the foot of the statue so that when it splashes aBlood Puddle, there’s room to move away.
After breaking down the first statue, Archon will get a little testy, but the fight doesn’t change. Players need to make their way around to the other statue and knock it down too. Conserve energy. Don’t waste it all on the zombies. Focus on breaking down the statues. When the second statue falls, any remaining zombies are destroyed as Archon enters his second phase: Gargoyle Archon.
How to Beat Gargoyle Archon
Foul Beast indeed! This transformation strongly resembles how the fight ofIudex Gundyr primesDark Souls 3playersfor multi-phase bosses. This phase of Archon is significantly more difficult and wildly different. He’s now a melee fighter with a lot of health, damage output, and mobility.
In his gargoyle form, Archon has the following Abilities:
Archon also has the following resistances in his gargoyle form:
The primary objective is to steer him towards walls or pews so that he charges into them and gets stunned. Weave in and out of the rows of pews, always trying to land one square away from where Archon will collide with an obstacle. Then, wail on him for two turns and back off.
Perform this dance well enough for long enough, and Archon will be defeated. Verren will release his friends and then make a break for the exit.
Stoneshardis available in Early Access on PC.
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