Hyper Light Drifter’s Samurai boss in the West is one of the hardest ones you’ll come across in the game and requires a high level of concentration and accuracy. However, with the right game plan this battle becomes a lot more manageable.
As always when you come across the door to one of the boss rooms in Hyper Light Drifter, remember to check the surrounding area for Health Packs. During this boss battle especially, you’ll be glad you made sure to pick them up. Head on in and prepare for battle.
The first thing you should do as you enter this room is, if you’ve got the grenade upgrade, throw a grenade as soon as you see the enemy. The little opening animation will hold the boss in place and your explosive will take off a couple blocks of life from his health bar. As soon as the animation is done, the fun begins.
The first phase against the Samurai is the most deadly, so you need to learn the pattern of his slashes pretty quickly. This tends to be two consecutive quick slashes with a third one following after a short break. It might be a good idea to just keep dashing away until you learn this pattern before jumping in to attack.
As soon as you have learned this pattern, make sure you’re close by just as he’s landing his final slash. This is your sign to get hacking away with your blade. You should be able to get at the most three in, but as soon as you’ve got three, begin to dash away to avoid his powerful attacks. Rinse and repeat this process until he stands still.
This is where phase two begins, as well as your best chance to heal if you got caught by a couple of his attacks during that first phase. During this little phase of his attack pattern, the Samurai will summon crystals through the floor. These are pretty easy to evade with a quick dash. Simply dash your way up close and start slashing and shooting repeatedly. If you’re at risk of being caught by the crystals, dash away quickly to evade, but come straight back in to deal more damage.
Occasionally the boss might also head over to the crystals in the corner of the room and free some adds. You’ll need to take care of these guys quickly with some shots from your gun to avoid coming under severe pressure. The best way to prevent this from even happening is luring the boss into the corner during his slashing stage of attack. If you get it right, he’ll shatter the crystals harboring the adds and this will prevent him from being able to call them in.
The only other phase of attack that this boss has is the use of his hand cannon. When he begins firing off rounds with it, prepare to act quickly. If you’ve got the reflect upgrade for your sword, get up close quickly and continue to slash at him. With any luck, your sword will bounce his shots back at him in between delivering their own damage. However, if you don’t have the upgrade, dodge around his shots from a distance and just focus on attacking during the other two phases.
This boss is a true test of your dashing ability and requires patience. Trying to get an extra slash or two during that first attack phase will see your health quickly deplete. Take your time, don’t get greedy, and follow his patterns.
Have you got any tips for other Hyper Light Drifter players taking on the boss in the West? Share them in the comments below.
