Among the toughest optional bosses in Phantom Blade Zero is Dusk. This is due to the fact that Dusk continuously summons puppets and attacks you from several different angles at once. However, defeating him is necessary if you want to unlock the game’s true ending. You’ll need the right weapons, accessories, and a good strategy to survive this fight. In this guide, we’ll cover the best build to use, how to deal with his summoned puppets, and how to counter his regular and flash attacks to defeat Dusk.
Best Build for Dusk
Dusk is an optional boss in Phantom Blade Zero, but in order to get the real ending of the game, you will have to beat him down. He might be quite hard to deal with since he always uses puppets against you and attacks you from various angles. Still, with the proper build, it should not be very challenging.
Weapons
The primary weapon that you should use to defeat Dusk is the Jagged Steel because not only does it cause a significant amount of damage but also bleed, which will help you defeat your enemy. The secondary weapon is the Outlaw Warblade, which will help you fight off the puppets. The attacks from this weapon can affect all the enemies at the same time, breaking their defences and giving you back your HP by using the Power Surge skill.
Using the Living Wood Talisman will enable the bleed and lifesteal abilities on the puppet enemies. As for the Phantom Edges, you should use the Dread and Hunter’s Chain Sickle. Hunter’s Chain Sickle is an important weapon, as it will help you bring your enemy closer in case they are too far away or pull them to you so that you can attack them.
Healing Items
To heal, go for Vessel Restorative and Kuye Dew. However, the Simmering Brew can also be used based on your accessory setup. Ensure that you wear the Reflex Device before the fight begins. In terms of accessories, Living Wood Talisman is key since it enables you to cause bleed and heal from puppet foes.
Accessories
The Counter-Strike Bracers can be used to deliver additional damage to the enemy. Another option is to add Extra Sha-Chi. You can use Shen Zhi’s Ring if you do not mind blocking Dusk using his projectiles instead of parrying them. The Boulder Guard will be a good accessory to have in case you wish to protect yourself better. In that case, you can replace Kuya Do with an offensive accessory, for example, Quickhand Talisman, to deal additional damage with Jagged Steel or Outlaw Warblade.
Another option for accessories is Lingran’s Pendant, with which you can use more Sha-Chi for heavy attack combos and still leave some for defending. In case you are going to switch to a different weapon, you can try Fanatic’s Broken Blade. It will provide a defensive buff, the Drunken Stance, which you can activate while Dusk uses puppets or does something else which is potentially dangerous to you.
How to Beat Dusk
Dusk will create a few puppets at the start of this fight that will aid him in the battle. Either you could neglect them and attack the boss, or you could kill them first. Eliminating each one will deplete Dusk’s Sha-Chi, but the remaining puppets will disappear as soon as Dusk reaches about 80% of his life, and he will create another set of puppets.
The range puppet must be killed first, then you need to kill both small ones. Bringing them to a spot where they will be near each other and hitting all of them using Outlaw Warblade will be helpful. You can use Hunter’s Chain Sickle to drag the enemies closer. While fighting against these puppets, watch out for the attacks from Dusk because he might attack you using projectiles and the puppet’s large arm.
With Dusk at 80% health, the next batch of puppets will be called. This time around, these enemies will be bigger and more difficult to defeat. Of course, the cannon puppet will be the hardest enemy to defeat during this round. Once all the enemies appear, move in quickly and eliminate the cannon puppet first before you take care of the other two enemies.
If you find yourself having difficulty with the shield puppet, make use of the Dread Axe in order to eliminate its shield. Alternatively, you could just attack it using the Outlaw Warblade. Because of the Living Wood Talisman that you possess, your attacks can cause bleed on the puppets. Use the Jagged Steel if you wish to deal more damage, but still keep in mind that you can use the Outlaw Warblade for both dealing damage to multiple enemies and healing yourself.
How to Counter Dusk’s Regular Moves
Once you’ve defeated all the summons that have been called in, you can just concentrate on Dusk. There are some attacks that Dusk will regularly use that you have to be wary of.
Projectile Barrage: One of the most common attacks used by Dusk is Projectile Barrage. He will shoot a number of projectiles at you, which you can dodge sideways. Alternatively, you could dodge in towards Dusk to close the gap between you and not get hurt.
Dodging is better because the projectiles don’t really do that much damage when sent back at Dusk. If you’re having a problem with parrying the projectiles, use Shen Zhi’s Ring so that you won’t get hurt by the barrage of projectiles.
Large Puppet Arms: In Dusk, there may be summoned some large puppet arms which may strike down or may attack you directly. Both these attacks are easily avoidable through left and right dodges. You just have to be careful of attacks from some angles that deviate a bit.
Puppet Summons: Dusk is also known for some of his temporary puppet summons. Some of them are his flash attack summons, while some are simply attacking you as puppets. When this happens, holding your block is usually enough to deal with them. Their attacks don’t cause much damage, so you don’t need to waste time trying to counter every hit.
How to Counter Dusk’s Flash Attacks
Dusk has several blue and red flash attacks that can catch you off guard. Learning how to respond to these attacks is important, especially during the later stages of the fight.
Ranged Blue Flash Attack: This is one of his trickiest attacks to parry. You’ll see a blue flash before Dusk fires threads towards you.
The timing for this parry is very strict, and it becomes even harder to read when Dusk splits into two. I recommend dodging instead of parrying this attack because the dodge timing is more forgiving.
Claw Swipes Into Flash Attack: Dusk sometimes performs a series of claw swipes before finishing with either a blue or red flash attack.
If you’re using Shen Zhi’s Ring, you can hold your block to absorb the initial claw swipes. When the blue flash appears, tap your block button again to parry it.
If Dusk uses a red flash instead, dodge at the right moment to counter the attack and deal some damage. These counters are particularly useful later in the fight because you’ll have fewer opportunities to attack Dusk directly.
Scream and Puppet Summons: Dusk will sometimes scream and summon two puppets. One puppet performs a red flash attack, while the other uses a blue flash attack.
You can counter either attack, but I found the blue flash comes out slightly faster. You’ll need to parry it early or dodge at the last moment. If you mistime your parry, you might get hit by the red flash from the other puppet. However, dodging the blue flash gives you another opportunity to avoid the red one.
Red Flash With Puppet Summon: Dusk also has a red flash attack that summons a puppet to attack you.
The important thing here is to watch the summoned puppet rather than Dusk himself. The puppet is the one that actually attacks, so you should time your dodge based on its movements. You can also use the flash as a timing indicator, but watching the puppet’s attack makes it easier to avoid getting hit.
How to Beat Dusk After He Splits Into Two
Once Dusk’s health gets low, he’ll split into two copies. This makes the fight considerably harder because both versions can attack you and use their abilities. However, you don’t need to defeat both copies to finish the fight. Focus on one Dusk and bring his health down as quickly as possible. Avoid spreading your damage between the two, as this will only make the fight longer.
Since Dusk moves around frequently during this phase, sticking to one target can be difficult. Use the Outlaw Warblade more often to hit enemies and recover health. This will also help you save your healing items. Dusk also gains a new attack during this phase. A red circle will appear beneath you, followed by puppet hands erupting from the ground.
The best way to avoid this attack is to dodge out of the first red circle and immediately dodge again when the second one appears. Dusk always performs this attack twice, so don’t stop moving after avoiding the first one. He’ll also continue using his regular attacks, including projectile barrages, giant puppet arms, and flash attacks. The attacks that summon puppets will also return.
If Dusk performs his red scream attack while you’re far away, don’t bother trying to counter it. Simply move out of range and focus on avoiding damage. Be especially careful with the ranged blue flash attack. It comes out quickly and can catch you off guard if you’re not paying attention.
For his claw swipes followed by blue or red flash attacks, you can use the same counters explained earlier. These moves are still manageable even after Dusk splits into two. If you’re using the Outlaw Warblade and find yourself in a difficult position, remember that you can activate its Power Surge. This can temporarily incapacitate one of the bosses, interrupt a flash attack, and give you some breathing room. It can also restore your health and provide extra invulnerability frames if you’ve invested in the required abilities.
