The Abandoned Temple is the first zone in Abyssus, being the game’s introduction to boss fighting and enemy variety. Despite being the first zone, it does have some elites within and has the culmination of a tough fight with a giant stone golem. Defeating this guardian must be done in order to unlock the next part, the Gardens, so mastering its pattern is essential.
This tutorial will walk you through the golem’s entire move set in all three phases, explain the shield system, and give tips and loadout recommendations to make the fight a lot more manageable.
Mastering the Boss Mechanics
The golem has a massive health pool and fights through three phases, each of which gets progressively harder. In between phases, it will shield itself, and you’ll have to break surrounding crystals to continue fighting.
These crystals are the most important mechanic of the fight: as long as they’re present, the boss is immune. Failing to keep them at the front of your mind will lengthen the fight.
Phase One: The Introduction
The stone golem uses three main attacks early on:
- A Flying Leap, where it leaps across the arena and attempts to bury you. Timing of dodging is critical here—roll side just before it lands.”.
- Projectile Orbs, meandering spheres of energy one can easily dodge just by strafing while shooting at the boss.
- A shockwave that makes the ground shake, where it crashes to the floor to disperse a wave of energy. The best way to get out of its way is by jumping at the moment the wave hits you.
This phase is all about learning to read the animations of the golem. Being mobile is key, as freezing will almost always suffer damage.
Phase Two: Reinforcements and Double Shockwaves
When its first third of its health is gone, the golem lifts up into the air and is shielded. A massive crystal then pops out of the ground, which must be destroyed to incapacitate its shield. Do this as quickly as possible, since the golem cannot be damaged until the shield drops.
During this stage, the golem adds two wrinkles: it starts calling forth smaller grunt adds to harass you, and its Shock Wave now shoots out two ripples, rather than one. The grunts are more of a nuisance than a threat. Though it’s an urge to mop them up, it’s usually wiser to just concentrate on the boss—when the golem dies, the adds automatically die with them.
Phase Three: The Final Stand
When the boss is at its third to last quarter of health, the shield mechanic is triggered once more, and upon breaking the next crystal, the golem is in its most deadly form.
The biggest changes are from its Floor Charge and Spin Charge attacks:
- When doing the Spin Charge, the golem slides across the ground like a boulder rolling, and will often repeat this a maximum of three times in a row. Side dodges at the right moment are your best defense.
- When employing the Floor Charge, areas of the arena flooring are glowing and will inflict heavy damage if you remain standing on them. Act quickly to shift out of the way when you see the glow.
- In addition to this, its Shock Wave now goes as far as three ripples, testing your mobility and timing even further.
This last push is all about keeping your cool. Don’t roll too early and get clipped by chained charges or waves. Roll patiently, and have the correct timing.
Strategies to Defeat the Golem
Beating the Abandoned Temple boss is about preparation and execution. Some key strategies will make the fight much simpler:
- Choose the Right Weapon: As soon as you can, your best bet is to use the Engine Rifle or the Brine Revolver. Both of these give you solid damage with a high rate of fire, giving you the pressure you need to wear down the golem’s health.
- Aim for the Weak Spot: The golem’s chest is a vulnerable area, and striking it where its chest is does so much more damage. Positioning matters—attempt to loop around until you have a clean shot at its chest and then just dump.
- Crystals are more important between phases: Every transition offers a crystal that must be broken. Disregard the grunts and even the boss during this time period, as nothing can wait for the crystal to break. The sooner you attend to it, the less time the golem will have to reset and flood you.
