Hello! Welcome to my in-depth Eldest Souls guide. Eldest Souls is a decently challenging souls-like boss rush game with a unique combat system. There are no basic enemies, only bosses, and character progression happens after every boss fight. This game can be quite difficult to players unfamiliar with the genre or combat like this, but it is very short and not too hard if you are looking to only play one playthrough. If you're reading this guide I am assuming that you want to obtain 100% achievements, and completing all achievements is substantially more difficult than the base game.

I have played and completed all achievements in this game (in slightly less than 30 hours), including doing the Iron Achievements multiple times, and I feel that I can offer more detailed tips unavailable in other guides. In this guide I will go through detailed strategies for combat and builds, fighting bosses, and obtaining all achievements. Sections that cover combat come first, followed by the achievements. This guide is not a full step-by-step walkthrough and will not guide you through every section of the playthrough. The game is very short and the map is linear enough to not warrant that. Boss strategy tips will be found under the Iron Achievements section

The unique combat system in this game involves the use of one of three skill trees (stances), shards, and the Bloodthirst Bar. The beginning sequence of the game gives a good tutorial of how the combat works. For each new boss you defeat, you will be given a point for the skill tree and a shard you can use to upgrade aspects of your character, such as stance-specific special attacks, your Active Shard, Bloodburst attack, Charge Attack, and Dash.

The Bloodthirst Bar is the most important aspect for combat and integral to fighting. Executing a Charged Attack and hitting enemies with the Corrupted Grasp Active Shard are the main ways you will be filling it up. Filling up the Bloodthirst Bar gives you a damage boost, a movement speed boost, and healing on all of your attacks, as well as allowing you to execute your Bloodburst attack, which will then fully deplete your Bloodthirst Bar.

Each boss drops a shard that has unique effects depending on which shard slot you put it on in your build. This is a large part of the customization in this game but here are a few tips for shards below.
Note: Depending on the stance and build, different shards will excel in different slots. These tips are generally useful regardless of build and geared towards early playthroughs.

• I HIGHLY recommend using Corrupted Grasp for the Active Shard and Lightbringer for the Bloodburst Shard regardless of player skill. They are by far the best options for those shards and are core to the main build when completing all achievements.
  
  
  
• Active Shard: Always use Corrupted Grasp (shard from Guardian) as your active shard. The mobility it gives is nice as an emergency in fights, and it will significantly boost your damage output and healing by refilling your Bloodthirst Bar and giving you more Bloodburst attacks. The other shards are better elsewhere and/or not worth using here. This is by far the best Active Shard in the game.
  
  
  
• Bloodburst: Almost always use Lightbringer (shard from Azikel) as your Bloodburst shard. The Lightbringer shard always grants bonus movement speed no matter its slot, so its cooldown is determined by the ability in that slot. Bloodburst is the most frequent ability available to use in fights. The bonus movement speed is also extremely significant and a complete game-changer. This bonus will be essentially permanent during fights once you master Berserk Slash. Winter Fangs (shard from Hyem) is pretty good too but can be unreliable against bosses that move around a lot.
  
  
  
• Charge Attack: I recommend United's Blessing (shard from Eos) or Lunar Inspiration (shard from Aryana) as your Charge Attack slot. You will unlock United's Blessing first. United's Blessing offers good healing and damage but is a double-edged sword, and it feels really bad having the negative effect from the fire happen frequently. Having it in this slot causes this negative effect to happen less frequently than compared to having this shard in other slots. Lunar Inspiration is great in this slot as well, since Charge Attacks are the fastest way to keep its shield bonus without losing out on the Lightbringer Bloodburst movement speed.
  
  
  
• Dash: I recommend using Winter Fangs for the dash. It can give you a lot more dashes, as when you perfectly dodge attack, your next dodge will cost no stamina. This makes combat more forgiving and can come in clutch if you find yourself low on Stamina.
  
  
  
• Stance Slot / Final Skill Tree Slot: Use the other shard you're not using for Charge Attack (United's Blessing or Lunar Inspiration). It doesn't really matter which shard slot you put it in out of these, though the Stance Slot is unlocked much earlier. You should definitely have Lunar Inspiration in your build somewhere. For a Berserk Slash build, I prefer United's Blessing in this slot for the extra damage.
  
  
  
  
• I do not recommend using Wild Hunt (shard from Deer God) or Singularity Orb (shard from Drakmur) as a beginner, and I would leave the leftover shard slots blank without feeling bad about it. Wild Hunt offers strong benefits but with insane drawbacks. If you do not have a strong grasp of the combat in this game and are taking a lot of damage when fighting bosses, you will die much faster using this shard. Singularity Orb is cool in concept but is extremely unreliable.
  
  
• Winter Fangs is a very strong shard in other slots and can be used in the stance slot, final skill tree slot, and even the active and Bloodburst slots, though I think for the last two it is weaker than my suggested shards.

For your first playthroughs, the best stance for you would be the one that you have the most fun with. I offer my suggestions below. Note that once you get decent at the game and are going to grind achievements, Berserk Slash Stance is by far the best stance to use.


Windslide Stance
This stance is pitched as the "beginner" all-around stance that offers "free" DoT damage and the highest mobility, but I find this stance by far the weakest in the game. It is not particularly strong in combat, and the Berserk Slash stance outdamages it substantially. Lightbringer Bloodburst in other stances also makes up for the lost mobility in not choosing this stance. I would only use it to obtain the Wind Dancer weapon.


Berserk Slash Stance
This stance is the most offensive stance, offering the highest damage output by far out of all stances in exchange for lower survivability and mobility. This stance is the hardest to use in the game and not beginner friendly compared to the other stances. A lot of the power budget and benefits using Berserk Slash come from playing around its unique properties, which is difficult to do as a beginner during your first one or two playthroughs. That being said, this stance is completely broken and by far the best stance in the game once you master it. The damage is completely unmatched and takes Bloodburst to a new level, and the lack of mobility compared to Windslide is made up for with Lightbringer Bloodburst. It also does not take that long to become powerful, as the core aspects of the build are reached after beating only three bosses. Once you get a hang of the game, you will be using this stance almost exclusively.


Counter Stance
This stance is the most defensive stance, with high survivability but low damage output. I used this stance in my first playthrough, and I recommend using this stance for your first playthrough. I think this stance is the easiest one to use, since the Counter is very simple to use. Using Counter stance also trains you as a new player to look out for specific boss attacks, which can help you learn the game and boss attacks faster for future runs and better improvement. In terms of weaknesses, Counter stance takes a while to scale and becomes online later into the game compared to Berserk Slash. Also, the stance generation bar is the slowest compared to the other stances, and the stance really wants the special Counter Stance weapon to make it effective. Still, this is a good stance if you want a more defensive playstyle.

When doing three of your playthroughs, you will fulfill the quest tasks required to obtain the 3 different stance weapons in the game. The Saint’s Hand weapon (added in the DLC, with the location in the DLC area as well) focuses on Active Shard bonuses and is pretty bad compared to the other ones, so it won’t be covered.

Note: The progress for the quests for the weapons carry over between playthroughs and are not part of any achievements.



Wind Dancer: Windslide Stance weapon. Gives increased movement speed and attack speed but increased damage taken. For getting all achievements, this weapon is most useful as an alternative weapon for Berserk Slash stance if you want more movement speed for a specific fight where it’s more valued or you think it would help (e.g. Guardian, Azikel, Deer God). It’s a good weapon against the first two or three bosses, since the attack speed is nice, but attack speed is no longer a valued stat once you complete the core of the main Berserk Slash build.
Location: South of Moon’s Way

The Executioner: Berserk Slash Stance weapon. Gives significantly increased damage, but increased damage taken and less movement speed. The movement speed debuff is mitigated by Lightbringer Bloodburst, collecting Berserk Fangs, and dodging, so it really won’t be felt too hard once you obtain the core Berserk Slash build. This will be the weapon you will use for Berserk Slash once you unlock it, as it significantly outperforms the other weapons for damage output, which is the most important stat in this game.
Location: Camp to the east in the Everforest

Kingsguard: Counter Stance weapon. Gives higher defense and much higher stance bar regeneration but less movement speed. You will only use this weapon when using Counter stance, and you should always use it when using Counter stance when you unlock it. The stance bar regeneration synergizes extremely well with the Counter stance build.
Location: East stairs in Crossroads

The Berserk Slash build is the standard go-to best build in the game, and you should use this when doing almost everything in the game. This is the main build to use if you are going for 100% achievements, especially the Iron Achievements. Each upgrade and shard choice is listed, and I will outline and explain details about how this build works.
Note: Upgrades/shards that are core to the build will be underlined.


Berserk Slash Stance: Dealing damage creates Shockwaves around you, filling your Berserk Fangs (max 3), each granting +5% damage. You can activate Berserk Slash with 1 Berserk Fang, dealing 40 damage and granting the buff Berserker: +15% damage for 6.5 seconds, stacking up to 4 times.

Weapon: The Executioner – +30% damage, -10% movement speed, +25% damage taken

• Fury Fragments – Bloodburst creates a Fury Fragment around the target, lasting 6 seconds. Collecting a Fury Fragment grants the buff Furious: +12% damage for 9 seconds, stacking up to 2 times.
  
• Feeding Frenzy – Collecting a Fury Fragment refreshes Bloodthirst.
  
• Deepened Fury – Berserk Slash creates a Fury Fragment. Fury Fragments fill 20% Berserk Fang. Furious stacks up to 3 times.
  
• Reckless Fragmentation – Furious grants +3% damage for each stack but increases damage taken by 3% for each stack.
  
• Chain Reaction – Collecting a Fury Fragment releases an AoE shockwave, dealing 15 damage.
  
• World Breaker – Having 3 stacks of Furious enhances Bloodburst to World Breaker, a stronger version that requires no Bloodthirst, deals increased damage, has a larger AoE, and causes 2 Fury Fragments to drop, but it removes the Furious buff.
  
• Aftershock – After landing a full Charge Attack, Shockwaves cause an Aftershock, dealing 30% of the shockwave damage.

• Active Shard: Corrupted Grasp – Shoot dark tendrils in the chosen direction. If they collide with an object or enemy, you will grapple towards it. Hitting an enemy deals 25 damage and grants 100% Bloodthirst Bar.
  
  
  
• Bloodburst: Lightbringer – Activating Bloodburst causes a ray of pure light to extend forward, dealing 22 damage and increasing your movement speed by 40% for 3 seconds.
  
  
  
• Charge Attack: Lunar Inspiration – Every 3rd Charge Attack causes a Lunar Effigy to materialize, following you for 9 seconds. Refreshing the Effigy empowers it, up to 3 times. Every 4.5 seconds the Effigy pulsates, granting you +(2/3/5) Shield and +(5/10/15)% damage for 3 seconds.
  
  
  
• Dash: Wild Hunt – You can now dash while at 0 stamina, but it will cost 22% max HP instead.
  
  
  
• Stance Slot: United’s Blessing – When above 50% HP, Berserk Slash erupts into flames, dealing 25% extra damage but burning you for 10 damage. When below 50% HP, Berserk Slash is followed by water, dealing only 80% damage but healing 5% HP and stamina every 0.5 seconds.
  
  • Note: See Disclaimer
    
  
  
  
• Final Skill Tree Slot: Winter Fangs – Hitting with World Breaker causes all Fury Fragments to gain unique properties: When a Fury Fragment is collected, you gain an additional 10% of a Berserker Fang for each Berserker Buff active.
  
  • Note: You will unlock Winter Fangs before having this upgrade unlocked. Put Winter Fangs on the Dash slot until you have World Breaker unlocked.
    

Fury Fragments + Feeding Frenzy (the first two upgrades) are required for the broken Berserk Slash build to function. The fundamental concept of this build is that you can create an infinite loop of Bloodburst attacks with this build and these two upgrades. When you have the Bloodthirst buff, you can use Bloodburst. Hitting an enemy with Bloodburst drops a Fury Fragment, which refreshes the Bloodthirst buff when collected, letting you use Bloodburst again. So the main idea of this build is to cycle Fury Fragments to keep using Bloodburst and stack damage. Fury Fragments + Feeding Frenzy is the highest damaging build in the game, especially combined with the Berserk Slash stance weapon, and looping Bloodbursts also synergizes with the stacking damage buffs from the Berserker and Furious buffs in the stance. This build is also unlocked early on after defeating the first 3 bosses, giving you a huge powerspike that scales for the rest of the game. For the shards, Corrupting Grasp for the active shard and Lightbringer for Bloodburst are core as well. Corrupting Grasp refills Bloodthirst, granting more uses of Bloodburst, and because this build centers on looping Bloodburst, you will essentially have permanent uptime on Lightbringer Bloodburst.

Many aspects of this build either increase damage taken or inflict self damage (weapon, Reckless Fragmentation, Wild Hunt, United's Blessing), which contributes to why this build is hard to use. The benefits are well worth the drawbacks, especially when doing Iron Achievements. When you have to complete fights hitless, you no longer have to care about taking increased damage, and self-inflicted damage does not count as taking damage from the boss.

The other upgrades are supplementary to the core build but are optimal nonetheless. The Deepened Fury upgrade is where the build really gets out of control. Berserk Slash also dropping Fury Fragments means more Bloodbursts, and since Fury Fragments will also fill Berserk Fangs, that means more Berserk Slashes. Reckless Fragmentation offers more damage, and the other two alternatives are not needed if you cycle Bloodbursts well. Chain Reaction's extra damage instance helps stack Berserk Fangs. World Breaker offers even more damage. Aftershock is the last upgrade because you will unlock one more skill point before the final boss (without fighting DLC bosses). For shards, United's Blessing on Berserk Slash is usually a +25% damage buff, and Berserk Slash can be used frequently, so the damage adds up. Winter Fangs on the final skill tree slot synergizes with the core of the build and can result in more Fury Fragments, Bloodbursts, and Berserk Slashes. Wild Hunt on the Dash slot can be useful if you have to dash with no stamina, and once you get used to fighting bosses and during Iron Achievements, this essentially grants infinite dashes. Lunar Inspiration is the best upgrade out of what is left, and Charge Attacking is not important in this build except if you have no Bloodthirst, which happens at the beginning of every fight and is otherwise rare. Absolutely do not use Singularity Orb for any shard slot in this build. All of its variants involve teleporting, some of which is not exactly up to you, and you must be in precise control of your movement for proper cycling of Fury Fragments.

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This build was made without considering the DLC Shard Empire's Wrath. For most playthroughs, it is more efficient to skip the DLC bosses, and I used this version to complete 100% achievements. For completing Iron Achievements, Empire's Wrath on the Stance Slot is more optimal than United's Blessing, as it makes Berserk Slash deal more damage and the drawback is irrelevant. United's Blessing can be moved to the Charge Attack slot.

This Counter build is a special build that is incredibly powerful and has its specific uses. Its main uses are cheesing the final boss and soloing all of Abyss Mode (at least NG+1). Each upgrade and shard choice is listed, and I will outline and explain details about how this build works.
Note: Upgrades/shards that are core to the build will be underlined.


Counter Stance: Charge Attacks fill your Counter Bar (amount filled based on how long they are charged), reducing damage taken up to 5%. Once the Counter Bar is full, you can activate Counter, a defensive stance that absorbs attacks during the duration, deals between 40-90 damage (depending on Counter timing) in an AoE around you, and briefly Shields you for 20% of the damage done.

Weapon: Kingsguard – +30% Stance resource gain, -30% damage taken, -15% movement speed

• Bulwark – Charge Attacks generate Shield for 4 seconds that absorbs 4 damage. The shield deals 4 damage in an AoE around you when broken or expired.
  
• Safeguard – Bulwark shield increases based on current Counter bar, up to 150%.
  
• Shoulder Bash – A perfect dodge makes next basic attack a Shoulder Bash, dealing 45 damage, granting 25% Counter bar, and +25% Counter damage for 4 seconds. Shoulder Bash grants 50% damage reduction during its animation.
  
• Heavy Build – +45% Shoulder Bash damage and Shoulder Bash Counter bar generation.
  
• Ground Stomp – Shoulder Bash ends with a Ground Stomp that deals 300% of Shoulder Bash damage and shatters shield effects to deal triple Bulwark's Shield AoE damage.
  
• Stand Your Ground – Landing a fully charged Charge Attack creates a defensive circle around you that grants +70% Counter damage and 20% Counter bar when landing Counter.
  
• Warding Blades – Landing Bloodburst causes a Warding Blade to be summoned (max 3). Warding Blades activate upon a successful Counter, shattering into nearby enemies for 45 damage each.

• Active Shard: Empire's Wrath – Holding the Active Shard button charges the attack. Releasing the attack at the right time results in a slash that deals 30-250 damage based on timing. Holding the attack for too long causes the attack to deal considerably less damage and inflict some self damage.
  
  • Note: You can also use Wild Hunt for the Active Shard slot.
    
  
  
  
• Bloodburst: Lightbringer – Activating Bloodburst causes a ray of pure light to extend forward, dealing 22 damage and increasing your movement speed by 40% for 3 seconds.
  
  
  
• Charge Attack: United's Blessing – When above 50% HP, every 3rd Charge Attack erupts in flames, dealing 20 damage but inflicting 5 self damage. When below 50% HP, every 3rd Charge Attack unleashes water, healing you for 4% HP and 4% stamina 3 times.
  
  
  
• Dash: Winter Fangs – Perfect dodging makes your next Dash within 1.5 seconds cost no stamina.
  
  
  
• Stance Slot: Corrupted Grasp – Counter is followed by a swirl of Tendrils, dealing damage over time (~30 damage) that lasts 1.25 seconds.
  
  
  
• Final Skill Tree Slot: Lunar Inspiration –When Stand your Ground expires, a Lunar Effigy materializes, following you for 12 seconds. Refreshing the Effigy empowers it up to 3 times. Every 3 seconds, the Effigy pulsates, granting you +(2/3/5) Shield for 3 seconds, and +(5/10/15)% Counter Bar.

The main idea of this build is to 1) maintain a healthy amount of Shield and 2) use Counter as much as possible. Core aspects of the build thus focus on Shield and Counter bar regeneration. The upgrades that are core for this build are not inherently strong on their own, but when combined they offer incredible synergy. The Kingsguard weapon lets the Counter Bar fill up in 3 full Charge Attacks instead of 4. Charge Attacks are needed to generate Counter Bar, and holding down the Attack button causes you to continue slashing, with each slash counting as a full Charge Attack (see Advanced Combat Tips section). Bulwark and Safeguard synergize extremely well with this and, combined with Kingsguard and Counter Stance's damage reduction and Counter's shield generation, grant a healthy supply of Shield to absorb damage outside of Counter. Because Charge Attacks are being spammed, Bloodthirst is almost always active, giving you lifesteal to top off your health if your Shield is broken. Stand Your Ground and Lunar Inspiration take this to the next level. Lunar Inspiration will grant even more shielding and Counter Bar when Stand Your Ground expires, and since Stand Your Ground will happen every full Charge Attack, and you are spamming Charge Attacks with this build, these bonuses are permanent every fight. These upgrades combined allow you to facetank bosses by just holding down the attack button and using Counter with all the stacking bonuses to damage reduction, Shield, and Counter bar generation.

The damage of this build comes from Corrupted Grasp Counter and United's Blessing on Charge Attacks. Corrupted Grasp Counter is a significant damage boost, and when you're in Bloodthirst (which is all the time because you're spamming Charge Attacks), each DoT effect also heals you. United's Blessing's 20 damage every 3rd Charge Attack happens all the time because you're spamming Charge Attack and you will never be below 50% HP. The damage this does racks up very quickly.

Because there are so many skill points and shards needed for strong synergies, the build is slow to come online compared to the Berserk Slash build, and its full strength is acquired when all the pieces come together. The Stand Your Ground + Lunar Inspiration combo is a significant upgrade, but this comes very late into the game, whereas the most broken part of the Berserk Slash build comes before the 4th boss. Because of this, this build is weaker than the Berserk Slash build between bosses 4-7 if you are doing a full run with it. However, for the areas where you would use this build for achievements (Abyss Mode, final boss) the build is already completed.

The other upgrades are supplementary to the core build but are optimal nonetheless and honestly not important. Heavy Build and Ground Stomp are the best upgrades for Shoulder Bash, providing really high damage and even more Counter Bar generation. This is good mid-game, but once you get Stand Your Ground + Lunar Blessing, you won't really be dodging at all to even use Shoulder Bash. Warding Blades is the last upgrade because you will unlock one more skill point before the final boss (without fighting DLC bosses) and have no where else to put it. Lightbringer and Winter Fangs are the best upgrades for Bloodburst and Dash, respectively, but neither are used frequently at all. The Active Shard really doesn't matter. Empire's Wrath/Wild Hunt are functionally the same and deal good damage if you can spare it, but using Bloodburst/Active Shard means you're not using Charge Attacks for replenishing Shield and Counter Bar.

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This is a video I made showcasing the full build in action against the final boss in both normal and Abyss mode:

The following two sections cover tips that are extremely valuable for getting significantly better at the combat in this game. especially the Berserk Slash tips. Hopefully, getting good at these techniques will become the foundation you use to get all achievements, particularly the challenge runs and Iron Achievements.
These tips are applicable for earlier playthroughs as well. Some tips are general combat tips, but most are assuming you are using Berserk Slash stance, which is the stance you should focus on mastering. The most essential tips will be bolded.

I have made a video guide that demonstrates all of the General and Berserk Slash Stance tips in this guide. This video will be found after the Berserk Slash Stance tips section (3.3).

• Figure out which boss attacks you can simply run away from instead of dodging. You don't want to waste limited dodges and then run out of Stamina for when you need them. Save dodges for attacks you cannot run away from.
  
  
• Learn to perfect dodge. Perfect dodging an attack will give you invincibility during the dash and will refund 1 Stamina bar. You will have way more dashes available the more you master perfect dashing.
  
  
• If you are in Bloodthirst and want to heal more, you can weave in a few basic attacks before using Bloodburst to get more healing.
  
  
• Against enemies that have more than one entity, each entity shares the same health bar (e.g. Eos in phase 2, Eksyll with red and blue orb). Dealing damage to multiple entities simultaneously will damage the health bar multiple times. Very helpful to maximize damage.
  
  
  
  
• Spamming normal attacks after a Charge Attack becomes suboptimal after the early-game. Instead, holding down the Attack button after executing a Charge Attack while attacking will make you keep slashing, but each slash counts as a full Charge Attack and will do increased damage (though you will attack slightly slower than normal attacking). Doing this more reliably refills Bloodthirst, as when Bloodthirst runs out, it will instantly get refilled again during your next attack. This also outperforms attacking normally once you get upgrades via a Charge Attack shard or Charge Attack stance bonuses, since doing multiple slashes that all count as Charge Attacks is exponentially faster than doing 3 raw Charge Attacks. This is especially useful early game (first 3-4 bosses). This tip is more important when using Counter stance and ESSENTIAL for the broken Counter stance build.
  
  
  
  
• You can change the direction of your Charge Attack as you are channeling it. Useful if you realize you need to re-aim it during a fight, such as when the boss moves away from your original direction (particularly against Eos).
  
  
• Bloodburst lunges you forward very slightly when using it. You don’t need to be right on top of an enemy to hit them with it, so be mindful of this when trying to position in fights.
  
  
• Play around Lightbringer Bloodburst movement speed. Lightbringer Bloodburst's speed buff makes you significantly faster. The movement speed bonus has reliable uptime, especially when running builds that use Bloodburst a lot. The bonus movement speed is very helpful for positioning and dodging.

These tips assume you are using the Berserk Slash build as specified in this guide. The tips video guide is found after this section.

• Understand the core gameplay and concept of this build. When you have the Bloodthirst buff, you can use Bloodburst. Hitting and enemy with Bloodburst drops a Fury Fragment, which refreshes the Bloodthirst buff. The crux of the build is looping Bloodburst as much and as fast as possible. This is the foundation that the rest of the tips expand from.
  
  
  
  
• Lightbringer Bloodburst shoots out a beam of light past the range of Bloodburst, dealing slight damage. Connecting only the beam part will NOT drop a Fury Fragment, so be careful.
  
  
• Before reaching the Fury Fragments + Feeding Frenzy core, you can use more basic attacks to punish attacks. Once you get the core build, you will rarely be using regular attacks. A standard punish would be Bloodburst or Charge Attack into Bloodburst to start Bloodburst loops. Corrupted Grasp into Bloodburst is useful if you need to be really fast and whiff punish from long range. You don’t want to waste time using regular attacks because they deal little damage, and the more Fury Fragments out and the faster you can cycle Bloodbursts, the better.
  
  
• Don't overuse Charge Attacks once you obtain the core Berserk Slash build. Picking up Fury Fragments is a more reliable way of refilling Bloodthirst compared to Charge Attacks. Charge Attacks are good 1) for the very beginning of a fight to initiate the first Bloodburst and 2) for punishing a boss if you don't have Bloodthirst.
  
  
• Play around where your Fury Fragments drop. Pay attention and react to where they spawn. They spawn at a random location near you. Maneuver in ways where you can collect these Fury Fragments quickly to chain Bloodburst attacks together even faster. This includes 1) picking up older Fury Fragments before newer ones if possible to properly cycle while using less attacks, as well as 2) dodging in the direction of Fury Fragments for faster punishes. Ultimately, when fighting bosses, your main two areas of focus are dodging attacks and playing around Fury Fragments.
  
  
  
  
  
• Picking up a Fury Fragment refreshes Bloodthirst duration even if you are currently in Bloodthirst. This can be useful if you want to use Bloodburst when your Bloodthirst is about to run out instead of hyper fixating on cycling.
  
  
• "Double Bloodburst" by utilizing the lunge from Bloodburst. You can chain Bloodburst attacks together by positioning yourself right behind a Fury Fragment. Once your Bloodburst goes off, you will then collect the Fury Fragment and refresh Bloodthirst. This allows you to quickly get off high damage by using multiple Bloodbursts in quick succession. This technique is very practical and the positioning for doing this comes up all the time in most boss fights.
  
  
  
  
• Bloodburst → Corrupted Grasp combo
  You can input buffer your Active Shard during the startup animation of Bloodburst, which causes you to immediately use your Active shard after Bloodburst. Corrupted Grasp refills Bloodthirst Bar on-hit, so you can do a Bloodburst → Corrupted Grasp → Bloodburst combo.
  
  
  
  
• Bloodburst → Berserk Slash combo
  You can also input buffer your Stance Attack during the startup animation of Bloodburst, which causes you to immediately use your Stance Attack after Bloodburst. This is especially effective with Berserk Slash, since you can get enough Stance meter to get multiple Berserk Slashes off. A Bloodburst → Berserk Slash combo will drop 2 Berserk Fangs instantly after the Deepened Fury upgrade. This combo grants two attacks off for the cost of one, as both attacks happen during the Bloodburst animation.
  
  
  
  
• Integrate Double Bloodburst and the above two combos to truly master damage output.
  Double Bloodburst and the two Bloodburst combos are strong by themselves, but when combined, they result in the most dominant form of damage output in the entire game, truly unlocking the potential of the Berserk Slash Stance. These are the most important fundamentals to remember when learning how to use these combos together:
  
  
  • You can use Bloodburst (BB) after picking up a Fury Fragment or hitting Corrupted Grasp (CG)
    
  • During Bloodburst, you can Berserk Slash (BS) if able
    
  • During Bloodburst, you can use Corrupted Grasp if able
  
  Examples:
  
  • Bloodburst → Corrupted Grasp → Bloodburst → Berserk Slash
    
    • Great damage option with 1 Berserk Slash available
  • Bloodburst → Berserk Slash → Corrupted Grasp → Bloodburst → Berserk Slash
    
    • Extremely high-damaging combo with 2 Berserk Slashes available
  • Double Bloodburst → Corrupted Grasp → Bloodburst → Berserk Slash
    
    • Example of utilizing Double Bloodburst for further extensions
  
  BB → CG → BB → BS
  
  
  BB → BS → CG → BB → BS
  
  
  These combos strung together also cause many Fury Fragments to spawn, massively improving cycling and damage. Fury Fragments spawning will very quickly add up, which is why playing around your Fury Fragments is so crucial. You will have to keep track of more Fury Fragments and further incorporate this into your gameplay once you get the hang of combos. You can practice stringing these combos together in Arena Mode to get comfortable with the inputs before fighting bosses.
  Note: The video combat guide has even more info regarding this tip
  
  
• You can change the direction of Bloodburst and Berserk Slash during their startup animations. The timing is pretty tight, with the Berserk Slash timing being a lot harder. You can do this intentionally in situations where you quickly notice your attack will whiff (e.g. if a boss starts a dash) to redirect it. This can also happen accidentally, especially when using combos. Holding down the direction you are facing while doing combos guarantees that you will not change directions and miss your attacks mid combo.
  
  
• Take advantage of bosses' phase shift animations to get high damage off. Most bosses have an animation when they change phases in the fight, where they are vulnerable to damage, so you can get a ton of free damage off by using combos during the phase change. It is smart to save Corrupted Grasp and Berserk Fangs when you notice the boss is close to 1/2 HP. This is also helpful for entering the next phase of the boss with several Fury Fragments already on the ground.
  
  
• Play around Lightbringer Bloodburst movement speed. Being in Bloodthirst grants increased movement speed, so you essentially get a small surge of speed when picking up a Fury Fragment. This stacks with the bonus movement speed from Lightbringer Bloodburst. Doing combos to cycle through Fury Fragments makes you faster compared to only using Bloodburst. You will always be moving to continue cycling Fury Fragments, so be comfortable with how fast you are.

Below is a comprehensive video version of the aforementioned General and Berserk Slash Stance tips. The video includes demonstrations of each of these tips and their applications, as well as analyses of several full boss fights. It can be more helpful to watch the video to actually see these tips in action instead of just from reading.

I will now outline what I believe is the most efficient playthrough order to complete 100% achievements. The list for each playthrough is what should be finished after completing that playthrough.

The DLC area is entirely optional and there are no achievements involving it, though I suggest beating it for your first playthrough.

Note about playthroughs: After your first playthrough, when you're better at the game, subsequent ones will not take nearly as long and will fairly short compared to your first playthrough. Most of the estimated hours for 100% achievements are to account for the time spent completing the Iron Achievements.

• Obtain all weapon blueprints
  
• Unlock Kingsguard weapon
  
• Story Achievements: Complete ALL Story Achievements
  
• Miscellaneous Achievements: Complete ALL Miscellaneous Achievements
  
• Combat Achievements: Complete Dauntless Defense, Blade Discipline
  
• Sidequest Achievements: Complete A Bard's Request, A Crusader Always Pays His Debts, A Song of Stars
  
• Complete the DLC area (optional)

NOTE: For every future playthrough, it is optimal to complete the quests in the A Bard’s Request, A Crusader Always Pays His Debts, and A Song of Stars achievements. Always choose to upgrade the sword. This gives you the upgraded feather for permanent increased movement speed as well as permanent 10% increased damage.

• Unlock Wind Dancer weapon
  
• Combat Achievements: Complete Flawless Flow
  
• Sidequest Achievements: Complete Alchemical Triumph, A Song of the Wild/A Song of the Abyss (pick one)

• Unlock The Executioner weapon
  
• Combat Achievements: Complete Ferocious Fury
  
• Sidequest Achievements: Complete A Song of the Wild/A Song of the Abyss (the one you didn't pick in previous playthrough)

Note: It's more optimal to complete A Song of the Wild and A Song of the Abyss for these easier playthroughs, as the rewards for completing these two achievements are not as good as the rewards for completing A Song of Fire and A Song of Ice. The rewards for A Song of Fire and A Song of Ice will help with the harder playthroughs.

NOTE: It is likely that by now you would have completed the rest of the Combat achievements: Stick 'em with the pointy end!, The Most Devout

• Playthrough Challenge Achievements: Complete No Country for Godly Men
  
• Sidequest Achievements: Complete A Song of Fire

Note: The reward for completing A Song of Fire is helpful in this playthrough, as the increased damage it provides helps make up for the lack of shards.

NOTE: Around this point, you should absolutely start practicing boss fights in Arena mode for the Iron Achievements. This will help DRASTICALLY in the Deathless playthrough (you may even finish some of the easier Iron Achievements in the process).

• Abyss Mode Achievements: Complete ALL Abyss Mode Achievements
  
• Sidequest Achievements: Complete A Song of Ice

Note: If you plan on cheesing Abyss Mode with the Counter Build, as suggested in this guide, then you can complete this achievement before the No Shard playthrough. If you want to complete the Abyss Mode playthrough normally, then doing the No Shard playthrough before will help you gain even more practice against the bosses going into Abyss Mode, though Abyss Mode bosses have new and improved attacks.

Optional: You can also wait to complete A Song of Ice for the deathless playthrough

• Playthrough Challenge Achievements: Complete The Sword Saint

All playthroughs in the story are finished. All that is left is to grind the Iron Achievements.

Several achievements are unlocked as you progress through the game automatically. Upon beating the game once, you will have the following achievements, which are listed in order of unlock:


A Crusader's Landing
Reach Crusader's Landing

After starting a new game, you will be on a boat. This achievement will unlock upon reaching Crusader's Landing and gaining control of your character.



And Now Its Watch Is Ended
Defeat the Watchdog

The Watchdog is the first boss of the game. The Watchdog is found at the end of the Abandoned Battleground (the first real area). Defeating the boss unlocks the achievement.



The Last Guardian
Defeat the Guardian

The Guardian is the second boss of the game. The Guardian is found after going through the Citadel. Defeating the boss unlocks the achievement.



The Real Deal
Reach the Crossroads

This achievement is unlocked after defeating the Guardian and arriving at the Crossroads, the next area of the game.



Bringer of Light
Defeat Azikel, God of Light

Azikel is found at the east end of the Crossroads, above the blacksmith. Defeating the boss unlocks this achievement.



A Song of Rain and Fire
Defeat Eos, God of Unity

Eos is found at the west end of the Crossroads and behind the wooden door. Defeating the boss unlocks this achievement.



A Sanctuary of Souls
Reach Concord Sanctuary

After defeating Azikel and Eos, head north in the Crossroads until you reach the massive door. Opening the door leads you to the Concord Sanctuary and you will earn the achievement.



Ice Breaker
Defeat Hyem of the Frigid Waste

Hyem is found in the Spire, the area west of the Concord Sanctuary. Once in the Spire, head to the cave north of the frozen village to find Hyem. Defeating the boss unlocks the achievement.



Of Blood and Stone
Defeat The Deer God and the Warden of Purity

The Deer God and the Warden of Purity are found in the Everforest, the area east of the Concord Sanctuary. Once in the Everforest, head east across the first bridge and then head north to find the Deer God. Defeating both bosses unlocks the achievement.



Astronomical Fracture
Defeat Aryana, First of the Moon

Aryana is found in Moon's Way, the area east of the Everforest. Once in the Everforest, head east all the way across the longer bridge to reach Moon's Way. Aryana's arena is north past the paths guarded by lasers. Defeating the boss unlocks the achievement.



Shattered Dreams
Defeat Drakmur, the Nightmare

Drakmur is found in the Negative Zone, located in a cave in the Spire, and can be fought after defeating Hyem. Once in the Spire after defeating Hyem, the left cave can now be entered to reach the Negative Zone. Head north via the platforms and mirrors to find Drakmur. Defeating the boss unlocks the achievement.



The End Times
Reach the Steps of Ascension

After defeating Watchdog, Guardian, Azikel, Eos, Hyem, Deer/Warden, Aryana, and Drakmur, you can open the door north of the Concord Sanctuary to reach the Steps of Ascension, earning this achievement.



First Among Equals
Defeat Eksyll

Eksyll is the final boss. Eksyll is found at the end of the Steps of Ascension, all the way north. Defeating the boss unlocks the achievement.

These achievements are ones that you have to go out of your way to complete during a playthrough but are not part of an in-game sidequest. It is best to complete these achievements during your first playthrough to get them out of the way. This way you can spend less time doing unnecessary tasks during other playthroughs when grinding achievements.


Logged
Die to a rolling log

After reaching the first save point in the game in Crusader's Landing, walk north and you will encounter two rolling logs rolling towards you. Let one hit you on purpose to earn this achievement.



First of Many
Die to a Boss

You will earn this achievement upon your first death to any boss. This is extremely likely to happen naturally while playing the game.



Just one more time
Retry a Boss 10 times in a row

After being defeated by a boss, you are given the option to Retry or Give Up. Select Retry 10 times in a row to earn the achievement. This will happen naturally if it takes you more than 10 attempts on a boss, which is likely on your first playthrough.



The Survivor
Talk with Rass

When you enter the Citadel, there is a room on the left of the initial hallway. Enter the room and speak to the man in armor to earn the achievement.

These achievements all involve the combat in this game, both general combat and Stance-specific combat. Make sure to reference the Playthrough and Achievement Order section for the optimal time to complete these achievements. Some of these will happen naturally from playing, while others are specific tasks you have to complete. All Combat Achievements can be completed after the first three playthroughs.


Stick 'em with the pointy end!
Hit enemies with a thrust attack 200 times

Normal attacking happens in a 3-attack combo, and a thrust attack is the final attack in this combo. Successfully hit bosses with this thrust attack 200 times to earn this achievement. This will very likely happen after finishing the first three playthroughs naturally.

If you want to grind this out in one battle, you have to do it in Story Mode when fighting Watchdog. After progressing through the fight, the Watchdog will summon the bone shield to demonstrate the Bloodburst mechanic. Instead of using Bloodburst to break the shield, just keep normal attacking until you complete the achievement, as the shield will never break and the fight will not progress further until it does.



The Most Devout
Hit enemies with a Shard attack 200 times

A Shard attack is used by using the attack in your Active Shard slot. Any boss shard attack can contribute to this achievement. Successfully hit bosses with your Active Shard attack 200 times to earn this achievement. This will likely happen after finishing the first three playthroughs naturally.



Blade Discipline
Hit an enemy with Windslide, Berserk Slash, or Counter 20 times

Windslide, Berserk Slash, and Counter are the Stance attacks for the corresponding Stances. Successfully hit bosses with any of these Stance attacks 20 times to earn this achievement. This will likely happen after finishing the first playthrough naturally, and will certainly happen after finishing the first 3.



Flawless Flow
Have at least 10 Windleaves active at once

This achievement has to be done with the Windslide Stance and will unlock after having 10 Windleaves active at the same time. With Windslide Stance, every successful attack generates a Windleaf. This achievement can be done using the training dummies in either Story Mode in the Everforest or Arena Mode. This achievement is best done during your Windslide playthrough. There are several ways to do this but this is the method I used:

Upgrades on the Windslide Stance: Wind Aura, Breeze of Storms, Storms Edge, Violent Winds, Verdant Breeze
1) Repeatedly use Charge Attack immediately followed by Bloodburst to charge up Windslide
2) Use Windslide as soon as Windslide meter is full

For 10 Windleaves to be active, this process needs to be done quickly.



Ferocious Fury
Maintain 4 stacks of Berserker for 30 seconds

This achievement has to be done with the Berserk Slash Stance and will unlock after having maintained 4 stacks of Berserker for 30 seconds. The Berserker buff is the buff granted to you upon using Berserk Slash and lasts 6.5 seconds. This achievement can be done using the training dummies in either Story Mode in the Everforest or Arena Mode. This achievement is best done during your Berserk Slash playthrough. The best way to do this is using the Berserk Slash build in this guide:

Upgrades on the Berserk Slash Stance: Fury Fragments, Feeding Frenzy, Deepened Fury
1) Use a Charge Attack to initiate a Bloodburst loop
2) Repeatedly use Bloodburst and then pick up Fury Fragments to keep using Bloodburst
3) While looping Bloodburst, make sure to use Berserk Slash every ~5 seconds. Make sure you don't use Berserk Slash after 6.5 seconds because the Berserker stacks will reset.

Maintaining this process will eventually unlock the achievement.



Dauntless Defence
Perform 3 Perfect Counters in a row against any Boss

This achievement has to be done with the Counter Stance and will unlock after having perfect Countered 3 times in a row against bosses. Countering the training dummy with the spinning spike will not work. A perfect Counter happens when using Counter just before getting hit by an attack. This achievement is best done during your Counter playthrough, which I recommend as the first. The easiest boss to do this on is the Guardian. If you're struggling, you can do this in Arena Mode fighting the Guardian as well.

These achievements all involve various in-game sidequests in Story Mode. Make sure to reference the Playthrough and Achievement Order section for the optimal time to complete these achievements.

Note: Completing the sidequest for one of the following achievements in a playthrough locks you out of completing the sidequests for the rest (this is why multiple playthroughs are needed): A Song of the Wild, A Song of the Abyss, A Song of Fire, A Song of Ice



A Bard's Request
Deliver the harp string to Edd

This sidequest can be finished after defeating the Watchdog. It needs to be done before fighting the Guardian, as you cannot give the harp string to Edd once entering the Guardian's area. Below are the steps:

1. Pick up the Harp String in the center of the Abandoned Battleground.
   
2. Give the Harp String to Edd, who is located at the right end of the Citadel.

Edd will then give you the Feather of Dawn and you will unlock the achievement.

Note: It is worth it to complete this sidequest in every playthrough, even if you have already earned this achievement.



A Crusader Always Pays His Debts
Deliver the bag of crowns to Edelon

This sidequest can be finished after reaching the Concord Sanctuary. Below are the steps:

1. Pick up the Wall Guard Insignia in the southwest area of the Citadel.
   
2. Pick up the Rusted Key from the frozen person in the left of the Spire.
   
3. Go back to the Citadel and use the Rusted Key on the locked door left of the hallway to the Guardian and pick up the Bag of Crowns.
   
4. Give the Wall Guard Insignia and the Bag of Crowns to Edelon, located at the east end of the Crossroads and down the stairs.

You will then be able to choose between upgrading your sword or armor, as well as unlocking the achievement.

• Sword upgrade: After dealing damage, +10% damage for 3 seconds.
  
• Armor upgrade: After taking damage, -10% damage taken for 5 seconds.

The sword upgrade is better for maximizing damage and will be active more often than damage reduction, especially because you want to dodge attacks. The only time for getting the Armor upgrade would be when using the Counter build detailed in this guide.

Note: It is worth it to complete this sidequest in every playthrough, even if you have already earned this achievement.



Alchemical Triumph
Obtain the Empty Vessel

This sidequest can be finished after defeating Hyem. Below are the steps:

1. Pick up the Amethyst Vial in the Citadel, located in the room left of the hallway to the Guardian.
   
2. Pick up the Abyssal Stone at the end of the left path in Moon's Way.
   
3. Pick up the Research Papers in the Negative Zone. Once in the Negative Zone, go north on the first moving platform. From this platform, dash onto the east platform, and destroy the northern mirror once you land. Then, take the moving platform north to find the Research Papers.
   
4. Give the Amethyst Vial, Abyssal Stone, and Research Papers to the Alchemist, located in the west side of the Concord Sanctuary.

The Alchemist will then give you the Empty Vessel and you will unlock this achievement.

Note: The Empty Vessel is needed to complete the sidequests in the following achievements: A Song of Ice, A Song of Fire, A Song of the Wild, and A Song of the Abyss. You can only use the Empty Vessel once per playthrough, which is why multiple playthroughs are required.



A Song of Stars
Gain the Blessed Feather of Dawn

Completing A Bard's Request and obtaining the Feather of Dawn is a prerequisite for this quest. This sidequest can be finished after reaching the Concord Sanctuary. Below are the steps:

1. Pick up the Sunfire Butterfly in the northwest area of the Everforest.
   
2. Use the Sunfire Butterfly on the telescope to the right of the houses in the Spire.
   
3. Speak to Edd, who is next to the telescope.

Edd will then upgrade your Feather of Dawn to the Blessed Feather of Dawn and you will unlock this achievement.

Note: It is worth it to complete this sidequest in every playthrough, even if you have already earned this achievement. The Blessed Feather of Dawn is very powerful.



A Song of the Wild
Gain the Blessed Hunter's Charm

Completing Alchemical Triumph and obtaining the Empty Vessel is a prerequisite for this quest. You can finish this sidequest after defeating Hyem. I recommend completing this achievement during your 2nd/3rd playthrough. Below are the steps:

1. Pick up the Hunter's Charm in the center of the Spire.
   
2. Go to the Deer God's arena and use the Empty Vessel to obtain the Vessel of the Wild.
   
3. Cleanse the three corrupted shrines within the Everforest.
   
4. Show the Hunter's Charm to the Forest Sage, located in the center of the Everforest. Speak to him again after.

The Forest Sage will then give you the Blessed Hunter's Charm and you will unlock this achievement.



A Song of the Abyss
Gain the Abyssal Eye

Completing Alchemical Triumph and obtaining the Empty Vessel is a prerequisite for this quest. You can finish this sidequest after defeating Hyem. I recommend completing this achievement during your 2nd/3rd playthrough. Below are the steps:

1. Pick up the Abyssal Effigy at the west end of the Abandoned Battleground.
   
2. Go to Azikel's arena and use the Empty Vessel to obtain the Vessel of Light.
   
3. Give the Abyssal Effigy and Vessel of Light to the Crow, located in the southwest corner of the Crossroads. Then interact with the glowing well.

The well will give you the Abyssal Eye and you will unlock this achievement.



A Song of Fire
Gain the Kindled Heart of Fire

Completing Alchemical Triumph and obtaining the Empty Vessel is a prerequisite for this quest. You can finish this sidequest after defeating Hyem. I recommend completing this achievement during your Shardless playthrough. Below are the steps:

1. Pick up the Smothered Heart of Fire in the Concord Sanctuary, located in the hallway above the Alchemist's room.
   
2. Return to Eos's arena and use the Empty Vessel to obtain the Vessel of Liquid Fire.
   
3. Use the Smothered Heart of Fire on the locked door in the center of the Everforest.
   
4. Give the Vessel of Liquid Fire to the Inquisitor.

The Inquisitor will give you the Kindled Heart of Fire and you will unlock this achievement.



A Song of Ice
Gain the Blessed Trueice Prism

Completing Alchemical Triumph and obtaining the Empty Vessel is a prerequisite for this quest. You can finish this sidequest after defeating Hyem. I recommend completing this achievement during your Abyss Mode or Deathless playthrough. Below are the steps:

1. Find the Trueice Prism at the bottom of the Everforest.
   
2. Go to Hyem's arena and use the Empty Vessel to obtain the Vessel of Frost.
   
3. Use the Trueice Prism on the ice barrier in the Spire and cross the frozen lake.
   
4. Give the Vessel of Frost to the Frigid Father.

The Frigid Father will give you the Blessed Trueice Prism and you will unlock this achievement.[/olist]

These achievements all involve defeating the bosses in an Abyss Mode playthrough. Abyss Mode unlocks after beating Story Mode for the first time. Make sure to reference the Playthrough and Achievement Order section for the optimal time to complete these achievements.

Note: There is no achievement for defeating the Watchdog or any of the DLC bosses in Abyss Mode.

In Abyss Mode, you take more damage and receive less healing. Bosses have increased health and a significant portion of their attacks are upgraded. It is best to wait until you have done several playthroughs and are more comfortable with the game and boss fights before doing Abyss Mode.

The Counter Stance build in this guide can cheese the entirety of Abyss Mode. Doing a full Abyss Mode playthrough and defeating all the bosses becomes extremely trivial. I completed Abyss Mode doing this strategy. I beat all bosses, including the DLC ones, and never died. If you want to get these achievements quickly to focus more time on Iron Achievements, I suggest you use the Counter Stance build. If you want, you can take on the challenge and try to defeat the bosses normally with Berserk Slash Stance.

This section will not be detailing strategies for beating the bosses in Abyss Mode. For each boss, the changes to attacks for Abyss Mode are included and underlined, referencing the attacks as described in the Iron Achievements section.



Abyssal Guardian
Defeat the Guardian in Abyss Mode

Abyss Mode changes:

1. In Phase 1 and Phase 2, constantly spawns a large Tendril AoE damage field near you that damages and slows you.
   
2. Spear: In Phase 1, summons 6 spears around itself that then launch towards you one at a time. In Phase 2, instead, randomly summon 2 spears around itself that launch towards you
   
3. Thrust: Thrusts halberd 4 times in your direction while lunging. The halberd no longer glows red before each thrust.

Abyssal Azikel
Defeat Azikel in Abyss Mode

Abyss Mode changes:

1. Melee: A long windup followed by a lunging melee attack. 2 light circles explode after the attack.
   
2. Falling Spear: More spears can fall on the ground, which impacts the Light Grid attack.
   
3. Red Laser: The red laser sweeps across the room twice in Phase 1 and 3 times in Phase 2.
   
4. White Laser: The white lasers sweep across the room twice in Phase 1 and 3 times in Phase 2.
   
5. Light Circle: After the initial Light Circle shots, the sections will then fire again in the same pattern, and all shots are faster.
   
6. Light Field: In Phase 1, a laser spawns on the safe side of the attack that sweeps through that half of the arena. In Phase 2, when the second light field activates on the other side, the laser continues to sweep and makes a full circle.

Abyssal Eos
Defeat Eos in Abyss Mode

Abyss Mode changes:

1. Wave: In Phase 1, Eos sends out 2 waves of water on perpendicular sides, before sending out 3 waves in a triangle pattern around itself.
   
2. An additional and stationary Blue Orb on the west side of the arena occasionally shoots out water waves counterclockwise. This Blue Orb does not attack if the additional Red Orb is attacking.
   
3. An additional and stationary Blue Orb on the east side of the arena occasionally shoots out fire beams in bursts of 3 counterclockwise. This Red Orb does not attack if the additional Blue Orb is attacking.

Abyssal Hyem
Defeat Hyem in Abyss Mode

Abyss Mode changes:

1. Ice Burst: In Phase 1, Hyem charges and then unleashes a longer range cone-shaped Ice Burst. In Phase 2, each of the three bursts also sends out an ice wave.
   
2. Slash: In Phase 1, Hyem slashes twice while lunging forward and sends out 2 ice waves afterward. In Phase 2, there are 4 ice waves.
   
3. Jump: In Phase 2, when Hyem lands, 8 ice waves in a circle around the arena travel across the arena and converge to Hyem's location.

Abyssal Deer God
Defeat The Deer God in Abyss Mode

Abyss Mode changes:

1. Slash: Deer God slashes while lunging in an arc in front of it, then sends out 4 roots in a cone shape. When the boss is enraged, the slash is an AoE that also sends out roots in all directions.
   
2. Headbutt: Deer God glows and then rushes forward very quickly in your direction, then sends 3 roots in a cone shape the opposite direction.

Abyssal Warden
Defeat The Warden of Purity in Abyss Mode

Abyss Mode changes:

Head
1. Electric Pulse: Summons 4 electric pulses that travel from the Head to the back of the arena.
   
2. Cage: Summons a larger square of walls on top of your location that surrounds you. Shortly after, the entire area of the square activates an electric field.
Hands
1. Fist: If Electrified, after the fist slam, two electric waves are sent outwards from the Hand across the entire arena.

Abyssal Aryana
Defeat Aryana in Abyss Mode

Abyss Mode changes:

1. Spear Hit: Every spear that thrusts also sends out a laser.
   
2. Spear Sweep: Every spear that thrusts also sends out a laser.
   
3. Wave: Aryana summons a slow-moving wave, which then splits into 3 waves that across the arena in your direction in a cone shape.
   
4. Moon: Summons a larger "moon" above you that follows your location and explodes after a short duration. The radius is bigger if Aryana is in Full Moon.

Abyssal Drakmur
Defeat Drakmur in Abyss Mode

Abyss Mode changes:

1. Waves of orbs shoot from different directions regularly during the entire fight.
   
2. Orb Wave: Sends out waves of always 4 slow-moving orbs in a cone towards the player.
   
3. Falling Orbs: Summons a larger falling orb above you that follows your location and explodes after a short duration. This happens 2-3 times, with one orb at a time.
   
4. Gravity Orb: Large AoE gravity field that pulls the player towards its center and follows the player very slowly. After a few seconds, the field explodes.
   
5. Exploding Clones: Each explosion sends out 6 orbs from the clone in all directions.
   
6. Mirrors: Each wave of mirrors is faster.

Abyssal Eksyll
Defeat Eksyll in Abyss Mode

Abyss Mode changes:

1. Beam:The red orb shoots a single beam twice normally, but a cone of 3 beams twice in Abyss.
   
2. Spinning Laser: The red orb shoots 2 spinning lasers normally, but 6 spinning lasers in Abyss.
   
3. Slam: Spiked orb slams in an AoE, with a followup shockwave in Abyss.
   
4. Wave: A wave shoots across the arena that splits into 2 perpendicular waves, which split again into 4 waves total in Abyss.

These two achievements involve finishing an entire playthrough with a specific constraint. Make sure to reference the Playthrough and Achievement Order section for the optimal time to complete these achievements. For each achievement, I have included a video showing a full playthrough of me completing the achievements.



No Country For Godly Men
Finish the game without activating any Shard or Infusions

This achievement is unlocked after finishing an entire playthrough without using any of the boss shards.

There is an instance during the game where using shards is unavoidable and required to progress the story. After defeating the Guardian, the game forces you to equip Corrupted Grasp on the Active and Bloodburst slots in order to get past the fallen bridge and tree. This section does NOT count as "activating any shard or infusions" and will NOT nullify your progress for this achievement. After destroying the tree, remember to unequip the shard.

Using skill points and completing sidequests will help you immensely in doing this achievement. Any bonuses you can obtain will help make up for the fact that you will be strictly weaker during the entire playthrough due to not being able to use shards. In terms of skill points, be careful to not also equip the new shard you acquire after defeating a boss when you invest a skill point in the skill tree menu. In terms of sidequests, you should absolutely complete the sidequests for these achievements: A Bard's Request, A Crusader Always Pays His Debts, A Song of Stars, and A Song of Fire. The rewards for all of these quests are the Blessed Feather of Dawn, the sword upgrade, and the Kindled Heart of Fire, which will collectively give you a substantial boost to your damage and movement speed.
Note: If you follow the guide, you will also complete the A Song of Fire achievement, which is most efficient to complete in this run. The Kindled Heart of Fire is more effective in this run than the others as explained above, and the runs you do before the no shard playthrough don't really need that item, so it's better to do the other sidequests for those and A Song of Fire for this playthrough.

Battles will last longer without shards because you are weaker, so you need to have more knowledge of the bosses' attack patterns, which is why it's best to do this achievement after several playthroughs. The Berserk Slash build in this guide is the best build for this achievement, as the core Bloodburst loops for damage do not involve using shards. You will still be dealing less damage, since the Bloodburst → Corrupted Grasp combos are unavailable. Having The Executioner weapon is also incredibly helpful for its damage boost, which you should have after your Berserk Slash playthrough.

Once you reach the Crossroads and you have to decide between fighting Azikel or Eos, you should choose the one you are more comfortable fighting against first. The first fight is before you unlock the core Berserk Slash build, and especially because you cannot use Corrupted Grasp, this fight will be significantly longer and definitely the hardest in the playthrough aside from the final boss.

No Country For Godly Men Playthrough
This is a video I made of a full No Shard playthrough:

---

The Sword Saint
Reach the ending without dying once

This achievement is unlocked after finishing an entire playthrough without dying.

Be aware that there are 4 additional scenarios that can kill you outside of fighting bosses:

1. At the start of the game, the rolling logs in Crusader's Landing will one shot you. Restart the run if you get hit by the logs.
   
2. The laser beams in Moon's Way can potentially kill you. Be careful when navigating towards Aryana. The lasers are deactivated after beating her.
   
3. The most dangerous place with the highest chance to kill you is the Negative Zone, on your way to Drakmur. Falling off of a platform instantly kills you, and the shadow orbs also do significant damage. Basic attack the mirrors... DO NOT Bloodburst them. Always dash when traveling on and off platforms, and make sure to be in the middle of the platform when you dash, as it is easy to overshoot the dash and fall.
   
4. The frozen lake in the Spire is slippery and has ice spikes that will instantly kill you if you touch them. This is not relevant unless you plan to complete the sidequest in A Song of Ice, as otherwise the area is optional. The safest path to navigate the frozen lake (going around the perimeter) is in my video example of this playthrough. If you follow the safest path, you won't really be in any danger. Just make sure to hug the outer walls when moving across.

It is heavily advised to practice fighting bosses hitless in preparation for the Iron Achievements before attempting a Deathless run. You need to be very comfortable in every fight. Ideally, you are comfortable enough to where every boss fight is not a threat, with the hardest part of the challenge being navigating the Negative Zone.

Use the Counter build as specified in this guide to cheese the final boss. Once you beat your last regular boss, switch your build to the Counter build. It is impossible to die to Eksyll with that build, and it will guarantee that you complete this achievement once you beat Drakmur and Aryana.

The Berserk Slash build in this guide is by far the best build for this achievement. This is the best build for fighting bosses hitless and the one you will be most comfortable with by now. In terms of sidequests, you should absolutely complete the sidequests for these achievements: A Bard's Request, A Crusader Always Pays His Debts, and A Song of Stars. The rewards for all of these quests only help you by increasing your damage and movement speed, and completing them is not a risk because you can easily pick up all of the items for them.

Completing the sidequest in A Song of Ice gives you a one-time buff that revives you at 15% HP if you take a fatal blow. This is obviously very helpful for completing this achievement, as it gives you a second chance against a tough boss such as the final boss, and the "death" does not actually count. There is merit to doing A Song of Ice during this playthrough, especially if you struggle fighting the final boss. However, 1) this sidequest requires you going out of your way in the Negative Zone to get the Research Papers (thus spending more time there) and crossing the frozen lake in the Spire, which substantially increases the risk of you dying; and 2) if you've been practicing enough for completing the Iron Achievements, you really shouldn't need a one-time revive buff, since beating any boss without dying shouldn't be a problem. By the earliest time you can get this buff, there are only three more bosses in the game (Aryana, Drakmur, Eksyll), which requires backtracking, and doing this without backtracking means by the time you get it, only the final boss is left. Using the Counter build, the final boss is a free fight anyway. The risk of dying to complete A Song of Ice is just not worth the fail-safe if you don't even need it. In my video completing the deathless run (below), I additionally completed A Song of Ice just to showcase how it is done for the people who might want to do that.

The Sword Saint Playthrough
This is a video I made of a full Deathless playthrough, including completing A Song of Ice:

The following sections will be detailing how to fight each boss in order to complete the Iron Achievements. Note that most of the time spent completing all achievements will likely be grinding out these Iron Achievements, as defeating most bosses hitless is very difficult.

The formatting for each boss will be going through all of their attacks in each phase, followed by the suggested counterplay to these attacks, followed by other useful tips for the specific boss. If a boss has multiple phases, differences in a boss' attack between Phase 1 and Phase 2 will be underlined.

I have included a video of myself doing each of these bosses hitless to help you as well.

A few important things:

• Self-inflicted damage (such as from shards) DOES NOT COUNT as taking damage. Even though the wording of the achievement is "Defeat [X boss] while taking 0 damage", ONLY taking damage from the boss counts as damage, not self-inflicted damage.
  
• There are no achievements for defeating Eksyll and the DLC bosses hitless.
  
• You should focus on doing one boss at a time. It would be a lot better mastering one boss fight before the next instead of sporadically doing a few attempts on different bosses.
  
• Always use the Berserk Slash build in this guide. It is by far the best. The faster fights last, the less chances you have of getting hit and making mistakes.
  
• All of these fights are more easily done in Arena Mode. For every skill point and shard you have access to, follow the Berserk Slash build, putting the skill points in order until you run out. Put the shards in their specific slots. If you are particularly stuck, you can do some bosses in Story mode and defeat the DLC bosses, as they give you more skill points you can use.

The boss tips are written assuming you are completing the Iron achievements in Arena mode. If you're looking at the sections just for help in defeating the bosses, the moveset and counterplay tips, as well as the majority of the other tips, should apply. The only tips that might not apply would be the specific Berserk Slash tips.

Iron Watchdog
Defeat the Watchdog while taking 0 damage



Watchdog is the easiest boss to defeat hitless in the game. This trophy is impossible to complete in Story Mode, as the fight is scripted for Watchdog to always use its electric pulse attack, which deals unavoidable damage to teach you about Bloodthirst and Bloodburst. You have to do this achievement in Arena Mode, which is also much easier because for some reason the boss loses half of its moveset.

1. Slash: Watchdog slashes sword in an arc in front of it while lunging
   
2. Jump: Jumps and lands with an AoE around itself
   
3. Dash: Dashes forward with shield
   
4. Burst: Watchdog impales sword in the ground and unleashes an AoE burst around itself shortly after
   
   
5. Bone Shield: Guards itself with bones around itself (Story Mode only)
   
6. Double Slash: Slashes sword twice in front of itself (Story Mode only)
   
7. Shield Bash: A slow lunge using shield (Story Mode only)
   
8. Shield Pulse: Sends a shockwave in a cone AoE from its shield (Story Mode only)
   
9. Electric Pulse: Causes an electric shockwave that covers the whole arena (Story Mode only)

1. Slash: Run away/dodge depending on distance, and then quickly punish
   
2. Jump: Run away/dodge and maintain distance
   
3. Dash: Dodge and then punish. This attack has a lot of endlag so you can punish a little harder if you're close
   
4. Burst: Run away/dodge depending on your distance, and then quickly punish
   
   
5. Bone Shield: Use Bloodburst to break it
   
6. Double Slash: Dodge both slashes and then punish
   
7. Shield Bash: Run away/dodge depending on your distance, and then quickly punish
   
8. Shield Pulse: Dodge and then punish
   
9. Electric Pulse: This attack is unavoidable.

• The boss almost always uses his Slash attack right after his Jump attack. When Watchdog jumps, maintain your distance and wait to punish it until after it has used its Slash attack.
  
• All attacks can be punished, but the key ones to be looking out for are his Slash attack and Dash attack.
  
• The Wind Dancer weapon is the best weapon for this fight. You have no stance to use, the extra mobility it gives is very helpful, and the extra attack speed is insane for letting you get more basic attacks during your punishes, which are a significant part of your damage this early.

Iron Guardian
Defeat the Guardian while taking 0 damage



The Guardian is the second-easiest boss to defeat hitless in the game but a step up from the Watchdog. Around 40% health, the boss changes to Phase 2. Phase 1 is pretty simple, but the difficulty comes in Phase 2, which also has a new attack. The boss does not give many opportunities to punish, and when it does, you cannot be too greedy.

Phase 1

1. Slash: Charges halberd before slashing in an arc in front of it while lunging
   
2. Spear: Summons 3 spears around itself that then launch towards you one at a time
   
3. Energy Circle: Summons 3 circles around itself. After a short delay, they activate one at a time (inner to outer) and deal damage
   
4. Thrust: Thrusts halberd 3 times in your direction while lunging. The halberd glows red before each thrust
   
5. Charge: The Guardian charges and then dashes toward the player, crashing at the wall and dealing AoE damage around itself

Phase 2

1. Slash: Charges halberd before slashing in an arc in front of it while lunging 3 times
   
2. Spear: Instead, randomly summon 1 spear around itself that launches towards you
   
3. Energy Circle: Summons 3 circles around itself. After a short delay, they activate one at a time and deal damage. They activate from outer to inner and additionally follow the Guardian
   
4. Tendrils: Charges slightly (small glowing red circles appear), then launches tendrils towards the player in a large AoE cone

Phase 1

1. Slash: Run away and then punish
   
2. Spear: Run away while slightly curving and maintain distance
   
3. Energy Circle: Run away and maintain distance
   
4. Thrust: Dodge all thrusts and punish after the third thrust. You can technically run to avoid the attack but it's inconsistent because of this attack's hitbox. Ideally, perfect dodge the final thrust into the Guardian, which gives you much more time to punish.
   
5. Charge: Maintain distance and dodge away once the Guardian gets close. Be careful not to get too close after the dodge or you will get hit by the AoE

Phase 2

1. Slash: Run away and then quickly punish after the third slash
   
2. Spear: Run away the same as phase 1 Spear attack
   
3. Energy Circle: You can run away but have to dodge away from the Guardian if it starts moving
   
4. Tendrils: Dodge to the side once you see the charging animation

• Maintain distance in this fight and look for punishes during your openings. In Phase 1, the key attacks to punish are Slash, Thrust, and Charge. Charge attack → a few basic attacks → Bloodburst is a strong punish in Phase 1. In Phase 2, keep punishes to a simple Charge Attack → Bloodburst, and only look to punish Slash and Tendrils.
  
• In Phase 2, the Spear will spawn randomly and launch, but it is likely it launches during the triple Slash attack. Depending on when the Spear spawns during the slashes, you might have to dodge as well as running.
  
• In Phase 2, the sound of the beginning of the Slash attack is similar to the Tendril attack. It is very easy to anticipate a Slash, not dodge, and then get instantly hit by the Tendrils. Look out for small glowing red circles near the Guardian's arms, as this indicates it is about launch the Tendrils. The Slash does not have the red circles.
  
• The Thrust attack has deceptive range. Even if you're far away and think you don't need to dodge, you might still be in danger. Always dodge each Thrust if you're not sure.
  
• Save your Berserk Slashes for the phase change so you can do Bloodburst → Berserk Slash combos for big damage.
  
• The Wind Dancer weapon is really useful for this fight. The extra mobility it gives is very helpful to dodge most attacks, and the extra attack speed lets you get more basic attacks during your punishes, which are a significant part of your damage this early.

Iron Azikel
Defeat Azikel, God of Light while taking 0 damage



Azikel is regarded as one of the hardest bosses to defeat hitless, as you do not have many upgrades at this point. Around 50% health, the boss changes to Phase 2. The difficulty comes from the boss having multiple attacks that can easily clip you, him having complicated attacks that require perfect dodging, and the fact that he is hard to hit due to him teleporting around.

1. Melee: A long windup followed by a lunging melee attack. If Azikel's halo glows red during the windup, the attack will be a slashing arc. If Azikel's halo glows white during the windup, the attack is a slightly longer range thrust.
   
2. Falling Spear: Occasionally, a red or white circle appears on the ground, and after ~1.5 seconds, a spear lands in that area with a pillar of light. This happens randomly and can happen during other attacks.
   
3. Red Laser: Azikel always teleports to the back of the room before doing this attack. Azikel channels, glowing red, and then fires a red laser in front of himself that then sweeps across the room toward the side of the room you are in. In Phase 2, the laser then makes a second sweep going across the room in the opposite direction.
   
4. White Laser: Azikel always teleports to the back of the room before doing this attack. Azikel channels, glowing white, and then fires a white laser in front of himself. Then, he fires two white lasers that start on either side of him and then sweep across the room before converging in front of him. In Phase 2, after the lasers meet, they then sweep back towards both sides of the room.
   
5. Light Circle: Azikel channels, lifting his spears in the air facing up with his halo glowing either red or white. The channel also has a strong audio cue. Then, he summons a circle of light around himself consisting of alternating red and white sections. After a few seconds, the sections that match the color he glowed during this attack's channel turn into laser beams, and then the sections of the other color turn into lasers shortly after. In Phase 2, the light circle spins for the entire duration.
   
6. Light Field: Azikel channels, holding his spears to the side facing down with his halo glowing either red or white. Then, he stabs his spears in the ground, showing the color again on the ground. If the color is white, everything on the left side of the boss will turn into a white light field that does damage, and if the color is red, everything on the right side of the boss will turn into a red light field that does damage. In Phase 2, after the first light field, a second light field activates on the other side.
   
7. Light Grid: Azikel only does this attack after 4 Falling Spear attacks, and he always teleports somewhere before executing the move. Once there are 2 red and 2 white spears on the ground, the boss teleports somewhere and consumes the spears after a delay. The location of each red spear becomes the intersection of two red lasers, and the location of each white spear becomes one white laser. The red lasers stay stationary, while the white lasers make one full rotation around the screen. This is a fullscreen attack.

1. Melee: Dodge and then quickly punish. Try to dodge diagonally away instead of completely perpendicular, as the red version of this attack can clip you after your dash.
   
2. Falling Spear: Move away from the circle when it appears
   
3. Red Laser: Run away from the middle of the screen after he teleports and close the gap, then perfect dodge through the laser and punish. In Phase 2, perfect dodge both sweeps.
   
4. White Laser: Run away from the middle of the screen after he teleports and close the gap, then perfect dodge through the laser and punish. In Phase 2, perfect dodge both sweeps.
   
5. Light Circle: It can be difficult to see the color he glows before this attack to know which color will fire first. The best and surefire way to dodge this attack is to position yourself in between two of the sections while not being too close to the light circle. None of the lasers will hit you, so you don't need to worry about which color is shooting first. In Phase 1, just stand still after positioning yourself correctly. In Phase 2, because the circle is spinning, you will have to move with the circle to keep yourself between two of the sections. If you are good about dodging this attack, you can look to punish the boss after, but I advise playing it safe. Be careful in situations when the boss spawns the light circle very close to you. The sections of light still deal damage before they turn into lasers. When this happens, you will have to dash before the sections' hitboxes come out.
   
6. Light Field: You have to move to the side of the boss opposite the colored arc on the ground. Whether or not you dodge or simply run depends on your distance from the boss and where the boss is. Sometimes you only have to run and other times you will have to dash multiple times. In Phase 2, remember to move to the opposite side after the first light field. After the last light field you can punish the boss. Be careful though, as if you're too close to the light field and Bloodburst, you might lunge yourself into the last few ticks of the light field. Either wait for the light field to dissipate and get a quick Bloodburst or position yourself at max Bloodburst range to not risk getting clipped by the light field.
   
7. Light Grid: This attack is hard to dodge if you're not prepared for it. When you notice the boss teleporting somewhere and that there are 4 spears in the ground, immediately start dashing/running to the nearest corner of the room. Once the lasers erupt, you will have to perfect dodge through the white lasers twice. Be careful to aim your dodges in such a way where you do not accidentally dash into a red laser.

• This fight can be very oppressive, especially if he uses multiple of his moves that are not really punishable in a row and teleports frequently.
  
• The key attacks to punish are his Melee attack and both Laser attacks. Keep punishes short: Charge Attack → Bloodburst as well as utilizing Bloodburst → Corrupted Grasp → Bloodburst combos.
  
• Really understanding Azikel's teleporting and channeling helps massively for telling what attack is coming. If he teleports to the back of the room, one of the laser attacks is coming. If he teleports to a random location and 4 spears are on the ground, the fullscreen Light Grid attack is coming. If Azikel's spears are pointing up during a channel, it's the Light Circle attack, and if they're pointing down, it's the Light Field attack.
  
• The boss likes to do multiple Melee attacks in a row, so be prepared for more than one.
  
• Save your Berserk Slashes for the phase change so you can do Bloodburst → Berserk Slash combos (and Bloodburst → Corrupted Grasp combos) for big damage.

Iron Eos
Defeat Eos, God of Unity while taking 0 damage



Eos is the hardest boss to do hitless. This is because of the boss's fire attacks as well as just RNG. Eos' fire attacks set the ground underneath them on fire that lingers, which locks you out of significant portions of the arena. It is very easy to get hit by one tick of the fire, which disqualifies the achievement. The boss can also use certain attacks a lot that prevent you from really progressing the fight, so you need to get a little lucky.

Phase 1 and Phase 2 of this fight are reoccurring. In Phase 1, the boss is unified and has a blue HP bar, and depleting it causes the red and blue orbs to split, unlocking Phase 2. In Phase 2, each orb has different attacks and you can hit its actual HP bar. After a special Phase 2 attack, if it still has HP, it will go back to Phase 1. Phase 3 unlocks after killing one of the orbs in Phase 2. Usually, you will have to do Phase 1 and 2 twice before Phase 3.

Phase 1

In Phase 1, a fire icon appears over Eos if it's doing a fire attack and a water icon appears if it's doing a water attack.

1. Eruption: Eos moves to the middle of the arena and unleashes a large AoE explosion around itself. The outline of the AoE is shown right before the explosion. Afterwards, part of the area stays on fire.
   
2. Fire Beam: Eos charges while revealing a cone-shaped indicator pointed towards you. Then, it shoots a fire beam, with part of the ground underneath it being set on fire.
   
3. Fireball: Eos charges and then shoots 3 fireballs at you.
   
4. Wave: Eos charges while revealing two cone-shaped indicators on opposite sides of it. It then sends out a wave of water on each of those sides, before sending out a wave from the other two sides. This attack clears fire on the ground upon contact with it.
   
5. Water Beam: Eos summons 2 smaller blue orbs that each charge with a cone-shaped indicator pointed towards you. Then, they both fire a water beam, with the beams converging where you were when Eos was aiming. This attack clears fire on the ground upon contact with it.
   
6. Ice Orbs: Eos summons 3 small ice orbs that traverse the arena randomly.

Phase 2

After some time, Eos executes a special attack where the orb you damaged most in Phase 2 moves to the middle

Red Orb
1. Eruption: The Red Orb channels and unleashes a smaller AoE explosion around itself. The outline of the AoE is not shown. Afterwards, part of the area stays on fire.
   
2. Fire Beam: Same as Phase 1
   
3. Fireball: The Red Orb charges and then shoots 4 fireballs at you.

Blue Orb
1. Wave: The Blue Orb charges with a wide cone-shaped indicator pointed towards you. Then, it releases a single wave. This attack clears fire on the ground upon contact with it.
   
2. Water Beam: The Blue Orb charges with a wide cone-shaped indicator pointed towards you. Then, it releases a short-range, cone-shaped water pulse. This attack clears fire on the ground upon contact with it.
   
3. Ice Orbs: Same as Phase 1

Special Attack
1. Red Orb Middle: The Red Orb shoots a fire beam on both sides that start spinning. The Blue Orb continues using its attacks.
   
2. Blue Orb Middle: The Blue Orb charges and releases an expanding circular wave as the Red Orb orbits the arena. The Red Orb then shoots large waves of fire across the stage.

Phase 3

The orb you kill in Phase 2 starts using a special attack and Phase 3 begins, where you must kill the second orb.

1. Red Orb Killed: Red Orb starts shooting fire beams in bursts of 3 from where it was killed. The beams will shoot counterclockwise, and each beam has a cone-shaped indicator. Blue Orb will continue using its Phase 2 attacks.
   
2. Blue Orb Killed: Blue Orb starts continuously shooting water waves counterclockwise. Red Orb will continue using its Phase 2 attacks.

Please note that every attack Eos does can be punished. Whether or not you are able to punish it is entirely dependent on the distance between you and Eos and how much fire is on the ground.

Normal Attacks

1. Eruption: Run away/dodge depending on the distance between you and the edge of the explosion (both phases)
   
2. Fire Beam: Always dodge sideways once you see the indicator.
   
3. Fireball: Run away and keep moving
   
4. Wave: In Phase 1, when you see the 2 cone indicators, run to one of the sides with no indicator, then wait for the second set of waves and dash through the one coming towards you. In Phase 2, dodge sideways if close to the Blue Orb, and run/dodge on reaction if far away.
   
5. Water Beam: In Phase 1, wait slightly for Eos to aim the attack and then dodge. In Phase 2, dodge away if in range.
   
6. Ice Orbs: Run away from them, but you might have to dodge if they come close.

Phase 2 Special Attacks

1. Red Orb Middle: Perfect dodge through the rotating fire beams when they get near you, and be mindful of Blue Orb attacks. I suggest not going for hits unless they're free.
   
2. Blue Orb Middle: Perfect dodge the initial Blue Orb wave, and perfect dodge all Red Orb waves. This is the only attack where you can get guaranteed damage. Use high-damage combos on the Blue Orb between each fire wave.

Phase 3 Special Attacks

1. Red Orb Killed: After the first beam of each cycle, you can intuit where the other two beams will be, so move and dodge accordingly. Be mindful of Blue Orb attacks.
   
2. Blue Orb Killed: Maneuver in a way where you are ahead of the current rotation of waves. You may need to dodge through waves as well. Be mindful of Red Orb attacks.

• You will almost always be doing two Phase 1's and two Phase 2's, and aim to initiate Phase 3 before a special attack in the 2nd Phase 2. The best kill order is focusing the Blue Orb in the first Phase 2 and the Red Orb in the second Phase 2. The Blue Orb Phase 2 special attack is the best attack for getting damage off in this fight because the Blue Orb is stationary, whereas the Red Orb special attack makes hitting the Blue Orb incredibly hard. Similarly, the Red Orb Phase 3 special attack is significantly easier to deal with. The Blue Orb Phase 3 special attack is so hard to not get hit by.
  
  
• You must be careful to avoid the fire on the ground. This will end a lot of your hitless runs.
  
• You must be patient in this fight if you want to do it hitless. Only go in if you see good openings. In Phase 1, the key attacks to look out for are the Wave attack and Water Beam attack. These are the two attacks that remove fire (the Wave attack removes almost all the fire because of how far it reaches), so they can be punished much more easily. Play it safe until you see these attacks if you're not sure you can punish other attacks.
  
• Make sure to do Bloodburst combos in your punishes. Also the circular arena means it is very important to play around Fury Fragments. You do not want to be Charge Attacking in this fight; ideally, every punish starts with Bloodburst.
  
• You don't need to save Berserk Slashes, since Eos does not have regular phase shifts.
  
• In Phase 2, you can hit both orbs at the same time with one Bloodburst for double the damage, which can be very useful. But don't go out of your way to do this. Prioritize the aforementioned kill order.

Iron Hyem
Defeat Hyem while taking 0 damage



Hyem is not too challenging to defeat hitless, especially if you're comfortable with Berserk Slash. By this point, you have strong upgrades and can really shred through the HP bar. Around 50% health, the boss changes to phase 2. All of Hyem's attacks can be punished, so with proper Fury Fragment cycling, the fight is very quick.

1. Ice Burst: Hyem charges and then unleashes a large cone-shaped Ice Burst, which leaves the ground under it frozen for a tiny bit. In Phase 2, instead of one large blast, Hyem shoots 3 narrower long-range ice bursts in your direction, with a delay after each one.
   
2. Slash: Winds up and then performs a melee slash while lunging forward. Afterwards, an ice wave travels across the stage in the direction of the slash. In Phase 2, he usually does this attack twice (two slashes and two ice waves total), but sometimes still just once.
   
3. Jump: Hyem jumps in the air towards you and then slams down with a large AoE of ice around itself. In Phase 2, when Hyem lands, two ice waves travel across the arena and converge to Hyem's location.
   
4. Ice Zones: Hyem jumps and highlights 3 of the 6 zones of the stage in an alternating pattern. Hyem then lands and detonates the highlighted zones with ice. In Phase 2, after the 3 highlighted zones detonate, the other 3 zones detonate shortly after.
   
5. Icicles: This attack is charged over time. Outside of the arena, in each cardinal direction, large icicles slowly spawn over the course of the fight. When there are at least 6 total, Hyem can use this attack. Hyem levitates and lifts both arms up while slowing you. This part has several audio cues. The icicles then shoot out across the arena. This attack takes ~30 seconds from the start of the fight until the icicles shoot out.
   
6. Ice Circle: This move starts being used right after the first instance of Icicles. Summons an ice circle below you that follows you for a little before staying on the ground. Up to 4 ice circles will spawn. If any ice circles make contact with each other, they explode in a large AoE. The explosion will also occur shortly after the fourth circle appears on the ground if none made contact with each other, with you being slowed before this explosion. In Phase 2, the ice circles are larger.
   
7. Ice Spike: Each time you get hit by an ice attack, you will be debuffed with 1 stack, which is shown above your character. Upon reaching 3 stacks, ice will surround your character that slows you, and Hyem will use Ice Spike. Hyem charges up by raising its arm and then slams it into the ground, activating an ice spike right on top of you and consuming all stacks. The stacks are also removed after the Icicles and Ice Circle attacks.

1. Ice Burst: In Phase 1, dodge or perfect dodge after you see Hyem charging the attack, then punish afterwards. In Phase 2, dodge each burst and then punish after the last one.
   
2. Slash: In Phase 1, run/dodge the slash and the ice wave depending on your speed and distance from the attack. It is common to run away from the slash and then dodge through the ice wave when you go to punish. Be careful not to dodge in the opposite direction as the slash, since you will be very close to the ice wave following. In Phase 2, it is likely you will have to dodge this attack most of the time. In both phases, punish after you are safe from the wave or if the wave will not hit you.
   
3. Jump: Run/dodge depending on your speed and distance from the attack. In Phase 2, you will likely have to dodge through one of the following ice waves. Punish afterwards.
   
4. Ice Zones: Run/dodge to one of the zones that is not highlighted and stay in the zone until the attack finishes, then punish. In Phase 2, after the first zones detonate, immediately move to the adjacent zone to avoid the second detonation, then punish.
   
5. Icicles: When you notice Hyem levitating and lifting both arms up and the audio cues, take note of where the icicles are and align yourself accordingly. Dodge away from the icicles that shoot out across the arena. I found the safest way to dodge is diagonally in a direction, especially if you are not paying attention to where the icicles are before the attack. Punish afterwards.
   
6. Ice Circle: The circles do not deal damage when they fuse into the ground. Just make sure that when you're moving during the fight, you don't make the current circle under you touch another one already on the ground when the one under you goes into the ground. If there are 4 circles on the ground, you will have to perfect dodge the explosion. If you're doing this fight on pace (see Tips), you do not really need to worry about this attack after a circle or two.
   
7. Ice Spike: When Hyem charges up by raising its arm, he raises his arm and then raises it again a little higher before slamming it into the ground. When you notice this attack start to happen, you will have to perfect dodge immediately after Hyem raises his arm the "second" time. If you do not dodge, this attack is guaranteed to hit you.

• You should aim to make this fight quick, around 40-50 seconds, which is very doable. This way, you eliminate 2 of Hyem's attacks. Because Ice Circle happens after the first use of Icicles, and Icicles takes 30 seconds to charge, you can end the fight before the Ice Circle attack even matters. The Ice Spike attack will never happen if you're doing the fight hitless, since that attack requires you to be hit. Ideally, the boss is in Phase 2 by the time the Icicles attack is used.
  
• You have all the tools to make this fight quick. Really play around Fury Fragments and utilize Bloodburst, Corrupted Grasp, and Berserk Slash for combos.
  
• Be mindful of the small arena. It can make dodging tricky but it also helps with cycling Fury Fragments. You will almost always be in Bloodthirst. The small arena makes Double Bloodburst more effective in this fight as well.
  
• The key attacks to look out for and punish are the Ice Burst and Ice Zones attacks. These are the two attacks Hyem uses frequently and does not move while doing, making punishing them a lot easier.
  
• Save your Berserk Slashes for the phase change so you can do Bloodburst → Berserk Slash combos (and Bloodburst → Corrupted Grasp combos) for big damage.

Iron Deer
Defeat The Deer God and the Warden of Purity while taking 0 damage



The Deer God is pretty difficult to do hitless, since it's essentially 2 bosses in 1, so you'll have to memorize more patterns. In Phase 1, you fight the Deer God, and once you defeat it, you have to kill the Warden, which is Phase 2. You should aim to make both phases quick, since the longer each fight goes, the harder it is to complete.

Phase 1 (Deer God)

1. Slash: Deer God winds up and then slashes while lunging in an arc in front of it. When the boss is enraged, the slash is an AoE around the boss instead of just an arc in front.
   
2. Headbutt: Deer God glows and then rushes forward very quickly in your direction.
   
3. Jump: Jumps in your direction and then lands with an AoE around itself. When the boss lands, roots travel outwards in all directions. Getting hit by a root stuns you for a short duration.
   
4. Vines: Deer God screams and outlines of circles appear near it. Shortly after, vines erupt where the circles are. Every use of this attack will randomly be 1 of 3 different patterns: 1) around the boss, 2) a line through the boss, 3) X-shape with the boss in the middle. After the attack, the center of each vine circle leaves behind a dead sapling.
   
5. Roots: This attack is used after at least one instance of the Vines attack. The boss turns all dead saplings on the ground into active roots that travel randomly around the arena before all going to the Deer. Getting hit by a root stuns you for a short duration. The boss continues to move and may attack before the roots despawn.
   
6. Rage: Periodically, the boss turns red and becomes enraged for a duration. While enraged, the boss moves faster and there is shorter time between the boss's attacks. Usually, Rage lasts for around 3-5 attacks.

Plants will periodically spawn on the ground, up to 4, with 1 plant covering each quadrant of the arena. The first plant spawns on the top left and subsequent spawns will happen clockwise. Each plant has a yellow meter. If you attack the boss enough or get hit while inside a Plant's radius, they activate a damage field that damages you over time and pulls you towards its center. You can hit the boss once in a Plant's range without activating it; hitting it more than once will activate the field. Once activated, the meter will reduce over time.

Phase 2 (Warden of Purity)

The Warden can use multiple attacks at the same time, as its Head has separate attacks from each of its Hands. Right before the Head uses an attack, the type of attack is indicated on its eye and with a sound cue. At 50% HP, the boss becomes Electrified, powering up some attacks.

Head
1. Electric Pulse: Summons 1-3 electric pulses that travel from the Head to the back of the arena. The indicator of this attack appears as red lines on the eye, with the number of lines telling you how many pulses there will be.
   
2. Electric Circles: Summons multiple circle indicators quickly and one after the other on top of you, which activate shortly after. The indicator of this attack appears as several red dots on the eye.
   
3. Cage: Summons a square of walls on top of your location that surrounds you. Shortly after, the entire area of the square activates an electric field. The indicator of this attack appears as a red rectangle on the eye.
Hands
1. Fist: The Left or Right Hand hovers to your location as a fist and then slams down shortly after. If Electrified, a delayed AoE electric field follows the slam.
   
2. Field: The Left or Right Hand stays flat and slams the ground, dividing the arena with a wall down the middle into a left and right section. Shortly after, the entire side of the field the Hand slammed then erupts in a damage field. If Electrified, after the first damage field, an electric ball arcs across to the other side, and when the ball lands on the ground, the other side erupts into an electric field.

At some point (~15 seconds), a Stone spawns on the top half of the arena, and ~15 seconds later, another Stone spawns on the bottom half. Once a Stone spawns, it begins charging a yellow bar. When the yellow bar fills up, the entire side of the arena the Stone is on becomes outlined and shortly after turns into an electric damage field. The top one will be first to charge since it spawns first. Stones after the 2nd one will repeat the top to bottom spawning.

Phase 1

1. Slash: Run away/dodge depending on distance from boss, then punish
   
2. Headbutt: Once you see the Deer God glow, dodge away/sideways right after
   
3. Jump: Dodge away early, before the boss lands, and then maintain distance. This will give you time to react to the following roots, where you can run/dodge depending on where they go. If you wait too late to dodge the jump, you might instantly get hit by roots. Might be able to punish after
   
4. Vines: Take note of the pattern and then run away/dodge depending on your distance from the outlined circles. The line pattern is more likely to be avoided by just running. Punish afterwards
   
5. Roots: Keep moving because the fight doesn't pause during this attack. Dodge if you have to.
   
6. Rage: When the boss is enraged, keep distance and react to its attacks. The boss likes to use multiple Slash and Headbutt attacks in a row when enraged, so be prepared for several of those. Only really punish those two attacks if you can, and keep punishes short; Bloodburst or Bloodburst → Berserk Slash. There is not enough time for Corrupted Grasp combos.

Phase 2

1. Electric Pulse: Perfect dodge through each pulse while running backwards in between pulses
   
2. Electric Circles: Run away until the attack stops
   
3. Cage:There are always 3 small gaps in the cage walls. Once the walls surround you, dodge to the direction of one of the gaps and exit the cage.
   
4. Fist: Dodge the slam. If Electrified, you can just walk away after dodging the slam to dodge the following AoE
   
5. Field: If you're on the side of the first damage field, run/dodge to the other side. If you're on the opposite side, stay there. If Electrified, after the first eruption, dodge back to that side.

If a Stone's yellow bar fills, after seeing the outline, dodge away to the other side.

• The Iron Deer achievement is bugged in your favor. You do not need to do Phase 1 hitless. You only need to beat Phase 2 (the Warden) hitless for the achievement. You can play more aggressively against the Deer because of this.
  
• Aim to make both phases quick, around 40-50 seconds, which is very doable. This will avoid too many Plants from spawning in Phase 1 (only 2-3 will spawn) and will make the Stones in Phase 2 never fully charge, as well as avoiding how much time the Field attack is Electrified.
  
• In Phase 1, play away from where the plants are
  
• The key attacks to look out for in Phase 1 are the Slash and Headbutt attacks; the Deer will be closer to you for an easier punish.
  
• In Phase 2, play in front of the Warden's Head. This is the best place to be to continuously pump out damage.
  
• Because the Warden is stationary, long combos and Double Bloodburst are very effective in Phase 2
  
• In Phase 2, you can damage the Hands after they slam the ground, but it's better to focus the Head. You can potentially hit two entities at once if a Hand lands close to the Head, but don't go out of your way to fish for this.

Iron Aryana
Defeat Aryana, First of the Moon while taking 0 damage



Aryana is not too challenging to defeat hitless, especially if you're comfortable with Berserk Slash. By this point, you have strong upgrades and can really shred through the HP bar. Aryana's attacks cover large areas and can be very overwhelming without knowing the counterplay, and her melee attack is tricky to dodge. However, the boss has substantial gaps between attacks if you know how to deal with her mechanics and has a big hitbox, so you can take her down fairly quickly.

Aryana changes her Moon Phase (New Moon, Crescent, Full Moon) throughout the battle. Once at Full Moon phase, she will at some point shrink the arena, which happens up to two times.

1. Spear Hit: Winds up, shown by the spears retracting into the platform, and then does a melee attack covering a semicircle in front of the boss. This attack has 2 variations, shown by the windup animation. 1) If all spears retract at the same time, then all spears thrust at the same time. 2) If alternating spears retract first and the adjacent ones tuck in after, then half the spears will thrust first, then the adjacent spears thrust immediately after.
   
2. Spear Sweep: Winds up, shown by the spears retracting into the platform, and then does a sweeping attack in a semicircle in front of the boss. This attack has 2 variations, shown by the windup animation. 1) If the spears retract starting at one side and continue down to the other side, then the spears will thrust one at a time in very quick succession starting at the side that retracted first and sweeping across. 2) If the spears retract starting at each side and converge to the middle, then the spears will thrust one at a time in very quick succession starting on both sides, with each side sweeping to the middle.
   
3. Laser: Shoots between 1-3 lasers that start in one direction and sweep across the arena to the other side. Subsequent lasers will start on the side that the previous laser finished on. There is a pause between each laser.
   
4. Wave: The boss always moves to an edge of the arena before doing this attack. Aryana charges and then summons a slow-moving wave that travels across the arena in your direction.
   
5. Shards: Shoots 4 spears in the air that soon crash back onto the arena in random locations. When they crash, they spawn 5 shards in a star shape that slowly move outwards. There can be between 2-4 locations that shards spawn. A Shard will spawn on the ground in each landing location.
   
6. Moon: Summons a "moon" above you that follows your location and explodes after a short duration. The radius is bigger if Aryana is in Full Moon. This attack has a sound cue.
   
7. Turret: Occasionally spawns Shards on the ground. The boss then transforms current shards into turrets. Whenever Aryana changes Moon phase, she almost always uses this attack first. The type of turret is dependent on Aryana's current Moon Phase:
   
   • New Moon: Large, slow-moving blue orbs that follow you and explode as a Moon attack once in range
     
   • Crescent: Stationary blue orbs that fire homing projectiles that eventually explode as a Shards attack
     
   • Full Moon: Stationary prisms that charge a laser beam that fires in your location after a short delay (same thing as the lasers outside leading up to this fight)

1. Spear Hit: Notice the startup animation and react accordingly. 1) If all spears retract at the same time, then dodge away and slightly diagonally. If you dodge away fully vertically, you can still get clipped at the end of your dodge by the tip of the spear. You can also time a perfect dodge horizontally. 2) If alternating spears retract first and the adjacent ones tuck in after, dodge away and slightly diagonally and maintain distance until the followup finishes. You can punish both variants of this attack.
   
2. Spear Sweep: Notice the startup animation and react accordingly. 1) If the spears retract starting at one side and continue down to the other side, then perfect dodge in the opposite direction as and through the incoming spears . 2) If the spears retract starting at each side and converge to the middle, then pick one side and perfect dodge in the opposite direction as and through the incoming spears. This attack can also be dodged the same way as Spear Hit, but it's simpler to just dodge through the spears. You can punish both variants of this attack.
   
3. Laser: Perfect dodge through each laser. There is enough time for a quick punish (Bloodburst or Bloodburst → Berserk Slash) in between the lasers. Do a harder punish after the last laser.
   
4. Wave: Perfect dodge through the wave and then punish. If the wave is irrelevant or a punish is unlikely after dodging, then just run away and wait for the wave to pass.
   
5. Shards: Run away or dodge depending on where the shards land. This attack is somewhat RNG dependent.
   
6. Moon: When you notice the circle below you and the attack beginning, keep running and then time a dodge as the attack finishes. There is a sound cue that helps.
   
7. Turret: The best way to deal with the Turrets is preventing them from spawning entirely by destroying any active Shards in the arena. Use Bloodburst for this, as each Shard drops a Fury Fragment when hit, and you can hit multiple shards at once. You can do this during downtime in the fight, usually when the boss flies away and is out of range.
   
   • New Moon: Once an orb reaches you and begins the Moon attack, just run away. The Moon attack they mimic does not follow you, unlike the actual attack.
     
   • Crescent: Dodge the projectile if you have to and then run away or dodge from the shards. If there is only one of these on the arena, it can be ignored, but if there are 3 or more, it is best to destroy them before going back to fighting the boss.
     
   • Full Moon: After noticing the laser charge, you will have to dodge at the proper time. It is best to go out of your way to destroy any of these that spawn. The attack from this turret is extremely frustrating when combined with other attacks the boss does.

• You should aim to make this fight quick, around 1 minute or so, which is very doable. Once she has been in Full Moon Phase for a while (usually every minute), she will destroy the edge of the arena. Her doing this also destroys any of her Shards on the ground. This process happens twice. The smaller the arena, the harder the fight becomes, since many of her attacks cover a lot of space. Playing this fight aggressively also minimizes how many Shard and Turret attacks you have to deal with.
  
• You have all the tools to make this fight quick. Really play around Fury Fragments and utilize Bloodburst, Corrupted Grasp, and Berserk Slash for combos.
  
• Be mindful of the small arena. It can make dodging tricky but it also helps with cycling Fury Fragments. You will almost always be in Bloodthirst. The small arena makes Double Bloodburst more effective in this fight as well.
  
• The hardest part of this fight is arguably differentiating between the Spear Hit and Spear Sweep attacks. If you struggle to tell the difference, dodging both attacks away and slightly diagonally can cover all bases.
  
• The boss likes to use her melee attacks if you are within melee range for a little while.
  
• The key attacks to look out for and punish are the Laser and Wave attacks. These are the most telegraphed and easy-to-dodge attacks with good punish windows afterwards.

Iron Drakmur
Defeat Drakmur, the Nightmare while taking 0 damage



Drakmur is one of the harder fights to do hitless. Drakmur can use multiple attacks simultaneously that cover most of the arena and easily waste your dodges. This fight also has RNG that can end attempts. However, the boss gives you opportunities to hit him for large combos to really shred through him.

Note that Drakmur can use multiple attacks at the same time (attacks 1-7). Attacks 8 and 9 are special attacks.

1. Claw: Charges slightly and then lashes out with an extended arm. Then, sends out 7 orbs around the area of the claw.
   
2. Orb Wave: Raises one claw, glowing purple, and then sends out waves of 3-4 slow-moving orbs in a cone towards the player. Drakmur continues to send out waves of orbs until hit by an attack.
   
3. Falling Orbs: Drakmur raises both arms and summons a falling orb above you that follows your location and explodes after a short duration. This happens 3 times, with one orb at a time. This attack has a sound cue.
   
4. Gravity Orb: Drakmur summons a large AoE gravity field that pulls the player towards its center. After a few seconds, the field explodes.
   
5. Clone Orb Wave: Drakmur and 1-5 clones of himself teleport to the circles on the edge of the arena. They all will then use the Orb Wave attack. One of the clones is the real Drakmur, and hitting the real boss destroys all remaining clones and ends this attack.
   
6. Exploding Clones: Drakmur teleports and summons 1-5 clones at random locations that will then explode shortly after, with each explosion sending out 4 orbs from the clone, one in each cardinal direction. Each clone has a hitbox before the explosion.
   
7. Player Clone: Drakmur spawns 1-4 white clones of yourself that, after several seconds, will use Charge Attack towards you before despawning.
   
8. Mirrors: Drakmur teleports away and then summons waves of falling mirrors. Each wave of mirrors has a different number of mirrors and at least one gap (usually multiple gaps).
   
9. Red Orbs: Drakmur will push you towards a corner of the arena immediately when this attack starts if you are close to him. Drakmur teleports to the middle of the arena and sends out red orbs in all directions in a spiral pattern. If you are hit by an orb, you are teleported to a minigame arena in a different dimension, where you have to travel to 3 crystals guarded by Player Clones and destroy the crystals to return to the fight.

Because Drakmur can use multiple attacks simultaneously, dodging attacks may be more complicated, and you might not be able to punish depending on what is going on.

1. Claw: Dodge the initial hit and depending on your distance, run away from or dodge the following orbs, then punish. The melee attack has deceptive range. If able, perfect dodge through one of the orbs into Drakmur for a faster and higher damage punish.
   
2. Orb Wave: Depending on your distance from the attack, run away and dodge while closing distance and then punish the boss to hit the attack. If near the boss, you can perfect dodge through one of the orbs during the first wave and then hit the boss quickly before the second wave comes out. Be careful about getting near Drakmur's glowing claw, since the claw has a hitbox.
   
3. Falling Orbs: When you notice the orb above you and the attack beginning, keep running and then time a dodge as the attack finishes. There is a sound cue that helps. Do this for each orb. If you are in Bloodthirst, you can quickly punish in between each orb.
   
4. Gravity Orb: Run away from the center while dodging to get out of the gravity field, then punish the boss.
   
5. Clone Orb Wave: When the attack starts, quickly find the Drakmur that is the easiest for you to hit. Navigate through the orbs while moving and perfect dodging through them to find a path to one of the other Drakmurs. Keep continuing this process until you hit the real one, and go for a decent punish upon hitting the real one. The more clones you destroy, the easier this attack is to deal with, so it is really important to destroy the first clone before the screen gets too hectic.
   
6. Exploding Clones: This attack is completely RNG dependent, and the attack happens very quickly and is not reactable. There is a very real chance that a clone spawns right on top of you, immediately damaging you and ending your achievement attempt. The best thing to do is to dodge in a direction immediately upon noticing Drakmur spinning to teleport. Once all the clones spawn, just run away from them to avoid the explosions and dodge any incoming orbs.
   
7. Player Clone: After the clones spawn, keep moving and be prepared to dodge the incoming Charge Attacks. If you are moving fast enough, you can just run away and they will miss.
   
8. Mirrors: When you notice the attack beginning, go towards the bottom of the screen; this gives you more time to react to each mirror wave. Go through a gap in each wave, as you cannot dodge through the mirrors. If you can run to the nearest gap, always run. You need to save your dodges to clear distance when the nearest gap is not close to you. You can dodge slightly downward to give yourself as much time as possible to go through a gap.
   
9. Red Orbs: When you notice yourself get pushed, stay in the corner and look out for the large gap in the orbs near you. Slowly run and follow the path that forms to dodge all the red orbs. When doing the fight hitless, you do not need to worry about the minigame afterwards, since that only happens if you get hit by a red orb. Punish after the attack ends.

• The Clone Orb Wave attack is the main attack to deal with that makes or breaks doing this fight hitless. This attack can be extremely overwhelming and become impossible to dodge if you do not destroy clones early or get lucky and hit the real Drakmur early.
  
• You will lose attempts to the Exploding Clone attack due to bad RNG, so be prepared for that mentally.
  
• This fight is designed to get you to waste dodges and punish you when you are out of them. Most of Drakmur's attacks require dodging to not get hit, but dodging is further required when multiple attacks are happening simultaneously. The Clone Orb Wave and Mirrors attacks are particularly effective at eating your dodges. Be mindful not to waste dodges during the Mirrors attack, and perfect dodge through orbs as much as possible. When doing this fight hitless, the Crimson Dash shard is extremely helpful, as you will have infinite dashes and don't have to worry about managing dashes. The self-inflicted damage also doesn't count for the achievement.
  
• Don't be near the circles at the edges of the arena when you notice the boss teleporting, and try not to dodge towards them. He has a chance to start the Clone Orb Wave attack, and if you are on a circle when this happens, a Drakmur could spawn on top of you.
  
• The key attacks to look out for and punish are Claw, Orb Wave, Falling Orbs, and Gravity Orb, as these are the simplest attacks to dodge and punish.
  
• You can potentially hit two clones at once if you get the opportunity.
  
• The boss stands still a lot while doing attacks, so use those opportunities for big combos and Double Bloodbursts.
  
• If you get big punishes, you can end this fight rather quickly, which is good for minimizing the chances of dealing with the Clone Orb Wave attack. Ideally, you end the fight early enough where Drakmur only uses one of the Mirrors or Red Orbs attacks.

This concludes my in-depth Eldest Souls guide. I hope that this guide was informative for you and helped in some way for learning the game, getting better at combat and boss fights, and/or completing all achievements. I would be happy even if you read a portion of this guide and it ended up helping your gameplay, and if you read the entire guide, which is admittedly longer than I thought it would be, then I am incredibly grateful to have made it an interesting and helpful read.

Making this guide, including the combat tips video, took a lot of effort, so feel free to like/share and comment any thoughts and questions. I am open to any discussion regarding the game. And again, thanks for reading.

• Published full guide