The threatening attacks in the first phase are the spike projectiles and the charge followed by a club slam. Listen for their audio cues (see Links section) to see these attacks coming, and act accordingly:

In case of spikes: Sprint in a direction perpendicular to the projectiles’ trajectory and they will miss. If you have a single-charge movement ability, refrain from using it here as you’ll need to save it for the charge attack (detailed below).

In case of a charge: If you cannot see the False Son, note where the charge’s audio cue ended up to estimate his location (either to the left, right, or behind you). If you have a movement ability, such as Huntress’ blink, use it now to escape the slam’s area. Otherwise, sprint away without jumping. Jumping risks being hit twice, as it’s split into a mid-air blast followed by a melee attack.

Some principles to keep in mind:

• Keep the boss in view, even if at the edge of your screen. Knowing where it’s safe to move is always better than guessing.
  
  
• Beetle guards and drones make this phase much easier by distracting the boss. This is especially useful if you were unlucky with mobility items in the previous stages (i.e. you lack hoofs, energy drinks, mochas, and antlers) and struggle to outrun his charge-slam.
  
  
• According to the wiki, breaking line of sight by moving behind a pillar can cause the charge to cover less distance, making the slam easier to avoid. Use this technique at your own risk.

The community seems to agree that False Son’s phase 2 and 3 utility, Laser Gaze, is the most troublesome part of the fight. It can be finicky, but there is a consistent technique for avoiding it:

1. Listen for the audio cue to know when the attack is coming.
   
   
2. Get behind cover instantly - ideally the rock/pillar at the centre back of the arena (see the diagram below) to maximise the time it takes for the False Son to get to you, as he’ll have teleported to the centre. Since line of sight is blocked, he may not come to you at all.
   
   
3. If you have to avoid lightning strikes (telegraphed by bright warning circles on the ground) move parallel with the direction of the laser to stay behind the cover as you dodge.
   
   
4. (Phase 2 only) If you need to dodge a stone golem’s beam, move back and away from your cover while still blocking line of sight with the laser. Wait for the golem beam’s indicator to flicker (meaning it’s about to fire) and sprint forward to dodge it.
   
   
5. Only abandon your cover if you have to avoid the False Son (i.e. he’s walked up to you and is about to melee attack). If the laser is ending soon, taking some damage from it is preferable to being hit by False Son’s club. This is riskier in phase 3, as the laser’s damage is buffed by 150%, but should be necessary less often as his speed is reduced from 12 to 10 m/s.

1. Audio cues: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_txNN85bzKg