Saros' King Boss: Dethroning the Final Monarch (With a Dash of Digital Shenanigans)
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Jeff unravels the complex final boss fight against the King in Saros, offering a breakdown of its three colour-coded phases and highlighting a 'cheese' strategy using an Annihilator shotgun with Recuperate. He provides essential preparation tips, modifier recommendations, and phase-specific counters for every attack, ensuring players can navigate the blue, red, and corrupted yellow assaults to claim victory.
Alright, mates, gather 'round the digital campfire, because we're diving headfirst into Saros to tackle the big one: The King. Not just any king, mind you, but the final, reality-bending headache waiting for you at the Yellow Shore, ready to test your mettle, your reflexes, and possibly your sanity. This isn't just about survival; it's about putting everything you've learned (and maybe a few cheeky exploits) to the ultimate test against a boss with more phases than a lunar cycle.
Big thanks to Johnny Yu over at Polygon, whose initial scouting mission helped us map out this royal rumble. We're taking his solid intel and injecting a bit of that trademark Jeff-ian pizzazz, because, let's be fair, a boss fight this epic deserves a proper narrative.
### Preparing for a Royal Rumble: Gear Up, Buttercup!
Before you even *think* about knocking on the King's door, you need to be prepped. This ain't no casual stroll through a digital park; it's the final biome, the Yellow Shore, and it demands respect. Or, at least, a bloody good loadout.
**Carcosan Modifiers – Your Digital Spells:** * **Protection Trial:** Damage Enhancement III, Armor Enhancement III, Lucenite Devaluation II, Lucenite Enrichment II – Basically, boost your survivability and damage, which is always a winner. * **Growth Incapacitator I** * **Nova Dash Halcyon Removal:** Oh, you beautiful devil, this one lets you dodge through red orbs and beams, which is a game-changer for later phases. Like a digital ghost, I tell ya! * **Power Decelerator II** * **Overlord Restoration** * **Artifact Destruction**
These protection modifiers are your best mates, improving overall damage and keeping you ticking. The trial modifiers? They barely make a dent in the Yellow Shore, especially since ‘second chance’ is already off the table. Plus, by this point, who needs lucenite when you're about to depose a monarch?
**Weapon of Choice (or, the Cheesy Way Out):**
Now, the Smart Rifle is usually a reliable old friend, an easy-to-use stalwart. But here's where things get *interesting*. If you happen upon an **Annihilator shotgun with the Recuperate enhancement**, grab it like it's the last slice of digital pizza. Recuperate means damage dealt heals you for a short bit after taking a hit. This, my friends, is our little digital cheat code, our magical glitch in the matrix.
*Fair dinkum*, you can practically stand on the King's digital toes during phases one and two, spamming shots and healing yourself back to full health. Just remember to hit those fast reloads to keep the damage bursting. For the third phase, you'll need to manage some corruption, but the shotgun strategy still mostly holds. Aim for at least **Proficiency Level 40**, though 50 would be wizard-tier awesome, if you're brave enough to clear extra paths.
### The Arena & The Whispers: Sound Advice
Unlike some of Saros' other theatrical fights, the King's arena is just a clear, circular space. No cheeky cover, no environmental hazards to exploit. It's just you, your wits, and a very annoyed monarch. So, you'll need to rely on everything you’ve learned.
**Crucial tip:** Turn up your bloody audio! Some of the King's nastier attacks have a distinct charging sound, followed by a 'boom' when it's about to land. Like a wizard listening for subtle incantations, these cues can save your hide, especially for a tricky attack in phase two whose visual tell is a bit… subtle.
### The King's Three Phases: A Colourful Cascade of Pain
This boss, like many in Saros, has three distinct phases, each defined by a colour and a shift in tactics. If you're going with the Annihilator shotgun 'cheese', you'll mostly be hugging the boss and blasting away, only really needing to worry about punching their shield when it appears. In phase three, you'll need to occasionally use your power weapon to lower corruption.
#### Phase 1: The Blue Light Disco (Shield Up!)
Welcome to the blue-lit ballroom of doom! Your shield is your best mate here, soaking up blue projectiles like a digital sponge. Keep shooting, keep blocking. Your power weapon? Spam it! Each wave of homing blue projectiles recharges it, so you can unleash it often.
* **Homing blue projectiles:** Three waves. Shield. Simple. * **Shield:** The King puts up a shield. Give it a good punch to break it. Classic. * **Falling blue projectiles:** Walls of orbs, projectiles from the sky. Shield. Easy peasy. * **Red rings followed by blue orbs:** Jump and dash over the red, then shield for the blue. Bit of a combo move, this one. * **Blue rings & orb sphere:** Keep your distance from the sphere, shield the rest. * **Torrent of blue projectiles:** A beam of blue orbs. Shield, and another chance to spam that power weapon. * **Exploding light blue projectiles:** Six homing orbs that explode into red beams and blue projectiles. If you're close, shield to reduce the chaos. Otherwise, distance and dodge/shield. * **Homing light blue projectiles:** Vertical line. Shield, power weapon opportunity! * **Ground punch:** If you get too close. Don't be too close unless you're shotgun-cheesing.
Spam that power weapon, keep that shield up, and you’ll whittle down the first health bar faster than a wizard can misplace their spellbook.
#### Phase 2: The Dodgy Dance (Abandon Ship! Err, Shield!)
Right, toss that shield out the window, mate, it's useless now! As soon as this phase kicks off, the King unleashes blue rings and orbs (shield them for old times' sake), but then it's all about red. Forget everything about the shield; your new best friend is your dodge and parry. If you picked up **Nova Dash**, oh, you beautiful devil, this is your time to shine! You'll be doing more dodging than a tax collector on audit day.
* **Homing red projectiles:** Like the blue ones, but red. *Run sideways and dodge* if needed. No shielding these bad boys. * **Dash:** The King charges and dashes. Watch for the yellow flash in their hands or listen to that audio cue, then dodge to the side. Timing is key! * **Red orb rings:** Multiple rings expanding. You'll need to be super quick; sometimes run in, sometimes run out, sometimes jump. It's a proper guessing game. * **Midair dash:** Jumps, dashes, then slams with erupting red orbs. Dodge the dash, then look behind you as you run away for more orbs. Plus, a red ring to jump and homing reds to sidestep. Bloody hell, they pack it in! * **Red laser rings:** Three increasing height lasers, followed by a wall of red orbs. Jump/dash over the lasers, then jump over the wall. * **Red circle in the sky:** Distraction! Look to the ground for spiraling red orbs and a vertical line coming at you. Run sideways, jump as necessary. * **Three red walls:** Center arena, three walls, ground lasers, then more rings or projectiles depending on your side. Keep moving! * **Red orb wall:** Wall, then a cone. Jump the wall, run from the cone. Then a slam with more laser beams to jump. * **Shield:** Like phase one, but surrounded by red orbs. Quickly run through the gap and punch it before it unleashes its next attack. * **Yellow laser:** Lights beam from hands, then together for a powerful yellow beam with rings. When the lights disappear, dodge sideways and keep running. * **Ground punch:** Still there if you get too close.
It’s a proper run-and-gun affair here. Chip away at their HP, and save your Overdrive for *after* their shield is broken. Precision dodging and parrying are your keys to victory, mate.
#### Phase 3: The Grand Finale of Chaos (Yellow & Corrupted!)
And just when you thought you had it sussed, the King goes full chaotic wizard with yellow, corrupted attacks! The third phase starts much like the second, but now the orbs are red instead of blue. Most moves are repeats, but they're all yellow now, and that means corruption. You’ll need to adjust your strategy for some old favourites, and brace for a couple of new tricks.
* **Homing projectiles (old):** Still there. * **Shield (old):** Now surrounded by yellow orbs with *no gaps*. You'll need to **dash through them** to punch it. Risky business, that! * **Exploding projectiles (old):** You *can* shield them to reduce explosions, but you'll gain corruption. Best to keep your distance and dodge. * **Red rings (old):** Three red rings, but now the *following orbs are yellow*. * **Yellow orb rings (old):** After the rings, two walls of orbs shoot out. Jump or dodge through. * **Circle in the sky (old):** Still a distraction. Look to the ground. * **Orb wall (old):** Still there. * **Teleport (NEW!):** The King vanishes and reappears elsewhere, unleashing three red beams. Whip that camera around fast, but also listen for the audio cue to pinpoint their direction. Like a digital hide-and-seek, but with lasers! * **Red lasers (NEW!):** Vertical red lasers move toward you. Dash sideways to avoid. Simple, yet deadly.
This is where all your learnings coalesce. Dodge, weave, punch, and don't forget to manage that creeping corruption with your power weapon from time to time. When their health is depleted, go in for one final, satisfying punch. Take that, monarchy!
And there you have it, folks. The King of Saros, dethroned. Not too shabby for a digital wizard, eh? Remember, experimentation is key, but sometimes a good ol' 'cheese' is just what the cosmic doctor ordered. Go forth, intrepid gamer, and claim your victory! Once again, massive props to Johnny Yu at Polygon for the foundational insights that paved the way for this royal takedown.
Tags: Saros, Boss Guide, Gaming Strategy, Action-RPG, PlayStation
Original article: Polygon