Othercide - How to Defeat The Deacon (Boss Strategies & Tips)
Othercide has taken boss battles to an entirely new extreme. Players are meant to lose, that’s the point of the game. Players lose, players learn, players grow stronger. Of course, RNG (Random Number Generator) gameplay will alter the tides of battle here and there. It’s all about finding the one strategy that will prove highly effective against Othercide’s Eldritchian bosses. These aren't anything like the 'hard' bosses of FromSoft games either. In fact, a few of them make 'The Dancer' look like another average hollow.
At the end of the second era, players will encounter The Deacon. A big bad boss with a massive pool of health (relative to this point in the game). Thankfully, The Deacon is on his own during this fight. Unlike The Surgeon’s annoying acolytes, The Deacon has no external means of buffing. He, of course, just has plenty of self means. This guide will walk players through the nuances of The Deacon Boss Fight, and how they may best beat him.
This boss battle will allow players to enter with four daughters. It is recommended that players have two upgraded Soulslingers ready to fight as the key to The Deacon boss battle is ranged attacks. Players should absolutely head in with a Shieldbearer and a Blademaster as well. Although two Shieldbearers could be useful for tanking attacks and drawing aggro while the Soulslingers blast away.
The Deacon spawns in with a whopping 22,000 HP. For the most part, this boss fight is centered around AoE attacks as well as immobilizing the Daughters. The Deacons effects will often include various boosts to initiative, even bringing himself all the way down to 0 and forcing another turn. He's like that kid on the playground that just makes up the rules to his own game so he can win every time. Thankfully, those rules are often under-thought and can be worked around. Like any good boss fight, he will go through two different phases which include a Phase 1 pt. 2 (this will make sense shortly). His base attacks are:
Phase 1
- Curse - Instant AoE Attack that will damage and delay any daughter within range. The Deacon will cast this attack once he's locked onto his confession target. Hopefully, a Shieldbearer can tank and, ideally, buff her initiative.
- Mass - Arguably the ‘Boss Move’ of Phase 1. Large AoE attack after 60 initiative. Pretty much instant death if a daughter is caught in it.
- Confession - Furthest daughter becomes ‘The Penitent’ and has her movement range significantly increased. All other Daughters become rooted (cannot move) and have their initiative delayed. Position your Penitent Daughter to land an attack on the Deacon while staying out of range of her sisters. A Mass attack while rooted is... well... bad.
- Damnation - If the Deacon cannot reach any daughters while NOT in Confession, he will start a Confession. However, this time the Deacon will have increased movement range while suffering an armor debuff. Players should open fire if they can while The Deacon's armor is de-buffed.
- Fervor - Starts Phase 2 after The Deacon’s HP is reduced by half.
After casting Confession in Phase 1, The Deacon will enter into a different skill set (Phase 1 pt. 2). This will grant him:
- Passion - Deal up to 450 Damage 3 times to a Daughter within range.
- Exorcism - Push a Daughter back 6 tiles. Take up to 500 damage if Daughters collide with anything/other daughters.
- Absolution - End the confession after The Deacon loses 15% of his health. Daughters are unrooted, but The Deacon gains armor. His initiative is also set to 0 (so he’ll make the next move. While in confession, the players number one goal is to break the damage threshold and free their other Daughters.
- Retribution - If the Deacon can NOT reach the Penitent, The Confession will end by dealing up to 400 damage. Daughters will be uprooted and The Deacon will gain an armor buff.
The Deacon will continuously cast Confession and enter into his secondary skillset. It is important to have gone into this battle with multiple Soulslingers as they can still damage him even though rooted in place. Without moving, Soulslingers should be able to get 2 rounds of shooting off without going into burst. The Soulslingers can also keep their fellow sisters safe with Intercepting Shot. If players can keep their Shieldbearer back, she can move up and attack/tank while being the Penitent. The most important thing to remember is to avoid getting stuck in a Mass attack as the Deacon is constantly shifting initiative. Don’t get greedy, and continue to open fire when able.
Once the Deacon is reduced down to 50% HP, he’ll enter Phase 2 of the fight. His attacks will include:
- Holy Cross - Reaction to being attacked. Will damage any Daughters in a cross-shaped area. Once players know the layout of the reaction attack, they may be able to position themselves and cast skills that allow the player to move away after attacking (The Blademaster’s Lightning Strike).
- Liturgy - Damage any Daughters within the marked area for upwards of 900 damage after 60 initiative. This attack basically covers the entire arena aside from the area directly around The Deacon. Upon a closer look, The Deacon's Liturgy attack is essentially the opposite AoE of his Mass attack.
The Deacon will still cast Curse, Damnation, and Confession during Phase 2.
The Holy Cross attack is where a player’s Soulslingers will shine. They can stand outside the AoE and blast The Deacon with shot after shot. However, make sure they stay at a mid-distance as the Liturgy attack is only avoidable by moving in close to the Deacon. Enough landed shots/Interruption shots ought to damage The Deacon enough to end the Confessions and unroot the Daughters. At this stage in the game, players should have Spirit Haste unlocked for their Soulslinger. Use this skill to boost another Daughter’s initiative to either deal a crushing blow or escape an AoE.
Currently being compared to XCOM 2, Othercide is making big waves in the turn-based RPG genre. The game is a great exercise in patience and strategy. Players who rush in without thinking will be easily overtaken by even the tiniest Scavenger. Suffice to say Othercide’s boss battles require a few tough losses before players will even stand a chance.
Othercide is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.