The Usurper is the final boss of Chapter 7 in the Underground Caves. He is a swordsman with a guard, a dodge, a parry and an execute move of his own, and a lightning-cut dash that cannot be blocked. When you turn Lunatic he moves to a second moveset that adds falling lightning, rotating thunder pillars, five homing orbs and a lightning shockwave. He is one of the Bosses of the main story.
Overview#
| Story monster id | 7001 (ES_StoryMonster, story 7, area 1, scene Arena10010); BossFinal = 1 |
| Model | Hero 20044 (body radius 0.5; flagged as a Human target: ES_HeroPropertyData property 38 = 1) |
| Attribute points | 10 across the board (plus level - 1) |
| Poise / Resilience | 47 (regen 20) / 100 (regen 30); Stamina 80 |
| Weak points | Weak-point multipliers 1 / 1 / 1 in the table, i.e. x2 damage, Poise and Resilience on a weak collider (the game adds 1 to each multiplier (animalbase_value.lua:2340-2341, 2646); whether he has one is unverified); 30% bonus Resilience loss when his armour breaks |
| Sanity cost | SanDamage 130 |
| Crit | Crit damage stat 242 at journey 1, 250 later |
| Achievement | The Cultists (id 10007) on defeat |
Phases#
- Phase 1 (grade 1). Light and heavy sword combos, a leaping plunge, a big jump slash and a guard stance. The only unblockable move is the lightning-cut dash
OP1(4 to 8 m). - Phase 2 (grade 2, Lunatic). Begins when you are Lunatic and he is still in grade 1 (
controllerstorymode.lua:2252-2262): the standard phase change runs (Bosses#Boss mode and the phase change): the fight freezes, fades out and his Health is topped up to at least 50% (BossFinal= 1;animalbase.lua:1535-1543). The row for grade 2 adds +200 to Defence and to the four elemental resistances. Every phase-2 move is dark damage; most are marked unblockable.
Stats#
How the numbers scale#
Stats come from the model's attribute points plus the placement level and the grade rows of ES_StoryMonsterProperty (New Game Plus enemy scaling#What a level does to a stat). Journey 1 is the first playthrough; journeys 2 to 4 are New Game Plus, and later journeys reuse journey 4 (BattleData.GameLoopMax = 4). The values below were calculated with the game's own formula and rounded down.
| Journey | Level | Stage | Health | Physical attack | Elemental attack | Defence | Elemental resist. | Pierce resist. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | 1 | 5,860 | 396 | 325 | 178 | 205 | 1,233 |
| 1 | 18 | 2 (Lunatic) | 5,860 | 396 | 325 | 378 | 405 | 1,233 |
| 2 | 50 | 1 | 12,180 | 885 | 725 | 235 | 300 | 1,800 |
| 2 | 50 | 2 (Lunatic) | 12,180 | 885 | 725 | 435 | 500 | 1,800 |
| 3 | 65 | 1 | 14,780 | 1,068 | 912 | 250 | 307 | 1,845 |
| 3 | 65 | 2 (Lunatic) | 14,780 | 1,068 | 912 | 450 | 507 | 1,845 |
| 4 | 89 | 1 | 17,180 | 1,356 | 1,212 | 258 | 313 | 1,881 |
| 4 | 89 | 2 (Lunatic) | 17,180 | 1,356 | 1,212 | 458 | 513 | 1,881 |
His elemental attack is lower than his Physical attack (for example 325 against 396 at journey 1). His Pierce resistance is huge (1,233 at journey 1, over six times his Defence), so thrown pierce weapons barely scratch him. See Damage types and resistances.
Moves#
| Move | What it does | Phase | Flat power and effects | AI (range, cone, chance, cooldown) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
LL1 | 2 light hits | P1 | 120 phys | ≤4 m · 55° · cd 2s |
LP1 | Forward rushing slash | P1 | 120 phys | 4.5–9 m · 45° · 30% · cd 6s |
HHHH1 | 4 heavy hits | P1 | 120 phys | 4–5.5 m · 55° · cd 2s |
NHHHH1 | 4 heavy hits (variant) | P1 | 120 phys | 4–5.5 m · 55° · cd 2s |
SP | Guard | 5.5–10 m · 45° · 35% · cd 7s | ||
HP | Charged heavy | 120 phys | ≤3 m · 90° · 30% · cd 7s | |
NLLLL1 | 4 light hits (variant) | P1 | 120 phys | 4–5.5 m · 55° · cd 2s |
O1 | Leaps and plunges the sword | P1 | 120 phys, guard break 200 | ≤4 m · 120° · 30% · cd 12s |
OP1 | Lightning cut (dash) | P1 | unblockable | 4–8 m · 30° · 40% · cd 8s |
NLP1 | Big jump slash | P1 | 120 dark, guard break 200 | 7–15 m · 45° · 40% · cd 15s |
LL2 | 2 light hits | P2 | 120 dark | ≤5 m · 55° · cd 2s |
LP2 | Forward rushing slash | P2 | 120 dark, guard break 150 | 5–10 m · 45° · 30% · cd 6s |
HHH2 | 3 heavy hits | P2 | 120 dark | 4–5.5 m · 55° · cd 2s |
NHHH2 | 3 heavy hits (variant) | P2 | 120 dark | 4–5.5 m · 55° · cd 2s |
NLLLL2 | 4 light hits (variant) | P2 | 120 dark | 4–5.5 m · 55° · cd 2s |
NS2 | Falling lightning | P2 | 120 dark, unblockable | ≤4.5 m · 60° · 30% · cd 15s |
NSP2 | Rotating thunder pillars | P2 | 120 dark, unblockable | ≤4.5 m · 60° · 30% · cd 15s |
NO2 | Five homing orbs | P2 | 120 dark, unblockable | 6.5–16 m · 30° · 40% · cd 10s |
O2 | Jumping lightning cut | P2 | 120 dark, unblockable | 8–18 m · 60° · 30% · cd 10s |
OP2 | Accelerated lightning cut | P2 | unblockable | 8–30 m · 30° · 35% · cd 10s |
NOP2 | Lightning | P2 | 120 dark, unblockable | ≤30 m · 30° · 30% · cd 25s |
NLP2 | Lightning shockwave | P2 | 120 dark, unblockable | ≤7 m · 60° · 35% · cd 15s |
skill102 | Dodge | cd 6s | ||
skill105 | Parry / riposte | 200 dark, unblockable | ||
skill108 | Execute (finisher) | 150 phys, unblockable |
Raw strength of three typical hits#
A move's raw strength is attack stat x the move's attack multiplier + the move's flat power, using the stat that matches its damage type; your defence or resistance then reduces it (see Damage formula and Damage types and resistances). The table shows that raw number before your defence is applied.
| Move (flat power, type) | Journey 1 | Journey 2 | Journey 3 | Journey 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy combo HHHH1 (strongest hit) (120, physical) | 516 | 1005 | 1188 | 1476 |
| Falling lightning NS2 (120, dark) | 445 | 845 | 1032 | 1332 |
| Light combo LL2 (strongest hit) (120, dark) | 445 | 845 | 1032 | 1332 |
Drops and rewards#
Defeating him shows five story items (after quest 71001) and completes the chapter quests 71001 (leave boss mode), 71002 (save) and 71003:
| Item | Journey 1 | Journey 2 | Journey 3 | Journey 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Immundus Diamond | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Blackwater Crystal | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Filthy Core | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Bone Fragment | 199 | 199 | 199 | 199 |
| The First Seed (a trophy, see Trophy list; item id 60055, 60255, 60355, 60455 in journeys 1 to 4) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
The First Seed's text says it restores Stamina on a successful critical hit. If you are Lunatic when he falls, SanDropId 70012 adds a 40% chance of 2 to 3 Anthozoan Bones. If he dies in phase 2, the quests 91007 and 91107 ("boss second phase") are also completed, and the game records that a final boss was killed after the promotion.
Hidden mechanics#
- Phase 2 is a stat change as well as a move change. The extra 200 Defence roughly doubles his physical toughness at journey 1 (178 becomes 378) and adds 78% at journey 4 (258 to 458). Hit him hard in phase 1.
- The Health refill. Going Lunatic tops him up to 50% (nothing changes above 50%; below it he regains the difference), the same rule as for every
BossFinalboss. - Sanity cost 130. About 38% of his Health (50 / 130) takes you from full sanity to the Lunatic line, so phase 2 normally starts after roughly a third of the fight (inferred from
SanDamage x damage / max Health). - Unblockable means dodge. In phase 2 the falling lightning (
NS2), thunder pillars (NSP2), five orbs (NO2), jumping cut (O2), accelerated cut (OP2), lightning (NOP2) and shockwave (NLP2) are all unblockable; blocking only helps against the plain sword combosLL2,LP2,HHH2,NHHH2andNLLLL2. - The accelerated lightning cut crosses 53 m.
OP2has an AI range of 8 to 30 m and its dash clip moves him 53.3 m (from the animation data in the boss report; unverified), so keeping distance is not safe. - He counters. His guard
SP(5.5 to 10 m, 35%, 7 s cooldown), dodge (6 s cooldown) and parry (200 dark, unblockable) mean button mashing in front of him is punished; use delayed hits. - No riposte in journey 1 until he has blocked twice. While he holds the guard
SP, the check that lets him answer your attack returns false in the story when the journey is 1 or less, it is not a maze boss and not a boss time challenge, and he has blocked fewer thanSkillSP_BlockCountToCounterAttack(2) hits since the guard began. From journey 2 on he ripostes at once. Rosen Cavalier Patrick#Hidden mechanics has the same rule with a count of 1 (hero20044.lua:48-74;hero20044_define.lua:28; New Game Plus#Hidden mechanics).
Strategy#
- Spend phase 1 on Health: his phase-1 attacks have a flat power of 120, physical except the big jump slash
NLP1, which is dark (guard break 200 on the plunge and the big jump slash). - In phase 2 there is no safe distance: the close unblockable moves
NS2andNSP2(within 4.5 m) andNLP2(within 7 m) are used when you are near, andNO2(6.5 to 16 m),O2(8 to 18 m),OP2(8 to 30 m) andNOP2(up to 30 m) when you stay away. Learn the animations and dodge. - His parry riposte
#105is 200 dark and unblockable, so do not attack him while he holds the guard stanceSP.
Sources#
- Tables:
ES_StoryMonsterrow 7001 (levels, SanDamage 130, StoryItemId 7034..7037 and 7062, CompleteQuestId, CompleteQuestId2);ES_StoryMonsterPropertyrows 564 (grade 2, +200) and 565;ES_StoryItemStoryId 7 ids 7034 to 7037 and 7062;ES_TrophyData60055 text;ES_StoryQuest71001 to 71003, 91007, 91107, 91207;ES_Achievement10007;ES_ItemDropData70012. - Code:
hero20044.lua:20-74;hero20044_define.lua:28;attack20044.lua:488-531, 741;controllerstorymode.lua:2252-2262, 3340-3446;animalbase.lua:1497-1567, 16700-16735. - Move list:
reports/bosses_and_enemies.mdsection 14 andreports/data/boss_moves.json(hero 20044).