How to beat the Rhabdom boss in Saros

The Rhabdom is the third boss you'll encounter in Saros, and they're the first boss that is able to move. This boss will chase you down while slashing, leaping, and even vomiting up projectiles. It'll be unlike any other boss that you've encountered so far, but you'll also have new tools to utilize, like the Grapple and Overdrive.

Here's how to defeat the Rhabdom boss in Saros.

How to prepare for Rhabdom in Saros

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Housemarque/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

The Rhabdom boss is found at the end of the Colony section of Shattered Descent. Before you depart, we recommend using the combination of Damage Enhancement II protection and Artifact Destruction trial modifiers. If you plan on returning to Passage after every run anyway, the Artifact Destruction trial is a free +2 modifier, and the Damage Enhancement II protection will essentially increase your damage for free.

There aren't any necessary upgrades in the Armor Matrix, but it's always useful to grab the attribute enhancement, restoration upgrade, and weapon proficiency nodes.

For this fight, you'll always be on the move, as this is the first mobile boss you'll challenge. As a result, you'll want to keep your distance, which means the shotgun isn't the best weapon to look for. Additionally, it'll be a little more difficult to keep your aim on the boss at all times, so we recommend going with a weapon that has autohit.

As for the weapon level, a great level would be 30, but anything higher than 25 is also doable. As you'll unlock Overdrive during this level, it'll take out a large chunk of the boss' health, so you don't have to worry about your weapon's damage as much as you did for the previous two bosses. With that being said, make sure to charge up your Overdrive as much as possible before you make it to the boss by dealing damage to enemies.

How to beat Rhabdom in Saros

You'll face off against the Rhabdom in an oval-shaped arena. Along the edge, there is a higher platform that you can reach using your Grapple skill. There are four grapple points with one in each corner. In the middle is a flat area with a few short staircases. Additionally, you can find a small aether orb in each corner, so if you're running low on health, make sure to pick one up.

The Rhabdom itself has just one health bar, so it's not as intense as the other bosses you've faced before. However, that doesn't mean that the Rhabdom won't deal a ton of damage. At the start of the fight, the Rhabdom has four attacks to look out for:

• Yellow slashes: Rhabdom will shriek into the air and then slash in your direction five times. Each slash will also send a yellow projectile with the final swipe will shoot three projectiles at once. You can avoid these attacks by dodging or running to the side. The small stairs on the lower level and the platforms on the higher level can also block a portion of the projectile, so you can use them to your advantage.
• Yellow rings/Stomp**:** Rhabdom will stomp on the ground unleashing a series of expanding yellow rings at various heights. In the center of the ring, there will be a lot of yellow orbs, so it's not safe to just jump over the rings. Instead, grapple up to the higher platform. Additionally, the yellow orbs will linger on the ground for a bit before they start to rise into the air.
• Homing blue projectiles: A blue light will flash near Rhabdom's head, and they'll shoot out a blue orb that splits into a bunch of homing projectiles, so make sure to dodge to the side or use your shield. This will usually happen immediately after Rhabdom stomps on the ground.
• Leap**:** Rhabdom leaps in your direction, slamming the ground and projecting a ton of red orbs outward. They'll repeat this three times. The jump itself is fairly short, but they can jump onto the higher platforms. We recommend dodging away while they're in midair. This will put you out of range of their leap and the red projectiles that come out afterward.

The best strategy we've found to beat Rhabdom is to run around the area in a circular pattern and use your grappling hook when the boss starts to get a little close. Remember to use your power weapon whenever you can and, if it's fully charged, use your Overdrive.

Once the boss reaches half health, they'll start using two new attacks:

• Homing yellow projectiles: This will replace the homing blue projectiles. Dodge to the side as they're approaching to avoid taking damage.
• Yellow vomit: Rhabdom starts to... well, vomit yellow projectiles from their mouth and chase after you. They will only do this move when they're on the lower level, so grapple up to a platform to avoid taking any damage.

Every other attack will remain the same and there won't be any surprises from here on out, so continue circling around the area until you defeat them. Remember to always stay on the move, use your power weapon and Overdrive when it's up, and continue shooting.