Stage 9 boss fight: Archfiend Alma
You thought those other bosses were tough? You're in for a very nasty surprise. Alma is a beast more than worthy of her Archfiend title. Make absolutely sure you're well-stocked on supplies and have your favorite weapons upgraded to their maximum potency, because you're going to need all the help you can get.
Alma's defense isn't too tough to break through, but the big issue is actually getting in to hit her. She attacks and attacks often and when you think you're getting in range for a strike, she'll launch into a severely damaging grab attack or dashing strike that will knock you off your feet. Ranged attacks aren't much of an option here, either, since she can easily block or dodge them all. You're just going to have to try and anticipate her moves and react quickly when you see her preparing an attack.
Here's what to look out for:
PROJECTILES - Alma will usually use projectile attacks when she's at a distance from you. Her most common projectile attack involves her launching several bursts of energy at you. You'll see her gathering balls of energy around her body for a few seconds before she throws them at you. These can be dodged by running perpendicular to her position and jumping straight left or right if they come too close. The other projectile attack is a bit more difficult to dodge. She will pause for a second to wrest part of the room's pillars from their roots into the air and will then heft them at you. No matter whether or not you block them, they'll still cause some serious hurt if they hit you. Again, running perpendicular to Alma is the best way to avoid these flying stone chunks. They're harder to dodge than the energy bursts due to their sheer size, but they do move a bit more slowly, so you'll have a good idea of where exactly they will land as they're coming at you. Avoid running towards Alma when she's in the midst of projectile attacks - they're almost certain to smack you if you do.
DASH ATTACKS - Alma will sometimes fly into for a dashing strike. This will require some quick evasion as soon as you see her coming at you. There's a good chance you'll be able to hit her after you dodge (provided your dodge didn't put you too far away from her), but she is able to recover quickly, so be prepared if she manages to guard.
GRAB ATTACK - when you see Alma hovering towards you with a pink-colored force field in front of her, stay the hell away! If you touch the force field, she'll drag you into the air and you'll be at her mercy. It's possible to do a jumping-slashthrough attack, like the Flying Swallow, while she's trying to execute this skill, but it can be risky.
PHYSICAL STRIKES - at close range on the ground, Alma will launch into punch/kick combo attacks. These are probably the weakest of her various attacks, but don't let your guard down - getting hit by them can leave you open to far more damaging skills. Block these strikes or dodge around or away from her if need be.
Overall, the best way to damage Alma is to attempt jumping/slashthrough attacks when you get fairly close to her (again, the Flying Swallow skill is a good option). She dodges and blocks fairly often though, so you'll need to be persistent. If you damage her enough, she'll fall to the floor to catch her breath for a few seconds. This is prime time to hack away at her, but as soon as she starts to get back up on her feet, you'll want to put a safe distance between the both of you again. You can also try to attack her when she's launching physical strikes at you at close range by dodging to her back and sides and slashing, but again, Alma's a very quick guard and she can do some pretty nasty retaliation. This fight is probably going to take more than a few healing items to get through, but if you play it safe and take precautions to minimize damage from Alma's attacks, you'll be able to finally take her down.
You thought those other bosses were tough? You're in for a very nasty surprise. Alma is a beast more than worthy of her Archfiend title. Make absolutely sure you're well-stocked on supplies and have your favorite weapons upgraded to their maximum potency, because you're going to need all the help you can get.
Alma's defense isn't too tough to break through, but the big issue is actually getting in to hit her. She attacks and attacks often and when you think you're getting in range for a strike, she'll launch into a severely damaging grab attack or dashing strike that will knock you off your feet. Ranged attacks aren't much of an option here, either, since she can easily block or dodge them all. You're just going to have to try and anticipate her moves and react quickly when you see her preparing an attack.
Here's what to look out for:
PROJECTILES - Alma will usually use projectile attacks when she's at a distance from you. Her most common projectile attack involves her launching several bursts of energy at you. You'll see her gathering balls of energy around her body for a few seconds before she throws them at you. These can be dodged by running perpendicular to her position and jumping straight left or right if they come too close. The other projectile attack is a bit more difficult to dodge. She will pause for a second to wrest part of the room's pillars from their roots into the air and will then heft them at you. No matter whether or not you block them, they'll still cause some serious hurt if they hit you. Again, running perpendicular to Alma is the best way to avoid these flying stone chunks. They're harder to dodge than the energy bursts due to their sheer size, but they do move a bit more slowly, so you'll have a good idea of where exactly they will land as they're coming at you. Avoid running towards Alma when she's in the midst of projectile attacks - they're almost certain to smack you if you do.
DASH ATTACKS - Alma will sometimes fly into for a dashing strike. This will require some quick evasion as soon as you see her coming at you. There's a good chance you'll be able to hit her after you dodge (provided your dodge didn't put you too far away from her), but she is able to recover quickly, so be prepared if she manages to guard.
GRAB ATTACK - when you see Alma hovering towards you with a pink-colored force field in front of her, stay the hell away! If you touch the force field, she'll drag you into the air and you'll be at her mercy. It's possible to do a jumping-slashthrough attack, like the Flying Swallow, while she's trying to execute this skill, but it can be risky.
PHYSICAL STRIKES - at close range on the ground, Alma will launch into punch/kick combo attacks. These are probably the weakest of her various attacks, but don't let your guard down - getting hit by them can leave you open to far more damaging skills. Block these strikes or dodge around or away from her if need be.
Overall, the best way to damage Alma is to attempt jumping/slashthrough attacks when you get fairly close to her (again, the Flying Swallow skill is a good option). She dodges and blocks fairly often though, so you'll need to be persistent. If you damage her enough, she'll fall to the floor to catch her breath for a few seconds. This is prime time to hack away at her, but as soon as she starts to get back up on her feet, you'll want to put a safe distance between the both of you again. You can also try to attack her when she's launching physical strikes at you at close range by dodging to her back and sides and slashing, but again, Alma's a very quick guard and she can do some pretty nasty retaliation. This fight is probably going to take more than a few healing items to get through, but if you play it safe and take precautions to minimize damage from Alma's attacks, you'll be able to finally take her down.
