Boss Strategies — Major Fights

General Prep and v1.0.15 Hints

Before any boss evening: save on a fresh slot (Save Points), carry three heals and one cleanse, and read intent icons fully. Ver.1.0.15 added clearer warnings before key events and boss battles — extra dialogue or UI flashes when selecting Town Guide nodes often mean "you are under-prepped," not flavor text.

Default unknown-boss party: tank with taunt, healer with cleanse, flexible DPS, Hills. Swap in shield-break specialists for construct fights. See Action Point Builds for Resolve and Insight breakpoints.

Albert — Turn 3 Charge and Evasion Counter

Albert appears in the slaver escape chain and again as a mandatory boss check. His pattern is rigid:

• Turns 1–2 — Standard attacks or self-buff; safe damage window.
• Turn 3 — Charge intent (wind-up icon). This is the kill-or-counter turn.
• Turn 4 — Unleashes a heavy line attack if Charge was not answered.

Counter strategy: Use Hills's or a companion's evasion counter skill when Charge displays — guarding alone often still clips low-Resolve parties. Micoco's Interrupt works if she is in assist mode. If you lack counters, delay Albert with Kael Suppress before Turn 3 begins, then burst during the slipped turn.

Ver.1.0.7 added extra escape dialogue if Albert was already met earlier — meeting him in the Slums first does not skip the fight but helps orientation. Practice Charge reads in the guild training sandbox unlocked Day 9.

Tentacle Alpha — Hills, Micoco, Cove Trio

Tentacle Alpha forces a fixed three-member party: Hills, Micoco, and Cove. Bench companions cannot sub in — recruit Cove through the forest arc before this fight (Rescue Cove!).

Phase 1 — Adds spawn on tentacle lanes; Cove should stay on rear tiles for healing items while Hills holds aggro.

Phase 2 — Alpha enters enrage pulse; this is the AoE check turn.

Win condition: Charge Micoco's Ultimate — Endless Rampage for the phase-2 AoE wipe. Build her meter during phase 1 with tagged link skills between Hills and Micoco; holding the ultimate too long risks a party wipe when enrage pulse resolves.

Cove's material-gathering success or Sika potion recovery (v1.0.13) does not change enemy stats but unlocks Cove's full kit for this fight — route Condition 2 before Night 6.

Early Chapter Bosses — Wharf Enforcer & Audit Golem

Wharf Enforcer (Chapter 1)

First mandatory boss wall. Phase 1: three-turn smash cycle — guard on smash turns, press damage on buff turns. Phase 2 at 40% HP: summons two adds; kill adds the turn they spawn before they buff the boss. Micoco assist Interrupt can cancel smash wind-up if available.

Audit Golem (Chapter 2)

Construct immune to Bleed; needs shield break. Intent loop: Charge → Laser line AoE → Self-shield. Break shield during Charge, move party out of the laser line before it fires. Bring Purify for Burn splash. Dorian Fracture Seal or Pike gadgets shorten the fight — pure damage stacks without shield break drag past enrage.

These two teach guard timing and damage typing used again in Albert and Tentacle Alpha — do not skip consumable shopping before either.