Painkiller Bosses

And now, an introduction to the Boss monsters in Painkiller/BooH, what they are capable of doing, and ways of defeating them (note that beating each can be made easier by using Black Tarot cards such as Rage, Iron Will, and Dexterity – however, this guide focuses on beating them without using Tarot cards). Bosses are found at the end of each chapter/level in Painkiller, and at the mid-point and the end of BooH. They all have one thing in common (excepting the Swamp Boss) – they can, and will, try to crush you by stepping on you.

Chapter I Level 5 (C1L5): Enclave
Necrogiant

This is the largest Boss in the game, but size isn’t always everything. Keep your distance and use either the shotgun or stakegun. Additional damage can be done by getting between his legs and shooting him in his… well, you know.

Left handed slap: if he hits you, you’ll fly thru the air and take damage when you hit the ground.
Right fist: he’ll simultaneously try to crush you and summon group of mace zombies.
Summoned spikes: Necro’s outstretched arm causes spikes to rise from the ground. Keep moving when he does this.
When Necrogiant’s energies are below 50%, he will break the chains on him and begins to use more devastating attacs.
Summoned tornado: exactly what it looks like – keep your distance.
Meteor shower: Necro has the ability to spit burning meteors into the sky, which rain down over the area. Instant death occurs if struck by one.
 

Chapter II Level 6 (C2L6): Swamp
Swamp monster

Smaller than the Necrogiant, but toughter and trickier to kill. You battle him on a small island, surrounded by toxic mud and loaded with ammunition. The key to beating him is to note his skin. Here’s a detailed guide to beating him:

Step 1: At first Swamp monster’s skin is transparent and he can’t be harmed directly. Shooting the gas bubbles near him will cause him damage, though.
 
Step 2: After draining 25% of his energy by shoooting gas bubbles, his skin will noticably change to a opaque grey. He’s now vulnerable to damage. Also, six bubbles appear in a ring around the island.
 
Step 3: Swampy’s skin will turn back to it’s original transparency. Shoot the bubbles surrounding the island to release more bubble into the air.
 
Step 4: Shooting the airborne bubbles when they’re near Swampy will turn his skin opaque. When this happens, give him everything you’ve got. He’ll circle the island, putting out the fires left by the bubbles. If he puts out the last fire before you can put him down, repeat steps 3 & 4.
Swamp monster:
Swampy will throw deadly bubbles of his own at you. Shoot them.
 
He can sink his right hand into the mud and raise a tentacle somewhere near you, and tries to crush you. This attack can come from any direction. When his energy levels drop below 75%, he raises two tentacles (one on each side of you).
At the same time, he can also generate and throw a plasma-like substance at you, causing instant death if you’re hit.
 

Chapter III Level 4 (C3L5): Ruins
Thor the Guardian

Here, the real problem isn’t the Boss itself; it’s where he is – a small, wrecked courtyard. There are pillars, both standing and fallen, that make movement difficult. On the other hand, beating Thor is simplicity itself:

Step 1: Shoot his hammer. Keep your distance and unload on the hammer with the mini-gun, and/or closer in with the shotgun. The hammer will flash blue when it’s hit.
 
Step 2: After the hammer’s gone, all you have to do is take out Thor himself – just hit him with everything you’ve got.
 
Thor the Guardian:
He’s got a hammer, and he will try to use it on you. If he doesn’t hit you directly, the impact will toss you in the air, along with a lot of debris. Note that the hammer is invulnerable during this attack.
Tip: Jump just before the hammer hits to avoid being tossed upwards.
 
He will try to repair the damage to his hammer with a lightning strike.
 
After Thor looses his hammer, he’ll try to smash you with his fists. This is similar to the hammer attack, including flying debris, so watch your head.
 

Chapter IV Level 5 (C4L4): Tower
Alastor

He’s hard to beat, and keeping yourself healthy isn’t easy either, given that the floor is going to give out under you a few times before it’s over. Tarot cards are highly recommended (Iron Will and Rage are handy), but it’s possible to beat him without cards:

Step 1: On top of the tower, Alastor will fly at you from any direction. Shooting him weakens him, and eventually he’ll fall out of the sky and crash through the floor, taking you with him. Try to land on one of the pillars below to avoid serious damage.
 
Step 2: Alastor will resurrect himself and continue the attack. There’s both a Megahealth and Silver armor available here. Keeping up your attack will weaken him again, and eventually he’ll smash through the floor with his fist. Again, look for pillars to break your fall.
 
Step 3: This floor is similar to the one above it – Alastor is healthy again, and the fight continues until he’ s damaged, and will break through the floor. This time, stay near the outside wall. When the floor breaks, you should try to land on one of the small ledges below.
 
Step 4: Jump from the ledge to one of the pillars before Alastor can break them, and then jump to the floor. There’s Health and Armor around the walls, and keep gunning!
 
Step 5: When his health drops, Alastor will move to the center of the floor and suck energy from statues there. Destroying these statues is key to beating him – when they’re gone, he can’t recharge himself. However, the only time the statues are vulnerable to damage (think ‘rockets”) is when Alastor’s recharging himself. After the last statue is gone, pour everything you’ve got at Alastor.
 
Alastor’s attacks vary, depending on which floor you’re fighting on (listed form top to bottom):
Flying
Breathing fire
 
Fireballs.
 
He also will try to crush you with his fist
 
Also watch out for the meteors which rain down from the sky.

Chapter V Level 4 (C5L4): Hell
Lucifer

The Man, himself. Beating him isn’t especially difficult, but it’s tricky ’till you figure out the Demon Morph:

Step 1: First, collect the usual 66 souls (this time they’re ghosts, and kinda hard to spot), triggering the Demon Morph.
 
Step 2: An angry Lucifer will appear and throw meteors at you – shoot them back at him.
 
Step 3: When Lucifer sees that the meteors aren’t working, he’ll throw his sword at you. Shoot this back at him, killing him. You might need to do this a couple of times.
 
If you don’t manage to kill Lucifer during your first morph, repeat the steps.
Lucifer:
Hitting the ground with his sword launches debris into the sky, which comes down as meteors.
He will raise his sword and call meteors down form the sky.
 
He’ll also try to hit you with his sword.
 

Battle out of Hell Level 4 (BooHL4): Pentagon
Panzer Spider

Available on Nightmare and Trauma only. The battle takes place in a room with a number of cannons along the walls. These cannons are aimed inwards, and the aiming point cannot be changed. This is another tricky battle, until you figure out the method:

Step 1: Ammo and armor are available near the crates, if needed. As soon as the spider appears, attack. When it reaches 50% health, it becomes invulnerable (look for the blue-ish glaze on it – same idea as the Swamp Monster…).
 
Step 2: The spider will begin wandering around the room, and launching self-guided plasma balls at you. When this happens, shooting it in the mouth will temporarily freeze it. You need to get to a cannon that is aimed at the spider and fire. When it’s almost dreained of health, it will turn invulnerable again. Repeat the process ’till dead.
Panzer Spider:
The spider rises up on its hind legs and ties to crush you. If it misses, it’ll still knock you up into the air (similar to Thor’s attack). Jump to avoid this.
 
He fires heat seeking fireballs at you.
 
He tries to bite.
 
He will breath plasma at you.
 

Battle out of Hell Level 10 (BooHL10): Shadowland
King Alastor

A worse version of the Alastor you already met. Battling him is easier than it sounds, but not much:

Step 1: Stock up on health/ammo/armor before beginning. Early on, Alastor is invulnerable. Go to one of the red circles and let Alastor hurt you. This will summon a Stone Golem. You can also damage yourself by firing either the flamer or rocket launcher at the ground while standing in a circle (DON’T shoot straight down with explosives…:p). Doing this allows you to run from circle to circle, summoning Golems.
 
Step 2: You need to keep Alastor busy, or he’ll go after the Golem (one reason to summon multiple Golems is that he can’t take them all). The Golems will attack Alastor, and soon he should drop to his knees. He’s vulnerable until he gets to his feet again. Summon more Golems, and do it again.
 
King Alastor:
He will summon heatseaking fireballs from the sky.
 
He can launch a wall of fire at you.
 
 
And, he will breathe fire at you.