Behold the top 2 best boss fights in DMC4 ever, which is to be expected, of course. =P Dante will not go that easy on you this time, and he’s grown a lot trickier. As long as the battle may last, though, I hope that everyone playing this game would be able to appreciate and enjoy it to the fullest, as this is exactly what DMC3SE players had hoped to see instead of Vante. But also because of that, please expect some frustration… =P

Sons of Sparda/Dante Must Die mode

1. Surprise? Dante can now use all 4 styles (Trickster, Swordmaster, Gunslinger, Royalguard). Each time he switches, he’ll say the style name, so listen carefully to know what style he’s in. You can also visually tell by looking at the color of Dante’s ‘aura’ when he switches. Trickster = yellow, Swordmaster = red, Gunslinger = blue, Royalguard = light blue.
    
   
2. By default, Dante now spams the shotgun and Helm Breaker a lot, especially if you jump a lot like me. Regarding the shotgun… let’s just say it’s Dante’s cheapest thing yet. He will only shoot it once out of nowhere, and because it is so sudden (he does it often when you jump), chances are you’re never in time to side dodge it. Though a shotgun, distance also doesn’t seem to be a problem and you’ll get thrown back if hit even halfway across the room.
   
   Helm Breaker, on the other hand, can be avoided. You’ll have to get used to knowing when he’s likely to do it, mostly if 1) you’re close to him in mid-air 2) you do a mid-air snatch and he breaks free (more than half the time).
    
   
3. To attack, the easiest way is to shoot from a fairly close distance and then suddenly snatch Dante in. If Dante manages to dodge your snatch, jump away cause' he will do a Stinger. If he gets caught, you are free to do a combo and/or a DB attack.
   
   Be reminded that Dante is capable of escaping from your grab, and if he does (on the ground) you will enter a short action sequence whereby they’ll clash their swords. Quickly mash the O button and pray that you win. If you’re lucky, Nero will push Dante off, inflicting DB’s damage. If not, both of them will get parried off and the faster one to attack will get the free attack. If you lose at it, Dante will parry you off and attack.
    
4. When Dante’s in Trickster mode:
   Naturally, it’s harder for you to land attacks on him. Keep a distance from him and attack only when he’s open. Thing is, he’s hardly open. You can make it a habit to always charge up Charged Shot, cause’ regular shooting almost never works. Even if it does, it hardly does any damage. Release Charged Shot only when Dante 1) does Stinger (he recovers quick tho’) 2) does Helm Breaker/Full House (Killer Bee) in mid-air 3) just (or before) lands on the platform in the center of the room after jumping.
   
   Charged Shot is able to interrupt Dante’s Rapid Shot (it sounds like a machinegun) and his ground Rebellion combo, both of which he will back flip/side dodge away from once you release your shot.
    
   
5. When Dante’s in Gunslinger mode:
   If I’m not wrong this should be the mode Dante can perform Rapid Shot in, which you’ll need to 1) hide above the center platform 2) side roll 3) interrupt with Charged Shot to avoid. (Double jumping won’t work) Other than Rapid Shot, I don’t remember anything else he does that was particularly dangerous.
    
   
6. When Dante’s in Swordmaster mode:
   Getting caught in Dante’s combo when he’s in Swordmaster mode is bad. Instead of a single ground combo, he is likely to connect it to air, hence stringing a longer combo and damaging you more. He may also switch his devil arm to Gilgamesh (seldom), but he may be able to do this even without Swordmaster mode. So long you do not get caught in his combo, Swordmaster mode shouldn’t be too troublesome.
    
   
7. When Dante’s in Royalguard mode:
   Rejoice. This is the mode which you can use to your advantage if you would play cheap. Dante plays defensive in this mode and he does nothing but to keep blocking your every attack until he has enough ‘anger’ to release it for damage.
   
   What you have to be careful of is to 1) NOT attack him with your sword (if you do, he’ll keep guarding and eventually perform a Royal Release on you) 2) Keep a distance far enough so that ‘Release’ will not hit you.
   
   To abuse Dante in this mode, keep a fair distance between you two at all times and shoot (not too much). Once he’s of grab-able distance, snatch him over and press O for Nero’s ground DB attack. In Royalguard mode, Dante rarely escapes Nero’s grabs (I don’t know why, but he just doesn’t) hence the very high probability of success. What’s better is, he cannot escape if you have DT unleashed while doing the DB attack. It damages more as well, so you can really abuse this like a cheap bastard. LOL.
   
   Once Nero releases Dante from the attack, start shooting again to prevent him from switching styles (and keep your distance!). The moment you see Dante get back up on his feet to guard, snatch and grab him again. (If you shoot for too long Dante is likely to Royal Release on you) If you’re lucky, you can practically repeat this to victory.
    
   
8. Now for some save-my-ass tips… (LOL), if you get hit by Dante’s ground combo, check to see if you’re in his face, or 3 feet away from him. What you can do is to unleash DT right after getting hit. If you’re too close to Dante, it’ll launch Dante into the air and break his combo (Nero’s pose which he strikes has that effect) and save you from further damage. If you’re about 3 feet away from him, Nero’s DT pose will break the combo but will not launch Dante into the air, making it easier for you to attack him back instead.
   
   So as you can tell, avoid using DT unless he’s open for you to attack, or you’ll want to use it to save yourself.
    
   
9. Also, Dante will only take about 4-5 hits before he flips away, so if you were to grab him in your combo, you’re most likely to have to press O by the 3rd slash with Red Queen’s basic combo. If you want to make sure he can’t escape the grab, make sure DT’s on.
    
   
10. Anyway, here are some of the most common clashes between the two where Nero is likely to/will fail.
    
    Snatch vs Helm Breaker (at close distance mid-air) [70%]
    Shooting vs Helm Breaker (at close distance mid-air)
    Split (mid-air) vs Rebellion combo (on ground)
    Split vs Helm Breaker [80%]
    Split Parry vs Rebellion combo Parry [In mid-air you’re still vulnerable; you can only jump away instead of continuing with an attack]
    Streak vs Stinger [Stinger is faster than even a revved Streak]
    Air-Hike vs Shotgun
    Split vs Shotgun
    Shooting vs Rapid Shot [Only Charged Shot can interrupt him]

Video demo on DMD | Mirror link on Youtube
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