Set up - Trickster with Spiral/E&I +K Ann and Rebellion + Beowulf
OK, they broke the mould making this battle. You’ll be glad to know that the first part isn’t too hard. The second part, however, will condemn your soul. First, I suggest that EVERY time Arkham falls back down you find his location (lookout for the shadow on the floor) and prepare a Straight just for the extra damage.
Once he’s fallen to the ground, keep at his front (left front or right front) and keep Rebellion out. This weapon does the greatest damage in the long run and the attacks can be cancelled well. For now, the only attack you have to deal with is the swipe attack and there is a pattern.
The first 2 swipes are slow and deliberate while the third one can catch you unaware if you let it. It comes quick so be sure to jump. His downward attack is deadly (un)accurate, and should you get hit by this you may want to consider ending yourself because you certainly aren’t lucky. Once your attacks start waving through him evade quickly for he’ll do a mild serpent attack (get back quick enough he won’t do it at all). Utilize Air Hike and Sky Star in all directions and don’t do it just upwards. After you’ve evaded, continue as normal. When he turns light red use your DTE and attack wildly (with DT on) until he disappears into the ground.
Now, this is the first of several Legion battles. Arkham’s Legions will be the big test of the fight, and as you progress their numbers increase and they get more dangerous. For starters, here it’s fairly simple. Work out the geography of the room amd run in a circle. Once you’ve got a rhythm do this: Dash – Bunny-Hop – K Ann. ALWAYS keep away from the Legions and once you have a full DT you may want to use it on them. Run around until they circle you and when they stop, release your DTE. (Great for style and mass kills)
Once Arkham come, repeat step one. Be sure to kill EVERY Legion as strays can be annoying and must be dealt with (Spiral is great for clearing the scraps). Once you’ve knocked Arkham down to half health, you’ll get the lovely cutscene where your brother makes his entrance and for some random reason takes away most of your tactical mobility.
So now you’re severely screwed and Arkham is in pissed off mode, he’ll pretty much do his Run & Gun for the rest of the round. Your aim here is to keep as much distance as possible and let Vergil do all the fighting. Get accustomed to Vergil leeching of your button commands, the only attacks you should care to know are Rapid slash (R1 + Forward + []) and teleport (O).
Equip Spiral and use Rapid Slash to make Vergil zone in and pretty soon Arkham will run towards you. When you hear the explosions, jump, land, then jump again and Air Hike at the peak. ALWAYS move to the left or right in Arkham’s opposite direction. Remember that Vergil always follows your commands, so during your jumps ALWAYS push [] so that Vergil will K Bee and on your hikes always push R1 + Forward + [] so that he Rapid Slashes.
In the brief moments that Arkham stops moving, cancel Spiral Shifts (That is while holding R1 shoot, move shoot, move etc) but always be sure that you are a good distance from him. Remember to VARY Vergil’s attacks to stop any recovery frames from attacks just used; it makes a big difference. When Arkahm turns bright red (quite a satisfying color), zone in quick and double team him for as long as you can.
Back to the Legions, you have to play FAR safer now. No firing on every jump, you do however have Vergil to back you up… and Rapid Slash is the ideal crowd clearer here, so do this: Jump – [] – Hike – R1 + F + []. Do this while having Spiral or K Ann equipped and it will make Vergil do a K Bee followed by a Rapid Slash. If Vergil gets out of range, push O to get him back to your side but NEVER stop - that is the dopiest thing you could do.
After the jump + Hike, it’s up to you whether you want to K Ann, but I advise to only do it when it’s safe. Follow these 2 strategies to the bone and do NOT stray at all. Don’t think for a second you’ll get a few double team hits in before Arkham does something because avoiding the serpents when in close range is far easier said than done, not to mention doing that while avoiding his running.
On the very last bout against the Legions, it is wise to RARELY ever shoot K Ann. A basic glance will tell you that it’s extremely dangerous at nearly all times. It may take long but let Vergil do the job. This fight is a make or break for SS’ing altogether. If you can do this you can do just about everything this game has to offer. You do it, and congratulate yourself. Thankfully this concludes this god forsaken mission. |
