Returnal Phrike boss guide

Phrike is the first boss you'll face in Returnal. This enemy guards the central to leaving the game's start biome, Overgrown Ruins. Compared to the other enemies you'll have fought upwardly until this betoken, Phrike is a cutting above them all. Thankfully, you lot only accept to face one of them. In this guide, we'll arm you with all the cognition you need to crush the first boss and become on with your playthrough.

How to detect Phrike

another-chance-returnal — Screenshot by Gamepur

You'll know yous've establish Phrike because you'll come across the biggest door in this biome. Information technology's marked in cherry on your map as before long as you get at that place. You'll need the Anathema Key to unlock it, just once you have, it'll exist unlocked for every run that follows. You'll observe the cardinal every bit you explore more of the biome.

As soon as you find this door, progress through the next room until you trigger the Translocator on the other side. Yous'll need to impale a few enemies starting time, but it's worth having this fast travel point unlocked for when yous're exploring the contrary end of the map.

Best preparation for the fight

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Since the globe resets each fourth dimension yous die, some runs volition run into the boss door appear just a few rooms away from your starting location. Nevertheless, if y'all desire to crush this boss, you need to explore well-nigh, if not all, of the map before you have it on.

The loadout you take completely depends on the item layout of your run and what Augments, Parasites, and weapons suit your play style. Some Augments will always be useful, such every bit whatsoever that increase your Maximum Integrity. Anything that boosts healing is besides a massive benefit. As for Parasites, you don't desire to have too many disadvantages in this fight. Only option up the Parasites that are genuinely useful to your play style. For instance, ane Parasite boosts your Weapon Proficiency whilst adding one extra kill to your Adrenaline Level counts. This was an acceptable bargain for us because Weapon Proficiency boosts your killing power in well-nigh every way.

Artifacts are another catchy aspect of your loadout. Y'all tin never guarantee what volition be in a run. Nevertheless, you can pick up pretty much all of the Artifacts you lot come across in this get-go biome because y'all won't fill up up your suit'southward capacity. Catch as many as you tin. Fifty-fifty if they don't aid y'all out in the boss fight, they'll assistance you explore the world, and the items you notice out at that place volition definitely benefit y'all in the final encounter.

Finally, y'all should try to take an item into the fight with you. Once over again, only bring in an detail that works with your play style. For usa, this was a Shield. Information technology blocks a single set on and helps out in a pinch in the terminal phase of the boss. You can stack multiples of the same kind of detail, so keep an eye out for annihilation useful that y'all can bring a couple of into the arena.

Best weapon for killing Phrike

Like everything in Returnal, the best weapon is subjective based on how you lot play. For usa, the weapon that helped us finally kill Phrike was the Electropylon Driver. We found a v star version with the Smash Shell alt-burn, two levels of bonus damage and pylon duration, and 1 level of projectile speed by exploring the earth. We'd besides unlocked the Finisher and Oblete Extractor traits by using it and so much, significant it dealt increased damage when enemies were at low health.

This weapon deals damage over time, so you can fire off a few shots, employ the alt-fire, and so focus on dodging attacks. All the while, impairment is being dealt to the dominate. We found that it hit harder than anything else we had access to, only that's because nosotros'd spent hours using it in almost every run. If you've been using a unlike weapon for most of your runs, and find it easier to use, and then yous should use whatsoever you're nearly comfy with. Try to ensure that information technology's got a high star rating and at least two traits.

Attacks and strategies

Now, permit's go through Phrike's attacks. We'll offer some advice on how to cope with each one through each phase. Phrike volition use the aforementioned attacks for all three phases of the fight. In after phases, each attack gets a little stronger and harder to avoid. We'll encompass all of those changes for you too.

Every stage counts as a single wellness bar for the boss. Once y'all've depleted one, the next i will begin. Phrike volition scream for a few seconds between them. During this window, you're able to get a melee assault in if yous're quick. Don't be greedy, though. Stay away if you don't think you have fourth dimension. Phrike will also set on more than frequently in phases ii and three. It'll shift from one attack to the other frantically, and so you'll demand to be much more careful towards the end of the fight.

Bluish Homing Lasers

Phrike will hold its arms up and send out a outburst of bluish homing lasers. These chase you around the arena but quickly fall to the ground afterwards about five seconds. This attack is the same for all three phases, but in phases two and 3, the lasers move slightly faster.

When Phrike shoots these lasers, back away from it, the lasers are easier to avert if y'all run to either side and continue to shoot the boss. If you're besides close, they'll striking you lot almost instantly. Use a nuance to go some distance if you lot come across the lasers getting too close. Otherwise, continue to bargain damage throughout this set on.

Majestic Orbs

Phrike uses this assault straight after the Bluish Homing Lasers. The boss raises its arms into the air and summons dozens of Purple Orbs. In phase i, these descend to the basis in a circumvolve and spread outwards. Phrike will dart away and burn down a Laser Axle. Phrike will apply more than Laser Beams during this attack in phases two and three than in phase ane. The Imperial Orbs will also fall in a new pattern, making a maze through which you lot have to contrivance if y'all want to avoid damage.

On stage one, head to the middle of the Purple Orbs. It's a clear spot where you won't take damage. You lot'll need to nuance to avoid the incoming Laser Beam, but otherwise, you can proceed shooting. Y'all can too continue shooting in phases two and three, only you lot'll have to be wary of how the orbs are moving towards you. Phrike tin can too pull out more than Bluish Homing Lasers in these phases. Proceed an center on what the boss is doing and dash to avoid impairment. It'due south more important that you stay live rather than dealing damage.

Laser Beam

There are two versions of this attack. The first is a light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation that is sent straight beyond the ground towards you. The 2nd is a laser that moves in an arc beyond the arena. Phrike shifts betwixt these throughout all phases.

If Phrike puts its caput down to charge the Laser Beam, dash to either side to avoid the attack. If Phrike charges its head to the side, and so the arc is what it'south nigh to do. Dash forwards or astern as the attack comes to avoid any damage. Y'all can keep shooting throughout these attacks, but information technology's amend to focus on avoiding taking any yourself.

Laser Pulse

With this assail, Phrike points its head downwardly and blasts a Laser Beam into the ground. This creates a round pulse that moves outwards. If it hits you, you'll have damage. Phrike only makes one Laser Pulse in phase 1, merely in phases two and 3, it'll make two.

Dodging the dame here is easy. You lot just have to bound over the rings equally they approach. Phrike will nuance to your position to perform a melee set on right subsequently creating the Laser Pulse, so yous'll need to save a dash for when it appears. Try to bound the Laser Pulse early on. That manner, you lot can wait for Phrike to try a melee attack and and then dash to avoid it and slash it with your ain melee attack instead.

Dive

This last move is an avoidance tactic. Phrike will drop cloak-and-dagger and motion to a new location. You lot can track it past the orange glow on the ground. Yous can either retreat to get some distance and set up your aim, or you lot can stay close and get a quick melee attack in as soon as it rises. Both will deal a decent corporeality of damage, only the melee assail is a lot riskier.

Rewards

When y'all impale Phrike, you'll obtain the Crimson Key. It's the device that unlocks admission to the side by side biome. You'll also accept the ability to earn some new permanent upgrades and even remove one Parasite in substitution for some resources if you desire to.