How to Beat VIPER Boss in The First Berserker: Khazan

Viper is the boss you fight at the end of the “Forgotten Temple” main mission in The First Berserker: Khazan.

While we won’t say the game’s easy up until this point, Viper is notoriously more difficult than what comes before him. This dragonkin wields a dual-bladed spear, which allows him to do a lot of varied and tricky attacks. What’s more, he likes to trip players up with his odd attack timings!

In this guide, we’ll give you tips and pointers to help you deal with Viper’s most dangerous attacks so you can take him down.

How to Beat Viper in The First Berserker: Khazan| “Forgotten Temple” Mission Boss

Before we begin, we want to remind you that Viper is the first boss in The First Berserker: Khazan that allows you to summon a Spirit of Advocacy. You can summon them by using Circular Lacrima at the white glowing spot right outside of the boss arena. If you’re having too much trouble with the boss and simply wish to get it over with faster, those spirits can really help!

If you do use the Spirit of Advocacy, we recommend unlocking Veronika’s Phantom Abilities. They’ll increase the spirit’s damage.

Starting the Fight – Phase 1

That aside, Viper is the first boss that poses a true threat in this game for most players. The main thing to keep in mind is that Viper has somewhat odd attack timings, so try to avoid blocking and dodging before his attacks actually come out. We also recommend using Brink Guards as much as possible, as they’ll deplete Viper’s Stamina fairly quickly.

At the start of the fight, Viper will do one of two things:

• Poke Combo – Viper will poke with his weapon twice and then do a sweeping slash attack. The first poke comes out slow, but the second is pretty fast. The sweep is also rather slow. All attacks can be Brink Guarded.
• Slash and Slam – Viper does a horizontal slash followed by a vertical slamming attack. Both of the attacks are fairly slow and have a good Brink Guard window.

Aside from those, his main attacks during the early phase 1 are a pair of horizontal sweeps and a twirling combo followed by a slow horizontal slash. The twirling combo is notable because most of the twirls will miss you if you move to your left while close to Viper. As for the other attacks, try to Brink Guard them as much as possible.

Viper will also sometimes raise his weapon above himself and quickly start spinning it. This will create a vortex which sucks you in and deals high damage. Dodge and move to keep your distance from it when you see it coming.

Other Notable Phase 1 Attacks

Later on, Viper will start employing more tricky attacks. One of those is his leaping strike, which is signaled by him jumping away from you. After jumping away, he’ll quickly dash toward you with a thrust attack. When you see him jump away, get ready to either dodge to the side or guard. Keep in mind he can do just one or two thrusting attacks, but it’s random each time.

Viper will also sometimes throw his weapon at you, which spins and deals damage. It’s best to dodge this attack, as blocking it can easily deplete your Stamina. Also be careful after dodging, as Viper can follow it up with a leaping strike!

Sometimes, Viper will stab the ground with the back of his spear. He immediately follows this up with a long combo of about 5 different attacks. Ideally, try to just stay away from this entire combo, but weave in and try to Brink Guard the final if you’re feeling brave. Getting hit by this combo can easily kill you, so watch out.

His other most notorious attack in this phase is Viper’s grab. If he stands still and pulls his weapon away, get away from him. Another warning sign here is that the tip of the spear will glow! He’ll do a quick unblockable thrust attack, which grabs Khazan and deals high damage.

Starting Phase 2

During phase 2, Viper’s attacks change almost completely. He now has a large right hand he uses for slow fist attacks, which he pairs with a dagger in his left hand for swift slashes.

During this phase, try to Brink Guard the dagger attacks and Brink Dodge the fist attacks. You’ll get a very big opening after most of the fist attacks if you dodge properly. You can also try to Brink Guard the fist attacks, of course, but they can deplete your Stamina and leave you open if you’re not careful!

One of his main tricks during this phase is that Viper will grab rocks from the ground and throw them at Khazan. If see him slam his palm on the ground, get ready to dodge the following rock throw.

Generally speaking, Viper’s attacks are more predictable during this phase. This oddly makes him easier to deal with than his odd timings during phase 1!

Shrouded in Darkness – Phase 2

Viper’s main gimmick during phase 2 happens once you deplete his Stamina or get his Health below 50%. Viper will yell and surround himself with a vortex of slashes that deal high damage. Get away from him to avoid it.

Then, the entire arena will be shrouded in darkness. Viper will jump away and roam around the edge of the arena, sporadically lunging at you. You can’t see him clearly due to the darkness, so you’ll need to follow the glowing trail of his eyes.

His lunging attacks will be signaled by a flash of lightning, so watch out for that. Once you see the flashes, try to either Brink Guard or Dodge! Dodging is safer, but Brink Guarding can get you a small opening to do damage.

After a while, Viper will jump to the center of the arena and do a lightning slam followed by a circular slash. Brink Guarding these is fairly easy to time, but dodging also works if you’re unsure. Either way, the darkness will dissipate and the fight will continue as before. It shouldn’t last much longer either, as Viper’s health should be low at this point!

With that said, you now know everything you need to keep an eye out for to defeat Viper in The First Berserker: Khazan. Ultimately, we recommend being patient so that you can get a feeling for Viper’s attack timings. They’re tricky, but you’ll be able to easily Brink Guard him with a little practice!