How to defeat shield bearers

The shield is one of three known in the current state of early access Witch fire. He is the first boss you can defeat in your overall quest to stop the witch from unraveling her evil plans. He is also the guardian of progression, meaning that defeating him is the only way to unlock new content and advance the plot. That's exactly how rogue-lite games work.

Shieldbearer has to be the easiest of the three boss fights, at least for players who have become attuned to the game's combat and movement mechanics. However, it can be disconcerting for new (or unprepared) players rushing through the maps because the game never explains one of his boss stages where you're constantly taking damage for no reason.

The following is a complete walkthrough for the Shieldbearer boss fight Witch fireincluding an excellent strategy to cheese ho for easy farming. As you read, you will realize that he is not as threatening as you first thought.

How to find a shield bearer

Shieldbearers can be found on the northern edge of the Scarlet Coast in Witch fire. The map can be unlocked by picking it up Scarlet Coast Chart after entering the Tower of Wailing on the Island of the Damned. Shieldbearer isn't locked behind a Gnosis level requirement, so you can choose to face him at your default, Gnosis 0.

Reach the location marked on the map above and you will find a glowing green chasm. Spend 2500 Volatile Witchfire Crystals to unlock the barrier and take a leap of faith into the Misty Void. Shieldbearer is located in a massive underground canyon in Witch fire. You will fall through the air for about 6 seconds. Make sure to double jump before you hit the ground or you'll lose a good chunk of your health before the boss fight even starts.

Jump into the glowing chasm from the northernmost fissure. This allows you to land directly on the shield and cast your most powerful spell from the air.

How to beat Shieldbearers in Witchfire

Despite being the main familiar of the Scarlet Coast, Shieldbearer is actually a pretty easy boss to beat. Witch fire. He is an an improved version of the swordsman with the same moveset, but gains several new abilities when losing health.

Shieldbearer has three Soul Sigils (weak spots) that are only revealed if you
dash in its second hold
. Firing all three orbs will stun him and give you a temporary damage boost. Before facing him, raise your stamina stats to at least 15. This also gives you more stamina points to avoid his next attacks.

Phase 1

The Shieldbearer flies to the far corner of the arena before pouncing on you with a powerful attack. The speed he comes at you is much faster than a normal or elite swordsman, so be ready to dodge in time. You can jump into the air or run to the side to avoid his move. The shield bearer will stuck in his attack animation for about 2 seconds. Use this window to deal as much damage as possible to him.

Always engage the shield at medium range. His melee swings have nearly double the range. His attack speed is also higher than normal.

Phase 2

Shieldbearer begins summoning Revenants after reaching 75 percent health. These are mostly small enemies, slow and easy to kit due to the large size of the arena. You don't have to waste your time with them. The summons always appear behind the Shieldbearer, so if you keep your distance, he has to cross half the arena to get to your spot. Instead, focus on peppering the Shieldbearer.

Phase 3

In the final stage of the boss fight, things can get a little messy. Shield bearer summons a shield after reaching 50 percent health gain two new abilities. First, the shield blocks all incoming bullets. You'll either have to rely on an area attack like explosions or aim for the head and other exposed body parts.

Second, and most importantly, the Shieldbearer uses the shield to create a large green dome in the arena. Stay inside the dome at all times! You continuously take Decay (poison) damage per tick by staying out of the acid sphere.

This is the hardest part of the Shieldbearer boss fight Witch fire. You don't have much room inside the dome to kit him. You also have to deal with the Revenants he keeps summoning. The only thing you can do is massacre the Revenants to make room inside the poison bubble while keeping an eye on the Shieldbearer to avoid his jump attack.

The shield bearer can chain attacks if you don't retreat after being hit. Avoid boxing with your back against the wall. Always have enough space on all sides to escape if necessary.

The best weapons to use against the Shieldbearer in Witchfire

You can use the Echo shotgun (upgraded to M2). Štítonos cheese in Witch fire. Its pellets explode on impact, setting the boss on fire and increasing damage dealt. Wait for him to perform a jump attack and freeze him with a Frost Cone once it lands. This will give you a few extra seconds to unload a few more rounds into his face. When he retreats, charge Echo again and repeat the same strategy when he does his jump attack.

You can also switch to the Demonic Vulture Crossbow which deals massive explosive damage. It takes about 10 arrows to reduce his health from 50 percent to zero in 15 seconds. Since the demon ammo is limited, you can clear out all the enemy camps and loot all the ammo crates before starting the boss fight.

The gameplay footage below shows how the Echo + Vulture combo makes short work of Shieldboser. It's not as dangerous a boss as most players think when they level up Witch fire. Before the second phase of the boss fight begins, you can cheese him.

Another weapon combo that has proven effective against Shieldbearer is Hangfire and Midas (upgraded to M2) in Witch fire. Hangfire deals explosive damage with each charge that bypasses the shield. Midas, on the other hand, can easily clear Revenants and deal massive critical damage to Shieldbearer due to his large clip size.

Rewards

Shieldbearer always drops random items from the loot pile. You have a good chance of getting strange coins and gems to sell for gold back in Hermitorium. You can also expect to get some Second Mysterium Incantations and Large Witchfire Clusters to further enhance your Preyer.

Be careful not to click on the portal while looting. Since the items are directly under the portal, you may accidentally return to Hermitorium without claiming your rewards.