Boss Rush Guide (Archer)

This guide is a complete guide for Boss Rush and walks through the strategies for each boss in runs. You'll want to be using the Archer for Boss Rush, as the combined range of his arrow and dashing ability make him the optimal choice for general Boss Rush runs.

### Minotaur - 5 hits

Pretty straightforward, wait on the sides until he rushes you, dash at the last minute so your hurtbox is within his hitbox the frame he enters vulnerability. The game seems to have the length of this bossfight set randomly, as there have been runs that beat it anywhere between 28.8 - 32 s, with perfect technique, so it's kind of a toss up.

Unless some other technique is found to save time, this remains to be the fastest technique for beating the Minotaur.

https://i.imgur.com/G193bn2.png

### Imp - 10 hits

The Imp starts with a spawn in the top-middle of the screen and is able to be hit on the same frame it splashes into view. You'll want to start out by hitting it with an arrow the moment it spawns in.

Next, the Imp will go through two cycles. Each cycle exhausts all 4 possible locations it can splash into, so you can predict which location it will spawn later on in the cycle by firing an arrow. You can control up to two possible spawns with a single arrow if you time it right, so you should pre-fire an arrow at one side before the imp will first spawn in a cycle. If you're lucky, it will hit, and you will save some time. You should fire an anticipatory arrow on the same side for the next spawn in the cycle, as if you get a hit, you guarantee the next two spawns will be on the same side, which allows for much more precise pre-firing and time saves. With an insanely good Imp spawn pattern and really precise firing, it is possible to potentially beat the Imp under 50 s, but you need pretty much everything to be perfect to do so. On average, a good run will usually have you beating the imp between 51 - 53 s.

Here is a list of every possible Imp 4-hit cycle pattern. The first letter stands for the top (T) or bottom (B) corners of the screen, and the second stands for the left (L) or right (R) corners of the screen. They are grouped into categories based on their potential for time saving, with an estimated time range possible depending on their paring with another pattern, listed from best to worst in each respective grouping. In general, top corners (T) are slightly better than bottom corners (B) since an arrow fired has to travel less distance to hit.

#### Exceptional Patterns (<50s - 51s)
TR - BR - TL - BL
TL - BL - TR - BR

#### Good Patterns (51s - 53s)
TR - BR - BL - TL
TL - BL - BR - TR
BR - TR - BL - TL
BR - TR - TL - BL
BL - TL - BR - TR
BL - TL - TR - BR

#### Decent Patterns (53s - 55s)
TR - TL - BL - BR
TR - BL - TL - BR
TL - TR - BR - BL
TL - BR - TR - BL
BR - TL - BL - TR
BR - BL - TL - TR
BL - TR - BR - TL
BL - BR - TR - TL

#### Bad Patterns (55s - 57s)
TR - TL - BR - BL
TR - BL - BR - TL
TL - TR - BL - BR
TL - BR - BL - TR

#### Abysmal Patterns (>57s)
BR - TL - TR - BL
BR - BL - TR - TL
BL - TR - TL - BR
BL - BR - TL - TR

For a perfect Imp run, you would want either combination of the two exceptional patterns (since I don't believe two patterns can be repeated back-to-back in one run) and the last spawn to be either TL or TR. Doing so, and timing it perfectly would result in a time under 0:50.

Imp Spawns:

Spawn:
https://i.imgur.com/BCnxpcq.jpg

TR
https://i.imgur.com/oZiXvYm.jpg

TL
https://i.imgur.com/P1FejFF.png

BR
https://i.imgur.com/6escKfR.jpg

BL
https://i.imgur.com/SUWaGV1.jpg

### Royal Slime - 10* hits

The Royal Slime splits on the first hit into three parts, then each of those parts split into 2 parts as well, totaling 10 hits needed to beat this boss. Fortunately, you can collaterally hit more than one sprite with your arrows or dash.

You'll want to start on the left side of the screen and fire an arrow so that it hits the slime the moment it comes out of vulnerability. Next, you'll want to walk forward and dash into the part of the slime that splits to the left (2 will split to the right). While dashing, fire an arrow to hit both of the two slimes that have split out on the right side, splitting both of them as well.

Next, you'll want to dash into the slimes that are bouncing on the right side (there should be 5 there), and at the very end of your dash, turn back left and fire an arrow to hit the last slime bouncing towards you from the left.

Combined with good times from the previous bosses, it is possible to get below 1:00 on the Royal Slime.

Royal Slime Split 1:
https://i.imgur.com/W9z7hqQ.jpg

Royal Slime Split 2
https://i.imgur.com/mQeOG9s.jpg

Royal Slime Split 3:
https://i.imgur.com/aYdJ3v8.jpg

Royal Slime Finish:
https://i.imgur.com/utHMdfS.jpg
### Peloria

This boss is pretty straightforward. Just hit it as soon as it rises from the ground, always. With the Archer, it doesn't really matter where it rises since you can always hit it the exact frame it becomes vulnerable. The only tip is that spawns that are in the center you can dash to hit or fire an arrow directly underneath, but for spawns on the edges of the screen, it is much safer to just fire an arrow with good timing to hit it as it becomes vulnerable.

Overall, this boss has the least to do with luck and is pretty straightforward. With good previous bosses, the Peloria could be completed under 1:36.

"Good" Peloria Spawns:
https://i.imgur.com/rj5Zyuq.jpg

"Bad" Peloria Spawns:
https://i.imgur.com/LmdhbFq.png
### Death Worm - 21 hits

This is perhaps the most interesting of the bosses since it requires you to hit it in certain areas in a certain order. Hitting the Death Worm in the wrong order results in massive time losses, so pay attention to what cells you are hitting, as spacing them out correctly ensures you maximize hits per cycle.

A cycle of the Death Worm entails right as it starts exiting the ground, being vulnerable to attack, and re-entering the ground completely. You should try to hit the Death Worm the moment it comes out of the ground, and the moment it fully enters back into the ground. This is why it is important to space out your hits, since hitting 5 cells from the head makes it so you have to wait much longer to hit the rest of the cells, wasting precious time in your cycle. 

The best cycle type is the "Larvae Cycle", where the Death Worm starts at the right corner of the screen, stretches across the top, and u-turns back before exiting 1/3 screen from the left. This is the longest cycle, and allows for easily up to 7 hits, potentially 8.

The second best cycle type is the "S" Cycle, and is when the Death Worm snakes through the screen in an S-shape. There is potential for up to 6 hits on this one, but it is a risky one that will almost ensure you will take damage.

The worst cycle type is the "U" Cycle, and is when the Death Worm makes an upside-down U pattern. It only allows for around 5 hits at max, and even then it is extremely hard to do and on average, you'll only get around 4 hits in.

Once all the cells have been broken, you will want to try to dash to kill if you need to wait for the head to begin a new cycle, or, more ideally, you break the last cell within a cycle and hit the head the moment it comes out of invulnerability. A good Death Worm cycle pattern combined with good previous bosses could result in completing it under 2:06.

### Harpy - 17 hits

The Harpy is another heavy random pattern dependant boss. Initially, it spawns in the top middle and you should hit it the first frame it comes into the screen. Then, it does one of four actions, either hover in the middle, hover on the left, hover on the right, or swoop. 

Hovering in the middle is the best since it allows quick access if it flies to either the left or right side of the screen, and it allows for you to be directly under the Harpy, which means your arrows will have to travel much less distance to hit.

Hovering left or right are equally bad, and require you to either play risky and go directly underneath, banking on the Harpy staying or entering in a swoop, or distance yourself a bit, causing your arrows to have to travel longer to hit. 

Swooping is the worst, as the Harpy leaves the screen temporarily to swoop down onto the player. Your best bet is to hit with a dash the moment it hits the ground and becomes vulnerable, and then pick a hovering position that you think it will go towards next and shoot towards there, potentially hitting it the moment it flies there. You can also hit the Harpy's talon with a well-timed arrow if it Swoops again, but is risky since if you mess up, it's a lost hit and loses some time.

Overall, with a good hover pattern and minimal Swoops, the Harpy can be completed in under 2:30.

### Spectral Rider -  25 hits

The Spectral Rider is easily the most random pattern dependent boss in the run, as when on horseback, it can teleport to either the left or right lower sides of the screen. Your best bet is to anticipate it staying in one spot, and repeatedly fire arrows into it, hitting it the frame it comes out of invulnerability. These horseback cycles take 4 hits each and are repeated 3 times throughout the fight. 

Once the Spectral Rider is hit off horseback, it will fly and hover about the screen. This is also very heavily dependent on randomness, as sometimes it will hover exclusively in the middle, and other times it will fly sporadically around, oscillating between the sides and middle. When you can, try to hit with a dash, and again with the same arrow shot from that dash, as it only stays in invulnerability for a short time between hits. These unmounted cycles take 5 hits each for the first two, 3 for the last, so a good pattern is crucial and can make-or-break a run.  

Overall, exceptional horseback and unmounted cycles can result in completing the Spectral Rider in under 3:00.

Spectral Rider Spawn:
https://i.imgur.com/A5KZ5Ou.jpg

Spectral Rider Unmounted (Docile)
https://i.imgur.com/3HRB7AQ.jpg

### Dragon - 15 hits

The Dragon is somewhat random pattern dependent, with three possible positions, with each being good or bad depending on where you are, since each time you hit the Dragon, it pushes you back with a roar, forcing your arrow to have to travel longer. When the Dragon drops in, you'll want to fire an arrow where it will be spawning to get an early hit at the very beginning.

The first position, and the best if you are near the dragon, is the "Meteor Call", which is when the Dragon tilts its head upwards and summons meteors to hit the player. This is ideal since your arrow only has to travel to the tip of its arc to hit, instead of having to go all the way down as well.

The second and third positions, or "Fireball" positions, are the best if you are too far away to hit with an arrow for a Meteor Call position, as you can fire an arrow right as your dash ends and still hit the Dragon in either of these positions. They are riskier since if the Dragon gets an attack off, he can harm you with a fireball attack.

When you hit the Dragon and he roars, you will want to fight the push back he gives you with a dash, and fire an arrow at the very end of it, hopefully hitting. A good pattern that mixes Meteor Call and Fireball positions can result in a decent time save, and combined with exceptional other bosses, finishing in under 3:32

Dragon Spawn:
https://i.imgur.com/Bx6AUVN.jpg

This run is extremely luck dependent, *especially* on the Spectral Rider fight, as bad horseback or unmounted pattern can result in a significant time loss, and is completely out of the player's control.

Zaverose