Esther Winchester

Defeat Esther Winchester in Cuphead's High Noon Hoopla with plane combat tips. Parry pink coins and dodge steak attacks through her three phases.

Objective: Defeat Esther Winchester in the "High Noon Hoopla" stage to collect the Desert Lime ingredient for Chef Saltbaker.

Strategy: This is a three-phase aerial dogfight (plane level) that requires precise vertical movement and hitbox management. Esther Winchester is a formidable cowgirl who scales in intensity as her physical form changes.

• Phase 1 (The Cowgirl): Esther attacks from a saloon window. She uses a vacuum to pull in coins (parry the pink ones!), fires a revolvering pistol that shoots cactus balls, and summons vultures that drop bundles of dynamite. Watch for her lasso; when she pulls the saloon toward her, stay toward the center of the screen to avoid being crushed. Parry Opportunity: The pink coins being sucked into her vacuum.
• Phase 2 (The Beef Jerky): Esther is sucked into her own vacuum and processed into a giant sheet of beef jerky. She uses two massive meat grinders at the top and bottom of the screen to spit out steaks. Maneuver in a "U" shape to avoid the steaks. She will also periodically launch cans of beans across the screen. Parry Opportunity: Occasionally, the meat grinders will spit out pink, parryable beans/steaks.
• Phase 3 (The Meat Cans): Esther remains in her beef jerky form but now operates from behind a massive meat-processing machine. She doesn't enter a can; instead, she launches various meat cans (Sausage, Beef, Pork) that fly in a loop-de-loop pattern. Focus on the openings between the cans. Parry Opportunity: Pink steak icons printed on specific meat cans.
• Phase 4 (The Sausage Link): Esther finally transforms into a sentient string of sausages. She will snake around the screen while the background scrolls rapidly. Stay between the two lines of sausages and use your mini-plane form to weave through the narrow gaps.

Recommended Equipment:

• Weapons: The Rapid-Fire Bullets (Peashooter) are best for Phase 1 and 4 for consistent damage. Use Bombs during Phase 2 and 3 when she is positioned below or behind obstacles.
• Charms: While the Heart Ring is excellent for gaining health via the many parry opportunities, advanced consider Divine Relic for weapon cycling or Coffee to rapidly build Super Meter for the "Magnet Bomb" Special.
• Super: The Super Bomb is most effective at the start of Phase 4 to deal massive burst damage and shorten the final segment.