Part 25

Master the Polar Knight and Phantom Striker boss fights in Shovel Knight Dig! Learn their attack patterns, weaknesses, and strategies to emerge victorious.

Alright, friend, let's get this Part 25 rolling! We've got two tough bosses lined up: Polar Knight and the Phantom Striker. Don't sweat it, though – I'll walk you through exactly what you need to do to take them down.

Polar Knight

Polar Knight's got a few tricks up his frosty sleeve. He'll start by just lobbing snowballs at you from a distance. You can hit these back, break 'em, or just jump over them. If you get too close, he'll start gathering them up and flinging them back your way. Honestly, the further away you are, the easier these are to dodge.

Strategy: Your best bet for safe damage is to jump on his head as he's moving those snowballs across the screen. Keep an eye out for when he starts digging – that's when things get really spicy.

Dig 'er Up: Once he's taken a bit of a beating, Polar Knight will start digging up the floor, and guess what? SPIKES! If you've got the Phase Locket, now's the time to use it. When he gets even lower on health, he'll start flinging smaller snowballs while he's digging. That's your cue to go full offense and finish him off!

Icicle Drop: After he's messed up a good chunk of the ground, Polar Knight will jump off-screen and return with a shower of icicles. These are soft ice and will cover up some of the spikes, but not all of them, so stay sharp!

After you finally put Polar Knight to sleep, you can catch your breath. No dream sequence this time, sadly. Just remember to put out that fire before you move on!

Phantom Striker

Next up, a new icon pops onto the map – the Phantom Striker. Looks like another warrior, another battle. No point in delaying, let's go face him head-on!

Stats / Weaknesses:

• Attacks: Lightning Stab, Lightning Slash, Lightning Orbs, Wind Change.
• Relics: Phase Locket is highly recommended. Chaos Sphere is also a good option.

Phases:

1. General Information: The Phantom Striker is a bit tougher than previous wandering warriors. He uses an electrified rapier and can be tricky, but knowing his moves makes it much easier.
2. Lightning Stab: He has good range with his rapier, so be careful if you're standing close. You won't be standing still for long, though!
3. Lightning Slash: He'll charge his rapier and send out lightning waves – usually two smaller ones and one high one. To dodge the high shot, get to the high step on either side of the arena and jump over it. The Phase Locket trivializes this.
4. Lightning Orbs: He'll charge his rapier, disappear, and then reappear in the air to shoot up to four lightning orbs at you. These track where you *were*, so keep moving to dodge them.
5. Wind Change: This move makes dodging difficult by changing the wind direction at will. It's a simple nuisance but effective.

Strategy:

• The Phase Locket is incredibly useful for dodging most of his attacks, especially the Lightning Slash and Orbs.
• If you don't have the Phase Locket, you'll need to be precise with your jumps and positioning. For the Lightning Slash, use the elevated platforms on the sides to jump over the high shot.
• Keep moving to avoid the Lightning Orbs, as they track your previous position.
• The Chaos Sphere can be effective, especially if you can use the small pits in the arena to your advantage.
• Focus on finding openings after his attack combos to land your hits.

(-NOTE-) After defeating the Phantom Striker, you'll snag the "Well Met" Feat. Nice!

Alright, after that showdown, it's time to spend some of that hard-earned gold if you can. Then, we're off to face the Tinker Knight!