Shadowfiend
Of eternal agony, etc.
- Joined
- Oct 30, 2008
- Messages
- 276
- Reaction score
- 62
- Points
- 90
- Age
- 39
Boasting is not for everyone. It's impractical, the rewards are paltry, and some would argue that trying to do them sucks all the fun out of the game. If you feel this way, that's cool. There's nothing wrong with playing the game for fun. It is after all, a game, and intended for exactly that purpose. However-- if you wish to challenge yourself (or you're simply a completionist) then by all means, read on. The purpose of this guide is provide tips and strategies for completing all the boasts as easily as possible.
Most boasts are pretty easy to do as long as your well leveled and have a good grasp on how to fight. There is one particular boast that seems to be an impassable obstacle for most people though: Fist Fighter. I'm not going to lie to you. It's a tough boast no matter what, but there are ways to make it easier. I'll cover each individual quest in order to address specific issues that may occur, but before that, some general tips:
First Priority: Hire two mercenaries. That's right, they can fight for you while you do quests. They're very inexpensive and they can make a world of difference. Unfortunately the AI is kind of dumb and you won't be able to actively direct them to do what you want, but even so their presence can only help your chances.
EXTRA TIP: Mercenaries will almost always attack whatever enemy you attack, so you can sort of 'mark' an enemy for death. This isn't terribly reliable of course, since if a mercenary is attacked by something else, they will break off and lock on to whatever struck them instead.
Second Priority: Get a TON of will potions. You'll need them. For the most part you're only allowed to use non-aggressive spells, which is a pretty short list: Slow Time, Assassin's Rush, and Heal Life. I think Multi-Hit and Multi-Arrow might also be included, but it's irrelevant if they are since Multi-Hit requires a weapon (it won't work on your fists) and Multi-Arrow requires a bow (which you're not allowed to use.) Ideally you want Slow Time to be maxed out, but you can get by with less. The same goes for Heal Life. Assassins Rush is kind of redundant if you're using Slow Time so I would recommend not even putting points into it, at least for the purposes doing boasts.
EXTRA TIP: Slow Time is to make beating up enemies with your fists less of a risk and Heal Life is to keep your mercenaries alive. Don't be afraid to wade into a crowd and wail on enemies during Slow Time's effects. Sometimes taking matters into your own hands is the only way to get through a quest and consequently complete the boasts.
Third Priority: Max out Speed, Physique, and Mana. Those are really the only stats you need to be an effective Fist Fighter (and therefore an effective Boaster.) Speed makes you attack faster, Physique increases the damage of your punches, and Mana makes it less of a pain to keep casting Slow Time and Heal Life.
EXTRA TIP: Fist Fighting in Fable is difficult to master but you'll feel really skillful once you've got the hang of it. It requires technique, an understanding of enemy behavior, and sometimes a sixth sense of when to roll away from an enemy attack. Slow Time helps make it less difficult, but it's still wise to know what you're doing (especially since when Slow Time ends you'll need to be able to handle yourself until you can safely cast it again.)
There are three primary methods of Fist Fighting:
[The U-Turn]
The U-turn is all about exploiting enemy aggression behavior. Obviously, if you're not within range, an enemy isn't going to swing their weapon. They will try to pursue you instead. The idea is to run up to an enemy, punch them in the face once or twice, then dash and/or roll back the way you came. Pause a moment and wait for them to follow, then do it again. Once you get a flourish, you can use this strategy to greater effect.
[The High-roller]
It's ballsy, but effective. Run up to an enemy and start beating on them. Anticipate their attack and then roll around them. Not into them. They'll adjust their swing to try and hit you but if you're accurate with your roll it's unlikely you'll get snagged. Keep in mind that most enemies (particularly Hobbes) will attack twice in a row as part of their normal attack routine. This means you'll usually have to roll twice before you get back to punching.
[The Sucker Punch]
An enemy is locked on to one of your mercenaries and is paying no attention to you. Smack him on the back of the head. Simple as that.
Keep in mind that you don't NEED -any- of these things. It just makes it a lot easier.
While under the effects of Slow Time, it is usually best to stick to chains of regular punches and not use flourishes.
Protect Orchard Farm
If you're protecting Orchard Farm, then you're allowed to use Heal Life and can mostly sit the battle out and let the Guards/Mercenaries do all the fighting. Your main concerns should be in dodging the bandits who are carrying crossbows and occasionally casting Heal Life on the Guards. They probably won't need it, but you can't see their life bars so do it regularly to ensure they don't die.
Where to make your stand: In the barn with the crates. While it's possible that a bandit might get lucky and run away with a crate, it's more than likely they will get sword-slapped by a Guard or a Mercenary. If they DO somehow get a hold of one, activate Slow Time and go punch him in the back of the head.
What you should be doing: The bandits come in three waves of three bandits each. The first is entirely composed of melee bandits and the second two include one crossbow bandit with two melee bandits. I recommend hanging out right on top of the crates until the bandits arrive so that your followers can engage them-- then rolling/Slow Timing your way out the barn's back door and hiding behind the big tree with a circular stone wall around it (you'll know it when you see it.) One or two bandits might actually follow you out there. Play hide and seek with them until your buddies show up to deal with the problem. If you're feeling impatient, use Slow Time to run behind a bandit and go to town on him with your fists.
Keep an eye on your followers to make sure they're doing alright, always be sure that there is an obstacle between you and the crossbow guys, and you shouldn't have any problems.
Fighting Whisper: Punch her once or twice, do a flourish because the game requires it to continue, and then back away from her. At this point you can either play it safe and let your mercenaries deal with Whisper (I've never seen them not totally own her) or cast Slow Time and do the job yourself. Up to you. Quest Complete.
Attack Orchard Farm
This version goes down a little bit differently. The guards you'll be fighting all have crossbows and they are crack shots with them. Not only that, but you're not allowed to cast Heal Life to keep your bandits alive. So shake out those wrists and blow on your knuckles. You've got a lot of beatings to administer.
WARNING! WATCH OUT: There are supposed to be only three waves of guards (much like there are three waves of bandits), but a fourth wave of guards will sometimes suddenly show up before Whisper does. Once you obtain the third crate, hide somewhere and watch your mini map for red dots. Don't let them sneak up on you. Once Whisper arrives, the guards will leave the area for reasons unexplained. I guess they felt you'd shamed them enough?
Where you should be: As the quest begins, run on ahead of your bandits and mercenaries. Once you see the guards, cast Slow Time and run PAST them. Then turn around and start rolling left to right to dodge any potential arrow shots. Hopefully your followers will engage the guards from behind and take their interest away from you. Alternatively, you can lead the guards away from the barn and hide behind the big tree for cover. Hopefully the bandits will ignore the guards entirely and get the crate while you and your mercenaries deal with the threats.
What you should be doing: Odds are that one guard in particular (if not two) will have it out for you, so once battle is joined between NPC's you're going to want to Slow Time again and make him ride the fist train to knuckle town. Just keep your wits about you and don't overstay your welcome up close. Guards can be cagey fighters.
After the first wave is done with, you can follow the bandits to the exit and make another glorious charge to the barn when they're ready... or you can hang around the barn until the guards get there. Use Slow Time and cover to avoid the guards until they are focused on your followers, then come out of hiding and pick out a guy to attack. Your intervention is sometimes key to victory. If your bandits or mercenaries are losing their fight-- HELP THEM! They can't be healed and consequently will sometimes require assistance.
Fighting Whisper: Exactly the same as the other side of the quest. Punch her once or twice, do a flourish because the game requires it to continue, and then back away from her. At this point you can either play it safe and let your mercenaries deal with Whisper (I've never seen them not totally own her) or cast Slow Time and do the job yourself. Up to you. Quest Complete.
Hobbe Killing Contest
The boasts on this quest are very difficult, no doubt about it. You MUST play a very active role in the fighting if you hope to win the day and I would discourage you from trying to steal kills from Whisper since getting hit by her attacks can and will cost you the boast. Stay away from her unless you're trying to sabotage her for your mercenaries by punching her from behind. Then again it's kind of hard to lock on to her so that's not a perfect strategy to use either.
IMPORTANT: It's possible to complete the quest with the two starter mercenaries, or even all by yourself... but 'possible' doesn't mean it's easy. For the sake of your sanity: wait until you can hire better mercenaries before attempting this quest.
ALSO IMPORTANT: You might want to avoid hitting Whisper at all, since if you do so your mercenaries will target her as well. This means they aren't working on getting you kills. Did I mention that their kills count as your kills? Well, you don't get any exp, but they do count. If a mercenary kills a hobbe, the game treats it as if you scored a point.
Where you should be: The quest starts and it's a race to the hobbes. Whisper runs slower than you, so activate Slow Time and book it. Your mercenaries can run just as fast as you do (although they generally keep a respectful distance away) and should easily overtake Whisper. Once you get to the hobbes, stay the f*** away from that explosive barrel. The range of its explosion is huge, so lure a hobbe (any hobbe) away from it, cast Slow Time, and start beating on it. If it looks like a mercenary is coming over to engage it, break away and search for a new target and let him deal with the hobbe instead. Watch out for the ranged attacks of the mage hobbes at all times. If you know there's a mage hobbe around and he's locked on to you? Never stay in one place long. When possible, make them your priority to attack as long as it doesn't take you close to the explosive barrel.
What you should be doing: Let your mercenaries compete with Whisper in the big clump of hobbes. Meanwhile you should be luring away one or two of them, casting Slow Time, and punching the day away. Once you have at least 10 more kills than Whisper you can focus on staying out of the fight and away from danger. Unfortunately there are always some hobbes who want a piece of you, so you'll eventually want to make your way out into the main field area (with all the bushels of apples) and run around. Cast Slow Time to escape if the hobbes get uncomfortably close.
Final Tip: Don't get frustrated. This quest takes a degree of luck as well as skill. Not only do YOU have to do well, but your mercenaries have to get lucky and steal kills from Whisper. Odds are you won't get this on the first-- maybe fifth-- maybe even tenth try! Possibly more! Just keep cool, stay loose, and remember that as long as you haven't been hit you've still got a shot at winning no matter how many kills Whisper gets. Even with Slow Time and Mercenaries, you're the MAN if you can do this. Good luck and well done.
Hobbe Cave
Make sure to take every available boast. It's possible to do both Cave Dweller AND Sacrifice Innocent, but I won't blame you if you don't want to do Cave Dweller. It's a helluva difficult fight.
What you should be doing:
PART ONE:
As soon as you enter the Hobbe Cave, run to the door that has the bandit behind it. Don't even fight any of the hobbes in the main hallway. Once inside, you've all the fight you can handle on your hands. Cast Slow Time, pick a hobbe, and rearrange his already ugly face. Make sure to keep an eye on your mercenaries, since it's very easy for them to get cornered by a mess of hobbes and ganged up on. Be ready with a Heal Life, because odds are you'll need it to save their lives. Due to the close quarters of the room you're in, you won't be able to focus on any one hobbe for long before you'll have to roll away and circle the room while you get your bearings. Just keep healing your mercenaries, punching the faces of hobbes who get separated from the pack, and eventually victory will be yours.
PART TWO:
Now you've got three followers! Awesome. Now, it would be virtually impossible to fight every single hobbe in that hallway without getting hit... so we're not going to! Once you're ready, exit the room back out into the main hallway. Cast Slow Time and then RUN. Run all the way down the hallway and into the room with the locked door. Run through THIS room, unlock the door, and you'll be the Moonlit Hallway. Take a breather and heal anyone who might be hurt. It doesn't matter where your followers were located when you entered the door. They'll always come with you.
PART THREE:
Head down towards the large stone mound and you'll be confronted by a Cave Nymph. Agree to sacrifice your bandit in exchange for the boy. Afterward you'll be attacked by a band of hobbes. Same tactics as the fight in the bandit room, only now you have a lot more room to maneuver. Just keep punching and punching and punching under the effects of Slow Time until, finally, the hobbe swarm is down for the count. It'll take awhile, but I promise you-- it does end.
PART FOUR:
Fortunately, the hobbes seem to ignore the boy in this room, so up till now protecting him hasn't been a concern. That changes now. Lead him to the far end of the cave and tell him to wait. You'll kick yourself if he gets hit by one of the Nymph's energy balls. Also, children shouldn't witness the amount of swearing you're about to do.
THE NYMPH
Hardest fight in the entire game. Right here. At least with the conditions you must fight under. When you're ready, lock on to her and give her ankle a good wallop with your fist. She'll say something about feeling her wrath or whatever, but ignore it-- you've got to be quick. Cast Slow Time and keep an eye on her. She moves fast and erratically... even under Slow Time! The VERY MOMENT she touches down to summon mini-hobbes: roll in and unleash a flurry of punches and kicks. Don't try to lock on, just mash the button on her. The window of opportunity is very, very small. Don't risk more than three or four strikes, though. Roll out before you get smacked by a mini-hobbe. Now the fight is on in full swing.
Engage the mini-hobbes like you would any other hobbe. Slow Time and chain punch them from behind. If you hear the sound of the Nymph shooting her energy ball, roll for your life. Otherwise you should ignore her. Keep working over the mini-hobbes until they are all dead. Once they are, the Nymph will try to summon more. Don't miss the opportunity: Roll in and give her the old chin music three or four times before dodging away again. Keep repeating this until she's dead. She has a health bar under the bars belonging to your mercenaries-- so you'll know how far along you are.
PART FIVE:
Holy crap you did it. Well done, sir, well done. I'd shake your hand just for the opportunity to touch someone who possessed such incredible grit and skill. Now let's get OUT of this horrible place! Gather up the boy and the bandit (who will rejoin you once the Nymph is dead) and head for the Moonlit Tunnel. WATCH OUT! There are hobbes waiting for you in the tunnel! Slow Time and dash for the door. Dash again through this room and into the main hallway. Now get ready to really RUN. If your Slow Time runs out, cast it again, cast it FAST, but whatever you do keep running for the exit. Once you make it outside you're home free.
Congratulations. No, I mean it. You're awesome. This was so hard. Respect, man. Respect. Every other boasting quest is a cakewalk from here on compared to what you've just been through.
Most boasts are pretty easy to do as long as your well leveled and have a good grasp on how to fight. There is one particular boast that seems to be an impassable obstacle for most people though: Fist Fighter. I'm not going to lie to you. It's a tough boast no matter what, but there are ways to make it easier. I'll cover each individual quest in order to address specific issues that may occur, but before that, some general tips:
First Priority: Hire two mercenaries. That's right, they can fight for you while you do quests. They're very inexpensive and they can make a world of difference. Unfortunately the AI is kind of dumb and you won't be able to actively direct them to do what you want, but even so their presence can only help your chances.
EXTRA TIP: Mercenaries will almost always attack whatever enemy you attack, so you can sort of 'mark' an enemy for death. This isn't terribly reliable of course, since if a mercenary is attacked by something else, they will break off and lock on to whatever struck them instead.
Second Priority: Get a TON of will potions. You'll need them. For the most part you're only allowed to use non-aggressive spells, which is a pretty short list: Slow Time, Assassin's Rush, and Heal Life. I think Multi-Hit and Multi-Arrow might also be included, but it's irrelevant if they are since Multi-Hit requires a weapon (it won't work on your fists) and Multi-Arrow requires a bow (which you're not allowed to use.) Ideally you want Slow Time to be maxed out, but you can get by with less. The same goes for Heal Life. Assassins Rush is kind of redundant if you're using Slow Time so I would recommend not even putting points into it, at least for the purposes doing boasts.
EXTRA TIP: Slow Time is to make beating up enemies with your fists less of a risk and Heal Life is to keep your mercenaries alive. Don't be afraid to wade into a crowd and wail on enemies during Slow Time's effects. Sometimes taking matters into your own hands is the only way to get through a quest and consequently complete the boasts.
Third Priority: Max out Speed, Physique, and Mana. Those are really the only stats you need to be an effective Fist Fighter (and therefore an effective Boaster.) Speed makes you attack faster, Physique increases the damage of your punches, and Mana makes it less of a pain to keep casting Slow Time and Heal Life.
EXTRA TIP: Fist Fighting in Fable is difficult to master but you'll feel really skillful once you've got the hang of it. It requires technique, an understanding of enemy behavior, and sometimes a sixth sense of when to roll away from an enemy attack. Slow Time helps make it less difficult, but it's still wise to know what you're doing (especially since when Slow Time ends you'll need to be able to handle yourself until you can safely cast it again.)
There are three primary methods of Fist Fighting:
[The U-Turn]
The U-turn is all about exploiting enemy aggression behavior. Obviously, if you're not within range, an enemy isn't going to swing their weapon. They will try to pursue you instead. The idea is to run up to an enemy, punch them in the face once or twice, then dash and/or roll back the way you came. Pause a moment and wait for them to follow, then do it again. Once you get a flourish, you can use this strategy to greater effect.
[The High-roller]
It's ballsy, but effective. Run up to an enemy and start beating on them. Anticipate their attack and then roll around them. Not into them. They'll adjust their swing to try and hit you but if you're accurate with your roll it's unlikely you'll get snagged. Keep in mind that most enemies (particularly Hobbes) will attack twice in a row as part of their normal attack routine. This means you'll usually have to roll twice before you get back to punching.
[The Sucker Punch]
An enemy is locked on to one of your mercenaries and is paying no attention to you. Smack him on the back of the head. Simple as that.
Keep in mind that you don't NEED -any- of these things. It just makes it a lot easier.
While under the effects of Slow Time, it is usually best to stick to chains of regular punches and not use flourishes.
Protect Orchard Farm
If you're protecting Orchard Farm, then you're allowed to use Heal Life and can mostly sit the battle out and let the Guards/Mercenaries do all the fighting. Your main concerns should be in dodging the bandits who are carrying crossbows and occasionally casting Heal Life on the Guards. They probably won't need it, but you can't see their life bars so do it regularly to ensure they don't die.
Where to make your stand: In the barn with the crates. While it's possible that a bandit might get lucky and run away with a crate, it's more than likely they will get sword-slapped by a Guard or a Mercenary. If they DO somehow get a hold of one, activate Slow Time and go punch him in the back of the head.
What you should be doing: The bandits come in three waves of three bandits each. The first is entirely composed of melee bandits and the second two include one crossbow bandit with two melee bandits. I recommend hanging out right on top of the crates until the bandits arrive so that your followers can engage them-- then rolling/Slow Timing your way out the barn's back door and hiding behind the big tree with a circular stone wall around it (you'll know it when you see it.) One or two bandits might actually follow you out there. Play hide and seek with them until your buddies show up to deal with the problem. If you're feeling impatient, use Slow Time to run behind a bandit and go to town on him with your fists.
Keep an eye on your followers to make sure they're doing alright, always be sure that there is an obstacle between you and the crossbow guys, and you shouldn't have any problems.
Fighting Whisper: Punch her once or twice, do a flourish because the game requires it to continue, and then back away from her. At this point you can either play it safe and let your mercenaries deal with Whisper (I've never seen them not totally own her) or cast Slow Time and do the job yourself. Up to you. Quest Complete.
Attack Orchard Farm
This version goes down a little bit differently. The guards you'll be fighting all have crossbows and they are crack shots with them. Not only that, but you're not allowed to cast Heal Life to keep your bandits alive. So shake out those wrists and blow on your knuckles. You've got a lot of beatings to administer.
WARNING! WATCH OUT: There are supposed to be only three waves of guards (much like there are three waves of bandits), but a fourth wave of guards will sometimes suddenly show up before Whisper does. Once you obtain the third crate, hide somewhere and watch your mini map for red dots. Don't let them sneak up on you. Once Whisper arrives, the guards will leave the area for reasons unexplained. I guess they felt you'd shamed them enough?
Where you should be: As the quest begins, run on ahead of your bandits and mercenaries. Once you see the guards, cast Slow Time and run PAST them. Then turn around and start rolling left to right to dodge any potential arrow shots. Hopefully your followers will engage the guards from behind and take their interest away from you. Alternatively, you can lead the guards away from the barn and hide behind the big tree for cover. Hopefully the bandits will ignore the guards entirely and get the crate while you and your mercenaries deal with the threats.
What you should be doing: Odds are that one guard in particular (if not two) will have it out for you, so once battle is joined between NPC's you're going to want to Slow Time again and make him ride the fist train to knuckle town. Just keep your wits about you and don't overstay your welcome up close. Guards can be cagey fighters.
After the first wave is done with, you can follow the bandits to the exit and make another glorious charge to the barn when they're ready... or you can hang around the barn until the guards get there. Use Slow Time and cover to avoid the guards until they are focused on your followers, then come out of hiding and pick out a guy to attack. Your intervention is sometimes key to victory. If your bandits or mercenaries are losing their fight-- HELP THEM! They can't be healed and consequently will sometimes require assistance.
Fighting Whisper: Exactly the same as the other side of the quest. Punch her once or twice, do a flourish because the game requires it to continue, and then back away from her. At this point you can either play it safe and let your mercenaries deal with Whisper (I've never seen them not totally own her) or cast Slow Time and do the job yourself. Up to you. Quest Complete.
Hobbe Killing Contest
The boasts on this quest are very difficult, no doubt about it. You MUST play a very active role in the fighting if you hope to win the day and I would discourage you from trying to steal kills from Whisper since getting hit by her attacks can and will cost you the boast. Stay away from her unless you're trying to sabotage her for your mercenaries by punching her from behind. Then again it's kind of hard to lock on to her so that's not a perfect strategy to use either.
IMPORTANT: It's possible to complete the quest with the two starter mercenaries, or even all by yourself... but 'possible' doesn't mean it's easy. For the sake of your sanity: wait until you can hire better mercenaries before attempting this quest.
ALSO IMPORTANT: You might want to avoid hitting Whisper at all, since if you do so your mercenaries will target her as well. This means they aren't working on getting you kills. Did I mention that their kills count as your kills? Well, you don't get any exp, but they do count. If a mercenary kills a hobbe, the game treats it as if you scored a point.
Where you should be: The quest starts and it's a race to the hobbes. Whisper runs slower than you, so activate Slow Time and book it. Your mercenaries can run just as fast as you do (although they generally keep a respectful distance away) and should easily overtake Whisper. Once you get to the hobbes, stay the f*** away from that explosive barrel. The range of its explosion is huge, so lure a hobbe (any hobbe) away from it, cast Slow Time, and start beating on it. If it looks like a mercenary is coming over to engage it, break away and search for a new target and let him deal with the hobbe instead. Watch out for the ranged attacks of the mage hobbes at all times. If you know there's a mage hobbe around and he's locked on to you? Never stay in one place long. When possible, make them your priority to attack as long as it doesn't take you close to the explosive barrel.
What you should be doing: Let your mercenaries compete with Whisper in the big clump of hobbes. Meanwhile you should be luring away one or two of them, casting Slow Time, and punching the day away. Once you have at least 10 more kills than Whisper you can focus on staying out of the fight and away from danger. Unfortunately there are always some hobbes who want a piece of you, so you'll eventually want to make your way out into the main field area (with all the bushels of apples) and run around. Cast Slow Time to escape if the hobbes get uncomfortably close.
Final Tip: Don't get frustrated. This quest takes a degree of luck as well as skill. Not only do YOU have to do well, but your mercenaries have to get lucky and steal kills from Whisper. Odds are you won't get this on the first-- maybe fifth-- maybe even tenth try! Possibly more! Just keep cool, stay loose, and remember that as long as you haven't been hit you've still got a shot at winning no matter how many kills Whisper gets. Even with Slow Time and Mercenaries, you're the MAN if you can do this. Good luck and well done.
Hobbe Cave
Make sure to take every available boast. It's possible to do both Cave Dweller AND Sacrifice Innocent, but I won't blame you if you don't want to do Cave Dweller. It's a helluva difficult fight.
What you should be doing:
PART ONE:
As soon as you enter the Hobbe Cave, run to the door that has the bandit behind it. Don't even fight any of the hobbes in the main hallway. Once inside, you've all the fight you can handle on your hands. Cast Slow Time, pick a hobbe, and rearrange his already ugly face. Make sure to keep an eye on your mercenaries, since it's very easy for them to get cornered by a mess of hobbes and ganged up on. Be ready with a Heal Life, because odds are you'll need it to save their lives. Due to the close quarters of the room you're in, you won't be able to focus on any one hobbe for long before you'll have to roll away and circle the room while you get your bearings. Just keep healing your mercenaries, punching the faces of hobbes who get separated from the pack, and eventually victory will be yours.
PART TWO:
Now you've got three followers! Awesome. Now, it would be virtually impossible to fight every single hobbe in that hallway without getting hit... so we're not going to! Once you're ready, exit the room back out into the main hallway. Cast Slow Time and then RUN. Run all the way down the hallway and into the room with the locked door. Run through THIS room, unlock the door, and you'll be the Moonlit Hallway. Take a breather and heal anyone who might be hurt. It doesn't matter where your followers were located when you entered the door. They'll always come with you.
PART THREE:
Head down towards the large stone mound and you'll be confronted by a Cave Nymph. Agree to sacrifice your bandit in exchange for the boy. Afterward you'll be attacked by a band of hobbes. Same tactics as the fight in the bandit room, only now you have a lot more room to maneuver. Just keep punching and punching and punching under the effects of Slow Time until, finally, the hobbe swarm is down for the count. It'll take awhile, but I promise you-- it does end.
PART FOUR:
Fortunately, the hobbes seem to ignore the boy in this room, so up till now protecting him hasn't been a concern. That changes now. Lead him to the far end of the cave and tell him to wait. You'll kick yourself if he gets hit by one of the Nymph's energy balls. Also, children shouldn't witness the amount of swearing you're about to do.
THE NYMPH
Hardest fight in the entire game. Right here. At least with the conditions you must fight under. When you're ready, lock on to her and give her ankle a good wallop with your fist. She'll say something about feeling her wrath or whatever, but ignore it-- you've got to be quick. Cast Slow Time and keep an eye on her. She moves fast and erratically... even under Slow Time! The VERY MOMENT she touches down to summon mini-hobbes: roll in and unleash a flurry of punches and kicks. Don't try to lock on, just mash the button on her. The window of opportunity is very, very small. Don't risk more than three or four strikes, though. Roll out before you get smacked by a mini-hobbe. Now the fight is on in full swing.
Engage the mini-hobbes like you would any other hobbe. Slow Time and chain punch them from behind. If you hear the sound of the Nymph shooting her energy ball, roll for your life. Otherwise you should ignore her. Keep working over the mini-hobbes until they are all dead. Once they are, the Nymph will try to summon more. Don't miss the opportunity: Roll in and give her the old chin music three or four times before dodging away again. Keep repeating this until she's dead. She has a health bar under the bars belonging to your mercenaries-- so you'll know how far along you are.
PART FIVE:
Holy crap you did it. Well done, sir, well done. I'd shake your hand just for the opportunity to touch someone who possessed such incredible grit and skill. Now let's get OUT of this horrible place! Gather up the boy and the bandit (who will rejoin you once the Nymph is dead) and head for the Moonlit Tunnel. WATCH OUT! There are hobbes waiting for you in the tunnel! Slow Time and dash for the door. Dash again through this room and into the main hallway. Now get ready to really RUN. If your Slow Time runs out, cast it again, cast it FAST, but whatever you do keep running for the exit. Once you make it outside you're home free.
Congratulations. No, I mean it. You're awesome. This was so hard. Respect, man. Respect. Every other boasting quest is a cakewalk from here on compared to what you've just been through.
