The Hanged Man is one of the hardest boss fights you’ll have access to from the start of the game. In order to reach him in the western zone, you’ll have to fight through a gauntlet of soldiers. You should prepare for this fight by unlocking chain dash and the bullet reflect sword ability– they’ll make dealing with him a lot easier. You should also unlock the shotgun by defeating the Toad boss in the eastern zone. We’re using the shotgun in this video.
The Hanged Man rotates through three main attack phases– one where he chases you with sword strikes, one where he summons gem spikes out of the ground, and one where he fires his hand-cannon pistol. During the sword phase, it’s easy to get one or two hits in between each of is strike phases. Treat it like a rhythm game– get a hit in and then dodge away when you hear his swings starting up. Use this technique to keep refilling your ammo so you can shoot him with the shotgun.
During his gun phase, stand still and reflect his bullets back at him. They don’t do an enormous amount of damage, but it’s a chance for free hits.
At some point during the fight, the Hanged Man will try to summon adds from the crystals in the corners of the arena. You can try to prevent this by leading him close to the crystals during his sword phase– he may hit them with his sword and destroy them completely. If he does summon support, hit them to recharge your bullets, but be careful– they clutter up the arena and make it a lot harder to safely dodge the main boss.
When the battle ends, you’ll get the boss’s hand cannon weapon for yourself. head up to activate the third pillar and complete the western zone.
– Laura Michet, experienced Hyper Light Drifter boss-killing machine
