Rangifer in Beast of Reincarnation is the first major Nushi, powerful Malefect boss fights that, in this case, manifest as an enormous stag/plant hybrid. You'll actually fight Rangifer twice, once in a crater and a second time in its lair, where it's more powerful and has access to a second stage. While it might seem tough at first, there's actually some pretty consistent strategies and weaknesses for you to exploit here, as I'll explain in our guide on how to beat Rangifer in Beast of Reincarnation.
First Rangifer boss fight
The first time you fight Rangifer in Beast of Reincarnation as part of the Prowling Nushi quest, it'll be at level 9, so you'll want to be at least level 6 or 7 for a fighting chance. If it's still proving difficult, find some nearby enemies to fight for the experience and come back when you're ready. Otherwise, here's some essential tips to know:
- Access the camp in the middle. In the centre of the Rangifer's arena is a tall building with a campsite on it, you'll definitely want to unlock that, as well as the armor up there.
- Start the fight with an assassination from above. From the camp, use the Hair bridge to stand above the Rangifer, then jump down to perform an assassination. This can remove a huge chunk of its health straight away.
- Use ranged attacks early. With Rangifer being mostly melee focused, the bow and crossbow are basically free damage if you can put some distance between you and it. Exhaust the ammo of both if you get the chance.
- Rangifer is weak to fire. For that reason, you'll definitely want to use Koo's Higanbana: Seeds skill, a series of fiery projectiles that can build up the burn status effect, and one of the best skills in Beast of Reincarnation.
- Parry the antlers. Rangifer's most common attack is to swing its antlers at you. Despite the huge size, you can absolutely parry this attack, and it's worth doing, as it'll build up Koo's FP for more fire attacks. This attack also leaves the head lowered, which is your moment for easy melee attacks.
- Practice your mobility. Mobility isn't as important in this phase, but it will be in later phases, so it's worth practicing this now, including the ability to create your own grapple points. Much of Rangifer's attacks are based around hitting downwards, so elevation can heavily compromise its ability to hit you.
Pretty much all of these tips apply to your second fight with Rangifer as well, so make sure they're memorised! You'll also want to make sure that you upgrade weapons in Beast of Reincarnation, as this second fight is going to last a lot longer, and the gap between them will give you ample chance to earn the Amber necessary.
Second Rangifer boss fight
The second time you encounter Rangifer is in its sealed lair, having opened it up and leaving it nowhere to run. This is a two-stage boss fight, with Rangifer unlocking new abilities (and a new health bar) when you reduce it to zero health. Keep in mind that Rangifer is now level 12, and I really wouldn't recommend having this fight if you're not at least level 10 or higher, depending on your skill level.
- Rangifer remains weak to fire. Aside from Koo's attacks, you should now also be able to acquire Fire Arrows from Brad back at the Cleanse Walker. However, while still weak to fire, it's more resistant to the Burn status effect than last time.
- Look out for the stomp. If Rangifer rears up and stamps, now it does a small AOE impact with sharp roots rising. Make sure you clear space!
- If it glows red, look out! If Rangifer's body gains a red glow, it's about to do four antler sweeps, followed by a stomp. These are quick, do massive damage and are hard to parry, potentially able to KO Emma from full health. The best thing to do is either have Koo use a binding attack to interrupt it, use any grapple points you've made to escape, or just rapidly evade and dodge away.
- Rangifer can summon trees. If it backs away and yells before slamming its hea on the ground, it's about to create trees that erupt from the forest floor, marked by red circles.
- In phase 2, these trees last longer. In its phase 2, non-damaging trees also appear, which Emma can use as grapple points. You'll need these mobility boosts to avoid many of its attacks, so keep an eye on their location!
- If it summons a lot of trees and glows, attack it immediately! This happens roughly at the midpoint, wherein Rangifer draws energy from trees it summons to heal itself. Grapple to it and land a combo to end this effect.
For winning the encounter, you'll get the Bloom Art Sakura Javelin, which allows Koo to fire an electrified grapple point at an enemy, as well as the Sakura Blade Art/Finisher for Emma.
Reward yourself with a nice meal, and check out how to cook recipes in Beast of Reincarnation!
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