You're standing in the rain outside the Estella Opera House, your pulse is thumping in your ears, and you’ve just watched a puppet the size of a house rip its own head off to use as a flail. Welcome to Krat. If you've spent any time with Neowiz’s breakout hit, you know that Lies of P bosses aren't just obstacles; they’re rhythmic puzzles wrapped in gears and body horror.
Honestly? Most people approach these fights all wrong. They try to play it like Dark Souls by rolling through everything, but the game is actually screaming at you to stand your ground. It’s a dance of "Perfect Guards" and "Fable Arts" that rewards aggression over cowardice. But let’s be real—some of these encounters feel like the developers just wanted to see you suffer.
The Difficulty Spike Nobody Warns You About
Everyone talks about the "wall." In Lies of P, that wall usually has a name: Fallen Archbishop Andreus. Up until the Cathedral, the game feels manageable. You’ve handled the Scrapped Watchman, maybe you cheesed the Puppet of the Future with a few throwables, and you're feeling cocky. Then you meet Andreus.
This fight is the ultimate "vibe check." It introduces the two-phase fatigue that defines the mid-to-late game. Just when you think you’ve mastered the awkward, delayed timing of his tongue swipes, he flips over and reveals a second, much faster body. It’s exhausting. The trick isn't just learning the moves; it’s managing your stamina so you don't get caught winded when he starts his holy beam attack. If you aren't using the Flamberge arm or some fire abrasive here, you’re basically making life harder for yourself for no reason. Fire melts carcasses. Period.
Why the King of Puppets Changes Everything
Romeo, the King of Puppets, is where the game stops being a Bloodborne tribute and starts being its own beast. It’s a spectacle. The first phase is a giant, theatrical suit of armor that moves with a heavy, swinging momentum. It's predictable. It's almost... easy?
Then the second phase hits.
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Romeo climbs out of the suit, and suddenly you’re playing a high-speed character action game. He’s fast. He’s lithe. And then comes the move that has ended more "no-death" runs than perhaps anything else in the genre: the fire grindstone combo. He coats his scythe in flames and initiates a 10-hit sequence that tracks you across the entire arena.
Here’s the thing most guides get wrong about Romeo: you shouldn't try to parry every hit of that fire combo unless you’re a god at the game. Dodge into his left hip. Most of the swings will sail right over your head. It’s about positioning, not just timing.
The Problem With Humanoid Bosses
There is a weird tension in the design of humanoid Lies of P bosses. Fights like the Black Rabbit Brotherhood or the Eldest are divisive. Some players love the chaos; others find the "gank squad" mechanics frustrating in a game built around precision parrying.
When you fight the Brotherhood for the first time, it’s a lesson in crowd control. If you focus solely on the big guy with the buster sword, the younger siblings will poke you to death from the shadows. The AI is actually programmed to be somewhat "polite"—usually only one sibling engages aggressively while the others hang back—but that goes out the window if you get too close to the spectators.
The Late Game: Nameless Puppet and the Parity of Skill
If you chose to "refuse" at the end of the game, you met the Nameless Puppet. This is arguably the "truest" fight in the game because you can’t summon a Specter. It’s just you and a puppet that moves exactly like you do, but better.
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The Nameless Puppet is a masterpiece of boss design because it tests everything you’ve learned.
- Can you Perfect Guard fast, multi-hit combos?
- Do you know when to use a Shotput to trigger a stagger?
- Can you manage your pulse cells when the boss starts dealing chip damage through your block?
It’s brutal. It’s fast. It’s also entirely fair. Unlike Laxasia the Complete—who uses lightning attacks that can feel a bit visually cluttered—the Nameless Puppet is all about the "clink" of steel on steel. If you die, it's usually because you blinked.
Dealing With the "Delay" Mechanic
One thing that drives players crazy about Lies of P bosses is the "delayed swing." You’ll see a boss raise its arm, hold it there for three agonizing seconds, and then snap it down in 0.1 seconds. It feels unnatural. That's because it is unnatural—they’re puppets. Their joints are mechanical.
To beat these timings, stop looking at the weapon. Look at the boss's "elbow" or the base of the limb. When that part of the model starts to move forward, that’s your cue to tap the guard button. If you wait until the weapon is mid-swing, you’re already too late.
Breaking the Stagger Bar
The "White Outline" on a boss's health bar is the most stressful mechanic in the game. You know you need to land a heavy attack to stun them, but that’s usually when the boss decides to go into a 20-hit frenzy.
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- Pro Tip: Carry Shotputs. Always.
- Why? Throwing a Shotput counts as a "heavy blunt attack."
- The Result: When that health bar glows white, you don't need to risk a slow, wind-up R2 attack. Just chuck a heavy ball at their face from a safe distance. They’ll drop immediately, opening them up for a Fatal Attack.
Essential Strategies for Consistency
Stop ignoring your P-Organ upgrades. If you’re struggling with bosses, you probably haven't prioritized "Increase Staggerable Window" or "Link Dodge." The ability to dodge twice in a row is literally game-changing for fights like the Green Monster of the Swamp, where the hitbox on his charge attack is notoriously janky.
Also, don't be a hero with your Legion Arm. The Aegis shield is great for learners, but the Falcon Eyes (the gun) can chip away those last few pixels of health when a boss is in their "desperation phase" and you're too scared to get close.
How to Handle Your Next Encounter
If you are stuck on a specific boss right now, the best thing you can do is a "suicide run." Go into the arena and don't even try to attack. Just stand there and try to Perfect Guard every single move. Don't heal. Just watch the animations. Once you strip away the fear of losing your Ergo, the rhythm of the fight becomes much clearer.
- Identify the Damage Type: Are they using Acid, Electric, or Fire? Swap your defensive parts accordingly. It actually makes a 20-30% difference in survivability.
- Check Your Weight: If you are over 60% weight, your stamina regeneration is tanking. Drop some gear or invest in Capacity. Capacity is the only stat in Lies of P that doesn't have a harsh diminishing return.
- Use the Right Grindstone: Use the Perfection Grindstone for bosses with long, annoying combos (like Laxasia's second phase). It grants automatic Perfect Guards for a short duration, allowing you to build up their stagger meter without pressing a single button.
Every boss in this game is a wall until it isn't. The moment the "clink" of a Perfect Guard starts to feel like a drumbeat rather than a lucky accident, you’ve already won. You just have to prove it to the game.
Next Steps for Your Playthrough:
Check your inventory for any "Hidden Moonstones" or "Dark Moon Moonstones" you might have missed in earlier areas. Upgrading your weapon even one level can often be the difference between a boss phase lasting two minutes or four. If you're struggling with the swamp boss, head back to the Malum District and stock up on fire abrasives from the merchant inside the Red Lobster Inn—it’s the most consistent way to boost your DPS against Carcass-type enemies without respeccing your entire build.