You’ve finally done it. You reached the end of the Abyss. Geppetto, that creepy old man who’s been calling you "son" for thirty hours, asks for your heart. If you’re like most players who actually want the best ending—or if you just have a shred of self-respect—you say no. And that’s when it happens. The coffin opens. A headless, wire-bound nightmare lunges out. The Nameless Puppet Lies of P encounter is basically a rite of passage at this point. It’s the final wall. It’s the boss that makes even the toughest Sekiro veterans question their life choices.
Honestly, it's personal.
Most games give you a final boss that feels like a victory lap. Not Neowiz. They decided to hide the hardest fight in the game behind a specific choice, making it an optional "true" final boss that feels anything but optional. It’s a masterclass in aggressive AI design. It’s also a total nightmare if you haven’t mastered the parry system.
The Secret History of the Nameless Puppet
What is this thing? Seriously. If you dig into the lore notes scattered around Arche Abbey and listen to the cryptic ramblings of Simon Manus, the picture starts to get a bit clearer, but it’s still pretty grim. The Nameless Puppet is Geppetto’s first attempt at a "human" puppet. Before you were around, Geppetto was tinkering with the idea of a vessel that could hold his dead son Carlo’s Ergo.
But it failed.
The Nameless Puppet was too volatile. It was a destructive, mindless thing that couldn't be controlled by the Grand Covenant. So, Geppetto stuffed it in a suitcase and left it to rot while he worked on you—the "refined" version. When you see it crawl out of that box, you aren’t just fighting a boss. You’re fighting your own prototype. You’re fighting a discarded, bitter version of yourself. That’s why its moveset looks so familiar yet so distorted.
It’s basically the dark mirror of the P-Organ system. While you’ve been spending Quartz to become a hero, this thing has been fermenting in a box, powered by raw, unstable Ergo.
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Why the First Phase is a Fake-Out
Phase one is almost polite. It moves like a dancer. The Nameless Puppet uses a sword that can split into two, mimicking the agility you’ve spent the whole game perfecting. It’s fast, sure. But it’s predictable. You can find a rhythm here. Most people find that after five or ten tries, they can get through this phase without using more than one or two Pulse Cells.
Then the cutscene hits.
The Puppet starts glowing with red Ergo. It stops being a "puppet" and starts being a force of nature. This is where most players hit a brick wall. The speed increases by what feels like 200%. It gains gap-closers that cover the entire arena in a blink. If you’re relying on dodging, you’re probably going to have a bad time. Neowiz designed this fight to be the ultimate test of the Perfect Guard. If you can’t time your blocks, the Nameless Puppet will shred your HP in seconds.
The Gear That Actually Works (And Why Your Build Might Be Failing)
Let’s talk strategy. If you’re stuck, you’ve probably tried a dozen different weapon combinations. Most people lean toward the Holy Sword of the Ark or maybe the Puppet Ripper. Those are fine. But against the Nameless Puppet, speed is everything.
You need something that doesn’t leave you open for three seconds after a swing. The Two Dragons Sword is the gold standard here, mostly because its heavy attack has a built-in parry. It’s high risk, high reward. If you can time that R2/RT charge, you can stagger the Puppet out of its most dangerous combos.
- Electric Blitz is your best friend. Since it’s a puppet, it’s weak to electricity. Using the Electric Coil Stick head on a fast handle or just slathering your main weapon in Electric Blitz Abrasives makes a massive difference.
- The Aegis Legion Arm is basically cheating. If you’re struggling with the timing, holding up the Aegis shield while poking with a spear or a fast sword can trivialise some of the more aggressive flurries.
- P-Organ Upgrades. You absolutely need the "Retain Guard Regain" and "Increase Pulse Cells" upgrades. Without them, the chip damage from mistimed parries will kill you before you even see the second phase’s halfway point.
Kinda weirdly, the boss is actually more susceptible to staggering than you’d think. If you use the Shotput throwable when its health bar is white, you can trigger a fatal attack from a distance. It’s a life-saver. Honestly, the Shotput is the unsung hero of Lies of P.
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The Difficulty Controversy
Is it too hard? That was the big debate when the game launched. Some critics said the Nameless Puppet felt "unfair" because of its lack of telegraphing in the second phase. I don’t buy it. The game has been out long enough now that we can see the patterns. It’s not unfair; it’s just demanding. It requires you to play Lies of P the way the developers intended—as a hybrid of Bloodborne’s aggression and Sekiro’s precision.
You can't just tank it. You can't just roll away. You have to stand your ground.
Understanding the "Rise of P" Ending Requirements
You can’t even see the Nameless Puppet unless you’ve played your cards right. To get the "True" ending and face this boss, you need to have enough Humanity. You get this by lying, listening to records, and making "human" choices throughout the game.
Basically, your hair needs to turn grey.
If your hair is still black or just slightly tinged, you might not have enough humanity to trigger the final choice correctly. When Geppetto asks for your heart, you must "Refuse." If you haven't been "human" enough, P might hesitate, or the game might nudge you toward a different path. It's a subtle system. It doesn't give you a "Humanity Meter" in the UI, which is honestly a great design choice. You have to feel it out based on the messages like "Your springs are reacting" or "You feel warmth."
Breaking Down the Second Phase Attacks
There is one move that kills almost everyone: the dashing eye-flash attack. The Nameless Puppet retreats to the far end of the arena, its eye glows red, and then it lunges at a speed that seems impossible to react to.
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Here’s the trick: don't look at the body. Look at the weapon.
There’s a specific "ping" sound and a visual flash right before it moves. If you parry the moment you see that flash, you’ll catch it every time. It’s a nerve-wracking move, but once you nail the timing, it becomes your best opportunity to deal posture damage.
Another tip? Stay close. It sounds counterintuitive when a flaming puppet is trying to decapitate you, but the Nameless Puppet’s long-range thrusts are much harder to deal with than its close-range slashes. If you stay in its face, you can circle-strafe some of its vertical slams and get some free hits in.
What This Fight Says About Geppetto
Geppetto is the real villain. Let’s just be real. The Nameless Puppet is a physical manifestation of his obsession. He’s so desperate to bring his son back that he’s willing to use a literal "heart of gold" (yours) to power a discarded corpse.
When you defeat the Nameless Puppet, you aren't just winning a boss fight. You are rejecting the idea that you are a tool. It’s a narrative payoff that works because the fight is so hard. If the boss were easy, the struggle for P’s soul wouldn't feel earned.
Actionable Steps for Beating Nameless Puppet Today
If you are currently staring at a "You Died" screen for the fiftieth time, do these three things immediately:
- Respec at the Gold Coin Fruit Tree. If your build is spread too thin, go all-in on Technique or Motivity. Don't forget Vitality. You should have at least 30-35 Vitality for this fight. Anything less and you’re getting one-shot by the fury attacks.
- Load up on Throwables. Go to the Malum District Merchant. Buy as many Shotputs, Electric Blitz Canisters, and Cluster Grenades as you can carry. When the boss is at 20% health in phase two, stop trying to be a hero with your sword and start throwing everything in your pockets. It works.
- Use the Perfection Grindstone. This is a game-changer. It gives you automatic Perfect Guards for a short duration. Save it for the start of phase two. It allows you to weather the initial storm of attacks and build up some stagger damage without losing half your health in the first ten seconds.
The Nameless Puppet isn't a gear check. It's a mental check. Take a break. Drink some water. Come back and stop trying to dodge. Stand your ground, watch the weapon flashes, and remember that you've already beaten every other horror Krat had to throw at you. You’ve got this.