You've probably been there. You're staring at the screen, your thumbs are sweating, and that giant, mechanical rabbit-themed monstrosity just wiped your entire backline in three seconds flat. It's frustrating. It's loud. It’s the Alice the Wanderer raid, and if you’ve played Goddess of Victory: Nikke for any length of time, you know exactly why this specific encounter turns veteran players into nervous wrecks.
Most bosses in Nikke follow a predictable rhythm. You hide behind cover, you pop your bursts, and you aim for the red circles. But Alice? She’s different. She’s fast. This isn't just another stat check where having a higher combat power number guarantees a win. Honestly, it’s a mechanical dance that requires precision timing and a very specific understanding of how "Pierce" mechanics interact with her hitboxes. If you mess up the timing on her shield phase, it’s basically game over.
What People Get Wrong About the Alice the Wanderer Raid
A lot of players jump into the Solo Raid or Union Raid versions of this fight thinking they can just "brute force" it with a high-investment Red Hood or Modernia. That’s a mistake. The Alice the Wanderer raid is specifically designed to punish players who ignore elemental advantages and cover management.
Because Alice is an Iron-code boss, she is technically weak to Electric-code units. If you aren't bringing characters like Naga, Tia, or even the classic Scarlet, you're leaving a massive chunk of damage on the table. But the real kicker isn't just the damage type—it’s the way she moves. She darts across the screen, making it incredibly difficult for Snipers and RL (Rocket Launcher) users to maintain a consistent "Core Hit" bonus.
The Shield Problem
Here is the thing: Alice generates a layer of protection that most players struggle to break. It isn’t just a health bar. It's a mechanic that scales based on the raid's difficulty level (Challenge Mode vs. Standard). If you don't have enough hits per second, or if you aren't timing your Burst III specifically to coincide with her stationary windows, you'll spend half the fight hitting a "Grey Damage" wall.
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It's annoying. It feels unfair sometimes. But that's the nature of the beast.
The Team Compositions That Actually Work
You can’t just throw random SSRs at this and hope for a 1% ranking. You need synergy. Specifically, you need a team that can sustain through her "carrot" projectiles while maintaining a high fire rate.
- The Crown/Naga Core: Since the release of Crown, the meta for the Alice the Wanderer raid has shifted heavily. Crown provides the necessary reload speed and attack buffs, while Naga (even without Tia in some niche variations) helps with core damage.
- The Scarlet: Black Shadow Factor: She is arguably the MVP here. Her distributed damage helps clear out the smaller adds that Alice occasionally spawns, which can otherwise soak up your auto-aim.
- Alice (The Unit) vs. Alice (The Boss): There is a poetic irony in using your own invested Alice to kill the raid boss version. Because of her high Pierce rate, your Alice can often hit the "Core" through the boss's secondary parts, effectively doubling your damage output if your aim is steady.
I've seen people try to use Liter and Centi for the shield spam, but honestly, it’s often better to go full offensive. In the higher stages of the Solo Raid, the "one-shot" mechanics become so prevalent that you’re better off trying to out-damage the clock than trying to out-tank the lasers.
Deep Mechanics: The "Phase 2" Transition
When she hits about 50% health, the music shifts. The tempo picks up. This is where most runs die. She starts a sequence of rapid-fire jumps. If you’re playing on a phone, God help you. The screen shake alone makes tracking the red circles a nightmare.
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The trick here is to manual your Sniper Rifles.
If you leave your AI to handle the targeting during the Alice the Wanderer raid, they will almost always aim for the center of mass. You don't want the center of mass. You want the Core. By manually controlling a unit like Red Hood, you can "pre-aim" where she is going to land. It takes practice. You’ll probably fail a dozen times before the muscle memory kicks in.
Why the Hitboxes Feel Weird
There’s been a lot of discussion in the community—on the Discord and the Subreddit—about whether Alice’s hitboxes are bugged. They aren't. They’re just small. Unlike bosses like Mother Whale or Land Eater, Alice has a very "thin" profile. If your projectile has a small radius, a fraction of a millimeter off-center means a total miss. This is why "Accuracy" buffs from units like Marciana or certain Overload (OL) gear lines are actually more valuable here than in other raids.
Survival is a Lie
You aren't meant to survive forever. The Alice the Wanderer raid is a race. The projectiles she fires have a "debuff" stack. Every time a Nikke gets hit, their defense drops. Eventually, even a grain of sand would kill your units.
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The strategy used by the top 1% of players involves "Cover I-Framing." This is the high-level tactic of ducking into cover at the exact frame a projectile hits. It doesn't damage the Nikke, and it barely scratches the cover. If you can master this, you can stay in the fight for the full three minutes. If you can't? You'll be lucky to make it to the two-minute mark.
Gear Requirements and Overload Priority
Don't even bother with Challenge Mode unless your main attackers have at least two pieces of Overload gear. You specifically want:
- Increased Max Ammo: Essential for keeping your fire rate up during the shield phases.
- Elemental Damage: Since she’s Iron-type, having Electric damage lines on your Scarlet or your SBS (Scarlet: Black Shadow) is a massive multiplier.
- Attack Up: Obviously.
I’ve spent hours rerolling stones just to get the right stats for this raid. It’s a grind. It’s painful. But seeing that "Rank 1" or "Platinum" border makes it feel worth it, I guess.
Final Strategic Takeaways
The Alice the Wanderer raid isn't just about who has the most expensive units. It’s a test of how well you know the game's underlying systems. You have to balance the urge to "Full Burst" immediately with the need to save your burst for her "Wipe Mechanic" circles.
If you’re struggling, stop looking at the total damage numbers and start looking at your "Core Hit" percentage. That is almost always the deciding factor.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Attempt
- Switch to PC: If you’re playing on mobile, you’re at a disadvantage. The mouse precision makes tracking Alice’s jumps significantly easier.
- Level your Electric units: If your Naga or Scarlet are sitting at Skill Level 4, you aren't going to clear the higher tiers. Get them to 7 or 10.
- Watch the "Carrots": Those projectiles aren't just damage; they are the end of your run. Prioritize shooting them down over hitting the boss if your cover is low.
- Manual Burst: Never, ever use Auto-Burst in this raid. You need to time your 10-second windows for when she is stationary.
Alice is a wanderer, sure. But she’ll stay in one place long enough for you to take her down if you stop rushing and start timing. Good luck. You’re going to need it when the lasers start flying.