So, King Calvus, the current final boss of the game, and hardest enemy to take down. I too struggled with him for a long while, and I wish to impart the knowledge I have learned that has trivialized this fight.
This guide will be generalist. I won’t be going into too much detail on how to play around things for specific builds, but I am acutely aware that Calvus is more difficult for non-ranged players. If you are a weapons user try to have at least one ranged weapon (a bow or gun), if you are a fighting style player, have shot or Ax-Slash at the ready. Calvus’ attacks have a lot of AOE and it may be prudent to give yourself options where you are not trading damage.
I find knowledge to be the most powerful weapon in overcoming obstacles. Sometimes you can overcome adversity simply because you know better.
ATTACKS
So here’s a breakdown of Calvus’ attacks, if you know these, know what to look out for, he should become easier:
LIGHT BLAST: Calvus charges for 4-5 seconds (2-3 in phase 2) before firing a blast that deals 150 damage at you. If you can, hit him once, then try to dodge or block. He’s quite vulnerable during this attack.
SMITE: Calvus will raise his hand above his head for up to ten seconds. He is charging power for an attack- you will notice a magic circle above you wherever you go. You MUST hit him to cancel the charge. When you attack him, the attack will come after, so attack and immediatly try to move out of the way. The end lag of this attack is big, so he will be vulnerable for a second or two after it starts exploding.
SWORDS OF LIGHT: Calvus freezes, causing balls of light to form behind him that gradually turn into swords. No way of telling when they will pop, just keep on the move.
BEAM OF LIGHT: Calvus shoots a beam that does 75 damage. Keep on the move to avoid it.
LIGHT BOMB:: Calvus Detonates a Blast, dealing 100 damage three times in an area around him. In phase 2 this explosion is much faster, but to fast players, he is vulnerable for a short time whilst doing this attack. I would recommend not attacking with melee however, only follow up if you have range.
IMPALE: Calvus’ most devestating attack outside smite. He leaps at you, stabbing you with his Triasta for 300 damage, then exploding you off of it straight up. If you’re a fighting style build, you can trade some damage by immediately smashing down after being launched.
TRIASTA THROW: He Throws his weapon at you.
RAPID FIRE BLAST: Calvus shoots four-five blasts at you (10-15 in phase 2) each dealing around 30 damage. You’ll have to dodge around a lot to avoid these, blocking isn’t reccomended since the damage will pile on.
CRASH: Calvus leaps at a spot in the arena, crashing into the ground. When he hits the ground there is a small window to attack him. This one can be avoided by keeping on the move or simply jumping when you see him darting at you.
PHASE 2 ATTACKS
AETHER SMITE: In Phase 2 Calvus does the same thing, only now after the damage part, it explodes several more times in cyan light, sending you flying. If you can force him to use this early by damaging him, and avoid it, he sits in the same spot for a solid 3-5 seconds, easy pickings for damage.
AETHER TORNADO: Calvus spins and forms a tornado that blocks projectiles. Phase 2 only, and a rare attack you’ll only see a few times.
TIPS
Having trouble tracking Calvus? Back off and keep an eye on him. Mages have it easier since they’ll never be close to him in the first place, but Conjurers and Warlocks (And by extension Warlords, Berserkers, Warriors, etc) make the mistake of trying to fight him in close quarters at all times. You’ll need to mix up your approach. Don’t be afraid to take a step back- if you lose track of him and he has time to charge Smite, it’s game over.
Fish-based meals help a lot, especially those with recovery 3 or higher. If you find yourself getting hit a lot, look into making some meals to help boost your survivability.
Play Defensive, not offensive. Unless you get really confident you can solo him, don’t try to take risks to get in damage unless you need to. Focus on surviving until an opprotunity comes, don’t try to force an opening or you could find yourself hurting.
You can leave the arena out the double doors to recover health, but don’t stay too long or the boss will reset. Don’t sit too close to the doors either or he may just hit you through them.
I highly recommend learning to fight this boss solo. He already has a significant health pool so any additional player doubles the work you have to put in.
Sometimes, coming back with better gear can help. If you REALLY need survivability, I reccomend Titanium Armor, or Cernyx’s shirt and pants. If you find yourself just not doing enough damage, look into the Sorcerer setup.
For weapons users, you may find Guns are extremely helpful in this fight. Not only are they almost instant
THE PLAY
The idea is- you don’t want to try to constantly attack Calvus unless you are a mage. He moves a lot, so wait until he uses an attack, THEN follow up. If you are trying to play catchup with someone who is lightspeed dashing around the arena, you’re going to have a bad time. Take it slow.
When Calvus charges LIGHT BLAST, hit him once or twice, then get ready to dodge or block. When Calvus charges SMITE, hit him, then dodge the explosions and try to strike him whilst he is stuck in the animation. He has other attacks that leave him briefly vulnerable, but if you just wait for these windows whilst focusing all your effort on surviving in the mean time you may find yourself having an easier time.
SMITE and LIGHT BLAST are the times where Calvus is most vulnerable to your attack. He is stuck floating in one spot for a lot of time, as long as you can aim you can start hitting him.
Don’t try to hit him when he’s teleporting around the room, nine times out of ten you are just going to miss and make yourself vulnerable.
DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP
If he’s still too much for you, ask for help. The Arcane Odyssey community has been wonderfully positive so far, and there are plenty of people who are willing to take the 5-10 minutes it takes to help you beat the boss on your first run through.
