Shieldbearer is one of three familiars in the current early access state Witch fire. He is the first boss you can defeat in your overall quest to stop the Witch from unraveling her evil plans. He is also the guardian of progress, meaning that defeating him is the only way to unlock new content and advance the storyline. That's how rogue-lite games work.
The shield bearer should be the easiest of the three boss fights, at least for players who have grown accustomed to the game's combat and movement mechanics. However, he can be confusing for new (or unprepared) players rushing through the maps because the game never explains one of his boss phases where you're constantly taking damage for no reason.
The following is a complete walkthrough of the Shieldbearer boss battle in Witch fireincluding a great strategy to cheese it for easy farming. By the time you finish reading, you will realize that he is not as threatening as you first thought.
Relatives
Witchfire: How to beat the Warden
The Overseer is a mini-boss similar to the grim reaper in Witchfire who wields an all-seeing lamp instead of a scythe. Here's how to beat him.
How to find a shield bearer
Shield bearer can be found on the northern edge of the Scarlet Bank in the village of Witch fire. The card can be unlocked by picking it up Chart of the Scarlet Coast after entering the Weeping Tower on the Isle of the Damned. The Shieldbearer is independent of gnosis level requirements, so you can counter him at his default level, gnosis 0.
Once you reach the location marked on the map above, you will find a glowing green chasm. Spend 2500 Flying Witchfire Crystals to unlock the barrier and take a leap of faith into the Misty Void. The Shield is located in a massive underground canyon in the Witch fire. You will fall through the air for about 6 seconds. Remember to double jump before you hit the ground, or you'll lose a good chunk of your health before the boss fight even starts.
Jump into the glowing chasm from the northernmost crack. This will allow you to land right on top of the Shieldbearer to cast the most powerful spell out of the air.
How to beat Shieldbearer in Witchfire
Although Shieldbearer is the Scarlet Shore's main familiar, it's actually quite easy to defeat Witch fire. He appears an improved version of Swordsman with the same moveset, but gains a couple of new abilities when he loses health.
The Shieldbearer has three soul sigils (weak points) that are only revealed when you
dash in the second stamina bar
. Shooting all three orbs will stun him and give you a temporary damage boost. So, before facing him, increase your stamina to at least 15. This also gives you more stamina points to avoid his other attacks.
1 stage
The Shieldbearer flies to the far corner of the arena before charging at you with a powerful attack. The speed at which he comes at you is much faster than a normal or elite swordsman, so be ready to dodge in time. You can jump into the air or dash to the side to avoid his thrust. Will be a shield bearer stuck in attack animation for about 2 seconds. Use this window to deal as much damage to him as possible.
Always fight the Shieldbearer at medium range. His melee swings have almost double the range. His attack speed is also higher than normal.
Phase 2
Shieldbearer begins summon Revenants after reaching 75 percent health. They are mostly small enemies, slow and easy to throw due to the large size of the arena. You don't need to waste your time on them. The challenge will always appear behind the Shieldbearer, so if you keep your distance, they have to cross half the arena to get to your location. Instead, focus on peppering the Shieldbearer.
3 stage
The final phase of the boss fight is where things can get a little tricky. Shield bearer summons a shield after reaching 50 percent health to gain two new abilities. First, the shield blocks all incoming bullets. You'll either have to rely on an area-of-effect attack like explosions, or aim for the head and other exposed body parts.
Second, and most importantly, the Shieldbearer uses the shield to create a large dome of green in the arena. Stay inside the dome at all times! You continuously take decay (poison) damage per tick while remaining outside of the acidic sphere.
This is the hardest part of the Shieldbearer boss battle Witch fire. You don't have much room to run it inside the dome. You also have to deal with the Revenants he keeps summoning. The only thing you can do is kill the Revenants to make room inside the poison bubble while keeping an eye on the Shieldbearer to dodge his jump attack.
The shield bearer can chain attack if you don't back away after being hit. Refrain from leaning your back against the wall. There is always plenty of room on all sides to escape if needed.
The best weapon to use against a Shieldbearer in Witchfire
You can use the Echo shotgun (upgraded to M2) to shield shield cheese Art Witch fire. Its pellets explode on impact, setting the boss on fire and increasing damage dealt. Wait for him to perform a jump attack and freeze it with the Frost Cone once it lands. This will give you a couple of extra seconds to fire a few extra rounds into his face. When he retreats, reload your echo and repeat the same strategy when he does a jump attack.
You can also switch to the demonic Vulture Crossbow, which deals massive burst damage. It takes about 10 shots to reduce his health from 50 percent to zero over 15 seconds. Since demon ammo is limited, you can clear out all the enemy camps and loot all the ammo crates before starting the boss fight.
The gameplay footage below shows how the Echo + Vulture combo makes quick work of the Shieldbearer. He's not as dangerous a boss as most players think when leveling up Witch fire. You can cheese it before starting the second phase of the boss battle.
Another weapon combination that has proven effective against the Shieldbearer is the Hangfire and Midas (upgraded to M2) in Witch fire. Hangfire deals burst damage on every cooldown that bypasses the shield. Midas, on the other hand, can easily clear Revenants and deal massive critical damage to a Shieldbearer thanks to their large clip size.
Awards
A shield bearer always drops random items from the loot pile. You have a good chance to get amazing coins and gems to sell them for gold in Hermitory. You can also count on getting second Mysterium spells and large Witchfire clusters to further enhance your Preyer.
Be careful not to click on the portal during the robbery. Since the items are right under the portal, you can accidentally return to the Hermitage without claiming your rewards.
