Summary
- Khazan features brutal boss enemies with unique gimmicks, making each encounter challenging and rewarding.
- Bosses like Bellerian, Elamein, and Reese test skills with various attacks and phases.
- Players can face difficult bosses like Ozma, Maluca, and Trokka, who require strategy and quick reactions.
In typical Soulslike fashion, The First Berserker: Khazan features a ton of brutal boss enemies that players will encounter during their adventure, and while some can be taken down with a few well-timed parries and attacks, not all of them will fall quite as easily. Considering how tight and responsive the core combat feels in this game, each and every one of these encounters an absolute blast to partake in, though overcoming a boss to earn some sweet Gold and Lacrima is far from a walk in the park.
8 Beginner Tips & Tricks For The First Berserker: Khazan
The hardcore action game The First Berserker: Khazan can be daunting for newcomers, but these tips should help them get started on the right foot.
Khazan may be fast on his feet, but many of the bosses featured in the game are a lot more mobile than some might be used to in other Soulslike games, and it goes without saying, but they can also be immensely durable. If they also have a unique gimmick up their sleeve, these fights can be even more difficult, but finally beating them can be incredibly rewarding. With that being said, it's time to take a closer look at the hardest bosses in The First Berserker: Khazan to see what exactly makes them so tough.
8 Bellerian
Bellerian Has Plenty Of Tricks That Can Catch Khazan Off Guard
- Mission: Hermit Mountains
What makes Bellerian such a difficult opponent to beat is the sheer number of powers she can use during a fight. One moment, she will be raising a barrier over herself to protect from incoming damage, while the next, she'll be summoning a swarm of hovering skulls to hunt down Khazan before they deal damage. As a result, it can be easy to get distracted while trying to break through Bellerian's defenses, and with combos being so hard to land because of her agility, Bellerian proves to be a very harsh and demanding boss to take on.
Thankfully, like most mages in the game, Bellerian does possess low poise, which gives Khazan a chance to interrupt her spell-casting if he can get close enough. Being able to know when to unleash a Brutal Attack at the right moment is crucially important for being able to chip off some of Bellerian's gigantic health bar during this hectic fight.
7 Corrupted Elamein
With A Durable Shield And One Heck Of A Charge Attack, Elamein's Corrupted Form Is Tricky To Take On
- Mission: Devoured Village
Despite acting as an ally to Khazan in the early portions of the game, players will eventually be forced to clash swords with Elamein after she suddenly becomes corrupted by the Chaos. Anyone hoping to button mash their way through this fight will quickly find themselves being shut down, as Elamein loves nothing more than keeping her shield up to protect from powerful slashes and strikes.
The best way to try and set up a combo is to catch her off-guard while she's performing an attack, which can be made a lot easier if a Spirit has been called into the fight. However, achieving this is easier said than done, considering Elamein also possesses a lightning-fast extended stab attack and pretty lethal AOE attacks. Bringing along items that can resist being electrocuted is a must, and being able to use the Brink Dodge at just the right time can make dishing out damage a little more manageable.
6 Princess Ilyna
Trying To Fight Ilyna From Range Is Never Going To End Well
- Mission: Strange Melody
Princess Ilyna is a nightmare to deal with at mid to long range. Because Ilyna has a plethora of spells (some of which are extremely fast, while others have homing properties), she can make quick work of the player's health bar if they don't try and close the gap as quickly as possible. It also doesn't help that most of her attacks can rack up Chaos, limiting Khazan's maximum health for a short period of time in the process.
Best Early Weapons In The First Berserker: Khazan, Ranked
Early on in the game, these are the best weapons to use in The First Berserker: Khazan.
While she's more of a ranged fighter, Ilyna still boasts a pretty nasty lunge attack that allows her to rush to the other side of the screen in the blink of an eye if she spots Khazan trying to make a run for it. Her quick blade jab attacks also aren't easy to parry considering how fast she is able to throw them out in succession. Players will need to keep an eye on her attack strings and be prepared to seize any opportunities that arise when taking on the infamous Princess Ilyna.
5 Reese
Avoiding A Barrage Of Spells While Also Finding Opportunities To Throw Out Attacks Is No Easy Task
- Mission: Bloodied Sanctuary
The beginning of Reese's fight may seem fairly simple, but once she loses a chunk of health, Khazan's childhood friend will go into overdrive, throwing all kinds of deadly spells his way. Not only can Reese set up multiple spells at once; she can also use her wings to throw out quick and sudden pokes and swipes, which can become a real nuisance because of how random they are.
The reason this fight ranks so highly, though, is because of the second phase. After becoming completely corrupted by Chaos, Reese will take on a beastial form that grants her new hard-hitting attacks. Reese's swings can also be charged up when she's in this form, so being able to correctly time a parry at the right moment can involve as much luck as it does skill when trying to react to these strikes. Considering she's also able to break out of a combo at a moment's notice and inflict Chaos while doing so, getting into the habit of hit-and-run tactics is the best way to go when encountering Reese.
4 Hismar
A Colossal Dragon Who Possesses Plenty Of Unpredictable Attacks
- Mission: Fall Of The Empire
Players will encounter some pretty large monsters throughout a typical playthrough of Khazan, but none are quite as big as the legendary dragon known as Hismar. Despite its size, the beast is surprisingly fast, capable of letting out a flurry of strikes in no more than a few seconds. Players also won't be able to use the classic trick of staying underneath the monster to stop it from attacking either, as Hismar will even use its knees to crush anyone who tries to outmaneuver him. The actual size of Hismar also makes it difficult to focus on him, since many of his attacks can be charged up off-screen, making it hard to predict what's about to come next.
Trying to out-survive Hismar is a recipe for disaster, so in order to deal enough damage to avoid getting worn down, it's advised to take aim at his head first. Once Hismar takes to the skies, he can be incredibly difficult to counter, especially when he starts inflicting Chaos, which is why it's worth learning his regular ground attack pattern first. This can make parrying the beast just a little easier.
3 Maluca
The Grizzled Dual-Bladed Warrior Is No Joke On The Battlefield
- Mission: Veiled Knives
Admittedly, Maluca has been nerfed since the game released due to being far too strong, but even after the update, this maniacal swordsman still stands as one of the trickiest bosses in the game. The first phase of his fight may be fairly manageable when keeping pressure on him and avoiding his blade strikes, but the reason so many people have struggled to take him down for good is the second phase.
In his second form, Maluca becomes a heck of a lot faster and will even perform flips and leaps at the end of his attacks to avoid being countered. Additionally, some of Maluca's attacks will be so devastating that they can affect the environment itself, with one even whipping up a sandstorm to block visibility. This isn't even mentioning his combo strings, which are so long that being able to parry every attack can feel pretty impossible at times. Rings and Chaos and Resistant Necklaces can help out a lot with this fight, but ultimately, it's the player's combat skills that will be tested the most in this grueling encounter.
2 Trokka
Trokka Has No Shortage Of Deadly Tricks Hidden Up Her Sleeve
- Mission: Witch's Castle
The main reason Trokka is so downright difficult to beat is because of her variety of attacks. There's simply no telling what this mysterious magician is going to pull out after each spell. Whether it be tossing out a group of dangerous jellyish, firing off a barrage of projectiles, or even throwing down a path of ice, being able to react to Trokka's attack pattern is difficult when she's constantly changing up her fighting style.
This is only the tip of the iceberg, though, as the fight will only become more chaotic as it goes on. For example, one of Trokka's most powerful moves sees her flying around the map while shooting a constant stream of projectiles at the player for them to dodge while also placing down numerous jellyfish mines around the arena, giving Khazan barely any room for maneuver. Thankfully, Trokka can be stunned out of a few of her basic moves, but if players don't have their weapons upgraded to a high enough level, they'll be in for a pretty bad time.
1 Ozma
Players Should Be Prepared To Pick Up More Than A Few Debuffs When Fighting The Mighty Ozma
- Mission: Master Of Chaos
While Ozma may seem fairly slow at first, it won't take long until he starts throwing out explosive AOE attacks, which will almost always leave behind a nasty side effect, whether it be Chaos, Flame, or Frost. As a result of this, getting in close can be a risky venture, especially because Ozma's large and deadly slash attacks are also difficult to avoid by simply side-stepping or rolling.
Though Ozma tends to use his blade for throwing out attacks, he will also rely on his giant wings to help him out against ranged opponents, just in case he wasn't already difficult enough to overcome. Moving as far away as possible when Ozma begins to generate his purple energy is important, considering that this is one of the deadliest moves in his toolkit, alongside keeping a few potions handy for dealing with his debuffs. With that being said, Ozma's final form is absurdly powerful and deceivingly fast thanks to his tentacle-like wings, with only the most skilled of players being able to take him down once and for all.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 83%
- Released
- March 27, 2025
- Developer(s)
- Neople
- Publisher(s)
- Nexon
