Slay the Spire 2 Guide | How to Beat Vantom Boss

Because the fight penalizes both slow damage and weak defense, Vantom is one of the most vicious bosses in Act 1. Slippery is the primary issue. Vantom has stacks at the beginning of the fight that limit the amount of damage your attacks can do until those stacks are eliminated. 

After that, Vantom can strike hard with a tail stab and then gain strength, making the remainder of the fight more dangerous, turning it into a race.

Before entering the Boss Room, get ready for Vantom

Many Vantom defeats occur before the battle even begins. If at all possible, your deck should already contain cards that can quickly strip Slippery, and you want a path with at least one Rest Site. Here, cheap attacks and multi-hit cards are far more important than a single, powerful swing. 

Strong single blows are weak early in this fight if Slippery is still up, but they can still be useful later. For this reason, upgrading helpful damage cards ahead of the boss is preferable to wandering into the room with a soft deck.

Before You Do Serious Damage, Break Slippery

The first objective is straightforward. Take out Slippery as quickly as you can. Cards that hit multiple times or allow you to play several inexpensive attacks are far superior to slow, heavy cards during the opening turns because each hit eliminates a stack. 

If your best burst card only lands for one, don't discard it too soon. Hold off on using those more powerful blows until Slippery is gone and actual damage begins to matter.

Observe the Tail Stab Turn

Vantom has a discernible pattern. The heavy stab lands after the tail rises and approaches. The turn you should respect the most is that big hit. This is where you use the block if you have one on your deck. This is typically the place to use a potion that preserves health. 

After that, the fight becomes more difficult as Vantom gains strength, so your best chance of finishing before the damage becomes unmanageable is to survive the stab cleanly.

Complete Quickly As soon as the opening image appears

Stop being so cautious when Slippery has left. Your best attacks will finally matter during that window. Use stored burst, push damage hard, and finish the fight before the subsequent cycle becomes too harsh. 

Vantom becomes far more manageable than it initially appears if the run successfully manages the first shield and remains healthy throughout the stab.

Also, check our Slay the Spire 2 Review and other guides below:

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