The Builder

Struggling with The Builder boss fight in Assassin's Creed Valhalla? This guide breaks down his phases, weak points, and strategies to help you win.

Alright, let’s talk about The Builder boss fight. Honestly, this one can be a bit of a tough nut to crack, so make sure you’ve got a good stock of arrows before you dive in. The key here is hitting his head, which is his weak spot. You won’t always have a ton of time to line up a shot, but there are a couple of tricks to make it easier.

First off, if you’ve picked up the Brush with Death skill (part of the Way of the Raven tree), it’s a lifesaver. When you dodge an attack perfectly, time slows down for a bit. Use this precious window to aim at his head and get a shot in before he can even react. Just gotta nail that dodge timing!

Another sweet spot for hitting his weak point is when one of those magical bolts he fires from his hammer actually hits you. Yeah, I know, sounds weird. Normally you’d want to dodge these, but they don’t do much damage. The upside is they’ll send you flying into the air. While you’re up there, you can use your bow in mid-air, which also slows down time. Perfect chance to aim for his noggin before you land!

Warning: Watch out for his stomps when you get too close. He’ll slam the ground, creating an area of effect damage marked by a circle. Dodge out of that ASAP!

No matter how you manage it, you’ll need to land 2-3 solid hits on his head. This will stagger him, making him vulnerable to a stun attack that’ll wreck his health bar. If you don’t have the Bow Stun Finisher skill (Way of the Wolf), you’ll need to get in close to perform the stun. Heads up, though: each time you hit his weak spot, it actually gets smaller, making subsequent shots a bit trickier.

Beyond the headshots, keep an eye on his other moves. He’s got this sweeping hammer charge that doesn’t really have a tell, so you’ll need to watch his animations closely. And like I said, watch out for those stomps when you’re near him.

He also throws those magical bolts, which, as we discussed, can actually be helpful. But he has a deadlier magical attack where he’ll raise his hammer high, and an aura will appear on the ground around you. You need to get out of that aura with a dodge or roll before he slams down. You’ve got a decent amount of time to react in this first phase, so don’t stress too much about it.

Second Phase

Okay, this is where things get a bit more intense. Once The Builder hits about half health, a cutscene will kick in, and he’ll power up for phase two. His attacks will get faster, and he’ll use his special moves way more often. The timing on dodging his attacks will be tighter, especially that ground aura attack – it won’t hang around as long before it explodes, so you need to bail out of it instantly.

He’ll start spamming these attacks, which can totally drain your stamina, leaving you exposed. Try to conserve your dodges and sprints early on so you’ve got enough juice to get out of the way when he unloads on you.

On top of all that, he’ll introduce a new move: a shield aura. If you get caught in it, you’ll be stuck fighting him up close. The good news is it takes a bit for this shield to actually form around you, so you can usually avoid it. But if you do get caught, it’s a good time to use your own abilities to interrupt his attacks and buy yourself some breathing room until the shield drops.

This part of the fight can get pretty hairy, and you’ll probably find yourself low on stamina a lot. Remember, successful dodges can give you some stamina back, and a few quick light attacks can help too if you can squeeze them in. Try to end this phase as quickly as possible to avoid getting caught out of stamina. Go all out with your strongest attacks while still prioritizing dodging his big moves.