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Secret Boss Strategies for Completionists
Cuphead

Secret Boss Strategies for Completionists

Unlock all secrets in Cuphead's Delicious Last Course! Master secret boss fights, Cursed Relics, S-ranks, and more with our comprehensive guide.

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Unlock all secrets in Cuphead's Delicious Last Course! Master secret boss fights, Cursed Relics, S-ranks, and more with our comprehensive guide.

Stats / Weaknesses:

  • Ms. Chalice: Essential for many achievements, especially those involving parries and unique abilities. Her dash parry is particularly useful against the King's Champions.
  • Broken Relic / Cursed Relic / Divine Relic: These charms are key to unlocking secret content and challenges. The Cursed Relic significantly increases difficulty by reducing HP to 1 and randomizing weapons, while the Divine Relic offers enhanced abilities.
  • DLC Weapons (Converge, Crackshot, Twist-Up): Useful for various achievements, including defeating bosses with new weapons and achieving high ranks.

Phases:

  1. Inkwell Isle IV Bosses: Defeat all five main bosses (The Moonshine Mob, Esther Winchester, Glumstone The Giant, Mortimer Freeze, The Howling Aces) for the 'A Vacation In The Wilds' achievement.
  2. A-Rank Requirements: Achieve an A-Rank or higher on all Inkwell Isle IV bosses. This requires defeating them in under two minutes on Regular difficulty, with at least 3HP remaining, three parries, and six special attacks.
  3. Ms. Chalice Victories: Defeat 10 main bosses with Ms. Chalice for the 'Decadent' achievement. Equip new DLC weapons and focus on bosses in Inkwell Isles I and II on Simple or Regular difficulty.
  4. Super Art / New Weapon Victories: Defeat a boss using Ms. Chalice's Super Art I ('The Golden Touch') or one of Porkrind's new weapons ('The Latest Sensation').
  5. King Of Games Champions: Defeat all five Champions (Pawns, Knight, Bishop, Rook, Queen) without using weapons or charms, relying solely on parries ('Checkmate'). Ms. Chalice's dash parry is highly recommended.
  6. The King's Gauntlet: After defeating the Champions, complete 'The Gauntlet' by defeating all five mini-bosses sequentially without failing ('A King's Admiration').
  7. Inkwell Isle IV Completion: Defeat all five main bosses in Inkwell Isle IV and collect the ingredients for the Wondertart to face Chef Saltbaker ('Compliments To The Chef'). Crackshot, Ms. Chalice, and perseverance are key.
  8. S-Rank on Inkwell Isle IV: Obtain an S-Rank on a stage in Inkwell Isle IV ('Cooked To Perfection'). This requires Expert difficulty (unlocked after beating the main game and The Devil) and the same criteria as A-Ranks. The Moonshine Mob is a suggested target.
  9. No Minion Kills: Defeat a boss on Inkwell Isle IV without killing any of its minions ('The High Hat'). Esther Winchester in 'High Noon Hoopla' is a good candidate, as only the mini-cow is killable.
  10. 9 HP Achievement: Achieve 9HP during a boss fight ('Hearty'). Equip the Twin Heart charm and use Djimmi The Great's wish for +3HP. Alternatively, combine the Heart Ring charm with Djimmi for 9HP after six parries. Ms. Chalice is also beneficial here.
  11. Secret Graveyard Puzzle: Obtain the Broken Relic charm and solve the riddle near the southeast of Isle IV to unlock the first secret ('A Horrible Night To Have A Curse'). Refer to the guide on solving the graveyard puzzle.
  12. Divine Relic: Completing the secret graveyard puzzle rewards the Cursed Relic. Beat seven or more bosses with it equipped to transform it into the Divine Relic ('Paladin'), which restores 3HP and adds various abilities.

Strategy:

  • Completionist Approach: Focus on obtaining all 14 new trophies and achievements, including secret ones.
  • Boss Order for Efficiency: For 'A Vacation In The Wilds', defeat Isle IV bosses in their overworld order: The Moonshine Mob, Esther Winchester, Glumstone The Giant, Mortimer Freeze, and The Howling Aces.
  • Achievement Specifics: Pay close attention to the requirements for each achievement, such as using specific characters, weapons, or parry counts.
  • Secret Unlockables: The Broken Relic, Cursed Relic, and Divine Relic are crucial for accessing secret content and challenges.
  • Difficulty Management: Utilize Ms. Chalice's abilities and new DLC weapons to manage the increased difficulty, especially for S-Ranks and secret bosses.
  • Parry Focus: Many achievements, particularly those related to the King's Champions and Gauntlet, heavily rely on parrying.
  • HP Management: The 'Hearty' achievement requires specific strategies involving charms and Djimmi's wishes to reach 9HP.
  • 100% completion of Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course.
  • All 14 new trophies and achievements unlocked.
  • Access to secret bosses and challenges via the Broken Relic and Cursed Relic.
  • Mastery of all boss fights and mechanics in the DLC.

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