Dealing with Specific Boss Mechanics

Master every boss mechanic in Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course DLC. This guide covers strategies for Inkwell Isle IV bosses, secret fights, and achieving S-Ranks.

Stats / Weaknesses:

• Ms. Chalice: Her dash parry is invaluable for parry-based challenges and navigating difficult boss phases.
• DLC Weapons (Converge, Crackshot, Twist-Up): Useful for various achievements and general combat.
• Astral Cookie Charm: Required to play as Ms. Chalice.
• Broken Relic Charm: Necessary for solving the graveyard puzzle and unlocking secret content.
• Cursed Relic Charm: Reduces HP to 1 and randomly assigns weapons; can be upgraded to the Divine Relic.
• Twin Heart Charm: Increases HP, useful for the 'Hearty' achievement.
• Heart Ring Charm: Another charm that can increase HP.

Phases:

1. Inkwell Isle IV Bosses: The Moonshine Mob, Esther Winchester, Glumstone The Giant, Mortimer Freeze, and The Howling Aces must be defeated for 'A Vacation In The Wilds'.
2. King Of Games' Champions: A series of mini-bosses (Pawns, Knight, Bishop, Rook, Queen) that must be defeated using only parries.
3. The Gauntlet: A sequence of all five King Of Games' Champions fought consecutively without failure.
4. Chef Saltbaker: The secret antagonist, fought after completing the quest on Inkwell Isle IV.
5. Graveyard Puzzle: Requires the Broken Relic charm to solve a riddle on Isle IV, leading to secret content.

Strategy:

• 'A Vacation In The Wilds': Defeat all five main bosses on Inkwell Isle IV in order.
• 'Ranger': Achieve an A-Rank or higher on all Isle IV bosses (including secret bosses). This requires finishing under 2 minutes, having 3+ HP, 3 parries, and 6 special attacks. Djimmi The Great's wishes for more HP void progress.
• 'Alive And Kicking': Defeat any boss as Ms. Chalice (equip Astral Cookie).
• 'Decadent': Defeat 10 main bosses as Ms. Chalice. Focus on Isle I and II bosses on Simple or Regular difficulty.
• 'The Golden Touch': Defeat a boss using one of Ms. Chalice's Super Arts (Super Art I is recommended).
• 'The Latest Sensation': Defeat a boss with one of the new DLC weapons (Converge, Crackshot, Twist-Up).
• 'Checkmate': Defeat all King Of Games' Champions without using weapons or charms, relying solely on parries. Ms. Chalice's dash parry is highly beneficial.
• 'A King's Admiration': Complete 'The Gauntlet' by defeating all Champions sequentially without failing.
• 'Compliments To The Chef': Complete the quest on Inkwell Isle IV by defeating all five main bosses and collecting ingredients for the Wondertart, leading to the Chef Saltbaker fight. Crackshot, Ms. Chalice, and perseverance are recommended.
• 'Cooked To Perfection': Achieve an S-Rank on an Inkwell Isle IV stage. Requires Expert difficulty (unlocked after beating the main game and The Devil). S-Rank criteria are the same as A-Rank. The Moonshine Mob is suggested.
• 'The High Hat': Defeat an Inkwell Isle IV boss without killing any minions. Esther Winchester's 'High Noon Hoopla' is a good candidate due to its single killable minion.
• 'Hearty': Reach 9 HP simultaneously. Combine the Twin Heart charm with Djimmi The Great's wish for +3 HP. Alternatively, try this strategy outside King Dice's Casino or combine the Heart Ring charm with Djimmi. Ms. Chalice is helpful.
• 'A Horrible Night To Have A Curse': Solve the secret graveyard puzzle on Isle IV using the Broken Relic charm.
• 'Paladin': Complete 'A Horrible Night To Have A Curse' to unlock the Cursed Relic. Beat 7+ bosses on Regular/Expert to upgrade it to the Divine Relic, which offers more HP and abilities.