Throne Room

Conquer the Throne Room and defeat the Hand of the King in Dead Cells! Learn his attack patterns, phases, and strategies to emerge victorious in this ultimate boss guide.

Alright, you've made it to the end! The Throne Room is where the final boss, the Hand of the King, awaits. Honestly, compared to him, the other bosses you've faced are a cakewalk. This guy is the real deal, hitting hard with relentless attacks, especially as the fight drags on. The good news? Most of his moves are pretty predictable once you know what to look for.

If you're really struggling, remember that 8-7-13 build we talked about? It can seriously cut down the damage you take and make this fight way more manageable. By now, you should also have some killer special weapons, skills, and a solid amulet. The right gear can make a huge difference, so hopefully, you got some lucky drops! Don't get discouraged if you don't win on your first try; practice and the right setup will get you there.

Attacks

Melee Attack: If you get too close, he'll swing his sword. It's got decent range and packs a punch, so be ready to dodge roll through him when you see it coming. In the first phase, it's usually a single swing, but in the second, it turns into a nasty three-hit combo. You can roll through it and get a hit or two in on his back while he's finishing the combo, as he's a bit slow. Watch out for the final hit in the combo, though – he can turn around quickly, and it has surprising range. Be ready to dodge roll again and get behind him.

Bomb Toss: He'll lob a bunch of bombs your way that explode after a few seconds. The fuse is pretty long, so you can usually just walk out of the blast zone. You can even sneak in a few hits while he's tossing them, as there's a small delay before they go off. If you're out of range, you can also use skills or ranged attacks since he's vulnerable during the tossing animation.

Charge: You'll see a quick flash of yellow energy, and then he'll charge straight at you. The charge itself isn't too damaging, but he can easily push you into the spike pits on either side of the arena, which *really* hurt. He telegraphs this one pretty well, so just dodge roll through him when he starts charging. In phase three, he'll actually do this twice in a row, so be ready for the second charge.

Summon Allies: This happens at the start of phase II and again at the start of phase III. He'll become invincible for a bit and summon five minions to help him out. The exact mix can vary, but expect things like zombies, grenadiers, inquisitors, worms, scorpions, cleavers, lacerators, and slashers. He'll stay invulnerable until you defeat all five. The first time he summons, one of them will be an elite; the second time, two will be elites. Take them down quickly so you can get back to focusing on the Hand of the King. They're just like the enemies you've fought before, so use the same tactics.

Explosive Flags: Starting in phase II, he'll summon three flags that can land anywhere. There's a timer on them, and they'll explode in a large radius. You can destroy them with a single hit, so as soon as you see him summon them, go on the offensive and take them out. They'll flash their blast radius when they're about to explode, so if you can't destroy them all, at least get out of the way!

Ground Pound: This one also shows up in phase II. He'll leap into the air and slam back down, creating a shockwave and a wave of jagged rocks that shoot outwards. You can jump over these, or if you see him preparing the attack, hop onto one of the ice platforms on the sides and jump off to get more air. In phase III, he'll do a slower version where he hovers longer before smashing down. This time, the rocks erupt from the entire ground. When he's hovering, get to a small ice platform and double jump as the rocks start to emerge – this should keep you safe. Just be careful not to touch the rocks themselves, as they'll still hurt you.

Strategy

The fight is basically split into three phases, with him getting faster and adding more attacks in each one. The phases are marked by him pausing the fight to summon those minions. While those minion fights aren't too tough, remember that one or two of them might be elites, so stay sharp!