Facing Rangkus, the First Berserker of Khazan, is no easy feat. He is a relentless and aggressive boss with powerful attacks that will test your patience and reflexes. This battle demands precise timing, strategic counters, and a strong understanding of his attack patterns. However, once you learn how to reflect and dodge his devastating combos, the fight becomes much more manageable. This guide will walk you through Rangkus’s moves, effective combat strategies, and the best ways to stagger and exhaust him. Stay focused, adapt to his attacks, and prepare for an intense battle, defeating Rangkus is a challenge, but the rewards make it well worth the effort.
Rangkus Boss
Rangkus is one of the toughest battles in The First Berserker: Khazan, demanding patience, skill, and plenty of retries. But once you finally take him down, the victory will feel incredibly satisfying. Rangkus appears in the mission Traitor Revealed, a mandatory quest recommended for Level 43 players. Defeating him will grant you powerful rewards, including the Furious Bandit’s Dual Wield, Furious Bandit’s Leggings, Slayer’s Ring, two Transmutation Mist, and 19,144 Lacrima. Be prepared for a challenging fight.
Rangkus Boss Weakness
- Stamina Vulnerability – Reflecting and dodging Rangkus’s attacks can quickly deplete his stamina, leading to an exhausted state where he is highly vulnerable.
- Attack Delays – Despite his aggression, slight pauses between his attack chains create brief openings for counterattacks.
- Elemental Weakness – His fire-based abilities in the second phase make him susceptible to frost-based attacks, which can slow his movements and disrupt his combos.
- Strategic Opportunities – Players should focus on staggering him, draining his stamina, and using frost-based abilities to exploit his weaknesses.
Best Weapons
- Frost-Infused Blades – Glacier Fang Dual Wield and Frozen Edge Greatsword apply chilling effects, reducing Rangkus’s mobility and increasing stagger duration.
- Ranged Options – Icebound Crossbow helps maintain distance while steadily draining his stamina.
- Melee Counterplay – Frost Enchanted Mace deals heavy damage while slowing down Rangkus’s aggressive attacks, making them easier to reflect.
- Elemental Advantage – Ice and water-based weapons counter his fire-based phase, making the fight more manageable.
Game Mechanics and Healing Items
- Stamina Recovery – Elixir of Resilience boosts stamina regeneration, allowing quicker recovery from dodges and counters.
- Fire Resistance – Frostbound Tonic heals health and reduces fire damage, weakening Rangkus’s flamethrower attacks.
- Defense Buffs – Guardian’s Aegis Charm temporarily increases defense, making his heavy slams less punishing.
- Sustained Endurance – Stamina Draughts aid in longer battles, ensuring players can keep up with his relentless attacks.
- Enhanced Ice Damage – Glacial Runes temporarily amplify ice-elemental weapon damage, giving an extra edge in combat.
How To Combat Rangkus
Rangkus can be a tough challenge, but once you learn his patterns, taking him down becomes much easier. Below are all the attacks and strategies to reflect, dodge, and counter effectively.
Crushing Mace Barrage
At the start of the fight, Rangkus almost always opens with his Overhead Slam Combo, three powerful strikes with his massive mace. He begins with an Overhead Slam, followed by a right-hand Swing and then a Heavy Swing from the left.
To stagger him, you need to reflect all three attacks. For the first, wait until he starts bringing the mace down and guard to reflect it. Then, for the second, watch for his rightward swing and time your guard accordingly. The final Heavy Swing has a slightly longer delay, but the approach remains the same. If executed correctly, Rangkus will stumble and drop to one knee, giving you the perfect opportunity to land multiple hits and deal significant damage.
Whirling Mace Assault
Rangkus’ Rolling Slash Combo is another aggressive sequence to watch out for. It starts with an Overhead Slam, followed by him rolling toward you and slashing with his mace. He then transitions into a spinning slash, finishing with a backslash. Just like before, reflecting all four attacks is key to staggering him.
Time your guard for the Overhead Slam, then brace yourself as he rolls and swings, reflecting at the right moment. When he spins, wait until he plants his feet before guarding again, and for the backslash, release and quickly reapply your guard. If done correctly, you’ll stagger him once more, dealing significant damage to his Health and Stamina, making this an excellent way to gain an early advantage without relying on healing items.
Exhaustion Strategy
Rangkus will likely start the fight with both combos, and if you successfully reflect all his attacks, his Stamina will be nearly drained. This gives you the perfect opportunity to go on the offensive and finish depleting it. Once his Stamina is fully drained, he’ll enter an exhausted state, leaving him wide open for you to unleash your Skills and deal massive damage.
The Trial of Rangkus
The First Berserker: Khazan is packed with grueling battles that push players to their limits, and Rangkus is no exception. This boss fight will test your patience with relentless combos and punishing attacks, but once you learn his patterns, victory is within reach. While not the hardest fight in the game, Rangkus requires precise timing and strategy to overcome.
His attacks include the Overhead Slam Combo, Rolling Slash Combo, and Charged Slam Combo – all of which can be countered by well-timed reflections to stagger him and create openings for damage. Draining his stamina will put him in an exhausted state, allowing you to unleash your strongest attacks for a massive advantage. Though challenging, defeating Rangkus is a rewarding accomplishment, and the valuable loot you earn makes the struggle worthwhile.
Pulverizing Slam Sequence
Rangkus’ Charged Slam Combo is another powerful attack sequence to watch for. It starts with two consecutive Overhead Slams, followed by a Heavy Swing, and ends with a devastating Charged Slam. If you notice him performing two Overhead Slams back-to-back, be ready for this combo.
Reflect the first three attacks as you did before, but pay close attention when he raises his mace high and it begins glowing red – this signals the Charged Slam. Wait a moment as he brings it down, then guard just before impact to reflect both the attack and the upheaval it causes. If timed correctly, you’ll have a brief window to land a few hits before he recovers.
Seismic Stomp
Rangkus’ Charged Stomp is his first non-combo attack, where he lifts his left leg high, gathers energy, and then forcefully slams it down, creating a shockwave that travels straight ahead. Because he holds his foot in the air for a moment, timing the reflection can be tricky. Stay patient and guard right as he begins the stomp to successfully reflect the attack. If executed correctly, you’ll not only deflect the impact but also create an opening to land several hits of your own.
Skyfall Crush
Rangkus’ Grappling Hook Slam is a powerful move where he uses a grapple to launch himself into the air before slamming down with massive force. If it connects, the damage is devastating, so reflecting it is crucial. As he descends, he holds his mace behind his head, and the key to timing your guard is watching his arms. The moment they start moving forward, wait briefly and then guard just before impact to land the reflection. If done correctly, you’ll have a window to land several hits while he recovers, making this a critical moment to deal significant damage.
Phase Two Begins
Keep repeating these steps until Rangkus pulls out his Flamethrower, marking the start of the fight’s second phase. Things are about to get much more intense, so brace yourself; this battle is far from over.
Blazing Cyclone
Once Rangkus brings out his Flamethrower, one of his most frequent attacks is the Flamethrower Twirl, where he spins wildly, spewing fire in all directions. This move is tough to dodge and can deal serious damage if you get caught in it. The best way to avoid it is to sprint toward him and stay behind him, moving in sync with his spins. Avoid staying in front or too far away, as the flames will likely hit you. Once he stops twirling, you’ll have a brief window to land three to four hits before needing to go back on defense.
Elixir of Endurance
Every now and then, Rangkus will retreat, stop, and drink from a mysterious vial, restoring his Stamina Gauge and even making it regenerate faster. This makes the fight even tougher, so be prepared, things are only going to get more challenging from here.
Inferno Dive
One of Rangkus’s most dangerous moves is his Flamethrower Grappling Hook Slam. He starts by blasting flames at you, then uses his Grapple Hook to launch into the air, unleashing another stream of fire before slamming down with immense force. You can block the initial flames to stay safe, then prepare for the next phase. While he’s airborne, guard against the second burst of fire, then time your reflection just before he hits the ground. Once he lands, immediately sprint away – his impact will cause the ground to bubble and explode, and getting caught in the blast can deal massive damage that’s tough to recover from.
Blazing Pursuit
Rangkus’s Fire Cannon Grab is easily one of his most frustrating attacks, feeling nearly impossible to avoid. He starts by firing a barrage of fireballs while sprinting toward you, then, once he gets close, he stops shooting and rushes in for a grab. To dodge this, run diagonally toward him on his left side in a counterclockwise motion to avoid the fireballs.
When he stops firing and prepares to grab, stay close to his side and time your dodge to slip behind him at the last second. The timing is incredibly tight, and his grab hitbox is unforgiving, so even with perfect movement, he might still catch you. Running straight away or dodging sideways usually won’t work, as he seems to magnetize toward you – this method is the only somewhat reliable way to escape.
Scorched Earth Blast
Rangkus’ Fire Cannon Shotgun Blast is another incredibly frustrating attack, as even a single hit can be lethal. He fires three consecutive waves of fireballs, forcing you to time your dodges perfectly to survive. The best way to avoid them is to move right and then dodge left for the first wave, switch directions and dodge right for the second, and finally, move right again and dodge left for the last wave. Following this pattern will help you stay alive and keep pushing toward victory.
Firestorm Barrage
Get ready to dodge even more projectiles, Rangkus’ Fire Blaster Shots are another frustrating attack that can be tricky to avoid. He keeps firing until you either get close enough, or he runs out of Stamina, which actually works in your favor once you understand the pattern.
To deplete his Stamina, you’ll need to keep dodging while gradually closing the distance. If he still has plenty of Stamina, take your time and let him wear himself out. Once he’s nearly drained, position yourself close enough to time a dodge through the fireballs, landing right in front of him. From there, a well-placed hit or two should exhaust him, giving you the perfect opportunity to unleash a flurry of attacks.
Infernal Slam Onslaught
Rangkus’s final attack, the Flamethrower Overhead Slam Combo, isn’t too difficult to handle but still packs a punch. He starts with two Overhead Slams followed by a Heavy Swing, moves you should be familiar with by now. After this, he pulls out his Flamethrower and ignites it. He then performs two more Overhead Slams, but this time with his Flamethrower, dealing massive damage.
To counter, time your guard just before each slam to reflect them, then immediately run in the opposite direction to avoid the ground explosion. From here, it’s all about staying alive and repeating your strategy until you finally take him down. This fight is no joke, so don’t get discouraged if it takes a while to master.
Rewards
Taking down the boss will reward you with 7,187 Gold, 18,060 Lacrima, and a chance to obtain either the Furious Bandit’s Dual Wield or Pilgrim’s Dual Wield. You’ll also receive a Furious Bandit’s Armor Piece, either the Necklace of Grace or Necklace of Good Fortune, and two Transmutation Mist. If you face the boss again, you can also earn Bandit Spoils as an additional drop.
Tips
- Rangkus is a fast and aggressive boss, so closing the gap quickly is essential. Dragon Slayer makes charged potent blows into a dash attack. Use this to approach from a safe distance while attacking.
- Ruthless allows you to chain devastating attacks. If you counterattack properly, Rangkus will get staggered, letting you spam multiple ruthless strikes back-to-back.
- Flash Cutter nullifies incoming damage and triggers a counterattack. Timing your perfect guard can set up a brutal counter, staggering Rangkus and opening him up for a devastating combo.
- Windchaser adds a sprint attack, helping to stay aggressive. Massive Blow follows up with heavy damage, keeping Rangkus on the defensive.
- Rangkus transitions into fire mode, when he does, be prepared to block or move back. Look for moments to attack his head for extra damage. Standing in one place and reacting to attacks can be more effective than excessive dodging.
- Gain Spirit Up and Spirit Extraction will help maintain your resource pool. If low on health, Spirit Gauge Healing can recover 50% health using Willpower Orbs.
- Rangkus’ attacks are fast and wide, making dodging less effective. Perfect Guards consume less stamina and allow for quick retaliation.
