Our NieR Replicant Shadowlord final boss guide will cover everything, including areas, attack gauge points, behavior, attack patterns, strategies, and rewards you will receive once you defeat the Shadowlord Boss in Nier Replicant Remaster.
NieR Replicant Shadowlord Boss
In Nier Replicant, Shadowlord is the main boss. He and Grimoire are the main antagonists of the game. You will encounter him at the very end of Shadowlord Castle with a formidable skill-set at its disposal.
Shadowlord looks similar to Nier and appears to be its shadow copy. You can spot him during the preface of the game, appearing to be the actual Nier.
To save his sister from Shades, he gives up his soul to his companion, Grimoire Noir. In 2053 he was a vital part of project gestalt experiments where they wanted to see that after the Gestalt process, who can still recollect their human consciousness.
His soul was detached from his body, and this soul is now known as Shadowlord. Both he and the protagonist want to protect their sister Yonah. Both have a similar goal, one has a vessel, and one does not.
Let’s dive into the attacking strategies for the Shadowlord.
First Phase
These are the combos for the first phase of the fight
- 4 Hit Sword Combo: Shadowlord will strike with his sword four times. To avoid the impact of this strike, dodge and run to the side.
- Aerial Ground Stab: Shadowlord will perform this before landing back down. To dodge this stab, run to your side.
- Rising Slash: Shadowlord will creep underneath you and attack you, dodge this slash the moment he rises up to attack you.
- Dark Lance: Shadowlord will cast this sealed verse at you, so dodge and move to the side or shove him with a spear
Second Phase
Here are the attacks for the second phase of the boss fight with Shadowlord Boss
- Dark Pillars: Shadowlord will fire orbs at you that transform into pillars. Avoid these pillars by running to your side or to inside the significant gaps between the row of pillars.
- Dark Pillars Outward: Shadowlord will rise to air surrounded by dark pillars. Run to your side to dodge this attack.
- Aerial Strike: Shadowlord will strike his sword while in the air to avoid run or dodge.
Third Phase
This phase consists of only one attack.
- Orb Barrage: Shadowlord will throw orbs your way from the other part of the room, dodge them and destroy them with your weapon.
Shadowlord Encounters
After facing the big shade named Jack of Hearts, Shadowlord will come to the Village Library. He’ll become desperate and will proceed to use replicant Yonah to possess Yonah and use her body. He will leave with Yonah while you take down Grimoire Noir.
Phase One
As you take down Grimoire Noir, you’ll have to combat with Shadowlord. While fighting him, use a spear to bait him, so he loses his four-hit sword combo. As he’s lashing his three strikes, observe the timing, so when the fourth lash comes your way, you can go around him. Knock him once behind him and unload him.
Be aware that Shadowlord can come to attack you with a jumping slash, and he can also cast Dark Lance on you as well. To avoid the spells casted by Shadowlord, dash attack him and keep a consistent movement during the battle, making sure to never stand still.
When the boss disappears, his shadow will follow you from underneath you, making sure you time the movement of this shadow too.
This way, you can avoid his lashes while also remaining untouched. Shadowlord can paralyze you from being mobile by casting Dark Lance on you and then stabbing you. Trigger a cutscene by unloading boss with a melee attack as the attack gauge appears.
Phase Two
Nier will see Yonah here and fight for her. Replicant Yonah will cease everything and return to her shell. Yonah’s body is returned to Neir, and the final battle to defeat Shadowlord in NieR Replicant is fought.
For the second phase, Shadowlord will throw orbs at you by going in the air. This orb will form into dark energy pillars. To tackle that, encounter him while he’s in the air by firing a dark lance or dark blast at him.
When he comes down, he’ll throw his sword combos and release aerial strikes in your way. Time the interval and dodge him. After encountering him, retaliate before he’s charged up again. When you’ve lowered his health enough, a cut scene will play.
Phase three
To defeat him once and for all, you will have to hit the attack gauge three times. First, get near Shadowlord and hit the attack gauge on him from the other side of the area. In reaction, he’ll throw orb projectiles in your way. You can dodge them or get rid of them through your weapon. And then finally defeat him by a triple hit on attack gauge.
