How To Beat The TUNIC Boss Scavenger

If you want to know how to beat the TUNIC Boss Scavenger, we've got you covered, as he's probably the hardest fight in the game. As TUNIC carries on, many of the boss fights get increasingly more difficult, with increased movesets that test the skills you've built up through your playtime. So, if you need a primer on the TUNIC Boss Scavenger, we've got you covered.

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How To Beat The TUNIC Boss Scavenger: Getting The Gun

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Before taking on the Boss Scavenger, there is a weapon players can acquire which makes the fight significantly easier. Once you get to the train tracks in the Quarry area, instead of travelling down them, turn around and take the stone ramp up to the left. You will find some Scavenger enemies with weapons near a shooting range.

After you kill the enemies, you can find a chest on the very left side that contains a shotgun weapon. It uses mana, and if you've acquired all the mana upgrades by this point, you will have a total of three shots to use. 

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How To Beat The TUNIC Boss Scavenger: The Fight 

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The Boss Scavenger can be incredibly tough to face, due to his wide moveset, high damage, dodging potential, and the speed in which he throws out various abilities. We found a strategy that makes him much easier to deal with though, involving the shotgun which you should have acquired. You'll also need several blue pieces of fruit, so you can replenish your mana after exhausting your shots. 

Before we get to that strategy, you need to learn to avoid his attacks. The Boss Scavenger has a mix of melee and ranged attacks and some utility moves that can deplete your stamina and zone you. 

His first moves come courtesy of the dual lightsaber attached to his arm. The first move allows him to dash toward you and swing the saber in a wide arc, which can actually hit you twice. The best way to avoid this is by locking on and then bringing up your shield to block both hits. If you are standing closer, he will perform a similar slash with the saber - without the dash - and then do a follow-up in the opposite direction. He will stay in place for this attack, so dodging away is your best bet, but it's possible to block, attack, and then block again if you need to. 

One of the most powerful moves the Boss Scavenger will perform doesn't actually deal damage, but it can lead to your death very quickly. If you stand too close after he performs melee attacks, sometimes he will kick you. If you block this with your shield up, it will drain your stamina, meaning you can't dodge any follow-up attacks. Having your shield down only causes a knockback, which deals no damage and lets you keep your stamina. It's a very quick attack that's barely telegraphed, so it will take some getting used to it before you'll be able to consistently dodge.

Boss Scavenger also has ranged attacks. Sometimes he will pull out a shotgun, which has an audible cocking sound giving you just enough to block or dodge, but it deals high damage. He can also throw out a grenade, which has a long enough timer that it can be dodged. This grenade damages himself too, so if you can get him to throw it against one of the barrels in the arena, it can bounce back at him. 

One of his last moves is a ground pound, that causes a huge AoE damage effect that spreads across the entire arena in a square. You will see a series of outlines of squares on the ground that spread out from the point of impact. Only the squares which are filled-in can damage you, which also spreads out in a square. You need to time your dodge just as the line of filled-in squares approaches you to avoid the damage. 

To make the boss even tougher, he can switch between these moves and combo them very quickly, while also sometimes spamming the same ability, causing you to exhaust your stamina. 

So what is the strategy to avoid all this? Spam your shotgun. It deals incredibly high damage to the Boss Scavenger from close range, and if you shoot him when his shield is down, it only takes a few shots to defeat him. You'll still need to avoid many of these attacks for long enough to get off the required shots, but it makes it much easier than taking him on with the sword. Use your three shots, fall back behind a barrel to replenish your mana, and repeat until he is down, and you will earn the TUNIC Blue Gem.

That's our strategy for how to beat the TUNIC Boss Scavenger, and now you know a much simpler way of defeating him.

The hardest section of the game comes shortly after the Boss Scavenger, so check our TUNIC Tips to make sure you're ready.