Witchfire: How to Beat the Shieldbearer

The Shieldbearer is one of three familiars in the current early-access state of Witchfire. He is the first boss you can beat in your overall quest to stop the Witch from unraveling her evil plans. He is also a progression gatekeeper, meaning his defeat is the only way to unlock new content and advance the storyline. That is just how rogue-lite games work.

The Shieldbearer has to be the easiest of all three boss fights, at least for players who have become one with the game’s combat and movement mechanics. However, he can be troubling for new (or unprepared) players who rush through the maps because the game never explains one of his boss phases where you continuously take damage for no reason.

The following is a complete walkthrough of the Shieldbearer boss fight in Witchfire, including an excellent strategy to cheese him for easy farming. By the time you are done reading, you will realize that he is not as threatening as you first thought.

How to Find the Shieldbearer

The Shieldbearer can be found on the northern edge of the Scarlet Coast in Witchfire. The map can be unlocked by picking up the Scarlet Coast Chart after entering the Wailing Tower on the Island of the Damned. The Shieldbearer is not locked behind a Gnosis level requirement, so you can choose to face him at your default, Gnosis 0.

Reach the location marked on the map above and you will find a glowing green chasm. Spend 2,500 Volatile Witchfire Crystals to unlock the barrier and take a leap of faith into the misty void. The Shieldbearer is located in a massive underground canyon in Witchfire. You will fall through the air for around 6 seconds. Remember to double jump before hitting the ground or lose a good chunk of your health before the boss fight even begins.

How to Beat the Shieldbearer in Witchfire

Despite being the main familiar of the Scarlet Coast, the Shieldbearer is actually a fairly easy boss to beat in Witchfire. He is an improved version of the Swordsman with the same moveset, but gains a couple of new abilities as he loses his health.

Phase 1

The Shieldbearer flies to a far corner of the arena before jumping at you with a powerful attack. The speed at which he comes at you is far quicker than the normal or elite Swordsman, so be ready to dodge in time. You can jump in the air or dash to the side to avoid his thrust. The Shieldbearer will be stuck in his attack animation for around 2 seconds. Use this window to unleash as much damage on him as possible.

Phase 2

The Shieldbearer starts summoning Revenants after reaching 75 percent health. These are mostly minor enemies, slow and easily kited due to the large size of the arena. You do not need to waste your time on them. The summons will always appear behind the Shieldbearer, so if you are maintaining distance, they must cross half of the arena to get to your location. Focus on peppering the Shieldbearer instead.

Phase 3

The final phase of the boss fight is where things can get a little tricky. The Shieldbearer summons a shield after reaching 50 percent health to gain two new abilities. Firstly, the shield blocks all incoming bullets. You will have to either rely on an area-of-effect attack such as explosions, or aim at the head and other exposed parts of the body.

Secondly, and most importantly, the Shieldbearer uses the shield to create a large green-colored dome in the arena. Stay inside the dome at all times! You continuously take Decay (poison) damage per tick by remaining outside the acidic sphere.

This is the hardest part of the Shieldbearer boss fight in Witchfire. You do not have much room to kite him inside the dome. You also have to deal with the Revenants he keeps summoning. The only thing you can do is massacre the Revenants to make room inside the poisonous bubble while keeping an eye on the Shieldbearer to dodge out of his jump attack.

Best Weapons to Use Against the Shieldbearer in Witchfire

You can use the Echo shotgun (upgraded to M2) to cheese the Shieldbearer in Witchfire. Its pellets explode on impact, igniting the boss and amplifying the damage done. Wait for him to do his jump attack, and freeze him with Frost Cone as soon as he lands. This will give you a couple of extra seconds to unload a few additional rounds in his face. When he retreats, reload your Echo and repeat the same strategy when he does his leap attack.

You can also switch to the Vulture demonic crossbow, which does massive explosive damage. It takes around 10 arrows to reduce him from 50 percent health to zero within 15 seconds. Since demonic ammo is limited, you can clear all the enemy camps and loot all the ammunition chests before starting the boss fight.

The gameplay footage below shows how the Echo + Vulture combo makes short work of the Shieldbearer. He is not as dangerous a boss as most players tend to think while leveling up in Witchfire. You can cheese him before the second phase of the boss fight begins.

Another weapon combo that proves to be effective against the Shieldbearer is the Hangfire and the Midas (upgraded to M2) in Witchfire. The Hangfire does explosive damage on every reload, which bypasses the shield. The Midas, on the other hand, can easily clear the Revenants and do massive critical damage to the Shieldbearer thanks to its large clip size.

Rewards

The Shieldbearer always drops random items from a loot pile. You have a good chance of getting Strange Coins and Gemstones to sell for Gold back in the Hermitorium. You can also expect to get some Second Mysterium Incantations and Large Witchfire Clusters to further improve your Preyer.