Another round arena, this time with a huge tree taking up a lot of the center area. Mobrius follows simple patterns for each phase, but like the last two bosses, will change up his attacks depending on which Core he is drawing his power from.
During the first phase, Mobrius will be attacking from the trees. He has three attacks that he will use in a pattern, but depending on his incoming damage, he can change up the pattern slightly, so be on the lookout for a different order. Normally Mobrius will attack with a Tail Whip, which can be avoided with a quick Dodge Roll, or the Dragon Wing Guard can be used to avoid a hit. This move is quick, so make sure to be ready to dodge at a moment's notice. The second attack that Mobrius will throw at you in this form will be the axe attached to his tail. This attack will send the axe flying around the room, and can be dodged pretty easily as long as you are ready for it. After a circuit, it will fly back up into the treeline and attach itself to Mobrius again, for use later. The third attack is what will give you the chance to deal out some damage to the Snake Dragon. This attack will have Mobrius biting directly down at Dal, and will do major damage as he snatches Dal up and throws him against the ground. This can be avoided with a well timed Dodge Roll however, and opens Mobrius up to attacks as he sits stunned from his lightning fast collision with the ground. After a moment, he will regain his sense and climb back up into the trees to repeat his attacks. Keep on him every time he tries and fails a Bite Attack, and this first phase will quickly be over for the Snake.
Phase two will place Mobrius underground, his grip on the tree having been loosened by the first Core Break. In this phase, Mobrius will slither around the tree and swipe at the player with his huge tail. If Dal is near to the rear of him when he surfaces, this will be the attack that Mobrius will let loose with. The only guard against this is to Dodge Roll or Wing Guard, as the muscles in Mobrius' tail will easily overpower Dal's normal block. If you are near the front of Mobrius when he goes to surface, he will let loose a Bite Attack, which can be Dodge Rolled, then will sit for a moment, allowing Dal to deal out some damage before Mobrius goes back beneath the ground. The trick to this phase is always staying near the front side of Mobrius so that he Bite Attacks more often than the Tail Attack. Keep up the assault every time Mobrius comes up for air, and phase three will begin after the second Core is broken.
In phase three, Mobrius will use a combination of ground based attacks and underground movement to fight Dal. While underground, boulders will fly around, and like Skaroth's boulders, will damage Dal if he is hit. After a moment of slithering around underground, Mobrius will come to the surface and attack. Most of the time, he will lead off with a spray of poisoned darts from his tail which can be Wing Guarded or Dodge Rolled from as normal. After this attack, Mobrius will bite at the player for a large amount of damage. Avoiding this Bite is the key to phase three, since Mobrius will be vulnerable for a moment after attempting to bite at Dal. Press home the attack during these times, then move away when he submerges to avoid the boulders. Wait for Mobrius to surface again, then wait for him to shoot out more spikes or skip right to the Bite Attack. Make sure not to be too close to him just before he would emerge, or else he might just use a Tail Whip instead, dealing you a quick bit of damage for your aggressiveness, as well as making the fight last longer with Mobrius underground. Taking down this phase requires patience, but playing a defensive game here will allow you to outlast Mobrius without taking too much damage.
That's it for this week's Boss Breakdown. Be sure to check back in two weeks for the next dragon reveal, as we continue our pre-launch coverage of Wii's exclusive beat-em-up Dragon Blade. Also, don't forget to check out more exclusive screens and concept art by heading to our gallery below.