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~ This guide contains spoilers for the late-game narrative of Forspoken! ~Players will fight multiple boss battles through their time in Athia, but all of them lead to the final climactic exchange between Frey and Susurrus (formerly known as Cuff). This fight will span multiple phases and will force players to use skills and magic learned throughout their adventure.
This boss fight has many different layers and steps, and takes a lot of strategic gameplay, especially on higher difficulties. Players should be sure to take their time and read up on what to expect in the conflict for the best chances of success.
General Tips & Tricks
Players can use these tips to have a better chance of surviving the fight against Susurrus. Most of these tips are applicable to all the bosses in Forspoken, but having these in mind when entering the battle can be a huge help.
- Stay mobile. Staying in one spot for too long invites damage. This is true for all the boss battles in Forspoken, but especially when fighting Susurrus. Stay light on your feet and dodge often, and you should be able to avoid most of the boss’ major attacks.
- Use Frey’s Warp ability. After the first phase of the fight, players will unlock a new Warp ability. This can be utilized by pressing the analog sticks down at the same time and allows Frey to essentially fly around the area, avoiding all damage while in flight. It is a very useful skill both during and after the conflict with Susurrus.
- Take out the smaller enemies first. During some parts of the fight, Susurrus will spawn smaller enemies to attack Frey. It can be tempting to disregard these opponents, but players need to focus on them first, as failing to take them down can result in Frey being quickly overwhelmed.
Susurrus – Phase 1
The first phase of this boss fight feels like an entire experience in its own right. Players will start out this section of the fight riding on Frey’s mother (Tanta Cinta), in her dragon form. The goal of the fight during this sequence is to use Cinta’s fire-breathing abilities to clear out the tainted birds that are shooting toward Frey. Players should also use the opportunities to hit Susurrus while they can. This phase will end when Susurrus’ health is depleted using fire attacks. There is not much players can do as far as maneuverability in this part of the battle, so mainly focusing on damage output is the best tactic here.
The most difficult aspect of the dragon-riding battle is finding where your target has moved to. There will be parts where Susurrus disappears and players need to find him again to let loose the Tanta’s fury on him, but this can be tricky. Look out for the flashing red signals indicating that the boss is about to unleash an attack. This will give players a rough idea of where he is hiding in the surrounding smoke and shooting a beam of fire in the direction of the red flashes will usually result in Cuff taking damage. Once Susurrus’ health is gone, the next phase of the fight will begin, directly following a cutscene.
Susurrus – Phase 2
The second phase of the fight against Susurrus will have players battling on foot. Susurrus will still be in the sky in his larger form, making him an easy target. Using Olas’ Seeker Dart, one of the newest Spells in Frey’s arsenal, to place marks and Susurrus to then deal a massive pulse of damage is a great way to offensively counter him during this phase. Players can use just about any ranged Spells on the boss here, however.
Something to keep in mind is the many waves of smaller enemies that will target Frey during the in-between sections of this phase. Susurrus will only take so much damage before slipping back into his mist, at which point he will summon a large number of tainted enemies that players must take down before he will reappear. It can be easy to get overwhelmed during these fights. A good strategy is to use ranged attacks on Susurrus, and then swap to more melee-based attacks (like Sila’s Arc Slice or Rage Slice) when the waves of smaller enemies appear. This will make clearing out the enemies quickly much easier, so you can get back to targeting the opponent that really matters.
Susurrus – Phase 3
In the third, and final, phase of this boss battle, players will be transported to an arena vastly different from where the fight was taking place earlier. Susurrus is powerful here, but by this point in the fight, Frey will have gained access to all of her powers and can easily take him on. This section of the boss battle is reminiscent of the Tanta battles, with Susurrus relentlessly lobbing heavy attacks at the player and forcing them to chip away small bits of health at a time. The attacks dealt by the boss can be very tough to avoid, like his Beam of Light attack or his deadly slashes.
One of the best tools at the player’s disposal is Frey’s Warp ability. This can be activated by pressing both of the analog sticks at the same time. Frey can avoid most of the major attacks using this method, with the downside being that players can’t attack while Warping. Utilizing ranged attacks is also another surefire way of avoiding damage, as Susurrus’ ranged attacks can be avoided with early detection, but the melee attacks can be deadly at close range. Staying back from the boss will give players more time to react to his quick movements.
Rewards For Defeating Susurrus
Taking Susurrus down is no easy feat, but once he is gone players will be rewarded. Finishing this fight will result in players receiving a large sum of experience. Frey will also absorb Cuff back onto her arm, returning him as the faithful (if forced) side kick to player’s adventures across Athia.
