In the demanding roguelite world of Morbid Metal, few moments test a player’s mettle like the biome-ending boss battles. The first major hurdle awaits in the Sublime Garden: Saru, a colossal cyborg ape whose mechanical fury can swiftly end a promising run. This guide provides a comprehensive, phase-by-phase breakdown of Saru’s attack patterns and the precise strategies needed to dismantle this mechanized menace, claim your reward, and unlock the path to the Steel Sanctuary.
Saru Boss Fight: Phase One Strategy
The initial phase pits you against Saru on the main arena floor. Its movements are powerful but telegraph clearly. A core tactic is to fill your Protocol Gauge before initiating the fight, allowing you to open the battle with a powerful Super Skill for significant early damage.
Ground Pound and Shockwave
Saru will frequently jump toward you and slam the ground with its fists. Dodge or run clear, then capitalize on the brief recovery window to attack, preferably from behind. A key tell is when Saru’s body glows red, signaling a dual-fist slam that creates a radial shockwave. This can be jumped over easily. For advanced play, you can begin attacking Saru’s back while in the air as soon as you see the red glow; the ground-based attack will not reach you.
The Two-Blow Combo and Arena Reset
Watch for a quick two-attack combo directed in front of Saru. Evade the sequence and again target its back for safe counter-attacks. Periodically, Saru will jump away and execute the shockwave attack twice consecutively. Time your two jumps accurately to avoid damage.
Saru Boss Fight: Phase Two Strategy
Upon depleting its first health bar, Saru retreats to a higher platform, beginning a dangerous projectile phase.
Projectile Barrage and Descent
From the platform, Saru will launch its fists at you one at a time, repeating this four times. A red circle on the ground indicates each impact point. Move to one side of the arena and dodge just before impact to ensure safety. After the fourth projectile, Saru descends with a crushing jump to your location.
The Disabling Scream and Triple Shockwaves
After landing, Saru will beat its chest and unleash a scream that disables the lock-on feature. Controlling the camera manually here can be disorienting. A reliable method is to count to three after the scream concludes, then dodge laterally to avoid the subsequent, often hard-to-see attack. Given Saru’s high damage output, perfect dodging in this phase is critical, especially with unupgraded health. Following this, Saru slams a fist into the ground, sending three shockwaves in a row. Jump over each while using your air time to land hits. Attack aggressively here, as Saru will leap back to the platforms immediately after, ending your damage window.
Saru Boss Fight: Phase Three Strategy
The final phase intensifies, combining previous mechanics with deadly new assaults.
Fist Volley and Enhanced Combos
Saru begins by firing multiple fists in a spread in front of it; sprinting to the side avoids this entirely. It then resumes close-range jumps and the two-blow combo from phase one, now sometimes mixing in a ground punch followed by a single shockwave. Stay vigilant for its charge-up sequence where three horizontal laser beams fan out from its body, requiring a well-timed dodge to slip through the gaps.
Electrical Device and Arm-Level Lasers
When you see Saru charge one arm with electricity, you can land a few quick attacks before creating distance. It will slam a device into the ground which, if you pass near it, activates and emits several shockwaves. Lastly, beware of a new laser attack where Saru’s chest glows red and it fires beams at the height of its arms. Do not jump when you see this tell; instead, stay grounded to avoid them and strike Saru’s lower body during the animation.
Saru’s Boss Fight Rewards
Victory over Saru is not just a triumph of skill; it is the key to progression. Your reward for overcoming this guardian is a Soul Core, a crucial resource for character enhancement. More significantly, you permanently unlock the game’s second biome, the Steel Sanctuary, where the third playable character awaits and the challenge escalates to new heights. Mastering Saru’s patterns is therefore essential, transforming this intimidating gatekeeper into a stepping stone toward mastering the relentless cycle of Morbid Metal.
