With the appearance of multiple Guardians in Arkesia, players must now face these celestial beings in the game’s many raid content. Adventurers can meet them in Guardian Raids, Abyss Raids, Challenge Guardians, and Mystic Raids. While there each of these creatures is separated into various tiers, one of the most challenging foes that gamers can face is Achates, despite being in the lower Item Level fights. Due to this Tier 2 boss's complex mechanics, many players have difficulty meeting him.
Achates Overview
This Guardian is the final boss for the Tier 2 Guardian Raid, being the level 3 enemy. Players will need an item level of at least 920 to face him. In addition, adventurers should have beaten Dark Leogoros, Helgaia, and Calventus. Achates is considered one of the hardest Guardians in the game because he requires cooperation and comms.
Most Guardians in the game only have simple mechanics requiring players to dodge, do DPS and stagger checks, or counterattack. Achates is very different since he has various attacks that players must know to navigate through. Rarely do players learn complex mechanics in Guardian Raids since it is not common for foes to have them. In addition, Achates is also considered one of the more mobile Guardians, which makes fights even more difficult.
Achates is even more terrifying to face because he has an attack that can one-shot players. Gamers tend to avoid doing this level in Raids or keep him all-together. However, with the appearance of Challenge Raids, adventurers must know how to fight the winged lion in case he appears in challenges outside Guardian Raids.
How to Fight Achates
In most Lost Ark raids, attacks from bosses are separated into Special and General. Achates has several sets of Special Mechanics that players need to know unless they want to get wiped or have a teammate killed. Here is how gamers can beat the winged lion:
Special Mechanics
Annihilation – Achates vacuums players towards him and starts gathering energy from his surroundings. Once complete, he will release a powerful AoE blast that can one-shot players. The only way to navigate this is to run away as far as possible. There is no counter or way of stopping this attack, so adventurers must flee until it is over. Here are some notes about the attack:
- Players will know when this attack is happening when they see white markings/energy pulsating in a wide area around Achates.
- Light Orbs will spawn and get drawn toward the Guardians during the channeling. These things will knock up players when they come into contact with them, which might prevent them from the attack’s AoE.
Counterattack - Like any Guardian, Achates has an attack that can be countered. During the sequence, the boss will glow blue, which signals the players to do a counterattack. The window to execute this action is small, so gamers must be quick. Here are some notes about this attack:
- Adventurers need to be in front of Achates and use an attack with a Counter affix to interrupt the move.
- The attack is not that significant if players miss the counter, especially if you have support help.
Curse – Duris this sequence, Achates will mark two players with blue or red icons above their heads. The objective here is to cleanse the curse before they disappear. The blue and red adventurers need to stand next to each other for a short period to remove the marks. Here are some details about this attack:
- Failure to cleanse the mark will usually result in the red player taking damage over time, which generally leads to their death.
- Blue players do not get any penalty for failing to cleanse the curse.
Buff Animation – Achates will start doing a power-up animation around the 1-minute mark of every and subsequent encounter. During this sequence, he will be completely immobile and exposed, giving players enough time to deal significant damage. Here are some notes about the buff:
- This animation cannot be cancelled.
- After channeling, Achates will gain access to wing-related moves.
Roar – Achates will frequently do a Roar skill that will apply to stack debuffs that reduce a player’s Attack Power. This damage reduction will persist until the boss is staggered or returns to his normal state. The way to get about this is to attack Achates with skills and items with the Stagger affix. Here are some details about the Roar:
- After the roar, Achates is not immobile and will still keep moving, so players need to time their attacks.
Stone Statues – This mechanic is arguably one of the most complex moves that Achates has at his disposal. During this sequence, the Guardian will teleport to the center of the current battle area and summon either one, two, or four Stone Statues. At the same time, he will conjure up a shield that will protect him and cannot be destroyed by regular attacks. The players’ actions will depend on how many constructs were brought up.
This sequence aims to bring down the barrier, so adventurers can continue their attacks. The shield will be color-coded and destroyed by a stone with the same hue. These stones can be acquired by killing the statues summoned by Achates. There are a total of three colors in this animation: blue, green, and yellow. You will need to destroy the barrier twice to force the Guardian into a state wherein he will expose his wings. Players must use attacks or items with the Weak Point affix to destroy them.
There are three variants for the Stone Statues. The first one is where Achates summons four statues. The second one only has two. The last one features only one figure to destroy. The mechanics stay the same throughout each variation, but the difficulty scales depending on how many constructs were made. The fewer statues, the harder it gets because the number of stones dropped is also lessened. Here are some details about the Stone Statues move:
- Failure to destroy the barrier or the wings in time will make Achates enraged.
- Throwing a stone of a different color at the barrier will cause a massive explosion that deals significant damage.
- Light Explosions will continuously appear throughout the sequence, which will cause players to get knocked down and receive damage.
- The barrier needs to be hit four times to be taken down. After the first two hits, the shield will change color, so players should react accordingly.
- The variant with one statue will cause Achates to fire color-coded orbs. Players holding stones like orbs can absorb the attacks.
Cheat Sheet for Special Mechanics
- Annihilation – When Achates channels energy, run away as far as possible.
- Buff Animation – Just Damage him while he remains immobile.
- Counterattack – Use attacks with counterattack affix when Achates glows blue.
- Curse – Blue and Red-marked players should stay together to remove the curse.
- Roar – Stagger him quickly.
- Stone Statues – Destroy the Statues and throw the stone with the same color as the barrier. Destroy the wings after removing the shield.
General Mechanics
Fire Breath – Achates will fire a breath of white fire in a specified direction. There are three variants for this attack. The Normal one is where the attack is only aimed at a line in front of the Guardian. The second one is where he attacks everyone at a 180° angle in front of him. The last one is where Achates will keep firing the breath attack in front of him while he moves backward. Here are the notes for this attack:
- To dodge the Normal Breath, move away from the affected line.
- For the second variant, move away from the Guardian if you are too far from him or move to his backside when you are close.
- The third variant is very tricky and deals the most damage. Either move away or roll away from the attack to dodge this one.
Cross Attacks – Achates will slam the ground, conjuring up cross-shaped rifts around him. After a while, these fissures will erupt, which will knock up and damage players. Avoid standing on the affected lines. During his enraged state, the Guardian will slam multiple times, summoning numerous rifts.
Field Pattern – Achates will fire a circular laser around his vicinity and highlight areas affected by an attack. There will be small cone sections that players can consider safe spots. The best way to avoid this attack is to move out of the circular zone that will be affected by the Field Pattern.
Flight Path – For this move, Achates will target a player and fly toward him, damaging and knocking down players along his path. If the Guardian disappears after the attack, he will do another charge targeting the same player. The best way to dodge this is to move perpendicular to the flight path.
Light Explosions – Achates will summon light AoE circles that will explode and damage players. This will be done in two or three waves. There are two variants for this attack. The first is where the explosions will occur around Achates, while the second is where the AoE will follow gamers. For the first one, players must stay close to the Guardian. For the second, adventurers must be moving before the explosions occur.
Marked Attacks – For this move, players will mark two players with a circular light, resulting in a ground flame attack appearing afterward. Those who have the light rings should move away from their teammates. Here is a tip on the Marked Attacks:
- Players can tell when the ground attack will occur based on the ring outline. A small circle outline will continue to get smaller until it touches the marked person. This will signify that the scorching attack will occur right after.
Wing Attack – Achates will fly and start flapping his wings, damaging and knocking up players beneath them. After landing, he might make another Wing attack. If the Guardian is enraged, he will stay in the air and flap much longer. He will also attack everything around him. Under these circumstances, the best thing to do is to move away until he finishes this move.
What to Bring in Achates Fights?
Due to being a Tier 2 level 3 Guardian, it is not advisable to use too many resources against Achates. However, if you face this boss in Challenge Guardians, it is best to bring the appropriate items. Here is what you will need to fight him:
- HP Potions
- Flare
- Panacea
- Corrosive Bomb
- Destruction Bomb
Achates Summary
Ideally, players should avoid fighting Achates when using alts or even in Challenge Guardians. However, if you are hard-pressed for Honing Materials, then taking the risk of fighting him is still acceptable. Make sure to be fully prepared to fight this complex boss.
