Boss Battle: Great Reaper


As soon as the Reaper leader of the fortress spots Pit in its chamber, it grows to positively titanic size.

The arena you battle the Great Reaper in is large enough to contain this monster. It consists of an upper and lower level, which leaves you plenty of room to maneuver. You do not want to be in the way of its massive scythe, which it can swing vertically or horizontally. The horizontal swipe is meant to slice Pit if he’s on the upper level, while the vertical slash is multipurpose, and is even capable of releasing a shock wave attack from afar. If you’re on the upper level, the Great Reaper can spin the scythe across that whole level several times. If you intend to make your stand there, your dodging skills will be put to the test.

The Great Reaper is not limited to its scythe. At range, it can fire a powerful eye laser that is so fast that you have to anticipate it well in advance to stand a chance of dodging it. If the laser hits you, the Great Reaper will summon a group of Reapettes to attack you. If you're on the lower level, it can also perform a mighty stomp attack to unleash a shock wave that can flatten you.

As Palutena informs Pit, the weak points on the Great Reaper are its toes, and its head. The toes are somewhat problematic to reach, if only that when the boss stomps, you can take significant damage. Hitting the head causes more damage, but unless your weapon has good range, you still have to wait on the upper level for the Great Reaper to draw close. Once you’ve done significant damage to the Great Reaper, his mask cracks and allows a stream of light to leak through. But he’s still not done. In a desperate attempt to finish you off, he might begin leaping high into the sky, causing a thunderous impact with each landing. Just concentrate your firepower on his cracked skull, and you’ll have little reason to fear the Great Reaper.