Dark Onslaught was updated with Genshin Impact patch 6.3 . Three bosses require different approaches, and their difficulty depends heavily on the specific elements on your account. In this guide, we’ll break down the mechanics of each enemy and create effective teams for defeating them.
Lord of the Hidden Depths: Whispers of Nightmares – Sharpened Claws
The boss has approximately 12.4 million HP on Fearless difficulty and 13.6 million on Hopeless. Resistances are standard, but the shield mechanics make the fight unique.
The boss creates a shield equal to 45% of his maximum health. It completely blocks physical damage. When you hit the shield with Lunar Reactions, it takes three times the normal damage, and the first hit grants 36 energy to the team. After the shield is destroyed, the boss immediately loses 20% of his health, and all his resistances are reduced to -60%. This is when you should deal the bulk of your damage.
During the fight, the boss summons fishermen and begins charging an attack. If you kill a fisherman, the boss’s shield loses 25% health. You can focus on the boss or the fishermen, depending on your team.
Lunar Reactions work best. Lunar Charge, Kun Budding, and Kun Crystallization deal triple shield damage. If you don’t have any Nod-side characters, you can use a team with high sustained damage and simply kill the Anglers first.
Work teams
● Columbine, Flins, Ineffa, Sucrose
● Nefer, Lauma, Columbine, Nahida
● Arlecchino, Shilonen, Kazuha, Bennet
● Mavuika, Citlali, Iansan, Bennett/Shilonen
● Ineffa, Columbine, two free slots
How to get there
Columbine and Ineffa are versatile. They can be combined with any Hydro or Electro characters to create the desired reactions. Teams with Arlecchino or Mavuika can be defeated through brute force, but require more time for the shield phase.
If you’re playing with Moon teams, focus on the boss itself. The shield will be destroyed faster by reactions than by killing the fishermen. If you’re playing with a normal team, kill the fishermen one by one. Bring a character with a group, like Sucrose, to attack them all at once.
Time your ultimates for when you’re vulnerable. You’ll have about 18 seconds to deal damage after the shield breaks. This is enough time for a full rotation for most teams.
Seasoned Fireblade Assault: Berserker
Or, more simply, Raskolnikov. The most annoying boss of the three. On Fearless difficulty, he has 9.2 million HP, on Hopeless 17.2 million. He has three layers of shield, each worth 4.5% of his maximum health, but with high resistance to all elements except Electro.
The boss gains three layers of shields immediately upon entering the battle. Shields increase all resistances except Electro by 60%. Electro damage is 600% more effective. Lunar Charge deals 200% damage to shields.
The main problem is that they quickly regenerate themselves. You break one layer, but it regenerates within a few seconds. The regeneration only stops after you hit it with a Charged or Lunar Charge reaction. After that, you have time to break through the next layer.
When you break each layer, the boss loses 6% health and gives energy to the team. After breaking all three, his resistances drop by 50% and his Electro resistance by 60%. In total, he’ll have -110% Electro damage. You need to deal all your damage during this window.
If the shield isn’t breached, Raskolnikov will launch a series of attacks that will require rapid dodging. While this is possible, it won’t save you any time.
Work teams
● Fleance, Aino/Columbine, Fischl, Ineffa/Kuki Shinobu
● Clorinda/Harlequin, Durin, Fischl, Chevreuse
● Varesa, Yansan, Xing Qiu, Fischl
● Skirk, Escoffier, Furina, Shen He
● Ineffa, Columbine, two free slots
How to get there
Teams with Fleance and Ineffa work best thanks to the constant use of Electro and Hydro. Columbine increases reaction damage and helps break shields faster.
Skirk can directly break through shields with a massive number of hits. She doesn’t need Electro or Hydro characters, but this method is slower than the standard one.
First, use Hydro, then Electro. Continue using both elements to maintain the reaction and break the next layer.
If you don’t have Fleance or another strong Electro damage dealer, take Kuki Shinobu. Her ultimate quickly inflicts Electro status and triggers reactions. Fischl also works, especially when teamed with Varesa.
Save your energy for the vulnerability phase. You’ll get free energy after your shields are broken, so don’t use up all your ultimates too early.
Emperor of Fire and Iron: Raid
The boss has 8.5 million HP on Fearless difficulty and 14 million on Hopeless. He has 150% resistance to all elements while his Pyrohorns are active.
The boss begins the fight with Pyro’s protection on his horns (64 status points). While the horns are active, all his resistances are increased by 150%. When you destroy the horns, he immediately loses 10% of his health and becomes vulnerable.
During the fight, the boss summons shield-wielding crabs. Each crab has 12 Pyro status points. When a crab loses all its status, it goes out of control and slams into the boss. This removes 12 points from its horns and deals damage.
The crab’s damage depends on how much damage you deal to the crab itself. Hydro damage counts for 60%, other damage for 10%. A maximum of 15% of the boss’s health is dealt per crab.
Work teams
● Neuvillette, Citlali, Escoffier, Furina
● Skirk, Furina, Citlali, Escoffier
● Mualani, Furina, Escoffier, Ye Lan
● Nilu, Lauma, Furina, Xing Qiu
● Nevillet, Furina, Shilonen, Kazuha
How to get there
Hydro and Cryo teams work best, especially Nevillette, thanks to his constant Hydro usage over a large area. Escoffier adds Cryo and increases reaction damage. Skirk can kill the boss directly with his Freeze if you build your team correctly.
First, destroy Hydro’s horns with attacks. Then, switch to the crabs if they appear. Hit the crabs with Hydro damage so they deal maximum damage to the boss upon impact. Don’t kill the crabs completely; just remove their Pyro status.
Freezing helps control the boss and the crabs simultaneously. While they’re frozen, you can safely deal damage without risking a strong attack.
If you don’t have Escoffier, bring other Cryo characters for support. Sitlali works well, as does Shen He. The main thing is to have a stable source of Hydro damage, everything else is secondary.
General recommendations
The first boss is the easiest, the third requires specific elements, and the second is the most time-consuming. If you have a limited roster, save your strongest team for the second boss.
Characters from Nod’s End provide an advantage in the first two stages thanks to their Lunar Reactions. If you don’t have them, you can complete the mission with regular teams, but it will require more time and maximum investment.
Don’t forget about Ascended buffs. Every day, a new list of 16 characters receives attack, defense, and health boosts. Check the list before you start and build your teams accordingly.