Among the many bosses of The First Berserker: Khazan, Rangkus is one of the most difficult to beat, as this Knivesveil bandit leader is far stronger than other enemies you've faced. This sadistic pillager uses heavy, slow attack combos imbued with fire to tear through your health and create a hazardous battlefield. Due to Rangkus' bulk, he has few weaknesses you can exploit, forcing you into a war of attrition.
Rangkus is one of the rare human opponents you'll face, making him stand out compared to the other bosses in The First Berserker: Khazan. As a human boss, Rankgus can regenerate his Stamina, preventing him from being staggered as often as other foes. Wielding a massive mace that also acts as a flamethrower and crossbow, Rangkus has a wide variety of attacks that can overwhelm you easily.
Where To Find Rangkus
Progress Through The Main Story
As the sixth boss you face in the game, Rangkus is found at the end of Mission 6, also known as "Traitor Revealed." This mission will have you fight a number of other bandit enemies as you progress through the burning lands of Palemion deep in the mountains. This area has tons of hazardous landscapes, hinting at some of the boss' properties.
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You can find Rangkus at Palemion Citadel, the last major area in Mission 6 you travel to. Before you reach Rangkus, you should consider leveling up to at least Level 40 to stand a better chance against Rangkus and all of his tricks. I was around Level 37 when I fought Rangkus for the first time, and I was hardly able to impact the boss' health until I grew a bit stronger.
The Recommended Level for Mission 6 is Level 43. This Level is appropriate to fight Rangkus, but it can be done at earlier levels if you upgrade important stats early in The First Berserker: Khazan to form a strong character build.
Before you face off against Rangkus, try to find some gear with Fire Resistance first. No matter what weapon build you are using, having some sort of resistance to the flames from Rangkus' weapon is crucial to surviving in the fight long enough to beat him. Some Fire Cleanse Potions also go a long way towards enduring the flames Rangkus uses later in this boss fight.
How To Defeat Rangkus
Anticipate Attacks By Recognizing Patterns
Rangkus attacks you across two phases, with the first seeing the boss use a variety of attack combos with their mace. Each of Rangkus' attack patterns are slow, with long wind-ups but fast strikes that make it hard to react to certain moves. You need to get a feel for the timing of Rangkus's strikes to know when to block or dodge them successfully.
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The most important method for defeating Rangkus is to Deflect as many attacks in his combos as you can. This will help drain Rangkus' Stamina, causing him to be staggered for a short time for some free damage. The easiest way to deplete Rangkus Stamina is to play defensively, not to be too aggressive and leave yourself open to his devastating moves.
How To Beat Rangkus (Phase 1)
The first phase of the fight will consist of Rangkus using his combos and several ranged attacks. Whenever you get close, expect Rangkus to start using his mace, but be careful with the boss dodge rolling from your retaliating attacks. Rangkus' ranged moves deal a lot of chip and Stamina damage, so you also need to dodge more than you block when he starts attacking from afar.
One of the best features in The First Berserker: Khazan for dealing with Rangkus is the Brink Guard, a parry of sorts you can use against his mace attacks. Managing to successfully parry all the hits in one of Rangkus' combos will stagger the boss, giving you a window to attack.
The tables below outlines all of Rangkus' attack patterns in the first phase, as well as some strategies you can use to counter them:
Attack |
Description |
How To Counter |
|---|---|---|
| Overhead Slam |
Rangkus lifts his mace with one hand, leaning back before slamming it down overhead for a powerful strike. |
This attack has a long start-up animation, so simply wait until the strike itself before dodging or blocking the attack. |
| Double Mace Strike |
Spinning around, Rangkus swings his mace at you twice, with each attack hitting fast after a slow wind-up. |
Roll to the side in the opposite direction of each swing. Alternatively, you can stagger Rangkus if you Brink Guard each strike with the right timing. |
| Pummel Combo |
Rangkus performs two Overhead Slams before doing a spinning swing with his mace. Finally, the boss charges a larger Overhead Slam that has a longer start-up before striking. |
Don't panic at the long delay for the last hit and dodge it with the right timing. The other attacks in this combo can be dodged or blocked normally. |
| Elusive Bandit Combo |
After doing an Overhead Slam, Rangkus rolls forward, performing a spinning strike as he gets up. Rangkus then does another spinning strike with a longer wind-up. |
Follow where Rangkus rolls so you are in the right position to block and counter his quick strikes. Brink Guarding every attack leads to a stagger. |
| Quick Kick |
Rangkus quickly kicks you when you get within close-range. |
This attack can throw you off if you're looking for the attacks with a long wind-up. Don't be fooled and block this strike. |
Attack |
Description |
How To Counter |
|---|---|---|
| Homing Shots |
Rangkus dodges backward before firing a volley of crossbow bolts that home in on you. |
These bolts deal large chip damage to your Stamina if blocked, so it is easier to dodge them. |
| Quick Bolt Bursts |
After getting far away from you, Rangkus will load his weapon before firing a horizontal line of crossbow bolts that hit anything across a wide area. |
Rangkus does this attack several times, but it greatly reduces his Stamina. Block or dodge each volley of bolts before closing in on the boss to deal damage. |
| Grappling Hook |
Rangkus will occassionally grapple to the edge of the boss arena, damaging anyone in his path. |
Stay away from points where Rangkus will grapple to, then pursue the boss to prevent him from using ranged attacks effectively. |
Throughout both phases, Rangkus has a chance to consume a Stamina potion when that resource gets too low. You can interrupt when Rangkus takes a sip of his Stamina Potion, causing the boss to take more chip damage and use fewer ranged attacks. Rangkus will typically try to drink a potion after a Quick Bolt Bursts attack, so be prepared to go on the offensive once the move is complete.
How To Beat Rangkus (Phase 2)
At around 60% health, Rangkus will transform their weapon into a flamethrower, kicking off the second phase of the boss fight. Similar to other opponents like Volbaino in The First Berserker: Khazan, Rangkus' attacks in Phase 2 now build up the Flame condition, causing you to take more damage if the status is inflicted. With more AoE attacks now, this is where I found Rangkus to be at his most dangerous.
Each of Rangkus' combos in Phase 2 are the same as they were in Phase 1, but they now leave trails of fire with each strike. While the timing is the same, you want to dodge more than you block to avoid standing in the trails of flame left by the boss' moves.
Each of Rangkus' ranged attacks are set on fire during this phase as well, turning his crossbow bolts into projectiles imbued with flames. Along with this significant change, the table below shows what new moves Rangkus has in Phase 2, as well as what strategies you can follow to counter them:
Attack |
Description |
How To Counter |
|---|---|---|
| Spinning Flames |
Rangkus spins in place while his flamethrower shoots fire in long trails. The boss moves across the area, trying to get close to you before a large jump and slam follow-up. |
Run to one side to avoid the fire trails, while dodging at the right times to get away from fire that gets too close. |
| Hanging Firespitter |
During his Elusive Bandit Combo, Rangkus will replace his attack following his spin with a grapple upward, where he shoots a long jetstream of flames down at you before slamming back down for a fiery AoE. |
Dodge to one side after the grapple to avoid the trail of fire, then either block or dodge the incoming slam. |
| Firestrike Sidestep |
Rangkus will step to one side quickly before firing a quick burst of flame from his weapon. |
Dodge the opposite direction from where Rangkus sidesteps to avoid the follow-up fire. |
| Volcanic Eruption |
After spinning his weapon in one hand, Rangkus puts it into the ground, causing two massive AoE explosions that center from him. |
Run away from Rangkus to the opposite side of the arena to avoid both AoE explosions. |
Some of Overhead Slams and other moves Rangkus does during the second phase will end with an AoE burst of fire similar to the Volcanic Eruption attack. You have to stay on your feet and never stop running during this phase to constantly avoid the number of AoE moves Rangkus will unleash against you. Keep up the pressure and attack patterns to eventually take down Rangkus unscathed.
Rewards For Beating Rangkus
Gain Pieces Of Powerful Gear
For managing to take down a dangerous enemy like Rangkus, you are rewarded with:
- 7,187 Gold
- 18,421 Lacrima
- Pieces of the Furious Bandit Armor Set
- Bandit's Spoils (Crafting Material)
- 3x Transmutation Mist (Crafting Material)
- Random Weapon or Accessory Equipment
The Furious Bandit Armor set is a strong set of gear, with the Bandit's Spoils item you get from Rangkus helping to craft the rest of that set if you don't have every piece. On the other hand, Transmutation Mist can help you craft new consumables, including more Fire Cleanse Potions after the battle.
With the skill points and currency you gain from this boss fight, you can gain far more strength to continue your quest for revenge. Once you manage to beat Rangkus in The First Berserker: Khazan, you can progress the story, which will lead to even more dangerous opponents in your path.
The First Berserker: Khazan
- Released
- March 27, 2025
- Developer(s)
- Neople
- Publisher(s)
- Nexon
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- PC Release Date
- March 27, 2025
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- March 27, 2025
- PS5 Release Date
- March 27, 2025
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
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