By the time you reach the Viper in boss fights can be, having already faced two epic bosses already. You're in for a rude awakening if you think the Viper will be any easier, as this boss takes things up a considerable notch. You'll have to have a good understanding of your build and abilities to make sure you employ every trick in Khazan's arsenal, because Viper isn't pulling any punches. Viper is a Dragonkin boss with two distinct phases located at the end of Embars Ruins.

Viper is a much tougher fight than anything Khazan has previously faced, and makes the Yetuga boss fight feel like child's play. You'll want to be at least level 18 before taking on Viper, though you might consider leveling even more if you find yourself struggling to even get past his first form. You'll also be able to summon some help here in the form of the Spirit of Advocacy, though you should wait on this until you're more familiar with the Viper's move set, as the materials to summon help are somewhat limited.

Where To Find Viper In The First Berserker: Khazan

Viper Is At The Heart Of The Forgotten Temple

To reach Viper, you'll need to clear your way through the Forgotten Temple in the Embars Ruins region. This area is filled with two main types of enemies - dragonkin, who are lizard-type soldiers, and undead, zombie-type enemies that can revive after killing them if you don't destroy the purple essence they leave behind first. There are also a few larger enemies and at least one elite enemy in this dungeon, all of which I recommend hunting down for the Lacrima to buff your stats before taking on Viper later on.

The Bard is a traveling merchant who will appear in many of the main areas as you progress through the game. He reminds me a lot of Patches from the Souls universe.

There are also a couple NPCs found in the Forgotten Temple. You'll meet The Bard merchant for the first time, and he sells various potions and items that may help later on. You will also run into Daphrona, who will actually be available in the Crevice after defeating Viper and completing the Forgotten Temple mission. The Forgotten Temple has three separate mechanisms to unlock before reaching the door to the Viper boss located at the Heart of the Forgotten Temple Nexus point.

How To Beat The Viper Boss

Viper's First Form Employs Piercing Spear Combos

This fight is a tough one, and you'll be able to rely heavily on Brink Guards and Dodges to avoid Viper's spear attacks. There will be many opportunities for a ranged javelin throw, so you should buff up javelin damage if you have the skill points. You can choose any of the three main weapon types for this, though my preference is the Spear or Greatsword. The Greatsword is probably best for Viper's first phase, as you can interrupt his attacks with a well-timed charged heavy attack. However, I found the Spear more effective once he changes form.

Viper has two different "forms," the second of which triggers after depleting his health bar entirely for the first time. Both forms have two stages, triggered once you take down Viper's health to a certain level. His attacks always start with a similar swing; do your best to Brink Guard against these to deplete his stamina quickly. You can also buff your Guard efficacy with various skills. Attack him from behind whenever possible, as you'll deal substantially more damage, especially following up on a brutal attack. You can string combos after a brutal and nullify his attacks; I was able to take out half his health with a Spear this way.

Attack him from behind whenever possible, as you'll deal substantially more damage, especially following up on a brutal attack.

Viper will also gear up to throw his spear at you with two different ranged attacks, both of which can be guarded against or dodged. At the very beginning of Viper's second stage of his original form, he will start a whirlwind-type move with his spear that can suck you in and deal damage as it winds up. Get some distance here and try to hit him with a few javelins while he's swinging his spear around, or take the time to heal if you need to.

Watch for his stabbing attack — you can spot it when he leans back and pulls his spear toward him. Dodge out of the way to avoid getting speared and taking major damage, and if you're successful, this is a great time to land some charged hits on him to deplete his stamina and get a brutal attack in. You can also land a charged heavy attack from behind after you do a brutal attack to take out a huge chunk of health.

Viper's Second Form Takes It Up A Notch

After you take down Viper's health bar, a cut-scene will trigger, and believe it or not, you'll have to fight him with a full health bar yet again. The first stage of Viper's second form is a slight reprieve from the fast-swinging spear attacks in previous stages, but that won't last very long. It's likely you're pretty low on health, and you can keep some distance here for javelin attacks, or play it risky and go for the Brink Guards. He will have to move in close for his attacks in this stage, so Guarding is definitely viable if you can get the timing right.

His final stage of the second form is his most dangerous, and he will again do the vortex spear spin as soon as he gets to about half health. The arena is going to go dark here, and Viper will do a series of lunging attacks. Dodging is ideal, but you can also just try to continue running to the side, and he will miss most of his attacks. The lunges end, and he'll do a jump attack and a follow-up that causes an explosion. If you can get some distance before this final attack, run in immediately after to land a major blow. He should be relatively close to death at this point.

All Rewards For Beating Viper

Khazan Receives The First Pieces Of The Fallen Lord's Set

If you managed to take out Viper, first off, congratulations are in order — it's not an easy feat. The rewards for defeating Viper are worth the struggle, though, and they'll come in quite useful in your journey ahead. The Fallen Lord's Spear is a top choice spear, even without the full set bonuses. You'll also get the Fallen Lord's Claws, however, which lets you craft Fallen Lord Set pieces at the blacksmith.

You will also be rewarded with the Hismar's Scale, which is a quest item used later down Khazan's journey, as well as a randomized Necklace and three Transmutation Mists. Overall, the rewards for defeating Viper are likely going to be the best you've received thus far, but there are many more bosses to go in The First Berserker: Khazan, and they only get more challenging.