What is it about corrupted religious figureheads that make such great video game bosses? You have the likes of Vicar Amelia from Bloodborne; you have the final boss of A Plague’s Tale: Innocence, and you have just about every boss featured in Blasphemous 2.
There’s just something about a church organ playing, candlelight, and gothic architecture that feels deeply unnerving, and that’s exactly what Round8 Studios was counting on when you created the Fall Archbishop, the fifth non-optional boss in Lies of P.
The Fallen Archbishop is one of those behemoth bosses that you immediately know will be quadruple the size of your player character upon seeing the expansive boss arena when you step through the doors.
This can sometimes work in the player’s favor, but in the case of the Fallen Archbishop, to underestimate this grotesque mutation would be essentially signing your own death wish. Man, the Petrification disease being spread around Krat doesn’t mess around.
The Fallen Archbishop is a strong boss, and the path to get to them is equally challenging. However, with some careful planning, we can help you come out the other side feeling fresh as a daisy. So, without further delay, here is Indie Game Culture’s Lies of P Fallen Archbishop Boss Guide!
How to Get to the Fallen Archbishop
Before we even get around to taking on the Archbishop, we will need to navigate the Cathedral, which I can personally attest was a horrible experience. Not because the enemies were tough, or because there were any sneaky tricks put in place to kill you. No, that would have been par for the course in a Souls game.
What made this a horrible time was the amount of platforming needed to progress through this section. Souls games are not platformers. Has Blighttown taught us nothing?
I digress. We begin at the beginning of the Cathedral, and upon entering the room after the Stargazer, you’ll catch sight of the Archbishop, before they crash through the floor and descend deep into the Cathedral.
So, being the sadistic creature that you are, you’ll want to follow them. Follow the path down to the right of the hole, and then you’ll come across a ladder. Do not jump down the hole after them. I made that mistake, so you don’t have to.
After you get down there, you’ll come across a pool of water that will cause decay, and has lots of slumbering Petrification Monsters. Feel free to fight them and get the items in the pool, or simply run toward the ladder on the other side.
Once up the ladder, you’ll see a roaming Petrified Monster and a large Decay Monster. Also, note that there is a second Petrified enemy hanging below as well. The best way to handle this is to draw the first one over, take them out, and then do the same by triggering the second-hanging enemy.
Then, finally, dodge the decay projectiles, close the gap on the Decay Monster, and take them out. These enemies aren’t tough; the placement provides the real challenge here.
After this section, the source of my irritation begins. You’ll see another Decay Monster ahead, and you’ll need to walk across a thin wooden beam.
If their projectile hits you, you will fall, and you will die. So the best course of action is to run forward, wait for the throw, dodge forward, and then make it onto the wider platform, avoiding the rotating cog that will also potentially see you fall to your doom. When on the larger platform, recalibrate, dodge again, and then take out the Decay Monster.
After that, it’s basically the same but a little different. You need to take out the Petrified enemy waiting ahead, and then run across the beam quickly to avoid the Decay projectiles. You’ll then be face-to-face with another large decay monster, with another rotating cog between you.
Wait until it rotates to show a broken cog piece and use this gap to run through, get to the larger platform, and take out the monster. If you’ve got through this, the worst of it is almost over.
Proceed, and you’ll climb up another level. You’ll have to fight some Zombies and a Decay Monster that will burst through the doorway, but nothing all that challenging, I promise. Then you’ll get to an area where you must jump, avoiding rotating cogs again. The good news is only the first of these is a real threat to your life. Again, wait for the broken piece to rotate around, and then use this gap to run and leap across the gap.
You should now note that you can push the Brazier into the Decay Pool, and this will reveal a secret Trinity Key Room if you are interested. Otherwise, just keep pressing on.
Once across, simply use the other cog as a platform to walk across to safety. Once here, you can use a mechanism to change the direction of the descending belt platform, and you’ll be able to return here easily if you take a right upon entering the area with the decay pool.
After this, head through the metal gate, and this will see you enter a room with a locked metal gate you will need to proceed through. At this point, a huge shielded enemy will fall through the ceiling, and, naturally, you’ll need to kill them to progress.
This enemy is a little tougher than your average burly monster. The shield charges are hard to get away from, and he hits really hard. My advice would be to block his shield charges rather than dodging them, and then dodge straight after to get behind him. Once you are behind them, do your best to stay there.
Oh, and don’t get pressed into a corner, because it’s very hard to recover if you do. Killing them will grant you some Quartz, and the way forward to a Stargazer. Finally!
Cathedral Library
Sadly, we still aren’t done, as the way forward is locked behind a big metal gate, so we will need to navigate the Cathedral Library.
Thankfully, though, there aren’t too many staunch challenges ahead. You’ll proceed and have to deal with a mix of Petrified zombies and Decay Monsters. Nothing new there, but there will also be some arrow traps, and decay blobs that fall from the ceiling, so watch out for them.
Proceed, and you’ll enter an area where you’ll need to fight a Petrified Deer Monster. The same kind you encountered on the bridge before entering the Cathedral.
This is a simple fight where you give them space, get them to perform heavy attacks, and then get some hits in before retreating again. After this, you should climb a staircase to the right, but wait, as there is an elevator, you should check out first!
This will lead up to the roof of the Cathedral, and here you will find Aridoro, an NPC that will trade Legendary Weapons and Amulets in exchange for rare Boss Ergos.
We hope you have been saving them until now. After this exchange, he will end up at Hotel Krat, regardless of where you tell him to seek refuge, eventually. After this exchange, you’ll need to head back down and up the stairs mentioned before.
Watch out for a Petrified enemy that will pop out at the next doorway, then continue until you see the other side of the fallen column that blocked your way forward and drop down. You will then be able to unlock the metal gate, gather yourself at the Stargazer, and then you can push on to where The Fallen Archbishop is waiting.
Preparation for the Fallen Archbishop
There are a number of ways that you can approach the Fallen Archbishop fight, especially now that you have a few Legendary Weapons to choose from. There is the option to go with a flame-build seeing as spiders aren’t all that keen on flames, but this is the build I went with, and I would recommend you do too:
Weapon: Holy Sword of the Ark +2
Defensive Parts
- LADA F150 Frame
- Workshop Union Standard Corrosion Converter
- Belford Break Cartridge
- Workshop Union Fiber-Reinforced Liner
Legion Arm: Fulminis or Flamberge
Useful Items: Fable Catalyst, Fire Abrasive, Thermite
The most important thing here is absolutely the weapon choice. Now that you have access to Legendary Weapons, using them is an absolute must.
You will have access to high-technique options like Etiquette, but I would advise players to go with Holy Sword of the Ark, as this is a big damage dealer, and will make short work of the boss in question, especially if you have the items needed to upgrade it to +2.
Lies of P Fallen Archbishop Boss Guide
Okay, let’s talk about the fight itself, which seems a little too easy initially, but you’ll soon find out there is a good reason for that.
Phase One
Firstly, I should tell you that this boss is so much easier if you take a Specter along with you. Unlike Fuoco, who came before and decimated your Specter in no time at all, the Archbishop can’t seem to make short work of them, and they serve as a wonderful distraction, allowing you to get situated and swing your sword with careless abandon.
Phase One is about as straightforward as it gets when dealing with large enemies of this nature. As is often the case in Souls games, when the creature in question is much larger than the player, the best option is to hug in close, find a crevice between their legs, and go to town. Yes, I know how that reads, but I stand by it.
The ideal position in the first phase is directly behind the enemy, as they don’t really have any rotating/sweeping attacks, so you’ll be pretty safe, and given plenty of time to react if you aren’t anymore. When face-to-face with the enemy, they have a few lunging claw attacks, a red-glowing smash attack, and a sweeping arm attack. So keep behind them, and the first phase will be over in a flash.
Phase Two
You thought it was over, but it’s only just begun!
After you deplete that health bar, the Spider-creature will open up, revealing what’s left of the Archbishop within, thus beginning the second phase with a fully replenished health bar. If you happen to start off on the other side of the room, be cautious, as the new form has a sweeping attack with a lot of range, so be prepared to dodge as you get up close and personal once again.
The same strategy applies to this new form. You’ll want to get in behind them and get in as many attacks as you can without taking many counter-attacks yourself. However, the difficulty of doing this comes through the Archbishop’s tail the monster has now.
When wailing on them from behind, the Archbishop will often use sweeping tail attacks to throw you off your game, and the monster will also use a red-glowing attack that sees the monster lift its rump and then slam down hard, which deals AOE damage to a small area as well. When this happens, dodge forward, but never retreat.
You’ll also want to avoid locking onto the Archbishop Tail at all. Instead, go with a free camera, but keep a close eye on the tail’s movements, and don’t get too greedy with your swings.
Other things to be aware of are Spectral Attacks, where the beast shoots a blue beam at the player. The best way to avoid this one is by getting right below them until they cast it, and then get right out from below them straight after, as they will slam their butt down. Then you also have a repeating dash attack that sees the monster zoom up and down in a line, which can be easily avoided with some well-timed dodges.
Keep these things in mind, and you should manage to take out this gargantuan beast, and reap the rewards that come with that!
The Spoils
‘But what do I get?’ I hear you cry. Well, my Soulsborne-loving friend, you get plenty from this encounter worth cheering about. Here is a quick list of the rewards you’ll get from beating the Fallen Archbishop:
- 7,980 Ergo
- Twisted Angel’s Ergo
Obviously, the big ticket item is the Twisted Angel Ergo, which can be traded in for a Legendary Weapon, or a Legendary Amulet. On this occasion, this rare Ergo is good for either the Trident of the Covenant or Nameless One’s Amulet. Seeing as Legendary Weapons are linked to achievements and Amulets aren’t, so, unless you are super interested in the Amulet, I would suggest the Trident of the Covenant.
A Fall from Grace
As you can see, the Fallen Archbishop doesn’t play around, especially when they begin their second stage. It’s always sneaky when Souls games have you deplete an HP bar, just to refill it, make the fight harder, and reset.
However, even with this little prank from the developers, with this guide, you should be able to take down this holy monster with some level of ease. We hope this guide serves you well, and as always, thanks for reading Indie Game Culture.
FAQ Section
Question: Where Do You Get Legendary Weapons?
Answer: Legendary Weapons can be purchased from Abritas. They are found up an Elevator to the roof of the cathedral. They will trade Boss Ergos for Legendary Weapons or Legendary Amulets. They will also join your crew at Hotel Krat regardless of whether you lie to him or not.
Question: Should I Use A Specter In The Fallen Archbishop Fight?
Answer: If you want a proper challenge, then no, as the specter is very helpful in this fight. However, if you just want to get through this fight, you should absolutely use the Specter, as they serve as a wonderful distraction.
Question: What Is Quartz For In Lies of P?
Answer: In Lies of P, you can use an in-game commodity called Quartz to upgrade your P-Organs. This is essentially represented with a skill tree, where you will need to invest two quartz to unlock a special ability, plus two passive abilities.
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