Action role-playing games without powerful bosses are hard to imagine. Boss fights are the most thrilling and memorable experiences that players get from these games and considering this aspect, Team Ninja has featured several powerful bosses in their latest action RPG, Rise of the Ronin. From the beginning of the game, players will feel the excitement of roaming around the streets of 19th Century Japan and fighting the enemy factions to survive till the last. 

Interestingly, the game doesn’t try to hide the difficulty level. As players go through the prologue, they will understand how complicated the experience can become. Maintaining action RPG tradition, the game features bosses from the beginning of the story and the Bladesmith is one of the earliest bosses of the game. Though she comes earlier in the story, still, players should not take the boss lightly or they will be in great trouble. 

If you are trying to beat the Bladesmith in Rise of the Ronin and are looking for some help to accomplish your goal, this guide will give a complete walkthrough of the process. Before progressing further, let’s check some essential details about the Bladesmith Boss in the game.

Where to Find the Bladesmith Boss in Rise of the Ronin?

Bladesmith is a main story boss whom players will eventually encounter as they progress through the main story of the game. Once you start your journey and your protagonist awakens in the Veiled Edge Village, during the Setting Sun mission, the journey toward Bladesmith begins. Kill the assassins you encounter along the way and after some time, you will eventually meet the second mandatory boss of the game Bladesmith.

Though she is the second boss of the game, she is enough powerful to take you out in a few hits, if you are not enough careful about her attacks. This will be a whole new 1v1 experience that has no connection with the previous ones you have encountered. So, without proper knowledge, players may require a few tries to beat her. She is the final test for your combat tutorial.

Rise of the Ronin Baldesmith Fight Preparation

Before you go for the fight, make sure to equip every necessary weapon and equipment. Let’s start with the healing items. Prior to the Bladesmith fight, players have to defeat a few shogunate spies. These defeat processes take some time and effort, but the game has made them an integral part of the boss fight as these enemies drop healing potions. 

If you are accustomed to the battle system in action RPGs, you are aware that attack and defense are equally important in these games. Even sometimes, defense becomes more important than attack. In that case, gathering enough healing potions is a must before you go for the boss fight. It’s a backup strategy during solo fights. Therefore, gather as many Elixirs and Medicine Pills as possible before going for the formidable fight.

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Next, when it comes to weapon selection, we recommend going for the Sniper for sure. Baldesmith is an agile enemy who can’t be dealt with in close-range combat. So, the primary requirement is to make a safe distance from the enemy and use the sniper at her to land a few headshots if possible. 

Besides that, players can also bring a set of shurikens. These are best when players need to move and shoot the boss. With snipers, players need to stay in a position and set the aim to shoot. The boss will try to close the gap faster. In these cases, players need to use shurikens to prevent her from coming closer. 

Now that you are prepared with all the weapons and healing items, it is time to know the strategies to win the battle.

Bladesmith Fighting Tips in Rise of the Ronin

The Bladesmith fight begins at the end of The Setting Sun mission. If you have reached her, you have defeated the first boss of the game for sure. However, don’t mistake her to be as easy as the previous one. Despite being the second boss of the game, her agility is threatening and her combos are deadly. Additionally, this fight is a 1v1, and there will be no way to use other characters to escape critical situations. The entire fight will test your skills.

Initially, the combos and the fast speed of the boss may overwhelm players, but if they notice carefully, they will find that the fighting process is pretty similar to the training session they previously had with Bladesmith during the Prologue. Therefore, the first thing they need to focus on is parrying her attacks. This is tough, but this is the most effective way to beat her.

Bladesmith fortunately has only a few attacks to hit players with, including her martial arts skills. The boss has a medium-range sword that she uses for her attacks. When she comes for a combo, she launches three to four attacks back-to-back. Sometimes, when you see the boss swing her blade behind her, be prepared for a Charged Attack. 

Among other attacks, she has her grappling hook attack where she jumps in the air with her grappling hook and sends it towards players. It is one of the attacks that can’t be parried as the boss will glow red while launching this attack. In that case, jump to dodge it. 

Another attack that can’t be parried is the Critical Hit. With a fast animation, the boss comes closer to stab you. Again she glows red while launching this attack. So, jump at any side to avoid getting stabbed.

The best opportunity to land some successful hits on Bladesmith is after she finishes her combo. Once she finishes her combo, for a few seconds, players will find her off-guard. Be quick to snipe her or land some successful hits. However, the window is very short. If you miss, you have to wait for another chance.

The fight is indeed tough and time-consuming, but if you observe her patterns closely during the prologue, you may not find this fight challenging.  However, ensure you have mastered the skills of dodging, parrying, and blocking before you appear for this fight. Timing is the most crucial element for all three defense strategies, but once you learn, you can finish fights without getting damaged.