Stellar Blade’s well-thought-out combat system would be redundant without a great selection of enemies to use it on. And it seems Shift Up was well aware of that, giving Eve a suitable threat in the form of the Naytiba. Frightening and menacing, the Naytiba’s strength and speed can quickly turn any fight to their advantage. What they may lack in brute force, they make up for with cunning and ferocity. And the Elite Naytiba take this threat to a whole new level.

With offensive capabilities far beyond ordinary Naytiba and suitably high defense, the Elite Naytiba are built to make life difficult for Eve and her company of allies. But they also make for some of the most memorable and challenging combat encounters that Stellar Blade has to offer.

The Top of the Food Chain

The Stalker is one such Elite Naytiba, and we can only describe it as the buzzsaw weapon from Bloodborne come to life. With the body of a horse and the head of a buzzsaw, jagged sharp teeth and all, the Stalker is a visual horror.

Eve first encounters the Stalker during the story mission The Alpha Signal as she explores the Rail Network in Matrix 11. While the Stalker is a boss in this initial encounter, it becomes a normal enemy you can find in the open world later on.

SUGGESTED: 5 Tips and Tricks for Stellar Blade to Make You a Naytibas Slaying Beast

The Stalker is a test of all the skills you have learned up until this point and can test even the best players’ reflexes before Eve can take it down. It is a battle of attrition that could take a few attempts to nail down, so be prepared for some nail-biting moments!

How to Defeat Stalker in Stellar Blade

Mindless and menacing, the Stalker relies on momentum and brute force to dominate the fight. With a balance of melee and ranged attacks and the ability to dish out tons of damage per hit, the Stalker is no walk in the park. However, you could soon make it feel that way with the right tactics.

As a boss fight designed to test your parrying skills, expect a lot of melee swipes and slams from the Stalker, all of which you can parry to upset its Balance. The Stalker has 12 bars on its Balance Meter for you to take out before you can go in for a Retribution Attack.

First off, the Stalker always begins an encounter by jamming its head into the ground, dislodging some debris which it then flings at you. Move left or right to dodge the attack, while watching out for a series of melee attacks coming your way.An easy way to handle the Stalker’s melee attacks is to pay attention to which hand it begins its attacks with. Beginning with its left hand, the Stalker will go for four attacks as opposed to five attacks if it starts with its right hand.

On occasion, the Stalker might attempt a slam attack that glows purple right after a series of melee attacks. Dodge backward when your sword flashes purple to perform a Repluse and expose a glowing yellow weak point on the Stalker. Have your gun at the ready and hit this weak point with everything you’ve got for a lot of damage

The Stalker has a charge attack with which it tries to close the distance which can be perfectly dodged to build up your Beta Guage. It also jumps in the air and slams head-first into the ground, for which you need to dodge the moment its head slams down.

The Shield Breaker Beta Ability is very handy in this fight, along with Triplet and Quadruplet if you have them unlocked.

Aside from its melee attacks, charges, and slams, the Stalker emits an unblockable roar once you wear down its health enough. From here, it adds a grab attack to its arsenal, holding you against its sharp teeth with an attack worth of Mortal Kombat’s Fatalities!

SUGGESTED: How to Parry in Stellar Blade (Posture System Explained)

The good news is that this attack can be countered with a well-timed Blink. As always, wait for your sword to glow blue before dodging forward into the attack. This is an opportunity to fill your Beta Gauge, allowing you to unleash deadly combos on the Stalker from time to time.

Once its health is low enough, the stalker may switch up the number of melee strikes it does per combo, requiring you to adjust your timings accordingly. However, avoiding or parrying the bulk of its attacks ensures that this Naytiba can never truly control the fight, and the Stalker should go down with some patience and skill.

Winning this fight rewards Eve with XP and gold but more importantly, with Burst Skills which add a new layer of nuance to the game’s brilliant combat system. Just don’t let your enthusiasm make you greedy against the Stalker.

If you’re struggling to defeat the Stalker, you’re probably in need of help with defeating Gigas as well. Be sure to check that and any of the other Stellar Blade guides out and make each fight a cinch!’