The Whiteclad Noble is a mandatory boss located in the Bamboo Grove near the Marsh of White Mist Shrine in Chapter 1. He is particularly challenging because unlike previous encounters you must fight your way through 2 distinct phases, each with a full health bar. The battle takes place on the serene waters of a misty lake and the Whiteclad Noble uses this to his advantage, harnessing the waters to provide safety and extend the range of his flowing strikes.
Preparation
- This early in the game, you don't have access to many tools but defeating some of the other optional bosses to obtain a Spirit and Transformation Spell can make the battle easier.
- You can defeat the Wandering Wight in the Forest of Wolves or use Guangmou from the Bamboo Grove as your Spirit.
- Travel to the Forest of Wolves and beat Guangzhi to obtain your first Transformation Spell.
Whiteclad Noble Move Set
The Whiteclad Noble is highly mobile and tends to chain multiple attack sequences together. This makes it difficult to complete combos, execute charge attacks, or use Spirits with a longer cast time, try to stick close to him and dodge left or right to maintain uptime. Because the boss has a second phase which triggers at 0% health you should save most of your resources for later in the fight. Here are some of his most common moves and how to counter them.
Basic Moves
- The Whiteclad Noble frequently executes a jump attack where he leaps towards the Destined One and strikes with a vicious thrust. This results in the boss disengaging before using the attack which makes it difficult to land combos. To avoid this, time your dodge when the boss is in the air to avoid damage when he lands.
- His basic attacks unleash a sequence of sweeping attacks ending in a thrust or sweeping frontal slash. Dodging left or right during the early attacks allows you to punish the boss while he executes the final attack in his sequence. Don't dodge backward! If you do, you are likely to get hit by the final strike and take significant damage.
Vault Attack
- The Whiteclad Noble whirls towards your location planting his spear in the lake. He then spins around the spear using it to execute a vaulting attack. The best way to deal with this is by moving away from the boss and then dodging the vaulting attack.
Water Attacks
- Sometimes the Whiteclad Noble holds his spear low, strikes a pose then unleashes a powerful AoE which creates a shockwave in the water. This does significant damage but gives you a generous amount of time to avoid it. You can either move away when you see the boss lower his spear or time a perfect dodge to get in some damage. If you use this as an opportunity to get some damage in watch out for the boss starting his next attack sequence.
- In another more advanced move the boss throws his spear at you shouting the word "Ebb" and then recalls the spear to his hand when saying "and Flow." If you dodge left or right to avoid the initial attack you should be safe from the recall as well. Just don't stand between the spear and the boss if you move in to deal some damage!
- The Whiteclad Noble has a more complex empowered flurry sequence. He usually executes this at range to take advantage of the water blades generated by the sequence. This ends in a thrust move so you should dodge left or right to avoid the attack and then punish him during the recovery time from the final attack in the sequence. The charge thrust has a good amount of range so dodging backwards is a bad idea!
Phase 1 ends when the Whiteclad Noble reaches 0 health, this is not the end of the fight! Instead, he enters Phase 2 and becomes more dangerous.
Phase 2
During the second phase, the Whiteclad Noble reveals his true form, he now slips beneath the water's surface to avoid attacks. At this point in the fight it is incredibly difficult to land multiple hits or slower attacks, consider using the Immobilize spell to aid you in executing your Heavy Attack. The Whiteclad Noble uses a similar move set in Phase 2, but empowers more of his abilities with water, extending their range and making more of them horizontal, therefore harder to avoid.
- During Phase 2 the boss sometimes rises into the air before slamming his weapon down creating a powerful explosion. This attack is intimidating but easy to punish. It only deals damage in front of him, so time your dodge to get to the side or behind the boss then use the long animation to deal some damage.
- Similar to the low stance attack from Phase 1, the Whiteclad Noble assumes a high stance in Phase 2 and then unleashes a slash which sends a shockwave through the water. This deals damage in a wide area in front of the boss so it's best to watch for when he raises his spear and spins to time your dodge and avoid damage.
Video Guide
If you want to see the Whiteclad Noble's move set in more detail check out this video guide by Tenkiei.
Summary
The Whiteclad Noble is a two-phase fight, he enhances his attack sequences using the surrounding water, learn his move set and save your resources for the second phase to overcome this challenge!
- Prepare to battle the Whiteclad Noble by obtaining a Transformation Spell and a Spirit.
- During Phase 1 the boss chains attacks and frequently retreats to safety before charging in to strike. If you dodge left or right you are better able to avoid the final attack in his sequences.
- Many of his attacks create a shockwave that extends the range beyond the reach of his weapon.
- After his health reaches 0 a cutscene triggers and the Whiteclad Noble enters Phase 2. He becomes more aggressive, faster, and more evasive. He covers a lot of distance and frequently chains attack sequences in this phase. Consider using the Immobilize Spell to give yourself an opening to deal some damage.
- Defeating the Whiteclad Noble unlocks access to the final bell for Elder Jinchi's quest.
Written by: Tenkiei
