Quick Links
- Unknown Alpha’s Attacks
- Preparing For Battle
- Battle Strategy
Unknown Alpha is the first part of a three-part encounter that takes place over multiple levels. Each rendition of Unknown brings something new to the table, and all three use out-of-place Olde English dialogue that is bound to raise a few eyebrows. Crystar is nothing if not a bit weird.
Unfortunately, like with Nanana and Epicurus before it, Unknown Alpha fails to live up to its title. Sure, it’s technically a boss, but it’s seriously lacking in most areas and ends up being another wet noodle disguised as a damage sponge. That being said, there are a few twists thrown in to keep you on your toes.
Unknown Alpha’s Attacks
Unknown Alpha knows two attacks – a short-ranged bite, and a buff. Unknown Alpha will spend 90 percent of the time chasing after you and trying to bite you. Due to this attack's incredibly short-range, and how obvious the wind-up is, it’ll never hit you. I mean that literally.
This, therefore, makes his buff entirely useless. Unknown Alpha will remain stationary for a short period, and gather power. After this, he, in theory, does slightly more damage than before. Because he will never hit you, however, this buff just opens him up for free damage since he is stationary.
Unknown Alpha has no dash move, no charge move, and no way to close the distance other than running at you. A single dodge once he reaches you will invalidate his entire existence.
Preparing For Battle
Which Characters To Use
The big gimmick for this fight is the lack of character selection – or at least, the limitations to character selection. You can only use Rei and Nanana in this fight, so if you’ve been a big fan of Kokoro or Sen, you’re out of luck. Thankfully, Rei and Nanana are by far the strongest characters in the game.
You will want to use Nanana for this fight as she is perfectly suited to kill Unknown Alpha. Unknown Alpha wants to get in your face but has no reliable way to do so. Nanana is a ranged damage dealer, so can kite Unknown Alpha until it dies.
What Skills To Use
You don’t need any skills for this fight. Nanana can effortlessly spam light attacks whilst dodging and Unknown Alpha will die. Of all the skills Nanana has at this point in the game, however, Humpty-Dumpty is the one to go for. It deals nice damage, it’s fast to cast, and Unknown Alpha will run into it constantly. It’s easy damage.
Pick Up Some Items
As is usually the case, make sure your healing items are stocked up to max. You won’t need any of them for this fight, but it's a good habit to get into. You will want to pick up some Panellets whilst you’re at the Peddler too, as this will give Nanana (or Rei) a nice boost in damage.
Max Your Tear Gauge
Unknown Alpha has a disturbing amount of health, so it will take about five minutes of mindlessly attacking and dodging to kill if you don’t go in with a maxed Tear Gauge. Both Rei and Nanana should be filled to the brim, and you should pop them immediately.
On top of this, remember to use your Tear Gauge during the fight too. Because Nanana is throwing hundreds of projectiles at Unknown Alpha, you will be building your Chain. This Chain will reach the hundreds, and this in turn will increase your Tear gain.
Battle Strategy
This fight is an exercise in patience. Unknown Alpha will only hit you if you slip up and let him, so keep alert and keep attacking. You want to start the encounter with Rei and immediately pop her Guardian and a Panellet. Burn through your gauge and end the combo with a finisher for great damage.
Swap to Nanana and do the same. Be aware that Nanana’s Guardian form, despite holding a Scythe, uses ranged attacks. For maximum damage, however, you still want to stay pretty close to Unknown Alpha – especially when finishing your combo.
Once your Guardians have been exhausted, you can fall back and throw a mixture of light attacks and Humpty-Dumpty bombs. Every time Unknown Alpha runs up to you and stops, dash away, and continue to attack. If you fill your Tear Gauge again, pop it and repeat the process until it dies.
If you want to challenge yourself a bit more, don’t use Nanana, and instead focus on Rei. Rei is a melee character, which forces you to stick your head into the wolf’s mouth, so to speak. If you go this route, land a few attacks, and then dodge around Unknown Alpha. Try to stay to the side or behind him.
One Unknown down, two to go.
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