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How to beat Bladesmith in Rise of the Ronin

This is where you find out if you’re ready for the rest of the game.

Paulo Kawanishi avatar
Guide by Paulo Kawanishi Contributor
Published on

Bladesmith is the second boss you face in Rise of the Ronin and this fight will put you to the test.

There are many systems and mechanics to learn in Rise of the Ronin from knowing the best combat styles for each enemy to changing character to parry enemies’ attacks. While all of this might sound overwhelming, it’s crucial to dominate the basics to move forward in the game.

The Bladesmith boss fight is basically a test and to assist you in getting approved, we’ve prepared this guide explaining how to beat the Bladesmith.

Rise of the Ronin Bladesmith boss fight strategy

At the end of The Setting Sun mission, you need to fight Bladesmith. She is faster than the first boss you fought and her combos can easily kill you in case you’re lower in health. Because this time you’re fighting solo, you can’t use the other character to attack when pressured by the boss.

Before the fight begins, try to collect all the Medicinal Pills from the enemy bodies on the ground to stock them for the duel.

Bladesmith’s move set at the beginning of the fight is fairly simple to memorize. She will constantly throw shurikens at you and use thrust attacks. The latter is by far the best moment to parry and hit her with a short combo to pressure Bladesmith. In case you are not comfortable with parrying attacks yet, try to dodge and get closer to attack her.

Be aware of when Bladesmith uses her thrust attack to parry it.

The most difficult attacks to deal with is when Bladesmith jumps and pulls her towards you using her grappling hook and her somersault move. When it comes to the first, It’s hard to see the animation to time the parry correctly, so the best approach is to just run from her once she jumps. Dodging to the sides won’t help you here.

Now, when it comes to her somersault move, dodging is one of your options. However, getting hit by it is not a problem in itself. If this happens, wait for the animation to end and get some distance from Bladesmith to heal.

When the Bladesmith jumps, she will use the glappling hook to pull her toward you
Bladesmith can use an annoying somersault to attack you

After getting below 50% of her health bar, Bladesmith starts using new attacks in addition to the ones previously mentioned. Now, she has a three-thrust attack sequence. Block the first ones and parry the last to affect her posture. She also has a frontal attack that is easy to avoid.

Enjoy the world of Rise of the Ronin!

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