Undertale - Toriel boss fight strategy and how to spare Toriel

Toriel is the first major boss of Undertale, following the completion of The Ruins area.

The following boss is designed to be played as part of a complete Pacifist guide - in short, going through the entire game without killing anything to unlock a different ending - of which bosses are some of the hardest to beat.

However you're playing, our wider Undertale walkthrough delves into other areas of the game.

5 Secrets Hidden In The Music Of Undertale

Toriel boss fight

Toriel has four attacks, although the fight is rigged so that if you're in danger of dying the attacks will avoid hitting you - the only way to lose is to deliberately run into them.

• Keep opting to Spare her - never attack - and eventually she'll give up the fight. It may take a while, but you'll eventually succeed this way.
• Her rain of fire is best avoided by staying in the middle of the box and trying to match the rhythm of its side-to-side movement.
• The twists of fire can be dodged by sticking near the middle of the box at the centre of the two swirls.

• Avoid her sweeping hand by moving to one corner then moving across the box to the other side, but pay attention to the flames as they will bounce off the edges of the box.
• For her double sweeping hand attack, stick to one side of the box and move up and down to dodge the flames.

Playing Undertale? Our complete Undertale walkthrough and Pacifist guide will explain how to finish the game while sparing everyone, covering all areas including the Ruins, Snowdin, Waterfall, Hotlands and The Core and more. You can also learn about how to unlock every Undertale ending and all Undertale Trophies, access hard mode and play the game in the most evil way possible with a Genocide run.

Once the fight is over she'll open the door - once you pass through you won't be able to return so make sure you've done everything you want to do before proceeding.

Make your way up the long passageway and you'll encounter Flowey again, then exit through the doors and say goodbye to The Ruins, and hello to the next area, Snowdin, which sees you face a new cast of characters and monsters to fight (or, since we're playing Pacifist, spare).