Quick Links
Looking to conquer the floor guardian of the 170th floor inPersona 3 Reload? This comprehensive guide provides strategic insights for defeating the Cruel Greatsword alongside its slithering minions, the Serpents of Absurdity.
Learn about their affinities, weaknesses, and key attacks to formulate a winning battle plan. Discover the importance of understanding their skills, utilizing Mitsuru’s Ice skills to your advantage, and maximizing damage output with Ken’s abilities. Equip yourself with essential gems and items, and master the sequence of moves to emerge victorious. Dive into this guide to navigate the challenges and emerge triumphant in this decisive Tartarus battle.
Cruel Greatsword Affinity Chart And Skills
The Cruel Greatsword is a glass cannon that would fall over instantly if not for its two manipulative minions.
Affinities and Weaknesses
Attacks and Skills
Increases the attack of both bosses for 3 turns
Charge
Cruel Greatsword will charge up for one turn, making its next attack deal more than double the damage it normally would
Neuro Slash
This attack does medium Slash damage, hits your entire party, and has a medium chance to Confuse any foe hit
Tempest Slash
A single-target Slash attack that does low damage but hits multiple times
Fatal End
A single-target Slash attack that does medium damage with a medium chance to Fear on hit
The Cruel Greatsword has onlyone weakness in Light damage, but it nullifies both Dark and Slash damage.
The floor guardian is designed to do three things:
While the Cruel Greatsword is a floor guardian, it hasless healththan many of the floor guardians before it. It will rely on its high attack to take your party down.
Serpent Of Absurdity Affinity Chart And Skills
The two Serpents of Absurdity will throw out status ailments left and right while also draining your resources in hopes of turning the fight into chaos for your team.
Spirit Drain
Deals a low amount of Almighty damage, but drains ~100 SP from the targeted team member
This deals medium Fire damage to all team members
Marin Karin
A single target skill that has a high chance of inflicting Charm on the party
Poisma
This is a single-target skill with a high chance of inflicting Poison on its target
The Serpents of Absurdity are onlyweak to Ice damage, while they also bothheal when hit with Fire damage.
These two have Spirit Drain, which will drain 100 SP. This will make you play with a famine of resources if the fight is prolonged.
This strategy is meant tomake the fight last a minimal amount of turnsto best avoid this.
Their main two skills areMarin Karin and Poisma. Both of them inflict different status effects: Charm and Poison. Since the fight should only last a few turns, the Poison should not affect your team much.
Every few rounds, the Serpents of Absurdity will also useMaragion. They do not have very high offensive stats, so they won’t do much damage and are meant to only apply crowd control.
Cruel Greatsword Battle Guide
The trio of the Cruel Greatsword and its two Serpents of Absurdity are on the170th floorof Tartarus. The recommended level for this fight is around level 54.
The positive and negative affinities of these enemies do not overlap, so you canuse multi-target versions of their elemental weaknesseswhen fighting them without any issues.
All three enemies have multiple ways of disrupting the party by either immobilizing them or otherwise wasting their turn. Come stocked withBaisudi Gems, Patra Gems, Amrita Gems, and Amrita Sodafor this fight.
Unlike the Cruel Greatsword, the Serpents of Absurdity do very little damage when not attempting to use debuffs. The Serpents of Absurdity also have very little health, sothe team should prioritize defeating the two serpents firstbefore moving on to the Cruel Greatsword.
Yukari Will Cure The Team
You will need someone who can get rid of all those pesky status ailments, so bring Yukari along.
Have her useMe Patra or Amrita Drop,depending on which is needed each turn; the fight shouldn’t last too long, so healing shouldn’t be necessary, but useMediaramaif need be. Otherwise, you should opt to use herMagarulasince it does decent damage to all enemies.
Bring Mitsuru To Shred The Serpents Apart
Mitsuru’s Penthesilea is an extremely strong Ice Persona. She is going to be able to almost take care of the Serpents of Absurdity all by herself with the access she has to skills likeBufudyne, Mabufula, Freeze Boost, and Ice Boost.
The two Serpents of Absurdity do use Maragion, which Mitsuru is weak to, so make sure to equip her withAnorak Parka or the Flame Charm.
On her turn, you can use her Theurgy if it is available to lay into one of the serpents. Otherwise,use Mabufula each turnto damage all three enemies and downing the two Serpents of Absurdity. Switch over to Ken for a follow-up Light attack for anAll-Out attack every round.
If all three enemies are alive, you can use your Ice skills in a specific order to get an extra attack off and maximize your damage for this fight:
Ken Is The Cruel Greatsword Counter
With Ken’s access toMakouga and Kougaon, the Cruel Greatsword won’t live much more than a few turns.
On Ken’s turns, use Makouga if multiple enemies are alive. Otherwise, use Kougaon on the Cruel Greatsword.Utilize the steps in the Mitsuru section - but in reverse- to maximize the damage and get a second All-Out attack in the turn.
The Protagonist Will Mirror Ken
With the current team setup, the Serpents of Absurdity should be dead before the first round has come to an end., This will leave only the Cruel Greatsword alive, so bring along aPersona that can cast Light skillsto bring this fight to a swift end before it has a chance to swing.
For this fight, use theJustice Arcana Persona, Dominion. It has the passive skillLight Boostand two powerful light moves.
Dominion innately knowsMakouga, which you’re able to use if all three enemies are alive, following the same steps you would takeas Ken. It also learnsKougaonat level 47; use this skill when only the Cruel Greatsword is alive.
Dominion can be found at level 42 in the second half of the Tziah Block of Tartarus, floors 145 - 171.
