Shark is the first big boss of the game and is difficult to defeat. In this guide I will explain in detail how to beat Shark in TRIBE NINE and strategies.
Shark Boss Fight
Tribe Nine has this interesting mechanics where you’ll see where other players have died. Some cases are weird since is against a random mob, and others understandable since is a tough enemy guarding a chest.
Then there’s the shark.
Boss locations will most likely be as piled as this, maybe even more. But since Tribe Nine came out a few weeks at the time of writing this, a lot of players are having a rough day with this big feesh.
The Team
First of all, I am playing with the same team the moment I got these characters together. So there might be better alternatives (I struggle building Tension most of the time). But I am just gonna give you two key aspects to have ready for the fight.
Koishi is given for free at the beginning of the game, and is the healer of your team. Sure the heal meter is very slow, but given that provides and almost full heal to the entire party it will save you from several clutches. Be aware that the CPU won’t heal you the moment you are at low health, so you still need to pay attention for incoming attacks until his skill activates.
Yutaka is a long range attacker that only needs to keep firing big beams as the enemy often goes towards your teammates. THIS PART IS IMPORTANT, as allows you to keep damage going while your party tanks attacks and/or distracts the boss. Make sure your partner(s) are tanky enough however, and be aware that the shark will still go towards you every now and then.
You can also go with Semba for the same approach, and any other long range characters that might come out in the future.
Fighting the Shark
First of all, you can retry the fight as many times as you want by doing so through the pause menu. So if you are being decimated by this boss in one way or another, don’t hesitate as depending of your characters might not be enough to finish it off. This also counts for the rematches, which can be used to farm EXP and items.
Your main goal so to make the shark do long range attacks, as they are the easiest to avoid as well send tons of damage due their long animations. This is why I recommend Yutaka/Semba as your main DPS and player character.
Be EXTREMELY AWARE that some of the shark’s attacks will slow you down considerably. This can make evading way harder to execute, so try to have your counterattack perfectly timed.
So here’s the many attacks of the boss and how to deal with them:
The VERY first thing the shark will do is zoom towards you with its fin, while leaving ripples in the area. This will be a common attack for most the fight for the shark approach you, and aside of the very first one (Since you can rarely see it and was right after the cutscene) is easy to predict.
After this attack, or if the shark is close enough, it might deal THREE chomp attacks and ONE tail attack. Be ready to avoid them, as consecutive counters can become tricky depending of your skill. This attack becomes REALLY DANGEROUS if there’s ripples and/or follows with fin attacks, as might leave you stuck between knock out and standing animations as keeps dealing do damage.
The beam attack is the easiest to deal with. Just evade to the right, and keep the damage going for free due its long animation. Just be aware that depending of your location and the shark’s you might get cornered in a wall, but depending of the direction its aiming shouldn’t be an issue.
The bad news is that the balls are a PARTY INSTAKILL if you are in the area of explosion. The good news is that easiest attack to deal with, and the best opportunity to push tons of damage. All you have to do is to get behind a ball, as the shark will rush towards you and swallow the ball. You have plenty of window to COUNTERATTACK the moment the ball is in its mouth, knocking the shark and stunning him for several seconds. Is also the best moment to build tension.
At times the shark will start swimming in circles, spawning ripples in the floor. GO AWAY IF THE SHARK DOES THIS ATTACK WHILE YOU IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ANIMATION as might trap you and start chomping you. The ripples can be annoying as they’ll start changing spawn location, but you have enough time to relocation yourself before they completely appear.
When the shark has lost half of its health, it will start going underground as the music fades away. THIS IS ITS TOUGHEST ATTACK, as you have a very small window to evade. When you see the WARNING get ready, and if you see a circle spawning under your feet (Or nearby) for half a second DODGE. However, the shark will then follow with a splash attack, so you still have to avoid a second time.
The shark’s ultimate attack is similar to the one where swims in circles, but will create a giant whirlpool as well several big ripple spawning zones. The shark will stay hidden inside the whirlpool as throws itself towards you at maximum speed. The WARNINGs will tell you to be ready, but also your teammates will tell you the moment to dodge. Do so while also staying away from the ripples’ locations.
This boss can deal incredible damage with a few attacks, but most of his moves are easy to predict. Playing a standoffish character forces the shark to throw cannons and beams more often, so it might be a good strategy.
Tribe Nine probably has more powerful bosses and enemies in store for the future, but the player base will be more prepared and stronger with better builds. The shark is a scary first encounter for what the game has to offer, but it’s all about taking a few tries and figuring out the patterns.