As the young witch Cereza journeys through Avalon Forest, she will encounter several powerful bosses guarding Elemental Cores that she needs to collect. The first of those bosses is Fomhorach, the Stalwart Guardian, a powerful Faerie creature accompanied by its loyal minions. Fomhorach is encountered at the end of Chapter 3 of Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon.
Cereza and Cheshire must work together to take on this foe, who is the first major boss in the game and the first enemy to feature a health bar. This guide will feature useful tips and tricks to help the future Bayonetta and her adorable plushie companion defeat Fomhorach for good!
Thorns Will Get You Out of a Bind
Fomhorach is a physical attacker who wields a club and uses a shield to protect its front from attacks. Thus, simply attacking from the front will not work, as the boss will block all attempts. Instead, use Cereza’s Thorn Bind skill to temporarily freeze Fomhorach in place. This will allow you to send Cheshire, in his more powerful Unleashed Mode, to attack its vulnerable back and sides and chip away at its health bar while your foe cannot move.
Make a Move on the Minions
Other than its shield, Fomhorach’s major gimmick is the two devoted minions it will summon. These minions are both smaller and have less health than the boss; however, that does not mean you should simply write them off. One uses melee attacks and the other focuses on ranged attacks. Both are quite dangerous to Cereza and Cheshire, but it is generally recommended that you target the ranged attacker first.
Lure the minions away from Fomhorach so that you can concentrate on them without worrying about the boss’s powerful attacks. Then, have Cheshire attack them until both are defeated. Cereza should play a support role here, making sure that both characters stay healthy and potentially chipping in with a Thorn Bind if necessary. Once the minions are gone, you can turn your focus again to Fomhorach. He does have the ability to summon more faerie minions as the fight goes on, so prioritize defeating him quickly after handling the initial two.
Have a Blast!
Because Fomhorach is the game’s earliest major boss, Cereza and Cheshire will likely not be particularly powerful when you face it. Although Cereza will have magic she can use and Cheshire will have learned at least one damaging attack, you might want to bring some items with you as well. Particularly useful is the Blast Cocktail, which can temporarily stun Fomhorach and its minions, giving Cheshire time to attack or Cereza time to recharge spells such as Thorn Bind.
Blast Cocktails can be found in chests or crafted at Sanctuaries. The recipe for the Blast Cocktail is found in a red chest in Chapter 2 of the game. To craft one Blast Cocktail, Cereza will need 10 Mandragora Root and 30 Baked Gecko. These items can be dropped by defeated enemies, found inside chests, or foraged from plants and bushes when exploring the forest. Cereza can throw Blast Cocktails in battle by holding down the D-pad while aiming at a nearby enemy.
Cap It Off With a Cheshire Chomp
Once Fomhorach has reached about one quarter of his original health bar, he will lose his resistance to Cheshire’s Chomp! attack. When this happens, Cereza can command her companion to perform this powerful attack, which will quite literally gobble Fomhorach up. It is likely that this single Chomp! attack will remove the rest of Fomhorach’s health, bringing the battle to an end.
Fomhorach Guards Valuable Rewards
After defeating Fomhorach, you will be able to claim the treasure he was guarding: the Wood Core. The Wood Core allows Cereza to absorb various plants to charge her magic and Cheshire to transform into Wood Cheshire. While in Wood form, Cheshire can attack multiple enemies at once with vines and use his tongue to pull on items while exploring. Wood Cheshire’s attacks are also capable of removing Fomhorach’s shield – so don’t worry when you start to see this once-formidable boss start to appear as a recurring enemy deeper in the forest!
There are plenty of tricky bosses and other fights awaiting Cereza and Cheshire as they explore the forest, so make sure to check out GameLuster’s other guides for Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon, which is currently available for the Nintendo Switch.
What did you think of the boss battle against Fomhorach in Bayonetta Origins? Do you have any tips or tricks that you think should be added to this guide? Comment below and let us know!
