The first boss you’ll encounter in Dolmen is the Dementula Boss, which is a giant insect-like alien that can really mess you up if you aren’t prepared. Thankfully, I’ve spent a lot of time experimenting with various strategies for taking down this boss, so I can give you some pointers.
Note: I’m going to call this creature “The Dementula Boss” to differentiate it from the smaller variety, which I believe are also called Dementulas.
Prep work
First off, you want to make sure you have crafted either the Zoan Fire Great Sword or the Acid Zoan Great Sword. I find the fire version deals just a tad bit more damage, but that could also be a result of the modifiers I added to the bonus slots when I was constructing it.
The reason you want a great sword for this fight is that it has a really wide arc, so as long as you position yourself properly, the adds will naturally get caught up in it even if you’re not focused on them specifically.
The Dementula Boss fight
As for the fight itself, there are a few things you should know.
First up, you want to make sure you have the boss targeted (by pressing R3 if you’re playing on PS4/PS5). Once you do, you can dodge left or right to quickly get behind it. You want to spend as much of this fight as possible behind the Dementula Boss. That way, you’ll avoid most of its attacks — especially the ranged poison spit attacks.
When the adds appear, just dodge left or right to make sure they are positioned within the arc of your blade. If you do this, you shouldn’t have to break your targeting on the Dementula Boss while still defeating the adds.
Occasionally, the Dementula Boss will start to get a glowy energy effect, as shown above. This means its energy defenses are up, and if you have the stamina to spare, you can activate Energy mode (pressing triangle on PS4/PS5). This will give you the boost you need to cut through that energy shield.
If you need to refill your Energy by using an Energy Battery, your opportunities are few and far between. The only time you’re safe to do so is when the Dementula Boss summons the adds. There will be a vibration effect radiating out from it while it’s summoning its adds, like this:
That’s when you know it’s safe to pop your Energy Battery. Just be quick about it, because you’re about to have a bunch of Dementula adds attacking you.
If you keep up this pattern, you should bring down the Dementula Boss fairly easily. If you want to see this in action, I’ve posted a video:
Once you defeat the Dementula Boss, you’ll be rewarded with the Dementular Sharp Fangs, which allow you to craft the Dementular Claws. Keep in mind, however, that the claws require three Dementular Sharp Fangs, so you’ll have to beat this boss fight three times before you can craft it (you can respawn the Dementula Boss by spending three Dolmen Fragments.
If you can beat this fight, you’ll earn the Dementulaphobia Trophy/Achievement, and if you can craft the Dementular Claws, you’ll earn the Like a Boss Trophy/Achievement.
And that’s pretty much everything you need to know about the Dementula Boss in Dolmen!
