Defeating Essex in Marvel's Wolverine is the final objective to thwart his world-ending scheme. The confrontation pits Logan against Essex and a fully functional Sentinel, testing the culmination of Logan's journey. This guide outlines the strategies needed to overcome this demanding final boss.
Phase One
Essex initiates the fight with a series of powerful attacks, often supported by two clones. Many of his assaults can be parried to build stagger damage, while others require precise dodging. Successfully parrying or evading these attacks creates openings for counter-offensives.
Key attacks in this phase include:
- One, Two, Three: Essex summons two clones, and the trio attacks sequentially with laser-like projectiles. Dodging to the side repeatedly is the recommended evasion strategy.
- Purple Blade: Essex wields a fast, sword-like purple blade. Parrying this attack is crucial for building stagger and setting up a counter with a Special Technique.
- Yellow Blade: Following the Purple Blade attack, this strike should also be parried to create a significant damage opportunity.
- Red Floor: A ground-based power attack where a section of the floor glows red before exploding. Players must move out of the affected zone to avoid damage.
- Punch: Essex moves across the arena and delivers powerful punches with purple-glowing fists. These can be parried to increase the stagger meter.
- Slam: Often following the Punch attack, Essex slams his glowing fists into the ground, creating a small area-of-effect shockwave. While parryable, interrupting this with a Special Technique is often more effective.
- Explode: A charged area-of-effect attack where Essex draws red energy into himself before releasing it outwards. Maintaining distance is key to avoiding damage.
Players can also use the arena boundaries to their advantage by slamming Essex into them with moves like Knee Breaker, Rushing Dropkick, or Overwhelm for additional stagger damage.
Phase Two
In the second phase, Essex increases the speed of his existing attacks and introduces new moves. The core strategy of parrying and attacking to build stagger remains. The Sentinel joins the fight, adding its own set of threats.
New attacks from Essex include:
- Blade Slam: Clones appear holding purple blades, leaping to slam them into the ground. Dodging is safer than attempting a parry.
- Flying Blades: Essex leaps into the air, surrounding himself with purple blades before charging at the player. Dodging is the primary defensive maneuver.
- Trio Kick and Slam: Clones attack with kicks, followed by the real Essex. Parrying the kicks builds stagger, but the attack culminates in a forceful ground slam.
When the Sentinel is active, players must contend with its coordinated assaults and Essex's continued attacks:
- Lasers: The Sentinel fires straight-line lasers from its hands and eyes, sweeping across the arena.
- Yellow Projectiles: Five Essex clones, including the real one, launch homing yellow projectiles. Parrying these sends them back to damage the clones.
- Red Projectiles: Similar to the yellow projectiles, these cannot be parried and must be dodged.
After defeating the Essex clones in this phase, he becomes briefly vulnerable, allowing players to inflict significant damage with Special Techniques. This cycle of fighting the Sentinel and clones, then damaging Essex, repeats until the next phase.
Phase Three
The final confrontation sees Essex without the Sentinel but with one new, dangerous attack. He also recycles moves from previous phases. The fundamental approach of parrying, dodging, and wearing down his health persists.
The new attack to watch for is:
- Red Lightning: Essex summons red lightning by raising his hand. Players must watch the ground for cracking red indicators, signaling where the lightning will strike, and dodge accordingly.
Perseverance and consistent offense are key to depleting Essex's health and finally stopping him.
