Metal Gear Rising Walkthrough Part 35 – R-07: Assassination Attempt (Armstrong Battle)

Metal Gear Rising Walkthrough Part 35 – R-07: Assassination Attempt (Armstrong Battle)

The final battle. This is broken into 3 Phrases. The change over from some of them is different from the usual sort so be ready.

Armstrong Phase 1
Just do your best here. It is not an easy phase to get through and there is not a whole ton Raiden can do aside from Parry, Block and aggressively attack. Just be sure that you work quickly to move forward to the next stage of the fight.

Attacks:
Dash: This can lead to 1 of 3 attacks. He will attacks with a 2 punch combo, a kick or a grab. The attacks can be parried but timing is very important. Use it too soon and Raiden can get hit by the grab. Just pummel him with your attacks to do what little damage you can.

Combos: Armstrong will lash out with 1 of 3 combos: Single Punches, kicks, or a punch combo. These can all be dodge or parried

Grab: Armstrong will glow gold, an unblockable attack, and come at Raiden. Simply run and dodge your way around this one.

Hammer Punch: Armstrong will charge up for a moment then come at Raiden with a Ground Pound. This can be dodged or parried

Explosive Aura: Armstrong charges a moment and unleashes an explosive burst. He enters a powered up phase before this attack, so more so than usual, avoid his attacks.

Armstrong Phase 2:
This is more a narrative section than a full on fight. It will end under a few conditions: After 1:30 to 2:00 of fight time, when Raiden runs out of Health (including Repair Nanopaste), after taking a blow after dodging successfully for 1:30 (no blocking). From there just go through the prompts onto the next cutscene. His attacks now has splash damage, damage that will carry over even if the attack is successfully blocked. Do note that Raiden's health cannot drop below 1% unless he takes a blow directly and not from the splash damage.

Armstrong Phase 3:
The final phase of the battle. He gets new attacks just as Raiden gets a new blade. However, he will still favor a Ground Pound attack to come at Raiden. Armstrong has a massive Lifebar but you can do something about it now. He also gains a disarming attack which works automatically. Watch for the focus period to know it is coming .Whenever this happens immediately go over to the sword and grab it with the Interact Button. Watch out for when he glows green. Immediately dodge behind him and use Blade Mode to hit his one vulnerable point.

Using Offensive Defense is one of your best moves here. This will let you hit him as he charges Raiden and attacks to attack him with those various attacks. Just be sure to back off when he is about to unleash one of his area of effect attacks. When it gets to the Projectile part be ready to either run or slice, depending on your confidence

Attacks
Ground Pound with Blazing Fist: The Ground Pound with an area of effect burst. This can be parried or dodged.

Ground Pound with Crackling Ground: Much like the attack before but the glowing crevices can do damage. Move into the safe areas but watch out for moving cervices. They have limited homing and can track down Raiden give the chance.

Ground Pound Whirlwind: Armstrong hits the ground then a whirlwind of fire surrounds him for 10 seconds. This reduces the sice of the arena, making it harder to dodge the attack itself. You may be able to Dodge through the attack or simply move behind Armstrong to avoid the brunt of the blow. Be wary as he likes to follow this with a charge attack.

Charge: Armstrong rushes forward to either grab or kick Raiden. He will break his rush at mid-point for his grab attack or simply continue forward for the kick. The kick can be blocked/parried but it is usually better to dodge.

Flame Charge: After a short focus period Armstrong dashes forward and automatically disarms Raiden. This is followed by one of 2 Interactive Sequences. Get through it and immediately retrieve the blade.

Projectile Attack: Armstrong jumps up onto the Metal Gear and starts hurling objects at Raiden for a massive 50% damage. You need to use Blade Mode and slice through at least 3 of the 4 weak points on each of the projectiles. When you get through these you have a shot to hack through at least 20% of his health. You can bypass this sequence by Ninja Running toward the Metal Gear.

Regeneration: This is a nasty thing that Armstrong can do. He will glow green and you will see a mark for Zendatsu. To get it you need to quickly move around behind him and use Blade Mode to hit the target on his back. This can prolong the battle quite some time. Be sure to hit this weak point to stun Armstrong and ensure that you can take him down more easily.

Finish:
You need to get through 2 Blade Modes strikes and then a short number of button prompts. This is followed by a final series of Blade Mode attacks. Once you make it through here the fight is over. If you fail at any point you need to go through the entire sequence again.