A short while after dispatching the previous boss, Micolash, you'll stumble upon the true final challenge in the Nightmare of Mensis, Mergo's Wet Nurse. This can be one rough fight, as the Wet Nurse is both fast and powerful. Completing this stage will move things on to Bloodborne's final act, so be aware that the end is now well and truly in sight.
This is a rather straight forward encounter for the most part, with things becoming more complicated for a short period of time whenever 25 per cent of damage is inflicted. Your opponent will generally utilise her long knives to great effect, with a dangerous mixture of speedy combos and earth shattering jump attacks, but all are clearly telegraphed and easy to avoid after even a single attempt to learn their respective cues.
You'll begin to see purple fog being cast at 75 per cent, and this is where hunters need to start being really careful. Purple fog is cast at each 25 per cent interval, and lasts for roughly a minute before dissipating. It allows Mergo's Wet Nurse to summon clones of herself to crush you with sneak attacks from behind – the real and the fake often choreograph attacks to simultaneously strike from different directions, which certainly makes dodging more of a chore. The clone will phase in and out of existence during the purple fog's duration, making things even tougher to keep track of.
Luckily, this can be easily managed with a variety of approaches. Attempt to stay behind the Wet Nurse as long as there's no purple fog to complicate things, dashing to avoid attacks and laying into her with a two-handed weapon. Arcane buffs are extremely effective against this foe, as are poison knives (use about five in a row for the greatest effect possible). When you see her begin to cast the fog, attempt to stun her with three swift hits from your chosen trick weapon – if executed correctly, the spell is cancelled. If not, there are a few options presented to help deal with the oncoming storm.
Option 1: Lock onto Mergo's Wet Nurse so that you're constantly aware of which one is the original, and dodge counter clockwise as long as your stamina will allow. The clone will always strike from the left, so this serves to keep you out of range as long as possible. Wait it out.
Option 2: Go run a marathon. Sprint in circles around the arena until the fog stops, rendering almost all attacks too slow to hit their mark.
Be cautious when the fog is in play, and battle with courage when things are evenly matched. Victory will soon be yours, as well as 72,000 Blood Echoes and One Third of Umbilical Cord for your troubles. Three Insight are provided for discovery, and three for beating down the Wet Nurse.
Have you dried off Mergo's Wet Nurse yet? Do you have any tips to add to ours? Watch your beside manner in the comments section below.
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