Returnal Phrike Boss Fight Strategy

Phrike is the first major boss you'll come across in Returnal. It's an extremely tough fight at first, but with a little bit of patience you'll be able to best them in no time. In this Returnal Phrike boss fight guide we'll take you through the best way to defeat Phrike. We'll take a look at their moveset, and give you an idea as to what equipment to aim for before taking them on.

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How to Defeat Phrike in Returnal

Phrike is the first major boss fight in Returnal. You'll nee to have all of the fundamentals locked in at this point, making sure you know how to dodge projectiles and overload your weapon. Even so, this will likely take you a few tries, given that you'll likely be unprepared for a boss fight the first time around. Let's start by taking a look at Phrike's three phases.

First Phase

Phrike's first phase involves dodging projectiles. He'll fire a circle of yellow projectiles into the air, you need to dash to their centre. Now, purple projectiles will follow. You will need to dodge these, don't worry about not doing damage at this point. Phrike will also charge up an energy beam which can be dodged using a side dash. Keep your distance until you need to move into the circle, aim for his weak spot on his head, and use your alt-fire as soon as you can each time.

Second Phase

The second phase here is largely the same as the first but with a higher frequency of attacks and a melee attack that you will need to dodge. He'll fire red projectiles that I used two dashes to get away from. The laser attack is faster here so look out for it when moving into the circle.

Third Phase

This final phase combines the first two and has a higher frequency of melee attacks. You will need to focus on dodging and shooting from the hip while moving.

Tips For Defeating Phrike

1. I recommend you try a couple of attempts before committing to the fight. You can run down the main path straight to the boss fight for each run. Trigger the fight and then learn the attack patterns.
2. If you can, go into the boss fight with level 5 Adrenaline, this will help with Overload.
3. When you feel ready to take on the boss, clear each area on the main path leading up to it. If you can, pick up either the Spitmaw Blaster or the rifle. For alt-fire, go for anything that has target homing. Basically anything except the electric charge attack is good here
4. Try to hit all of your Overloads. This will mean you can always be firing and dashing. Adrenaline helps here.
5. Spend any Obolites before the fight, focus on health items and abilities that grant bonuses on Overload.
6. Check any Parasites you come across. You only need to beat the boss once, so anything that can give you a short time bonus is key.
7. Wait until you have collected all weapon Proficiency upgrades before opening any chests. This will make sure you go into the fight with the best weapon you can get.
8. Once you beat Phrike and get the Crimson Key you won't have to fight him again unless you want to. You can run straight through to the gate to the Crimson Wastes.
9. You can dodge through projectiles, use this to move through attacks and into space.
10. Dash whenever you have an opening, you have a brief window of invulnerability and might just avoid taking damage.

Beating Phrike is as much about patience as it is how powerful you are when you meet them. Just rush through to the boss fight a few times and spend a run learning attacks and dodging. For more general help, visit our Returnal Essential Tips and Tricks page. Elsewhere there's our look at unlocking the Grapple Hook.