Why on earth does the 1st boss have so much health?

[Facethief]

Like seriously, 500hp? That’s 100 hits with a good weapon. Is there any way to reduce it to something more reasonable?

[LadyWYT]

Well...it is a boss fight...a boss fight where the boss is:

Spoiler

A giant metal monstrosity that's easily thrice the size of the player, and many times stronger.

 

22 minutes ago, Facethief said:

Is there any way to reduce it to something more reasonable?

Unfortunately I'm not aware of any mods that reduce boss HP, though there does seem to be at least one that gives bosses more health. So for the modded route, you'd probably have to create your own mod to tweak the value, which should be fairly easy since it's not a big change. Alternatively, you could also just crank up your damage for the fight, then turn damage back to normal when you're done(although this will require a couple of world reloads).

I will note though, that the boss fight itself(at least, the first one), doesn't actually take that long--a couple of minutes or so. It does, however, feel like quite a long time, since there's quite a lot happening, and standard fights are significantly shorter in comparison.

Of course, you could always play Blackguard, assuming you're not already.  However, while that might give you an easier time on the first boss, you're probably in for a rough time later...

[Facethief]

What I’ve ended up doing is just going to creative and whaling on the thing. But seriously, it feels like fighting an mmo boss on my own, especially with how there’s no way to run off to recoup- once you’re in the pit, you’re in the pit- and you can’t even get far enough away to properly catch your breath (which I feel is important game design). If the boss had maybe 30 hits of health, I might be convinced that it’s possible, but the way it is it feels like walking out of your front door just to get hit with a fire hose- the difficulty spike is just ridiculous.

[Facethief]

Also, as an immobile enemy in a game where mobility is a major debuff for strong armor and most threats can be fled from, it really feels out of place.

[LadyWYT]

1 minute ago, Facethief said:

especially with how there’s no way to run off to recoup- once you’re in the pit, you’re in the pit- and you can’t even get far enough away to properly catch your breath (which I feel is important game design).

You can, it's just tough. The best way to get a respite is:

Spoiler

You can stay behind one of the pillars, or otherwise move behind the rubble pile the boss is pinned under to have some cover from attack while you bandage yourself up. I will note that doing this will prompt the boss to do his groundslam attack, so you'll want to jump right before he slams the ground in order to avoid getting launched. You don't need to worry about jumping interrupting the bandaging process, as the devs reverted that change.

Once the boss has reached low enough health, he'll start spawning locusts, at which point healing isn't really viable and it's a race against time to kill the boss before he kills you. If you're a Blackguard, it's a little easier given the health boost, and the melee damage boost means Blackguard can oneshot locusts.

Regarding armor and healing items, you want something protective, that also still allows a decent bandage time...so probably not full plate, unless you are playing with friends. Bandages like alcohol bandages, or honey poultice, are preferred since the higher healing offered will actually be worth it in relation to the bandage time. Horsetail poultices will no longer do here, since the you'll end up getting hurt faster than you can heal yourself.

 

5 minutes ago, Facethief said:

Also, as an immobile enemy in a game where mobility is a major debuff for strong armor and most threats can be fled from, it really feels out of place.

For this boss, you don't actually need mobility. The arena is small, and most of his attacks are easily blocked or dodged. However, plate armor is a poor choice unless you're playing with friends, since the bandage timer penalty for that armor is rather steep. With the recent changes to healing, it's important to make sure that incoming healing is worth the time it takes to bandage.

[Maelstrom]

Be sure to come prepared. 

One preparation is to learn from your mistakes.  Use that frustration to figure out something different.  You're the hero in this story, do you want that story to be Rey Skywalker who somehow magically can out force Darth Vader wanna be who spent years training in the force?   The heroes we like hearing stories about struggle and fail before they succeed.   Living those stories is even more satisfying.

[Facethief]

9 minutes ago, LadyWYT said:

For this boss, you don't actually need mobility. The arena is small, and most of his attacks are easily blocked or dodged. However, plate armor is a poor choice unless you're playing with friends, since the bandage timer penalty for that armor is rather steep. With the recent changes to healing, it's important to make sure that incoming healing is worth the time it takes to bandage.

That’s my point; if you’re encouraged to run from threats to the point that not being able to do so is the price you pay to take another hit, a boss where running is a completely non-option requires finding an entirely different approach to combat, to the point where the game doesn’t even feel the same.

Edited November 17, 2025 by Facethief
Adding conclusion to point.

[LadyWYT]

14 minutes ago, Facethief said:

That’s my point; if you’re encouraged to run from threats to the point that not being able to do so is the price you pay to take another hit, a boss where running is a completely non-option requires finding an entirely different approach to combat, to the point where the game doesn’t even feel the same.

Well like Maelstrom said:

21 minutes ago, Maelstrom said:

Be sure to come prepared.

Unless the boss is optional, it's generally not possible to actually run away from said boss. The most running will do is buy the player a bit of time to heal and/or think up a new plan. The current boss design allows this; to further illustrate my point from my previous post, I was in dire straits when doing the fight with my friend a couple of days ago, but with some careful maneuvering was able to step back and buy myself enough time to heal before jumping back into battle(Blackguard, steel brigandine, alcohol bandages). It took a minute for me to catch my second wind, and the situation was dicey, but it was certainly doable.

Likewise, I will note that the set design for this boss makes it quite clear that once you jump down that hole, there's no getting back out unless you either kill the boss, or he kills you.

Of course, I will also note that generally, trying to run away mid-combat generally leaves one open to attack. This is why in TTRPGs, enemies will oftentimes get opportunities of attack if you are moving within their zone of control and they have the means to attack you. It's a similar case with the first boss in VS--his zone of control covers the entire room, so as long as you're within his space and he's still alive, he'll be able to attack you. If he were only limited to melee attacks, he wouldn't be a threat at all, since the player could just stand at a distance and shoot him to death. Likewise, if the player could just run out of the room, heal back to full, and jump back in to keep fighting(without the boss resetting), he wouldn't be a threat either.

[Facethief]

But my point is that there’s no precedent for the fight to be like that. The bell fight offers a more appropriate test of the player’s combat skills from the rest of the game, and that thing’s literally just a living microphone.

[LadyWYT]

7 minutes ago, Facethief said:

But my point is that there’s no precedent for the fight to be like that

I mean...I would say the opposite. Vintage Story is pretty good at killing players, and while it does give players a fair chance it's pretty unforgiving of mistakes. The first boss fight is no exception, and will push the player to their limits. I would also say that higher difficulty for certain points of the story is also appropriate, since those particular plot points are meant to be unusual circumstances, and not something the player encounters regularly.

 

11 minutes ago, Facethief said:

The bell fight offers a more appropriate test of the player’s combat skills from the rest of the game, and that thing’s literally just a living microphone.

On the contrary, I would say bears are a more appropriate initial test, since bells are an outlier from every other common enemy(at the time of this writing). Bells have a lot of hitpoints, yes, but have zero attack and instead summon monsters to attack for them. A player who has never dealt with a bell before may end up panicking and attacking the monsters who are hurting them first, instead of dealing with the bell first like they should.

[hstone32]

Does the clockmaker damage bonus apply to that boss? Didn't feel to me like it took an exessive number of hits.

[DejFidOFF]

9 hours ago, Facethief said:

Like seriously, 500hp? That’s 100 hits with a good weapon. Is there any way to reduce it to something more reasonable?

I don´t understand. It´s a boss, bosses have a lots of HP. Bosses are supposed to be hard to kill.. You want to kill him with 5 beds or something?

[Thorfinn]

I agree with you, @Facethief. I've never thought the boss thing made sense in terms of gameplay. Doom was OK, up until the Cyberdemon, Doom ][ was just silly. Though we are apparently the only people in the world who think "boss" challenges should have something to do with the combat loops so far experienced. 50% stronger, 100%, OK, Once you get to 1000%, it doesn't have much to do with the combat you drilled on, it's almost completely your ability to dodge. OTOH, that IS the combat strategy I drilled on, so...

In answer to your question, open .\assets\survival\entities\land\eidolon-immobilized.json, scroll down to the line 

			{ code: "health", currenthealth: 500, maxhealth: 500 },

and set those to whatever values you think they should be. 

Turn it into a mod or not. Your choice. You are not the first to ask, FWIW.

[falco_lombardi]

11 hours ago, Thorfinn said:

I agree with you, @Facethief. I've never thought the boss thing made sense in terms of gameplay. Doom was OK, up until the Cyberdemon, Doom ][ was just silly. Though we are apparently the only people in the world who think "boss" challenges should have something to do with the combat loops so far experienced. 50% stronger, 100%, OK, Once you get to 1000%, it doesn't have much to do with the combat you drilled on, it's almost completely your ability to dodge. OTOH, that IS the combat strategy I drilled on, so...

In answer to your question, open .\assets\survival\entities\land\eidolon-immobilized.json, scroll down to the line 

			{ code: "health", currenthealth: 500, maxhealth: 500 },

and set those to whatever values you think they should be. 

Turn it into a mod or not. Your choice. You are not the first to ask, FWIW.

I agree with you. In the Old Times boss battles were the skill check to ensure you perfected the new gameplay elements introduced in the level. This is a different kind of game though and while it isn't "fun" or "good design", I suppose it should be expected in Vintage Story.

[Bruno Willis]

3 hours ago, falco_lombardi said:

This is a different kind of game though and while it isn't "fun" or "good design", I suppose it should be expected in Vintage Story.

No need to be mean! But this is a sticking point for me about the first story location in general - it feels like you're asked to play by different rules than the ones you've prepared for in the rest of the game, but it isn't to train you for how it's going to be going forward. Still, there are ways to deal with that horrible metal frog, and while that fight is not the most enjoyable, it is scary. 

[LadyWYT]

23 minutes ago, Bruno Willis said:

But this is a sticking point for me about the first story location in general - it feels like you're asked to play by different rules than the ones you've prepared for in the rest of the game, but it isn't to train you for how it's going to be going forward.

I'd actually argue the opposite--the player should have mastered enough basic gameplay concepts by the time they reach this location, that they can figure out how to complete it. A few deaths are to be expected if the player has never done the location before, however, stiff penalties for mistakes and rewarding careful planning ahead/thinking on one's feet are integral to most every aspect of VS gameplay. The tin-bronze pickaxe requirement for starting the quest ensures the player can meet the minimum safe equipment level to complete the Resonance Archive. Likewise, the high tier common enemies placed in certain parts of the location serve to test the player's capabilities long before they reach the boss room itself. If the player is getting chewed up too much by those enemies, they'll probably take a hint and get better equipment, or more healing supplies, before they venture much further. On the flip side, if the player is handling those enemies with relative ease, then they'll probably be able to handle the boss just fine with their current equipment.

I would also say that the boss fight itself is what gives the player an idea of what to expect out of boss fights going forward. That is, bosses are going to be very tough enemies, that have options unavailable to common enemies, and said bosses are located in areas that will be difficult to escape from should the fight turn against the player. They aren't something to take lightly at all.

[Thorfinn]

22 minutes ago, LadyWYT said:

I'd actually argue the opposite--the player should have mastered enough basic gameplay concepts by the time they reach this location, that they can figure out how to complete it.

Dunno. You can reach RA with absolutely zero combat. I often do anymore. Between permadeath and no map, TGs are next to useless. Jonas parts are too random to even hope to assemble a single tech, let alone one useful to your playstyle. Bears and wolves you can pretty much always evade, and even if you do a lot of spelunking, being quick  and decent at parkour means you rarely even have to take a swing at a rustie, let alone kill him. Rabbits and fish and chickens, single spear "foes", provide more than enough protein. Deer and goats get you leather, assuming you care -- if you don't loot the RA, why do you need more than sacks?

There's just no point to ever bothering with fighting unless you choose to.

[LadyWYT]

1 minute ago, Thorfinn said:

Dunno. You can reach RA with absolutely zero combat. I often do anymore. Between permadeath and no map, TGs are next to useless. Jonas parts are too random to even hope to assemble a single tech, let alone one useful to your playstyle. Bears and wolves you can pretty much always evade, and even if you do a lot of spelunking, being quick  and decent at parkour means you rarely even have to take a swing at a rustie, let alone kill him. Rabbits and fish and chickens, single spear "foes", provide more than enough protein. Deer and goats get you leather, assuming you care -- if you don't loot the RA, why do you need more than sacks?

There's just no point to ever bothering with fighting unless you choose to.

Right, but I think it's highly unlikely that a newer player is going to get anywhere near the Archive and associated boss fight without figuring out some combat basics first. I mean, unless they just set all the hostiles to passive/neutral, that is. 

In regards to loot, I'd wager that a good chunk of players, at least, like to bring home some mementos of their adventures to decorate with.

[Bruno Willis]

6 minutes ago, Thorfinn said:

There's just no point to ever bothering with fighting unless you choose to.

This is key. You can learn to avoid all the fights you don't think you can win, but when you come to the boss, it's all over. Your strategy fails. If they kept the ability to get thrown into those upper chambers though, that'd give the combat adverse playstyle options in the boss combat. 

[Thorfinn]

1 minute ago, LadyWYT said:

Right, but I think it's highly unlikely that a newer player is going to get anywhere near the Archive and associated boss fight without figuring out some combat basics first. I mean, unless they just set all the hostiles to passive/neutral, that is. 

While true, as explained above, n00bs learn strategies useless for the boss battle. Things like digging pits and jumping into deep water and running backwards in a circle while stabbing with a spear, and missiles from far enough away that you don't activate their AI. Including running away.

[Stralgaez]

17 hours ago, DejFidOFF said:

I don´t understand. It´s a boss, bosses have a lots of HP. Bosses are supposed to be hard to kill.. You want to kill him with 5 beds or something?

Why not? If you can be creative enough to kill a boss with 5 beds (through whatever means, gravity or otherwise), then they should be rewarded for their unusual approach. 

Same reason you could set up a whole room up full of explosive barrels in BG3 and have the boss have their dramatic entrance - Only to be flinged into a combined explosion of 20 smokepowder barrels. 

[Maelstrom]

*wanders through the thread whistling*

 

*mutters something about uncompromising and survival*

 

 

*wanders on over to another thread, whistling all the while*

[Professor Dragon]

Professor Dragon's First Boss Fight

I've actually just done the Boss fight in the Resonance Archives for the first time, so this is fresh in my head.

Why Tackle the Resonance Archive
I chose to do the Story for these reasons:

Spoiler

• The Elk reward.
  It really was all about the Elk
• Being able to hold my head up in these Forums
• The Story
• The cool collectible loot to display in my base

I went in cold, but did spend far, far longer than most players doing other things in the game, and prepared for what I anticipated to be a tough challenge.

So by contrast with the experience above, the boss fight actually felt relatively easy, and I attribute that mostly to the gear that I took.
I would call it a "satisfying" encounter. And the general boss concept I feel is great. You can't help but think "I'd be in so much more trouble if this thing wasn't crippled!"
I am a complete combat scaredy cat and adverse to combat in general, staying out of the caves.

Gear loadout

Spoiler

• Forlorn Hope Armour
• Silver falx
• Steel shield
• Honey Poultices
• Recurve bow
• Stack of steel arrows
• Stack of salted meat
• Copper lantern

Fight Strategy
And though I tried many different things in the fight, this method proved effective.

Spoiler

• Stand behind a pillar
• Poke out and shoot at glowing centre
• Duck back
• Jump if necessary to avoid ground slam (mistimed it, mostly)
• Heal if necessary
• Whack locusts with falx when they come around

The steel arrows were the M.V.P.  Took 64, and only 4 broke.

In the end, it seemed to be about the right length of a fight, and I was never seriously in danger.

Having said that, I was obviously overgeared. Many people do this way earlier in the story, with much lesser gear. And there is a stack of resources in the Resonance Archive itself before you get to the fight which can help.

Toughest Enemy
The enemy which actually claimed one life, to my disappointment, was one of these two, because by contrast with the boss, I knew these were coming:

Spoiler

Sawblade locust

Partly it was overconfidence. My encounter with the first one went just fine. But then on the second one nothing connected from my end. It broke my otherwise clean run. Rusty little bugger.

Thoughts

But to your original point, yes, it is a big change of pace:

• You can't pillar, dig holes, place blocks, retreat, place bombs or effectively use a water bucket.
  These are all combat techniques a player has probably been drilled in with the different natural animals and rust monsters prior.
• There are few "alternative methods" here where you can get creative. Either face tank it and whack, or snipe.
• It is a bottle neck. You can't go around this thing. You need to defeat it.
  I understand why they've done this. I'm not sure how I feel about it.
• The health pool is enormous. But not hugely so for what it is.

I like Thorfinn's suggestion, as a practical measure.

I'm not sure how I'd change this boss battle, if at all. There are some issues, but I'm not sure how to address them.

The Real Challenge and a Suggestion

My actual biggest "enemy" in the Resonance Archive, which easily consumed 10 times more time, food and coal than the rest combined was:

Spoiler

Clearing the Library of a complete set of books, and hauling the nice collectibles to the surface.

SUGGESTION

No, seriously. That crane needs to start working as a service elevator to haul trunks up.

And the lights need to stay on a lot longer for the searching.

Thanks for reading,
Professor Dragon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 18, 2025 by Professor Dragon

[Thorfinn]

Re: your suggestion, I'd vastly prefer being able to transcribe the books in your journal into books you make when you get home. Gives you a reason to make them, and you can create various color schemes to show off your lore collection. Also gives a point to making the effort to find the last few books, whether through exploring ruins, panning bony soil, visiting traders, whatever. (Yes, I think you should be able to make book versions of the various tapestries, too.)

Something like that I could see spending some time after finishing the story to create. I think it would be worth it to create a visually stunning library. 

[Bumber]

4 hours ago, LadyWYT said:

Likewise, the high tier common enemies placed in certain parts of the location serve to test the player's capabilities long before they reach the boss room itself. If the player is getting chewed up too much by those enemies, they'll probably take a hint and get better equipment, or more healing supplies, before they venture much further. On the flip side, if the player is handling those enemies with relative ease, then they'll probably be able to handle the boss just fine with their current equipment.

You don't have to kill any sawblade locusts to reach the boss room. Considering they actually deal more damage than the boss, the smart thing to do is run. (I locked one in a room and tried to cheese it using the door, and still got killed from a careless mistake. Really ought to wear iron for those.) Eidolon deals less damage, but is harder to dodge, and then starts summoning minions in case you thought you could fight extra carefully.

Edited November 19, 2025 by Bumber