Herbaon

Herbaon is a very unusual boss to deal with. Several of his attacks have cryptic triggers or mechanics, and can quickly prove punishing to an aggressive and unaware player. This guide will cover how Herbaon functions, and how to circumvent most of the obstacles Herbaon can present.

Basic Characteristics

Herbaon has standard hitstun and knockdown mechanics, so players can freely combo him outside of super armor. However, this cannot be relied on for long, as one of Herbaon's attacks can get him out of this position to counterattack.

Herbaon has full debuff immunity throughout the fight. You'll have to rely on your own buffs and pure damage output to emerge victorious.

Herbaon has movement heavily tailored to his arena. Herbaon can walk around outside of his attacks (and during some of them), but cannot jump. If he gets too far to one side of the arena (or uses certain attacks), he'll teleport to the upper platforms, prioritizing the platform further away from players. If Herbaon falls from enough of a height (be it from a player's launch, or walking off a platform), Herbaon will enter super armor on landing and not move for a few moments.

Overall, Herbaon can often get well out of harm's way through his unique behaviors. However, said behaviors are also predictable and present opportunities in their own right if you know what's happening.

Attacks

Light Explosion

If Herbaon is in hitstun for 3 consecutive seconds, he will enter super armor. Moments later, he'll emit an explosion based around himself, and fire multiple lasers near himself.

• The 3 seconds must be consecutive - if Herbaon is allowed to return to a neutral state or attack, this timer resets.
• If Herbaon is stuck in any form of hitstun animation (even if you're not currently attacking), Light Explosion's timer will advance.
• Herbaon may choose to teleport to the upper platforms after using this move.
• It's possible to play around this timer by using brief groups of attacks, then backing away to let Herbaon return to a neutral state, resetting his timer. Be ready for Herbaon to potentially launch an attack or teleport away if you try this.

Light Arrow

Herbaon will prepare his armor plates in front of him while in super armor, then fire two light projectiles in the direction he's facing in a straight line.

• Herbaon will attempt to adjust his aim toward someone until just before the first arrow is fired, but cannot change his aim once this point is reached. You can use this fact to misdirect the attack, getting him to face the wrong direction as you move behind him.
• The super armor on Light Arrow fades just before his first shot. It's possible to prevent not just the second arrow, but also the first arrow from firing... but the timing is strict. Missing the timing will mean hitting Herbaon's armor and promptly getting shot directly by the arrow.

Structure Drop

Herbaon will teleport to the upper platforms, leaving behind a gravity well for a few seconds. He will then attempt to drop two structures on targeted players, as indicated by yellow warning lights.

• Dashing horizontally can get you out of the black hole effect created by the gravity well.
• Let the structures target you (controlling their drop locations if necessary), then move aside to let them fall harmlessly.
• Any dropped structures will remain in the arena as obstacles. They can be attacked (and such attacks will let the player gain MP) and be destroyed with sufficient effort.
• Approaching Herbaon during this attack is ill-advised: Herbaon is invulnerable during Structure Drop, and getting close during this time is the trigger for another attack...

Iris Chain

If a player gets too close to Herbaon during Structure Drop, Herbaon will immediately cancel Structure Drop to use Iris Chain, which instantly damages and binds every player in place.

• "Too close" is roughly defined as going a bit past the middle point of the arena onto Herbaon's side - try to keep to the other half of the arena.
• If you are bound by Iris Chain, rapidly alternate left and right to escape the bind more quickly.
• Iris Chain cannot affect you if you're invincible at the time (e.g. performing a special active); you can punish Structure Drop teleports in this fashion, but you'll have to perform a relatively long special active in order to wait past Structure Drop's invulnerability.
• Though uncommon, Herbaon may use this move without warning, without any relation to Structure Drop.

Guardian Iris

Herbaon will gain super armor and walk in a straight line, emitting four explosions as he walks. During this time, two vertical lasers will be summoned and close in.

• Herbaon will temporarily ignore his behavior of standstills after drops if he goes off the edges of platforms while performing this move.
• Lasers summoned by Guardian Iris, as well as lasers summoned by other attacks in Herbaon's arsenal, are affected by skill delays. It is generally hazardous to delay lasers, as they can make attacks significantly more unpredictable, especially for other players in the party.
• If a laser (summoned via any attack) hits a structure created by Structure Drop, that structure will count down from 3. At the end of the countdown, the structure will explode in a small radius - try to stay away.
• The points the vertical lasers used in Guardian Iris go to depend on Herbaon's horizontal position. The gap left between the lasers, at its smallest, will roughly be placed between the spots where Herbaon performs his second and third explosions.
• Navigate toward Herbaon carefully - you need to approach him to avoid harm from the lasers, but an explosion's knockback can launch you into one of the lasers.

Quadrato Plasma

Herbaon will teleport to the center platform, and enter a stance as lasers close in from all sides. If Herbaon takes enough damage while in this stance, he'll collapse and be open to attack for several seconds. If Herbaon completes the stance, he'll become invulnerable and fire seven sets of targeted laser blasts.

• When Herbaon reaches half health, a scripted use of Quadrato Plasma will automatically occur. Should Herbaon be in hitstun when this trigger occurs, Herbaon's Light Explosion hitstun timer will continue progressing. As a result, Light Explosion will prematurely cancel Herbaon's Quadrato attempt.
• The lasers summoned while Herbaon is preparing the stance can mostly be dealt with just by being near and attacking Herbaon, though they will be harmful as Herbaon nears the transition into Quadrato Plasma.
• While in Quadrato stance, Herbaon cannot lose health. If you don't believe you have the means to break Herbaon's Quadrato stance, attack Herbaon for MP, then mana break the approaching lasers.
• Each laser blast during Quadrato Plasma features a vertical laser and a horizontal laser, plus an additional laser for each player beyond the first. Try to make alternating diagonal movements to manage these lasers. In parties, try to make predictable movements that party members can sync up with, stacking the lasers together and making them substantially easier to dodge.
• The Quadrato Plasma lasers are also susceptible to skill delays. Be careful not to provoke this, as this can desync the lasers and make dodging the rest of the Quadrato Plasma extremely difficult.

General Strategies

Several of Herbaon's behaviors can be manipulated to your advantage. Intentionally pausing your attacks can prevent Light Explosion from reaching its trigger. Letting Herbaon freely walk to the arena edge will force him to teleport back to the upper platforms; this can lead to structures being dropped. Structures can be pummeled for MP you can then utilize to attack Herbaon. Herbaon also offers you a chance to attack freely whenever he standstills after dropping off a platform - forcing him to teleport will eventually give you some safe chances to strike uncontested.

Pay attention to what your teammates are doing. Any special actives they use near lasers can disrupt the lasers' intended patterns, and you'll have to account for the changes alongside Herbaon's next moves. Your teammates' damage output and resources will be factors in whether or not Herbaon's Quadrato stance can be brought down. You'll also need to see what approach your teammates have for dodging Quadrato Plasma lasers, so you can make a plan to match your movements together with them.