Water Dragon's Compass

Aisha and Chung enter Denif's compass, in hopes of unsealing it as a tool for tracking the Dark El.

Up to four players will face off against Denif's manifestation in the compass. The fight takes place in a large, rectangular arena with three main heights, and platforms to help transition between them.

Basic Mechanics

Denif is not capable of walking around freely. His sole method of traversing the battlefield is teleporting next to the wall on any of the six main floors/platforms. In phase 2, he may also sometimes fail to go to any of these locations, and thus stay in the center of the arena on the ground floor. (If he is in the center, this will misplace one of his attacks, as well as his drops if he is defeated there; the game acts as if he is in the center position on the right wall.) He can teleport up to two times before not being able to move for a long period of time.

Denif has permanent super armor at all times, meaning hitstun has no influence on his attacks.

Denif makes use of a mana shield. Its durability is displayed as a bar directly below Denif's health bar. While the shield is up, Denif cannot take health damage, and Denif has debuff immunity. Avoid attacks that make use of debuffs/elements unless Denif's shield is down (and he doesn't have the phase 2 debuff immunity all Master Road bosses have). The shield's defenses are separate from Denif's defenses (i.e. it still takes considerable damage even at the start of phase 2 in Hell mode). However, after each use of an ultimate attack in phase 2, the shield's defenses are reduced alongside Denif's defenses; the defense reductions are less significant for the shield than they are for Denif himself.

Denif's mana shield will regenerate if it has remained broken for a period of time. While it is broken, in phase 2 of Hell mode, the cooldown on Denif's ultimate attack is accelerated (presumably at 2x the normal speed). The shield will have less durability each time Denif reforms it, until a minimum health cap for the shield is hit.

Many of Denif's attacks are capable of inflicting stacks of the Chilling Cold debuff. This debuff reduces players' jump speed, and can be removed by jumping. If a player receives 10 stacks of Chilling Cold, they are frozen for 5 seconds. This duration is directly reduced by the player's Water resistance. Due to this mechanic, it is recommended that you have as much Water resistance as you can (400+ is ideal) to avoid being frozen for so long that Denif hits you with an attack you could have otherwise avoided.

If you cannot obtain enough Water resistance with your equipment to be safe in this fight, consider bringing the Deep Sea Diver title. It is a Hamel title that is very easily obtained (just complete Resiam Outskirts twice), and provides 250 Water resistance. This title should easily allow you to get 400 Water resistance or more after armor elemental resistances are factored in.

Overall, the oppressive mechanics of Denif's fight, paired with the nature of several of Denif's attacks, make this an extremely dangerous dungeon. Denif is a very resilient target, and his attacks do an excellent job of fending off players. Heavy consumable use will likely be mandatory, and the fight is very punishing in Hell mode to groups that are not very powerful.

Attacks

This section will be split in two, due to the large number of attacks that Denif can only access in phase 2 of Hell mode.

Universal

Ice Chaser - Denif will spin and wave one of his hands forward, creating four homing icicles. After a few moments, these icicles will chase down the first player they find that isn't in I-frames, doing moderate damage with each hit.

• Each icicle inflicts a stack of Chilling Cold.
• Don't bother trying to outrun these icicles. These icicles last long enough and move fast enough that you could go to the opposite corner of the battlefield and still get hit by them.
• While they can't find an initial target if it's in I-frames, once a target is found, the icicles will chase that target even if they go back into a special active.
• The only consistent way to evade this move is to I-frame through the entire period the icicles are looking for a target. This requires being in invincibility for roughly 3 seconds, which may not be possible for all classes, nor consistently viable at all times. Be prepared to take hits from these icicles.

Ice Spikes - Denif will move one arm and his compass forward, and multiple bubbles will appear in front of him. These will travel short distances, angled toward the ground. On landing, they will create icicles on the ground that persist for a fair length of time. The bubbles do minimal damage on hit, while icicles do moderate damage.

• The icicles each inflict a stack of Chilling Cold, while the bubbles do not.
• The ideal place to be during this attack is right next to Denif. At worst, you will take hits from a couple of bubbles, which will do negligible damage, and you'll net a small window to attack Denif. You'll also be out of range of any icicles that form.
• Since the icicles remain, keep them in mind as you traverse the battlefield, as they will inflict hitstun if you run into them.

Bubble Pool - Denif will raise one arm and his compass into the air, and a bubble will hover over a player's head. After a few moments, it will fall straight down, doing very high damage with significant knockback. It will leave behind a pool that slows players who enter it. These pools remain on the battlefield until the fight ends, Denif transitions to phase 2, or Denif finishes an ultimate attack.

• Use horizontal movement to get out of the way. Jumping will just run you straight into the bubble.
• This bubble will track your movements exactly until it begins falling. Learning the timing of the bubble's drop will help in evading this.

Iceberg - Denif will raise one arm up towards himself, and a magic circle will appear on the ground underneath a player. After a few moments, a giant piece of ice will erupt from the ground, doing massive damage to anyone it hits. It will remain on the battlefield as a physical obstacle until destroyed, unless Denif transitions to phase 2.

• In phase 2, the damage dealt by this attack will likely be enough to instantly kill most players, unless they have a defensive buff protecting them. Keep a close eye out for this.
• In addition to the magic circle, if you're targeted, you may notice your character get physically displaced as the game tries to put the iceberg in position. Use this as an additional warning.
• Be cautious with special actives when an iceberg is being summoned: the iceberg summon will be delayed by special actives, and the magic circle won't stick around if the iceberg gets delayed. This can lead to a party member getting ambushed by an iceberg after its visual warnings are gone.
• This attack is one of the primary reasons you want to avoid being frozen when Denif begins attacking, as well as why you don't want to be stuck in a lengthy skill animation as Denif starts attacking. If you're unable to move and get targeted by this, unless a party member manages to delay the iceberg, you're almost certainly going to take severe damage.
• It usually isn't worth the effort to try and break these icebergs unless you have nothing else to do. In Hell mode, these icebergs will have several hundred million hitpoints and take a considerable amount of time to remove.

Water Vortex - Denif will quickly wave one of his arms forward. A water vortex as tall as the arena will spawn from the wall he's standing next to (or the right wall, if he's in the center) and move forward to the ends of the platforms. Anyone hit will take moderate damage and be dragged along with the vortex, causing additional harm.

• A powerful black hole effect travels behind the vortex; even if you don't initially get dragged along with the vortex due to being in a special active, you will have to run toward the wall to avoid being sucked back in. (This black hole effect doesn't exist at all in front of the vortex, so you can walk away safely if you're on the outside.)
• The water vortex will drag you through obstacles. If there's an iceberg in the way, the vortex will drag you past it without incident. If there's an ice spike in the way, however, you will take the hit from it. Keep an eye on what's in front of you to gauge how much harm you might take from the attack.
• Be wary of this attack if you can't see Denif, as it's easy to blunder into it while trying to close distance.

Waterfall Pendant - Denif will point forward, and send his compass out. His compass will spawn directly above a player, and begin following them. If it horizontally aligns with a player enough times, it will begin spraying downwards an endless stream of water that hits once every second, inflicts a stack of Chilling Cold, and burns 50 MP on hit. From this point forward, each time it horizontally aligns with a player, there's a chance the pendant will flicker. After the pendant flickers 3 times, it will disappear and return to Denif. The pendant will return early if Denif transitions to phase 2, or Denif begins an ultimate attack.

• This waterfall can't hit frozen targets, but will almost certainly hit you the instant you thaw out.
• This attack has no set duration.
• The pendant is affected by skill delays. You can chain together special actives with allies in attempts to stall the pendant if necessary.
• This pendant will slowly follow the closest player horizontally, and usually (but not always) attempts to lower itself to match that player's height. Attempt to lead it away from Denif and other players, and try to stay at lower levels to make an opening to maneuver over it. If you can't do so, move towards the waterfall as quickly as possible to take a single hit and get past it again.
• The pendant is difficult to notice, but also doesn't begin the waterfall until it aligns with players enough times. Sharp-eyed players can use this fact to stall the pendant before it becomes more threatening.
• Like with the iceberg summon, the pendant's placement will physically displace its target. This is a helpful warning given the small size of the pendant.

Phase 2 only

Aqua Injection - a warning will be given to all players, and each player will be surrounded by water. During this time, if a player is frozen, the water will instantly kill that player.

• Denif doesn't perform attacks by himself while this is active. Your only concern should be avoiding being frozen by lasting hazards like Ice Spikes and the Waterfall Pendant.

Ice Growth - Denif will grasp his compass in one hand. A magic circle will appear around each ice spike on the battlefield. After a few moments, an iceberg will erupt from that location, replacing the spike and dealing massive damage to anyone nearby.

• As with the iceberg, take maximum caution around this move, as the damage it does in Hell mode will likely one-shot you.
• Like with the ice spike attack, just being next to Denif will keep you out of range of the icebergs.

Mountain Blast - Denif is only allowed to use this attack if there are multiple icebergs on the field (believed to be 3 or more). If this condition is met, Denif may hold his compass forward with both hands, and a magic circle will appear around the tip of each iceberg. Shortly after, icebergs will explode in sequence, grouped by the time they were created, sending deadly ice chunks into the air at upward angles.

• Getting hit by this is as lethal as being hit by an iceberg summon. Exercise maximum caution if Denif recently put multiple icebergs on the field.
• The iceberg explosions are very localized, and all of the ice chunks fly at upward angles. You will be safe from this attack if you are below, or on the same height as, every iceberg. Standing to the side of the icebergs tends to be the most stable option.

Wave of the Water Dragon - Denif will teleport into the air in the center of the arena, and create an ice platform. After a few seconds, icy winds will cover the arena, killing any player not standing on the ice platform. Denif will then summon three waves of icicles that will drop down, dealing lethal damage to anyone they hit. There are 8 possible icicle positions; 7 of them will have an icicle during each wave. Denif will enter a fatigue state (and the winds/ice platform will disappear) after all three icicle waves drop.

• Each icicle wave has a different delay before the ice falls. The third wave falls faster than the first, and the second wave has the shortest delay of all. Save Hyper Acceleration for the second wave if you need the speed boost.
• The possible safespot for each wave depends on how each wave spawns. If the wave forms from left to right, the safespot will be one of the two rightmost positions. If the wave forms from right to left, the safespot will be on the left. If the wave forms evenly from both sides, one of the center four positions will be safe.
• Ensure that you do not go too fast and run off the platform: even though no wind graphics exist there, the winds will still kill you. Avoid gaining too much height while on the platform as well, or the winds above Denif will kill you.
• Denif is invincible during this attack, but his shield is not. If you have the time to attack, moves with three-dimensional reach and homing attacks can damage Denif's shield.

Strategies and Notes

Attack in reaction to Denif's moves whenever you can. This is primarily to ensure you do not get stuck in a long special active when Denif performs a devastating attack like Iceberg when you wouldn't be able to move. Do your best to avoid getting frozen while Denif is transitioning to another attack for the same reason.

This battle is made considerably easier with at least two players. Allies should do everything in their power to lure bubble pools away from other party members, and lure the waterfall compass away from Denif so the other players can attack Denif without worry. Denif's Ice Chasers will also tend to prioritize closer targets, meaning those baiting other attacks usually won't have to worry about them.

Regardless, do your best to keep your HP high whenever possible. It's very easy for damage to chain together from Denif's attacks. Examples include getting frozen by Ice Chasers only to be hit by a waterfall as soon as you thaw out, or getting dragged by a Water Vortex into several ice spikes.

In phase 1, your main objective is to break Denif's shield, then quickly deplete his health before he has a chance to regenerate it. This changes in phase 2 of Hell mode, however, due to his ultimate attack. A common strategy is to avoid breaking Denif's shield until he is near or casting his ultimate attack. If Denif's shield is broken before the ultimate, he will usually end up spending a good portion of his vulnerability invincible while casting his ultimate move, and the shield can end up respawning to protect Denif during his fatigue state. This is a disastrous situation, since the party wouldn't be able to take advantage of Denif's defenseless state, and the mana shield would protect Denif from debuffs. Try to manage Denif's shield health in Hell mode as best you can.

A sample solo battle against Denif in Hell mode (reminder: soloing this fight isn't a fun idea) can be found here. Feel free to turn captions off, as they're just there to express my opinion on the fight.