Reasons to Face the First Optional Boss in Berserker’s Game

In line with the trend set by many other Soulslike games, The First Berserker: Khazan kicks off with an expansive tutorial section. This area is designed to quickly familiarize players with the core mechanics of the game. By the time they confront their first significant adversary, the formidable Blade Phantom, players should have a solid understanding of key defensive strategies such as Khazan’s intricate dodge moves and the precise Brink Guard parry. However, it’s wise to resist the urge to barrel straight into the subsequent main missions after conquering the Blade Phantom.

Upon vanquishing the Blade Phantom, players unlock access to The Crevice, Khazan’s hub area. From this central location, adventurers can embark on both main and optional missions. During their initial visit, players are alerted to the availability of the game’s first optional assignment: a challenging encounter with the phantom Keshta: The Unyielding. Tackling Keshta promptly is advisable. This battle serves as a fierce test of a player’s mastery over the game’s mechanics, as Keshta presents a heightened challenge compared to the Blade Phantom.

Venturing into The First Berserker: Khazan’s optional boss battles, players will notice a pattern—Keshta: The Unyielding is more challenging than the previously defeated Blade Phantom. This design choice is not only logical in terms of the story—since Keshta is integral to enhancing the Blade Phantom’s prowess—but also cleverly disrupts player expectations. Regardless of one’s experience with the Blade Phantom, Keshta significantly ups the difficulty and pace.

While they share many abilities, Keshta is noticeably quicker, more relentless, and inflicts considerable damage on Khazan’s health and stamina, particularly if players mistime their critical Brink Guards. The Keshta encounter acts as a robust tutorial while serving as a formidable skill test, ensuring players are adept with the vital mechanics necessary for survival in this brutal world.

Some might consider bypassing Keshta to return later, hoping the battle will be easier with more experience or after prioritizing the main storyline. However, this would be a critical oversight. Moving into the next significant area of The First Berserker: Khazan presents a stark difficulty increase. Therefore, facing Keshta early serves as the perfect preparatory challenge.

Moreover, defeating Keshta grants players their first Phantom Ability—a passive bonus that enhances Khazan’s connection to the Blade Phantom and can be the key to success in various combat encounters. Missing out on Keshta’s reward, a stamina-replenishing ability, would make traversing the obstacle-laden Forgotten Temple far more arduous, especially given the daunting difficulty of the area ahead.