-Review- Fire Prelate - No Summons, No Damage, No HUD, No Magic Tricks

Fire Prelate is another unofficial boss this week but I feel it's another enemy that should have been a boss perhaps in a dungeon somewhere. Let's the get the obvious observation out of the way this enemy is inspired by Smough's design and move set from Dark Souls. I feel that addressing the new style that changes the fight is enough for a review regardless of the concept age and I feel it had potential to be greatly modernized for Elden Ring.

My strategy since I was applying a no roll restriction for a personal challenge was to pay closer attention to the behavior. Most attacks didn't have a follow up to be concerned about however a few did like the vertical power slam which is followed by an upper cut swing. Now every attack technically has a follow up attack though it can be avoided by running before the head butt initiates however the uppercut attack requires an extra bait to strike afterwards. One thing very odd about this design twist was the fire cauldron that spews and combusts which oddly adds a very interesting scenario especially when attempting to back away since it could catch you if you were not paying attention.

The second phase for some reason removes the fire from the cauldron and this may be due to the slightly more aggressive attack that's added which is the charge combustion attack which is just as brutal like it was in Dark Souls. The fire cauldron could just have a time limit but I'm not sure because I never tested that particular aspect out. This is where the arena compromises the boss unfortunately and it's a reoccurring problem in the From Software games like Ludwig, the Accursed from Bloodborne. I don't know why they never design bosses to work well on elevating platforms. The charge combustion attack actually cancels if you lead it up the stairs which would be considered a good strategy but personally I would prefer to have the excitement of having it chase me up and down the steps for the Tom & Jerry vibes I like to have in boss fights.

In conclusion I highly recommend to experience this boss in it's entirety without tools of convenience. I understand being powerful is a big appeal in these games for most players but try using a weaker weapon on this one and get a taste of traditional boss design mixing in on something new.