How to beat the Parade Master in Lies of P

The Parade Master in Lies of P is a surprisingly challenging threat as he’s the first boss in the game. He’ll strike you rapidly with little room to attack, and he also moves swiftly across the battlefield, despite his large size. Here’s how to beat him!

How to prepare for the Parade Master

After gallivanting around the city of Krat, you’ll eventually arrive at a circus setting that’s blocking the path to the hotel you need to get to. You’ll see a merchant on the left side, who will offer you some valuable items and multiple weapons. One of the items available is called the Electric Blitz Abrasive. It will cause extra lightning damage once your weapon is emblazoned with its power.

The weapons the merchant sells are heavy, light, and in the middle in terms of weight size. If you don’t already have a heavy weapon, buy the Greatsword of Fate and Handle from the merchant. You’ll be happy later as it is the best damage dealer and has a wider range than the other two weapons.

The first phase for the Parade Master in Lies of P

Shortly after passing the circus entrance, you’ll come across the first major boss of Lies of P, the Parade Master. Right off the bat, the Parade Master charges at you and slams down his fists. Try to dodge out of the way or block. During the beginning, try to poke some quick hits towards the foe. It will try to land a few blows so step back and then dash back into its range to get a cheeky slash of the sword in. Unfortunately, a co-op partner can’t help you in this game, unlike Elden Ring. 

Don’t over-commit and wait until the boss tries to attack you by slamming its stomach. When it misses the hit, it will take some time to get back up. This is your chance to get a full combo in before it returns to its feet. Whenever you see The Parade Master light up in red, you should know it’s about to land an unblockable attack on you. It’s also hard to dodge, so if you’re in its sights and you can’t get out of the way, try to parry to the best of your ability.

Once you see its chest burn up, you’ll know you’re nearing the second phase of the fight. Stay cool and composed and don’t exaggerate your attacking strategy.

The second phase is more challenging

Once this boss slams down the cage on its back, that’s when it gets serious. You can get a few hits on the foe while it takes off its head and attaches it to a pole.

The previous strategy of waiting until it belly flops to the ground will not work. It will follow up with an annoying spin attack that can catch you off guard. Your opportunity to attack is very rare at this point of the battle. You’ll have your chances though.

Wait for the now headless Parade Master to slam down its hammer vertically. It will be exhausted for a few seconds. Get one or two slashes of the blade in and then back away quickly. The most opportune way to strike the Parade Master, however, is by parrying his attacks. If you parry enough blows, you’ll see his HP bar glowing in white. At this point, hold down the heavy attack button and land the hit. The boss will be stunned, and you can use a Fatal Attack with the light attack button to take out a large chunk of its health. You can accentuate this further by using an Electric Blitz Abrasive.

What does the Parade Master boss drop?

After taking out this mighty foe, you’ll gain a Parade Leader’s Ergo (this contains a massive 5,000 Ergo for you to level up or purchase items with) and Quartz (which is used to develop Pinocchio’s abilities later on).