MIO: Memories in Orbit
All Bosses
All Bosses
In the following, we will provide footage and strategies for all boss fights required to earn MIO‘s Platinum Trophy, in the order they’ve been fought while writing this guide.
EGIS, Worn Out Sentinel
As the first boss you’ll encounter, EGIS is not too difficult to defeat. It doesn’t have many different attacks, and all of them are heavily telegraphed.
EGIS’s attacks include close-range melee strikes and an aerial charge. It also has two attacks it can perform after briefly disappearing: a swift charge and a ground slam.
To more easily avoid EGIS, try to stay on the ground while attacking, saving your double jump to leap over it when it telegraphs a melee attack. When EGIS disappears, jump over it if it uses the swift charge, and jump away from it if it uses the ground slam.
Since EGIS has enough downtime between attacks to safely use your full three-hit combo, equipping the Kinetic Thrust modifier is a good way to shorten the fight.
ACAT, Nacre Engraver
Unlike the previous boss, ACAT has several attacks it can perform from range. A safe strategy is to keep your distance, dodge an attack, then close in and hit ACAT twice. Using your full three-hit combo can be risky, so consider equipping a defensive modifier instead of Kinetic Thrust.
ACAT’s attacks are clearly telegraphed. When it jumps into the air, simply walk away to avoid the attack and punish afterward.
The three ground attacks require different responses:
- Jump over ACAT’s charge.
- When ACAT uses the slam, walk away and jump over the spikes.
- For the detached hand attack, jump over the hand toward ACAT and attack while airborne to avoid the returning hand.
You can also use the grappling hooks for extra mobility, though they are not necessary.
At about the halfway point, ACAT teleports to the center of the arena and slams the ground three times. Use your double jump and Hairpin to stay airborne long enough to avoid all three waves of spikes.
During the second half of the fight, ACAT may occasionally chain attacks, but the strategy doesn’t change – the fight remains largely the same.
FLORA, Sentient Pearltrap
FLORA is a simple boss with one straightforward rule: stay airborne and attack. This fight teaches you that even after using your double jump, you can jump again by attacking an enemy.
Use the grappling point to propel yourself toward FLORA, perform your three-hit combo while airborne, jump to reset your aerial movement, perform a second three-hit combo, then retreat. Repeat this pattern.
Most of FLORA’s attacks cover the ground in front of it, so with this strategy the risk of being hit is minimal. You can continue using the same approach after FLORA covers the ground with hazardous water at about the halfway point of the fight.
CROW, Automated Reaper
Coming into this fight with the Dodge ability unlocked can make a big difference. CROW is an agile boss that likes to strike from above, giving you very little time to react.
At the start of the fight, you can usually land at least two three-hit combos before CROW teleports away. It does this before every attack, and you must react based on where it reappears. If CROW appears directly above you, prepare for a ground slam and move to the side. If it appears in the air near a corner, it will hurl its mechanical crows at you. Walk away, or use Dodge if you don’t have enough space to evade.
The other two attacks are more problematic. When CROW appears on the ground and immediately jumps upward, it’s about to perform a swipe across the ground. Use the grapple point to avoid this attack. This swipe is usually followed by another attack, so don’t try to punish it.
Finally, if CROW appears right next to you, it will unleash a melee combo. This attack is difficult to avoid, as it covers a lot of ground. Use Dodge to avoid the first or second hit, then position yourself behind CROW to punish it.
Eventually, CROW will hang itself from the grapple point, causing water to pour in from both sides of the arena. Deal as much damage as you can while it is hanging there. During this second half of the fight, CROW can also chain multiple attacks together, such as performing three consecutive ground slams.
CALDERON, Unyielding Furnace
This imposing boss is actually quite a pushover. While its health pool is large, its attacks are slow, well telegraphed, and easy to avoid.
The main tip here is not to jump. Instead, keep attacking the floating head (you may miss a few hits, but that’s fine), and when CALDERON raises its arms, simply walk away. It really is that simple.
With one exception: CALDERON has an attack where it punches toward the center of the screen from both sides at ground level. To avoid this attack, jump and attack while airborne to deal damage and remain in the air, dodging the punch in the process.
Watch out for the icicles that fall after one of its slam attacks – use Dodge if necessary.
In the second half of the fight, a constant air stream will keep you afloat, but the strategy doesn’t change in the slightest. Use Dodge more liberally if you find yourself unable to float away from CALDERON‘s hands.
LOMBRE, Intrusive Fertiliser
This boss is fairly straightforward, as its moveset is very limited. This is especially true during the first half of the fight, when there are no additional sources of damage other than the boss itself.
The key is to take your time and react to the telegraphs. Vertically, LOMBRE will either emerge from the ground and briefly cling to the ceiling – this is a perfect opportunity to punish – or dive from the ceiling before burrowing again. Both attacks are accompanied by drops of water that must be avoided.
LOMBRE also has two horizontal charges across the arena: one at ground level and one starting from the ceiling. In either case, wait for it on the opposite side and jump over LOMBRE. It will chain several of these attacks before eventually becoming stuck on the wall for a moment, giving you a great opportunity to deal damage.
The second half of the fight does not change significantly. Attacks are executed at a higher tempo, and there are additional drops of water to dodge. There is also a new attack in which LOMBRE briefly moves into the background and creates dense groups of water droplets. Find the safe spaces or use Dodge when things get tight.
NABUU, Keeper of The Breath
For this fight, I opted to use Protective Overlay, Kinetic Thrust, and The Hand’s Greed. Given the limited modifier slots available at this point, this was only possible by unequipping everything else and increasing the available slots with Nacre Drought.
NABUU can be a tough fight, but the above combination of modifiers, along with an aggressive playstyle, can make quick work of the Keeper. This is also a fight where Dodge is very useful, allowing you to stay close to NABUU almost at all times.
The fight starts with NABUU jumping onto the battlefield. Stay close to where it lands and use Dodge to avoid taking damage, then start attacking right away. The strategy is to follow NABUU wherever it goes, trying to stay between its legs while attacking relentlessly.
However, that spot is not completely safe. NABUU has multiple attacks it can unleash, from a double-barrel kick to a swipe with its tendrils. Regardless of the attack, the idea is to stay underneath NABUU, keep attacking, and use Dodge to avoid damage. NABUU can also harm you with its charge across the arena, so be prepared to dodge that as well.
There is one exception: when NABUU buries its tendrils, move away from it. Eight white spikes will emerge from the ground and track your position, so keep moving.
When NABUU retreats to the background, the arena will fill with water. Use the pink flowers to recharge your energy and stay airborne with Sail, all while avoiding groups of falling seeds. Note that you can also use the seeds to recharge your energy.
ATMOS, Weather Control Unit
This fight can be tricky due to the combination of a mobile boss and the icy surface of the arena, which makes sudden direction changes difficult. This makes Dodge invaluable during the encounter. ATMOS also has a relatively large health pool, so coming prepared with offensive modifiers is helpful.
As soon as you enter the arena, start wailing away at the snowman. You have plenty of time to attack ATMOS while it is preparing for the fight.
ATMOS behaves differently depending on whether it is airborne or grounded. On the ground, it can charge a short distance or spin across the entire arena, causing ice blocks to fall from the ceiling. Either jump over ATMOS if you recognize the attack early enough, or be prepared to Dodge otherwise. When it moves to either corner, be ready for its rapid-fire attack. You can jump toward ATMOS and attack it while staying airborne to avoid being hit by the projectiles.
While airborne, ATMOS is more difficult to avoid. You will need to chase ATMOS as it moves around the arena and attack it while airborne yourself, though this can be risky depending on its attack pattern. It has a tracking three-projectile attack and a spinning charge, which is briefly telegraphed by ATMOS turning white before charging toward you. If you are close, use Dodge to avoid being hit, as this attack can cover a considerable distance.
ATMOS can also perform a ground pound that creates a small AoE on the ground, so jump to avoid taking damage. This attack also causes icicles to fall from the ceiling. ATMOS often uses this move to transition between its airborne and grounded states, but it can also chain the attack multiple times, especially later in the fight.
Lastly, ATMOS has an attack where it moves to the center of the arena and begins slowly rotating in place while rapid-firing icicles from both of its cannons. You can damage ATMOS during this attack, but to avoid the projectiles you need to jump over them and pass through ATMOS’s center. There is no contact damage.
There is no notable second phase in this encounter. As the fight progresses, ATMOS will chain attacks more quickly, but its patterns remain the same.
DEBBY, Dr. Halyn’s Collector
The fight against DEBBY is fairly straightforward. You don’t need to use complex abilities or worry much about energy management. Instead, focus on dodging and chasing down the boss.
Dodging is the key here: DEBBY has multiple attacks that create drops of water that must be carefully avoided, and the boss frequently retreats into the background, out of reach.
While DEBBY is away from the battlefield, focus on reading and reacting to the boss’s attacks. DEBBY can create a large splash of water or shoot three water projectiles in a spread pattern – this attack is usually used twice in a row. You can find a gap to evade the drops, though timing a Dodge is the easiest way to avoid damage during the spread attack.
The other off-screen attacks involve bombs. DEBBY will either place bombs on two of the grating tiles that make up the arena – when the bombs explode, the corresponding tiles are temporarily destroyed, and the explosions create small splashes of water – or place bombs on all tiles except the center one. When these bombs explode, DEBBY jumps onto the remaining tile, damaging you. Either use a well-timed Dodge or jump out of the way, while being cautious of the falling droplets of water caused by the explosions.
When DEBBY returns to the battlefield, switch to a more aggressive playstyle. Chase DEBBY down and keep attacking. The boss has only one melee attack, where it swipes its cannon arm in an upward arc, and this move is very generously telegraphed. Timing a Dodge to avoid damage allows you to stay close and maximize your damage output.
DEBBY can shoot two bombs onto different tiles or place a single bomb on the tile it’s standing on before jumping away. Similar to the off-screen bomb attacks, these bombs temporarily remove the affected tiles and create splashes of water.
DEBBY also has three attacks involving shooting water with its cannon. It may fire three drops of water upward (simply keep attacking and Dodge) or jump away and rapidly fire three drops of water toward your position. In the latter case, the attack can be completely avoided by chasing DEBBY down, as MIO’s movement speed is fast enough to outrun the projectiles.
For the final attack, DEBBY moves to a corner and rapidly fires water. Jump toward DEBBY and attack while remaining airborne to avoid taking damage.
ANRA, Anti-Rat Weapon
Prepare for two consecutive fights. Fortunately, neither encounter is particularly challenging, and both bosses have relatively small HP pools. I decided to bring a lot of damage to these fights: Kinetic Thrust, The Hand’s Greed, and Foolish Ideal. ANRA, in particular, is a highly mobile boss that remains airborne for much of the fight. Use Hairpin to reach it and take advantage of the additional damage from Foolish Ideal as the fight progresses.
Fight 1 – ANRA
The first fight is against ANRA, a mobile boss that moves freely across the arena. This boss has two distinct states.
State 1: Melee-focused – ANRA attacks with a large sword and has several moves, including a charge across the battlefield, a spinning sword attack, and regular swings. There is a lot of downtime between attacks, so stay aggressive while dodging to avoid damage. Chase ANRA relentlessly and use Hairpin to close the distance quickly.
After a while, DR HALYN will summon a yellow crystal that shields ANRA, rendering it invulnerable. Destroy the crystal as quickly as possible to force ANRA to switch states.
State 2: Ranged-focused – ANRA ditches the sword for a cannon, favoring ranged attacks over melee. Don’t change your approach: continue chasing and attacking while dodging occasional lasers or projectiles. If you remain aggressive, you can finish the fight before ANRA switches back to its melee-focused state.
Fight 2 – DR HALYN
Once ANRA is defeated, you’ll face DR HALYN. The Hand grabs ANRA and uses it as a weapon, swinging it and dragging it across the battlefield to attack MIO. Fortunately, many of DR HALYN’s attacks have long animations that won’t hurt MIO, and there is still plenty of downtime between strikes. DR HALYN also has a relatively small HP pool.
ATI, Keeper of The Heart
This is one of the few fights where you should significantly tone down your aggression. ATI is a very mobile opponent and has enough HP that trying to end the fight early by going all-in will most likely result in defeat. Instead, keep your distance and observe ATI carefully.
My personal choice of offensive modifiers for this fight is Defense Mechanism, Kinetic Thrust, and The Hand’s Greed.
ATI has quite a few attacks in its arsenal, but they are all very generously telegraphed. The main attack you want to punish is the four-move combo. ATI will attack twice before jumping into the air and then dashing downward. Avoid the initial hits, then walk toward ATI. The boss will appear above you for the dive but will miss if you keep moving. This creates a great opportunity to damage ATI with two full three-hit combos. However, watch out for a possible close-range follow-up: ATI may attack with its tendrils to both sides. Jump over the attack when you see it coming.
Other attacks include a ranged move where ATI fires an energy ball, as well as a charge attack, telegraphed by ATI burying two tendrils into the ground. This charge can be jumped over. You may attempt to punish it, but watch out for a possible follow-up attack.
When ATI disappears and conjures five floating energy spheres, use Striders to walk up the wall and move to the other side of the arena across the ceiling. The distance between the spheres and the ceiling is large enough that you can outrun them this way.
You can avoid the move where ATI electrifies the ground in the same way – move to the ceiling and wait there while ATI performs its three air dashes. You cannot be hit up there.
One of ATI’s more dangerous moves is a grab using its tendrils. This attack has a deceptively long range, so use Dodge if you cannot move out of reach in time.
Once the ground has been electrified for the first time, ATI will begin mixing and matching attacks while also introducing new ones. The tendril-telegraphed dash is now followed by an aerial dash and between one and three dives. This also applies to the two-hit combo you have been punishing – the number of dives may vary.
The ranged energy attack is now performed twice in a row, once from each side of the arena. ATI also fires three projectiles in a spread pattern instead of just one. A second version of this attack has been added in which ATI performs it from each upper corner of the arena.
A third projectile-based attack is introduced as well. During this move, ATI fires three projectiles straight downward and then finishes with three more in a spread pattern. This attack can easily be avoided by simply walking.
This encounter requires patience. ATI’s moves are not difficult to avoid if you watch for their telegraphs, but the fight may last longer than previous encounters. Punish the attacks you feel confident dealing with – especially the two-hit combo – and you will bring ATI down in no time.
FRIENDS, — nothing to worry about —
The main challenge during this fight is energy management. My offensive modifiers of choice were Kinetic Thrust, The Hand’s Greed, Defense Mechanism, and Foolish Ideal.
What makes this boss encounter stand out is the arena. FRIENDS is composed of many small creatures held together by a blob of goo. The boss spends the entire battle clinging to the grating in the background and moves somewhat like a spider. During the first half of the fight, you can still stand on solid ground. However, in the second half, FRIENDS will completely cover the arena in goo, so you should get used to fighting without touching the ground.
In terms of movement, use Striders to move freely along the grating in the background, chasing FRIENDS and attacking to replenish energy. Be ready to use Dodge at any time, as the irregular form of the boss can make it difficult to correctly read its attacks.
In addition to charge attacks and sweeping movements across the arena, FRIENDS has an attack where it spits four balls of goo that hang from the ceiling. You can attack the tips of these drops to destroy them and recharge energy. If left untouched, small robot enemies will hatch from them and begin chasing you.
Overall, the fight is not too difficult once you get used to the movement required, especially with the increasing damage output thanks to Foolish Ideal.
POLTERGATES, Dr. Halyn’s Experiment #223
This fight caught me by surprise – I was completely unprepared and managed to beat it without any proper setup. POLTERGATES does not have a particularly complex moveset: jump over its two charge variations, move away from the ground smashes, and focus on the summoned adds when they appear.
During the second phase, two POLTERGATES will be on screen at the same time. When they both dash simultaneously, use Dodge to avoid taking damage – and if you have Counter Measures equipped, that is even better.
Otherwise, the fight does not change much when two bosses are on screen. The second POLTERGATES may cling to the ceiling and create a waterfall of goo. Try not to get cornered or leave yourself without enough space to avoid the second boss.
VLAD, Exiled Sycophant
The fight against VLAD is as much about avoiding hazards as it is about damaging the boss. In addition to the circular, rotating arena filled with damaging shards, the main gimmick of this encounter is that you do not recharge energy while on the ground. This means you cannot rely on abilities such as Hairpin to reach the boss.
While VLAD summons shards, try to jump up to the boss and deal damage, while being mindful of the shards launched in your direction. These moments are some of the few opportunities to damage VLAD, as it will soon retreat into the background to make the arena spin. VLAD cannot be attacked during these sequences, so focus entirely on jumping over the spikes and avoiding the electricity.
After these sequences, VLAD crashes onto the ground, shattering all the crystals. This is the best opportunity to deal damage, as VLAD remains stationary for an extended period of time and does not retaliate.
During the final phase of the fight, the constantly spinning arena will no longer contain shards, but VLAD will begin bouncing all over the place. Its movements are highly unpredictable, which makes avoiding damage more difficult. Fortunately, VLAD does not have a large health pool, so a few well-placed attacks should be enough to finish the fight.
Depending on shard placement and other hazard arrangements, the spinning sequences can be quite challenging to complete without taking damage. With this in mind, it may take a few attempts to emerge victorious – so don’t give up!
SOL & VIN, The Last Embedders
This could potentially be the toughest fight in the game – not because of an overly complex moveset, but due to the fight’s main gimmick: a single attack from SOL & VIN removes all of your protective shields. This effectively means that two hits are enough to end the fight.
Because of this, you can approach the encounter with a glass-cannon build. Personally, I equipped Defective Core and Thinner Frame, which – given the fight’s gimmick – do not have meaningful drawbacks if you enter the fight with a single shield generated by Gratitude. In addition, I used Counter Measures, The Hand’s Greed, The Heart’s Favourite, and, most importantly, Sharpened Hairpin.
The key to success is understanding when to stay on the ground (potentially recharging a shield with Gratitude) and when to remain airborne.
There are two charge attacks that can be avoided by jumping over the bosses. In both cases, SOL and VIN charge from opposite sides of the arena and meet in the middle. One variation is a completely horizontal charge at ground level, while the second follows an arcing path.
Aside from these, there are two types of attacks that require different responses. When one of the entities appears on screen before the other, they will perform one of two sequential attack combos. Regardless of the variation, use Sharpened Hairpin on the entity that appears first. This will deal damage while simultaneously launching you into the air, allowing you to avoid the remainder of the attack. Take the opportunity to deal additional damage before the bosses transition out of the combo.
The other type of attack occurs when both bosses spiral upward. They will then simultaneously perform a downward smash, either with their swords facing outward or inward. Regardless of the variation, use a well-timed Dodge to activate Counter Measures and land a few hits while you can.
Eventually, the arena will be reduced to the circular platform only. The bosses’ attacks do not change during this phase, but they may appear and disappear several times before committing to an attack. Wait for them to commit, then use Sharpened Hairpin as before.
After dealing enough damage, the arena will disappear completely, leaving you unable to land. This is not as problematic as it may seem. Choose either the left or right grappling point and continuously pogo off it. Jump after each pogo instead of using Sail, conserving your energy for Sharpened Hairpin as soon as the bosses come within reach. Attack after using Hairpin while you can, then return to pogoing off the grappling point to recharge your energy.
Rinse and repeat – with this setup, the final phase should not take too long.
SHII, Keeper of The Spine
This is it – the final true boss. SHII has a large health pool and a wide variety of attacks, but as usual, they are heavily telegraphed. My preferred loadout for this fight consists of Resources Shortage, Nacre Draught, and Split Process for the extra slots in the Allocation Matrix, along with Protective Overlay, Kinetic Thrust, The Hand’s Greed, Foolish Ideal, and Sharpened Hairpin.
I use Sharpened Hairpin whenever SHII appears in the center of the screen. This allows you to deal some damage and then react to the incoming attack while airborne.
When SHII flies away and spirals across the screen, use Sail if you are already airborne to avoid the attack and land safely. Immediately prepare for the follow-up: as soon as you see SHII appear above MIO, use Hairpin to move out of the way. If you fail, you will be grabbed and lose two shields. Once you have moved away, do not retaliate yet. SHII will create an expanding circle of light – use Dodge to avoid taking damage.
For several of its other attacks, SHII will remain in the center of the arena. It may use a melee attack, which can be followed by pillars of light. Dodge the melee attack while airborne to avoid the follow-up sweep, then position yourself between two of the pillars. Alternatively, SHII may extend its scarves and fire a ray of lightning from one side of the arena to the other. During this attack, you can pogo off SHII to avoid the beam and attack safely from the opposite side.
When the screen turns black, SHII can perform three different attacks. It may summon crystals that track MIO’s position before firing after a short delay – these crystals can be destroyed. Another attack summons a rotating web of lightning that slowly closes in on MIO; use Sail in the center of the heptagon to avoid it. The final possibility is an attack where SHII strikes four times from behind the arena. The pattern is always the same: move to the side to avoid the first and third strikes, and jump over the second and fourth.
When the arena returns to normal, SHII will no longer appear in the center but instead on one side of the arena. From there, it can perform one of two attacks. It may fire a ray of lightning from its head, move to the opposite side, and repeat the attack. Alternatively, it may use its scarves to swipe across the arena. In either case, use the grappling point to move behind SHII and attack safely from there. From this point onward, these attacks may occur at any time during the fight, not just after the transition back from darkness.
After dealing enough damage, SHII will electrify the entire ground and summon two waves of tracking crystals. Pogo off SHII’s head and use Hairpin to destroy one or two crystals, making it easier to avoid the shots from the remaining ones.
From this point forward, the attacks become more dangerous. For example, the sweeping laser is now performed twice in succession, moving from one side of the arena to the other. The grab attack can also occur without warning, even without SHII spiraling across the arena beforehand, so you must stay alert.
SHII also gains a new and deadly attack: it curls into itself while rays of lightning emanate from its body, then creates an expanding circle of light.
The fight can last a while, and the multitude of attacks can make it challenging to avoid taking damage. Foolish Ideal should help speed up the fight if you start taking damage toward the end.