Progress in V Rising is tied to the fates of the 40-odd V Blood bosses dotted around the map. Defeating these bosses unlocks new abilities and crafting recipes that are essential to character growth and base defense alike.
None of the bosses go quietly. Expect to be challenged.
The Blood Altar
The first order of business is to craft a Blood Altar. It’s an early unlock that allows players to track specific bosses within a 10-level range of their character. It also shows which items and unlocks each boss drops in V Rising.
Blood Types
Choosing the right blood type greatly increases the odds of a successful encounter. The three most useful types of boss fights are Creature, Rogue and Scholar.
Creature blood comes from most animals. The lower tiers provide movement and stun resistance, while higher tiers increase damage reduction and health regeneration, making it a solid defensive choice.
Rogue blood typically comes from ranged and dagger-wielding human enemies. Lower tiers increase movement speed and crit chance, while tier IV reduces enemy armor, increasing the damage they take. Tier III shines here, though, as it reduces the cooldown on travel skills while guaranteeing a crit on the first attack after using a travel skill. This makes Rogue blood near-mandatory for fights that rely on hit-and-run tactics in V Rising.
Finally, Scholar blood comes from holy humans such as monks and priests. Unfortunately, these enemies tend to congregate in places of worship which are both heavily guarded and damaging to Vampires. It’s worth the effort, though, as high-tier Scholar blood unlocks powerful spell-boosting bonuses such as increased spell damage, reduced cooldowns and a spell life leech which restores health on spell damage.
Notable Bosses
Polora the Feywalker
Level: 35
Location: Farbane Woods
Polora uses her summons to heal. The key is to be able to deal damage faster than she can heal it. Her Spectral Wolf summon does a lot of damage. Worse, it replenishes her health if it connects with anything else. That includes the Wisps she summons. Taking out the Wisps is a priority, as is dodging the Wolf.
Maintain a healthy distance, and keep circling her, using the large rocks in the area as cover when needed.
Tristan the Vampire Hunter
Level: 46
Location: Farbane Woods
Tristan is a roaming boss in V Rising, so choosing the right spot to engage with him is critical. Keep an eye out for roaming mobs, and make sure there’s enough nighttime left.
Scout his position and bring a stack of explosives. Plant them on the road ahead and spring the trap when he’s in range. It’s possible to kill him this way, and even if he survives, he’ll be much easier to handle.
Meredith the Bright Archer
Level: 52
Location: Dunley Farmland
Meredith can be found wandering around the Haunted Iron Mine. Her arrows hit hard, and she can take a lot of damage, making her tough to solo. Also wandering the mine is a Level 46 Undead Commander. Get the attention of both Meredith and the Undead Commander and kite them towards each other.
As soon as one of them damages the other, they’ll turn on each other until one of them is dead; it’s a relatively simple matter to step in and mop up later.
Mairwyn the Elementalist
Level: 64
Location: Silverlight Mountains
Mairwyn is in an open grove found in the Silverlight Mountains of V Rising, perfect for dodging her many spells. Maintaining solid distance is critical. Sanguine Coil is a good option as it helps recover health lost when her spells inevitably land a blow.
When she summons her double, bring it down first before returning to Mairwyn. Beat a hasty retreat to the edge of the arena and keep dodging when she summons the ball of flame.
Gorecrusher the Behemoth
Level: 78
Location: Cursed Forest
Strategic retreat is the key, so keep backing away and circle the arena. Avoid his attacks and pepper him with ranged weapons and spells. When he starts jumping around and performing his charge moves, dashing through him is essential. Veil of Chaos is a good distraction when he begins performing multiple charges. Ward of the Damned can also distract and block his charge. There’s a short window of opportunity after a summon where Gorecrusher won’t attack. Use this to take down the summoned minions as fast as possible.
