To beat The Iron Marshall in Valor Mortis, forget about parrying for a moment, and get stabby. Unlike most enemies at the post-apocalyptic eastern front, The Iron Marshall is best fought with fire, speed, and dodging skills. With the right weapons in hand, this cannon-wielding monstrosity won't keep you from completing Chapter 3.
Including the best loadout and strategy, here's how to defeat The Iron Marshall in Valor Mortis.
The Iron Marshall's location in Valor Mortis
You will encounter The Iron Marshall near the end of Chapter 3, after you've passed through the Fallen Village. After exiting the cellar and walking through the large, misty graveyard, you will come across the Orchard lantern. The Iron Marshall is in the boss arena behind this lantern.
How to prepare for The Iron Marshall's boss battle in Valor Mortis
By the time you meet The Iron Marshall, you'll likely be around level 15, which means you've unlocked a second amber slot. If you aren't level 15 yet, you might want to explore some of the previous (optional) areas or grind regular enemies until you are.
For skill point allocation, Maximum Endurance is the best place to start, as extra stamina is always handy. A full, unupgraded nephtoglobin bar is usually not quite enough to apply damage over time with the fire transmutation — to ensure you don't run out of nephtoglobin before reaching the burn application threshold, it's best to add one or two points to the Nephtoglobin Sufferance skill. If you're going for a burn-and-stab strategy (as we describe below), make sure to invest some points in Nephtoglobin Extraction too, as this will replenish more nephtoglobin when you land melee hits. Put the rest in Melee Damage.
The following ambers work well against The Iron Marshall:
- Perfectionism: Increases damage dealt while your HP is full.
- Transmuted Persistence: Damaging enemies with transmutations restores recoverable health.
- Potent Concoction: Using a ferrofluid flask recovers nephtoglobin as well as health.
As for special items, the following are most useful:
- Whetstone to increase your weapon damage for the next attacks.
- Flaming Whetstone to apply fire buildup on impact.
- Fire-Clad Rounds to apply fire buildup with bullets.
- Nephtoglobin Vials to recover nephtoglobin and use your fire transmutation.
The best weapon to use against The Iron Marshall depends on your play style; if you plan on parrying a lot, the sabre is a safer choice, but if you're mainly going to stab The Iron Marshall's weak spot (as recommended below), the rapier is best. If you upgraded the sabre instead of the rapier, you can still focus on the weak spot attacks — you will deal less damage per hit, but it works well enough.
How to beat The Iron Marshall in Valor Mortis
The Iron Marshall is a very slow, big-headed creature equipped with an old cannon, which it wields like a mace. This boss battle consists of only one phase, so you don't have to be very stingy with special items.
The Iron Marshall only uses melee attacks, either in a one- or three-hit combo. Beware of the high-range sweep attack, whereby the Marshall turns his upper body away from you before unleashing the sweep (shown below on the left), and the unblockable attack, where his body glows red before he slams the cannon in a forward motion (as shown on the right).
At the start of the battle, lure The Iron Marshall toward each of the three red barrels scattered across the battlefield. When he's close enough, shoot the barrel to deal explosion damage. Of course, be sure to keep your distance! It's best to use the red barrels as soon as possible, as The Iron Marshall can easily break them (which won't damage him).
Of course, you can rely on parrying if you want, but by far the easiest way to beat The Iron Marshall is to continuously burn him with your fire transmutation and stab the weak spot on his back. To apply burn (fill the fire buildup meter), walk backward while engulfing The Iron Marshall in flames. Try to find the sweet spot where he's too far away to hit you, but too close to avoid the fire. If he does initiate an attack, dodge behind him and continue to spray fire. It's important to use your full nephtoglobin supply at once, or the fire buildup will disappear before you've applied the burn damage over time.
When you're out of nephtoglobin, switch to melee attacks. Dodge behind The Iron Marshall and stab his weak spot repeatedly (but save some endurance to dodge away). Use the melee attacks to replenish nephtoglobin, but don't hesitate to consume Nephtoglobin Vials, either (you won't need them as much later in the game). You can also shoot the weak spot, but stabbing is faster and more damaging.
You'll receive 7,000 catalysts as a reward for defeating The Iron Marshall in Valor Mortis. You will also unlock the grappling hook.