How To Defeat The Gallow Tree In Fallen Legion Revenants
The last boss of Revenants of the Fallen Legion The third chapter comes as quite a surprise. Narratively, the game picked up steam again with Welkin’s crashing descent, but there was no buildup for the boss you’re about to face. Gallow Tree really comes out of nowhere and does a great job of showing you why you should stay on your toes even when trekking through the miasma.
Gallow Tree is a full blown, three phase boss fight that can quickly spiral out of control. Much like Catherine from Chapter 2, Gallow Tree revolves very much around his minions, although thematically and mechanically, Gallow Tree ends up delivering something very different.
The attacks of Gallow Tree
The gallows tree doesn’t often attack, but when it does, it deals a tremendous amount of damage. Almost all of his attacks are AOEand we found their timing difficult to pin down, resulting in our early attempts to be filled with healing – which significantly slowed our progress. Not only that, Gallow Tree’s minions also attack in a variety of ways, and they’re far more aggressive than the tree itself.
| attack | explanation | counter |
|---|---|---|
| sick wind | The Gallows Tree summons a powerful gust of wind that hits all specimens for high damage. It also pushes back your role models. | This attack is Gallow Tree’s earliest form of AOE damage, and it’s pretty awkward to waste time on. The parrying window is quite narrow, and not only that, it also cannot be reflected. At least try to block this attack and mitigate some of the incoming damage. |
| demise | Gallow Tree marks a tile on your side of the battlefield. If a specimen stands on this tile, the tile will explode, dealing heavy damage to all specimens. | This attack is frustrating less because of the damage and more because it limits the available space. The best way to deal with it is to ignore it. |
| root | Gallow Tree summons roots that erupt under every square on your side of the battlefield, dealing heavy damage. | This attack is very similar to Ill Wind, except that it doesn’t have a recoil component and isn’t used until phase three. This attack is pretty nasty because while it has a tell and you can see the roots before they erupt, the attack is often mixed in with distractions from the likes of Condemned. However, this attack can be parried. The moment you see the roots appear under your specimens, hold the block. |
| Sentenced | Gallow Tree summons an indestructible Condemned minion. This minion can attack with two basic melee attacks and combines these attacks in later phases. | The condemned cannot be killed. The Gallows Tree summons one damned in phase one and two, and two in phase three. You must move them to temporarily remove them from the lineup. |
| detached | Gallow Tree summons an indestructible Absolved minion. | Absolved is summoned in stages two and three and cannot be killed. Completing squadrons will temporarily remove it from the lineup. |
| aegis | Complete the Gallows Tree with Aegis, making it immune to damage. | This effect lasts as long as Absolved is active in the lineup. To remove it you need to stagger Absolved. |
| cold/shock/burning | Absolved applies Chill/Shock/Burn to a square on your side of the battlefield. | This attack is particularly frustrating as it further limits the position you can stand in during this fight. This attack can be combined with Doom to close half of your play area. Not much you can do about it except Stagger Completed. |
Gallow Tree’s mechanics
The Hangman Tree has a lot of attacks thanks to its many minions, but it only has two really unique mechanicsand they are so intertwined that they might as well be considered as one. Gallow Tree’s minions are his greatest blessing and ultimately his downfall.
Condemned and Acquitted are indestructible. Once called, they are always there. However, if they are staggered, You will be lifted off the battlefield for a short time, exposing the gallows tree to a direct attack. what’s more Staggering Completed instantly staggers all convicts and opens the gallows tree for a rushdown attack.
For this reason, your primary objective should always be Completed – so much so that you should completely ignore Condemned from phase two onwards.
This fight is very mana intensive, so remember to use Mana Chaining to quickly regenerate your mana reserves.
Which role models to take
Because absolve is the key to victory, You want specimens that target Absolved from anywhere on the board and are capable of dealing big damage. Role models like to do that Jacquin, Burgundy, Solomon, dadenelle etc. very useful. Ideally, you want finishers that do the same thing as Absolved and are fairly resistant to basic attacks.
We found Dardenelle’s napalm Deathblow must excel in this fight, as does Zulfiqar’s Radiant Strike since they did great damage and Absolved could strike from almost anywhere.
battle strategy
The gallows tree is divided into three phasesand how you deal with each phase changes slightly.
phase one
Phase one is pretty easy. Galgenbaum does not have access to his full attack repertoire and is only supported by a Convict. Quickly blast Condemned’s BP gauge to clear it from the battlefield, then burn as much mana and AP as you can to directly damage Gallow Tree.
Galgenbaum has surprising low blood pressure, and in phase one, his HP is also pretty low This allows for a quick end to the stage if you can deal enough BP and Rushdown damage.
phase two
In phase two, the battle begins. Gallow Tree has access to more attacks, and not only that, he also summons one Sentenced and detached to help him. The Condemned stays more or less the same and will periodically attack you. The Graduated will mostly mess around with your play area.
The trick here is Stagger Completed quickly – burning as much mana and AP as needed. This will be instant interruption the gallows tree that allows you to unleash a hurry down Attack. Not only that, but “Staggering Completed” also shakes any active “Condemned”..
phase three
All enemies are now more aggressive, making this phase incredibly dangerous as damage can come in fast and overwhelm your specimens. If you start taking damage, you will be forced to heal yourself. This will drain your mana reserves making it harder to stagger Absolved.
This phase can get out of hand very quickly So it’s best to play very aggressively and Stagger Completed as soon as it appears. Use as many final blows as you can to knock it out, then Rushdown Gallow Tree. You have to do this multiple times to win.