How to beat the Shadow Hound in Once Human

There are multiple bosses you have the chance to battle against in Once Human that test your skills and the many items you’ve crafted along the way. One of these bosses is the Shadow Hound, a fearsome foe capable of running you down if you’re not careful.

You won’t be taking on the Shadow Hound too early in your Once Human playthrough, but when you do, you’ll want to know a few things before challenging it. You’ll want to have plenty of Activators crafted, ammunition saved, and some helpful items to assist you throughout the encounter.

How to defeat the Shadow Hound in Once Human

When you’re ready to challenge the Shadow Hound at the Monotith of Thirst, there will be a large arena with the Shadow Hound on the other side. Stepping into this arena activates the fight. Unless you’re fighting with several allies, I don’t recommend using a melee weapon. Stay ranged during this Once Human encounter.

The Shadow Hound uses several attacks during this encounter. One of the more standard attacks is a rush forward, where it attempts to run through you, running across the arena. The regular attack of this is the Shadow Hound dashing across the arena, or it might try to use two strikes during this rush. The two strikes rush hits for much more damage, charging forward to hit its right and left sides. You’ll want to dodge out of the way of this attack when the Shadow Hound rushes forward.

The Shadow Hound might use two ranged attacks against you in Once Human, where it charges up its mouth and unleashes a line attack that moves from left to right in front of it. You can jump over this beam or dodge out of the way to avoid it. Alternatively, it might charge up and jump into the air, spitting large bubbles at you and creating crystals where the attacks land. You’ll want to avoid these crystals as they can explode, damaging anyone nearby.

Another attack the Shadow Hound might use against you is diving into the arena’s water, rushing to your position, and rushing up underneath you. If you don’t move, this attack has a high chance of hitting and dealing damage.

Those are most of the attacks you should expect to protect against when fighting the Shadow Hound. I recommend keeping at a range to protect yourself, shooting at its head for the most damage. As you chip away at its health, there’s a point where the Shadow Hound receives a shield and you have to shoot at weak spots that appear on its right and left shoulders during this encounter. Destroy these weak points, and the shield disappears, allowing you to damage the Shadow Hound during this battle again.

If you see the Shadow Hound lift its head to create a giant orb above it, start to run away. The orb will attempt to pull you into it before damaging you and anyone else around it. You’ll constantly get pulled toward the Shadow Hound, but running in the opposite direction is the best way to avoid this attack.

Expect to run through this rotation throughout this fight against the Shadow Hound. After you defeat it, you’ll have a chance to get the Treasure Chest it drops, which requires a Controller to redeem. If it’s your first time beating the Shadow Hound, you can also get the Lonewolf’s Whisper Deviant.