Defeating Gabriel in Ultrakill requires a mastery of movement, parrying, and aggressive weapon usage, with a particular emphasis on utilizing the Nailgun's unique advantages against him.
Understanding Gabriel's Combat Style
Gabriel, Judge of Hell, is an incredibly fast and agile boss who relies heavily on teleportation and a mix of powerful melee and ranged attacks. He is one constant blur of motion, making traditional aiming challenging. His combat style demands continuous movement and quick reflexes from the player.
Essential Combat Principles
To effectively counter Gabriel's speed and power, focus on these core Ultrakill mechanics:
- Movement is Paramount: Constantly slide, dash, and jump to avoid his rapid attacks. Standing still is a death sentence. Use environmental elements to your advantage for cover or movement options.
- Master Parrying: Gabriel's attacks, particularly his glowing golden ones, can be parried. Successful parries heal you, deal significant damage to Gabriel, and often interrupt his attack patterns. Learning his parry timings is crucial for both survival and offense.
- Stay Aggressive: Ultrakill rewards aggression. Dealing damage regenerates your health, so maintain constant pressure on Gabriel while dodging his attacks. Keep your style meter high for increased damage output.
Recommended Weapon Strategies
While all weapons can contribute, certain ones excel against Gabriel:
- The Nailgun Advantage: Gabriel is exceptionally vulnerable to the Nailgun. This weapon is a prime choice for sustained damage against him due to its unique properties.
- Attractor Variant: Given Gabriel's constant teleportation and high mobility, the Attractor Nailgun is highly recommended. It negates the need for pinpoint accuracy, as the nails will home in on him, ensuring consistent damage even when he's rapidly moving across the arena.
- Overheat Nailgun & Magnets: For massive burst damage, combine the Overheat Nailgun with magnets. Storing up Overheat charges and then deploying them alongside strategically placed magnets will cause a concentrated explosion of nails, shredding Gabriel's health bar in moments. This combination is particularly effective when he pauses for an attack animation or after a parry.
- Shotgun: The Shotgun's core function for close-range blood healing and high damage remains essential. Use it whenever you're close enough to guarantee a hit and need quick health back.
- Revolver: The Revolver's coin mechanics are invaluable for hitting Gabriel when he's distant or for setting up massive damage chains. Ricocheting bullets off coins can deal significant damage and even hit him through walls or obstacles.
- Railcannon: Both variants of the Railcannon offer high burst damage. Use the Electric Railcannon for quick, precise hits or the Malicious Railcannon for area-denial and guaranteed hits when he's still for a moment.
Phases and Attack Patterns
Gabriel has two distinct phases, with his second phase being much more aggressive:
- Phase 1: He uses a variety of sword swings, dashes, and ranged projectile attacks. Learn to recognize the cues for his parry-able attacks, which are often telegraphed by a golden glow.
- Phase 2: After taking significant damage, Gabriel enters his second phase. He becomes faster, more relentless, and introduces new, often unparryable, attacks. The key here is to maintain your aggressive defense, dodging constantly while relentlessly punishing any opening.
General Tips for Success
- Prioritize Healing: Your health is blood, and blood is fuel. Always seek opportunities to heal by damaging Gabriel, whether through direct hits or parries.
- Keep Moving: Never stand still. Use your dash and slide to become a difficult target.
- Learn Parry Timings: This cannot be stressed enough. Parrying is your best source of healing and a major damage dealer.
- Utilize Coin Ricochets: Practice shooting coins with your Revolver variants to multiply your damage, especially against a fast-moving target like Gabriel.
- Weapon Swapping: Fluidly switch between your weapons to maximize your damage output and adapt to the current situation. For example, shotgun for close-range healing, Nailgun for consistent damage, and Railcannon for burst.
Quick Reference Tips
Strategy | Detail |
---|---|
Nailgun | Essential for damage. Use Attractor Variant for consistent hits, or Overheat with magnets for burst. |
Movement | Constant dashing and sliding are crucial to evade his fast attacks. |
Parrying | Learn the timing for his glowing attacks; provides healing and damage. |
Healing | Replenish health by dealing damage (blood is fuel) or through successful parries. |
Aggression | Maintain offensive pressure to keep your style meter high and ensure consistent health regeneration. |
Weapon Cycle | Fluidly switch between weapons to maximize damage, such as Shotgun for close-range healing and Revolver for distant hits and coin tricks. |
Mastering these techniques will significantly increase your chances of defeating Gabriel and progressing through Ultrakill.