Warning!!! Before you begin the game

[Dimitris-Ger]

The final boss has changed. I don’t know if it’s just for the ps5 version or if it’s patched for all versions, but the final boss has a new move which spawns minions and not just when he is at 30% hp and stunlock almost never works for him and you can’t cheese him anymore. This instantly rams up the no shell difficulty to a 7/10. Took me at least 4 hours to beat the final boss in no shell run  

Edited June 11 by Dimitris-Ger

[auroranaut]

I don't know if this was part of a patch, as it was true when I played the game in 2022.  The strategy in the guide is what I used and is very effective at getting rid of the minions.

 

Quote

The Unchained slams a closed fist on the ground and summons Shadow Minions that will chase the player character down. Typically they attack with the overhead jump attack ( + ) and can overwhelm you if you're not careful, however they do die in a single hit. The easiest way to deal with these minions is to Harden as they jump attack, then retaliate to get rid of them. A lot of the time The Unchained will hang around in the background while you're dealing with the Shadow Minions, but he can occasionally attack, particularly if you get near him while dealing with the Minions.

 

[maniek515]

Boss summons 6 minions at ~70% hp and then 8 or 9 at 50%. I've been using hallowed sword my entire no shell playthrough and I had huge problems with minions phase during final boss fight. Here's my tip to make a LOT, LOT easier. Pick smoldering mace for this fight, making sure it's fully upgraded and you have second active skill collected. When minions show up, do not lock on them, neither on boss as you want to keep an eye on everyone. Run around in circles until all mobs are grouped together. When they are, just fire up L2+R2 and kill them all in one hit with no risk whatsoever, as active skill gives you invulnerability. 

Edited August 28 by maniek515