Afilaor kneeling while blood pours from their mouth after the player beats them in Blasphemous 2.

Blasphemous 2: How to Beat Afilaor, Sentinel of the Emery

Slay this weaponsmith before they skewer you.

August 28, 2023 - 4 min read

Written by:

Reyadh is a writer of fantasy, horror, and science fiction who loves to play video games full of monsters and magic. When he's not scribing unique and unrelenting speculative fiction or slaying demons in virtual worlds, he is writing strategy guides to help others reach their gaming goals.

Reviewed by:

Marshall Gunnell

Marshall is a seasoned writer and gaming enthusiast based in Tokyo. He's a prolific wordsmith with hundreds of articles featured on top-tier sites like Business Insider, How-To Geek, PCWorld, and Zapier. His writing has reached a massive audience with over 70 million readers!

Key Takeaway

You can dodge through Afilaor’s Spinning Slash and Sharpened Slash attacks with proper timing. As for the Jumping Slam, you’ll need to get away from the boss’s landing spot. In between Phases, run around to avoid the falling bladed weapons.

To beat Afilaor, Sentinel of the Emery in Blasphemous 2, you’ll need to sharpen your reflexes. This boss launches a barrage of fierce attacks your way, so you’ll need to figure out the precise timing for your counterattacks.

Tips for Beating Afilaor, Sentinel of the Emery During Phase 1

This boss technically has three Phases; however, most of them are similar. During Phase 2 and Phase 3, they use mostly the same attacks—but upgraded versions of them.

Spinning Strike

Afilaor spinning with their blade outstretched.

Afilaor loves to spin repeatedly while charging at you. This whirlwind of steel can be evaded by dodging through the boss. The Sentinel of the Emery may use this move twice in a row during Phase 1—but no more than that.

Jumping Slam

Afilaor jumping into the air before slamming the ground.

When you see Afilaor jump into the air, get away from their landing spot. As the boss returns to the ground, they’ll slam it and send out short shockwaves on either side of themselves. You’ll take damage from both the landing and these shockwaves.

The moment you see Afilaor leap into the air, predict where they’ll land and dodge away from that spot.

Sharpened Slash

Afilaor slashing at the player with their large sword.

This boss sometimes sharpens their sword before slashing at you viciously. This attack does a lot of damage, so you must avoid it unless you want to see a huge chunk of your health disappear.

When you see Afilaor sharpening their sword, get behind them with a swift dodge. Or, if you can’t get behind your foe, get as far away from them as possible.

Tip

There is a delay after this attack that you can make use of by spamming Prayers at the boss for at least two full seconds.

Tips for Beating Afilaor, Sentinel of the Emery During Phase 2

Phase 2 begins when Afilaor reaches somewhere between 75% and 50% health. At this point, the boss’s bronze sword breaks and they leap into the background. After grabbing a silver sword, Afilaor rains bladed weapons down on you from a distance.

There are gaps between the falling weapons, so try to keep your eyes at the top of the screen to find them.

Afilaor, Sentinel of the Emery throwing many bladed weapons at the player from a distance.

Following this, your adversary jumps back into the foreground with a slamming maneuver. Dodge this like how you would dodge one of their Jumping Slam attacks. Next, the true part of Phase 2 begins.

Phase 2 Spinning Strike

This attack is mostly the same as the Spinning Strike in Phase 1. The only difference is that Afilaor can use this assault two to three times in a row. This differs from the Phase 1 variant that can only occur a maximum of twice in a row.

Phase 2 Jumping Slam

Afilaor’s Jumping Slam attack doesn’t change in Phase 2. With that said, it’s still tricky to avoid since it has a large damage hitbox. As before, try to predict where the boss will land and get away from that location.

Phase 2 Sharpened Slash

Unlike some of their other attacks, Afilaor’s Sharpened Slash changes enough to become a bigger threat. They’ll still sharpen their sword before using it; however, this attack now launches a crescent-shaped projectile. This projectile runs along the length of the boss room.

You need to evade both the initial slash and the crescent wave to avoid damage. To do so, either get behind Afilaor or as far away from the front of them as possible. It’s worth mentioning that you can dodge through the crescent-shaped wave.

Tips for Beating Afilaor, Sentinel of the Emery During Phase 3

Phase 3 begins when Afilaor drops between 50% and 25% health. Like during the previous Phase change, the boss’s sword breaks and they leap into the background. They then summon a golden sword and launch more bladed weapons at you before jumping back into melee range.

This is the last step you must overcome to beat Afilaor, Sentinel of the Emery.

Phase 3 Spinning Strike

This time around, the boss can use this attack three to four times in a row. Even if you’re accustomed to dodging this maneuver by now, doing so up to four times consecutively requires precise timing and sharp reflexes. Be warned that Afilaor can turn on a time, so don’t let your guard down for even a moment!

Phase 3 Jumping Slam

Virtually unchanged, Afilaor’s Jumping Slam has the same threat level as in previous Phases. Do the same as you did before to avoid this assault. Practice makes perfect!

Phase 3 Sharpened Slash

Afilaor, Sentinel of the Emery slashing at the player with a golden sword that creates a crescent-shaped projectile.

The Sharpened Slash attack remains similar to the Phase 2 version in that it’ll be a slashing attack that can hit you in melee range and a crescent-shaped projectile that crosses the entire boss room.

However, Afilaor can now use this attack following a bit of impressive maneuvering. Sometimes, the boss jumps from one end of the room to the other, and, when they land, they’ll send out a crescent-shaped projectile.

Since most of Afilaor’s Phases are similar, you can learn their moves more easily than with other bosses—like Lesmes & Infanta. Every time you die, repeat the battle process with new knowledge at your disposal. If you beat Afilaor, Sentinel of the Emery, you may find a new ability in the rooms beyond. One that can help you reach previously unattainable loot…