You’ve just conquered the Clock Tower in Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana, collected all those statues, and likely faced plenty of challenges while honing your platforming skills. But the ordeal isn’t finished yet, as you’re gearing up for one of the toughest boss encounters in the whole game.
Chester Stoddart was already a formidable opponent the first time you faced him, and now he’s back, more ruthless than ever. Wielding two swords and boasting an enhanced moveset, he won’t give you a moment to catch your breath, let alone defeat him. However, he can be beaten, and here’s how.
Preparing for the Battle with Chester
Given how tough Chester is, it’s wise to prepare before diving into battle. His attack patterns haven’t changed dramatically since your first encounter, so you should have some familiarity. Notably, he’s immune to magic, rendering most of your bracelets ineffective.
The exception is the Terra Bracelet. While it won’t inflict damage on him, it does allow you to negate damage from his attacks. Be sure to keep the Terra Bracelet equipped throughout the fight. You can collect two Topaz from the Elderm Mountains and Valestein Castle in advance.
Next, acquire the Talisman of War, which you receive from Randolph after giving him the Jade Ring. To get the Jade Ring, you’ll need to trade 260 Raval Ore to Antonio. By this point in the story, that should be manageable. The Talisman of War extends the duration of your Boost Mode and is always active without needing to be equipped. This is crucial.
Lastly, make sure to upgrade all your armor and weapons. The Battle set, which you can find in Valestein Castle, is the best available at this stage. If Chester is proving challenging, enhance your gear to the highest level possible.
Try to reach at least level 40 before the battle for a better chance of success.
How to Beat Chester Stoddart
Chester’s fighting style remains similar to your initial encounter, but he’s significantly faster and hits harder this time. He offers very few opportunities for you to land full combos, as he constantly dashes around with swift tracking. In this battle, you’ll mostly be taking advantage of your hits.
The key to winning is balance: stay too far away, and he’ll fire projectiles at you; stay too close, and he’ll hit you easily. Try to maintain a closer distance as this gives you the best chance to land two or three hits. A smart tactic is to jump over his attacks and follow up with a descending slash, which can connect for a few hits.
If Chester raises a barrier in front of him, back off immediately. If you strike this barrier, he’ll counter-attack right away, typically following up with a series of strikes.
As Chester’s health decreases, he’ll increase his speed, teleport around the arena, and shoot projectiles in all directions. This phase can be tricky to navigate, so use the Terra Bracelet to dash into the attack, negating the damage. The bracelet provides a generous window of invulnerability.
Your best chance to deal significant damage to Chester is with Double Boost. Activating it inflicts substantial damage, and then you can unleash a series of attacks against him. Remember, though, you’re not invincible during this time, so be cautious. The HP you recover should help keep you alive while you focus on maximizing damage to Chester.
You can also use Double Boost to regain some health if you’re worried you might not have enough to finish him off.
Keep in mind that the first bar of your Boost Mode must be charged through both dealing and receiving damage. Only the Double Charge builds passively.
That’s the strategy for the whole fight. With some careful jumping and smart use of Double Boost, you should be able to beat Chester in no time. Once you do, you’ll head to the top of the Clock Tower for an unwinnable encounter.
