Guide to Defeating Gwydo: Khazan the First Berserker

Gwydo is a tough secondary boss in The First Berserker: Khazan, and he’s essentially a repainted version of the Maluca boss you faced earlier in the game. His fighting style closely resembles that of Maluca, particularly during her second phase. Gwydo wields a katana and a pair of greatswords, but he primarily focuses on attacks with the katana. The glow of Gwydo’s katana may remind you of your earlier battle with Maluca and her infamous teleporting strike. However, with some practice under your belt, you should find this encounter a bit easier to handle.

While many of Gwydo’s moves will be familiar from your fight with Maluca, he does hit harder and is at a higher level, making this battle more challenging. Unlike Maluca, who only used her most powerful katana strikes sporadically, Gwydo unleashes these attacks frequently and introduces new burst moves that can catch players off guard. Unfortunately, defeating Gwydo doesn’t yield any unique crafting materials or special set pieces; instead, you’ll receive the same random drops as you did from Maluca.

How to Defeat Gwydo in Khazan

Brink Guard, Reflection, & Sustained Combos

To take down Gwydo, you can follow a similar strategy to what you used against Maluca. However, you’ll need to re-familiarize yourself with the rhythm and timing of his nearly identical moves while also adapting to his new attacks. One key move to watch for is his retreating slash counterattack, which he uses frequently. Be cautious how you approach him, as this move can inflict significant damage to both your stamina and health.

Gwydo often executes slow, wide swings, making him a prime target for the reflection skill in The First Berserker: Khazan, in addition to perfect guards and counterattacks. When you see him preparing to swing his greatswords, that’s your cue to anticipate a reflection attempt—but be careful of his unblockable spinning attack, which you’ll need to dodge instead. Just like in your fight with Maluca, Gwydo’s katana will shine just before he teleports to strike, giving you a chance to time your reflection for an interrupt.

Watch out for his slicing maneuver when he re-sheathes his katana, as it unleashes chaos energy that can deal heavy damage. Be mindful of his thrust projectiles as well. Though these attacks were a signature move of Maluca’s, Gwydo tends to use them more frequently, sometimes attempting seven or eight in a row. You can interrupt these projectiles with a fully charged powerful strike, but you’ll need to time it right to avoid being hit. Overall, as long as you pay attention to Gwydo’s glowing katana attacks and avoid them, you should be able to execute plenty of reflections and counters.

Rewards for Defeating Gwydo

Discover Gwydo’s True Nature & Score Chaos-Ridden Set Pieces

Sadly, the rewards for taking down Gwydo aren’t particularly impressive. You’ll earn two random pieces of the Chaos-Ridden Set, the same set you got from defeating Maluca. In addition, Gwydo drops a random weapon or accessory, some Lacrima, and a bit of gold. You’ll also find his diary, which reveals his abusive nature. After informing his friend Tristan about this revelation, Khazan can head back to the Crevice to expand his collection of Chaos-Ridden gear. The Chaos-Ridden Set consists of a solid Greatsword set with Brink Guard enhancements.

On a positive note, Gwydo is relatively easy to farm, making it worthwhile to fight him repeatedly for the Chaos-Ridden set pieces if you need them. With just three or four battles, you can likely complete the entire set, and these fights are shorter compared to many others in The First Berserker: Khazan, streamlining your efforts in acquiring the set.