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Sapscourge is the second Kemono you’ll fight inWild Hearts, and it’s quite the change of pace from the Ragetail. Not only is it significantly bigger, but it moves in strange ways that can easily catch you off guard if you’re not careful.
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Beating this gooey monster will require learning as much as you can about it and getting a feel for using karakuri in the middle of a fight. However, once you get the hang of it, Sapscourge is easily one of the quickest Kemono to kill, which is great news if you want to farm the materials it drops. Here’s everything you need to know about the general strategy for fighting Sapscourge, what its weaknesses are, which moves you need to watch out for, and the weapons you should bring with you.
How To Beat Sapscourge
Sapscourge is almost the polar opposite of the Ragetail. Instead of being a nimble fighter with precise but quick moves,Sapscourge is a lumbering beast with wide, continuous attacks that punish you for sticking too close.It’s trulya disorienting fightthe first few times you do it.
Saapscourge has a plethora of multi-hit attacks that start from the direction it’s facing. Most of these attacks can be easy to dodge in isolation, butthe continuous press of various moves will force even experienced players to take a hit.The last thing you want to do is let Sapscourge perform its best attacks; without them, it simply feels slow and weak, but with them, it’s a force to be reckoned with.
On that theme,attempt to stay away from Sapscourge’s faceunless you’re feeling adventurous. Most of its long, continuous attacks happen only when it’s staring directly at you. A better place to attack is its tail. Sapscourge has very few attacks that hit behind it, so you’re safe to attack back here as long as you keep it brief.
On top of that, take advantage of the huge recovery times baked into some of Sapcourges attacks. If it ever flops over or goes on its side,you have a massive window to deal damage.So much so that you should always try to work in Crate karakuri in these instances. The extra damage will go a long way toward killing it quicker.
Working witha few other hunters in multiplayerwill help you kill Sapscourge a lot faster. Of course, this holds true for most Kemono, butSapscourge is especially vulnerable to multiple players due to how often it gives players huge openings.Instead of one boosted attack, imagine two or three all landing at the same time.
Sapscourge Moves To Watch Out For
As slow as Sapscourge is, it has a few devastating moves that you need to watch out for and know how to deal with. The giant beaver focuses on leveraging its size for huge hurt boxes and continuous attacks that can punish any mistimed dodge. There are four moves especially that you need to be careful of:a quick clap, a continuous forward roll, and two different types of sap throws.
Quick Clap
This clap is one of Sapscourges fastest moves. The Kemono will rear up on its hind legs, fall forward, and clap both hands together in the same motion. This clap with stun you briefly and leave you witha tiny window to dodge the follow-up body slam.
There’s no real way to consistently dodge the initial clap with a melee weapon in hand. It hits anyone within a wide radius, even players who wouldn’t be caught in the following slam. Instead of trying to avoid this move,you’ll simply have to learn the dodge timing.
After you’re stunned, Sapscourge will lift higher and then start to fall down. Don’t freak out, and attempt to dodge just before Sapscourge would hit the ground. If you’re not used to this attack, the timing can catch you off guard, butit’s actually quite easy to hit once you’ve gotten a feel for it.
Forward Roll
Also known as the roly-poly move, Sapscourge will curl up into a ball and propel itself forward toward you,even turning to follow you around the arena.This attack can be tricky to evade because you simply cannot dodge it consistently.
If you dodge to the sides,it’s likely that Sapscourge will adjust course and roll into you.If you dodge forward or back, you’ll simply get hit a moment later than you would have before. That might sound hopeless, but there are actually a few good ways to keep this attack from hitting you.
The first method is simply to run to the side. Dodging will slow you down enough that Sapscourge will catch up, but if you run,you may turn faster than the Kemono can,letting you evade the attack. If it’s too late to do that, you can always use a Spring you shoot yourself off to one side rapidly. Even though this may seem like a good moment for it, do not use the Bulwark fusion karakuri — it doesn’t work against this attack.
Sap Throw and Sap Sneeze
Now we get into the signature moves of the Sapscourge, the sap attacks. These ranged cone attacks can catch unaware players by surprise and land them with a nasty debuff.Having sap on you slows you down and makes it hard to dodge,which can be lethal against this Kemono.
For the first ranged sap attack, the Sapscourge will stand up on its hind legs, press its hands together to form a blob of sap, and then throw it in a cone in front of it.This attack is surprisingly short-range,so you won’t always have to dodge, but if you do, make sure you dodge forward or back to keep yourself from hitting the other sap blobs flying through the air.
The second sap attack is much more dangerous.If the Kemono stops and starts shaking its head, get away fast.In this attack, the Sapscourge will suddenly sneeze out a fast-moving cone of sap after a brief and subtle animation. Bless you, sap beaver. In all ways, this attack is simply a stronger version of the sap throw, and it’s definitely a move you should watch out for.
If you get hit with sap as part of any move, you’ll get a debuff marked by the sap clinging to your character. To get rid of this,you’ll need to use the Spring karakrui specifically.
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Sapscourge’s Weaknesses
Sapscourge has a debilitating weakness to fireand a lesser weakness to earth. All the other element types won’t have much of an effect on it. When it comes to weapon damage types, slashing (the type the Karakuri Katana deals) is a clear favorite, but each physical damage type is as effective as fire damage.
It’s not a great idea to fight Sapscourge with a poison weapon, and if you’re going for speed,it may be best to simply create a slashing weapon with the highest physical damage possible.
Parts Of Sapscourge To Target
The head is the best place to attack Sapscourge by far.It deals tons of extra damage and comes with the chance of two additional material drops. However, the full story is a little more complicated.
Sapscourge’s head is a dangerous place to be in the fight, and the tail and top of the body also have plenty of opportunities to drop materials. If you’re dead set on killing Sapscourge as fast as possible, you should aim for the head and develop strategies to deal with each of its forward-facing attacks. However, if you just want to beat it and live,try going for its tail instead so that you can avoid the more dangerous moves in its arsenal.
Weapons To Use Against Sapscourge
Fast weapons, like the Karakuri Katana, can help you score damage constantlyby hitting Sapscourge while it’s in the middle of an attack. Their mobility gives you more tools to evade difficult moves and keep yourself alive. However, they aren’t the best option.
Slower, harder-hitting weapons are great against Sapscourge. You’ll be playing defense most of the time, working to evade attack after attack, but once the Kemono presents an opportunity, slower weapons will be able to capitalize on it most with huge amounts of damage. When paired with Spring and Crate karakuri,slower weapons like the Maul can make short work of Sapscourge.Just make sure to holster your weapon when you’re running around with it
Ranged weapons are also a viable option, butthey don’t outperform heavy weapons.With the Bow and the Hand Cannon, you’ll be able to capitalize on the long animations and poor range of the Sapscourge while the long recovery times give you ample opportunity to escape close-range attacks.Your Tsukumowill also have to put in a ton of work by distracting Sapscourge and holding its attention.
