The Callisto Protocol can be a pretty challenging game at times. From learning the dodge mechanic to adjusting to melee-focused combat, there are a lot of things that can trip you up. None more so than The Callisto Protocol’s Final Boss, which has proven to be a massive roadblock for many players.
This 2 Phase fight has a lot of intricacies and issues that make it significantly more difficult than the rest of the game. It abandons the melee-focused gameplay, asks you to deal with a multitude of difficult opponents and you could enter this fight with massively reduced health and ammo counts. However, it can be beaten.
Here’s how to beat the Final Boss of The Callisto Protocol.
Want more of The Callisto Protocol? You can find more guides and articles here on KeenGamer, including guides on how to find all the weapons in the game.
- The Callisto Protocol Review: Nostalgic Survival Horror (PS5)
- The Callisto Protocol: How to Get the Skunk Shotgun
- The Callisto Protocol: How to Get the Assault Rifle
- The Callisto Protocol: How to Get the Tactical Pistol
Phase 1 Moveset
The first phase of the final boss has you set against the mutated form of Captain Ferris once more. You already had a brief encounter with him when you reached the massive alien responsible for the Biophage in the Colony chapter.
Not much has changed between now and then. Ferris still wants you dead and you’ll have to survive his onslaught to get to the next phase.
Rematch Against Ferris
Regular Combo: Ferris will swing at you in melee – this will usually be a 3 or 4-hit combo, but sometimes he stretches it out to over 6 attacks – and you need to dodge appropriately. Make sure to fully dodge each swing before starting to dodge the next. Once he has stopped, he will taunt you to signal that you can beat him down with a standard Stun Baton combo.
Baton Grab: If you attempt to hit Ferris too early (either before he has stopped his combo or while he is passive) he will grab you. This will instantly deal a massive amount of damage to you. Only attack Ferris after you’ve seen him complete his melee combo.
Push and Shove: Ferris will run at you. If he makes contact with you, he will spin you around and kick you away. While this attack doesn’t do much damage, it is very hard to avoid and can easily open you up for a follow-up attack. Stay on your toes and get ready to dodge after recovering.
After a few minutes, Ferris will grab you and transition you into a cutscene. This marks the beginning of Phase 2.
Ferris Transformed
Tips for Phase 1
Phase 1 is essentially the same as your previous fight with Ferris. Everything that you previously learnt has value here, too.
Guns are dangerous to use unless you are ending a melee combo with a quick shot. Standing still to aim your weapon at Ferris gives him ample time to reach you and catch you off guard. He also doesn’t flinch or stagger when you shoot him, meaning that hitting him will not slow him down. Only use guns after the end of your melee combo.
Speaking of guns, the Skunk Shotgun and the Riot Gun are likely the best here. They deal very nice damage up close and can quickly strip away Ferris’ health alongside your Baton. You will want to save your more ammo-efficient weapons (the Assault Rifle, Tactical Pistol and Hand Cannon) for Phase 2, where ammo conservation is important. Still try to conserve as much ammo as possible, but if you need to use a weapon, use either of the Shotguns.
Try to go into Phase 2 with as much health as possible. There is a checkpoint between the two Phases so you won’t have to repeat the Ferris fight, but your health does carry over. A few health gel packs are scattered around the arena, but having to focus on your health first thing isn’t a great start to the fight.
The final bit of advice is to not play too passively. Ferris is not a difficult boss once you get used to his rhythm and timing, but if you play too passively it will drag the fight out. Remain close to him, ready to engage with your Stun Baton when he slips up, and the first part of the fight should be a cakewalk.
One Last Fight
Phase 2 Moveset
Phase 2 begins with Ferris being overwhelmed by the Biophage, truly taking on the moniker of Project Alpha. Now, he towers over Jacob with a massive body made from the Biophage, with several new attacks to boot. This fight will be longer and more difficult than Phase 1, so get ready.
Head Protector: The main thing about the new Project Alpha is that he has a large fleshy dome protecting his face. This also lowers the damage you deal to Alpha until you destroy the shield. He will regenerate this shield 3 times through the fight, with it getting slightly stronger each time.
Protective Flesh Dome
Summon Bloaters: After you break his protective flesh dome, Alpha will often call for backup from some other Biophages. He will stand in place and scream, which is soon followed by several more shrill screeches. From around the arena, 5 Bloaters will spawn and begin making their way towards you. If these get to you, they will deal massive damage as they detonate. This leaves you open up for more devastating attacks from Alpha. Watch your surroundings and try to take them out as soon as possible (while still being aware of the Alpha, who is still chasing you).
Bile Throw: Project Alpha will throw a ranged barrage of attacks at you. This can come from almost anywhere on the map and is particularly hard to avoid unless you are already moving. Your best bet for this attack is to Block the damage, which will stagger Jacob a bit but stop you from taking a big hit.
Charge Attack: The Alpha will rush at you, readying himself for an overhead slam. You can dodge this attack but it is difficult due to the speed.
Melee Combo: This is Alpha’s main attack. He will get himself into a melee with you before throwing out a wide swing. This is similar to the melee attacks of the Two-Head bosses. Simply hold the dodge button and Jacob will scamper out of the way.
Get through three full head breaks, and several waves of Bloaters and you’re done. You will be walking away the ultimate victor of this fight with Project Alpha.
Great Enemy Felled
Phase 2 Tips
The fight with Project Alpha can be immensely frustrating. It goes against almost everything that the game has taught you up to this point and has a lot of small intricacies that can make it unbearable.
First, when you load into the fight make sure your gun is actually reloaded. If you partially emptied your magazine in Phase 1, it will still be partially empty in Phase 2. Doing a quick reload as soon as the fight begins means that you can avoid some unfortunate situations later on.
Next, be aware of where the Health Gel in the arena can be found. The Bloaters that you kill do have a chance to drop health and ammo, but there are 2 permanent spots of Health Gel that you can use every run. You can find them on shelves at the top side of the room, one on the right and one on the left.
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- Health Gel 1
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- Health Gel 2
One of the biggest pain points about this fight is that melee is off the table. No matter how close you get, melee is effectively unusable in this fight. Instead, you have to rely on your guns. Thanks to Alpha’s dome shield as well as the swarming Bloaters, fully automatic weapons perform the best here. In particular, the Tactical Pistol is a great pickup. It has tons of ammo (up to 70 rounds), has decent damage and can take out the Bloaters in a single shot. While weak in terms of damage, it is easily the best option for chewing through Alpha’s large health pool.
Another tip is to use the environment to your advantage. There are at least 3 or 4 explosive canisters littering the arena, which deal massive damage to Alpha. I would recommend saving them for his third health gate and flesh dome: regular guns can take care of him up to that point, and the canisters pack a mean punch.
Finally, use waist-high cabinets and dividers. Jacob can vault over these, avoiding the main path of Alpha and causing it to have to run around to catch up to him. Admittedly, this can feel a little cheesy, but it gives you some breathing room and time to reload and prepare yourself.
End of a Long Day
That is everything you need to beat the final boss of The Callisto Protocol. Play well, keep calm and you’ll be in a straight shot of finishing the game.
