Salt And Sacrifice: How To Beat Uryks Necklace-Of-Ears
"Salt and Sacrifice" has already received a positive response from critics and it's the perfect game to play after finishing "Elden Ring." It combines Metroidvania exploration with SoulsBorne combat, all while giving players plenty of fresh mechanics to enjoy. However, the game can be unforgiving, and it isn't for everyone, with every enemy requiring precise dodges and attacks to beat. No enemy better exemplifies this hardcore combat than the first boss, Uryks Necklace-Of-Ears. This goliath of a boss tests players' skills and equipment after they've spent adequate time learning the game before allowing them to move on to the next section. Thankfully, Uryks shouldn't give players too much of a challenge with enough practice and preparation.
Anyone that wants to fight the boss as quickly as possible can start heading towards Uryks as soon as they arrive in Ashbourne Village. From the village, head left just a short distance until reaching the mouth of a cave called Root-Ceil Cavern. Enter the cave and slash through all the enemies while traversing platforms until making it to the exit at the bottom right portion of the cave. After exiting into Greymoss Mire, Rest and Resupply at the Obelisk directly outside the cave entrance. From here, it's just a short walk to the right before encountering Uryks Necklace-of-Ears.
For equipment, players will need plenty of Hearthen Flasks and preferably a ranged weapon, as players can easily weave ranged attacks into a melee rotation. Additionally, Uryks seems weak to poison, so a Poison Bomb can be an incredibly valuable item in this fight.
Roll and shoot
Uryks Necklace-of-Ears is slow, but they pack a punch. Thankfully, however, the roll in "Salt and Sacrifice" is forgiving enough that players don't need frame-perfect timing. Players just need to dodge the second Uryks' attacks are about to connect. Hold to Reset demonstrates the dodge mechanic perfectly. Additionally, when Uryks' health is high, they don't have a lot of attack variety. Uryks will only thrust their sword over their head, perform a jump attack, or stab the sword downwards. The best way to dodge all of these attacks is to roll straight through the boss. Then while the boss is recovering, get in one or two hits before preparing for his next attack.
However, once Uryks' health gets below half, they become a more significant threat. They can perform a deadly three-hit combo that punishes players who try to attack after every roll. Additionally, their jump attack is now followed up by a quick turn and slash. Players will need to wait out the new combos before attacking the boss.
Because Uryks doesn't have any range attacks, the best way to take them out is for players to use ranged weapons themselves. A bow or magic works wonders against the boss, but players will need to watch their ammo. After dodging their initial attacks, all players need to do is keep their distance from Uryks and start blasting. Then when Uryks gets close, dash behind them and run to the other side of the arena and repeat the process.
Although Uryks isn't the hardest boss in the world, players shouldn't be discouraged if they fail the first time, as the game has a wide scope of completion time and plenty of secrets to uncover.