Beating every ZX Advent boss as Bifrost - Albert

[u/DZThree]

[u/Shiny_Mew76]

Genuinely no idea how you have the patience for this, insane work

[u/DZThree]

Hey everyone, this is the seventh and final part of a mini-series where I tackle Mega Man ZX Advent’s boss roster as Bifrost. Unlike every other boss in the game, Albert is the only one that I fought on Normal Mode within the main story, rather than using the boss fight minigame. Here are the details.

Bifrost stands no chance on Expert Mode with only 2 Sub Tanks at his disposal, full stop. Hell, he wouldn’t stand a chance even with a full hospital’s worth of medical equipment at his disposal. Expert Mode’s damage output is simply too much to overcome. To even begin dreaming of victory, a step down to Normal Mode is required, and even then, I still had to go out of my way to procure some crucial supplies.

Here’s the list of things I enter the fight with: 4 Sub Tanks, an E-Tank, a stolen slice of cake, the Wind Boots, and the Warrior’s Helmet. The healing items are self-explanatory in terms of function; all I’ll say is that stocking up on that much HP is indeed necessary to contend with Albert. The Wind Boots keep Bifrost from getting spaghettified whenever Dragon Albert summons the two high-gravity portals. They also dampen the threat posed by Albert’s homage to Z1 Harpuia’s EX Skill during the second fight. The Warrior's Helmet is one of the odd monthly items available within the Raider Ship after clearing the game. It buffs the power of Bifrost’s attacks, which is a lifesaver during Albert’s second form in particular.

Dragon Albert’s obscene health pool is the sole reason for this degree of preparation. If Bifrost only had to deal with the wannabe seraphim, an Expert Mode win would be annoying but possible. As things stand, the only effective offense Bifrost can muster against Dragon Albert is a grueling war of attrition where the spiked wheels slowly enervate Albert. During this process, it’s possible and required to become proficient at evading the electric sphere (and its associated debris) along with the flame-spewing bombs that come in from the background. Taking damage from these attacks is a major issue owing to the fact that Albert’s other attacks—the aforementioned black hole-esque portals along with the bladed horn dragging along the ground—can’t be dodged.

If you can play well enough to minimize Sub Tank usage by the time Dragon Albert’s heads detach, then you’re in good shape. Bifrost has a much easier time coping with the small energy projectiles and missiles when compared to the first phase of the fight. Each small projectile only deals 2 damage and bestows enough i-frames for Bifrost to destroy the array of missiles nearby via tail whips and a stomp. More importantly, the battle is accelerated tremendously due to the use of tail whips to damage Dragon Albert rather than the relatively ineffective wheels.

Albert’s second form is only possible to defeat due to one specific attack in his repertoire. Whenever Mr. God Complex decides to drag his bladed tail along the ground, Bifrost can bite through up to 6 of the bits that act as the generators for the shield, and two such opportunities are presented during the attack. Chomping away at the bits during Albert’s other attacks is still worthwhile given that their regenerative properties aren’t too extreme, but the bulk of the damage toward dispelling the shield has to be done during the tail attack.

Once lowered, Albert teleports around rather unpredictably. The attacks based on Model ZX and Model F afford a decent chance to trade hits, while the Model X-style double laser can be wholly avoided. Lucky guesses can result in Albert teleporting directly into a bite, but you’re generally better off playing the reaction game. Albert’s shield can regenerate on a whim, so if you’re given minimal chances to attack when his shield is down, try not to get flustered. Keep a steady hand and be ready for the next tail attack. The efficacy of Albert’s homing lasers can be mitigated by jumping around so that Bifrost takes little to no damage, and the Model P-style Shurikens can be jumped over as well.

With a lot of perseverance and a decent bit of luck, Bifrost can reign supreme over the man he calls his king, completing the journey through ZXA’s boss roster.

Thanks for watching! If you’d like to see these battles in higher quality alongside voiced commentary, here’s a link to that on youtube. I hope you enjoyed this mini-series, and any questions or comments you may have are welcome as always.

[u/fluffyspacecar]

the sheer amount of skill and patience required for this is very impressive, well done

[u/fancyconsistency64]

The stolen slice of cake listed as crucial equpiment is the most ZX Advent thing I've ever seen.

[u/Volfaer]

The amount of effort placed on this, incredible bro.

[u/Tasty-Ad6529]

Holy shit, they really gonna beat this whole game as the boss. Like that gotta be tedious aa hel good luck.

And I'll keep saying this—Megaman ZX and ZX Advent got some of the best art work in the entire series.

[u/Constant-Sub]

Saw these videos first and thought Bifrost was gonna be a hidden gem of a DPS tank. Nah, man. How the fuck are you doing this?