Learn how to beat the Chess Knight Boss Fight in Cuphead – The Delicious Last Course!
Cuphead’s newest DLC, The Delicious Last Course, has brought back old mechanics and new challenges that you must face. Players of the original Cuphead would be aware of how vital the parry move was. Well, with the boss that we’re about to discuss today, parry is going to be your biggest friend. With that said, let’s discuss that Chess Knight in Cuphead!
Who is the Chess Knight?
The Chess Knight is one of the five bosses you have to face off against when taking part in the challenges issued by the King of Games. You must defeat all five bosses to complete the King of Games’ gauntlet. The order in which the bosses appear in the challenges is Chess Pawn, Chess Knight, Chess Bishop, Chess Rook, and then finally the Chess Queen. Therefore, the Chess Knight is the second boss that you’ll get to face.
The unique aspect of all these bosses is that any charms or weapons that you’ve purchased using coins will be deactivated during the fight. That means you’ll have to find other clever ways of defeating the bosses. The only other way to damage the boss is by parrying them on their vulnerable spots, which will be bright pink like every other parry-able thing in the game. But each enemy has its own different spot, which you’ll need to find.
Which Character To Use?
The first question that comes to mind when taking on a new boss is which character would best suit the task. As you might know, Ms. Chalice is relatively smaller, and her jump is shallower than Mugman or Cuphead. In some instances, that can be an advantage, but sometimes, it can just be a nuisance which is why we need to evaluate each character.
In your fight with Chess Knight, you’ll need to aim for the plume on the helmet as that is the only weak point. That means you’ll have to jump quite a lot during the battle, which Ms. Chalice has a slight disadvantage. Although you can double jump, it takes her way too above the Chess Knight, and parrying becomes harder to time.
But if you can get used to the trickier timing, Ms. Chalice can be a great choice due to her dash ability. But if that’s not the case, we’d recommend you stick with Cuphead or Mugman when facing the Chess Knight!
How to Defeat the Chess Knight Boss?
Now that we know which character to play, it’s time to discuss how you can take down the Chess Knight. As mentioned earlier, the parrying spot for the Chess Knight is the pink plume on its helmet. That means you’ll have to jump whenever given the opportunity to land a parry.
However, you cannot jump whenever you want due to the various movements of the Chess Knight. The boss only has one phase, so you won’t have to worry about any drastic changes, and it only has a few attacks, so getting adjusted shouldn’t take too long.
The Chess Knight has a move where if you get too far from it, it’ll taunt you and lunge out with an unpredictable attack, making it hard to avoid. To avoid that, you should remain fairly close to the boss, just enough that it doesn’t initiate the taunting move.
The first move you should be aware of is the forward dash across the screen with the sword pointed forward. Although it might seem intimidating, you can counter it easily. Look out for when the Chess Knight’s visor is down, and the boss lifts its leg up. If you notice those, then you should brace yourself for a dash. As soon as the boss begins to approach you, jump and parry to land a hit. You can potentially land three hits if you’re careful, and jumping once should be enough (if you’re playing as Cuphead/Mugman).
The upward sweeping attack is the second move you need to be on the lookout for. The Chess Knight sweeps its sword in a semi-circle upward, making it hard to land any parry attacks during the move. But as soon as the boss is done executing the move, you’ll have a second or two to jump and parry the boss before it goes back to its normal stance. You can predict the move by keeping an eye on the visor. If it’s up and you can see the Chess Knight’s eyes, then a sweep is coming.
The third attack is a thrust attack by stabbing upward. Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to counter this or get a parry, so it’s best to play around with the first two moves.
Additionally, the boss will get exhausted after performing two main attacks. If you’re quick enough, you can use this as a chance to land another parry! Keep repeating the process and remember to remain patient; you’ll complete the fight in no time.
Conclusion
With that, you know everything about the Chess Knight and how to defeat it. The boss can be tricky, but when you get used to the three main moveset and the parry timing, you’ll easily clear the fight!
Looking for more Cuphead guides? You might also be interested in:
- How to Beat the Mortimer Freeze Boss in Cuphead
- How to Beat the Moonshine Mob Boss Fight in Cuphead
- How to Solve the Cuphead Graveyard Puzzle
Cuphead – The Delicious Last Course is available to purchase on Steam.