Wanted: Dead's second Mission has you explore Kowloon Park in search of the leader of the opposing forces, having you eventually bump into the second boss encounter of the game, August. Unlike the Spider Tank boss fight from the first Mission, August is a little more involved and has his own gimmicks for you to solve.
While not a particularly challenging boss fight, August can pose a threat, especially for players who aren't too comfortable using the Katana. However, once you can pin his moveset down, you should be able to make quick work of him with a bit of patience and execution.
August Overview
August is the second boss you will encounter in Wanted: Dead and is located at the very end of the Kowloon Park Mission. He is a melee-based enemy that is immune to bullets, forcing you to use your Katana. At least during his first phase. So, before we dive into what you can expect in both phases, let's go over what you should have unlocked Skill wise to give yourself the upper hand.
Recommended Skills
- Dash Attack (Offense)
- Sliding Attack (Offense)
- Standard Combo Extention (Offense)
- Guard Strength Increase (Defense)
- Increased Melee Defense (Defense)
If you do not have these Skills, you should be fine, but you will be at a slight disadvantage due to this encounter focusing primarily on melee combat. It's also crucial to note that you have no members of the Zombie Unit with you during this encounter, meaning Doc cannot revive you if you get downed during the fight. With that covered, let's get into how you can take August down in Wanted: Dead!
August Phase One
Phase one of the August encounter opens with him charging at you with a group of construction workers at his side. Ignore August and dispatch the construction workers as quickly as you can. You can use your gun on them, but we recommend using your Katana, as having ammo for phase two will significantly help you out. After you do that, you will be one on one with August for the remainder of the encounter.
August Phase One Strategy
The key to prevailing against August is to block and attack whenever possible, preferably with your Standard Combo with the Standard Combo Extention Skill acquired for extra damage. As covered already, the first phase of this encounter has it so that August is immune to bullets. He will dodge every shot launched his way, so avoid wasting ammo during this stage of the fight.
To get over that hurdle, you will need to put your Katana to the test and will be heavily reliant on blocking or Parrying incoming strikes from August, then swiftly following up with your own attacks. This is where the Guard Strength Increase Skill comes into play, as you can block more attacks before your Guard is broken. Evading is also crucial during this encounter, as the invincibility frames will protect you from most of his attacks, especially if you are about to have your Guard broken.
August's LMG
During phase one, August will be equipped with an LMG and will periodically try to create space and spray a barrage of bullets at you. To overcome this, you can weave in and out of the various obstacles placed around the arena and close the gap between you and him. Once in range, we recommend utilizing your Sliding Attack on him before launching into your Standard Combo, as this will maximize your damage.
August's Melee Attacks
However, August will also have a handful of melee attacks that you must be on the lookout for when in range. He will throw these out before retreating to begin shooting at you again. Most of these attacks come in a series of three strikes, so if you have the Guard Strength Increase Skill, you can block the first two attacks, then Evade or Parry the last one to negate all damage. If you do not have that Skill, however, you will have to block the first attack, either evading the remaining two or attempting to Parry them.
There's not much more to the first phase than that, and after you repeat the two steps above enough to get him down to half health, a cutscene will trigger and begin the second phase, which is considerably more challenging in its own way.
August Phase Two
The second phase begins with August tossing his LMG down and becoming increasingly more aggressive. He moves much faster during this stage of the fight, and he will chase you down at all costs. However, he is now susceptible to bullets, allowing you to use your stored-up ammunition on him to get the job done. If you have enough ammo, you can more or less end the fight quickly with your Primary and Secondary Weapons combined, but if you don't, you have a challenging encounter ahead of you.
August Phase Two Strategy
As outlined above, if you have enough ammo, you can end this phase of the fight relatively quickly, especially if your secondary weapon is a Grenade Launcher or a Shotgun. But, if you do not have the luxury of doing that, you will have to rely on similar methods used in the first phase, but with a bit of a twist. Due to the overall aggression of August, you barely have room to breathe or plan out your attacks.
Fortunately, this also means you can land a few hits on him, run away, and keep repeating this loop until you achieve victory. However, you will still have to be on high alert as he hits hard and fast and can easily end you with one wrong move. For this phase, we recommend building up your Adrenaline Gauge and using Bullet Time as much as possible, as this will temporarily stun him, allowing you to land a full Standard Combo on him for tons of damage. But, as you could have guessed, there are a few moves you must be on the lookout for that can mess you up, which we will go over in the sections below.
Shockwave Guard
August will periodically put both arms up, covering his face with a Guard. If you decide to attack while he's doing this, a small shockwave will emit and push you back slightly, opening you up to him. When this happens, August is guaranteed a hit on you and can deliver a small Combo of punches or a devastating Heavy Strike. However, he may not follow up on this opportunity at all, and this is often the case, oddly enough. While you should avoid spamming out attacks to prevent him from Guarding mid-attack, there's a good chance he may not follow through, so the choice is really up to you.
Our advice is to land your Standard Combo, create distance, and repeat until you fill your Adrenaline Gauge up for your Bullet Time. But, if you want to risk wailing on him, the odds are slightly in your favor, but you must watch out for his attacks below!
Rampage Strikes
Rampage Strikes refers to a small but very hard-hitting Combo August will occasionally throw out when in range that consists of three violent punches that will drain your HP if connected. Like in phase one, if you have the Guard Strength Increase Skill, you can block the first two strikes, then Evade or Parry the last, but if you don't, you must block the first attack and either Parry or Evade the remaining two.
The difference here, however, is August will not retreat after doing this attack like in phase one. Instead, he will continue pursuing you, in which he will either repeat this action, throw out a Heavy Strike, or do his Shockwave Guard in anticipation of you attacking. We feel this is too risky of a situation to be in, so we suggest running away after the Rampage Strike attack happens, then running back in for a few strikes of your own.
Heavy Strike
Lastly, the one other attack of August's you need to be on high alert for is his Heavy Strike, which deals devastating amounts of damage and is an Unblockable Attack. This means if you try Guarding this attack, you will take the full damage from it and will more than likely die.
Luckily, this move is well-telegraphed by August cocking his arm back and briefly charging it before delivering a right hook, giving you ample time to Evade it and use the invincibility frames to negate its effects and damage completely. You can also Parry this attack if you have the Power Parry Skill, but we advise against doing this. However, after you Evade this attack, August will be left open for a brief moment, allowing you to land a couple of attacks of your own before he goes back on the offensive. From here, it's just a matter of repeating everything above until he's defeated!