Achates Lost Ark Boss Guide: Achates Level 3 Guardian Raid Boss – In this Lost Ark Boss Guide, I’m going to discuss the mechanics for Achates, the twelfth Guardian Raid boss you will encounter in the game after reaching Item Level 920. If you are searching for ways to defeat this boss efficiently, then this guide is for you!

Achates Lost Ark Boss Guide: Achates Level 3 Guardian Raid Boss

After honing your gear sufficiently, you’ll reach Item Level 920, which will allow you to fight the fourth Level 3 Guardian Raid boss in Lost Ark. Defeating Achates will reward you with Legendary Accessories, an Epic Ability Stone, and honing materials, to name a few.

For these types of activities, it’s important to allocate the right Tripods for your Skills. Since this Guardian is very weak against Dark Damage, you will want to select Tripods that ought to change the element of your damage if possible. Doing so will significantly improve the amount of harm you inflict. Next, you are going to want to equip HP Potions or those that restore a percentage of your HP since they are the only ones allowed in Guardian Raids. Alongside this are Flares, which are essential to identify his location quickly.

Like Calventus, you must bring Panaceas because Achates is notorious for inflicting the Flame of Torch Debuff, which deals Damage over Time (DoT) while significantly lowering your HP’s regeneration rate. It stacks up to 4 times that lasts for about 12 seconds. Panaceas cleanse the debuff so you won’t have to rely on Support Classes such as Gunlancers or Paladins. Once you become afflicted by Flame of Torce, however, you will also be vulnerable to Torch Storm where you automatically deal damage to your surroundings for 24 seconds. As such, be sure to stay away from your allies so they won’t take additional damage.

The encounter against Achates is not divided into two phases. Instead, the skills he uses before and after he becomes Enraged are the same, albeit stronger. This is initiated if you unsuccessfully destroy a shield or deal enough Weak Point Damage at certain portions of the fight. Although they have been nerfed after the Lost Ark update in March 2022, it can continue to be troublesome for those who are not familiar with Achates’ core mechanics.

Achates Lost Ark Boss Guide – Statues and Weak Point Damage Core Mechanics

A few minutes into the encounter, your attacks against this Boss will become ‘Invincible’. He is either about to prepare for the Statues Core Mechanic, or he intends to teleport to another section of the map. If Achates doesn’t do the latter action, he will instead summon 4 statues situated in cardinal directions surrounding him. Fortunately, there is no longer any variation to this after the nerf, making the encounter more manageable. What happens is you and your allies will have to destroy each of these statues, which carry Blue, Yellow, and Green gems.

Be on the lookout for their attacks that are projected to hit and knock up anyone in front of them. While this is ongoing, you have to remember that the boss is engulfed in an impenetrable shield.

The only way to remove this is to throw similar-colored gems at him. Should a different-colored gem be hurled, a shockwave will be released. This can kill classes with low HP while also knocking down the others. Once you break the shield, however, light explosions from the sky will hit and knock you down so be sure to dash away as soon as possible. Another shield and set of statues will then resurface. Do the same thing until you gain access to him. A destroyed shield indicates that you have suppressed Achates’ ability to become Enraged. You will know when he is Enraged when his wings will glow white and his eyes have a distinct vibrant red color.

The next stage of the core mechanics involves using Battle Items such as Destruction Bombs and Corrosion Bombs. Destruction Bombs allow you to deal massive Weak Point Damage whereas Corrosion Bombs apply Weak Point Lvl. 1 to your skills to inflict this type of damage for 20 seconds. What you and your allies have to do is to target Achates’ wings. Successfully doing so will also prevent him from entering the Enraged State. It is also a great opportunity to deal as much damage as you can while he is weakened.

Another ability of the Guardian that you need to be aware of while all of this is ongoing is the pulsating light orbs floating around. You have to avoid them, else, they will deal sufficient damage and knock you down as well. In the next sections of this guide, we are going to discuss the basic and special attack patterns of Achates.

Basic Attack Patterns

Achates Lost Ark Boss Guide – Paw Slam and Chaotic Rift

Achates will slam one of his front paws on the ground to create a rift in the form of a cross. This attack will closely be followed by another strike using the other paw, which in effect will further increase the rifts on the ground. If you happen to stand on any of the corresponding white indicators, you will take low damage and you will be knocked up. To avoid it, simply dash to a nearby safe area. Should this boss become Enraged, he will strike his paws several times.

Achates Lost Ark Boss Guide – Light Explosions

Next are the light explosions conjured by Achates. These are similar to the ones you will encounter in the Statues Core Mechanic, only more prominent in number. The light explosions skill happens instantaneously, meaning, you have to be very quick on your feet to dash to an unaffected section far from the Guardian. What he will do is fold his wings and then multiple white projections on the ground will start to appear. With this information, you will be able to gauge the locations where the explosions will take place. This attack can happen 2-3 times in a row so be careful even if you only take low damage.

Another variation of said ability happens when Achates conjures light explosions around him. This is easier to avoid because you can simply stay next to him given that he casts these explosions at a distance.

Achates Lost Ark Boss Guide – 360-Degree Wing Strike

Achates will strike a player in front of him with one of his paws while moving forward. He will then follow through with a 360-degree wing strike to attempt to harm the rest of the party. When you notice his initial move, quickly dash or run away from him to avoid the strike altogether.

Achates Lost Ark Boss Guide – Charge and Counterable Attack

Like the majority of bosses, Achates will suddenly glow blue after folding his wings, which would point upward, and crouching to charge at whoever is in front of him. Note that the period between changing colors and rushing forward happens in a few seconds so you have to be prepared to sidestep to avoid the attack. Achates is very mobile and if you get crushed, you will be knocked up. If you manage to combat this move with a Counter Skill, he will be staggered, which would allow you and your allies to hit him hard for the time being.

An alternative to charging forward is staying in place where he will instead clap his wings together to crush a player in between if you are not able to counter it in time. Additionally, this Guardian can also rush to targets without glowing blue right after performing the 360-degree wing strike. He will simply turn towards you to knock you down and deal low to moderate damage. No one from your team should use a Counter Skill since this charge variation is not counterable so running in a different direction is a must to avoid the attack.

Achates Lost Ark Boss Guide – Fiery Breath

When Achates adjusts his posture by spreading his front paws, he is preparing to execute the fiery breath attack. Here, he will unleash a potent white breath, which will inflict the Torch Storm Debuff. Another variation of this skill is when he moves his head sideways to impact as many players as possible.

And finally, the Guardian can spray his breath while moving backward. This is especially powerful because it will deal Flame of Torch and Torch Storm Debuffs. To avoid fiery breath entirely, dash to the side or behind him.

Achates Lost Ark Boss Guide – Light Rings

When Achates sits down on his hind legs, he has the ability to conjure 2 light rings, which are assigned to 2 players. This is an indicator that anyone who goes near them will not only take damage but also be inflicted by the debuff. These rings will eventually become smaller but before it does, make sure to stay away from affected allies. Moreover, before it completely disappears, a light explosion will take place so if you are the one who is affected, dash away immediately.

Achates Lost Ark Boss Guide – Side Flip

Achates can also perform a side flip to quickly dodge attacks and position himself right in front of you. Right after doing this, be sure to run to the side to avoid any of his frontal attacks.

Achates Lost Ark Boss Guide – Light Laser

Achates will partially stand on his hind legs before dropping on all fours. At which point, he will have conjured light lasers around him where strong white energy will emanate from. This is pretty tough to dodge due to the narrow safe areas available so make sure to dash outside of its borders entirely. Otherwise, you will be knocked up twice throughout the skill’s animation.

Achates Lost Ark Boss Guide – Curse

Achates is not short on potent abilities that he inflicts to deal incredible harm. One of which is the curse where he assigns a red and blue glyph on top of the heads of 2 players. They will have to stay close to each other until the curse has been lifted, else, they will take DoT, which becomes deadly in the long run.

Special Attack Patterns

Achates Lost Ark Boss Guide – Power Up

There is a moment in the encounter when Achates takes a short rest by sitting on his hind legs with his head bowed down. During this time, he is collecting white energy to prepare for other wing-related attacks. Since the boss lies stagnant, this is one of the best opportunities to bombard him with powerful abilities for a couple of seconds. In the end, his wings will begin to glow white. This stage is challenging because most of Achates’ attacks will inflict debuffs more frequently, making it harder to restore sufficient HP.

Achates Lost Ark Boss Guide – Wing Attack

One of the skills that this Guardian is able to do once his wings start glowing is the wing attack. Here, he will flap his wings and momentarily hover above the ground. On the second flap, anyone near him will take damage. If you happen to situate yourself beside his wings, you will also get knocked up. You can continue harming him from behind if you don’t mind taking low damage when he executes this ability.

When Achates becomes Enraged, he will perform a 360-degree variation of this skill. While he is turning, he will continuously flap his wings to deal as much damage as possible. Remember to move far away to protect yourself from it.

Achates Lost Ark Boss Guide – Dive

Rather than hovering above the ground, Achates can also fly higher and then dive into those positioned in front of him. He will simply jump upward while flapping his wings to initiate the attack. When this Guardian is already up in the air, be sure to run to the side because should you get caught in the dive, you will take moderate damage and be knocked down.

If Achates disappears soon after diving, he is gearing up for a surprise attack. This time, he will appear near the target and plunge right into them. It’s difficult to avoid since he will instantaneously materialize from thin air. To counter this dive skill variation, keep moving around after activating a skill or two.

Achates Lost Ark Boss Guide – Vacuum Annihilation

When Achates is Enraged, he will fly and hover above the ground. At the same time, massive white energy in the form of a circle will act as a vacuum to pull you and your allies in towards him. After a few seconds, this Guardian will curl himself into a ball in preparation for his devastating annihilation skill. At which point, you should aim to dash as far away from him as possible but be cautious since light orbs will suddenly obscure your path to try to slow you down. If you don’t manage to step out of the huge white ring Achates has created, you will take massive damage, which can kill squishy classes like the Sorceress and Glaivier.

Achates Lost Ark Boss Guide – Roar

While Enraged, Achatos will roar out into the open. Doing so will inflict a new debuff known as Overwhelmed, which drastically decreases your Attack Power for 1 minute. Note, however, that this has the potential to reach 2 or more stacks so you can opt to pop in a Panacea to get rid of them completely. Furthermore, the party should bombard him with Stagger Skills and Whirlwind Grenades to revert to his normal state.

Final Tips

Like Tytalos, Achates is an extremely mobile Guardian plus, he has the advantage of flying around. Because of this, you will want to activate 1-2 skills at a time before moving to target another body part. Doing so minimizes the risk at which you get hit by powerful attacks. More often than not, classes that deal Back Attacks such as the Deathblade or those that specialize in inflicting Ranged Damage like the Sharpshooter are more equipped at tackling this Guardian. If you are neither of these and you must stay in front of him all the time to deal sufficient damage, then you need to become more active in moving around.

When it comes to the core mechanic, remember to coordinate with your teammates in terms of the appropriate gem color to throw at Achates. Failing to do so will result in a shockwave and may potentially trigger his transition into the Enraged State, making it more difficult to defeat him. To counter this, make sure to use Whirlwind Grenades and Stagger Skills to deal Stagger Damage. When done successfully, he will return to his normal state.

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Stay tuned for more Lost Ark Boss and Endgame Guides and be sure to check out our Lost Ark Wiki or drop by our Twitch Channel if you have questions about the game. You can also check out our recent endgame content including the Helgaia and Calventus Boss Guides, Gold Farm Guide, Silver Farm Guide, and Best Combat Engravings. We also have Build Guides for the Berserker, Sharpshooter, Scrapper, Wardancer, and Deathblade, to name a few. What did you think of this Lost Ark Achates Guardian Raid Boss Guide? Which bosses are giving you a hard time? Let us know in the comments below!