How to defeat Achates in Lost Ark

Seasoned Guardian raiders who have managed to topple Tytalos are bound to be surprised when Lost Ark throws them a second, even stronger white lion Guardian in the form of Achates. Not only more statistically difficult than its progenitor, Achates’ attack cycles are far more complex, and require an element not yet tested by the previous Guardians: team coordination.

Challenging Achates: Tiering up

Achates exists as part of the third tier of Guardian Raids, meaning that raiders looking to face it must first fight and defeat the four tier-two Guardians — Chromanium, Nacrasena, Flame Fox Yoho, and the aforementioned Tytalos — at least once each. While difficult to accomplish, working their way up through the list of Guardians allows players to become acclimated to the types of attack cycles they will face, and works to master techniques used in the Achates fight to their advantage.

Compared to its peers in Guardian tier 3, Achates requires the most stringent of item levels, demanding that players equip item level 920 to even participate in hunting the giant lion down. As a tradeoff to these lofty material requirements, Achates is the first Guardian to potentially reward players with legendary equipment.

Related: How to defeat Tytalos in Lost Ark

Fighting Achates: Clipped wings

Achates features a series of varying attack gimmicks that can collectively devastate any raiding party caught unaware of the mechanics at play. These gimmicks affect one another, meaning that groups of players who misplay one stage of the fight will suffer greatly in another.

Statues and stuns

Achates will begin to glow a certain color, and one to four statues will appear around the arena. Raiders should prioritize destroying the statues over attacking the boss, as these statues, when destroyed, will drop multiple orbs of different colors. Launching orbs of the color matching that of Achates’ glow at the boss will weaken it, reducing its attack power.

Once Achates has been weakened, players should get to work beating down on the boss with weak point-targeting skills or Destruction bombs. Breaking Achates’ weak point — its wings — will stun the beast, leaving it vulnerable to the players’ strongest attacks.

Should players not successfully break Achates’ wings, it will enter an enraged mode. During enraged mode, the boss will draw players in and instantly kill them with a rapid attack. Achates reaching enraged mode can single-handedly wipe raiding parties, so raiders must work together to properly stun the boss if they want to succeed.

Related: What does “Weak Point” mean in Lost Ark?

Red versus blue versus ice

Intermixed within its attacks, Achates may cast red or blue icons over the heads of all players participating in the raid. Players marked with red icons must stand near those with blue icons, or else their health will begin to drain rapidly.

Conversely, players must avoid standing near one-another while Achates is casting out frozen breath. Raiders caught in this breath will begin to suffer gradual damage and a series of debuffs that will pass on to other raiders that they come into contact with.

Related: How to complete the Find the Guardian quest in Lost Ark