The Guardian of Apep is a new Trounce Domain boss battle in the likes of Stormterror, Childe, Azhdaha, La Signora, Raiden Shogun Puppet, and Shouki no Kami in Genshin Impact. You can battle it as many times as you want, but you can only claim rewards weekly. So far, the only characters to use its Talent Level-Up materials are Baizhu and Kaveh.
How to Unlock Guardian of Apep Boss Battle
You must complete the following requirements to unlock this boss battle:
- Adventure Rank 40+
- Completed Archon Quest Chapter III: Act V Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises
- One Story Key for Sapientia Oromasdis Act II: Homecoming
You’ll follow Nahida as she tries to resolve some lingering feelings of unfinished things and help some friends get back home. The consequences of being contaminated by Forbidden Knowledge reach further than the Dendro Archon and the Traveler ever thought of.
The Trounce Domain becomes available when you complete the quest’s ‘What Shape Does the Self Hold’ section. It is located in the Desert of Hadramaveth, near a giant glowing cavern in the north.
Boss Battle Mechanics
The battle has three phases. The first and last is a direct combat situation where you attack and defeat the Guardian of Apep. The second is unusual, as you help the Heart of the Oasis recover while Proliferating Organisms try to keep its corrupted state.
Phase 1 Attacks
Emerging Strike – The Guardian becomes a shadow on the ground, appearing at your position. As it does, it swipes with its front limbs.
Body Sweep – It spins, sweeping over a large area.
4-Hit Combo – The boss swipes, slams, sweeps, and then slams its limbs in succession. Sometimes starts or ends at the second move.
Remote Crusher – Buries its four limbs into the ground. They emerge at your position and slam in succession.
Triple Slam – Guardian emerges from the center of the arena and slams its limbs three times. Each slam will send out spiky orbs that home in on you if you’re nearby.
Tail Sweep – The boss usually does this if you’re behind it. Swipes its tail twice.
Phase 2
In this phase, you want to fill the yellow bar by defeating organisms. Some will spawn to hinder your progress, and you fail when they succeed in depleting it. Here are the types you can encounter:
Preliminary Proliferating Organism
It’s the most basic one that looks like a mushroom cap dress/skirt. You don’t see a stalk, but it looks like a fungus. It can attack with melee or ranged moves.
Protective Proliferating Organism
It looks like two twined tendrils extended to form a tower. It creates a Dendro shield for nearby organisms that refreshes every half a second. To defeat the rest, you must beat it first.
Pernicious Proliferating Organism
A rolling organism that will explode if left alone for too long. Looks like a burr with a glowing center.
Predatory Proliferating Organism
This one looks like a combination of a whale, clam, and fungi. Its primary method of attack is to bite. Be careful when it devours a Preliminary Proliferating Organism because it becomes more powerful and starts to chase you around.
Provender Proliferating Organism
Its form is very similar to the Guardian but with only three limbs. It can buff 3 Preliminary Proliferating Organisms near it. While boosting others, their resistance to all damage types is increased to a near-invulnerable state. If a buffed organism is defeated, it loses 40% of its HP.
Perch Proliferating Organism
It’s a grotesque likeness of the flying fungi form, having very similar features but with an added otherworldly factor. It’s not dangerous as it won’t attack. However, it will interfere with you through barriers and teleportation.
You can keep the organisms from attacking the Heart with clever positioning of Geo constructs. Still, it’s faster if you defeat them.
Phase 3 Attacks
Emerging Strike – Same as the Phase 1 attack, but hits harder.
Triple Airstrike – The Guardian marks an area and gathers energy. When finished, the marked area explodes, followed by two more blasts at the player’s location.
Helix Shower – Collects helix-shaped projectiles to hurl at the player.
Double Swipe – When you’re close to the Guardian, it will swipe its limbs twice
Aftershocks of the Apocalypse – The Guardian goes to the center of the arena using Emerging Strike. It then jumps up and down, creating an expanding area of Dendro energy and forming 3 Shields of Revival’s Hymn. Staying in the field will damage you periodically. After that, it releases energy that can one-hit KO most characters. However, staying within the shields will protect you from the field damage and the final burst.
Tips and Tricks
As a combat-heavy boss battle, it is best to bring your best team and a shielder or healer. The Guardian of Apep hits hard; if you’re not careful, it can knock out your characters quickly. It has no recommended elements, so you can use any composition you want.
The boss has a 70% resistance to Dendro, though. Ensure you don’t rely on that element for damage, as it will take longer than if you used others. The Proliferating Organisms also have higher than usual Dendro RES (50%), so bringing a character of that element is not recommended.
Consider bringing an Anemo CC character to gather up the organisms to eradicate them quicker. It depends on your preference, as it can speed up the second phase. Still, specific abilities are useless in other portions. They can also help with the Viridescent Venerer 4-set effects.
The battle is relatively straightforward. You don’t need any fancy tricks or learn new mechanics for it. The second phase might take a while, but it’s not a long fight. With the right party, you can breeze through it and get the rewards instantly.
Random Trivia (SPOILER ALERT for Nahida’s Story Quest)
Interestingly, you’re battling the Guardian in the ‘stomach’ of Apep. You’ll see the latter’s size when you’ve done the quest. She’s a serpentine dragon, and though you see her through a veil of a sandstorm, what is visible shows how massive she is. She’s also big enough to be the home of the elemental beings you meet.
Nahida’s earlier panic that the dragon could explode with energy becomes a valid concern. Apep’s explosion might reach Liyue and/or Fontaine. With Khaenri’ah’s proximity to Sumeru, her destruction could mean another outpouring of Abyssal energy and creatures. It’s a good thing the Dendro Archon and the Traveler were able to cleanse Apep of the lingering effects of Forbidden Knowledge.
Apep is an elemental dragon, similar to Dvalin and Azhdaha. They are a species that existed before the Primordial One established the human realm. As they accumulate energy, they grow in size and can outlive gods. The game is wonky on the scaling of objects, but this fact suggests that Apep is one of the oldest beings in Teyvat.
For comparison, Azhdaha was said to be as big as a mountain range. What we fight in the domain are memories of a sealed Azdaha, so it’s a bit smaller than usual. To get a feel of his actual size, the tree above his domain is the tip of his tail. Dvalin was said to have grown when he awakened as Stormterror.
The quest also explains why the Dendro Archon shrunk after saving the Sumeru from the effects of Forbidden Knowledge. As Nahida explained, by reversing (or sacrificing) time, she can release several times more energy for whatever she needs to do. This usually is expressed through elemental power or experiences, as shown by the Hydro Fungus Elemental Being.
As it collected its family, it gained the members’ experiences and energy. Near the end, it accumulated enough to evolve into a Grounded Hydroshroom. It did what the Dendro Archon did, just in reverse. If Nahida succeeded in sacrificing her energy to cleanse Apep, she’d have turned into a twig or blade of grass.
Fortunately, she didn’t have to, and Sumeru wouldn’t lose their Archon. That can have unsavory consequences, least of all having some enterprising scholars repeat the action of creating a ‘god.’
Still, it shows that more than 500 years were needed for Nahida to gain a ‘bigger’ form. Then again, the sages severely limited her methods of gaining experience, being trapped in the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
At any rate, continue enjoying Genshin Impact!
SEO Title: Genshin Impact The Guardian of Apep Boss Battle Guide (53 characters)
SEO Description: A guide to unlocking the Guardian of Apep boss and what to do in its three phases. There are also some random trivia about Apep, Nahida, and other lore tidbits (spoilers abound, so read at your own risk). Enjoy Genshin Impact!
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