There are countless bosses in Lies of P, including Parade Master and Mad Donkey, that will test players’ mettle and abilities. Like any good Soulslike, the trash mobs prove little more than cannon fodder to practice your skills before the big fight. In this case, the first boss you’ll tackle in Lies of P is Parade Master, and he’s a bit of a doozy if you’re still learning the block and parry mechanics. Here’s how to beat Parade Master in Lies of P!

Dealing With Parade Master’s First Phase

To properly deal with Parade Master, you must first realize that he has multiple phases. His first phase is relatively tame, with a charge attack, a bellyflop, and a few different swings and slams. You can easily dodge or outright block most of these before landing a few hits of your own. Just be wary because he will turn red in his rage mode, which you cannot block. You must dodge these attacks.

First and foremost, I recommend coming in swinging strong. As soon as you enter the arena, Parade Master is before you. He’ll start lumbering forth and, more often than not, start his first phase with a few slam attacks and a swing or two. Wait for an opening, then pop your Fable Art, specifically the one attached to your sword’s blade, not the hilt, and deal massive damage.

Like most boss fights in Soulslike titles, Parade Master is a test of attrition. You don’t want to play too aggressively, but you don’t want to let him run over you. Block and dodge when you can, then land a few attacks. Then, repeat the process. When he bellyflops, dodge backward, then rush forward to hit him as many times as possible before he rises once more.

Before long, he’ll enter his second phase. You’ll know when he rips the giant cage off and slams it to the ground before tearing his head off.

Beating Parade Master’s Second Phase

At approximately 50% health, Parade Master enters his second phase. He’ll slam the cage down, which you can dodge easily, and remove his head to use as a weapon. You can attack and deal some damage during this transition, but it’s reduced considerably.

Thankfully, even during his second phase, Parade Master’s attacks prove pretty slow and easy to maneuver around. But he does hit for more damage per hit, so be wary. In Lies of P, blocking and parrying an attack is typically better than dodging. You don’t have many I-frames here, and dodging is often slow and cumbersome.

If you’ve refilled your Fable Arts bar, pop the ability once more as soon as he slows or staggers to maximize damage output.

Parade Master Boss Drop

Upon defeating Parade Master, he’ll drop the Parade Leader’s Ergo, an Ergo Fragment containing 5,000 Ergo, and Quartz, which you’ll use later to upgrade your abilities.

We recommend hanging on to the Parade Leader’s Ergo. It’s super attractive to pop it immediately and level up a whole bunch, but there is a rare merchant you’ll meet later who will trade unique items and weapons for these boss fragments. It’s entirely up to you, though. That rush of immediate power is undoubtedly an attractive option.

More Lies of P Reading:

• Lies of P Trophies Revealed
• How to Level Up Fast in Lies of P
• Lies of P Tips & Tricks for Beginners

Lies of P includes numerous progression systems to help make your build stronger. You can focus on improving your weapons, upgrading the Legion Arm, or leveling your character to bolster their health, stamina, defenses, and weapon damage. But the issue is that these systems require the same resource: Ergo. You need to spend Ergo wisely and effectively, but it helps when you learn how to level up fast in Lies of P!

• Related Reading: Lies of P Tips & Tricks for Beginners

Where to Get Ergo

As you slay enemies throughout the game, they drop Ergo. For a trash mob, like the usual puppet dogs or police officers, you will only receive a small handful. Say, around 30 Ergo in total. It’s certainly not enough to pay for an upgrade or level up at Hotel Krat. But as you start learning enemy spawn positions and work to farm an area, you can score big.

For example, in the first area, Krat Central Station Plaza, upon waking up in the train car, I farmed the enemies multiple times to reach level 20 before ever tackling Parade Master. Sure, it was somewhat of a grind, but it helped me to learn the mechanics and become stronger before the first boss fight.

In the early game, the only real threat you face comes in the form of ranged mobs, which fire rifles or shotguns at you. These hit hard, so keep an eye on them. But if you’re in the middle of combat with melee mobs, it’s tough to watch the enemy in the background. As such, you’ll want to deal with any ranged puppets first.

Form a Route

Once more, using Krat Central Station Plaza as an example, if you form a route to clear enemies, you’ll find yourself raking in up to 2000 Ergo for your troubles. That’s not including any Ergo Fragments you loot when slaying foes.

If you start at Krat Central Station Plaza Stargazer, the first Stargazer you restore, then work your way through the area to the second Stargazer near the Wandering Merchant, just before Parade Master, you’ll run into tens of enemies to farm. Hit this Stargazer, then work your way back. Every run is between 1600-2000 Ergo, and this early in the game, it takes less than 1,000 Ergo to level up in Lies of P.

Stats You Should Level First in Lies of P

Once you farm Ergo in Lies of P, you need to carefully consider how to level your character. The best starting stats to focus on include:

• Vitality: Increases health points and guard regeneration.
• Vigor: Improves stamina and total defense.
• Motivity/Technique: Choose whichever one scales best for your weapon to improve its damage.

More Lies of P Reading:

• Lies of P Trophies Revealed
• Lies of P to Be Available on Game Pass Day 1
• Lies of P Early Access and Release Timing Revealed; New Boss Fight Showcase Swings Out

In the same vain as countless other Soulslike titles, including the recent Elden Ring, Lies of P features a tough-as-nails combat system that relies heavily on blocking, parrying, and the occasional dodge. You’ll spend less time performing the latter, so forget what you know about the sub-genre and prepare for a whooping or two as you learn the block and parry mechanics. To help you kick some puppet butt, let our Lies of P tips and tricks for beginners guide help you!

Focus On Blocking

First and foremost, once again, you need to forget the combat styles of Elden Ring and Dark Souls, which focus heavily on dodging. In Lies of P, the developers want you to learn how to block and parry incoming attacks successfully. Blocking is, of course, all about timing. As soon as you see the enemy wind up for an attack, hit that block button. If you time it correctly, you’ll perform a successful block and can parry their attack for a bit of extra damage.

That said, there are some situations in which dodging makes the most sense. For instance, when an enemy enters their frenzied glowing red state, you can’t block those attacks, so dodging is the only option.

Don’t Be Afraid to Heal

Like in other Soulslike titles, you have limited healing items in Lies of P. Here, they’re called Pulse Cells, and you start the game with just three fully charged cells. They reset each time you rest at Stargazers, and those are relatively few and far between. But unlike other titles in the genre, Lies of P is gracious. As you deal damage to foes, your Pulse Cell will automatically regenerate. It’s not a death sentence to run out of healing items in Lies of P, so use them wisely but willingly.

Pick Up Your Dropped Ergo Quickly

When you die, you drop all of your Ergo. This is Lies of P’s answer to souls, and you require quite a bit to level up, buy new weapons, and purchase other aid items from the various roaming vendors in the game.

Unfortunately, if you die and drop your Ergo, you’re on the clock. The longer it takes for you to scoop up your lost resource, the more you lose. You see, the game reduces the amount of Ergo you recover for every second it’s on the ground.

Spend Ergo Wisely

Speaking of Ergo, each time you level up in Lies of P, the Ergo cost increases significantly. As such, your first tens of levels genuinely make a difference because the deeper into the game you get, the higher the cost to level up. Eventually, it’ll feel like you hit a wall as progress slows seemingly to a halt.

For your first few levels, we recommend investing in Vitality to increase your health pool, then Motivity or Technique to increase weapon damage output.

Explore the Game World

One of the most important Lies of P tips we have for you is to explore the game world in earnest. Around every corner, each nook and cranny in the devastated city, you’ll find useful items and enemies to farm. The loot spawns both in random chests and on the ground, and you’ll find weapons, quest objectives, and Quartz.

Furthermore, you’ll occasionally run into NPCs in the world. These offer quests, lore, and other insights that may prove useful as you progress deeper into the game. In fact, some of the NPCs you discover in the game world will return with you to Hotel Krat, offering their unique services in the hub area.

Stay tuned for additional Lies of P guides at MP1st!

More Lies of P Reading:

• Lies of P Trophies Revealed
• Lies of P and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Collaboration Brings New Weapons
• Lies of P to Be Available on Game Pass Day 1