Lords of the Fallen Pieta Boss Guide: How To Beat She of Blessed Renewal

Remaining faithful to its Sols-Like origins, Lords of the Fallen introduces a variety of formidable and horrifying bosses that measure your strength throughout the game. Overcoming these bosses is the sole means of advancing the game's main storyline, and it all starts with Pieta, known as She of Blessed Renewal.

Pieta represents the first significant challenge in Lords of the Fallen and often proves to be a stumbling block for most players. Fortunately, we have successfully defeated this formidable swordswoman, and below, we have compiled a comprehensive guide on how to defeat Pieta, She of Blessed Renewal in Lords of the Fallen.

How To Beat Pieta, She of Blessed Renewal in Lords of the Fallen

Pieta, known as She of Blessed Renewal, marks the first "real" boss encounter in Lords of the Fallen. We use the term "real" with caution because you encounter a boss earlier in the game named Holy Bulwark Otto, but he functions more like a mini-boss, both in terms of behavior and health, serving as an introduction to The Lightreaper rather than a full-fledged boss fight.

Pieta presents the initial significant challenge for early players and is by no means an easy opponent. She has two distinct phases: the first phase is a confrontation with you on the ground, where she utilizes dashes, charges, sword strikes, and magic attacks. In the second phase, she sprouts wings and transitions to an aerial assault with additional abilities, even conjuring duplicates of herself for short periods.

So with that said, let's delve into defeating Pieta, She of Blessed Renewal in Lords of the Fallen, starting with an analysis of her move set and how to counter them during both the first and second phases of the fight. Subsequently, we will discuss the overall flow of the fight and strategies you can utilize to emerge victorious against Pieta in Lords of the Fallen.

Pieta, She of Blessed Renewal - Moves to Watch Out For

As mentioned earlier, during Pieta's initial phase, she moves around the battlefield with her sword drawn, ready to attack using sword strikes and magic. Below are the attacks to be vigilant about during Pieta's First phase, along with strategies for dodging or countering them:

1. Sword Strike Combo - Pieta executes a series of sword swings, ranging from two to four strikes, which may culminate in a ground slam. To evade this, we recommend dodging in the opposite direction of her swing to get behind her for a counter or continuously dodging her slashes.
2. Ground Slam/Strike - Pieta leaps into the air or simply raises her sword, then slams it into the ground, generating a small shockwave. To avoid this, simply dodge backward or to either side to evade the shockwave.
3. Sword Laser - Pieta raises her sword and directs it at you, firing a laser beam that inflicts significant damage. To avoid it, wait until the moment she points it at you, then dodge promptly to escape the laser.
4. Raining Swords of Light - Pieta raises her sword, conjuring a sword of light in the air surrounded by red and gold magic. This sword then descends toward the ground near you, and more swords continue to fall in your direction, attempting to hit you. To avoid this, dodge the first sword and then run in the opposite direction of the first sword until the barrage ceases (usually, six swords fall in total).

Once players have depleted roughly half of Pieta's health, she enters her second phase, sprouting crimson wings and hovering above the ground as she attacks. The timing of this transition can vary based on the damage dealt and strikes landed, but once she enters phase two, you need to be aware of the following attacks:

1. Sword of Light Barrage (arena-wide) - In phase 2, Pieta sprouts wings and moves to one end of the arena, facing lengthwise down the middle. She then flies lengthwise down the middle and releases a barrage of holy light swords behind her. To evade this, run to either side of the arena. This attack occurs only once after her transition.
2. Sword Strike Combo - Pieta performs a two-to-four sword strike combo once again, but this time, there's a delay before each strike. It would help if you learned the timing, as each strike briefly pauses before the next one, culminating in four strikes.
3. Rush Grab - Pieta charges at you from a distance and attempts to grab you, delivering a powerful impaling blow with her swords. To avoid it, closely watch her movements, and when you see her tense up, run to her left or right, as she can only charge in a straight line.
4. Ground Slam/Strike (Doubled Up) - Similar to the ground slam from phase one, she can now choose to follow up the first slam with a second one at her discretion. This is random, so the best way to avoid it is to closely observe her actions. If she raises her sword after the first slam, move away, as the second slam is likely to follow.
5. Dual Raining Swords of Light - Similar to phase 1's Raining Swords of Light, Pieta can now summon two swords, which will strike and then be followed by five more descending swords. The advice here remains the same, but it's slightly faster, so we recommend running immediately upon seeing Pieta conjure the swords.
6. Clone Sword of Light Barrage (arena-wide) - The arena is essentially rectangular, with three lanes: middle, left, and right. Pieta exploits this by summoning two clones at the end of the arena, and they will choose two of the three lanes for the Raining Swords of Light attack. To avoid it, move to the lane that the clones didn't choose and continue your battle with Pieta.
7. Clone Varied Attack - Pieta can summon between one and two clones at a time, each of which replicates her phase 1 abilities and can execute any of the attacks we noted in phase 1.

Pieta, She of Blessed Renewal - How To Beat 

When it comes to devising a battle strategy against Pieta, you'll find that she doesn't have any glaring vulnerabilities. She becomes quite aggressive during her first phase, and while her second phase is less aggressive, it's more challenging to land hits on her because she moves around more. Our primary advice is to exploit her attack cooldowns to inflict damage and then step back to observe her movements and determine when it's safe to re-engage.

When Pieta performs her slash combos, ground slams, and magic attacks, such as the raining swords of light, she momentarily stops moving after executing these moves, providing you with an opportunity to approach and deal some damage. Therefore, it's best to stay within proximity to her to take advantage of these cooldown periods. However, maintain some distance, especially in phase two when the clones come into play, as they can attack while Pieta closes in for the kill.

Lastly, it's worth noting that Pieta's slash attacks, especially in phase 1, can be parried, and she can be staggered if you manage to deal enough damage and successfully parry her attacks. Keep this in mind if you are more comfortable with the parry-riposte and guard system. However, her clones cannot be parried, and they can overwhelm you if you don't keep a vigilant eye on them, especially in phase 2.

To sum it up, stick close to Pieta, anticipate her attacks, and leave some room for dodging, but not so much that you can't capitalize on her cooldown periods. In phase two, maintain a slightly greater distance to account for the clones, but continue to wait for her attack cooldowns, close in to deal damage, step back, and repeat this pattern until you've defeated Pieta, She of Blessed Renewal.

Defeating Pieta will reward you with a Vestige Seed, an Umbral Scouring, and 6000 Vigor for your triumph. Moreover, defeating Pieta will grant you access to the Hub area of the game, Skyrest Bridge, from where your grand mission to rescue the world from the Adyr's evil in Lords of the Fallen will unfold, as well as unlocking Pieta as a friendly NPC who will upgrade your Sanguinarix as you progress through the game.