How to beat the Sector Guard in Pragmata

2 hours ago 7

The Sector Guard boss with its guns at the ready.

Pragmata's first boss, the Sector Guard, is quite a step up compared to the challenges you've faced so far. But it's also a sign of things to come: the Sector Guard is a breeze compared to bosses and even standard fights later on, not least because it's a tutorial for the Overdrive mechanic.

Because all the enemies you've faced so far have been pushovers, you haven't really had to learn enemy weak spots or master hacking so far. That's gotta change. So here's what you should know to kill Sector Guard.

Played by

I've spent way too much time checking every nook and cranny to find collectibles, and banged my head against walls completing Cabin challenges so that you don't have to. Well, so that you can do it far easier and quicker using my learnings, at least. Make sure to check out my full Pragmata guide after spending 18 hours shepherding my space daughter

A player shooting at and hacking the Sector Guard boss.

First things first, remember that you need to hack enemies to deal most of your damage in Pragmata, and that doesn't change during boss fights. While you're shooting Sector Guard, you need to routinely hack them to expose weak spots and boost your damage.

Article continues below

Here are my tips to take it down:

Sector Guard's main attack is a dash. When you see it crouch, it's preparing to charge at you, so get ready to dodge to the side, especially if you're distracted with hacking.
Use the Decode hacking node to temporarily increase your damage dealt.
After you hack Sector Guard, the canister on its back will open, revealing a weak spot.
I recommend using the Stasis Net to hold the Sector Guard in place, giving you an easier time hacking and better access to its weak spot.
Use the Shockwave Gun to deal heavy damage up close. You can pick up more ammo and hacking nodes from around the arena.
When you deal enough damage, the boss will stagger and be surrounded by blue arrows pointing down. You can approach it for a Critical Shot, dealing massive damage.

Once you've got the Sector Guard to 50% health, it will become more aggressive and launch rockets at you. This attack is telegraphed with red circles on the ground, so it's easy enough to avoid. However, you'll also be introduced to Diana's Overdrive Protocol mechanic at the same time.

By hacking enemies, you'll fill the meter, letting you unleash a burst of energy that opens weak spots, immobilises, and deals damage. This gives you a brief window to hack and shoot the boss without them dashing around.

Once you kill the Sector Guard, it'll drop your first Shelter License key. These give you access to new features at the Cradle, including the ability to spend Cabin Coins, new items at the Unit Printer, and further upgrades at the Firmware Updater.

Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.

Rory has made the fatal error of playing way too many live service games at once, and somehow still finding time for everything in between. Sure, he’s an expert at Destiny 2, Call of Duty, and more, but at what cost? He’s even sunk 1,000 hours into The Elder Scrolls Online over the years. At least he put all those hours spent grinding challenges to good use over the years as a freelancer and guides editor. In his spare time, he’s also an avid video creator, often breaking down the environmental design of his favourite games. If you can’t track him down, he’s probably lost in a cave with a bunch of dwarves shouting “rock and stone” to no end.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Read Entire Article