The end of the fifth chapter in Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris will have you facing off against Commander Gunther and his Dark Knights. He’s not kidding when he threatened you with his unholy army because it’s a multi-phase boss fight (with a few spoilers at the end to boot). Here’s our boss guide to help you out.
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Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris – Commander Gunther and the Dark Knights boss guide
Hektor Ul Gunther, the Commander of the Dark Knights, will be your opponent once you’ve reached the end of chapter 5 in Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris. This boss is level 46 and the entire encounter has — I’m not kidding — four phases. Make sure you’re well prepared because there are no breaks in between.
Note: We tackle only the Commander Gunther boss fight here, but there’s an additional (spoiler-heavy) page that you can click at your own risk.
Phase 1: The Dark Knights
A wave of five Dark Knights will be your first test. They’re all using 2H swords so be on the lookout for any AoE attacks like Cyclone. Sadly, none of these Dark Knights are using Batmobiles or Batarangs.
Just for a few giggles, you can run around as Kirito, even letting your companions do most of the work.
Oh, did I say “wave?” I meant “waves.” There are a total of three waves of Dark Knights that you need to battle here. Once you’ve cleared the third wave, you’ll enter the next phase.
There will be a short cutscene where the cavalry arrives to help you out. Sadly, all these Integrity Knights won’t actually join you for the fight. The game just implies they’re fighting the other Dark Knights to create a distraction.
Phase 2: Commander Gunther and the Dark Knights
Oh, joy! The next phase will be against Commander Gunther plus five Dark Knights. The mobs will be running around with rapiers equipped, so prepare for skills like Linear or Shooting Star.
As for Mister G, he uses a skill called Meteor Fall where he leaps and slams down on the ground to do AoE damage.
The Dark Knights themselves won’t pose much of a threat. Even better, you can quickly take swipes at them to boost SP for your sword skills. Later, you should use your chain bursts and skill connects on Commander Gunther to put him in a “break” state.
Follow this up with Super/Ally/Finish Arts to do tremendous damage. A few powerful combos should be enough to do the trick and you’ll whittle his health down in no time.
Phase 3: Shadow Gunther
Commander Gunther has absorbed the unholy essences of his Dark Knights thanks to the giant Clamp nearby. I guess we can call him Commander Clamp now.
The G-Man’s health is back to 100%, and he’s using a new skill called Devil Conqueror.
This ability has a slow charge time, then purple smoke will trail on the ground in a straight line. Be sure to dodge this and stay away from it, because getting hit by this thing (or touching it) will stun you for the entire duration. It can even cancel your “wind-up” animation when using Arts.
Your goal, as usual, is to use your combos to put Shadow Gunther in “break,” “fatal,” and “downed” states.
Unleash your Arts when you’re in the clear to wipe the floor with him. Once he’s down to 25% health, there will be a quick cutscene.
Phase 4: Shadow Gumbo
This really isn’t much of a phase anymore. It’s just Commander Gunther trying to survive. He still has Devil Conqueror, but he also has a swiping attack that fires a green beam. His health might be low, but he’ll still do a lot of damage, so just try to burst him down when you can.
Once you’re done with all four phases, Commander Gunther will be utterly defeated. That’s it! You’ve completed the fifth chapter of Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris. Congratulations, you!
We can stop this guide here, sure, but, there’s something you might want to know just to be prepared. There will be some spoilers, so read at your own risk (or click the “next” button below).
