Shadow Hunter: Special Edition - The Buried King Boss Guide

To defeat The Buried King in Shadow Hunter: Special Edition, dodge forward through the release of his heavy frontal swings to get behind him, then unleash your burst skills while he recovers. The Buried King relies on wide sweeping slashes, jumping strikes, and forward shockwaves that deal high damage to anyone standing directly in front of him. Staying in the center of the arena and reserving your dash charges for confirmed attack animations prevents him from trapping you against boundaries.

Attack Patterns and Counter Tactics

The Buried King features long startup animations followed by extended recoveries. Because his hitboxes travel forward and outward, dodging straight backward often leaves you in range of his weapon tip. Instead, angle your evasions through his striking arm or behind his back.

Attack	Danger	Evasion Method	Counter Window
Horizontal Sweeping Cleave	Broad frontal arc with heavy knockback	Dash forward through the blade arm toward his rear	High; execute a full basic combo sequence
Overhead Ground Slam	Linear shockwave projecting forward	Dash laterally or behind him before impact	High; land your highest-damage skill rotation
Leaping Ground Pound	Rapid gap-closer causing ground eruption	Dash beneath his airborne trajectory	Medium; brief opening before his next ready stance
Multi-Hit Rage Chain	Tracking combo that catches panic rolls	Back away to mid-range until the final blow lands	Very high; open to counter once the final slam settles

Execution and Dodge Timings

To punish his attacks safely without taking return damage, apply these timing and movement rules:

Wait for the swing release: Do not dash during his wind-up pause. Dashing prematurely wastes invulnerability frames and exposes you when the blade actually releases.
Punish ground slam recoveries immediately: When The Buried King embeds his weapon in the stone floor during an overhead strike, his recovery lasts roughly two to three seconds. Unleash burst skills from behind him during this window, where the forward shockwave cannot hit you.
Disengage before his posture resets: Do not lock yourself into long, uninterruptible combo enders at the tail end of his recovery. Cancel back to neutral after two seconds to prepare for his follow-up attack.

Arena Positioning and Resource Management

Getting trapped against the room boundaries restricts camera visibility and limits your lateral dodging options. If knocked into a wall, the impact can prolong your character's recovery state and invite lethal follow-up strikes.

Anchor in the center two-thirds: Maintain central floor control. If the boss drives you toward an edge, do not exchange hits; wait for an attack tell, dash through his frame, and reposition toward the middle of the room.
Conserve dash charges: Never spend dash stamina simply to close distance across the arena while the boss is idle. Jog forward to bait an attack so you always retain at least one defensive charge to pass through his strikes.
Reserve skills for confirmed openings: Avoid activating long-cooldown abilities while The Buried King is actively mobile, as his attacks have heavy armor that wins direct trades. Save major abilities exclusively for his slam recovery or the finish of his multi-hit combo chain.