Mandragora: Whispers Of The Witch Tree - Caretaker Boss Guide

Quick Links

• Caretaker Overview

• Caretaker Attacks

• Caretaker Tips

One of the first difficult bosses you'll face in Mandragora is the Caretaker, a massive undead creature that guards the path towards Wickham's abandoned swamp. This undead figure dishes out some serious damage, can summon adds, and even grab you to deliver a swift demise.

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If you're looking to best the Caretaker and reach the swamp, then you've come to the right place. We'll quickly go over how to reach the Caretaker, showcase its weaknesses, and give a breakdown of which attacks to look out for and their respective counters. Bring a good weapon, unlock a few skills, and you'll best this fight in a few tries.

Caretaker Overview

Location

Old Wickham Monastery - Upper Cemetery

Recommenced Level

Level 10+

Damage Types

Physical, Void

Weaknesses

Physical, Ancestral, Fire

The Caretaker is an undead boss you'll meet in the upper cemetery of Old Wickham Monastery, a zone you'll reach fairly early in your playthrough. Once you've been tasked with reaching the swamp in the "Witch Hunt" quest, you'll need to get past Commander Clayborne's troops who are guarding the east path of the monastery. Do a short quest for Clayborne to gain entry.

Most of the Caretaker's attacks are well telegraphed and deal physical damage, so scale your physical resistance if possible. Anything that grants a hefty sum of armor will also prove useful in this fight. You'll also want a skill that can either hit through targets or has some sort of AoE damage, as the Caretaker will spawn adds throughout the fight.

Caretaker Attacks

There are four notable attacks you need to watch out for during the Caretaker fight:

1. Slam Attack: The Caretaker slams the butt end of its shovel into the ground, creating a fissure that expands in both directions.
   • Jump to avoid this attack.
2. Kick: The Caretaker will sprint towards you and quickly kick you, shoving you backward.
   • If you see the Caretaker start sprinting, get ready to roll.
3. Grab: The Caretaker will get close to your character and extend its hand. If it grabs you, they'll deal significant damage to your character, potentially a one-hit kill depending on your max HP.
   • Roll the second you see their arm move.
4. Summoning Slam: The Caretaker will slam the front of its shovel into the ground, summoning an undead minion in the aftershock.
   • Roll to avoid.

Most of the attacks from this fight are well telegraphed and have at least a second delay beforehand, so as long as you're paying attention to the boss, you should be able to roll out of most attacks. The only exception is the kick, as this attack is so quick that it's impossible to react to.

By far the deadliest part of this fight are the adds themselves. While not durable on their own, the summoning slam attack will quickly fill the arena with multiple zombies. You'll want a strong AoE spell or a strong attack that can quickly kill the adds. The longer it takes you to kill the zombies, the more difficult this fight will be.

Caretaker Tips

• Use Physical or Void damage. This boss has the least resistance to these damage types, making them most effective versus the Caretaker.
  • Do not use Bleed; the boss is nigh-immune to that damage type.
• Keep your distance. This boss is most dangerous in melee range. Generate distance when adds spawn to get a better read on the Caretaker's next attack.
• Stock up on consumable HP potions from the Wickham merchant if you're struggling.

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