Mina the Hollower is here at last, allowing us to dive deep into the gothic-horror world of Yacht Club Games' latest. There's lots to see and do in this dire, anthropomorphic animal-filled world, and it can get quite challenging, especially if you're not accustomed to this throwback genre. And, with Thorne serving as the first real skill check of the game, you're in for a treat, as it's an epic battle from start to finish.
And while this is technically the first big boss encounter in Mina the Hollower, Thorne is no pushover, forcing you to use everything at your disposal to prevail victorious. Still, with a solid strategy, you will send this bat flying back to where they came from, surely bumping into them again in the future for a much different and more fierce encounter!
Thorne Overview
Thorne, as covered above, will be your first real skill check in Mina the Hollower, and will approach you after you exit the Ossex Orphanage and begin making your exit. Upon stopping you and exchanging words with Mina, the battle will commence, putting everything you've learned up to this point to the test. As the tutorial boss, he can be overwhelming if you're not prepared, which will likely catch many players off guard.
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Posts By Joshua RobertsonOverall, Thorne hits hard and is a pretty agile fighter, placing you on the back foot if you're still not up to snuff with the game's combat systems and mechanics. But, with insight on how to evade and counter his handful of attacks, you should be more than golden, allowing you to take him down with ease!
Thorne Information
Region
Ossex
Optional?
No
Rewards
75 Skulls
Recommended Sidearm
Volt Hatchet
You can obtain the Volt Hatchet Sidearm just outside of the Orphanage's front door by breaking the lantern on the right. We strongly recommend using this Sidearm over the others, as its AoE makes it easier to hit Thorne, and it deals a solid amount of damage!
How To Defeat Thorne
Despite being the tutorial boss of sorts, Thorne still has access to a decent amount of attacks, forcing you to stay alert and on point if you want to evade them and properly punish him when the opportunity presents itself. While he hits hard, all of his actions are easily telegraphed, allowing you to consistently get out of harm's way while simultaneously reaching a more advantageous position for your own offense!
Thorne: Advancing Slashes
When the encounter begins, Thorne will likely stand in the center of the arena for a brief period, allowing you to hit him with a well-placed Volt Hatchet throw before he launches into his first attack. His first attack will almost always be his Advancing Slashes, which have him perform a series of vicious strikes with his trident, each slash propelling him forward slightly, making them a bit challenging to evade.
The moment you see Thorne begin swinging his trident in front of him, Burrow underground and create distance between you and him. Once far enough away, you can throw another Volt Hatchet at him, then Burrow away from him again if he gets too close. You can often hit him with two to three Volt Hatchets here, then land several standard attacks on him once he finishes his attack!
Thorne: Jumping
From here, Thorne will often begin performing a series of short hops toward you, without really attacking with his weapon. If he touches you, you will take damage, but with enough space between the two of you, that's unlikely to happen. When he jumps toward you, Burrow underground and create distance, then keep moving away from him until he finishes. He will typically perform three to four hops.
Upon finishing his hops, Thorne will stand in place for a short period, allowing you to throw more Volt Hatchets at him, while also landing several standard attacks, dealing a pretty substantial amount of damage to him!
Thorne: Super Jump
After he's done hopping around, he will unleash the real deal and perform a Super Jump, taking him high above the arena. The moment you see him take flight, use your Burrow and go the complete opposite direction. Thorne will follow, and you'll see his shadow begin chasing after you. Just keep moving in the opposite direction, Burrowing to gain more speed, to get far away from him when he lands.
Upon landing, Thorne will create a small AoE around himself, but will also be stuck in place temporarily, allowing you to follow up with even more Volt Hatchets. Once the AoE dissipates, you can also run up to him and land several standard attacks, bringing his health down considerably!
Thorne: Twisters
Following that, Thorne will typically begin rapidly spinning his trident before launching a flurry of Twisters at you at a rapid pace. While they come in hot, you can Burrow to have them pass over you, allowing you to evade damage altogether. However, keep in mind that you cannot stay underground forever, so ensure you're not in the pathway of another Twister when you pop out.
You're looking at roughly five to six Twisters here, so try to create distance when you see Thorne begin spinning his trident, then use your Burrow to evade damage if any of them come close to you. From there, you can toss more Volt Hatchets at him, then prepare for his next attack!
You will likely be low on Joules here, so begin destroying some of the torches and cutting down some of the patches of grass to, hopefully, replenish your Joules, allowing you to continue using your Sidearm!
Thorne: Dashing Mines
Next up, Thorne will likely go directly into his Dashing Mines attack, having him extend his trident forward before swiftly lurching forward, dropping explosive mines behind him in a straight line. After he performs one dash, he will perform another right after in another direction, creating a nice angle of bombs. Then, once he's done placing his mines, he will begin unleashing a series of Advancing Strikes.
This attack is the hardest to avoid of Thorne's so far, and we strongly recommend creating as much distance as possible the moment he dashes forward. Since you will be on the opposite side of the arena, you can hit him with your Volt Hatchet when he begins unleashing his Advancing strikes, while being in the clear from his mines. Use your Burrow to keep creating much-needed distance, while peppering him with your Sidearm!
Phase Two - Thorne: Super Jump
Once you get Thorne's health down to the halfway point, you will enter the second phase of the encounter, which sees some of his previous attacks get slightly modified, making them trickier to deal with. First up, we have his Super Jump. Like earlier, he will hunker down before leaping high above the arena, allowing you to track his location via his shadow, giving you ample time to Burrow and create distance.
However, this time around, when Thorne crashes into the ground, he will unleashsix Twisters, sending them throughout the arena. If you Burrowed far away from his landing point, you can likely find a gap in the Twister and cut through it, allowing you to throw Volt Hatchets at him, while weaving in many standard attacks for massive damage. If not, simply Burrow underneath the Twisters, then land a few attacks on him before going back on defense!
Phase Two - Thorne: Dashing Mines
Thorne's next modified attack is his Dashing Mines, which has him perform largely the same attack, except this time he creates a whole rectangle of mines. Yup, that's right, he will dash four times total, leaving bombs behind him each time, leaving very little room for you to move. Fortunately, since the first set of bombs will go off before he finishes, you can move toward that side of the arena to avoid taking damage from the other mines.
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Sharpen your boss-fight toolkit - subscribe to the newsletter for in-depth Mina the Hollower strategy breakdowns, attack-pattern reads, sidearm recommendations and phase tactics, plus coverage of similar throwback boss encounters and practical tips. Get Updates By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.But keep in mind, Thorne will still perform his Advancing Strikes after his fourth dash, so be prepared to evade these attacks as well. If you still have Volt Hatchets, you can throw them at him as he's encroaching toward you. If not, wait for him to finish his attacks before running up to him and landing several hits on him!
Phase Two - Thorne: Twisters
Last up, we have his Twisters attack, which is slightly modified compared to the others, having him send out many more Twisters than before in a more sporadic pattern. Like before, when he begins spinning his trident, create distance, then attempt to run away from the Twister while Burrowing underneath any that come close, while being mindful of the others.
You will likely be out of Joules at this point, so you're going to have to run up to him and land standard attacks, which will be easy as he's stuck in place for quite some time during this attack. From here, you will repeat everything above until Thorne is taken down, having him flee from the Ossex Orphanage, meaning you will likely encounter him again in the not-so-distant future!
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Posts By Joshua Robertson
