Returnal boss guide: How to beat Ophion

Selene's journey deeper into Atropos leads her into the Abyssal Scar, an underwater ruin and the final biome of Returnal. In the Abyssal Scar, your jump is twice as effective, but you also fall slower, which could leave you open to attack if you're not careful. As you plunge deeper into the depths of the Abyssal Scar, you'll encounter Ophion, the final boss standing behind you and the answers you seek. Here's how to defeat the final boss Ophion in Returnal.

How to prepare

If you've managed to fight your way through the fourth and fifth biome, then you may in good shape heading into the Abyssal Scar. Enemies are frequent in this biome and are prone to exploding, so watch your step as you explore its murky depths. Stock up on health and shield items, and grab a Child's Watch or an Astronaut Figurine, to make sure your run doesn't end in tragedy. I also like the Spitmaw Blaster for this final fight, but the Hollowseeker works really well. You're going to want range, but also a gun that can strike many places very quickly.

Fighting Ophion

Ophion is handled a little differently than other bosses you've encountered, as you'll need to target several weak spots on its body before moving to the next phase.

Phase 1

The key to damaging Ophion is to hit the blue-ish orbs on the sides of it. That will reveal the weak points all over Ophion's body. Your weapon going into this fight might affect the speed at which you can complete every phase, so keep that in mind before sinking into the boss' lair.

Ophion attacks with laser beams that you can't dash through, so you'll have to rely on some fancy footwork and jump between blasts. Ophion will shoot bullets and lasters from portals, while also smashing the ground and sending waves of purple energy your way. Pick your landing spot carefully, and aim for the area where the lasers pass through one another.

Ophion fires a lot of bullets in haphazard sprays that go everywhere, as well as tighter grids that can be dashed through. The energy waves are the most difficult part of this phase, as well as the beams that shoot out from portals. It may start to feel claustrophobic, but a lot of the bullets can be avoided by stepping side by side and timing your jumps between lasers.

Phase 2

In phase 2, Ophion begins to get more handsy and starts swinging at you with its massive tentacles that send those dreaded purple waves of energy your way. Ophion will also up the number of bullets that begin spraying from the portals, as well as scatter bullets all around the arena. Ophion will also occasionally summon beams that sweep the area. Jump over these when you see them coming.

You should be ok if you don't stand to one side of the arena. Most of the action happens near the center, but that means that you'll stay mostly clear of the beams dropping through the air. Utilize your dash once the bullets get too close, and keep hitting the spheres to reveal Ophion's weak points to push it to the final phase.

Phase 3

The final phase is Ophion at his worst, sending just about every attack you've seen from it thus far at you, one after another. The screen might seem overwhelming until you realize many of the bullets Ophion sends at you are slow-moving, and can easily be avoided.

The move you should be worried about is the two spinning windmills of purple lasers. They cut across the area and spin, but you time it accurately, you can jump right between them. If you keep your distance from Ophion while firing away at its weak points, you actually shouldn't have too much trouble wrapping this boss up. Ophion is scary-looking, but it's actually pretty easy to take down.

Here comes the tide

With Ophion out of the picture, Selene plunges further into the depths of Atropos and uncovers some shocking revelations. Remember, Selene's story doesn't end when the credits roll the first time. Check out our guide to figuring out the Third act of Returnal, as well as referring to our tips and tricks guide for additional help. Returnal is a showcase of what the Dualsense controller is capable of, and its presentation and gameplay make it one of the best PS5 games available.